May 20 and 21, 85 women attended the first women's weekend held in Cincinnati, Ohio. The theme for the weekend was "The Tie That Binds," encouraging women to work together while building strong relationships. The weekend kicked off with a sermon given by UCG IA President Clyde Kilough about Martha and Mary.

After services a tour was offered to all those who wished to view the home office. When the tour reached the president's office, visitors were warmly greeted by Clyde and Dee Kilough. Mr. Kilough gave each person a 10th anniversary coffee mug.

That evening, just before the ladies sat down for a very nice candlelight dinner, Margie Welty, the wife of Lyle Welty, pastor of the Cincinnati East congregations, welcomed the ladies to the event. Mrs. Welty asked each lady to find her partner and sit with her during the meal, giving both the opportunity to get to know one another. At the conclusion of the dinner, each lady was asked to introduce her partner to the rest of the ladies.

Sunday morning began with morning refreshments and check-in. Dee Kilough, the keynote speaker, started off the presentations with the topic "Mentoring Relationships." Mrs. Kilough covered the importance of becoming a mentor and gave tips on how to be a good one.

After her speech, a panel of five women shared their personal experiences in a presentation on "Encourage ment for All Ages." The five ladies were Laura Beth Childers, an ABC student; Becky Bennett and Kathy de Campos, both employees of the home office; Patsy Perkins and Laura Hitchin, both from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Becky Bennett spoke on the importance of encouraging young mothers. She said that it was the encouragement of others that helped her when her daughters were small.

Kathy de Campos spoke about life in South Africa. Kathy gave several examples of how God was involved with her life, in a very difficult place. Patsy Perkins gave accounts of how people encouraged her through her cancer treatments. Patsy encouraged us all to do the same.

Laura Beth Childers' experience as a young adult taught her the value of encouragement and the need to encourage our young adults in the Church. The panel concluded with Laura Hitchin keeping everyone laughing, while delivering a very encouraging speech on how God intervened and saved her life five times.

The weekend also included a personality workshop given by Amy Stephens, followed by "Necessity Is the Mother of Invention" by Cindy Phelps and "Many Hands Make Light Work" by Wanda Ward. All three ladies attend the Cincinnati East congregations.

Special music was performed during the weekend by ABC students. The activity ended with closing remarks from Dee Kilough and Margie Welty.

In addition to the speakers, this very successful event was made possible by the hard work of Cindy Phelps, Kathy de Campos, Michelle de Campos, Terri Eddington, Becky Johnson, Dee Kilough and Margie Welty.