There is a word that brings our ministry so much joy: AWAKEN! Our team loves every aspect of planning and executing AWAKEN gatherings, and we pray that each event is just as much of a blessing for our sisters as it is for us!
The evening is well-thought-out from start to finish with one goal in mind – to join with women in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth area to commit to pray for and impact our community. We aim to stay #WideAwake to the needs of others #ForHisGlory!
And that’s exactly what we did a few weeks ago! Nearly 2000 of us came together to worship, pray, and receive a Word from God. It felt so good to be in community again. Those three hours were spiritually fulfilling and right . . . on . . . time!
Around 5:30pm, women from all over the community arrived with recyclable bags full of groceries to bless Youth World – the local outreach we selected for our October 2021 event. They were overwhelmed with an outpouring of donations for their upcoming Thanksgiving Grocery Giveaway in South Dallas, and over 80 women signed up to volunteer with them.
The event began at 6:30pm with worship led by Anthony Evans. Arms lifted, women were ready to praise the Name of Jesus and rejoice in His goodness. The Holy Spirit filled the room, and His presence transformed lives.
There is never an AWAKEN gathering that goes by when we don’t pray for each other and our city! We write down our prayer requests and bring them to the altar, and at the end of the evening, each attendee is encouraged to pray for one another for the next 7 days.
One of the most memorable moments of every gathering is the Wide Awake Award when we highlight one unsuspecting woman who, despite her own difficult circumstances, has continued to serve others. This year, Jadalynn Griffin was selected as our winner because she does just that and her testimony inspired us. So, we prepared gift baskets full of her favorite things (She loves Hobby Lobby and The Pioneer Woman!) and showered her with so much love. It was all a total surprise to her, but soon after she walked onstage, we realized we were the ones in for the real treat! She had us rolling on the floor laughing.
After we regained our composure, we continued with the gift-giving! We gave all the attendees a tea favor to remind them to steep themselves in Christ, abiding in Him (John 15:4).
Next, we were ready to hear a message from Priscilla. In just moments, we were all sitting upright, notes in hand, flipping through our Bibles for the Scripture reference. We were eager to welcome the Word of God to penetrate our hearts.
As the night came to an end, the women were invited to the lobby for an afterparty to fellowship and enjoy light refreshments. Nearly two thousand cookies have never come and gone so fast! Mmm, Mmm, good!
Many women mingled and took pictures at the selfie stations, while several others circled the merch table to purchase resources!
The evening was a success, and it was all . . . FOR HIS GLORY!
If you live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area or are ever visiting, be sure to join us for an AWAKEN gathering. In the meantime, we invite you to connect with us via our virtual sisterhood on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Stay in touch, sisters!
The Going Beyond Team
PS . . . A big THANK YOU to Oaks Church and all the volunteers that served with us! We are incredibly grateful for your investment in helping us minister to our sisters!
