60th Annual Women’s Conference focused on the future and remembered the past
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.
