Fresh Grounded Faith Offers Christian Message for Women Looking for a Boost

Link to article on Jennifer’s Fresh Grounded Faith

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20121020/LIFE/310200021/jennifer-rothschild-fresh-grounded- faith

Fresh Grounded Faith offers Christian message for women looking for a boost Author and Bible study teacher Jennifer Rothschild founded Fresh Grounded Faith in 2008. She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at age 15 and lost most of her eyesight. She tells her story to inspire other women to connect with God. / Submitted photo Written by Brandon Corrigan

 Filed Under  Life

The mission of Fresh Grounded Faith is to cultivate a tenacious faith in Christ. / Submitted photo Want to go? What: Fresh Grounded Faith women’s conference

When: 9 a.m. Nov. 3

Where: Juanita K. Hammons Hall, 525 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway

How much: $44 for general seating; $59 day of event; $39 for group rate of 10 or more

Information: 1-800-859-7992 or go to freshgroundedfaith.com/ Less Sometimes, all you might need is a little boost of faith to get you through the day. Or maybe, if it’s strong enough, that push will get you through the rest of your life. That’s the idea behind Fresh Grounded Faith, a conference for women scheduled Nov. 3 at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. The Christian conference, founded in 2008 by author and Bible study teacher Jennifer Rothschild, seeks to empower women of all ages, denominations and ethnic groups. The mission is to cultivate a tenacious faith in Christ. “It’s not just about one church or one denomination,” Rothschild said. “It’s about women who follow Christ, and who are curious about faith, all coming together and connecting with God.” For the last three years, the conference has been at Second Baptist Church. The event was moved to Hammons Hall to make the event more approachable for all women. “The desire is to move it out more into the community with more space for women to go outside of a church building,” said event volunteer Paula Voris. “We want it to be accessible and comfortable for all women, even if they don’t have a faith of their own.” The theme of this year’s conference is “SurvivHer.” “The point is that women experience a lot as far as things that can make them feel like they want to quit,” Rothschild said. “We want women to leave not only inspired but equipped with a sense of hope, purpose and the power to overcome.” Rothschild has a “SurvivHer” story of her own. When she was 15, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and lost most of her eyesight, altering her ambition to become a commercial artist and cartoonist. “Over the last 25 years, I’ve lived in physical darkness,” she said. “When Scripture teaches us that ‘Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed,’ I get that because the alienation and sorrow of blindness could have sent me into depression. I don’t candy-coat my blindness. It’s hard. But because God had been there, I can live above my circumstances.” Voris, who has attended every Fresh Grounded Faith conference in Springfield, said she’s been inspired by Rothschild. “Jennifer has a creative and authentic way of dealing with her circumstances,” Voris said. “When you’re with her, you forget that she can’t see. She’s courageous and proof that you don’t have to let your life situation define who you are.” Fitting with the theme of “SurvivHer” is guest speaker Lisa Whelchel, a contestant on the TV show “Survivor,” and best known for her role as Blair Warner on the 1980s sitcom “The Facts of Life.” “My particular message is that making mistakes and failure is not a bad thing,” Whelchel said. “It can be a really good thing. It can be a trapdoor to grace.” Whelchel said her favorite part of the conference is “spill the beans” near the end. It’s when audience members have the chance to ask any questions they want. “There’s a lot of healing,” Whelchel said. “People write down a question that they’re curious to have answered but maybe have been too afraid to ask.”