We praise God that on Saturday 20
th August, over 1,300 women from 378 churches gathered under God’s word at OneLove women’s conference. Women joined the event from across the state, with the largest groups coming from St Thomas’ Anglican Church (North Sydney), Chinese Christian Church (Milson’s Point), Harbour City Church (North Sydney), Narwee Baptist Church (Peakhurst) and Rouse Hill Anglican Church (Rouse Hill). The livestream option also allowed women from interstate and overseas to join the event, with 180 churches tuning in from Canberra, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Canada, Malaysia and Namibia.
Each year at OneLove, God’s word is preached around a theme that is relevant to women in all walks of life. This year, International Bible Teacher and Author,
Nancy Guthrie returned to teach on the theme: “Running on Empty: How God Works Through Our Emptiness, Not in Spite of It”.
In her first talk, ‘The Life We’re Hungry For’, Nancy showed us from both the Old and New Testament, the ways in which God does his “best work with empty”. Starting all the way from the Creation story, Nancy emphasised that though emptiness can feel dark, with God’s presence, it is never without hope.
In her second and third talks, ‘The Love We’re Thirsty For’ and ‘The Joy We’re Looking For’, Nancy showed us that though a relationship with God is the source of all human love, joy and satisfaction, God’s people have the tendency to abandon God and to give their affections to false idols. By “starving ourselves of companionship with God”, Nancy highlighted the reason for our emptiness, and that we can be filled again if we return to the only One who can quench our thirst and satisfy our desires.
OneLove 22 speaker, Nancy Guthrie
For many of our delegates, the preaching was the highlight of the day as it served as a necessary reminder of God’s purposes and plans for the empty places of our lives:
“Reminded that God allows me to feel empty so I will yearn for Him alone.”
“After several family tragedies that I have had to deal with I was running on empty. Hearing how to fill the ‘empty’ with practical strategies and being reminded that the Living Water must be consumed daily and in large quantities and not sipped.”
“Nancy Guthrie approached the topic in an expository teaching style—from Genesis to Revelation—a very wholistic and refreshing approach. It was encouraging to hear that God is gracious and faithful in the midst of seemingly impossible situations, as we all experience from time to time.” “Challenged to reconsider the “wilderness” I am experiencing at the moment and God’s plan in that.”
OneLove also gave delegates who gathered in-person an opportunity to spend quality time with sisters from church, and to be enriched by the intergenerational fellowship with thousands of other believers across the state:
“It’s been a long time since I set aside a whole day to spend in fellowship with fellow believers and God. OneLove has given me renewal, and a new perspective on why I feel like I’m running on empty. “The singing was uplifting and Nancys talks were wonderfully Bible based and encouraging. Our group conversations on the train trips to and from the conference were also beneficial to us as a group of church women.” “I had a great day out with my daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law to be and friends. The teaching was great. Loved the singing and corporate worship.”
Louise Blencowe shares her testimony at OneLove 22
OneLove also featured inspiring testimonies by women who shared the ways in which God has filled the empty places of their lives. Louise Blencowe joined the platform to share the sadness she felt with parenting a child with a disability, how she filled the loneliness with alcohol, and how the life of Jesus empowered her to trust God and turn to Him in her distress.
Nicole Kankaanpaa shares her testimony at OneLove 22
Nicole Kankaanpaa shared the loneliness of moving to Sweden—a non-English speaking country where she felt like an alien without community. In her testimony, Nicole shared how God used this experience to fill her with a new purpose and perspective, even on the soil of unfamiliarity. Did you miss out on OneLove 2022? Our Livestream video is available to watch on-demand until midnight, 17 September. Access it here.
Jackie Hill Perry returns to speak at OneLove 2023!
We are thrilled to announce that Author, Bible Teacher and Hip Hop Artist,
Jackie Hill Perry will return to the KCC platform for OneLove 2023! Sign up for email updates on the OneLove website:
onelovewomen.com
OneLove 23 Speaker: Jackie Hill Perry
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