After a period of inactivity, Women’s Ministries in the Southern California Conference (SCC) is experiencing a revival. Known to nurture, encourage, support, and equip women as they follow Jesus and share Him with others, the ministry aims to meet women where they are and empower them in faith, leadership, and emotional wholeness. With quarterly gatherings underway, SCC Women’s Ministries is building a community of sisterhood.
Women’s Ministries Coordinator Loretta Shields has found that the needs of many women go unmet at the local church level as churches are not always equipped to address them. “I love women’s ministries because there are things that are just for us,” she said. “Some of us want and need leadership training, some of us need a space where we can pour out our hearts and deal with our emotions. This is a great opportunity to try to gather all our issues, assess what our needs are, and make a plan to meet them.”
The ministry relaunched in May with ElevateHER as the theme for the year. The first ElevateHER worship gathering in June saw more than 100 women in attendance at Alhambra church. Three speakers— Shields; Celeste Harrison, Alhambra church pastor; and Gladys Alfaro, Hispanic Women’s Ministries coordinator—poured into attendees with the goal Women’s Ministries Revival in Southern California Conference to build community and create a space for women to be transparent and emotionally free in Christ. The next event in August, ElevateHER Heart, focused on dealing with loss and creating space to heal and find God in your pain. Plans for an ElevateHER Leadership event next spring are also in progress.
With a background in public health, pastoral ministry, and counseling, Shields is channeling her efforts toward creating healthy relationships and collaboration among a diverse sisterhood.
“We want women to be healthy, happy, and whole,” Shields said. “When they come to SCC Women’s Ministries, they’ll be fed from the inside out and equipped to move forward in God’s call for their lives.”
