Setbacks set up something greater

Jem Chesman reflects on how two years of delays didn’t affect the success of Aspire’s Met East Region Conference.

You may have heard it said that ‘delay is not denial and setbacks are often set-ups for something greater’. Those words were posted on my Facebook wall back in 2011. They were a kind encouragement as I worked through the process of having to cancel all the arrangements made for a carefully planned Aspire conference.

At the time, I was serving at Delancey Elim, Guernsey, and this was to be the second-ever Aspire conference that had taken place in the Channel Islands.

Building on the success of the first conference, momentum had built, word had spread, women had booked in from all denominations, a waiting list had been started, and then, the day before the big event, I received a call from the guest speakers to inform me that all planes were grounded due to sea fog! No one was getting into Guernsey, no one was getting out. The disappointment was real.

Maybe you experienced the disappointment of delay as we walked through the pandemic, as weddings were cancelled, milestones passed without celebration, students struggled through schoolwork remotely, public gatherings became a distant memory, and church services went online.

I don’t know about you, but while I appreciated being able to connect through the wonders of Zoom, the pandemic left me feeling quite ‘zoomed-out’ and longing for face-to-face connection.

So, when July 16 rolled around and the day of the Aspire Metropolitan East Region Conference arrived, two years later than planned, I was more than ready! As we opened the doors of City Gates, Ilford, to welcome hundreds of women, representing 30 churches, you could sense in the atmosphere that here was a company of women who were hungry to gather together, to worship in unity and to hear from heaven.

The theme for the day was ‘Real’. After a powerful time of worship, which ushered in the tangible presence of the Lord, we let down our hair and enjoyed fun and games together in typical Met Region style. Laughter filled the air as competitive streaks were capitalised on and prizes won. Then, we sat down, leaned in, and heard from our special guest speaker, Cathy Madavan.

Cathy delivered powerful messages in her ‘real’ down-to-earth, humorous style that spoke into hearts and lives. As this was the first time that the Met Region girls had gathered in two years, we recognised the importance of carving out time in the programme for connection.

To facilitate this, an amazing team created a beautiful roof-garden space for women to enjoy together.

There was the opportunity for a little retail therapy in our marketplace which showcased the talents of some of our Elim girls while raising money for great causes. And most importantly, there was time for personal prayer with many being ministered to.

As the beautiful day drew to a grand finale, women left feeling refreshed, pampered and encouraged to be the ‘real’ women that God intends them to be.

Jem Chesman is an Elim Pastor and currently serves alongside her husband Pete at Chiswick Christian Centre. They have three sons. Jem is also part of the National Aspire Team.

First published in the November 2022 issue of Direction, Elim’s monthly magazine. Subscribe now to get Direction delivered to your home.

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