IGNITE 2024
Meet the Afternoon Breakout Speakers

Do you sometimes wonder if your life has purpose or significance?  God created you to know Him, be empowered by His Spirit, and serve Him with your gifts and abilities. He views you as significant, a woman who matters to Him. Through Scripture, helpful tools, and insightful questions discover how you’re wired by God to live with purpose, grace-filled holiness, confidence, and joy in Him.

​

Bio:

Poppy Smith is a former Bible Study Fellowship Teaching Leader, has a Masters in Spiritual Formation and Direction, and loves to teach the Word. Her passion is helping women thrive spiritually, emotionally, and personally through her extensive ministry of speaking, writing, running Zoom Spiritual Growth Groups, and supporting women as a Certified spiritual director and Christian life coach.  For more information, contact Poppy at:   www.poppysmith.com 

God intimately and unmistakably calls us to be holy. To live holy. Simply put, to be set apart. But this can seem daunting from the ‘messy middle.’ What does it look like to dream again from the middle of a storm, a season, a challenge, or just the middle of life? When feeling a little bruised and bent, joy and pain collide and give birth to new dreams and a fresh call to holiness.

 

Bio:
Katie has walked with the Lord for most of her life and continues to push into His goodness and character through the peaks and valleys. There’s always something new to grow through (but it can be so hard)! Katie adores her husband of 15 years and is wild about her four amazing kids.

Katie is a former English teacher, now Bible teacher at Agape Christian Academy. She finds great joy in talking about the Bible with teens every day (best job). Katie loves her church and is blessed to teach occasionally for women’s bible study. Katie lives in Camas, WA and is enthused
with all things “small town” about Camas. Katie enjoys awkwardly honest chats, dressing up for a theme (think spirit days), multiple cups of coffee at a time, glassy lakes for waterskiing, and any ocean anywhere.

 

Relationships matter. We desire healthy and holy relationships. There’s a whole lot of horrible
in relationships today but God has the answers. Learn God’s heart around healing from
horrible, toxic relationships and into the holy woman God has called you to be.

​

Bio:
Stacey Womack is the Founder and Executive Director of Abuse Recovery Ministry Services
(ARMS). She has dedicated herself to building community awareness, healing and
transformation around domestic abuse issues from a faith perspective since 1997. ARMS has
served over 40K victims/survivors of domestic violence nationally and internationally through
the ARMS Her Journey program, a free recovery program for women who have experience
abuse. Stacey has been married for 43 years, has six children, and twelve grandchildren. Stacey
is an author and sought after national speaker.

​

Workshop:
What are the passages or stages that marriages experience in a lifetime? Come and learn more about the research that have been done on how you can make your marriage thrive by being aware of the tasks of each stage. There will be a panel of women in each of the stages to encourage your marriage whether you are a newlywed or married for over 50 years. Resources will be shared on the organization of a marriage mentoring ministry.

​

Bio:
Joyce Wachsmuth is an associate pastor at Greater Portland Bible Church. She served as Women’s Ministry Director for 30 years and is now overseeing the ministry of the 55 plus in her community. She and her husband Doug have been married for 55 years and have been
mentoring marriages for 35 years.

Each generation of families has a choice: are we going to allow the values of our culture to seep into our families or are we going to choose our Creator’s call to be set apart? Come learn powerful tools for equipping your children now and in the years to come.

 

Bio:

Rachel Florip is a ministry leader, teacher, writer and volunteer in Vancouver, Washington. She currently leads the Mom’s Ministry and is part of the Women’s teaching team at Crossroads Community Church. Rachel is passionate about building her own family, and those she teaches, to follow the Word and not the world. She lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children. 

If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, holiness is already God’s call on your life –– “be holy as your Heavenly Father is holy.” But if God has positioned you as a leader where you hold influence over others, the call to holiness has deeper, broader implications. James 3 gives this sober warning to teachers which would apply to leaders as well: “3:1: Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Come join us as we dive into the why and the how of holiness for leaders.

​

Bio: Dorcas Smith is an inspired worship leader and unusually gifted song writer. Her captivating and anointed stage presence draws her audience into the very presence of Christ. She is the orchestrator of the Brown Sisters, one of four gifted musicians from the same family. Their blend of voice and heart leaves its imprint upon every worshipper, as attendees flock to take these girls "with God in their throats" home with them. Dorcas also teaches music to children, with a capacity to not just teach technique but heart and passion for music as well. She's a gem, a rare find among musicians, humbly gifted in all she does!

Are you running your faith-race weighed down and sluggish? Ready to remove what is hindering you from fullness of joy? Together we will do a holiness-health check up! How is your heart? Is your mind staying focused on God and His purpose for your life? Getting enough steps in walking close with God? Staying on the comfort-zone couch way too much? Let’s give to God what is keeping us stuck. The effort is worth it. His best life for you is ready to be lived!

​

Bio:

Jennifer Usselman is a woman passionate about introducing others to Christ, the One who changed her from the inside out.  She is a Bible teacher, speaker and author, Co-founder of LovingPeopleFully and Hope's Garden Maternity Home, but most importantly, a redeemed daughter of God.  She enjoys facilitating and teaching women’s Bible studies and groups.  She is a devoted wife, mom, friend, and daughter who enjoys spending time with loved ones and reading great books, the Good Book (God's Word) being her top favorite. She also enjoyed writing her book: Choosing to Choose Better; How Living More Like Jesus Changes Everything. Found on Amazon.

www.lovingpeoplefully.org

Scripture says that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, just as the waters cover the sea" 
(Habakkuk 2:14)

What if it begins on our sidewalks? What will happen in our cities when every dark corner, alleyway, street, business, home, or person has been covered in prayer?

The Holy Ground Prayer Breakout is an invitation to city transformation as we follow Jesus and pray:
"Thy Kingdom Come" to every space in every place.

​

Bio: Renee Boucher serves on the National Leadership team of 24-7 Prayer USA, a global ministry of prayer, mission and justice. Locally, she facilitates PrayerPDX, a team of leaders working together to resource, equip, and engage the church in rhythms of prayer for the region in order to see spiritual awakening and city transformation. Her leadership in the area of prayer was forged on the streets of Portland, where she ministered to homeless youth for many years. Renee is available to mentor/coach leaders, help train prayer facilitators, lead workshops or retreats, and assist in establishing prayer rooms.

Have you or someone you care about experienced loss recently? Loss often shows up as an unexpected and uninvited guest. It calls to attention the things that matter most and refines our priorities. In loss we encounter God as healer and binder of our wounds. Come examine God’s Word as we engage theologically with the holiness of loss and consider how to steward well the pains in our lives. 

 

Bio: Marie Dezellem is a self-proclaimed Bible nerd who delights in studying and teaching God’s Word. You might find her serving as an adjunct instructor at her alma mater Western Seminary, teaching at Yamhill Christian Church, or ministering alongside her husband to the youth in their church. While she’ll have her nose in a book with a cup of kombucha in hand when she gets the chance, usually her days are filled with raising two busy children, working part time as an ER nurse, and tending to things around her mini-homestead like the backyard flock of chickens. 

Biblical Ethics for Holy living is knowing God’s Word, understanding His character, and knowing how we have been called to live ‘set apart’ from the world. When we make purposeful choices to study the Word, then we are then equipped by the Spirit to live a life that reflects His character to the world around us. We do that purposefully by making Biblical ethical choices in our daily living.

​

Bio: Hello, my name is Michelle Thomas and I am from Camas, Washington. I am married to my wonderful husband Nic, and I have three amazing children. I currently work at Multnomah University as the Director of Human Resources. I have my Masters Degree in Non-profit management, and I currently working on becoming a certified Mediator in Washington State. I am passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, and coming along side women who are looking to deepen their faith and walk with the Lord. My hearts desire is to encourage women to invest in an intellectual faith by sharing personal experience with those who are interested in understating the Word of God and how we can know God more intimately from His is Word.