Stephanie Henry
Safe Harbor Program Director, a residential program for women healing from severe trauma & recovering from substance abuse

Mandy Reed
Founder of Dear Dinah, a Dayton-based anti-trafficking organization

Sheri Lawson
Executive Director of Hope Rising Pregnancy Center

Olohana Strong
St. Vincent’s Women’s Shelter Ministry Team Lead from Dayton Women in the Word

I have been a member of UBC for 3 years. I have been married for 43 years, and I am still madly in love with my husband. We have 3 beautiful children, one in heaven. And 5 grandchildren, who are the light of my life. 

Together with my husband Brian, I run a business/ministry where we help couples in marital crisis reconcile and put their marriage back on solid ground. My days often involve listening to women who are completely broken. I help them to feel loved again, and find hope. At the core, I help men and women forgive the unforgivable. I minister to unbelievers as well as Christians, so I have many opportunities to lead people to Christ.

I teach on forgiveness, marriage and restoration because it is my God-given calling. I am passionate about it because my story is 2 Corinthians 1:4, "who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

My husband Kyle and I have been members of UBC for about 2 years. We started attending the weekend after we got back from our honeymoon, so the UBC community has been a big foundation for the start of our life together! I work as a resident director at Cedarville University, which means we live in an apartment in the dorms and I get to spend my days getting coffee with college students, developing student leaders, and planning events to foster community. It’s the best! For fun, I love to work on a jigsaw puzzle while watching whatever sitcom Kyle and I have on rotation (right now it’s The Office again), work out on my Peloton, read my latest library book, or grab coffee with a friend. I'm also attempting to make my own sourdough bread, but that's nothing to write home about quite yet.

I was a middle school English teacher until I left my career in 2019 to pursue a calling to vocational women's ministry. Since then, I graduated with an MA in Biblical Studies, and I am currently in the DEdMin program at Southern Seminary with a focus on leadership. I also serve as the teaching coordinator for the women’s ministry. (If you want to study Hebrews, we’d love to have you join us at our Monday night or Wednesday morning study!) I'm deeply passionate about women's ministry and equipping women to know and love the Lord through His Word. I’m especially excited about the topic of this conference because if we as women were to focus our attention on the One whose image we bear, rather than so much self-focus and all its pride or insecurities, how much would our lives be changed? Our identities, relationships, sense of purpose — everything! I’m excited to call us to more (myself included!).

I have been a UBC member for the past three years. I was born in Bolivia and Spanish is my first language. I am an extreme extrovert and once I hit my limit energy, I instantly turn off. I spend my days homeschooling our children, teaching Spanish once a week, and stealing away a few hours a week to exercise.

God has used both the good and not-so-smooth friendships to humble and teach me. I became a Christian at age 17 and up to that point, was never taught what Christ-like friendships look like. Through trials and my stubbornness, He has guided me to love others as he has loved me. I’m grateful for those lessons and the opportunity to share them with anyone who will listen.

We have been members of UBC for four years. I have been married for 11 years and spend my days with my 4 kids (9,6,3, 9 mos).

Being in the trenches of young motherhood myself, I know it is hard and holy work. I feel passionate about moms understanding and being encouraged in the fact that they are more than "just" a mom. The work we do in the "mundane" will impact the generations to come but it's easy to forget when you have piles of laundry and dishes staring at you.

Our family moved to Beavercreek in August 2022 and made UBC our church home in October 2022. We officially became members in the spring of 2023.I have been married to my husband since 2000. Our anniversary year makes it easy to remember how long we've been married! We are not a military family but have lived in 6 states during our married life. Each of our children were born in a different state! We have been blessed with four boys, so I am definitely outnumbered in our house. Our friendly beagle is even a male. Our oldest son got married to a wonderful woman this summer, so I have added the title mother-in-law to my list. It is a gift to have another female vote and perspective in the family. Two of our boys attend Cedarville University and are working toward their master of divinity degrees. Our other two boys attend school in Beavercreek City Schools.

I work at Cedarville University Counseling Services and am an LPCC. I have the amazing opportunity to support students through counseling each day. I also serve remotely as the part-time Mercy and Missions Admin Assistant at UBC. As a former elementary teacher and now as a Christian counselor, I have a passion for helping others better understand how to make sense of their thoughts and feelings and align them with God's truth. We are meant to live connected lives in community with others and can find hope and healing amid life's everyday and extraordinary challenges.

My family has been attending UBC for about a year and a half. I am a mom of three kiddos! I have a piano studio of 21 students, so I spend my mornings with my youngest two and my evenings teaching. If I can, I try to fit in a weekly coffee date with someone. If coffee dates could be a love language, I am pretty sure that would be mine. Quality time, music, and sugar? SOLD!

We are a family of Five! John and I will have been married for 8 years this November. We are in a new chapter of our lives! John and I have been able to mentor sweet couples walking through affairs and our weeks involve ministering to married couples that are hurting in some way. It has been sweet and humbling. We have a seven year old, a four year old, and a two year old. (boy, girl, boy). As a family we love hikes, (well most of us) bike riding, and park playing. I am so excited for this sweet time with women at the UBC women's conference!

Why choose this topic? I LOVE hermeneutics (principles and methods for studying the Bible). It sounds nerdy-but nothing has been sweeter to me. A woman named Melanie Newhouse, met me at a time when I was broken and hurting. God placed her in my life divinely. My pain brought me to the feet of Jesus. Friend there is no sweeter place to be. Melanie showed me what it was to know how to read my Bible and study it well. It made such an impact because I was desperate for God. I believe that a holy hunger for the word can be caught. Not everyone knows how to study their Bibles. Many women feel intimidated, or simply do not know there is more than "reading" their Bibles. I want to equip others so that they can experience the all satisfying word of God first hand and dig deep for themselves. The word of God sustains, heals, transforms, washes, renews, convicts, and guides. We need it -and not just on Sundays. We have the same Holy Spirit residing in us as all the great theologians. We just need to train ourselves and pursue scripture. The word of God is truly a treasure. The purpose of hermeneutics is simply to pursue God, and to cherish his words. May his word be the delight of our hearts.

I have been a member at UBC for a little over two years and I spend my days as a stay-at-home mom with a one-year-old – so lots of parks and visiting friends and family! We love sports, and I especially love Ohio State football. My husband is from West Virginia so we also cheer for WVU and love the outdoors. Ice cream is our weakness (baby included).

I didn't get married until I was 35. So I know what it's like to be single for a long time as a Christian. I was also on staff with Young Life for 10 years and loved working with college students and young adults. This topic was a struggle for almost every young female at one point or another.

I have been a member of UBC for one year. I spend by days homeschooling my two teens and teaching a class adjunctively at Cedarville. We love to hike and be outside, especially in the mountains.

My passion and reason for teaching – love God and love people. When we realize how loved we are by the Lord, that love overflows in our relationships with others. When we are living in love, the world is a better place and God gets the glory!

I was a UBC member for 3 years in college, moved away for a few years, and became a member again 5 years ago on moving back to the area! I’ve been married to my wonderful husband, Geoffrey, for 2.5 years.  We met while serving at a Christian camp we both love and now camp will always be part of our story! Together Geoffrey and I share a lot of hobbies, including board games, baking, crafting, camping, fun coffee drinks, and game nights with our friends.  We spend much of our time renovating an older house we bought last year, and at this season of life our cat is our "fur baby." I work part-time at Cedarville University as an Administrative Assistant for the Bible Department Graduate Programs. 
  
I am passionate about helping people have healthier relationships in all areas of their lives--family, friends, at work, in the Church, with the Lord, any area.  How we talk to each other is a crucial part of any relationship, so I love teaching Believers especially how to love others well by practicing healthy, biblical, effective communication.  I am a licensed mental health counselor, and I've been gathering communication tips and tricks for over 10 years from countless sources, saving those I think are the very best, and learning to teach them in the clear, concise, practical way I wish they'd been taught to me!