Saturday 3rd May 2025
New Hope Baptist Church or
Streaming online
When: Saturday 3rd May 2025, 8.30am to 3pm
Where: New Hope Baptist Church, Blackburn North
or streaming from the comfort of your own home
This year we continue our two year series in the books of Judges and Ruth. Two very different books both set in the same period of Israel's history.
We learnt last year as we looked at Judges, that life for Israel wasn’t marked by kindness. It was a world of chaos and horror as everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
At Entrust this year, we will focus on the seemingly little pastoral romance that is the book of Ruth. An unexpected beam of kindness in the midst of a storm of chaos. Our speakers Belinda Grant and Sarah Weber will be looking at Ruth and exploring how God cares and provides for his people and those who align themselves with them.
Tickets are available through Trybooking using the link below. Early bird tickets are available until the 14th of April. There is a catering option or you can BYO lunch.
If you're located in a regional area please email us on entrustwomen@outlook.com if you would like to organise a hub at your church.
Choose your seminar from the list below before heading over to book your ticket.
Speakers
Sarah Weber has been serving in student ministry for many years with the AFES in university campuses across Regional Victoria and Melbourne. She is a member of BayChurch Presbyterian in Cheltenham.
Sarah is deeply grateful to Jesus for dying for her sins. She takes great delight in opening the Bible with others and seeing them meet Jesus and truly grasp God's grace in Him. She loves her nieces and nephews, her violin and sassy sausage-dog Coco, who greatly extends her evangelism and social life!
Belinda Grant is a child of God and mother to four energetic and imaginative kids. After many years in Uni and Children's ministry, Belinda now serves alongside her Pastor husband Tim at Grace Christian Community in Box Hill South. She loves fiction writing, baking, and horrifying her family with her tiktok dance attempts.
Seminars
You'll need to select one of the following 6 options
Laura Paul
Providence: How is God working all things for my good and His glory?
If God works all things according to his plans, does that mean I’m a robot? Does God really personally respond to my prayers? What does God’s sovereignty really mean? If you have ever found yourself wrestling with these kinds of questions, this seminar is for you.
In a world that often flattens mysteries to a zero-sum game, it can be really hard to conceive how God can be both absolutely sovereign and perfectly personal—and yet that is what we see in Scripture. A God who is directing all of history to its completion in Christ, while personally and intimately responding to those that he has made. This seminar will explore the incredibly comforting doctrine of the Providence of God.
Laura Paul is married to Jeremiah, an Anglican minister in Dandenong, and they have two hilarious and energetic preschool kids. Laura loves serving in her local church in discipleship, kids ministry and hospitality. She is passionate about helping people see how the big truths of God’s word connect with and come alive in ordinary life. She also works as a tutor in church history and theology at Ridley college. When not chasing kids or helping students, she can be found experimenting with all things sourdough or attempting to hide somewhere with a book.
Helen Baxter
Reframing Aging
Society mostly tells us that becoming old makes us useless, unattractive, and unnecessary.
It’s easy for us to buy into that - whatever age we are.
However, what does the Bible have to say about growing older as a woman?
How can that shape our perspective so that ageing isn’t something we fear but a gift we can embrace?
Helen has the great privilege of walking alongside older people in her Pastoral Care role at Holy Trinity Doncaster, seeking to share God’s unwavering promises as they continue to run the race to the very end. She has been married to Harry for over 30 years and with God’s help they have raised two daughters to adulthood.
You will almost always find her where there is good coffee, and she thoroughly enjoys tofu and chocolate (but has never tried them together!)
Alyson Peatman
Mission Minded Children's Ministry
We know that Global Mission is important, but how do we pass that on to the next generation? Often when it comes to teaching children, we can focus on conveying the truths of Scripture, solid doctrine and ensuring that children grasp the gospel. All of these are good! But the Gospel is a global gospel. As a family do you support and pray for missionaries regularly? Do you encourage your children to be diligent in this? Do you ever focus on mission in your church children’s programs? Do you spend time at kid’s church teaching young ones how to support and pray for mission? Jesus tells us to go and make disciples of all nations, passing this baton on to even the youngest disciples is an important task, both in the home and in our churches.
Join us to think through how we can do this better at home and in our churches to raise up the next generation of mission minded prayer warriors, hungry for a world that knows Jesus.
Alyson is the children’s and Families Co-ordinator for CMS Victoria. As a young Christian, she was convicted of the need to be involved in, support and be willing to serve in global mission. Alyson loves teaching children about Jesus as well as equipping families and children to share their faith, support global mission and encourage them to be a part of Gods plan of a world that knows Jesus. After many years in schools and children’s ministry she sees the importance of not just running fun and engaging programs but passing on that love of sharing Jesus all over the world, even to the youngest of believers.
Alyson is married to Brett they have 4 children, with only two left at school! As a secondary history teacher by background, she likes to read historical non-fiction for fun but tries to balance this with swimming, walking and her love of good coffee.
Honoria Brennan
Power in Gendered Violence
*content warning: SA*
What does the Bible say about the perennial problem of Gendered Violence? Is there any wisdom to be gleaned for our context, when one in 4 women have experienced violence by an intimate partner? This seminar explores the misuses of power “in the time of the Judges”. In stark contrast, Boaz uses his power to empower the powerless. Boaz is in the pattern of the ultimate Redeemer, who expresses his hesed love and sovereignty through human agents.
Honoria Brennan is the wife of but one husband, James, and mum to Emma and Naomi. Since working for AFES in 2010, she noticed a quiet but alarming trend that female university students were being sexually harassed and assaulted. She developed a set of Bible studies based on the book of Ruth, called The Boaz Project, on the topic of gendered violence.
Honoria is a walking (oxy)moron. A Victorian living in Queensland, a quirky person who thinks about sad things (like the persecuted church, and gendered violence), a feminist complementarian, and a writer who doesn’t read or write much.
Jean Williams
Bearing each others burdens without being crushed by them
“Sometimes people’s troubles feel so big, part of me wants to help but part of me just wants to run away!” “It's so easy to feel overwhelmed. Their needs are real. We have limited resources.” “How do I bring my concerns for people to God and not keep worrying? How do I relate, listen, empathise, support without being pulled under?”
This is a discussion-based seminar about how to avoid burnout as we care for people. What questions does the suffering of others makes us ask about our faith, and how might we answer them? How can we acknowledge our humanness and limitations as we care for those in need? How do we work out if we have the resources and energy to care for them? Is it ever okay not to care for someone? What are some unhealthy signs in caring relationships? What do healthy boundaries look like, and how do we preserve them? How can we recognise and recover from burnout?
Jean Williams is married with four children, supporting her husband, Steve, in uni ministry. She knows all the tree-iest walks near her house, drinks many cups of homemade chai tea each day, and loves listening to indie music and making playlists. She also loves her Growth Group, and teaching women at church when she gets the chance. She continues to learn that however weak she is, however much she struggles or fails, she can always rest in Jesus' unchanging love for her.
Sarah Creek
Close to God :: TEEN SEMINAR
I wish I felt closer to God. I hear others say that to me, and honestly, it's something I often think myself. You might have been through seasons of life where you’ve felt such joy and energy from your relationship with God. Maybe at a youth camp or when you’ve seen God at work in your life. But perhaps you’ve been through times when He’s felt far away or maybe even disappointed in you.
In this workshop just for teens and young adults we’ll unpack the great news that you are already totally secure and as close as you can be to God when you put your trust in Jesus. But we’ll also think about how you might practise walking closely with God by His Spirit. So come along that we might encourage one another to grow in our friendship and enjoyment of God whilst also being reminded that in Jesus you can’t be separated from Him.
Sarah is married to Sam and they have two little kids. She studied at Ridley and has worked in a number of ministry roles both in the local church and with AFES. But most recently she’s worked as the Youth Minister at Berwick Anglican Church. She loves working with youth and young adults and seeing them put their trust in Jesus. Sarah and her family now attend Mullum Mullum Anglican Church where Sam works as the Senior Minister.
What they're saying:
It is so important for Jesus’ church that women are challenged in their obedience to Christ, mobilized in their gifts, and have an ever deepening vision of the beauty & power of a life lived for him. Women teaching women is such a powerful way that Jesus brings this into being. I am thankful for the contribution of Entrust in this unique and vital work.
Stephanie Judd
City on a Hill, Executive Director - Leadership Academy
It has been a great joy to see the timely emergence of the Entrust Women conference in Melbourne: young and able evangelical women committed to ministry among women based on the exploration and exposition of God’s word and mutual encouragement for ministry. I warmly commend this new venture and am glad to be associated with it. My hope and prayer is that through it Christian women across Victoria will be taught, rebuked, corrected, and trained in righteousness so that they might be capable and equipped for every good work that God has prepared for them in their families, among God’s people, and in the workplace.
Andrew Reid
I've enjoyed previous Entrust conferences for the stimulating Bible talks and seminars, on both practical and theological issues; the opportunities to see friends and acquaintances, and to meet other women who are striving to live for Jesus; and for the encouragement and joy of gathering with like-minded women - young and old, city and rural, mothers, students, workers, of different ethnicities and backgrounds, working in ministry or simply living for Jesus in everyday life.
Fiona McLean
Women's Minister, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Doncaster
A conference for women, led by women, who desire to see women across Victoria established in their faith, equipped in their ministries, and encouraged in their cross-bearing, Christ-centred life, how can it not be wholeheartedly commended. I am grateful for the evangelical women who lead this conference with a commitment to faithful expository preaching. It has been a delight to see the fruits of this conference and how it has shaped the lives and ministry of the women in our church, as they seek to live their lives as daughters of the King. My prayer is that this will be seen amongst more women and more churches for the glory of God.
John Huynh
Minister, Surrey Hills Presbyterian Church
FAQ
Helpful Information
What are the goals of Entrust Women?
We have two goals, represented by the two Ts in enTrusT:
• to provide clear, faithful Bible teaching from women and to women in Melbourne
• to provide training to women from Melbourne and wider Victoria as they learn to teach and train other women.
We took the name Entrust Women from 2 Timothy 2:2 – “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will be qualified to teach others.” That’s what we want to do: pass on the gospel by giving women an opportunity to teach one another, and to learn how to teach one another, from God’s word.
Why do we need another conference?
What’s different about Entrust Women? There are lots of great conferences with speakers from various places. Our conference is unusual because most of our speakers are women who live in Melbourne or wider Victoria. That’s because one of our goals is to give local women opportunities, models and training as they teach the Bible to other women.
Who runs the conference?
We’re run by a small group of women from different churches in Melbourne, who share the same convictions about the centrality of the cross and the Bible, and the same dream: to encourage ministry by women and to women. Our committee includes Louisa Pfitzner (St Alfred's, Blackburn North), Oi Loon Chow (Grace Christian Community), Gabriella Djunatan (International Reformed Evangelical Church), Melissa Dixon (Brimbank Presbyterian), Belinda Grant (Grace Christian Community), Laura Paul (St Michael's & St Luke's Church Dandenong North) and Kellie Vanderkruk (Mentone Baptist).
What happens on the day?
God-willing our conference will still run on Saturday 3rd May 2025. You can either attend the conference in person at New Hope Baptist, Blackburn North, or stream the conference from home. Either way, we'll have two great talks, a seminar, music, an interview, book reviews and other activities to make the day memorable and encouraging.
Why has the ticket price increased?
The Entrust Conference is a not for profit event. The ticket price covers the many costs of hosting the conference which have all increased markedly in the last couple of years. We had kept the ticket prices artificially low since COVID but we can no longer continue to do so.
We try to keep costs down by providing the option of BYO catering. But please get in contact (entrustwomen@outlook.com) if the cost is prohibitive and we will see how we can help you.
Parking/ transport
NewHope Baptist Church is located at 3 Springfield Rd, Blackburn North VIC 3130. There are limited car spaces available on site and we recommend allowing an extra 10 to 15 minutes to find a car park within the neighbourhood. Car Park entry is via Springfield Rd only.
If you're coming by:
CAR. Come East along the M3 take Middleborough Road exit, follow to Springfield Road, we are on the corner.
TRAIN/WALK.Take the Lilydale or Belgrave line towards Laburnum Station, walk up to Middleborough Road/ Springfield Rd, we are on the corner (Approximately 15 minutes walk).
BUS. From Box Hill Station. Take Bus number 279 towards Doncaster alight at the stop on Middleborough Road/Springfield Road, just opposite New Hope.
What COVIDsafe practices will be in place?
We will be practicing whatever COVIDsafe practices are required at the time.
However, please stay home if you are unwell. You'll still have access to the livestream so that you can participate from home.
What about our regional delegates?
You are of course welcome to attend at New Hope Baptist Church.
However, you could consider organising a watch party with other women from your church in your city. Please contact us on entrustwomen@outlook.com and we can work it out with you.
Will the conference be suitable for teens and young adults?
Yes, our aim is to have teaching that will be accessible to all. We will also be having a teen seminar again this year.
So if you’re a pastor or Christian worker, encourage the young women in your youth group, young adults’ group, or university group to attend. *Please note that delegates under 18 years of age must be supervised by their parent/guardian at all times throughout the conference, apart from the teen seminar.
I’d like to encourage women from my church to come along, but don’t know how.
Please feel free to use the promotional material on our resources page. You could also encourage your women to follow us on Facebook or Instagram for the latest news.
Can I Bring My Baby?
Unfortunately, we cannot accomodate children. However, nursing mothers are welcome to bring their baby.
