February 22, 2018
East Texas Baptist University held Woven, a one-day event focusing on God's design for relationships, on Wednesday, February 14. The conference addressed topics such as singleness, dating, engagement, marriage, and purity and consisted of a chapel service for all students, faculty, and staff and a luncheon for those seriously dating, engaged, or newly married.
"Woven was offered with an understanding that navigating relationships can be challenging and a desire to provide students with a concentrated focus on God's purpose for marriage," ETBU Vice President for Student Affairs Heather Hadlock shared. "The conference is another resource for students to learn that they are a part of something bigger than themselves."
Keynote Speaker Byron Weathersbee and his wife, Carla, are the founders of Legacy Family Ministries and have been ministering to seriously dating and engaged couples for over 30 years. They served for 15 years in the local church and 15 years in higher education. Currently, they coordinate Summers Mill Retreat Center in Central Texas. During the opening session at Chapel, Weathersbee taught on Ephesians 5:31-33.
"You will marry an imperfect person and when your expectations are not met, you have two choices. You can either rip up the person and hold on to the picture or rip up the picture and hold on to the person," Weathersbee explained. "The covenant should be a picture of Christ's love. I have learned to hold on to the real Carla - the woman I have walked through childhood cancer, disabilities, and failure with. Marriage is the profound mystery of God revealing Himself, that we may understand that He was ripped up for us. That is the kind of love God demonstrates. We ought to love the way He loves us."
The luncheon was structured to allow attendees the opportunity to ask questions. Weathersbee led the discussion, specifically focusing on preparation for marriage. As a leader who has been teaching a course on marriage preparation since 1995, Weathersbee stressed the importance of marriage education in creating healthy relationships. He charged students to seek out a mentor, noting that a university setting is ideal for developing fruitful relationships.
"I decided to participate in Woven because I wanted to know how to sustain a progressing relationship with my girlfriend, Madeline Dawson. I learned about conflict management, the problem of unrealistic expectations, and the purpose of relationships being to glorify God," ETBU senior Religion major James Ash said. "I have grown significantly in my faith since I have been at ETBU and that has directly contributed to my relationship. I have seen numerous examples of godly men, women, and their Christ-like relationships during my time here. They practice what they preach and it encourages me to do the same."