Women and Peacemaking: A Journey of Grace with speaker Tara Barthel
Friday, October 25th from 7-9 pm and Saturday, October 26th from 9 am-2:30 pm
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. Please contact Katie Young if you would still like to attend the conference.
Our speaker, Tara Klena Barthel (www.TaraBarthel.com), formerly worked as an attorney and director at Peacemaker Ministries. Currently, Tara serves her family as a homemaker while regularly mediating and teaching on biblical peacemaking. This event will be based on Tara’s video series, The Peacemaking Church Women’s Study—Living the Gospel in Relationships, and her book, Peacemaking Women—Biblical Hope for Resolving Conflict.
Session 1 (Friday evening): The Gospel—Our Foundation for Peace
Although, as Christian women, we readily confess that we are “saved by grace,” many of us struggle to believe that God’s love, mercy, and delight are actually and consistently towards us. We sense His pleasure when we are “being good,” but we usually have a vague sense that no matter how hard we try, “we’re never quite good enough.” This crushing burden brings conflict to our relationship with God, others, and within. But there is hope! In this first conference session, we remember anew God’s considerable grace for us through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and from that place of abundant love and safety, learn together how we are called to give that same grace to others as peacemaking women.
Session 2 (Saturday morning): Biblical (and Practical!) Hope for Resolving Conflict
Do your broken relationships frustrate and demoralize you? Are you prepared to confidently respond to conflicts in biblical, wise, and loving ways? Would you like to know how to promote genuine unity and truly reconciled relationships? This session provides an introduction to the systematically biblical peacemaking principles summarized by Peacemaker Ministries (www.Peacemaker.net). Together we will learn how we are called to respond to our conflicted relationships, what it means to make a thorough confession, gracious ways to confront and restore, and how we can model true forgiveness and reconciliation.
Session 3 (Saturday afternoon): Lasting Peace through Heart Change
Even if we are convinced from Scripture that we ought to be enjoying truly redemptive relationships and genuine peace within, one thing is certain—left to our own devices, such lofty goals are impossible. We may put on a good show for a short while, but ultimately, all of our best efforts will fail to bring about lasting peace. Why? Because our relational conflicts and internal strife reveal with great clarity the condition of our hearts; and we are powerless to change our hearts. Thank God for the gospel of Jesus Christ! In this final session, we consider biblical and practical ways to turn in repentance and faith to the only One Who can truly transform our hearts and bring us peace with Himself, others, and within.
