Pulpit Rock Church in Colorado Springs

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Women

A Wonderful Womens Weekend

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 It felt fitting as we drove to Westcliffe during the first real snow of the season, watching Fall and Winter in a beautiful collision. I’ve been drawn to the overlap of seasons recently. The mornings I could still look out at my flowers in full bloom from the Summer while feeling the Fall chill in the air at the same time. The bright yellow leaves stand out next to their brown friends from the day before now on the ground. The small space in between seasons is stunning when we catch it. 
 
Our Renewal Getaway seemed to meet us all in between seasons. We asked the Holy Spirit to be a light in our paths, expose what we’re attempting to hold onto in the darkness, and move forward with confidence in our name as Beloved. Here are what a few women who attended had to say about our time away!

“Our October renewal retreat was so incredibly special for me for so many reasons. The speakers were outstanding! The food was delicious, the location was peaceful and beautiful, the worship time was soul quenching, I could go on and on. But my biggest takeaway from our time together was the laughter, the love and the fellowship with an amazing group of women. I loved listening to the younger ladies share their stories about their lives, careers, families and kids. But I also felt so connected with my age group as well. I could sit at any table for lunch/dinner or be with any small group and I felt connected, heard and most importantly loved! I’d love to see more ladies enjoy the same connection and comradery at future retreats. This one will always hold a special memory for me, the memory of unconditional love and acceptance among a group of sweet sisters in Christ.”

“I loved how everyone wanted to hold and help with Slade, like so much auntie/Grammy love in there surrounding my sweet boy. It was so helpful for me and I just felt incredibly supported as I walk through this season of single mom-hood.”

“I also really enjoyed the quality time I got with the ladies on the hike. Everyone was affirming and encouraging and I God knew I needs to be lifted up. God knew I needed to share some faith of my sisters in this season of fear and doubt!”
 
“The weekend getaway was so full of good things. It was a great way to meet women, share journeys, learn, worship, pray and play. The sessions were so well thought out, very appropo to life, touching, funny and tender. I felt so connected to myself and others, grateful for how Jesus works in our lives. Thanks for all the planning. I look forward to meeting again in many ways.”
 
“It was a great weekend to be thoughtful and interactive with God. Although I am normally opinionated and out spoken, this weekend was a much-needed respite for me to simply hear about others’ interactions with the Holy Spirit and to begin intentional healing from a really tough past year. My God wants the healthiest version of me and sometimes He requires silence in the mountains to hear from Him.”
 
“How rich the time away with the women of PRC was for my soul! I am always surprised and amazed at how women come together with openness, a desire to be known, and a heart to experience God in community. I loved the lifting of voices in worship, the emphasis on light in a world that can feel so dark, and hearing parts of each other’s messy, beautiful, redemptive, story. Laughter through tears, silliness after silence. Such deep beauty!”
 
“I had an amazing time at the retreat! God used it powerfully in my life to connect with other women and hear their stories, and I loved the opportunities to confess sin and see ourselves through Jesus’ eyes.  There is so much power in replacing lies with the names God has given to us! Pulpit Rock has become a safe place for many people who have been hurt by the church, and it’s exciting to see what He can do when women gather to seek Him together.”
It was a great weekend to be with each other. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” -Isaiah 1:1-2

The Gift of Sisterhood

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Renewal, the Women’s Ministry at Pulpit Rock, holds a special place in my heart. Which is a sentence I honestly never thought I’d write.

I was raised in the evangelical church and have a picture in my head of what a typical church women’s ministry is. It’s something I have no interest in. Thankfully, Pulpit Rock Church (as it does) is tearing apart my long held ideas of what women’s ministry is and replacing it with something beautiful and sacred and SO necessary to my life today.


I’m 43. I’m pretty much the textbook definition of middle aged mom. (I even just got the asymmetrical haircut that apparently happens during this phase of life.)

Over the past 13 years I’ve attended Pulpit Rock, I’ve gone through a variety of life phases. I’ve gotten married and had two kids. I’ve gone from diapers and bath times and middle of the night feedings to juggling soccer practice and science fair projects and middle school drama.

And honestly, while I do look back with nostalgia at the D.I.N.K life, and I remember fondly the innocent cuteness of the newborn phase and the hilarious antics of the toddler years and I anticipate (okay … fear) the angst of the teen years, I’m pretty happy with this place in which I find myself. Middle aged isn’t what I feared.

Through all these life phases, I’ve been a part of the Pulpit Rock Women’s Ministry. I’ve participated in Bible Studies and book studies, served on the leadership team, shared part of my story at multi-day conferences, attended weekend retreats, gone to bonfire and worship nights and summer picnic lunches and monthly happy hours. For seven of those years, I was working on staff at Pulpit Rock and even as a staff member, participating in the women’s events was a joy.

I’ve met and developed deep friendships, some of whom I would now classify as my BFFs. I’ve eaten lots of delicious food. I’ve laughed til I cried. I’ve made and delivered meals for other women. I’ve participated in dance parties and Bible studies and (yes) pillow fights.

Sounds like I could be describing a sorority, right? 

Here’s what vocabulary.com has to say about the word “sorority”… First used in the 1530s, the noun sorority stems from the Middle Latin word sororitas, meaning “sisterhood, of or pertaining to sisters.” Although members of a sorority aren’t actually biological sisters, the idea is to form a strong bond between members — or “sisters” — based on commitment to the group.

Sound familiar?

Renewal | Women’s Ministry is a place for women. All women. Ones that have it together and ones that don’t. Ones who have finished the journey of raising kids and ones just beginning the adventure of motherhood. Ones who are single. Ones stuck in a lifeless marriage. Ones going through a divorce. Working moms and stay at home moms. Foster moms. Grandmas. High school and college students.


Our most recent event, Reset, was a one day retreat where we paused our regular lives, gathered together, breathed deeply of the mountain air, took time to ourselves, ate together, created together and shared life for a few hours. We are soon entering the summer season and have a variety of fun ways to connect with each other. As life ebbs and flows, so too does the shape of Women’s Ministry.

But through it all, Renewal has created a unique and beautiful space for developing deep, authentic, safe relationships with other women, and it is in the context of those relationships that we can truly be the Body of Christ for each other. 

A place where we can discover the gift of sisterhood … the sororitas.

If you want to learn more or get involved in Renewal | Women’s Ministry, you can find all the info here.

Dance Parties & Pillow Fights

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Dance parties and pillow fights, delicious food and powerful messages, tears and laughter, beautiful hikes and long naps… Janae and the team put a lot of work into this year’s Renewal Women’s Getaway Weekend, and it was exactly what we were all needing!

It was my first ever women’s getaway, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to get away from the craziness of life and connect on a deeper level with other Pulpit Rock women.


I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but this getaway created space for me to simultaneously sit in God’s goodness and wrestle with the hard things. It felt like such a safe place for everyone to open up and share their hearts in an accepting and loving group of 40 women.

Throughout the weekend, we got to explore God’s identity and how that changes how we view ourselves, reflect on His goodness in our lives, and grieve the hard parts in our story.

Getting to break up into small groups by cabin after each session was one of the most impactful things for me. It was such a gift to be able to process with each other.

On the last morning, Becky walked us through an exercise that was so healing for all of us. Before the getaway, we all sent in a photo of ourselves from our childhood. We then held these photos and were encouraged to look into that little girl’s eyes and speak truth into her life. Truth to combat all of the lies she would grow up believing about her identity, the lies she would believe about who God is, all of the hard things she would face, things she didn’t want to be part of her story.

On the frame around that precious photo, we wrote those messages of truth. Afterwards, we got the opportunity to break up into our cabin groups one last time and speak that truth into one another’s lives. What a beautiful way to end the weekend.

This getaway in the mountains was such a sweet time with one another! It was a weekend I won’t forget, full of new friends, amazing worship, and truth-filled messages. I truly look up to these wonderful women and can’t wait to continue learning with them!

Life Around the Firepit

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Sunsets, summer air, friends, worship, a firepit. There’s something about the combination of those things that makes heaven feel a little closer to earth.

Just over a month ago, a few staff were sitting around the lunch table dreaming up the idea of building a church firepit right beside the Lawn. The idea sounded great to me. Who doesn’t love a good firepit?

What didn’t cross my mind was what more this space could offer – something so much more valuable than just a place to roast marshmallows and watch the sunset.

The new firepit made its debut last Sunday night when Renewal, our Women’s Ministry here at Pulpit Rock, kicked off the summer with a worship and bonfire night!

New faces and old friends, women of all ages and stages of life, gathered around the fire to re-connect with one another and join in a time of worship.

There’s something so refreshing about lifting your voice in praise alongside other women as the sun sets behind the mountains. In the same way a spark ignites a fire, we felt this night of worship re-ignite our souls.

We paused between songs to reflect on Psalm 91. As Janae read aloud, we closed our eyes, listening for the Lord to speak to us through the passage.

And then, something beautiful happened.

One by one, women started sharing what God was doing in their lives, what He was whispering to them in that very moment. We shared struggles from the past year, a few tears, and plenty of laughs.

I arrived that evening expecting a nice night full of worship around a fire. And it was. But what I didn’t even know I needed that night was the connection and community that was created from the vulnerability of these precious women.

This new addition to our property is way more than just a firepit. It’s a new-found safe space. A place for encouragement, relationship, and community. Something that can feel so rare these days.

Here’s to many more summer nights like these, filled with precious moments created around this firepit!

Refreshment & Renewal

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Last Saturday, 75 Pulpit Rock women gathered for the day for the third annual Renewal Women’s Conference. After a year of cancelled events and virtual gatherings, our hearts were craving in-person connection with each other on a whole new level.


We sat at two long tables which were beautifully decorated and bursting with fresh flowers. The signs of spring were everywhere, but beyond the fresh decor and the sunshine outside, the air was abuzz with the sorely missed sounds of real connection.


The focus for the day was looking at how God is so beautifully personal in how he teaches and leads each woman in a way that is specific and unique to her. Everyone was given a leather bound journal filled with watercolor paper and a set of watercolors. Throughout the day, we had opportunities to write, paint and reflect on what God was saying to us during the worship and teaching times. 

We looked at the stories of the Samaritan Woman at the Well, the Bleeding Woman and Jairus’ Daughter. We talked about God’s heart for us as women and His specific and personalized care for each of us. We shared stories, songs, laughter and tears.

Towards the end, women were invited to share a part of their story by sharing a poem they had created about themselves. The vulnerability, authenticity, acceptance and love from that time created deep connections among the women of Pulpit Rock and reflected the beautiful depth and richness of our Pulpit Rock family. (Seriously … how did we get so lucky?)


Of course no community gathering should occur without food and drink, so we also shared two meals together. The content of the day was deep, but the pace was relaxed and leisurely. The goal was refreshment and renewal. The hope was that each woman who attended would walk away with an idea of how God uniquely loves and leads her. 

It was the perfect way to kick off the fast approaching summer season, where we have many more women’s events and fun ways to connect planned!

Let us know if you’d like to be added to our email list to get notified about summer events. And mark your calendars for our weekend fall retreat at the end of October!

Yet… God is Still Writing

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“This year had been hard. Disappointing. Even devastating for so many.

Yet… God is still writing.

Somehow throughout history people have chosen the hard, or it seems the hard has been handed to us. As soon as it’s difficult, our human tendency is to question. To doubt. To wonder and then to wander.

Yet… God is still writing.

Broken things are blank canvases of stunning potential.

Redemption isn’t just an idea, it’s a beautiful storyline thread of history.

God is still writing.

Could you write something glorious through me?”

-Author Unknown

This quote was on the front page of a journal I received from a dear friend, one of my most favorite gifts. This journal has offered moments to let God speak truth to me and for me to speak with freedom to Him.

I’m a journal addict, I have been since high school. Come over and I’ll show you my collection, although the writings inside are my most intimate feelings and prayers, so you probably won’t see those. So, this new journal wasn’t just another simple addiction to the collection, it was another invitation to keep asking, keep praying, keep learning.

It was over a year ago when we gathered together to talk about our seasons and God’s presence in our lives. Little did we know the world would go into utter chaos one week later, leaving us still picking up the pieces today.

When I stepped into this role with a heart for ministry to women, my dream was to always have a conference in the Spring. In past years, we’ve done this over two days with many different aspects. However this year, God is guiding us into a simpler gathering over one day.


This day will be about renewing our hearts and minds in Christ, listening to and remembering what His narrative says about us.

It will be about reconnecting with new and old friends over conversation and delicious food.

And it will be about reflecting on the past year and how God has tenderly cared for us in unique ways.

We’re going to make space for the God of the Samaritan Woman, the Bleeding Woman, and Jairus’ Daughter to teach us who He has always been and who he calls us to be. We’re going to spoil you with gifts, maybe even a journal that invites you to press into your freedom and identity too.

Jesus rewrote the legacies of these women with His interactions with them. He could’ve chosen someone else to do it, He could’ve brushed it off. But He chose them because He saw them as created and deeply loved children of God.

His love ran much deeper than the scars of their failures and wounds.

And like these women, Jesus is telling us that our stories He is writing matter. The narratives we tell ourselves matter. The words God sings over us each day matter.

Women of Pulpit Rock, will you join us for this gathering? I believe God has something to say to you.

Here are all the details for the Renewal Gathering;

When: April 24th, 8:30AM-3:30PM

Where: Pulpit Rock Main Sanctuary

Cost: $45 in person, $20 online (the online cost covers a gift bad you will receive)

Questions? Contact Janae

You can RSVP here!