Men’s and Women’s Conference returns to NGU
Posted by The Skyliner on November 4th, 2009Amy Skaggs
Staff Writer
The men’s and women’s conferences this year meant a lot more to students than simply an opportunity for bonus chapel credit. They opened with Maria Owens, a speaker and in-home Bible study teacher from Columbia, S.C. and closed with Robert Shaw, a pastor from Garden City Baptist Church.
Owen’s testimony of her first husband’s trouble with HIV/AIDS and how the church reached out to her touched a lot of students’ hearts this week. She left North Greenville University with the challenge of reaching out to those who you might not otherwise want to help and to comfort someone who is going through something that you might not understand. This will be a helpful message to apply even on a Christian campus such as this.
Each speaker held seminars for the separate genders on Monday and Tuesday nights. Both concentrated on issues specific to the group they were speaking to, which made the conferences personal and interesting. Owens focused on the concept of serving God with both your body and your soul. Shaw taught the men of North Greenville about biblical manliness.
Owens wanted every young woman (and even every young man) in North Greenville to realize that it is not important what your body type is, because everyone is different. It is what you are able and what you are willing to do to use it to serve God. People get so focused on physical “fitness” that they no longer see the importance of wellness, which includes both health and mental state. She shared some practical ways to be stronger and healthy for whatever reason God will need to use your body. These ways included drinking more water, choosing baked food over fried whenever possible and walking to class instead of driving. She ended the conference for females with the questions, “What has God called you to do with his temple? Are you able to do it?”
Robert Shaw used humor to communicate to the men what God intended the man’s role in a relationship to be. Shaw directed them to pray for the women that will one day be their wives, and to not go out looking for them because God will provide. He also spoke about how God commands marriage to be about respect, so is important to respect your partner in a marriage. God also calls for commitment, complete commitment, and not only if the other person is willing to provide it.
His example of God’s plan was of his own marriage. When he met his wife, he was already dating another girl. He began questioning his future wife about how he could break up with her, so she would be sure that he was interested and looking. They dated for a period of time, but broke up because she went to Clemson and he went to the University of Georgia. God had a plan for them, however, and they reunited and got married.
The men and women alike enjoyed Shaw’s anecdotes and witty humor as displayed both in his sermon in chapel and his men-only teachings.
Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 8