The daughter of famed missionaries Jim and Elisabeth Elliot is the keynote speaker for this year’s Women’s Mission Conference. The event will be held at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C., April 22-23.
Valerie Elliot Shepard’s parents were missionaries to the Quichua Indians of the Amazon jungle. In January 1956, while attempting to reach the Auca Indians with four other missionaries, Jim and the other men were speared to death.
Elisabeth and Valerie continued to live with the Quichuas until miraculously they were invited to live with the Auca tribe that had killed Jim and the other four missionaries. For two years they lived in safety and contentment, as Elisabeth and another missionary, Rachel Saint, learned to speak the language and translated the story of Jesus for them.
Most of the Quichuas accepted the truth of the gospel and the tribe’s practice of killing stopped.
The dramatic 2005 film, End of the Spear, tells the story of Operation Auca, in which five missionaries lost their lives while attempting to take the gospel to the remote people along the Amazon River.
The Woman’s Missionary Union of North Carolina (WMU NC) sponsors the annual conference that includes other missionary speakers and breakout sessions. The theme is “Unwavering Hope.” Hebrews 10:23 is the scripture theme for the event. The scripture text says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
Amy Boone, executive director-treasurer of WMU NC, said the conference theme is relevant. “Hope is a commodity that is in short supply in this current age as we face such an unknown future.”
“We are beyond grateful to have Valerie Elliot Shepard,” Boone added. “It is a dream come true for me. I have followed the Elliot family and read all 30 or more books on their lives. As a former missionary, their sacrifice in Ecuador inspired me to dedicate my life to follow in their footsteps.”
A live video feed from the conference will be streamed to Truett Conference Center in Hayesville, N.C., for those who live in the southwestern mountains of North Carolina.
“What a joy it will be to be in person while also offering another satellite location and live streaming,” said Deborah Taylor, WMU NC president.
“We will try to follow our favorite traditions of offering leadership conferences and interaction with missionaries while reaching millennials and Generation Z who want more experiential worship and ways to build community.”
The Missions Extravaganza will feature 25 breakout conferences centered on missions and equipping believers for their own ministry work in their churches and communities. Conferences will highlight topics such as mental health, discipleship and mentoring, working with refugees and praying for missionaries.
Some breakout sessions will feature International Mission Board and North American Mission Board missionaries. The Baptist Children’s Homes of N.C. will lead two conferences on being a trauma-informed church and the new Every Child Initiative, which focuses on helping children in foster care.
The event’s worship leader is Teresa Harmening, a pianist, song writer, vocalist and worship leader from Leesville Baptist Church in Bagwell, Texas.
Register at wmunc.org and choose from either the Fayetteville or Truett/Hayesville locations. Participants can choose to attend either Friday night, Saturday or both days. The complete schedule and conference information is on the website.
