Esther Burroughs was 17 years old when a church camp speaker shared something with her that changed Burroughs’ life.
“She said, ‘Esther, God has something for you to do. And it’s something that no one else can do.’ I had never felt what I felt coming from this woman’s heart. There was so much joy in her teaching about Christ; she radiated,” Burroughs said. “She specifically looked into my eyes and spoke to my heart.”
That set in motion a lifetime of friendship and mentoring between Burroughs and the woman. Burroughs, 76, is one of the featured speakers for the “Leaving a Legacy” women’s prayer and evangelism conference hosted by Embrace Women’s Missions and Ministries of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC). The Sept. 6-7 conference will be held at Ridgecrest Conference Center and will focus on Psalm 78:4, which encourages believers to tell of God’s great work from one generation to the next.
“I came from a generation when older women imparted wisdom to younger women,” Burroughs said.
“It wasn’t a program; they just did it. They modeled it. My passion is to call women my age to stand up and pour into younger women. We have life experience, and they want to know how to get there.”
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Esther Burroughs Ministries photo Esther Burroughs will be a speaker for “Leaving a Legacy” women’s prayer and evangelism conference in September. |
Burroughs, who serves and directs Esther Burroughs Ministries, previously served the Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) in missions and evangelism. She has also served as campus minister at Samford University.
Ashley Allen, Embrace director, shared that throughout her life, especially in college, God provided women to come alongside her and show her what it means to be devoted to leaving a legacy and investing in others.
“Women need to realize, and often they don’t, that their lives have impact and they can impact other lives,” said Allen, who will be one of the featured speakers. “Scripture is clear that we are to leave a godly legacy. We’re called to leave a legacy of faith.”
“There were so many women who faithfully invested in me and taught me the things of God – how to pray, study Scripture and rely upon the Lord in both good and bad times,” she added. “Some had a college education and some did not; but they were faithful. They impacted my life greatly, and have in turn impacted those I minister to.”
Merrie Johnson, BSC student evangelism consultant, will join Burroughs and Allen as one of the featured speakers. Johnson has worked with youth for 27 years and leads the summer Youth Weeks at the North Carolina Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell. Youth Weeks draws nearly 7,000 middle and high school students each year. Breakout sessions during the Embrace event will focus on topics such as prayer, spiritual mothering, evangelism from the home, the heritage of truth, and helping children avoid the pitfalls of life. A complete list of topics and speakers is available at www.ncbaptist.org/wpec.
Pam Blume, member of the conference planning team and wife of Biblical Recorder editor Allan Blume, will lead a session on recording a spiritual legacy. Blume will teach women practical ways to record their spiritual legacy, such as tying it in with their family tree.
Years ago when Blume helped her son with a fifth grade project related to their family tree, they learned not only about their heritage, but about the spiritual leaders in their family who had gone before them. From then on, recording their spiritual legacy became a “lifelong thing for us,” Blume said.
Blume encouraged women to attend the conference for an opportunity to learn from and be inspired by women of influence, such as Burroughs.
“When you think of legacy, you think Esther Burroughs,” Blume said. “She is such an encouragement to women in any stage of life.”
Blume challenged women to be intentional in reaching out to others, from their children to their peers to other women, and begin influencing them for Christ.
“You have your own sphere of influence,” she said. “God has you here for a purpose, and He wants to use you.”
The conference begins at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, with early bird breakout sessions at 3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. To register, call Ridgecrest at (800) 588-7222.
For more information, call (800) 395-5102 ext. 5561, email [email protected] or visit www.ncbaptist.org/wpec; click “Registration” to register online.