From Conference to Community: Living out the “One Another” of Biblical Womanhood 

We Were Made for One Another

It’s easy to feel alone in the midst of the responsibilities of daily life with dirty dishes and a never-ending list of to-dos. This loneliness may be surprising when we have a full life—of work, family, and many other obligations. While we run ourselves ragged, we ache for connection. 

We may feel alone, but God has never wanted us to do life alone. God designed the church so that we help one another shoulder the burdens of life. We come alongside each other and support one another as we face discipling our children, the trials and troubles of life, and growing in our own sanctification. 

Several years ago, I (Sarah) was in our church’s women’s small group. I was so blessed by the fellowship and grew a lot through our times reading some great books and praying together. I remember each one of us went through some kind of rough times, and it was neat to be able to be there for each other. 

What “One Another” Looks Like

It is always beautiful to see women coming together to live out the “one another” that Scripture speaks about. God’s Word is perfect in teaching and guiding us in what “one another” looks like. 

We are called to love one another (John 13:34–35), encourage and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24–25), bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), pray for one another (James 5:16), serve one another (Galatians 5:13), bear with and forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13), teach and admonish one another (Colossians 3:16), show honor and hospitality to one another (Romans 12:10; 1 Peter 4:9), and stir one another toward love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).

We are made for one another in every part of our life. From our first to last breath, God knew how we would need each other in order to grow in grace, virtue, and spiritual maturity. 

Titus describes how this “one another” relationship is lived out between the older and younger women. In Titus 2:3–5 (ESV), we read, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” 

Here we are given practical instruction for how to live our daily lives—along with our eternal perspective as God’s women. God shows His awareness of what we need as women. We need each other. We were made for one another. When women of different ages, backgrounds, and life experiences come together, we see another glimpse of the beauty of our Master Designer, Who knows us so well and cares for us.

A Vision for Women Across the COGGC

Our family grew up attending various conferences together. They always impacted us—growing our faith. We loved traveling to annual events, meeting new people who became friends, and being inspired by the speakers and encouraged by worshiping with a like-minded group of people. 

Several years ago, we (Sharon and Sarah) wanted to create a conference like those we had so enjoyed attending and learning from over the years together as a family. We decided to plan a women’s retreat for the women in our local church, with the hope that it could eventually grow to include women from our sister churches throughout the COGGC. That vision became the Women of Truth National Women’s Conference.

It was amazing to see God bring ideas together as a mother-daughter team, with a heart for women to be encouraged and grow in the LORD. Our local church was very supportive of the idea and blessed us with the resources to get it started. 

We reached out to members of our local church to help with planning and registration, as well as the larger community of the COGGC. It is so special to connect with like-minded women from all over the country and exciting to see God at work. We have been inspired through the women we have met who also have a similar vision to be there for one another. 

Interested in attending the Women of Truth National Women’s Conference? Learn more about this event and other upcoming national and regional events here. 

More Than a Weekend

One of our primary goals in starting a women’s conference is our desire to share the beauty of being there for one another. Girl friendships are so important. They need to extend past coffee pickups and shopping trips. Building community is so vital to our spiritual growth—as I (Sarah) learned through another COGGC Event, the Young Adult Getaway. But life is so busy, and it’s hard to find the time.

We need a moment to pause the busyness of life and focus on the Kingdom while building meaningful connections with one another. This conference is more than just a weekend. While we are here—even if it’s just for a few days—we are able to come together with women from all over and be encouraged, meet new friends, and relax, while being reminded of the beauty of God’s truth from our excellent speakers. 

This time together is an impactful way to strengthen women—the effects of which don’t just stop at the end of the last session. It ripples out, strengthening the home, then the church, then the local community, and ultimately, the world. 

This is not just a conference where you learn things, but a place where you experience the spirit of fellowship in and through worship, communion, meeting new and old friends, learning together and from each other. This fosters a place of security and a sense of community that builds up and encourages the saints.

Creating a Place Where Women Can Breathe

We’ve worked hard to make the conference a special time—filled with valuable teaching and other experiences that grow your faith.

The themes over the last four years have been “Women of the Truth,” “Royalty,” “Endurance,” and “Grounded.” It was a blessing to hear the messages and workshops that came from these topics. 

The year we talked about Royalty, we wanted women to learn that, as children of God, they are part of the royal family. The thought had been presented the year before in a testimony that they realized they weren’t acting like royalty and wanted to change. So we had teachings and workshops on what royalty looks like in our lives in a practical way. The banquet on Friday night was all done in purple and gold, with some dressing in lovely fancy outfits. God divinely blessed us with a harp concert following the banquet. What a fun, rich weekend that was! 

And that is what our goal is for every conference: We want to bless women and give them an opportunity to see themselves through God’s eyes. 

During the conference, we have several times together for worship through singing, specials, and testimonies. It has often been a request to have testimonies—everyone has a story to share. The testimonies have really touched lives, as so many can usually relate. What a blessing to see women encouraging one another through the hard-fought hallelujahs of their lives. 

When planning the conference, we try to think of special things to refresh the women who attend and to help them build friendships. We like to make room for fun! In the past, we have had ice cream socials, get-to-know-you games, craft time making beautiful jewelry, a scavenger hunt in the city of Oregon during the free time, local shopping, and visiting a state park. And, of course, our guests can also just take a walk with some sisters and visit. Ladies like to talk, learn, eat good food, and shop—and we work hard to give them time to do that! 

The banquet is my (Sarah’s) favorite part, and it is special to my heart. My goal every year is to have an atmosphere of beauty. I always wanted it to be an experience for them when they walk in, like a breath of scented flowers to the soul. 

Surrounded by lights, music, delicious food, and sparkling crystal, women can relax while being served by the men of the church. They can feel like a queen and be reminded how special they are in the eyes of God. 

We always end with a special program of music or presentation. This year, we had a special concert, “Music through the Ages,” given by our Associate Pastor (and Sarah’s husband), Nathan Massie. 

Along with the fun times of being together, we also have times of spiritual enrichment—including teaching, Q&A’s, and prayer. We want to encourage and equip women in becoming the women God wants us to be. 

In a world that presents many conflicting ideas, it’s important to ask the questions: 

• What is the biblical worldview for women—in all the areas of our lives? 
• What does the Bible say about who we are in Christ, and how does God want that lived out?

We realize that in a world of many ideas, many lies are trying to draw us in. God’s ways for women bring truth and life. By coming together and living out the “one another” principle, we can strengthen each other for our families and communities to God’s glory. 

We also believe in the older and younger women growing together and realizing that they need each other. This year, in 2026, we intentionally reached out to young women ages 13–19 and were blessed by their participation. We offered a special “young women’s” track that included sessions designed specifically for the challenges they face in life.

Community Takes a Community

The women from the Oregon Church of God, based in Oregon, IL, have been so gracious in their support of the Women of Truth National Women’s Conference—whether that’s being on the planning team or helping in other various ways. We have committees to cover all the areas that a conference needs. There is a leader of each committee and helpers as needed. 

As coordinators, it has been fun to work with great teams. We get to support one another in our ministry together.

Some of the committee groups that are very helpful in planning are: 

• Advertisement
• Food
• Decorations
• Banquet
• Worship
• Handouts for attendees (which has become a nice workbook with a place to take notes during all the sessions)
• And other various areas that we might want in that year

There are so many details in each of these areas, so we have enlisted the help of several people. Each of our coordinators does a good job of excelling at their God-given gift and using it to bless the women who attend. 

For example, one important area has been the leader for our worship time. She facilitates the formation of the worship team, which leads worship several times during the conference weekend, and works with a co-leader on creating a set list and practice schedule for the singers and instrumentalists. 

Each committee is vital in making it all work well. Committee members are also very willing to help other committees that need a task done. It makes for a great team!

We have loved getting to work with our teams to make the conference happen. Our teams are also encouraged through the process. We truly have a “team spirit,” warmly welcoming all who want to be involved. It helps the conference to get better and better each year! 

Building a Culture of “One Another”

Planning something like a conference, even if it’s just one day, can seem daunting. We have learned so much over the past few years. As the conference has grown, it seems like people are interested in how to do women’s ministry that builds a culture of “one another.” We would love to share what we’ve learned. 

Our desire has always been to make this more than a weekend. We want to stay in touch between the conferences so that we can be encouraged and keep growing.

We’ve also heard about a need for a place to stay connected and to keep informed about things going on with the conference. Our desire to continue in this ministry of connecting one another has led to a women’s ministry website.

This would be a home base for our conference and an outlet for equipping women in ministry. It would also be a place to stay connected and to share other women’s ministry ideas, like sharing articles and events. 

We are excited to see where this adventure leads and to see how God will work through it. 

We hope you have been blessed to read about God’s work in this ministry of living out the “one another” with women. The goal isn’t simply to gather women once a year. It’s to cultivate a culture of “one another” wherever women are serving, worshiping, raising families, and walking out their faith together. We hope we will see you at our next National Women’s Conference, but until then, keep looking to the Master Designer. 

In His service,

Sharon Bliss and Sarah Massie 

Mother-Daughter Team

Interested in attending the Women of Truth National Women’s Conference? Learn more about this event and other upcoming national and regional events here.