Ignite 2023
Saturday October 21st
Doors open at 1:30pm!
Come together with women from the area for an exciting and encouraging afternoon of worship, fellowship and teaching!
Keep reading below to see the exciting things we have planned for Ignite this year and to register!
Main Session Speakers
Alexis Girvan
Bio:
As a writer, coach, and leadership development consultant, Alexis Girvan is passionate about bringing Christ-centered leadership to the marketplace in order to develop healthy, humble, and self-aware leaders. After living in multiple cities throughout the US, she has recently returned to Albany, NY to do life with her immediate family and serve the community God first planted her roots in years ago.
Main Session 1
Living distracted, disjointed, and detached lives has become our 21st-century norm. There are endless opportunities for our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies to be infiltrated by the patterns of the world, resulting in a gradual loss of focus while we wait for Jesus to return. Just like the foolish virgins in Matthew 25, we can grow tired and lose sight of the sacred. In this session, we will discuss what it looks like to live ‘ready’ in our current culture and look at how we can restore our hearts while still being active members of the Body of Christ.
Erica Renaud
Bio:
Erica is a powerful speaker and passionate writer who leads prayer gatherings and speaks at various events and conferences throughout the Northeast. Her first book Pray with Me: Help Your Children Engage in Powerful and Authentic Prayer was released earlier this year. When she’s not ministering to others via the microphone or written words, you will find Erica at home discipling her five children ranging in age from 7 to 18. With most of the children currently homeschooled, her house is rarely short of laughter, schoolwork, and mess.
Main Session 2
The Israelites couldn’t even wait for Moses to come down from Mount Sinai before their hearts divided and they turned to worship other gods. As 21st-century Christians, how are we expected to wait indefinitely for Jesus to return without growing weary, anxious and doubtful as well? In this session, we will look at why the Israelites grew tired of waiting and dig into Jesus’ instructions to us today as we anxiously anticipate His return.
Breakout Sessions
Deb Keener, Erica Renaud, Rosa Yamin, Kathleen Kiernan & Jency Samuel
As Christ followers, we must constantly evaluate our posture toward a culture that is increasingly at odds with our faith. If we fail to guard our hearts effectively, this secular worldview has the potential to dilute and even compromise our beliefs. Yet, if we take it to the extreme and withdraw completely, we forfeit our mission to be salt and light in a world that desperately needs to know the truth. In this breakout session, join a panel of guests as they discuss if it’s possible for Christians to engage with a hostile culture without being too heavily influenced by it.
Nikki Saxon
Bio:
Nikki Saxon is a bundle of energy, enthusiasm, and wisdom. A pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom of three beautiful girls, Nikki is always on the look-out for opportunities to come alongside and encourage the women around her as she seeks to apply God’s Word to her everyday life with passion and purpose. In her ‘free time’ she loves working out, cooking, and eating chocolate.
Breakout Session 2: Spiritual Preparedness – Developing Disciplines to Move Forward in Faith
Jesus warns that preceding His return we’ll experience a variety of trials. Unfortunately, it’s often not until life gets difficult that we realize our spiritual foundation isn’t as strong as we first thought. Whether we’re a new Christian looking to grow or a ‘long time’ Christian who’d like a fresh perspective, join Nikki Saxon as she identifies key spiritual disciplines and shares five principles to help us move forward in faith and prepare us for what lies ahead.
Barbara Beck
Bio:
Barbara Beck is a leadership coach and Human Resources consultant with forty years of experience spanning a variety of industries, including her role as Chief Human Resource Officer at Skidmore College for over twenty years. As a resident of upstate New York, she loves outdoor sports and activities, particularly competitive sailing, landscaping, and gardening. Following the loss of her husband of forty years, Barbara hopes to encourage other women with the lessons God has taught her in the midst of her grief, namely that there is hope and healing to be found during, and beyond, the pain.
Scripture makes it clear we should anticipate difficult times as we await Jesus’ return. We may be tempted to let our hearts grow callous and cold as we experience disappointments and great hardships in this broken world. Join Barbara as she discusses how even in the midst of painful life circumstances and unfulfilled longings we can keep our faith and hope alive.