This year’s theme is MAKE ROOM based on Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” And we are beyond excited to introduce our amazing lineup of speakers who will inspire and empower you throughout this transformational weekend!
GATHERING SPEAKERS
Melissa Willis ~
Melissa is the founder of Women of Verve, a ministry devoted to encouraging women to pursue Jesus with vigor, spirit, and passion. She is a passionate communicator who creates spaces where women can encounter God, experience renewal, and step boldly into their calling. Melissa carries a heart for discipleship and is known for teaching that is both deeply rooted in Scripture and personally relatable.
Through retreats, gatherings, and speaking engagements, she invites women to surrender fully to God and trust Him in every season. Melissa is a wife to her husband Troy, a mom to five adult children, and MiMi to a growing tribe of grandchildren. Her greatest desire is to see women walk in freedom, purpose, and a confident faith in Christ.
Make Room For God To Move
Join Melissa in the opening session as she invites us to explore what it truly means to make room for God in every area of our lives. Through Scripture, personal story, and a powerful visual illustration, we’ll consider what happens when we release control and give Him freedom to move in our hearts. We’ll step into a place of surrender and trust, open to whatever He desires to do.
Michelle Bentham ~
Michelle joined Women of Verve from the very beginning. Whether leading a session or working behind the scenes to help Melissa’s vision come to life, she has seen this ministry grow from seven hungry women to what we see today.
She lives life wearing many hats—from wife, empty nester, and Mimi to Executive Coach, Ordained Minister, and visual/graphic artist. She loves with compassion, painting vivid pictures with both her words and her art to help others connect vitally to God’s heart and purpose. Michelle is passionate about helping others through coaching and ministry opportunities, especially empowering women called to lead in ministry and business. She is a business owner and the founder of Kingdom Focused Ministries, an up-and-coming local church.
What Are You Making Room For?
We’ll join Michelle as she explores what it means when God asks us to make room by faith through the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Through the lens of Isaiah 54:2, we’ll consider what obedience looked like in her life and what it means for us when God invites us to stretch beyond our limits, plans, and dreams—to live beyond ourselves, making room for more of Him in every area of our lives.
Dr Aimee Flournoy ~
Aimee accepted Christ as her Savior at the age of seven and has served as a Family Physician for 24 years. She previously served on the board of The Promise in Glen Rose, first as President from 2019 to 2024 and then as Vice President from 2024 to 2026. Her family has been involved with The Promise in Glen Rose since its very beginning 37 years ago. She has a special passion for mentoring women and young girls and supporting pro life programs. Dr. Flournoy is the wife of Lendel, mom to Nick and Bailey, and daughter of Vicki.
Victory In The Valley
We’ll join Aimee as she guides us through “the valley”—or “the pit,” as Beth Moore calls it—exploring what leads us there, how it shapes our spiritual lives, what we learn in the midst of it, and how to depend on God rather than withdraw. Together, we’ll discover how to resist a victim mentality and ultimately walk out of the valley declaring the victory He has already secured.
Breakout Speakers
Lisa Cardenas ~
Lisa Marie is a devoted mother and grandmother whose life is grounded in her faith in Christ. Since accepting Jesus as her Savior, she has developed a deep passion for serving others, especially through women’s ministry with W.in.GS (Women in God’s Spirit). Known for her compassionate heart, Lisa loves deeply and cares for her family and those around her with sincerity and grace.
Having overcome many challenges in life, she gives God all the glory for carrying her through. Her journey has taught her the power of forgiveness, both for herself and for others, which she now shares to bring hope, healing, and peace. Lisa is passionate about pointing others to Jesus and encouraging them to walk in faith, love, and restoration.
Forgiveness: Making Room For Healing
Join Lisa as she explores how Ephesians 4:31-32 and how forgiveness creates space in our hearts where bitterness once lived. As we release anger and extend the grace Christ has shown us, we make room for God’s healing, peace, and restoration.
Barbara Moore ~
Barbara is a passionate follower of Jesus, wife of 30+ years, and proud mom to a daughter and twin boys. Growing up overseas sparked her love for travel, and in recent years she has embraced racewalking and half marathons—reminders that life’s races require perseverance and grace. She co-founded a charitable foundation and spent eight years serving the NICU that God used to save one of her twins. With a background in finance and marketing, the Lord led her into bookkeeping alongside a godly mentor and friend.
After miraculously surviving COVID in 2020, she found herself thankful that God had given her more time, and that gratitude became a passionate pursuit of Jesus. Though some days feel like a contradiction, she values each of her 62 years now framed by the last six walking closely with Him. She lives in community at Cornerstone Church in Stephenville, TX, surrounded by mentors and friends who have poured into her journey through what she often calls “the Holy Spirit fire hose.”
Created In His Image…Act Like It
Join Barbara as she leads us in rediscovering what it means to be created in the image of God. In the midst of busy lives and cultural pressures, we often lose sight of who we are. This session will help us understand our identity in Him and how living from that truth shapes the way we love, speak, serve, forgive, and live each day.
Renee Devins ~
Renee is a mom of two boys, 6 & 3. She has a passion for leading and loving on women. Renee has a heart of worship with a desire to bring others into His heart. This is her 6th year to attend WOV. She enjoys connecting with women and hearing their stories each year. Her hobbies include thrifting, building Lego, and reading fantasy books.
Find The Promise In The Storm
God’s grace is not just sufficient – It’s Abundant! In this powerful session, Stacey shares her personal experiences with Jesus as He lavished His grace on her during life’s seasons, from childhood to today. She walks us through scripture, illustrating the depth of God’s faithfulness & love as she encourages, equips, and inspires us to recognize & walk in God’s abundant grace.
Melissa Willis ~ Endurance: God’s Raw Materials For Hope
Join Melissa as she explores how the hardest seasons of life can become the very places where God forms something deeper within us. Looking at Romans 5, we’ll discover how He uses the raw materials of our lives—our disappointments, struggles, waiting seasons, and even our questions—to produce endurance and a hope that cannot be shaken.
Elaine Smith ~
Elaine Smith is a seasoned woman of faith with a heart for encouraging others to grow deeper in their walk with God. She joined the Women of Verve retreat community in 2023. She carries transparency, wisdom, and grace, creating space for God’s healing, renewing, and transforming presence. Raised in a multi-generational legacy of faith, Elaine’s life reflects a deep relationship with Jesus and a desire for others to see and know Him through her story.
She calls the Atascosita/Humble area of Texas home, where she lives as a devoted wife of 44 years, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who treasures family and connection. As a fifth-generation Texan with Cherokee heritage and more than 60 years of life experience–including the loss of her mother, the loss of a child in infancy, and a past divorce–she knows how to walk with God through life’s joys and sorrows. She lives each day with resilient faith and an enduring love for Christ
Making Room For More
Join Elaine as she leads us into God’s presence, making room for more! She’ll create space for God to move more fully in us and in our lives. Come expectant. Come open. Come ready to encounter Him! Prepare your hearts to experience a deeper connection with His presence, and walk away with the awareness that there is always more with God.
Jennifer Gainer ~
Jennifer has a deep heart to serve and a genuine love for people. Her faith in Jesus is the foundation of her life and the source of the strength and encouragement that guide her calling to ministry. She finds joy in writing, teaching, and creating spaces where people feel seen, loved, and supported. In 2021, Jennifer founded Gathering Place Ministries to provide a safe, authentic space for people to encounter God’s love and experience genuine Christian community. Inspired by Acts 4, she believes the church extends beyond a building, as believers walk through life together in connection and care.
Jennifer’s journey with chronic illness, including fibromyalgia, migraine, and inflammatory arthritis, has deepened her compassion for others and shaped a passion to support those living with invisible illnesses. Through ministry, conversation, and shared experience, she encourages others to live with faith, hope, and meaningful connection while finding joy in everyday life.
Transformed To Testify
Join Jennifer as she explores how understanding our identity in Christ empowers us to share our testimony. As we grow in confidence in who we are through the finished work of the cross, we’ll recognize how God has met us in our stories. Jennifer will help us define those moments and shape them into a meaningful, authentic testimony—learning to abide in Him and walk in courage as we share what He has done.
Traci Bishop ~
Traci Bishop has spent years serving in ministry with a deep passion for women, teens, and those impacted by incarceration. She is a founder of I’m Not Just a Number, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring identity, purpose, and hope to those who feel defined by their past. Through seasons of motherhood and transformation, Traci has experienced God’s faithfulness as He walked beside her, strengthening and guiding her every step.
She walks in unwavering faith and obedience, believing no story is too broken for God to redeem. Traci is honored to bring the Sunrise Devotionals at the Women of Verve Retreats, encouraging others to make room for God and step into their true identity.
Sunrise Devotional
How do you start your morning?
Join Traci’s optional sunrise devotional which will encourages us to begin our day by intentionally making room for Jesus in the morning’s first moments. Join us for time to help center our hearts, align our thoughts with God’s truth, and invite His peace and guidance into everything we face throughout the day. It’s a simple reminder that when we give Jesus the first place in our day, He strengthens us for whatever lies ahead.
Stephanie Cessna ~
Stephanie has a desire and a passion to see chains broken and for breakthrough to come in the church body through pure and unadulterated worship to Jesus, the King of kings! She serves on the worship team at her home church and has also been blessed to serve alongside many women’s ministry events and retreats. She has been married to her husband Shawn for 17 years and they have 3 beautiful children, Ethan, Andrew and Grace. She is honored to serve as a worship leader in this capacity and seeks to worship Jesus in every aspect of her life!
Sunrise Worship
Join our Worship Leader, Stephanie, for this optional special time of praise and worship Sunday Morning as we prepare for our final session and baptisms – celebrating all the Lord has done in and through us this weekend!