Nearly 300 women gathered at the Embassy Suites in Kansas City for the Iowa-Missouri Conference Women’s Retreat 2025, a weekend focused on spiritual growth and community under the theme “My Story, God’s Book.”
Among the attendees were 65 young ladies between the ages of 13 and 21, who participated in programming designed specifically for them alongside the main retreat sessions.
Featured speaker Donna Brown encouraged and inspired attendees by sharing how God has taken her personal tragedies and used them for His glory. Her messages centered on the retreat theme, helping women see their own life experiences through the lens of God’s redemptive work.
The young ladies received special attention from speaker Demetria Bedeau, who delivered encouraging messages about letting God write the beautiful story in their lives. Using real-life examples, she encouraged the young women to be who God created them to be and to walk proudly as daughters of the King.
Throughout the weekend, attendees enjoyed visiting the Adventist Book Center, a vendor craft room, and a dedicated prayer room. Seminars offered throughout the retreat encouraged, inspired and brought new perspective to many topics.
The retreat concluded with the women’s ministries team joining hands and offering a prayer of blessing over all the ladies in attendance.
Information about the 2026 Women’s Retreat will be released soon. For up-to-date information and to stay connected, join the IMSDA Women Facebook page, where you will find details on upcoming events around the conference, encouragement from various ministry departments, resources and a community of women across Iowa and Missouri. URL Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/imsdawomen
Ami Cook is the Iowa-Missouri Conference women’s ministries director.
