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14,000 women sing, pray at Pepsi Center

Betsy Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 22, 2007 at midnight

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Fourteen thousand women congregated Friday in Denver's Pepsi Center to pray and sing, but mostly to share their faith.

This marks the 10th year the Women of Faith Freedom Conference in Denver.

Friday's participants, some holding babies, swayed to ballads by Travis Cottrell and took notes during a pre-conference talk by Beth Moore, a popular motivational speaker on the Christian circuit.

"We've been in Denver every single year since 1998," said conference spokeswoman Nichole Masker. "So it's kind of like old friends getting together."

The event was founded in 1996 and held in 10 churches. This year the conference is being presented in 40 cities. Denver draws one its largest audiences.

Today, 18,000 women are expected at the sold-out conference, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Anita Renfroe, Carol Kent, singer Sandi Patty, Marilyn Meberg and others on the program.

Portraits of participants

Women came to deepen an understanding of themselves and have fun Friday during the 2007 Women of Faith conference in Denver.

Here are four:

• Linda Randall, 53, Fort Collins

Occupation: dental hygienist in Greeley

Quote: "When you are a woman, you're a vessel of giving, and there just comes a point when you need to be filled up again."

• Lakeasha Jones, 27, Centennial

Occupation: full-time mom

Quote: "I would really like to be able to break away from some of the things holding me back. What makes me happiest is having a sense of freedom to do what God has in mind for me."

• Gail Turner, 39, Centennial

Occupation: mother of four, and part-time emergency room nurse

Quote: "Happiness is a personal choice.

When we have kids, we let our lives be enveloped by their lives. When we make time for ourselves, we become better mothers and women."

• Sam Conn, 38, Lochbuie

Occupation: school district food service secretary

Quote: "I am really busy with school and three kids and work and a husband - so I just wanted time for me to come and be relaxed and be able to help others."

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