CECILIA ENGBERT
STAFF WRITER
The first Women’s Ministry event of the year, “We Beautiful Things,” brought several dozen women together to celebrate their femininity and receive encouragement from peers Sept. 25 in the Gentile Gallery.
Following an opening session of praise and worship, members of Women’s Ministry came forward to speak about the true beauty of being a woman as revealed in the feminine genius of receptivity, generosity, sensitivity and maternity.
Kendal Huntsman, a junior and member of the Women’s Ministry team, spoke about the freedom that comes through surrender. “Women today,” she said, “are at risk of being too busy, too tired, too stressed and too distracted to open the gifts that God has placed before us.”
Huntsman elaborated on how the path of personal discovery can only be pursued when the heart is open and completely receptive to the voice of God. It is impossible, she said, for women to carry out their role as givers if they themselves have not received.
Addressing another aspect of the feminine role, junior Sarah Stafford spoke about the quality of sensitivity. Being emotional does not always have to be a bad thing, she explained.
“It means out hearts are getting touched in a deep way,” Stafford said. “That is something that is unique to women. … [But] there has to be a balance between the two ends of the spectrum where we are aware of our emotions, we are moved by our emotions but we are not totally controlled and out of control with our emotions.”
Everyone laughed when Stafford remarked that, although men do in fact have hearts, they do not have the unique way of showing emotion that defines women.
Following these reflections, those in attendance did an activity which included identifying women in their personal lives who inspire them. The purpose of this project was for those present to acknowledge what makes other women special and to then realize that they themselves possess those qualities as well.
Freshman Catherine Noel was impressed by how the speakers presented on the topic. “They definitely did a wonderful job communicating the message to us about the true beauty of women,” she said.