OSAGE BEACH<\/b> \u2013 Strawberry salads with crumbled feta cheese were placed on tables to greet the women as they entered the Crystal Ballroom at Tan-Tar-A Resort. Candlelight flickered as part of the centerpiece and a framed keepsake message served as a reminder of what Christ calls His followers to do: \u201cIn the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven\u201d (Matt 5:16).<\/p>\n
The 2014 Ministry Wives Luncheon was held on Oct. 28 during a break at the annual meeting of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC).<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe had 88 women come, and we are very pleased with how it turned out,\u201d said Gena Brown, president of the ministry wives luncheon and member of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Lebanon, where her husband, David, is lead pastor. \u201cOur goal is to help bridge generations so that new mentor and mentee relationships will unite. Those relationships are critical to the Lord\u2019s calling for us as ministry wives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This year\u2019s luncheon keynote speaker was Sharon Yeats, wife of John Yeats, the executive director of the MBC. She talked about her role as a pastor\u2019s and state missionary\u2019s wife, but mostly about her life since she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Internal Melanoma.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I found out it was Stage 3 Melanoma, fear gripped my heart,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was indescribable. I couldn\u2019t control the fear even though I had the Prince of Peace in me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As the group of women listened, Yeats held up what she called a prayer ring. It was a gift from a friend who wrote and decorated encouraging Bible verses so that she could easily flip to them any time or anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo you know how many verses there are to combat fear?\u201d she asked. \u201cA bunch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She said that, though every person has moments of fear in his or her Christian walk, each person also has a choice: to live in fear or live in faith.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI still don\u2019t know if God is going to heal me or not, but I know He has ownership of me,\u201d Yeats said. \u201cJohn and I are living each day intentionally and we are going to enjoy each other because that\u2019s the way God wants us to live. He allows us to experience difficulty to conform us to Himself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Deborah Long, member of First Baptist Church Stanberry where her husband, David, is pastor, enjoyed listening to Yeats\u2019 testimony.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure how she got up there and did that, but it was a blessing to be able to hear her story and be encouraged,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n Long, whose name was picked out of the drawing for a $50 gift card door prize, said the luncheon was the perfect way for ministry wives to get refreshed in the middle of the MBC Annual Meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was simply lovely and a great support for us,\u201d she said, \u201cand I thank the ladies who worked so hard to make it happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This year\u2019s keynote speaker was Sharon Yeats, wife of John Yeats, the executive director of the MBC. She talked mostly about her life since she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Internal Melanoma.<\/p>\n “When I found out it was Stage 3 Melanoma, fear gripped my heart,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was indescribable. I couldn\u2019t control the fear even though I had the Prince of Peace in me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":16958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[165,38,41,8,48,17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n