How it all started....

About 20 years ago God put an idea in the mind of an everyday average mom...how beautiful it would be to bring women from all over northern Minnesota and North Dakota together to worship, hear testimonies, and just be women of God together. I remember sitting with my sister-in-law and a friend and sharing this thought with them. I've seen the Holy Spirit move in incredible ways at other women's events and felt God had a plan for something in our very own rural area. We had no idea how He would do it, but we knew God had placed the seed of something special in our hearts. That season of life was filled with raising kids, paying bills, cooking, cleaning, and all the demands of everyday life and this idea God had placed on our hearts quickly faded into the background.

Throughout the next few decades, as I look back, I see God's hand in building the foundations of Up North Women of Faith. I've had the great privilege of having many "on the road" jobs, and through the many miles I've traveled, I discovered countless women who love the Lord. As I heard their stories of God's goodness and faithfulness, even in difficult circumstances, I felt a desire to make these testimonies known! What power and encouragement there is in knowing someone else has traveled the same difficult road you are on.

We need each other.

Do you all remember that time in history we called COVID? 2020..2021? What a whammy that did on all of us! The isolation was, at times, maddening. I longed for others. How I longed to sit at my favorite restaurant, smile at strangers, and enjoy my meal. How I longed to sit in the bleachers with a crowd full of fans and cheer on my favorite team. How I longed to worship in a full church, maskless, holding hands with the person next to me (never longed for that before COVID). Hebrews 10:24-25 is a well-known Bible passage about the need for community and love. "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deed, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

We need each other.

And so that idea God put in the back of our minds started working its way forward again.

In 2025 the Lord took home some incredible men of God. Some world famous and some unknown except in our little rural towns. I remember a number of days where I laid prostrate and just wept. My heart was broken for the loss of these men, for their families, for the world who would be forced to go on without them. I felt a stirring in my soul to do something. I thought about these men who had given their lives to serving the Lord and I did not want their legacies to end. I wanted to be a part of what they had started. I wanted to take the baton and be obedient to God's calling.

And so, this idea of gathering women together was reborn. God called eight women to carry out His plan. Eight women gathered together, prayed and sought the Lord for what He wanted them to do. Eight women who felt unworthy but, regardless, said yes to God's calling. Eight women tearfully watched as God unveiled His vision before their eyes. One incredible God and eight obedient women. To God be all the glory!

On April 25th, 350 women gathered at the beautiful Venue at Copper Ridge in rural Newfolden, Minnesota. These women drank coffee, shopped, worshipped, heard testimonies and broke bread (well..burrito bowls) together. Laughter was heard, tears were shed, voices rang out, the Holy Spirit moved and lives were changed! I'll never forget that day.

We needed each other.

So, what's next for Up North Women of Faith? It seems God's plan was not for just a one-time event. We feel He has more in-store and we eagerly await His plans for the future. Oh, and our name...that came from countless conversations of NOT having one and just calling us the women of the north! Jordan finally said let's just be Up North Women of Faith! And so we are!

To God be the glory!

Karen (UNWOF team)

Up North Women's of Faith's first women's gathering. April 25th, 2025.