Monday, August 22, 2011

Omaha - Women of Faith Event

My first impression of the Women of Faith organization was great.  The stage set and production quality was fantastic.  The staff were professional, personable, and likeable.  The flow of the event was very smooth and the schedule was adhered to.  The merchandise tables offered great resources and the staff were very helpful and courteous.  The Qwest Center facility was ideal for this event and their staff were also very helpful.

I have to say that the musical guests were my favorite element of the event.  Mandisa kicked off the weekend on Friday night and she brought the house down!  She was fun, energetic, and really able to connect with the audience.  She has tremendous talent and a sweet heart.  Sandi Patty and Amy Grant were both great, but I definitely enjoyed Amy Grant more.  She brought her band with her and really shared from her heart about her personal experiences.  It was really cool to see those two women - who were contemporary Christian music pioneers.

They had a great line-up of speakers.  Patsy Clairmont and Andy Andrews were easily the best in my opinion.  They were captivating and informational.  I was inspired and challenged as I listened.  They used a great balance of personal life experiences with some very practical application of the Word of God.  They clearly love God and passionately serve Him.  Both of them kept us laughing too!  It was really interesting to hear from Lisa Welchel.  I was a big fan of "The Facts of Life" as a kid, and it was cool to see her standing right there.  She's beautiful and really spoke from her heart.  Marilyn Meberg is a very intelligent woman, and a good communicator, but I didn't had a difficult time connecting with what she had to say.  It may have been a generational gap - I'm not sure.

The one critique I had about the event was the worship.  The team was comprised of beautiful women with amazing voices.  But they sang to a track and they had choreographed movements around the stage.  To me, worship is an intimate time with God...and it's sometimes unpredictable.  With a live band, the worship team can flow with what God is doing right in that moment.  That was not an option in this case.  Everything was so rehearsed that I had a hard time feeling like it was inspired.  I'm a worship leader myself, so I'm sure my own bias plays into that.  But I did hear the same thing from other women in attendance as well.  That really was the one factor that I would love to see improved.

Overall, it was an anointed, beautiful weekend.  The WOF team are really trying to reach the hearts of women to share Christ.  I was glad I was able to go!

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