Texas Baptist Women in Ministry Conference held at HSU

(ABILENE, Texas)–On Friday February 22, around 170 people from across the state participated in the Texas Baptist Women in Ministry Conference, hosted by Hardin-Simmons University and Texas Baptist Women in Ministry. The conference is held yearly and serves as an outlet for men and women from all over Texas to gather together and worship, share ideas, discuss important issues involving women in ministry, and to overall be inspired in their ministry.

The conference was held at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary, where the events included times of worship, breakout sessions, and conversation circles on various topics. The plenary preacher for the conference was Rev. Ellen Di Giosia, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, TN.

Dr. Meredith Stone, Assistant Professor of Scripture and Ministry at HSU, took part on the Logsdon planning team for the event. At the beginning of the event, she introduced the conference theme, create, saying “We hope that this conference will be a place that creates space for women in ministry to feel encouraged and to be able to talk about some of the difficult issues that we face.”

The planning team at Logsdon decided on the theme because as they were brainstorming, they kept trying to imagine not only what the conference would be, but what it would create. “We hope…you will be inspired to create in your ministry, to imagine, to be creative, and that you would be encouraged to create ministry that seeks the redemption and wholeness of this world and all who are in it,” said Stone. She also led a conversation circle later in the day that was centered on the question “How does my interpretation of the Bible line up with women in ministry leadership?”

The outcomes of the conference have been shown through the participants’ responses. “Several women, including some of our students, told me how encouraged and inspired they were after the conference,” said Stone.