700 Women Experience God at Revive Conference

DAVIDSONVILLE, Md. — Nearly 700 women filled Riva Trace Baptist Church on March 8-9 for the second annual Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware’s Revive Conference. The Riva Trace Baptist Church worship center echoed with singing, praying and praising as women from teens to octogenarians relaxed inhibitions and freely worshipped Jesus. At the end of the two days, the crowd even wanted to stay longer as the praise band

continued, and many came forward, raising hands while others locked arms as they sang and swayed. It was a historic event.

Gary Glanville, a retired BCM/D pastor, said, “I cannot recall such a turnout for any BCM/D event in my 72 years of life (45 as a pastor in Maryland/Delaware). I pray this is a sign of the things to come.”

BCM/D Women’s Missionary Somer Phoebus was ecstatic. “I have served in the local church for more than 20 years, and what I experienced at Revive was unlike anything I have seen before,” she said. “Women arrived excited to experience the presence of God, eager to be equipped by His Word, and ready to invest in building up one another. When Revive doubled in size weeks prior to the event, it posed numerous logistical challenges. We pushed every aspect of this conference to its limit. However, amidst the very crowded hallways and long lunch lines, the women who attended remained joyful and patient. It was evident that they had come to experience God’s presence, and because of that, I believe we saw the Spirit move in a mighty way.

“With representation from more than 120 churches, unity was on full display. Our aim in creating the Revive Conference was to provide a premier women’s event that lightens the load for our pastors and women’s ministry leaders. We aspire for Revive to simplify the process of hosting a high-quality women’s event, making it more manageable and cost-effective for our churches. We also want to create a space where ministry leaders have the opportunity to focus on fostering spiritual growth and strengthening connections within the women of their congregations rather than being bogged down by logistics and planning.”

BCM/D Executive Director Tom Stolle welcomed the crowd, telling women, “I’m so thankful for how God uses our women. I’m so thankful that God put you in places where you can share your love, share your wisdom, share your voice, and all of you bring so much that is magnificent to the church. I want you to know we see you, we value you, we respect you, we care about you, we love you, and without you, the church is not complete.”

The conference theme was “Made For More: A Counter-Cultural Approach to Womanhood.” Emily Copeland, Jamie Caldwell, Nicole Warren, and Dan Hyun were the keynote speakers, along with local and national breakout leaders.

Copeland, an author and former successful nationally known model, told the women, “We don’t have a ‘confidence in self’ problem. We believe that confidence comes from what we can bring to God and not what God is trying to do and what He can do through us. And because I know I’m in a room full of women who are hungry to know Jesus and experience Him and do life His way, I want to lovingly tell you confidence is only good when the focal point of it and the source of it is holy.”

Caldwell, BCM/D church planting team leader and Pastor of South Shore Church, Crownsville, encouraged women to seek a fresh vision, fresh conviction, and fresh mission and encouraged all to beware of distraction. With a mischievous smile, Caldwell confessed his obsession with the reality show, “Top Chef.”  He said, “Top Chef isn’t sinful — until it is. Your Instagram is not sinful until it is. Your TikTok is not sinful until it is. Your social media isn’t sinful until it is. Your idolatry of your family is always sinful, but hear me when I tell you that God has given you what he has given you so you can honor him. But it’s so easy for us to get distracted by the gifts He has given us that we forget the giver of the gifts.”

Nicole Warren is a mom, Bible teacher, and speaker who recently left her 20-plus-year career as a successful six-figure-earning HR executive to follow God’s call to work in her local church. God was using her in the corporate world, but the call was clear, and she transitioned. She is thrilled to use her talents and skills in the church and discovered that “ministry needs business, and business needs ministry.” Warren said, “If you don’t know how to deal with clients and customers and the people who are over them, you won’t be able to grow. It’s a business and ministry aspect. How can we expect people to come and experience the love of God if we don’t care for them individually?”

Dan Hyun, BCM/D church partnership team leader, shared about the woman with the issue of blood mentioned in Mark 5 and how Jesus treated her with compassion and love. “It’s one of the most countercultural things about Jesus. The kings of the world do everything they can to distance themselves from broken people. But not Jesus.” Hyun said Jesus used his power to draw those who were hurting and broken to Himself.

Hyun said even as believers, we are enamored by celebrities and influencers. “We prop up image bearers as somehow more worthy of our attention and love. “May we be those countercultural people who grant the same kind of honor and dignity to all who bear the beautiful image of our great God. Not just the important people. Not just the people who can get something for us. Even the ones who are invisible to the rest of society.”

Looking across the auditorium, Hyun said he felt that the threads from this conference could connect and continue into eternity.

Women also attended a number of breakouts, including one encouraging women in their 20s and 30s and another for more “seasoned” women. Other topics included dealing with anxiety, pursuing a sabbath and solitude, discipleship, seeking to live like the early church, and a breakout that focused on providing sexual abuse prevention tools for moms.

A considerable aspect of the event was the fellowship, as women chatted and laughed together over snacks and Chick-fil-A meals, making new friends and connections for their churches.

The conference stands as a cornerstone of the growing BCM/D women’s ministry. Alongside a vibrant pastors’ wives ministry and our women’s discipleship program, Phoebus has sparked two new initiatives — Women in Ministry (WIM) and Young Women in Ministry (Y-WIM) — both rapidly gaining popularity and expanding. WIM and Y-WIM are designed to train, equip, and encourage women currently in leadership roles within our churches, as well as those feeling called to lead in ministry. Phoebus firmly believes that spiritually healthy women, confident in their calling, are indispensable to the effectiveness of our churches and the advancement of the Kingdom.

Phoebus looks for an ever bigger crowd next year.

Stay tuned — we will have the information available soon!