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by Heather Melvoin
Nearly 450 women attended the Southwest Division’s annual Women’s Ministries Conference in Mesa, Ariz., in June 2010.
Guest speakers were Major Charleen Bradley, Western territorial assistant secretary for personnel officer development; Captain Mirtha Fernandez, associate divisional commander, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Division and director of women’s ministries/women’s auxiliary representative; and Irene De Anda Lewis, executive director, Red Shield Youth and Community Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Themed “God’s Glamour Girls,” the weekend emphasized that it’s what’s inside that makes a woman truly glamorous and encouraged delegates in the knowledge that they are valuable to God—Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection make them clean and beautiful in his eyes.
All weekend, attendees worked on fundraising for the Women’s Ministries territorial project to purchase fabric for ladies’ uniforms for their Partner in Mission, Congo Kinshasa Territory. On Friday evening, Bradley spoke on “What You Wear,” reminding everyone to look beyond the surface to the inner spirit of a person. During a fashion show, delegates and officers modeled articles of clothing from the Army’s thrift store in Albuquerque, N.Mex. Afterwards, the ensembles were auctioned off, raising almost $900. Also generating income were the sale of grab bags, a basket/purse auction and the Sunday morning offering. The women raised a total of nearly $4,500.
“The White Rose”—a mini-musical—presented the story of a frazzled Parisian wife and mother who meets The Salvation Army through the ministry of the Home League. She receives a white rose from them and its beauty makes her realize the shabbiness of her home and life. When she takes steps to make improvements her family notices her transformation—as a result they all attend an Army meeting and receive Christ.
“The message about how Home League can lead people to Christ is something we have experienced personally in our corps, so it really brought the message home,” Envoy Norma Rogers, from the Bullhead City (Ariz.) Corps, said.
