by Sabrina Simms

NATCHEZ — The women of Natchez have the opportunity to hear a nationally recognized speaker and receive a spiritual relief from their day-to-day burdens through God’s grace.

Grace is the theme of this year’s annual Women in Worship conference, featuring keynote speaker Alicia Garcia, co-founder of In Worship alongside her husband Richard Garcia.

“The grace of God, the true biblical knowledge of the grace of God, is amazing,” Garcia said. “I believe it is the freedom a lot of ladies need.”

Garcia said the conference has already signed up 150 people, but she hopes more will attend.

“We’re asking everyone who is already coming to reach out to one more person to come. If each one will reach one, we’ll reach our capacity at 300 ladies,” Garcia said.

Enduring suffering, studying or interpreting scripture, and power to overcome the world with prayer are all topics Garcia will discuss during the event from March 2-4 at the Natchez Convention Center. A message about God’s grace will be in each of these topics, Garcia said. The doors will open at 5 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. Sunday at the convention center.

Garcia said her calling to teach the Bible began when she was at an Acteens conference, a Bible study for teenage girls issued by the Women’s Mission Union. The WMU asked her to write about her worship experience. Garcia wrote “A Seeking Heart: Rediscovering True Worship” and began touring across the nation on a tour for her novel.

This year, Garcia will lead the worship music alongside Kenneth Brandon. Her message, Garcia said, will come from the book of Ephesians, Chapters 1-3. Her first session will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, March 2 with Ephesians 2:8, which says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.”

Garcia said the early bird prices for this conference have been extended through Feb. 21. A fee of $150 covers all meal, hot tea, and all conference sessions. Individual Friday, Saturday night or Sunday morning sessions are $45 each.

She said the funds will cover the cost of this conference and help with the cost of a single day intensive program at 8 a.m. on March 24, that includes a breakfast with door prizes and an open bookstore at Mercy Ministries on 121 Gill Road in Lucedale.

Garcia said she hopes the money will fund another event this summer or called “Gonsis,” a discipleship training for students in grades 7-12, which will discuss how to study the Bible inductively and is geared toward making disciples for Christ.

Garcia said Natchez women can benefit from attending WWC.

“I see a lot of ladies with a work mentality toward their spiritual life,” Garcia said.

“A weekend retreat of being taught the grace of God will set women free … God’s word says, ‘My yoke is easy, my burden is light.’ … The message of grace is the most liberating message. It is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”