The Bride Wore White is not your typical church program, with a run sheet including opening hymns, a message and a prayer.  Because this all-day program deals with a topic that is near to the hearts of parents, teachers, youth leaders and young adults, it approaches it in a very special way – through the lens of a wedding.

For the second year, Adventist Women’s Ministries is hosting The Bride Wore White for 13-18 year olds.  According to Beryl Landers, Adventist Women’s Ministries Director, this program is all about “the concept of sharing something of such important moral value couched in the setting of a wedding – every girl dreams about a wedding – it’s not another sex education program.  It’s about values.  With the declining moral values in society, I thought it was such a good idea.”

The program was initiated by an idea that was brought to Beryl by Adventist Women’s Ministry Director from South Queensland.   She was so excited by the overall program, its content and its potential impact that she felt inclined to share it with the other Adventist Women’s Ministry Directors.

Beryl says the program is a way to give the young women serious tools, to get them thinking about their futures and to learn the “beauty of saving themselves for someone.”  She continues, “the way this program brings (that point) out is with beautiful illustration that are down-to-earth; the games are powerful illustrations.  It’s a winner!”

Running at the same time as And the Bride Wore White is a similar program for young men, who are high-school aged.  The reason for the complementary program was demand from parents.  Beryl explains that “last year there was a large amount of mums who asked ‘what about our boys?’  That’s when Adventist Women teamed up with Cheonneth Strickland, Director of Youth Ministries of the Greater Sydney Conference.

Youth Ministries is running a similar program with the theme, Warriors Step Up.  Beryl shares that the two programs “are sending the same message.  We are sharing some activities.”

In talking about Warriors Step Up, Cheonneth explains that he wanted to bring this program to the Greater Sydney Conference because he wants the men of God to step up and to mentor young men into living the lives God has set out for them.

Beryl speaks passionately when talking about this topic.  She says, “Girls are saturated with sex education.  They know all about the statistics.  That’s not going to stop a girl from pursuing sex before marriage. I just want to tell them about the beauty of saving themselves for someone.”

The Bride Wore White and Warriors Step Up are programs sponsored by Adventist Women’s Ministries and Youth Ministries.  The programs are aimed to help equip high school aged young women and men of our church with core values, an understanding of self worth and abstinence.

The programs take place on Sabbath, 17 May from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm.  The Bride Wore White will take place at the GS Conference Office while Warriors Step Up will be bused to another location during the day and returned before pick-up.