Women Gather for 'Grit and Grace' Conference

Over 950 women from throughout southern Ontario gathered at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ont., last weekend for the “Grit and Grace” Inspirational Women’s Conference.

Sponsored by Coffee Break Ministries and Christian Reformed Home Missions, the sold-out event, titled “Life’s Great Dare,” challenged participants to take the risk of surrendering completely to God to allow his transformation into their lives.

In the morning session, keynote speaker Christa Hesselink used stories from her own life, quotes from well-known thinkers, and verses from the Bible to bring the challenge, asking women to examine where they need transformation in order to be fully alive in Christ.

The day began and ended with times of praise and worship as participants filled the auditorium with song, led by worship leader Julie Hoff and a team from the Niagara and Hamilton areas.

“I feel so full,” said attendee Kelly Neale, of Winona, Ont. “The message so far has been awesome. There’s so much emotion, so much love – you truly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.”

In the middle of the day, Sara Weber presented Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, a one-woman show that looks at diets, exercise, and self-image through humorous stories about life. Her stories were relatable, and her humor appreciated. At times, Weber had to wait a few moments for the laughter to quiet before continuing.

“Sara Weber was hilarious,” said conference volunteer Doreen Breukelman of Burlington, Ont. The take-away, she said, was to “love yourself, love who God created you to be, through the grit.”

Hesselink spoke again in an afternoon session about her journey along the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain several years ago, relating it to the journey of life.

The 800-km-long pilgrimage route is by turns hilly and flat, beautiful and boring, lonely and social, she said. Hesselink then used an old camino pilgrimage greeting, “Ultreia,” to encourage women to “keep going” wherever they are on the journey.

Between sessions, women gathered for refreshments, conversed over lunch, spoke with representatives of several ministries of the Christian Reformed Church, and browsed through books available for sale.

This year’s conference was the 18th Coffee Break event of its kind. As with any event of this size, it required the skills and efforts of many people to pull it together. One key member of this team is Marian Lensink. As the organizer of this year’s conference, Lensink has worked with Coffee Break and Women’s Ministry since 2005 and has played a key role in conference planning for many years.

Prayer volunteer Jane DeBolster said, “I applaud Marian. . . . I love her passion and inspiration for women’s ministry here in Ontario. If it weren’t for her, this wouldn’t happen.”

Lensink, in turn, was grateful to the many volunteers who helped to make the day a success. And that’s just what the one-day event was to those in attendance.

“It’s empowering to have this many women together, learning and worshiping in one place – it’s always a highlight,” said Breukelman.