Decatur | At least 230 girls in grades 5-12 attended AWSOM either in person at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur or at four simulcast locations Nov. 1-2. Through the event they were given the opportunity to participate in worship, build community, learn from women leaders, and connect with other students trying to live out their Christian faith in the real world.
This year’s event focused on authenticity, “realizing that Jesus sees all of us and we need to see more and more of him,” according to Carmen Halsey-Menghini, IBSA Leadership Development Director. “Too often we put filters on him, shortchanging who he actually is and what he wants to do in our lives.”
General sessions at the overnight retreat covered topics including Jesus as King not just Savior, Community-Accountability, and Living out our Faith.
Breakout sessions focused on spiritual disciplines. During one breakout activity, the girls made paper chains writing and laying “down the things they were struggling with,” said Halsey-Menghini. The chain had more than 100 links and included struggles with parents and friends, anger, addictions, and pornography.
She said the leader’s track was one of the event’s highlights. Women aged 65 and older were brought up to speed with current cultural trends and engaged with the current generation, Gen Z. “When we can understand our audience, we can be more strategic with our interventions, Halsey-Menghini said. “We make it too hard sometimes.”
AWSOM is Amazing Women Serving Our Maker and is IBSA’s premiere event for girls. Next year’s event is Nov. 7-8 at a location still to be determined.