I would like to thank Superintendent Bret Allen, Dr. Sam, Dr. Jay along with the Executive Presbytery and the Northern California and Nevada women for allowing me to serve this great district.

My husband, Jim Heden, is my greatest supporter!  I’m truly blessed to have such an amazing life and ministry partner.

I would like to thank my team: Kathy MacPhail, Lori Soto, Cindy Reynolds, Vika Chebotarev, Linda Johnson, Abby Sterling, Star Richardson, and our incredible Area Leaders.  Ladies, you make ministry a joy as we serve together for the kingdom of God.

Debbie Heden

2022 was a year of building!

Our Sweet Life 2022 theme was “Unshaken”. We had over 1,000 women in attendance and three amazing speakers: Lily Olgiati, Susie Larson, and Katherine Wolf. Our after-party, a silent disco outside, was a hit. Our light stick opener brought energy during Friday night. Saturday morning, we had a time of Hope and Healing, where Katherine Wolf shared her testimony and our prayer team took to the altar. After the event, we heard many powerful testimonies from women who attended. It was great to be back in-person for a conference, but we also offered a virtual option for women who could not be there in person—an advantageous lesson brought forward from the craziness of 2021.

The theme of WM Day for 2022 was Reaping a Divine Harvest through Generations. Our guest speakers included a recorded interview between Rev. Abby Sterling and Rev. Harvey Allen, as well as a live message from Chi Alpha’s Will Klier. We had over 300 people in attendance for a breakfast and worship service. We raised about $127,152 through Project Sisterhood for 2021-2022. Chancellor George Neau from School of Urban Missions, missionary Holly Gilbertson on behalf of Taste of Home Abroad, and Chi Alpha’s Jamil and Vanessa Stell were appreciative of the funds they received in support of their ministries. Light the Way, an organization supporting special needs kids in Asia, was given a portion of the Project funds as well. We also had over 20 missionaries, international and U.S., in attendance to sing “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe, with choruses in Tongan, Portuguese, Ukrainian, and the African dialect of Shingazidja. Rev. Mary Fairrington blessed our offering and Superintendent Bret Allen closed us in prayer.

Galatians 6:9:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Our virtual Summer Sisterhood was powerful, complete with an amazing message from Kathy McPhail, a member of the WM Board. The games were fun and engaging. This Sisterhood was such a blast, we turned it into a resource that is available to anyone to be able to host their own Sisterhood—completely free! The resource pack includes icebreakers, games, handouts, a guide, and all of the videos cut into segments depending on what the host needs.

Psalm 16:8:

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Sisterhood Events

This past year, our area leaders put on over 15 Sisterhood events in various sections! In addition to connecting with our women, we were able to raise thousands of dollars for Project Sisterhood as well as collect items for our WM boutique.

Area Leader Training

In November, we held our first in-person Area Leader training since the pandemic. The ladies were amazing as we discussed new vision on how to raise money for missions.  We were able to do a mock Sisterhood and go over new features in our Google Drive, as well as discuss Sweet Life for 2023.