‘All the better for it’: Diamonds in the Rough hosts Miss 31 conference to uplift fellow women
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Diamonds in the Rough, a group of strong Christian women, spent a recent weekend celebrating the 2024 Miss 31 Conference, "Building Kingdom Women: To Walk in their God Given Purpose-Proverbs 31," hosted by First Lady Monique Mobley at the Diamond Street Christian Church in Williamsport.
"We are a group of women who believe in a Lord, our God. We welcome believers and non-believers," Mobley said. "We are here to encourage, empower and to be available to each other. Availability is important. Group projects are very, very important. Teamwork makes the dream work. You must let people know what you are doing -- seek out your sisters and brothers. So many of our men help us and we cannot ever discredit this. We need them, too."
There are 10 female members of Diamonds in the Rough who meet at 9 a.m. every Saturday. The group will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Oct. 10.
Mobley emphasized the conference places "importance on 'the virtuous woman' and how we must be around virtuous acts enough to become this way. We welcome every woman to our group."
Member Latoya Washington explained how she had a vision and brought it to Pastor Mobley in mid-February. Mobley said, "How about a weekend to set aside just for the conference?"
Washington was overjoyed, proudly supporting other women.
"My niece, Serenity, is here and will be going to college at Moravian in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for nursing. I am so grateful to Monique Mobley who started Diamonds in the Rough and a big shout out to all these women supporting each other with a focus on Proverbs 31."
"We are a group of women who can come and share their deepest feelings to encourage each other," said Savannah Patterson, who has been a member for eight years. "Every woman needs to look at the similarities more than the differences. I am all the better for it. We encourage every woman and cannot tear each other down. We support each other and rise above."
"This is a very powerful event and it's just so good to be here," said DJ Creamie, who played Gospel music for the event and brunch was served.
Pastor Belinda Smith expressed how "...this is so important after the pandemic. We were so separated and now we come together and need each other. God said, 'forsake not the gathering of the church.' We rejoice and want churches to start coming together. No more 'cisms' in the church. We get so busy and go through so much. We need the Word to fill us up."
Carolyn Perry, the executive assistant of CAPPA, Community Alliance for Progressive Positive Action, explained how "unity is so important. In, this day and age, what's going on in the world, we need to be united. God said he was coming for his church not churches. What saved the Israelites is the Remnant. (In the Bible, Remnant refers to a small group of people who survive a catastrophe or are left behind.) We need to become the Remnant of prayer in the world." Perry spoke how "we need to help young people to know their own self-worth to go forward. We must be an example and we need to have integrity and walk in truth." Perry expressed emotion and how hard it was difficult to recently loose Loni Gamble, a beloved CAPPA member and friend of the community this past week.
Deaconess Leshia Durham, said how with Proverbs 31, "as women, we have experienced many different things in our walk in this life. We are being told we need to be these Proverb 31 women, but we do not know how to get there. I use my gifts for understanding how we get there. We don't know where we are going, if we don't know where we are coming from. We need a remaking and must be stripped of things and learn to let go for remaking."
Elder Anisa Grissom said how Proverbs 31 Conference "is designed to empower, encourage and strengthen all women of faith -- it elaborates on our greatness and the greatness we possess from our Lord Jesus Christ. I spoke last night on verses 25-31 which talks about strength, dignity, poise, responsibility and how resourceful we are as women and the position roles we play in the lives of family, church family, the community and within ourselves."
Teenage Sisters, Ka'mya and Kerri Morris, performed a powerful dance to "Break Every Chain" by songwriter Will Reagan and singer Tasha Cobbs. The verse, "there is power in the name of Jesus, to break every chain" was strongly sung by Kerri as Ka'mya broke the chains off. Kerri talked of how to follow your dreams and to be an example for younger girls to follow their dream.
Irish Griffin did an enlightening speech about "enhancing our Godly purpose." Griffin asked the "Lord, to touch each one of us. She acknowledged her own question, "How can we be like the Proverb 31 Woman, all that and a bag of chips? Who can compare to her?" She answered this question by stating it was within having "Godly morals and Godly integrity." Griffin added, "It says God's will, not our will. The elements are going to catch on fire, and we are to prepare for that coming. We are learning how to enhance our Godly purposes in this life. We need to give up hating, jealousy, envy. No one is perfect-we are learning every day."
Voncier Gammage kindly ended with, "We hope you are blessed. This is just more than deliverance and healing. God wants to celebrate you and love you right where you are!" Mobley reiterated again, "all women are welcome to join the Diamonds in the Rough. They do not have to be a member of the church."