We were all blessed at Influence Lab’s Women’s Evening gathering on January 31st, 2020 at Castle Studios in LA. Women gathered to celebrate friendship, their faith in God and to encourage and inspire those who gathered to be instruments of excellence in both their careers and in their lives. Here’s some quick moments in case you miss it:
Shirin Taber shared about the continuing challenges of women globally for freedom and to invite IN Women to enter the new Dare to Overcome Film Competition for 2020. This unique film competition is designed to challenge female filmmakers to create short films that are innovative and focused on religious freedom. The films will be screened before world-class CEO’s and NGO leaders for the Global Business and Peace Awards in Tokyo, Japan. The winner will receive a $5000. prize and a special showing at the Tokyo Global Symposium August 23-15. Entries are due June, 1st 2020. For complete info contact: empowerwomen.media or shirin@visualstory.org.
Kathleen shared the life and story of Legacy Woman of Influence – Elaine Townsend. Elaine was the wife to Wycliffe Bible Translator Ministries founder, Cameron Townsend. She was relentless in how she cared for people and the mission God had set before her and her husband which was to translate the Bible into every language. From an early beginning, her passion to serve where needed was evident as God directed her steps. She focused on caring for people and in developing deep friendships that opened doors. She said that God calls us to be “available” and “on call.” Life has uncertainty but we are called to solve problems creatively. She and Cameron were known for their inventiveness. She often greeted people with this question, “tell me something about yourself that I can remember you by?” She was never too busy to step into other’s lives.
Mon Ami a nonprofit led by DeAnna Kane and Leslie Callaway then shared about developing friendships and how to start the conversations. How to initiate conversations and bring hospitality and the message of the love of Jesus to the offices, production sets, and every place we land with acts of extraordinary kindness. To bring friendship to a lonely depressed world. They publish a magazine each month called Heart of Hospitality and for this month only, and to Influence Women followers, you can download the Christmas issues for free at:
The final session of the evening was then focused on developing true and lasting friendships. In the age of social media “friends.” We are losing our ability to be a real friend. Hollywood Reporter last year wrote a revealing article on the loneliness that plagues Hollywood. The Industry is a hollow. It is all glitz and smiles on the outside with no connection on the inside to genuine relationships. The competition within the industry leads to depression and emptiness. Everyone is your friend until your influence is no longer or that deal never happens or that contract ends. It’s not just in Hollywood but loneliness is affecting the entire world. The UK now as a Minster of Loneliness to address the many lonely people in their country, Japan has a epidemic of old people dying alone, and in our country the Surgeon General has said that depression is growing creating health issues equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
We broke up into small groups and began conversations on who are most memorable friend was in our life and threw out ideas on how to bring acts of kindness to others followed by prayer for each other and our global community of women.
For all who attended, we were blessed to have had you there to share this God inspired gathering with other creative and artistic women of faith working in media and entertainment. We hope you met a new friend and that you take the initiative this week to reach out to someone new in friendship yourself. We can’t wait for the next event when we can gather again as a community of friends of God united in using wisdom and lifting up God’s name.
For those who weren’t able to attend we pray that your journey with God continues to grow strong and that His presence is made known in your life as never before. We hope to see you next time.
All for Jesus
Kathleen