An annual conference will kick off this weekend, to bring together women for a time of renewal.

Second Baptist Church hosts its sixth annual Women’s Conference, themed “Forever in Christ,” on Saturday and invites women in the community to fellowship with their peers, according to Nicole Mackel, Embrace Women’s Ministry director at the church.

The conference is designed spark women to seek a relationship with Christ so they’ll come to know him as their personal Lord and savior, Mackel said.

“Women have very busy schedules, so this is a day for them to be renewed and refreshed in Christ and encourage other women in their walk with Christ,” Mackel said.

Mackel said the event is important in encouraging women in the community to seek support from other Christian women. The church hosts the conference to be a light in the community and help those who feel separated from God and living a Christian life, she said.

“The Bible is very clear you need to be around brothers and sisters in Christ in order to be upheld in your Christian walk in life. It’s very difficult without encouragement from brothers and sisters. We want to engage women in our community to let them know we are their sisters in Christ, and we want to help encourage them in any way we can. We want them to know God loves them, no matter what is going on in their life.”

The event will feature guest speaker, Yvette Ingram, wife of Erick Ingram, pastor of Freedom Church in Greenville. Ingram is a devout prayer warrior and leads prayer walks, including in the neighborhood where Freedom Church was started, according to Ingram’s bio.

Also set for the conference is the Tim Sutton Trio of Winterville, who will lead the group in praise and worship, as well as eight breakout sessions that will separate attendees in small groups. Each session will feature a different topic, based on scripture, Mackel said.

Embrace, adapted by the church’s women’s ministry, is a program of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina based on two key passages of scripture — Matthew 28:19-20 and Titus 2:3-5, according to the North Carolina Baptist Convention website.

Mackel said the program focuses evangelism, educating women to prayerfully study and apply the Bible to their lives, discipleship and equipping women to do God’s work through service locally and globally.

Cost for the event is $10, which covers lunch. Participants can pay at the door, and nursery services will be provided for mothers with children. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and those needing nursery services are asked to notify the church the number of children and their ages as soon as possible, according to Mackel.

Second Baptist Church is located at 2516 W. Fifth St. in Washington. To pre-register or for more information, contact the church at 252-946-4433 or secondbaptist2@embarqmail.com.