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Speaker hopes young ladies will retreat to study God’s Word
Dianna L. Cagle, BR Production Editor
January 30, 2014
6 MIN READ TIME

Speaker hopes young ladies will retreat to study God’s Word

Speaker hopes young ladies will retreat to study God’s Word
Dianna L. Cagle, BR Production Editor
January 30, 2014

Today’s girls are learning too much culture and not enough Bible, said Erin Davis.

Davis, an author and speaker, but more importantly a woman, wife and mother, plans to study God’s Word with young ladies (seventh through twelfth graders) at “The Exchange,” a retreat for Girls Embrace Ministry (GEM) through the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC).

The retreat, which is scheduled March 28-29 at Caraway Conference Center, is based on Colossians 3:1a. Davis will lead during the main sessions. Breakout sessions are age-graded rather than topic focused and will be led by Cathy Moffett (moms and leaders); Erin Gandy (11th and 12th graders); Merrie Johnson (ninth and 10th graders); and Bonnie Hunter (seventh and eighth graders). Music will be led by the BeDoTell Girls’ Band.

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BR file photo by Dianna L. Cagle

Ashley Allen, right, makes some comments during the 2013 Girls Embrace Ministry weekend while Erin Davis waits for her turn to speak.

“My job is to start the conversation,” said Davis, founder of Graffiti Ministries. “It will be my goal to impassion your girls for the Word of God and then give you a point to have continued conversations about what we learn together during the weekend.

“You can learn more about your girl and how to engage her in the Word in each session.”

Davis is the author of several books including Graffiti: Learning to See the Art in Ourselves, True Princess: Embracing Humility in an All About Me World, The Bare Facts with Josh McDowell and The Lies Young Women Believe Companion Guide with Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh. She released Beyond Bath Time: Re-imagining Motherhood as a Sacred Role in 2012 and most recently has released four books – My Name is Erin: One Girl’s Journey to Discover Truth, My Name is Erin: One Girl’s Plan for Radical Faith, My Name is Erin: One Girl’s Journey to Discover Who She Is, and My Name is Erin: One Girl’s Mission to Make a Difference. She also wrote an eight-week Bible study aimed at teen girls called Beautiful Encounters: The Presence of Jesus Changes Everything.

She is married to John. They have two sons.

Davis said Titus 2:3-4 “puts a fire in my belly.”

“That verse urges older and younger women to be teaching and learning from each other,” she said. “All of us are older than someone and all of us are younger than someone, but we seem to have lost the regular rhythm of teaching each other from God’s Word.

“My passion for young women and for God’s Word collide when I have an opportunity to teach at events like GEM. To me, it’s critical that we learn from and teach each other what God’s Word says and how to apply it to our lives.

Through Davis’ years of working with younger ladies, she knows they are open to God’s Word.

“They want to know what He says and do it,” she said. “But they need someone who has a little more experience and a little more wisdom to help them connect the dots.”

While being part of a biblically-based youth group is important Davis also says it is important for girls to retreat to events like this one.

“This event offers them a chance to pull back from the pressures they face at school, at home, and among their peer groups,” Davis said. “We will be free to simply focus on God’s Word for a weekend. We all need that from time to time, but especially for young women who are facing unprecedented pressure to compromise, it’s necessary for survival.”

Davis hopes the time will be one of encouragement for the girls’ leaders as well.

“It’s not about great programming or being relevant,” Davis said. “It’s about giving them a hunger for God’s Word. We’re going to do that together at GEM.”

Ashley Allen, BSC consultant for Embrace Women’s Ministry, shares Davis’ passion for encouraging women of all ages toward a deeper faith in Christ.

“I think it is important for girls to take part in this type of ministry because it is necessary for girls to grasp the truths of God’s Word so they know Him as their personal Lord and Savior, understand that after that their identity is in Christ and they have a responsibility to make disciples among those who are around them,” Allen said. “This current generation of teenagers has the potential to set the world on fire for Christ and reach the nations with the gospel unlike any other time in history (due to technology, ease of mobility, etc.) and we want to do all that we can to make disciples of these girls so that they can be a part of impacting lostness.”

Davis said young women have numerous struggles but many of those struggles can be traced back to their identity.

“They don’t know who they are,” she said. “More importantly, they don’t know who God says they are. That may look like boy craziness or self hatred or a hyper drive to achieve, but the answer is always to show them their value in Christ and give them the opportunity to let that be enough.”

The GEM Retreat is $130 per person for early bird registration and $150 per person for the regular registration deadline. The registration fee includes conference center lodging, conference fees, program materials, and Friday night dinner and Saturday breakfast and lunch. Early bird registration deadline is Feb. 7. The main deadline is March 7.

There is a frequently asked question section in the download page of the conference website. Visit ncbaptist.org/gem; click on “The Exchange” or “Events.” Interested participants are encouraged to read this document before registering.

Contact (919) 459-5561 or [email protected].