RIPLEY — Fourteen women, including a dozen from the Williamson area and two from Beckley, spent the weekend of Oct. 9-11 at Cedar Lakes FFA-FHA State Camp for their annual weekend prayer retreat.

Helen Childers, who chairs the Women’s Missionary Union of the East Williamson Baptist Church in Williamson, W.Va., planned the event and led the group through a renewal of faith in God and a period of examining one’s life to determine if there was a need for a new beginning in each life.

“Tears for Souls” was the theme for the various sessions held in the FFA-FHA classroom as the women silently asked themselves, “Do we grieve God or please him with our life today.”

Childers explained the purpose of the annual retreat is “to get back to basics and ask God to give us a new outlook on our life - to create in us a whole new spirit. That is the purpose of a retreat.”

The women followed her advice as they unwound and renewed themselves, setting aside everyday troubles as they got in touch with nature. The Cedar Lakes camp has a small lake with wild geese inhabiting the area, and with some of nature’s most beautiful scenery free to every viewer.

One thing Childers suggested: “We always want to put God as priority over everything in our life and this weekend is especially important as we pray for our families, friends, our leaders, our country, our jobs, our children and grandchildren and many others.”

The trip was made in an East Williamson Baptist Church bus with a stopover Friday evening for dinner at Ryan’s in Southridge. John Simpkins, a member of the church and husband of WMU member Judy Simpkins, was driver of the bus.

After that, the trip to Ripley and the camp was pleasant as everyone settled down from overeating and chattered about this and that.

Once at the camp, the women greeted their visitors from Beckley, Debbie (Childers) Smith, a former resident of Williamson, and her friend, Kathy Amick. Snacks of every description were deposited in a social room of the women’s camp house and a large coffee pot was made ready for early morning risers.

Women made their beds, got better acquainted and attended a short meeting as the leader (Childers) explained the topic of the retreat and distributed prayer sheets for needed prayers. Prayer walking teams were selected for a Saturday morning Prayer Walk and speakers at a 9 a.m. meeting were Childers and Amick.

After a noon luncheon at the nearby Cedar Lakes cafeteria, the group reconvened for a meeting with talks by Marti Stepp and Debbie Smith.

A brief halt in the program schedule allowed the women opting for the brief trip to be transported by bus into the main Ripley area where they visited a new Wal-mart Super (super) Center. A short time earlier, the group had stopped at a specialty store along the route to browse through sale merchandise such as clothing, ceramics, shoes and other items.

Back at the camp, supper at the cafeteria was enjoyed and the women attended a class session with Judy Simpkins as the speaker.

An annual tradition of the group is a “Fireside Chat With God,” with an outdoor bonfire providing the central attraction. Each woman previously writes some of her concerns and wishes and asks for prayer for persons who are family, friends or acquaintances. Their unsigned notes are tossed into the bonfire with the feeling that God will know their concerns and respond according to his will..

However, some plans often go awry. Because of heavy winds, the camp staff who build and tend the fire cancelled the bonfire but the women went on with their planned chat, after which they engaged in fellowship for the rest of the evening until bedtime.

After breakfast and another prayer walk, Sunday School was held in the classroom, led by Charlotte Sanders. This was followed by a Prayer Partner gift exchange in which each woman draws the name of a prayer partner for the ensuing year. After lunch, the group headed home.

The women will have plenty of reading material for the next few days or weeks since Helen Childers distributed several lesson sheets with questions to be answered and copies of interesting stories such as one entitled, “A Woman’s Hands,” from Proverbs 31:20 NIV, quote: “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”