More than $6,000 was raised in connection with the Women of Spirit Family Day April 21 at the Campus Hill church in Loma Linda. The donations will help place Women of Spirit magazine in women's halfway houses, abuse shelters and correctional facilities on the West Coast. Additional events will provide funds across North America. Attendees from both the Southeastern and Southern California conferences supported the seminar and concert.
"This is the first fundraiser concert we have done, and because of this we are excited to have raised this amount for our Healing Hearts Ministry," says Jocelyn Fay, editorial coordinator of the magazine, "and more continues to come in."
Jocey Fay, Ginger Church, and the magazine's editor, Lori Peckham, welcomed the audience. Readers of the magazine were delighted to have opportunity to meet Kim Peckham, the editor's husband, who writes a "tongue in cheek" column for the magazine. Two afternoon seminars featured Carla Gober, director of the Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness and assistant professor in the School of Religion at Loma Linda University, with "Bold and Without Fear;" and Bobbie Alley Clement, recently retired registered nurse, director of education, and credentialed teacher, with "Jesus for Brunch: The Integration of Being and Doing." An evening concert featured Called IV; DeAnne Marie Knipschild; Adrian Pressley; Michael Patterson, Timothy T. Rantung, and Devon Hunt, playing a piano trio; and Carole Derry-Bretsch. Bretsch, who also planned the event, devoted many hours to promoting it by announcements, posters, flyers, e-mails, and letters of personal invitation.
Church told of the impact the magazine is making on disadvantaged and abused women. One facility in New York City requested 72 copies of Women of Spirit magazine, "This is the only way these women will ever hear anything about Jesus," a representative commented.
"Your magazine gives them hope, in the loneliness and still of the night," wrote another.
The website for the magazine and Healing Hearts Ministry is www.womenofspirit.com.
