Guidance and Encouragement

A month after the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., more than 400 teen and preteen girls came together in Ohio — not to protest, but to encounter God.

The Assemblies of God Girls Ministries and Youth Ministries departments of the Ohio Ministry Network sponsor the conference to reach girls with the message of Christ and to encourage them to pursue God’s plan for their lives.

“Teen girls are crying out for attention,” says Rachel Gross, conference director. “The problem is, most girls are getting attention in all the wrong places. It’s time we, as the Church, mentor these girls to be strong, brave, confident women who know who they are and what they were created to do.”

Radiant Life Church, an AG congregation in Dublin, Ohio, hosted this year’s event Feb. 24–25. The conference included preaching, devotions, prayer, fellowship, crafts, and games.

Gross says today’s girls desperately need encouragement and guidance to become faith-filled women of God.

“In a world that is beginning to blur the line between genders, it is getting more and more important to have gender-specific ministries,” Gross says. “Girls need to be taught who they are in Christ so they can live for Him in the world.”

AG National Youth Ministries Senior Director Heath Adamson spoke at the event, along with his wife, Ali.

“The emphasis on beauty and the hypersexualized culture in America provide great opportunity for us all to remind this generation of young ladies what God says about them,” Heath Adamson says. “I am deeply grateful for leadership who prioritizes moments for students to peel away, encounter Jesus, and simply be in His presence, away from the distractions.”

During one portion of the conference, girls spent time at different discipleship stations, where they learned about Bible journaling, shared Communion, prayed for one another, and wrote encouraging notes.

“The girls built friendships, and the altars were full at every service,” Gross says. “It’s an event where the girls get to relax and enjoy just being a girl.”

Angel Porubsky, Ohio Girls Ministries director, says the annual conference is all about changing hearts and lives for God’s kingdom.

“We chose to create an environment in which Ohio’s teen girls could be free to seek after Jesus and find their purpose through Him,” Porubsky says. “All it takes is one authentic moment in the presence of Jesus to be redefined and to be shown our God-given purpose.”

Christina Quick

Christina Quick is a former Pentecostal Evangel staff writer who attends James River Church (Assemblies of God) in Ozark, Missouri.