On Tuesday, we like to draw your attention to certain aspects of the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention. For the next few weeks, we’ll be telling you a bit more about the range of Seminars that are on offer.
Alison Watson, from Edinburgh, will be leading a seminar on Perseverance in Pain: How Jesus’ suffering helps us.
Alison is a local GP and a biblical counsellor working with New Growth Counselling in Edinburgh. She is married with three young adult children. She enjoys reading, running, hillwalking, watching rugby and travelling in her spare time.
What is the seminar about?
In the seminar, we will be looking at the suffering of Christ both in Gethsemane and on the cross to help us as we ourselves suffer.
Besides your seminar, what one thing about the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention are you looking forward to and why?
Looking forward to spending the day ‘considering Him’ alongside so many sisters in Christ. It will be a joy.
On Tuesday, we like to draw your attention to certain aspects of the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention. For the next few weeks, we’ll be telling you a bit more about the range of Seminars that are on offer.
Judy Laing, from Aberdeen will be leading a seminar on What Jesus is Doing for You Right Now – His Prayers for Us.
Judy is the Women’s Worker in Bon Accord Free Church, Aberdeen. She is married, has 3 adult sons, and very recently had the delight of adding a daughter-in-law to our family. When opportunity allows, she loves to be outdoors hiking, cycling or walking the dog, enjoying the beaches and mountains of Aberdeenshire!
What is the seminar about?
When we think of Jesus’ work, we often look back to his death on the cross, or forward to his future return. But what is he doing for his people right now? The book of Hebrews gives us a glorious answer: ‘He always lives to make intercession for us’ (Hebrews 7:25). In this seminar, we will unpack the often-forgotten reality of Christ’s ongoing ministry. We will dig into Scripture together to discover why he prays for us and what he is praying for us. We will apply this to our daily lives by considering how Jesus’ continual prayers for us give us assurance and confidence that he will hold us fast.
Besides your seminar, what one thing about the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention are you looking forward to and why?
I am very excited to be at SWBC this year. It is a joy to spend time with women from churches around Scotland to renew old friendships and make new ones. To sing, pray and listen to God’s word being taught is such an encouragement and a great way to spend a Saturday!
On Tuesdays we like to draw your attention to certain aspects of the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention. We asked our speaker Carrie Marlow to share more about what she will be speaking on.
What are you speaking about at the Scottish Women’s Convention and why?
I’m speaking from the book of Hebrews, looking at how ‘Jesus is better’. Hebrews is full of so many ways that Jesus is the best, better than anything else. I think sometimes it’s a book we might avoid because it is full of Old Testament references that we might find it hard to get our heads around, and there are some slightly confusing warnings throughout the book. Yet, it is full of riches about who Jesus is and what difference that makes to us as we walk through this life. I have been loving digging into Hebrews recently, and deciding which bits to focus on has been hard because there are so many wonderful truths through this book.
I hope that as we study a small part of this book together we will see how Jesus really is better, what difference that makes, and want to keep digging into the riches of this book.
Besides speaking, what one thing about the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention are you looking forward to and why?
Having recently moved away from Scotland I’m really looking forward to connecting with old friends and making new ones. I’ve always enjoyed those moments at SWBC where you get to connect with people from across the country who are all united in Jesus. The first time I came on my own and I knew very few people and was scooped up by a group of people from another church and I love seeing that happen for others as we gather together as sisters in Christ.
Tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite here – Tickets
Can you tell us a little about yourself? I’ve recently moved to Manchester where I am the Pastoral Care Minister at Holy Trinity Platt Church. This means I seek to come alongside people in all walks of life, encouraging those who are seeking to support others, and training people who want to grow in their skills to walk alongside others. As well as being involved in the general pastoral care of the church I am also involved in biblical counselling having trained with Biblical Counselling UK. I also drink lots of tea!!
I’ve spent the previous 10 years working for churches in Scotland and prior to that worked for a couple of Christian charities.
What are some of the challenges and joys of being involved in gospel ministry? One of the biggest joys of my job is the privilege of being able to walk alongside people in some ofthe hardest seasons of their life and point them to the hope we have in Jesus. I love being able to encourage people in their faith and see them grow in knowing and loving Jesus. It’s also a joy to see people grow in their desire to help care and support others and I really enjoy helping to train and equip people to do this.
Walking alongside people who are struggling can be really hard sometime. It’s easy to try and seek to support people in my own strength and then feel very unequipped to know how to help them. I’m very grateful for the regular reminder that it is Jesus who saves and changes people, not me!
What one thing has the Lord been teaching you about yourself and himself in recent times? In the midst of a time of big transitions – house, city, job, church – the Lord has been teaching me to rest in his plans, not my own. I so often want to take control and make plans, and when I feel out of control I feel pretty overwhelmed. There has been a lot of feeling out of control in the past year but again and again the Lord has been reminding me that I can trust him, that he ‘holds my future’(Psalm 16:5, CSB), and that it’s a good thing that I am not in control. It’s definitely a truth I need to keep holding onto as I so easily slip back into old patterns of seeking to work it all out on my own.
On arrival at the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention, everyone will need to sign up for their seminar. To avoid long queues, we’d encourage everyone to have decided beforehand what they’d like to sign up for. Below are the seminar description with links to the post from the seminar leader sharing more about the topic.
When we think about rest, we probably initially think – I need more sleep but sleep is solely a physical activity. Rest, however, goes into the spiritual. Rest speaks peace into daily storms of mind, body, and spirit. The most effective rest occurs when we are purposefully reviving the parts of our life we regularly deplete. This seminar will look at the different types of rest our bodies need and how we can replenish and restore the areas our body needs.
What does it look like to abide in the rest of Jesus, while being active on social media? For some of us, this won’t be a problem; for others, social media is a total minefield! God promises to keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him, so how can we lean into that when we log on to our various platforms? In this seminar, we will explore some of the privileges and pitfalls of social media and think through how to navigate the territory without losing sight of who we are and whose we are.
God promised to give us rest through Jesus now but we will always experience that rest imperfectly. One day we will dwell with God forever and experience perfect rest. This is our future hope that we are looking forward to. However, do we often dwell on our future hope of eternal rest? Do we allow that hope to shape our lives here and now? This seminar will explore what the Bible has to teach us about our future hope of eternal rest with God.
There are now only 3 sleeps until the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention. I hope you are all as excited as the planning committee. To make the most of the day there are a few things which we thought it would be useful for you all to know.
Firstly, doors will open at 9am and tea & coffee with be available. If you can give bring your own keep-cup that would be great.
Do give yourself time to sign up for your Seminars. Check out the blog for information on the seminars.
The first session will start at 10am and the last session will be finished just after 3pm.
There will be a bookstall provided by 10ofthose.com, so do come prepared to purchase some awesome books!
Nursing Mums are more than welcome to bring their baby. There is a room with a video feed available if you want to breastfeed in privacy.
Lunch is not provided but there are plenty of places nearby to pick up some lunch, or why not bring something with you so you can use the lunchtime period to have fellowship with one another.
Charlotte Chapel is situated at 58 Shandwick Place and is easily accessible by public transport. The train is an easy option as Haymarket is a 10-minute walk from Charlotte Chapel. There will be a reduced train service on Saturday so do check out Scotrail for the changes and do plan accordingly.
Tram or bus stops are just outside the church. The Lothian Bus website will give you all the information needed.
Parking around Charlotte is all on-street parking and pay and display. Melville Street is the best place to aim for. It is possible to park a little further out where is it free on a Saturday and walk the rest. Edinburgh Council has an interactive map which shows the parking restrictions and where it is free to park on Saturday. If you are coming from Glasgow or over the bridge an alternative would be to park and ride at Ingliston You can park for free and then get the tram into town. The tram stop is 2 mins walk from the church.
Please do get in touch at scottishwomensbibleconvention@gmail.com if you have any questions. Also, do remember in your prayers our speaker and the seminar leaders as they finalise their preparations.
Please do get in touch at scottishwomensbibleconvention@gmail.com if you have any questions. Also, do remember in your prayers our speaker and the seminar leaders as they finalise their preparations.
On Monday, we like to draw your attention to certain aspects of the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention. For the next few weeks, we’ll be telling you a bit more about the range of Seminars that are on offer.
Rachel Sloan, from Edinburgh, will lead a seminar called ‘The hope of our future rest’
What is the seminar about?
God promised to give us rest through Jesus now but we will always experience that rest imperfectly. One day we will dwell with God forever and experience perfect rest. This is our future hope that we are looking forward. However, do we often dwell on our future hope of eternal rest? Do we allow that hope to shape our lives here and now? This seminar will explore what the Bible has to teach us about our future hope of eternal rest with God.
Who is the seminar for?
Anyone and everyone!
Why is this area important?
Knowing and looking for to the hope of eternal rest will profoundly impact how we live today. We will experience more of God’s rest now as we look ahead. Purtian writer Richard Baxter wrote, “O that the Christian would learn to live with one eye on Christ crucified and the other on his coming in glory! If everlasting joys were more in your thoughts, spiritual joys would abound more in your hearts. When Christians let their heavenly expectations fall but heighten their earthly desires they are preparing themselves for fear and trouble.” So often our minds are preoccupied with our earthly realities and we see the negative impact on our lives. Having our eternal rest in our sights will help us endure to the end.
Besides your seminar, what one thing about the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention are you looking forward to and why?
The times of worship are always such a joy. Getting to sing with so many women is a special experience.
On Monday, we like to draw your attention to certain aspects of the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention. For the next few weeks, we’ll be telling you a bit more about the range of Seminars that are on offer.
Karen Clark and Kaete Wiese, from Edinburgh, will lead a seminar called ‘Rest in Jesus + Social Media = incompatible?’
What is the seminar about?
What does it look like to abide in the rest of Jesus, while being active on social media? For some of us, this won’t be a problem; for others, social media is a total minefield! God promises to keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him, so how can we lean into that when we log on to our various platforms? In this seminar, we will explore some of the privileges and pitfalls of social media and think through how to navigate the territory without losing sight of who we are and whose we are.
Who is the seminar for?
Anyone and everyone! Whether you’re active on social media or not, we hope that some of the things we talk about in this seminar will be helpful in equipping you or others to continue to abide in Him even when on your phones!
Why is this area important?
One of the unique challenges for recent generations has been learning to navigate what it looks like to follow Jesus online as well as in person. Christ is King in all contexts and, for Christians today, it’s vital that we believe this and learn to remain in Him whatever the context!
Besides your seminar, what one thing about the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention are you looking forward to and why?
(Kaete speaking!) So many things! I’m looking forward to worshipping together with so many other women who love the Lord; I’m looking forward to hearing Caroline speak on such an important, timeless truth; and I’m looking forward to just having some time away from ‘normal’ life to gather and go deep! What a privilege!
On Monday, we like to draw your attention to certain aspects of the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention. For the next few weeks, we’ll be telling you a bit more about the range of Seminars that are on offer.
Karen Dornan, from East Kilbride, will lead a seminar called ‘Sacred Rest – Rest for the body, mind and spirit’
What is the seminar about?
When we think about rest, we probably initially think – I need more sleep but sleep is solely a physical activity. Rest, however, goes into the spiritual. Rest speaks peace into daily storms of mind, body, and spirit. The most effective rest occurs when we are purposefully reviving the parts of our life we regularly deplete. This seminar will look at the different types of rest our bodies need and how we can replenish and restore the areas our body needs.
Who is the seminar for?
Are you weak, weary or worn out? Is your worth wrapped tight around your endless activity? Are you caught up in a busy, chaotic life, with lots of to-do-lists, and commitments. Resulting in lots of activity but very little enjoyment? Do you feel overwhelmed? If the answer is yes to any of these statements, then this seminar is for you.
Why is this area important?
Real rest and restoration occur when we allow ourselves time, space, and grace to be in the presence of God in the middle of our busy lives. Rest causes us to be still and seek to know God. It calls us to look deeper at ourselves and our surroundings. It forces us to stop. Rest is not simply pushing the pause button on your day; it’s not merely taking a break. Rest is about replenishing, restoring, renewing, recovering, rebuilding, regenerating, remoulding, and repairing It’s a second opportunity to put back in order anything that has shifted out of alignment with God’s best for you.
Besides your seminar, what one thing about the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention are you looking forward to and why?
I am really looking forward to reconnecting with women I have met from previous years and hopefully also connecting with some new women too. It is a real blessing to meet together with sisters in Christ to worship and encourage one another in the word.
scottishwomensbibleconvention.com 