It is with a great deal of joy and gratitude that we report about our 2017 Bethany Association Conference held in Glasgow Scotland, Aug 9–13. There were 26 sisters in attendance, 19 of the sisters have made lifelong commitments to live single for the Lord and there were seven sisters in discernment. Of all the sisters, nine women were from the Philippines, six from North America, four from Europe, and seven from the Iberoamericana region.

 

All sisters would say that it was a great conference and it moved us forward in our call and conviction that God has a purpose for us in the Sword of the Spirit and that he is calling many more women to this way of life among our communities and he wants us to be ready to help them. Our conference this year was more of a working conference than in previous years, as we wanted to bring the sisters together to discuss a number of areas that we hoped to move forward and come to a common understanding and approach. We purposely decided not to have formal presentations but rather interactive sessions in order to get all the sisters participating and engaged with the topics.

 

David Quintana, a long-time leader in the Sword of the Spirit and a great friend of the Bethany Association, spoke to us on the first day about our prophetic witness as an element of our value and contribution to the Sword of the Spirit worldwide.

 

One of the major topics we discussed was helping women discern their state in life. This is an area that many of us have been involved with over the years and perceive a great deal of need throughout the Sword of the Spirit. All the sisters agreed we want to have a common approach to this area even with the understanding that there will be cultural differences. We spent time identifying needs, and creating plans of action to move us ahead in this area in the next few years.

 

As we attended our conference, we spent a wonderful week being hosted by the Community of the Risen Christ in Glasgow. They were the perfect place for us to be and received us like family. We are incredibly grateful for the many ways they served us and shared with us their rich community life. We were very well cared for and loved.

 

All of us in Bethany Association are most grateful for the pastoral leaders that supported sisters attending this conference and for the financial support that made it possible for so many to attend.