This year’s London Women’s Convention, on 15 October, saw 1,500 women gather at the Emmanuel Centre, London, for two sessions under the title ‘Authentic: Inside and Out’
Linda Allcock spoke with great personal honesty from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘The Heart of Authenticity’ addressed the temptation to hypocrisy, covering up our failures by hiding both from one another and from our Heavenly Father. Jesus, by contrast, teaches us not to hide the reality of our sin but to run to him for grace to change.
‘The Secret of Authenticity’ looked at our inbuilt desire for approval, and compared the danger of seeking human approval with the freedom that comes from having our Heavenly Father’s approval, enabling us to live for his glory rather than our own.
‘Humblebrag’ social media
Dramatised readings from Matthew 5 & 6 powerfully interpreted Jesus’ words on giving, praying and fasting for the 21st Century, using ‘humblebrag’ social media posts and self-promoting hashtags to great effect.
A range of seminars enabled attendees to think more about ‘Daring to be real …’ in the areas of friendship, relationship with God, consistency of life and in what we treasure. The Twilight session also welcomed 80 teenagers, who focussed on the significant challenges of ‘Daring to be real…in a Virtual World’.
Attendees also heard about the work of Tamar – a group of volunteer women seeking to reach out to sex workers in the Westminster area, offering them physical, emotional, spiritual and practical support.
Excellent music, led by the all-girl band, combined with clear teaching and time for good conversations provided a very helpful environment to consider the challenge of being authentic followers of Christ.
