First annual CatchAFire Women's Event Friday

WORLAND – For five years people in the Big Horn Basin have seen and heard about the CatchAFire event for men, which has gotten bigger every year. Friday the first annual CatchAFire Women's Event for women and girls middle school age and up, will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Worland Middle School Auditorium.

The vision for a CatchAFire Women's Event began with an expressed desire from women in the Big Horn Basin for a women's conference similar to the men's event. Some wives of those who help plan the men's event, as well as other members, got together in prayer and planning to bring together women to bond with each other, help keep each other accountable and connected to seeing families following God, the women's CatchAFire team stated. Their verse is Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is Jesus Christ," they added.

The team, Nicole Hellyer, Rebecca Scott and Michelle Emmett, hopes that women planning on participating will bring friends or family members who may not know the Lord." It's a non-denomination Christian event. It's an outreach to women who don't know Jesus," CatchAFire Women's Event organizer Hellyer said.

"The event is to not only introduce Jesus to those that don't know him but also for women who may have walked away from their faith, to bring them back to that relationship with Jesus," CatchAFire Women's Event organizer Emmett added.

The team feels that women need each other to deal with day to day life and to help each other with their walk with Jesus. "We need to support and love each other and who better to do that than another woman. It's easier to connect to other women as a woman because obviously, they can relate to the issues that we go through; motherhood and friendships, just relationships in general, self-doubt and all of that. A woman can relate to you better than a man can. It's important for us to support each other and help guide each other," Hellyer said. "There are times when my faith hasn't been as strong and I've fallen on a woman friend who has already been there and done that and could help lead me back," she added.

CatchAFire Women's Event organizer Scott added, "A lot of women just need an ear. It's great to have girlfriends that you are able to communicate with and just feel that you are not going to be judged. I think that's one of the greatest things with women is just being able to go to someone knowing that you are not going to be judged on your sin, what you've done. You're going to come to someone who is going to listen and pray for you."

Emmett added, "Men, when they hear things, they want to fix it as the man they feel the need to fix it and sometimes you just need someone to listen."

The event will start with dinner provided by Red Arrow Barbeque after which a welcome and introduction period will ensue. A praise band led by Rhea White with band members from different churches will play after the introduction, which will lead into two testimonies. "We will have two women giving their personal testimonies," Hellyer said.

The evening's speaker will be Amber Edwards from Casper. According to the Women's CatchAFire team, "Edwards serves as coordinator of Bloom, a ministry to the church planting wives and families of the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention. She has served as a church planting wife and in other ministry roles in Wyoming, Colorado, Texas and Arkansas."

Two door prizes will be given: 9 mm pistol and a beauty package, Scott said.

All proceeds from the evening will go back into CatchAFire to pay for expenses.