Women Find ‘Outrageous Joy’ in God, Each Other at Conference

Fifteen-year-old Andrea Smith felt outrageous joy as her eyes scanned the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim on Saturday and she realized the power of God’s love in the 18,000 women surrounding her.

Penny Schwider, a 79-year-old widow, shared in that sense of outrageous joy as the spirited speakers at the fourth annual Women of Faith conference roused her memories of the man she was married to for 55 years.

“My husband died two years ago, and God has been very good to me in the loss of him,” said Schwider, of Lake Arrowhead, who attended the gathering with her daughter. “To hear of the trials that people have been through and yet they come out with such outrageous joy. It’s very overwhelming to see this many Christian women in one room. It’s quite miraculous. I grew up in a small town in Michigan going to a little church.”

And even Jeff Rosenwirth, a police officer who accompanied his wife out of curiosity, was overcome with outrageous joy when he heard the event’s praise singers lifting their voices to worship.

“Experiencing outrageous joy while discovering God’s outrageous characteristics” was the theme of the conference, created in 1995 by Laguna Beach-based Stephen Arterburn, the evangelical Protestant founder of New Life Clinics. The chain of psychological centers offers therapy through distinct religious perspectives.

Through comedy, spiritual songs and animated storytelling, the speakers, all laywomen, try to bolster the self-esteem of their listeners--evangelical women who have trouble finding affirmation elsewhere. The speakers do not preach to the participants. Rather, they teach women to learn, through their relationship with God, to embrace life’s tribulations.

“There’s always something on the other side of what we’re going through,” said speaker Thelma Wells, an author and founder of “A Woman of God Ministries” in Dallas.

Wells’ moving stories about her journey for peace in her life struck a chord with Andrea, a freshman who is having difficulty adjusting to high school.

“I realize that I am letting small things frustrate me and that I should be thinking of others and not just myself,” said Andrea, who attended the conference with her mother, Mary Smith. “I’m just thinking it’s incredible that God is the way he is with me with 20,000 other women. You think he’s made for you, but then you see all these women. Whoa.”

Women of Faith was born after Arterburn went to a success seminar in 1995 and wondered whether Christian women would participate in a conference where they could learn to love God and each other. Arterburn, who says he would have been happy to host 1,000 women in a church, says the event has surpassed his expectations.

Attendance in the national conferences has grown from 36,000 in 1996 to 156,000 in 1997 to a projected 380,000 by year’s end. The Texas-based for-profit group sold $6.1 million in tickets and souvenirs in 1997. The price of admission for Saturday’s event was $55.

The success of Women of Faith is due, in part, to a growing trend of people looking for ways to reaffirm their beliefs outside traditional ecclesiastic settings. Although Women of Faith is often compared to the Promise Keepers, the Christian evangelical movement in which men pledge to improve their families by committing to Jesus, the two conferences have little in common.

The Promise Keepers sets agendas of fidelity and family unity for participants. Women of Faith uses uplifting talks to promote joy.

“The attitude of the speakers has a lot to do with why women love this,” Arterburn said. “We don’t tell the speakers what to say. In fact, we get criticized because we do not have an agenda or take a stand on controversial issues. Our only message is that we all have struggles and that God loves you and will take care of you. This is about encouragement.”

Participants say they foresee Women of Faith conferences growing stronger and larger as the 21st century begins. So many women wanted to attend this weekend’s conference that organizers had to set up satellite venues for 2,000 in churches in Fullerton and San Diego.

“This is not going to fade,” said Eileen Blakeley, 45, of Twin Peaks, near Lake Arrowhead. “It’s very encouraging to see women whose whole life is focused on God. It’s wonderful.”