2022 Lifeway Women events help women discover their place in God’s plan
By Marissa Postell/Lifeway
NASHVILLE (BP) – Lifeway Women events are getting ready to hit the road in 2022 with four tours visiting 12 cities, for a total of 20 events this year.
After more than 500 days away from in-person events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lifeway Women launched a full calendar of events in Fall 2021 and is excited to bring this same energy and excellence into this year’s events.
“We’ve come to know these women well over the past 25 years, and though the times have certainly changed, we have stayed connected to their evolving needs, struggles and joys,” said Betsy Langmade, manager of Lifeway Women events. “Our events were founded on the pillars of worship, Bible teaching and prayer. And while we’re constantly striving to elevate the experience for women, those three things remain.”
Becky Loyd, director of Lifeway Women, said God uses the speakers and worship leaders at these events to touch hearts and draw women to Himself, and Lifeway Women is privileged to partner with some of the best Bible teachers in the country.
“We see women from all walks of life – all ages and stages – who participate in these events,” Loyd said. “Many of these women come with burdens and needs and walk away encouraged and renewed after their experience. It’s truly a work of the Holy Spirit.”
The Lifeway Women team is on a mission to make sure women leave their events with a connection to a church or a group of women who they can study the Bible with. Langmade said that by connecting with local churches in the city, the Lifeway Women team leaves behind a mechanism to encourage women to take the next step in their relationship with God.
“When a church brings a group of women, they have a unique opportunity to not only be impacted individually but as a group, and that builds unity and camaraderie,” Langmade said.
Besides hearing from gifted teachers, women who attend a Lifeway Women event learn about resources to help them continue in their discipleship journey as they leave the event. That’s why Lifeway Women provides stores at these events where women can purchase Bibles, books, kids’ resources and more.
“We invest in these women because we believe that women who are grounded in God’s Word and growing in relationship with Him are part of God’s plan for humanity to flourish,” Loyd said. “We find that events give women time away from their day-to-day lives and that makes their hearts open to whatever the Lord has planned for them.”
Lifeway Women events are one way the Lifeway Women team seeks to fulfill their mission of reminding women of who they are in Christ and equipping them to respond. These events are designed to be catalysts for spiritual growth.
“I’ve watched over and over as women sit in the seats listening to God’s Word being taught – their eyes light up; sometimes tears fall; they write feverishly in their journal or smile at the friend sitting next to them,” Langmade said. “That’s when you know that God has taken His Word and divided it thousands of ways to meet each woman there at their point of need.”
This year’s events will kick off the weekend of April 8-9 with three events in Jackson, Miss., and Charlotte, N.C.
NOBTS’ Caskey Center adds scholarships for Indiana Baptist ministers
By Gary Dr. Myers/NOBTS
NEW ORLEANS (BP) – The Caskey Center for Church Excellence at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College announced the addition of up to six full-tuition scholarships for ministers serving in churches affiliated with the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana (SCBI).
“The Caskey Center is thrilled to announce the addition of Indiana to the family of states where ministers of smaller membership Southern Baptist churches may receive a full-tuition scholarship to NOBTS and Leavell College,” said Mark Tolbert, director of the Caskey Center and professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at NOBTS. “A generous gift from an anonymous donor makes this incredible opportunity possible for those serving in normal size Southern Baptist churches.”
The Caskey Center will fund two full-tuition scholarships in Indiana for NOBTS and Leavell College undergraduate and graduate students for the fall 2022 semester. Two scholarships will be added during the subsequent two fall semesters, bringing the total number of Indiana scholarships to six.
The scholarships are available to students serving as a bivocational minister or in a smaller membership (150 or fewer in worship) SCBI church.
The Caskey Center launched in 2014 through an anonymous gift in memory of the late Rev. Steve Caskey, who pastored smaller membership churches in Louisiana. Through scholarships, conferences, and research, the center provides resources and training for those serving in bivocational and smaller membership churches.
One of the most notable ways the Caskey Center helps pastors is through a full-tuition scholarship program for undergraduate and graduate students at NOBTS and Leavell College. Caskey scholarships are available to students serving in Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The Caskey Center also oversees additional partnership scholarships in Wyoming and Montana. In total, The Caskey Center provides over 300 full-tuition scholarships to qualified students.
Evangelism remains a major thrust of the scholarship program. Students must enroll in a Personal Witnessing Practicum Course every semester and engage in Gospel conversations every week. Since the launch of the Caskey scholarship in 2014, students have shared the Gospel more than 50,000 times, leading to more than 6,000 professions of faith.
Baptist leaders from Indiana will have input in the selection process for the Indiana recipients. However, the students must fill out the Caskey application and participate in an interview with the Caskey director. The final decision to award scholarships is determined by the Caskey staff.
“We encourage those interested in this scholarship to apply at [email protected] by June 15 for consideration for the fall semester. A written application and personal interview will be considered as part of the application process,” Tolbert said.
For more information on the Caskey Center or Caskey Scholarships, visit www.nobts.edu/caskeycenter.
