Under the theme: Arise, Pray and Soar, a consecrated group of women, with a purpose, held their 2nd annual weekend Women’s Empowerment Conference at the La Vue conference room from Friday, June 28th to Sunday, June 30th .
The event, which got off to an inspiring start, brought women together from various walks of life to show their devout commitment to God and to reflect upon His divine favours, as they became closer drawn to Him through fellowship, worship and the sharing of life’s experiences.
The proceedings of the conference were fervently prayed for by Pastor Juliet Simon, and a special blessing was pronounced by resident Catholic Priest, Father Xuan Ho, in which he quoted Isaiah 40:31: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, and they shall rise up with wings as eagles.” In accord with that scripture, he encouraged the waiting women to arise and soar closer to God.
The organizer and coordinator of the event was Ms. Ivenia Benjamin, a prominent personality on Anguilla who is the Senior Magistrate in the Judicial Department. She is also an instrumental character in the St. Gerard’s Roman Catholic Church where she serves as a Eucharistic Minister.
In a formal written message to the conference, Ms. Benjamin made particular mention of her calling: “I am fully aware that when we do the will of God, it pleases Him. This knowledge has planted in me a desire to walk more closely with our Lord Jesus Christ and to surrender more fully to His will.”
As a native of the island of Dominica, Ms. Benjamin has had a close connection with persons of the Christian faith there — whom she deemed would have made a remarkable contribution to the conference. Such persons included the worship team and the band, as well as singing personality, Mrs. Ophélia Olivaccé-Marie, a patriotic successful entrepreneur, and most importantly a devoted follower of Christ. She was the first key speaker at the conference.
Friday evening’s program was moderated by Mrs. Anita Ruan, who also had the honour of chairing last year’s opening ceremony, which took place on Friday, June 29th through Sunday, July 1st 2018, under the theme “Come Away with Me”.
The Guest of Honor addressing the conference was leader of the Opposition, the Honorable Palmovan Webster. In expressing credence to her Christian faith, she emphasized three basic Christian virtues which keep her buoyant in the midst of life’s tempests. These she noted as: faith, hope and prayer.
Ms. Webster remarked: “I believe the reason why we have come together as women in this empowerment conference is for God to refresh us. We do need this refreshing, for God Himself said, ‘You shall call upon me, and you shall go and pray to me and I will hear you; you will seek for me and find me, when you shall seek for me with all your hearts.’ I want us, as women, to be assured that God is with us, and when we call upon Him he will answer us. It is only when we acknowledge the supremacy of God that we can find meaning and purpose in our lives.”
As is customary, the event extended to Sunday night, and other speakers to came from a wide spectrum of the Caribbean including: Anika Shari Johnson of Trinidad; Kathleen Maharaj, of Trinidad; Caesarina Paul of Dominica; Collet Jones-Chin of Guyana; Shirley Matthew of St. Kitts; Dr. Oluwakemi Linda Banks of Anguilla; Jillian Carty-Sheey of Trinidad; Jasmin Garraway, of Trinidad; Evalie Bradley of Anguilla and Dr. Anestine Theophile-laFond of Dominica.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
