In May 2021, the Greater Sydney Imagine team put together a program for 13-to-18 year olds, based on the Dannah Gresh’s “And the Bride Wore White,” a program that encourages purity and sexual abstinence among teens.
Said Shaylee Walsh, Imagine team leader, “As a team, we believe that sexual purity is achieved through a relationship with Jesus, so we planned a conference that encompassed relationships, intimacy, mental wellbeing, trauma and abuse. We committed, as a team, to pray for 30 days over each aspect of the program in the lead up to the program.”
“It was encouraging to witness the passion, creativity, and leadership of our young women leaders, as they facilitated the program,” added Beryl Landers, director of GSC’s Sydney Adventist Women ministry.
The program began with Danijela Schubert, South Pacific Division Women’s Ministries leader “walking down the aisle” in her wedding dress from 36 years ago! “It’s important that girls today meet women who are positive role models in the area of sexuality and God-intended boundaries,” said Ms Schubert.
Yvonne Hypolite and Beryl Landers presented on relationships and intimacy respectively, highlighting the need for awareness in developing relationships.
The program included opportunities for focused prayer throughout the day-long event, facilitated by young women’s prayer team leaders Emma Ah-Ching (nee Villalobos) and Alana Gordon, in a dedicated prayer space. Each participant was presented with a Bible study packs and a prayer journal. “This year, there was an emphasis on prayer and a relationship with God,” says Ms Walsh, “We believe this must be our priority.”
Participants also engaged in meaningful practical activities, under such interesting titles as “Husband Shopping List” and “Pillow Talk,” giving participants an opportunity to reflect on their current choices and the direction they wanted for their lives.
Three women shared their testimonies of how God carried them through the experiences of falling in love with someone who didn’t reciprocate, abuse and trauma, and anxiety and depression. Helping the teens deal with these difficult topics were trained facilitators and counsellors.
To end the event, the girls were treated to a high tea, during which Nomathemba Madziva, a Year 9 student at Mountain View Adventist College, gave a presentation on the intriguing topic of “The collective beauty of the snowflake,” emphasizing the value of being body-positive and how God has uniquely designed us “to go and change the world!”
