Posted 11:30 pm Saturday, January 21, 2012
Cowgirl Get Together ‘An Uplifting Conference’
By REBECCA HOEFFNER
Staff Writer
As many as 2,000 women from five states are expected to attend the 5th annual Cowgirl Get Together conference Jan. 27 and 28 at the Green Acres CrossWalk Center.
“You don’t have to be a cowgirl to attend, just a cowgirl at heart,” event organizer Michelle Carson said. “There is something at this event for everyone.”
The Cowgirl Get Together ministry was started in 2007. It began with two pastors’ wives who felt a need to minister to women involved in the Western culture and lifestyle and in the Cowboy Churches all around the country.
“In the beginning of Cowboy Churches, all the activities were centered around rodeos,” Mrs. Carson said. “The women were sitting back saying, ‘is there anything for us?’”
Staff Writer
As many as 2,000 women from five states are expected to attend the 5th annual Cowgirl Get Together conference Jan. 27 and 28 at the Green Acres CrossWalk Center.
“You don’t have to be a cowgirl to attend, just a cowgirl at heart,” event organizer Michelle Carson said. “There is something at this event for everyone.”
The Cowgirl Get Together ministry was started in 2007. It began with two pastors’ wives who felt a need to minister to women involved in the Western culture and lifestyle and in the Cowboy Churches all around the country.
“In the beginning of Cowboy Churches, all the activities were centered around rodeos,” Mrs. Carson said. “The women were sitting back saying, ‘is there anything for us?’”
The first Cowgirl Get Together was in January 2008 at Living for the Brand Cowboy Church in Athens.
The event has grown from about 430 women to more than 1,000 women who gather the fourth weekend in January each year.
“This ministry really belongs to the women who come to it,” Mrs. Carson said. “They really minister to each other.”
The event’s casual and light-hearted nature is one of the biggest draws, which is also true of Cowboy Churches themselves, Mrs. Carson said.
“We have loads of fun,” she said. “It’s earned a reputation for being a very uplifting conference.”
The theme for this year’s conference is “Movin’ On,” Mrs. Carson said, a title inspired by the conference’s rapid growth over the last five years.
The event has grown from about 430 women to more than 1,000 women who gather the fourth weekend in January each year.
“This ministry really belongs to the women who come to it,” Mrs. Carson said. “They really minister to each other.”
The event’s casual and light-hearted nature is one of the biggest draws, which is also true of Cowboy Churches themselves, Mrs. Carson said.
“We have loads of fun,” she said. “It’s earned a reputation for being a very uplifting conference.”
The theme for this year’s conference is “Movin’ On,” Mrs. Carson said, a title inspired by the conference’s rapid growth over the last five years.
“Any endeavor you undertake is going to have little bumps along the way,” she said. “The world can try to stop you in your tracks sometimes when you have a large and growing ministry.”
The event will feature musicians and speakers who are local as well as internationally known.
Keynote speaker Laura Petherbridge has been to the conference before and is excited to return to a “very fun, very alive” conference, she said. Her message, titled “Who’s Your Daddy” will focus on going from “being a person of performance to a person living in freedom,” she said.
“I went from the world’s treadmill to the church’s treadmill,” she said. “For a long time I let Jesus save me, but I wouldn’t let Him love me.”
Other speakers include Lurna Cumby, co-pastor of Behind The Veil Worship Center in Fairfield; and bestselling-author and host of the syndicated radio program, “All Things Southern,” Christian comedienne Shellie Tomlinson.
Musicians include Tyler Christian group H.A.L.O., The Bent Bucket Band and Troup native Sandie Dickey, who has performed at the conference for the last four years.
“It’s phenomenal,” Ms. Dickey said. “It’s fun, fellowship and refueling. It’s been a huge blessing to me the last four years.”
The conference is open to the public and anyone interested is encouraged to attend. Tickets are $10 for the conference and can be purchased at the door. Doors open at 3 p.m. Jan. 27 for shopping and conference activities begin at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the conference will run from 9 a.m. to noon. The Green Acres Crosswalk Conference Center is located at 1607 Troup Highway inside Green Acres Baptist Church. Call 903-880-2033 or email michelle@ cowgirlgettogether.com for more information, or visit www.cowgirlgettogether.com.
The event will feature musicians and speakers who are local as well as internationally known.
Keynote speaker Laura Petherbridge has been to the conference before and is excited to return to a “very fun, very alive” conference, she said. Her message, titled “Who’s Your Daddy” will focus on going from “being a person of performance to a person living in freedom,” she said.
“I went from the world’s treadmill to the church’s treadmill,” she said. “For a long time I let Jesus save me, but I wouldn’t let Him love me.”
Other speakers include Lurna Cumby, co-pastor of Behind The Veil Worship Center in Fairfield; and bestselling-author and host of the syndicated radio program, “All Things Southern,” Christian comedienne Shellie Tomlinson.
Musicians include Tyler Christian group H.A.L.O., The Bent Bucket Band and Troup native Sandie Dickey, who has performed at the conference for the last four years.
“It’s phenomenal,” Ms. Dickey said. “It’s fun, fellowship and refueling. It’s been a huge blessing to me the last four years.”
The conference is open to the public and anyone interested is encouraged to attend. Tickets are $10 for the conference and can be purchased at the door. Doors open at 3 p.m. Jan. 27 for shopping and conference activities begin at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the conference will run from 9 a.m. to noon. The Green Acres Crosswalk Conference Center is located at 1607 Troup Highway inside Green Acres Baptist Church. Call 903-880-2033 or email michelle@ cowgirlgettogether.com for more information, or visit www.cowgirlgettogether.com.
