WFBC Ladies’ Retreat Speakers
Hosted at Green Lake Conference Center
Main Session Speaker
Lorie Loftus
Lorie Loftus has served in local church and camp ministry with her husband, Dean, for 30 years in wild and wonderful Wyoming where they have reared their three sons and daughter. Though Lorie loves the outdoors and the arts, her greatest delight is found in studying and teaching God’s Word.
Workshop Speakers
Linda Stevens
Linda Stevens was privileged to accept Christ as her Savior at a young age through the influence of her Christian parents, who were charter members of a church plant in Iowa. As the church grew and opportunities for service increased, Linda’s participation and love for the Lord grew. This desire to serve the Lord led her to pursue a sacred music major at Maranatha Baptist Bible College, where she met Jim, who became her pastor-husband. God blessed them with seven children and many years of serving Him together in various churches. Now they work at Faith Baptist Church in Oconomowoc, where their son-in-law is the pastor. Through the years, Linda’s favorite ministry has
been using music as a means of worship with people of all ages, and she is looking forward to a tone chimes adventure with some of you at this WFBC Ladies Retreat!
Tone Chimes: Cheery Chimes
Doesn’t hearing the rhythmic, mellow music of tone chimes make you smile? Having one (or two) of the chimes in your own hand is an even greater experience! With a basic knowledge of music notation and a little rhythm in your soul, you can be a part of the tone chime challenge!
Julie Knox
Julie Knox is the happy wife to Brian and mother to six blessings. She is privileged to be a stay-at-home mom and spends her days homeschooling and training her children and keeping the chaos of a busy household at bay. Her training was in music and she enjoys using her gifts to teach piano and harp students in her home.
Julie enjoys serving in her church in La Crosse, WI, especially in the nursery, kitchen, and music ministries. You can never be sure where you’ll find her in the building on any given Sunday! When she has time for hobbies, she loves to read old books (the longer the better!) and do sewing projects.
Delights or Distractions?
“Lord, thank you for these children…but why is this mothering gig so hard???” If these thoughts have ever raced through your head in moments of chaos, you are not alone! We all know that raising children is not a simple task, but is it possible to actually delight in our children and enjoy being a mother? We are bombarded every day by the negative attitudes of others and all types of media promoting the idea that motherhood is something to be endured for a season, bolstered by coffee and chocolate with “deserved” breaks for “self care.” Join me as we look at what God has to say about our attitudes towards our children by investigating how God views us as His children.
Julie Baker
Julie Baker is a pastor’s wife and homeschool mother of five. Her husband, Chris, served as a bi-vocational pastor in Illinois for five years before moving into full-time ministry at First Baptist Church of Hillsdale in 2019. Julie has a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She began her career as an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapist for children diagnosed with autism before working as a school social worker in Illinois public schools for three years. After she was saved at 26 years old, Julie quickly married the love of her life and “retired” to be a full-time homemaker and unlikely pastor’s wife. When she isn’t busy, Julie enjoys writing, singing, and drinking coffee. When Julie is busy, she still enjoys the coffee!
Nothing Satisfies Like the Gospel (Personal Testimony)
In each of us there is a void we long to fill, but we chase after all the wrong things in a clumsy attempt to fill it. Successful careers, advanced degrees, status, money, men, motherhood, nice clothes… It all falls short. Julie will share where she looked for fulfillment and meaning, how encountering the Gospel finally gave her the true satisfaction she had sought for twenty-six years, and why she still delights in the Gospel today.
Rebecca Brock
Rebecca Brock is a gifted women’s teacher with a passion for the local church and women’s ministry. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts and has since earned an MEd in English and an MA in Bible. Rebecca teaches Expository Teaching for Women and women’s ministry courses in the College of Bible and Church Ministries at MBU where her husband, Bryan, is a Bible professor. The Brocks live in Oconomowoc, WI, with their four children and are on staff at their local church. Rebecca enjoys bargain shopping, decorating, cheering her children on at sporting events, and sushi dates with her husband.
Help! My Relationships Are a Mess!
While conflict is unavoidable in a broken world, healthy conflict-resolution, and even conflict-prevention, is possible through the guidance of the Scriptures. Come join us as we see what the Bible says and practical ways we can apply truth to our lives!
Julaine Appling
With a heart for education, Julaine is a sought-out speaker you may have heard in the media from Christian radio to Wisconsin Public Radio. She works on and speaks on a variety of topics, all in an effort to strengthen, preserve and promote God’s plan for marriage and family, the sanctity of human life and religious freedom in Wisconsin. As president of Wisconsin Family Council, she has both a strong platform and a strong voice on issues impacting Wisconsin families as well as for encouraging Christian citizens to be informed and involved so they can make a positive difference in their communities. Julaine has served on several boards of various organizations, including Baptists for Life. She is a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Watertown, where she serves on the board of Calvary Baptist Christian School.
Staying Upright in a Topsy-Turvy World
How’s your gyroscope doing these days? Are you staying “centered” and upright amidst all the confusion? In our time together, we will look at righting our spiritual, mental, and emotional gyroscopes so that we can correctly respond to believers and non-believers regarding some of the critical issues we are facing.
June Kimmel
June Kimmel is a missionary, author, speaker, mother of three and grandmother of eight! She regularly speaks at ladies’ conferences, retreats, and special events in the United States and internationally. June has had five books professionally published. Through their ministry (Training the Nations), June and her husband have trained pastors, their wives, and Christian educators around the world.
Name Above Every Name
When we know who God is, we can better trust Him for what He does! God reveals Himself to us through His many names given in the Bible. The psalmist tells us that those who know His name will put their trust in Him. We will consider how knowing the names of God can make a difference in how we live our lives for His glory today!
Robin Jones
Robin Jones is the wife of Scott Jones, WFBC State Missions Director, whom she met in junior high! She was a pastor’s wife for almost 30 years in three churches in Wisconsin: Phillips, Wild Rose, and Kenosha. Dr. and Mrs. Jones began ministry with the WFBC in the fall of 2020. She and her husband enjoy constant travels throughout Wisconsin, encouraging and supporting the WFBC churches. She serves in her church’s children’s outreach, works as a substitute at a daycare, and volunteers at the Access Women’s Center in Madison regularly. Robin particularly cherishes her relationships with pastors’ wives. She has three adult children, two of which are married…and she adores her first grandchild, a granddaughter born in August of 2023 (she’d love to show you pictures!). She enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, yard and garden work, and watching volleyball – especially the Badgers.
Kindred Spirits
A Kindred Spirit…do you have one? Or more? Our friendships make a tremendous impact on our lives—especially as women! In this workshop we will search the Scriptures for God’s views on friendship…the kind of friends we should have and the kind of friend we should be.
Ruth Shore
Ruth Shore is a wife and mother of four daughters. Ruth was raised in a Christian home and accepted the Lord as her Savior when she was five. At the age of twelve, while a camper at Camp Chetek, she dedicated her life to the Lord to serve in whatever way He wanted. She is a member of Holmen Baptist Church where she serves in the music ministry, decorating, and event planning. Ruth is a full-time volunteer teacher at her daughters’ Christian school, where she decorates bulletin boards, guides girls as they work on sewing projects, teaches elementary music, and directs the tone chime choir and ladies’ small ensemble. Ruth loves to stay busy doing just about any kind of craft (sewing, crochet & knitting, jewelry making, painting, etc.).
Jewelry – $5
Create a personalized bracelet or keychain with your name, favorite verse reference, inspirational word, children’s initial or birthstone, etc. The possibilities are endless. Bracelets can be made with stretchy elastic cord or flexible wire and a clasp.
Suellen Stroup
Suellen Stroup has a degree in Music Education from Bob Jones University. She has enjoyed teaching in christian schools and private studios for more than 25 years. She has directed children’s choirs, ladies’ choirs and many Christmas programs. Currently, she is teaching private piano and voice lessons. Suellen and her family live in Lake Mills, WI, where her husband Rob is the pastor of Rock Lake Baptist Church. The Stroups have 4 children. In her spare time, Suellen enjoys reading, crocheting, and most of all, spending time with her family. Suellen grew up in a pastor’s home where she learned to love serving and working in her local church. She loves teaching music and helping students communicate the message and text of a song to honor and glorify her Savior.
Choir: “God has Spoken” – $3
This year we will be singing a newer song called “God has Spoken”. It is deep in meaning and theology, reminding us of ways God has chosen to speak with His people. Whispers through creation, spoken through the Scriptures, shouted through the Scripture, leading us to the cross! Through the beautiful melodies and rich harmonies, we will work together to communicate the message of the text to the audience with the ultimate goal of bringing praise and honor to our God. You will be able to keep the music and take it home to your church and perform it there with a small group or choir. I look forward to leading and exploring music with you
Charis Holloway
Charis Holloway has been in full-time church ministry for 30 years. She has invested many faithful years in children’s ministry, youth group mentoring, adult ladies’ Bible study & discipleship, and music opportunities in and through the local church. Charis and her husband, Gary, have been married 31 years and have raised 5 children who love and follow the Lord. Charis enjoys art, teaching piano, and spending time with her children, their spouses, and her grand-doggy.
Craft: Delight in the Simple Things – $8
Learn to paint a beautiful neutral landscape on a small canvas and frame it with a lovely gold frame! Find delight in the process of creating art!
Cara Balmer
Cara Balmer grew up in a Christian home, attended a Christian college, and attends Holmen Baptist Church. She plays piano for church, helps with the music ministry, and is involved with a few discipleship groups. She also teaches piano lessons along with having her cake decorating business.
Love of music and piano playing has been her whole life, but love for cake decorating started when she was 10 or 12 with a lady from her childhood church. She took a semester of cake decorating in college and began cake decorating at Linda’s Bakery in 1998. In 2012 she started her own cake decorating business and God keeps blessing it!
Delight in Decorating
Do you ever think, “I sure wish I knew how to decorate a cake or cupcakes for this special event I’m planning”? Sometimes the delight gives way to panic as we face the task of dessert decorating. Join me as I demonstrate some basic and advanced techniques and share what supplies you need to create “delightful” cakes and cupcakes.