What does it mean to live as a Christian woman?
It was the overarching theme during St. Paul Baptist Church’s two-day event, Sept. 8-9, presented by the church’s Women of the Word ministry.
“Living as a Christian woman is actually living that lifestyle, not just saying it, not just talking about it, actually believing it and other people who aren’t Christians can see you living that lifestyle is very important,” said Aaliyah Bailey, a 22-year-old Penn Hills resident who was one of the attendees during the Sept. 8 portion of the event.
Bailey said hearing multiple views from other Black women on how to actually live that Christian lifestyle was refreshing. There’s so many things Black women must deal with—negative stereotypes of Black women in the media, a deference to men that sometimes women of all races face, pursuing high-paying jobs, raising children (oftentimes without an active father-figure present), and the list goes on.
Teresa Renee Hunt was a featured speaker during the event. A member of First Baptist Church in Penn Hills, Hunt is also a life-makeover strategist, motivational speaker, educator and author of “Positioned to be Found” and “Focused Faith Journal.” She told the New Pittsburgh Courier that living as a Christian woman is about “living out who God taught us to be so we can serve other people.
“We believe that the Lord created the world and we’re here to essentially live our lives and give God the glory for everything we do,” Hunt said. By a Christian’s actions, “other people can be drawn in or introduced to the message of Christ, the hope, the abundant life that God promises.”
Three main subtopics discussed during the event were relationships, career aspirations and having a Christian-style attire.
“When we understand what God has for us and his purpose in our life, it enables us to love ourselves even more,” said attendee Charmaine Bailey. “And if we love ourselves, then we’ll look for that person to be a companion that loves us, as well.”
The debate on what a Christian woman should wear was a major topic. Hunt said that while younger women were in attendance, much of her comments were geared toward the older women at the event. She wanted them to understand that “we can’t, from the inside, judge people on what they’re wearing to church—we should be able to accept them as they are.”
Hunt encourages Black women to “be yourself” in the type of clothes you wear, not only to church but outside of church. But, “there is such a thing as modestly-stylish,” she said. “You can wear the fashionable trend but when you think about wardrobe, you must think of what the motive is behind what you’re wearing.”
Hunt added: “Ultimately from a Christian perspective, everything we do, we do it for the glory of God. So when we get dressed in the morning, just know that we are representing God.”
The Sept. 9 portion of the two-day event featured the presentation of the Deborah Award, given to a deserving young lady of St. Paul Baptist Church. This year’s award was given to Nia Latham, a student at Gateway High School. The guest preacher for the day was Pastor Barbara Gunn of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church of North Versailles.
(J.L. Martello contributed to this report.)
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