I stopped to talk to many of them and two of them are featured in my story in today’s Oklahoman. Sisters Joy Wilks of Oklahoma City and Andrea Mitchell of Idabel let me walk along with them and ask them questions about their experiences at WOF.

Then I ran into a trio of women who traveled from Arkansas to attend the Oklahoma City conference. They caught my attention because they were wearing matching T-shirts and actually, a lot of women wear matching T-shirts to the conference, either promoting their church or a church conference. Some wear WOF shirts they purchased before the event.

The Van Buren women, Darlene Craft, 54; Selma Mattox, 55; and Debra Franklin, 52, said they were attending the conference for the first time.

“We came for the annointing of the Lord and to meet other women,”  Franklin told me.

“We want to take it all back to our church,” Mattox said.

Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman photographer, who took photos at Friday evening’s opening session, said she estimated that about 8,000 women were in attendance. I tried to take a guess but I wasn’t sure. I’m hoping to get an estimate from a WOF spokeswoman sometime Saturday because she said they would have that information then.  Needless to say, there were thousands of women participating in worship and listening intently as speaker Ken Davis shared his testimony.

More to come today.  

(Cutline: Selma Mattox, ,Darlene Craft and Debra Franklin, members of  Heritage United Methodist Church in Van Buren, Ark., pose for a picture outside the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday in Oklahoma City.)  

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

In fact, the Christian women’s conference begins at 7 tonight at the Chesapeake Energy Arena and will continue from 9  a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

I’ve been told that this year’s conference includes several new elements.

I’ll get to see them up close and personal because I’m about to head that way.

The conference is a popular attraction in Oklahoma. Thousands of women attend the conference each year and some even come from other states, although the conference tour visits many cities.

The picture featured here with this posting was taken at the Oklahoma City WOF conference in 2009. I typically write advance stories about the conference each year but I don’t always get a chance to attend because of my schedule.

I will be attending the conference tonight so I’m looking forward to experiencing the new aspects of the conference first hand. 

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor  

I really enjoyed talking with Women of Fatih conference speakers Karen James and Michelle Aguilar. They both had compelling stories to tell and I could have shared much more than we had room for.

Some readers may already know, but for those of you who missed it, The Oklahoman, in partnership with the Women of Faith  conference ministry, has four free registrations to the conference to give away. We are giving them away in pairs so we have two pairs for some duo out there — maybe a mother and daughter, best friends or  two sisters, perhaps.    

The conference is set for Aug. 27-28 at the BOK Center in Tulsa. This year’s theme is “Imagine.”

If you are interested in participating, send your name, address and phone number to Carla Hinton, P.O. Box 25125, Oklahoma City, OK 73125 or send an email to chinton@opubco.com.

Deadline for entry is 5 p.m. Aug. 16. The winners will be notified by Aug. 17 — so they can begin making their plans …

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

It will be at Tulsa’s BOK Center.

And there’s something else different about the Women of Faith’s “Imagine” tour: It will be in August this year instead of a late fall date like October or November.

The dates for the conference are Aug. 27-28.

The event will include special guests Michelle Aguilar, the season six winner of “The Biggest Loser”; journalist Karen James; contemporary Christian recording artist Natalie Grant and Marcus Buckingham.

For more information about this year’s conference, visit www.womenoffaith.com.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor 

It’s because Women of Faith 2009 is here … just days away, in fact.

With the theme “A Grand New Day,” the conference will be Friday and Saturday at the Ford Center, 100 W Reno.

Judging from years past, there will indeed be thousands of women flocking to downtown Oklahoma City come Friday.

Women of Faith’s core presenters include Oklahoma native and contemporary Christian recording artist Sandi Patty (at right), Marilyn Meburg, Sheila Walsh, Patsy Clairmont and Luci Swindoll. Lisa Whelchel (pictured below), star of NBC TV’s’1970′s-80′s sitcom “The Facts of Life,” will be one of the guest presenters.

Women from all over Oklahoma and some other states in the region are expected to attend the two-day conference.

See you there …

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor  

An estimated 12,000 people are expected to converge on downtown Tulsa Thursday to see televangelist Joyce Meyer.

Joyce Meyer Ministries is hosting ministry sessions Thursday through Saturday at the BOK Center. 

The attendance estimates come from a BOK advisory noting that there will be increased traffic in the downtown area later this week.

“The crowds expected for this event will increase the amount of traffic arriving in downtown Tulsa throughout the three days. Commuters should be ready and allow more time for their drive,” the advisory said.

Meyer, who conducts about 15 conferences a year, can be seen and heard on her “Enjoying Everyday Life” television and radio programs. 

She visited Oklahoma City as guest speaker at Church of the Harvest’s Momentum Conference in 2006. In October 2005 she conducted a three-day conference at the Ford Center — her first in Oklahoma City.

Doors at the BOK Center open at 5 p.m. Thursday, and the opening ministry session is set for 7 p.m. Doors open at 8 a.m. Friday for the 10 a.m. session and 5 p.m. for the 7 p.m. session. Saturday, doors open at 8 a.m. for the 10 a.m. session.

The BOK advisory said the following lots and parking garages will be available: Old City Hall Parking Lot, B&B, Central North Garage, 100 West Garage, Doubletree parking garage, the flat lot at Third Street and Denver and all meters for street parking.

For a parking map, go online to the Joyce Meyer Ministries event page on the BOK Center Web site. 

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

After attending a Promise Keepers men’s conference a few years ago at the Ford Center, I know one thing for certain: Many Christian men in Oklahoma love the Promise Keepers organization and its mission to help them continue their Christian journey as husbands, fathers, church members …

Now comes news of interest regarding Promise Keepers.

Religion News Service reports that Bill McCartney, the former college football coach who helped found Promise Keepers, has come out of retirement to lead the evangelical Christian group.

McCartney, 68, has returned as chief executive officer and chairman of the ministry. McCartney replaces Tom Fortson, who resigned voluntarily, Promise Keepers general counsel Ed O’Brien told the RNS. 

The Religion News Service reports that in 1996, the group drew 1.1 million men to 22 stadium conferences; 10 years later, 18 conferences attracted some 132,000. Also, according to the RNS, the Denver-based group has dealt with a decline in gifts, grants and contributions.

McCartney, former coach of the

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor