MOUNT VERNON — The Women’s Auxiliary Annual Retreat at Mount Vernon Nazarene University will celebrate the organization’s 40th Anniversary with a “A Look at the Past.” The event will be held on Friday, March 27, from 7-10 p.m., and Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wisdom and truth will open the conference with a one-night-only performance by speakers Patsy Clairmont, Jan Silvious and Anita Renfroe. These funny and insightful women will move the audience through their personal stories of life and faith offering the perfect start to the auxiliary’s milestone observance.
Clairmont is a Christian motivational speaker, author of over 35 books, and is one of the founding speakers for the Women of Faith conferences. Her latest passion is helping people shake loose the stories from their own lives to use in communicating more personally, effectively and memorably.
Silvious is an author and speaker with a passion for offering hope and encouragement to those who are stuck in their life circumstances. With cutting edge illustrations, low-key humor and a keen depth of biblical insight, she is able to help people move from where they may be stuck to where they want to be.
Renfroe has been through a wild decade going from “stay-at-home-mom” to YouTube comedic “Phe-mom-enon” … but she doesn’t mind. “I’d rather people laugh because they relate to something I say than because I wrote a clever punchline. All my stuff is about my life — it’s real and it connects people — and that’s a wonderful thing,” said Renfroe.
Saturday will be a day full of laughter, fun, and a look back at the auxiliary’s history and its future. The group was organized in 1980 to provide a broader knowledge of university affairs across the MVNU region which includes Ohio, Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. The auxiliary is led by a council made up of the wife of the university president, elected officers, and a representative from each of the eight MVNU supporting districts of the Church of the Nazarene. Over the four decades, the auxiliary has raised funds for projects such as the gazebo in the grove and the nearby Prayer Garden, new robes for the Treble Singers Choir, Cecil and Novice Morris Waterfall, scholarships and many other campus improvements.
“The Women’s Auxiliary is excited to celebrate its 40th year,” said President Deedee Stone. “We love MVNU and its students. We feel very honored and blessed to share this special weekend with Patsy, Jan and Anita, as well as our faithful friends who attend year after year. We can’t wait to celebrate 20/20 — a time to look back, a time to look forward. This is an event not to be missed! All women are invited to attend.”
To register, or for more information, visit www.mvnu.edu/womensaux or contact 740-397-9000, ext. 4050, or Deedee Stone at dstone040@gmail.com or 513-288-6779.
