It will be attended by women from around the nation who come to be taught how to advance in their relationship with God through thought-provoking teaching messages, prayers and praises and interactive workshops, and a women-to-women advice panel.”

Cheri Hartsfield, Thrive Christian Ministries co-pastor

By Delarita Ford
Mail | Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

Valley women are invited to an upcoming conference where faith, spirituality and woman-to-woman advice converge under one roof.

The Purposely Created Women’s Advance Conference starts 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1-2 at The Westin Tempe, 11 E. Seventh St.

Conference hosts and pastors, Ivan and Cheri Hartsfield relocated from Illinois to the Valley last year to broaden their ministry.

“Because we are advancing spiritually, we call it the ‘Women’s Advance,’” said Cheri Hartsfield.

She detailed how the conference originally started in 2007 to teach women about their God-given purpose, with topics ranging from praying to praising over the years.

“Women are purposely created to be nurturers, encouragers, teachers, helpers, and leaders that build leaders. Each year, we learn how to use our purpose,” she said. “For this relaunch year, our theme is ‘Purposely to Proclaim.’”

The keynote address, “Proclaim Light in Darkness,” and first workshop will include an inspirational speaker, Dr. Lonise Bias, who is the mother of the late Len Bias, a Boston Celtics draft pick. In addition to Bias, other female speakers are Deenbo Kidane, a minister, Gina Hayes, an attorney, and Cheri Hartsfield, an author and pastor.

“It will be attended by women from around the nation who come to be taught how to advance in their relationship with God through thought-provoking teaching messages, prayers and praises and interactive workshops, and a women-to-women advice panel,” Cheri Hartsfield said.

The cost of the conference is $100. Registration, room reservations, and more information can be found at cherihartsfield.com and Eventbrite.com.

The Hartsfields expanded their spiritual services to include Surprise and Tempe after leading a small fellowship of Chicago area churches for 17 years.

“On a trip to Tempe, Arizona, during a season of fasting and prayer for discernment, a chance meeting of pastors praying on ‘A’ Mountain for the Lord to send workers to the area, helped solidify the decision,” stated the couple.

The Hartsfields started online ministering for Thrive Christian Ministries to meet the spiritual needs of family and friends during the pandemic.

Moved by “faith and a sense of urgency,” the couple relocated in July 2022 to the Phoenix area to plant their ministry, launching in-person services for Thrive Christian Ministries on March 26 of this year.

The hour service is held at 10 a.m. on Sundays in the Hilton Garden Inn, 16601 N. Stadium Way in Surprise.

Delarita Ford
Lead Reporter | Surprise
@AzNewsmedia

dford@iniusa.org

Meet Delarita
Delarita Ford originally joined Independent Newspapers Incorporated, now Independent Newsmedia, Inc. USA in 1997, as a general assignment reporter for the Delaware State News daily paper after starting her journalism career in Maryland in 1994, where she honed her skills by writing obituaries, covering community news from births to deaths, education to legislation and more. As a reporter, she has had the opportunity to cover sitting and former U.S. presidential visits in Baltimore, Delaware, and Arizona.

Community: One of the few seasoned journalists who still enjoys covering community events, she can be found with a reporter’s pad taking notes, her phone taking pictures while capturing life’s moments to memorialize them in print for the local newspapers and for the active-adult community where she lives. She maintains a presence with the Black media and the National Association of Black Journalists to encourage peers, socialize, and mentor younger writers.

Education: Life learner who learns from life. Aside from the collegiate education received, she got the best training from on-the-job experience with former editors who went through copy with a red pen and demanded the best writing for hard news and feature stories. 

Random Fact: While a Delaware State News reporter, she could call then Sen. Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, usually late at night if a quote or input was needed for varying topics, including legislation and education.

Hobbies: Adopt rescue dogs and give them a nice home. Continuously read and critique news stories from various platforms.