Utah-Idaho Women’s Network is partnering with area churches and associations to provide these upcoming events for women.
May 16-18 – Eastern Idaho Women’s Retreat. “Taste and See” at Living Waters Ranch in Challis, Idaho
June 20-21 – Mountain View Baptist Church in Layton, Utah “Seaside Reflections” Women’s Conference including special activities for pastors’ wives. To register, visit https://bit.ly/mvbcwc
August (date and location to be determined) – Hispanic Women’s Retreat
October 23 – UISBC Women’s Conference with Hispanic Women’s Conference, Central Valley Baptist Church, Meridian, ID
Women from across Utah and Idaho hear from NAMB’s Women’s Evangelism Director, Catherine Renfro who spoke and answered questions via Zoom.
By Jason McNair and UI Connections staff
Salt Lake City, UT – On October 24, women from across Idaho and Utah gathered at Salt Lake Chinese Christian Church, a mile west of Risen Life Church where the 60th Annual Meeting would be held the next day. This is not unlike a similar scene sixty years ago when a group of faithful ladies gathered in a room next to where men were mapping out the idea of starting a new convention for Utah and Idaho, independent of their relationships with Arizona and Colorado. The women were made up of volunteers who would send representatives to speak with the men and find out if there would be funding to form a Woman’s Missionary Union that same year as the Utah Idaho SBC was to be formed. The decision was made and the first gathering of WMU was formed the same year as the Utah Idaho SBC, October 29-30, 1964.
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news” Isaiah 52:7a
Mary McFarling is the current director of Women’s Missions and Ministry Network, a position she has had since 2014. Like they did sixty years ago, the network depends on the faithfulness of volunteer leaders from across our two states to promote and encourage women, pastor’s wives, and young ladies to pursue health in their spiritual walk and promote missions giving and going through a partnership with National WMU. Of the gathering in October, she had this to say. “Our annual Women’s Conference is more than a conference; it is a family reunion and a time of building relationships in our network of women connected across the miles of our two states.
With a focus on bringing good news, women were inspired and led to study the Bible and know God’s will. They discovered creative ways to impact their communities and engage in gospel conversations with the goal of living out their purpose of making Christ known.”
Hispanic women enjoyed fellowship and sharing with other Spanish-speakers and hearing what is happening in their churches as they learned about “Mujeres en la misión de Dios” and “Misiónes Para la Vida”, by Spanish network leadership under WMU president, Sonia Gutierrez.
Mary added, “All elements of the day contributed to fulfilling our goal of being ALIVE in Christ, completely devoted to Him, giving fully of ourselves for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.”
WMU in Utah and Idaho has a rich history that was highlighted in this gathering of ladies. In 1969, Mrs. Guy Ward (Gernice) became the first employed “Part-time interim State Convention WMU Director”, a title she held for 14 years, never removing the interim part of her title. When she retired in 1984, Bea Conrad came with her husband, Bruce Conrad, to be Home Missionaries in Brigham City. She became the second part-time director of WMU for the UISBC. Under her leadership, she began to expand the reach of women’s ministry to include promotion of new studies the Baptist Sunday School Board (now Lifeway) began to produce that equipped women with theologically sound Bible teaching materials.
In 2000, Martha Lawley became the third staff leader to take on this role, now titled Women’s Consultant, with responsibilities shared between women’s ministry and WMU. She created a leadership team that would pave the way for new leadership when hers was cut short by a work move when her husband’s job relocated them to Wyoming. Martha shared of her time in our area through a letter sent to the ladies at this year’s gathering. “My family and I loved living in Utah, and it was a great privilege to serve the women of the Utah-Idaho Convention. During my time as your Women’s Consultant, we saw transition in the opportunities for women to grow spiritually and serve faithfully in the local church and beyond.”
In 2002, following a successful season leading the Olympic Ministry outreach prior to and during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games Ministry in Salt Lake City, Beth Ann Williams remained in the area to become our first full time Women’s Consultant, overseeing both Women’s and Resort Ministry outreach opportunities within our two states. Beth Ann wrote of her time on staff in another letter read to the ladies present at this year’s event. “My years as the Women’s Consultant were among the best I have ever spent in ministry. We had just finished the Winter Olympics ministry where 1.300 volunteers from Utah, Idaho, and around the country came together to provide a gospel witness during the games. I was asked to stay on staff following Martha Lawley’s departure.
Special memories include a small gathering of leaders who worked together to develop a vision statement for UISBC Women. We had talked, prayed, discussed, and gone back and forth with a lot of ideas. We decided to just stop and pray together for God’s direction. When we finished praying, we immediately focused in unity on Ephesians 2:4-5 and the vision of UISBC Women being “Alive in Christ” was created. It was a God moment to experience such clarity with these wonderful leaders.”
In 2009, when Beth Ann departed to become the Women’s Ministry leader for Georgia Baptists, UISBC brought in Shayla Hurlbut from the Oklahoma Baptist Convention where she served as an associate in the same role. Shayla built on the momentum of previous leaders and saw incredible growth in the reach and scope of women’s ministry and missions promotion across our two states. Shayla wrote fondly about her experience in another letter that was read. “My life was changed forever during those years as I spent time with the most amazing people I could possibly meet during my five years as the Women’s Missions and Ministry Consultant and in the six years following in our local ministry in Utah and a church planter wife. Under Shayla’s leadership, the network expanded and a ministry dedicated to Spanish speaking ladies was established to mobilize Hispanic Christian women in their heart language which could more effectively reach out to this rapidly growing population within our two states.
Shayla concluded, “Congratulations on 60 amazing years, and best wishes for many more until we meet the Lord in the air and join together in singing HIS praises, forever and ever!”
At the conclusion of the gathering for the 2024 Women’s Conference, Sonia Gutierrez was elected WMU president for the second year in a row. Next year’s Women’s Conference will take place in Meridian, Idaho at Central Valley Baptist Church on October 23, 2025. For more information about how your church can connect women with this network, please reach out to Mary McFarling using the contact information below. They host events across our two states throughout the year.
Primera Iglesia Burley WMU member and pastor’s wife, Terry Gutierrez teaches mission stories and object lessons to kids at their Kids Day event
BURLEY, Idaho – “Entitled” is a word too often used to describe teens, and adults, in America today whose lives are centered around themselves: getting their own needs (and wants!) met.
Primera Iglesia Bautista del Sur in Burley wants instead to guide its youngsters to be outward-focused.
“It is important to teach our children missions at a young age, to help them think about the needs of others, and how they can help,” Janet Molina told UI Connections. “It’s important for any member to know this. When we help others we’re doing God’s work. We’re serving HIM.”
Molina wasn’t yet the church’s WMU director when she heard about Children’s Missions Day (CMD) two years ago. CMD was started in 2008 by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Woman’s Missionary Union “to move children in grades 1–6 out of their churches and into their communities to do missions,” according to WMU’s website, WMU.org. “The goal is for children’s groups to create projects that meet needs in their own communities.”
Molina expanded the concept in 2022 to include the small church’s teens. She invited them to the church, where she had already prepared two cookie sheets containing identical random items placed on them, which she covered with a cloth.
She separated the teens into two groups, gave each group a cookie sheet, and instructed them to “come up with ideas of ways they can serve others in the community, to be on mission to help others.”
Under the cloths: cookie cutter, Legos, a flower, balloon, and similar random items.
After discussing among their group, the children and teens decided they could bake cookies for others, do lawn work, and send birthday cards. For the ‘Legos,” they decided they could build things needed and build relationships.
This year, Molina found, for $5.99 on the WMU website, a resource for the mid-September Children’s Missions Day.
“I found the material, reviewed it, announced it at church for several weeks, and in the meantime I brought it up at work,” Molina said. “I use any chance I can to bring up a conversation about the Lord with my coworkers. It’s a way to open the door [to them connecting with God] by starting the conversation.
“I asked my coworkers if they knew of anyone who needed assistance with their lawn or housework. One messaged me and gave me some info on a lady she knew. And I knew of a member of our church who hasn’t been able to go to church since before Covid.”
The children and youth arrived at the church about 9 a.m. on Sept. 21. Alazay, a young adult, had prepared a “very beautiful” breakfast spread, Molina said. After the students ate, Molina explained what the group would be doing and gave some preliminary instruction – work diligently, as if unto the Lord, don’t wander off, be respectful, and have fun.
The first home was the person Molina’s coworker recommended.
Students from PIB served their community by doing yardwork
“She had a very nice yard but the sides were very overgrown,” Molina said. “We trimmed trees, trimmed bushes, pulled out bushes, pulled weeds, cleaned the yard of debris, used a leaf blower to clean the deck, rolled up hoses, and put away the hammock.
“Basically we did the ‘end of summer’ cleanup and put away items she wasn’t going to use any more this year,” the new WMU director continued. “It took about an hour and a half. We got a lot accomplished, more than I thought we would. Everybody got right to work, pitched in, and we got it done!”
The group included six adults, eight youth, and four children, five and younger.
“Before we left, she wanted to take a picture. She wanted a hug from everybody,” Molina said, referring to the homeowner. “She had a friend and a couple of grandchildren who watched us. She was sitting in a chair and was talking with our kids when they came close to where she was.
“I talked with her and asked if she knew the Bible,” Molina said. “I told her we just wanted to love on her like God loved her, and I prayed with her before we left.”
The elderly church member lived about 10 minutes away.
“He is very independent and likes to take care of his yard himself,” Molina said. “He was out there with us. We were careful to ask, ‘Can we cut this?’ ‘Do that? ‘Throw away that broken picnic table?’ Little by little we were able to help with more.”
The group was there for about an hour, then went to the pastor’s home for lunch.
“Afterwards, the youth went back and finished picking up another load of branches and weeds that didn’t fit in his garbage can,” Molina said. “I talked to him a little bit but our youth leader’s husband, talked with him more. He [the elderly church member] spoke to the youth leader more to the end, and prayed with them.”
At the pastor’s home. Molina shared with the group the story of the Good Samaritan “to emphasize to our youth and children that we are not to only help people we know or who go to church, because of what God teaches us: Love thy neighbor,” Molina said. “We discussed ways we can show other people love by these simple acts of neighborly love.”
A child attending PIB’s Kids Day is exploring big beauty in God’s smallest creations
Lucio Gutierrez has been pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista del Sur in Burley since 2006.
“It helps the children to feel and share God’s love,” the pastor told UI Connections. “It helps us as elders as we instruct our children in the way of the Lord. We are blessed and grateful as a church to have loving leaders to motivate our children and youth to be active in our community,”
His words in Spanish: “Les ayuda a los niños a sentir y compartir el amor de Dios. Nos ayuda como adultos a instruir a nuestros niños en el camino del Señor. Somos bendecidos y agradecidos como iglesia por tener líderes que quieren y motivan a nuestros niños y jóvenes a ser activos en nuestra comunidad.”
Draper, UT- The impact of Annie Armstrong has lasting effects, especially here in Utah and Idaho. Communities’ across our two states have benefited greatly over the years as funds from the offering bearing her name. It has fueled ministry and helped plant churches across Idaho and Utah.
Over the past few years, we have distributed evangelism grants through gifts specifically given to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO). These have fed service members at Hill Airforce Base in Utah, supported outreach events at churches and church plants in both states, supported pregnancy care centers, and funded a collegiate evangelism tailgate trailer that is used to share the gospel on a college campus on a weekly basis. AAEO also fuels ministry through disaster relief ministries. We could not do ministry in our two states as effectively without the funds we receive from the offering bearing her name. Every Easter season, we are grateful for the faithfulness of SBC churches around the world that give to the AAEO. If your church would like to give to the AAEO, you can designate your gifts to AAEO at uisbc.org/give
Annie Armstrong was born in Baltimore in 1850, at a time when women were not expected to lead. Yet, her devotion to Christ led her to a life of service and leadership. She organized women to pray, to give and to meet the needs around them. She challenged pastors and churches to action and rallied vital support for missionaries. Ultimately, Annie was recognized as a national Southern Baptist trailblazer renowned for visionary missions leadership right up until her death in 1938.
Highlights of Annie’s life contributions:
Started Bay View Mission for Baltimore’s poor and addicted
Served as the first executive of Woman’s Missionary Union
Raised support for missionaries to Italian and Jewish immigrants
Initiated fund-raising “brick cards” to build churches in Cuba
Gained support for the first black, female missionaries
Secured funds to relieve China missionary, Lottie Moon, who had served for 11 years without a furlough
Advocated for Native Americans and impoverished mountain people
Traveled across America in the late 1800s encouraging missionaries and inspiring churches to pray, give and act
Honored in 1934 when The Home Missions Offering was re-named for her to encourage more to follow her sacrificial example
Today, more than $2 billion has been given through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering®. All gifts—100%—support thousands of missionaries in church planting and compassion ministries across the U.S. and Canada.
If you would like to watch a video that shows you more about this missions trailblazer, visit anniearmstrong.com/who-is-annie/ . This same site includes Annie’s story in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean languages.
Draper, UT – Women in Utah and Idaho are doubly blessed in the month of October. Your Women’s Ministry coordinator has two opportunities this month for you to be encouraged as ladies with one another and discover how you can overflow with “Hope” and “Joy”. Saturday, October 14, Canyons Church in Salt Lake City will be hosting the Overflowing Hope conference. Register soon as space is filling up. Then, later in the month, on October 26, prior to the UISBC Annual Meeting, Utah Idaho Women’s Ministry will have their Annual Women’s Conference with the theme Joyful in Hope at Calvary Baptist Church in Idaho Falls, ID.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION for both events: https://uisbc.org/womens
Visit our Women’s page on our website to register for each of these events and be encouraged this month.
Draper, UT – Holly Curby didn’t just write Face-Lift: Embracing Hope through your Heartaches. She lived it.
Set for publication April 28 by Koehler Books, a Virginia-based publisher, Face-Lift describes the many twists and turns that can happen along life’s journey, and how to walk in step with Jesus by taking the high road of trust.
“Ten years ago in April is when I felt like life shattered,” Curby told UI Connections. Each year after that there seemed to be another major trial.
“I turned to social media – Facebook – to remind myself to live. I could look back in those postings and see God’s hand at work in my life.”
Curby is the daughter of Jan and Jim Harding, who served Utah Idaho Southern Baptists for 30 years, culminating in Jim Harding as executive director of the two-state convention from 2000 to 2005. From them she learned to be grounded in her faith.
Three years ago, at the gentle yet continual encouragement of her mom, as well the hundreds of readers of her Facebook posts, Curby began the task of culling and compiling the posts that had illuminated her walk through life’s uncertainties.
As told in Face-Lift, it all seemed to begin when her husband wanted to end their marriage. After which, Curby wrote this:
“God can use every bit of who you are – from your pain and embarrassments to your joys and triumphs – since, after all, He is the ultimate author of your story. When we discover who we are and vulnerably bring to light our fears and failures, our passions and pains, our triumphs and tributes, it is then that we can humble ourselves and use our past not to define us but rather to see the hope that God has given and help us create that future. After all, ‘God can’t lift an unbowed head.’”
In Chapter 4 she writes, “A Sunday school teacher once asked us, ‘What will it take for you to stop serving God?’ The teacher then stated, ‘Whatever it is, Satan will use it to stop us.’”
In Chapter 5 she restates one of her dad’s truisms: “In times of trials, it’s what you do next that reveals your true faith.”
That’s in the chapter where she writes about her mom’s ordeal after ingesting lye. A story well-known to Utahns, a cleaning solvent used to degrease fried-on oil was mistaken for sugar and mixed with tea at a local eatery. Jan Harding took one sip and immediately spat it out.
Nonetheless, the damage was done. After being life-flighted to a Salt Lake City hospital, doctors determined a droplet of the lye must have gone down her esophagus with her saliva. Harding was in the ICU burn unit for a couple of weeks as a result of that droplet.
Curby used Facebook to update the Harding couple’s many friends on Jan Harding’s slow recovery. Writing her frequent posts was a catharsis with an unexpected benefit: Curby could read the posts later and see how God had been working.
“In a world with such an ‘everything is fine’ façade, we were able to be transparent with our heartache, find comfort in the comments to posts, and somehow provide a sense of comfort to others who were going through their own battles,” Curby writes in Face-Lift. “This was a revelation that social media, while it certainly has its negatives, can actually be used intentionally for positive impacts.”
She promised her mom the day she died of glioblastoma brain cancer that she would write the book her mom had been encouraging for years to write. That was three years ago.
Writing a book is one thing, Curby said. Getting it published is another thing altogether. She reached out to an author, who gave some advice, which led to another author, who gave still more advice: Get a literary agent. Develop a sizable – and multi-pronged – social media presence. Stay committed. Persevere.
“It can take a year to write a book,” Curby said. “A year to get a publisher. And then it can take close to a year to get in the [book printing and distribution] queue.”
Today, Curby is seen on at least seven social media platforms, a biweekly podcast (Holly’s Highlights), and a fledging YouTube channel. She chose Koehler Books upon feeling a peace and seeing God’s goodness when learning her contract signing date was her mom’s birthday, and the book launch was scheduled to be in April, which marks the ten-year anniversary of that initial feeling that life had shattered, a catalyst for Face-Lift.
It is available for pre-orders at online booksellers and also will be available in retail bookstores.
“I wrote this to remind people you are not alone,” Curby said. “Others have gone through difficult times too. And to encourage people that there is hope. No matter what you’re going through, you can go through it and thrive. Just walk with Him daily and grow in your spiritual journey.”
By Karen L. Willoughby A frequent contributor to UI Connections and Baptist Press. She can be reached at karenwby@gmail.com
How to Connect with Holly’s ministry of encouragement and coaching:
Draper, UT- The impact of Annie Armstrong has lasting effects, especially here in Utah and Idaho. Communities’ across our two states have benefited greatly over the years as funds from the offering bearing her name. It has fueled ministry and helped plant churches across Idaho and Utah.
Draper, UT – Women in Utah and Idaho are doubly blessed in the month of October. Your Women’s Ministry coordinator has two opportunities this month for you to be encouraged as ladies with one another and discover how you can overflow with “Hope” and “Joy”. Saturday, October 14, Canyons Church in Salt Lake City will be hosting the Overflowing Hope conference. Register soon as space is filling up. Then, later in the month, on October 26, prior to the UISBC Annual Meeting, Utah Idaho Women’s Ministry will have their Annual Women’s Conference with the theme Joyful in Hope at Calvary Baptist Church in Idaho Falls, ID.
Draper, UT – Holly Curby didn’t just write Face-Lift: Embracing Hope through your Heartaches. She lived it.
Today, Curby is seen on at least seven social media platforms, a biweekly podcast (Holly’s Highlights), and a fledging YouTube channel. She chose Koehler Books upon feeling a peace and seeing God’s goodness when learning her contract signing date was her mom’s birthday, and the book launch was scheduled to be in April, which marks the ten-year anniversary of that initial feeling that life had shattered, a catalyst for Face-Lift.