SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / A news summary : The Regional Review / DEVELOPMENTS IN ORANGE, RIVERSIDE, SAN BERNARDINO AND VENTURA : Women of Faith Confab Expected to Draw 19,000

Organizers of the fourth annual Women of Faith gathering expect 19,000 this weekend in the city. The event is billed as a female counterpoint to Promise Keepers, although there is no formal connection between the organizations.

“Our conferences are both gender-specific, biblically based and focus on putting your faith in the person of Jesus Christ,” said Mary Graham, vice president of conference development for Women of Faith.

This year, the Women of Faith tour includes 30 cities, including Denver, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Va., and Minneapolis. The conference started in 1996 in Pasadena.

The response was overwhelming, said Graham, and five other conferences were held that year. By 1997, the event was held in sports arenas around the country. This year, the event at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim has been sold out since March.

“It has taken us all by surprise,” said Graham, who helped coordinate the speakers at the event, including Patsy Clairmont, Barbara Johnson, Marilyn Meberg, Thelma Wells and Sheila Walsh.

The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Speakers offer inspirational speeches based on biblical themes, organizers said.

According to speaker Luci Swindoll, a retired executive of Mobil Oil, the event’s popularity comes from the built-in support system: It is a spiritual pep rally for women who are trying to fit spirituality into their busy schedules, she said.

Although the event is targeted toward women, the organizers do not turn men away. Said Swindoll: “Men can come, but they should probably wear a skirt.”