In October of 1989, ten ladies from Christ Baptist Church attended—along with several ladies from the Church of Gary—the United Conference for Women in Traverse City, Michigan. Bernice Baker, Mariel Green, Genetha Hollingsworth, Doris Irby, Gwennita Jordan, Bertha Richardson, Sadie Shropshire, Lucille Upshaw, Rev. These sisters went to the conference expecting to be blessed through a weekend of wo
rshipping, praying, studying, and sharing with other Christian women from throughout the United States and the Islands. At the same time they were eager to observe the format of the conference so that they could initiate a retreat ministry for hurting women in Northwest Indiana. When the United Women’s Conference challenged the ladies to return to their respective homes and organize their own retreat or conference, the joy of the Lord overflowed in the hearts of the ten sisters as God seemed to confirm their desire to organize a retreat. After much prayer and deliberation, on November 3, 1989 an informal meeting was held at the home of Sis. Doris Irby to formulate and implement plans for a Christian Women’s Retreat to be held the following year (1990). Sadie Shropshire had done preliminary work on retreat planning; during that meeting she was asked to serve as chairperson for the first retreat. Shropshire’s God-given administrative ability, wisdom, and insight blessed the ministry immensely during its birth and subsequent growth. After prayerful discussion, it was agreed the ministry would be called NORTHWEST INDIANA CHRISTIAN WOMEN’S RETREAT (NICWR). The purpose of this ministry was defined by Sis. Genetha Hollingsworth as “To
bring together Christian women in a common atmosphere to share the Word of God, prayer, and common experiences (especially of matured Christian women) to help each other grow spiritually.” The ministry would focus on non-believers, new Christians, mature believers, inconsistent believers, and extended families. Of particular interest would be women with a myriad of demographics: various age groups, marital status (single, married, divorced, widowed), and eventually ethnicity. NICWR would also embrace women from other churches in Northwest Indiana. Little did we know that NICWR would begin to attract friends and relatives from throughout the United States. The general consensus was that NICWR would be incorporated with the state as a non-profit organization; however, since assuming an independent status as a group involved too many time constraints for the first retreat, we turned to our Pastor, Dr. Colvin Blanford, for advice. As a result, he graciously consented to allow NICWR to become a ministry under the umbrella of Christ Baptist Church. Our first retreat was held at the Spa Banquet and Conference Center in March, 1990. The Lord led 117 women to avail themselves of the opportunity to meet and mingle with other Christian women. Since then God has continued to stretch this ministry beyond what we felt our limit. We have been blessed to host retreats at various sites in Northwest and Central Indiana as well as Illinois. Our prayers and expectations continue to be spiritual growth and renewal for all of God’s women. We praise God for He has done exceedingly and abundantly above all that we asked or thought, according to His power that worked in us. However, God has been faithful. He has blessed this organization to minister to many hurting women who have returned home with a renewed sense of purpose and a commitment to serve the Lord, their families, their churches, and their communities. We ask for your prayers that this ministry will continue to be all that God would have it to be, to the end that it will glorify Him, edify His church, and advance His Kingdom.
