The Fall season is fast-approaching. That can only mean one thing—organizations that have suspended their meetings and taken, in many cases, a well-deserved two-month break are now up and running.

Such is the case for the Interdenominational Women's Conference, founded by the late Rev. Dr. Allene Gilmore. The group, which formerly was housed at the Gilmore Memorial Tabernacle Church in Paterson, is planning its annual conference for the month of October. Dr. Stephannie Arrington is the new president and there is much ado about the upcoming events regarding this women's group. Dr. Gilmore's objective was to establish an organization for hurting women, women in business, stay-at-home women, preachers, pastors and anybody else who wanted to roll up their sleeves and take care of business.

The October confab begins on the 25th and ends the 27th. Some of the confirmed speakers include Minister Debra Richardson of the St. James AME Church in Newark, Rev. Randall Lassiter, vice president of Passaic County Community College, Paterson, and pastor of the Greater Faith Abundance Church, also in Paterson.

My son, Bert Nance Jr. is another speaker and others on the list include the Rev. Alfred Steele, Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly and pastor of the Seminary Baptist Church, Paterson, and a host of others.

As a member of the I.W.C., I'm excited about the direction in which we're trying to go. Our ultimate goal is to establish an assistant living facility for elderly citizens from the household of faith and from the secular world, too. Granted, there are countless conferences hither and yon, but hopefully, each time a delegate attends one of those gatherings, there is renewed energy in their spirit and a greater determination to do God's will.

I want to use this column to thank Funeral Director Carnie P. Bragg Jr. for allowing us to meet at his facility while we are undergoing a transition of sorts. God always has a ram in the bush for those who would be faithful.

With the brouhaha swirling around the Rutgers University girls' basketball team, thanks to radio personality Don Imus, and the devastation anybody with a heart feels for those young people whose lives were senselessly blown away, conferences such as this one helps you to focus on God, even though He may not always give us answers. For sure, however, He will certainly give us His presence in the midst of everything I cited above and those negatives that weren't cited.

I'm in the process of assisting the Rev. Dr. Albert Prince Rowe in writing his story concerning the many phases of his ministry. Even though it's a fascinating story, there are chunks of pain and disappointment attached to his meteoric rise in the city of Paterson. I offer this observation because even as I pen this column, the I.W.C. itself is facing its own challenges concerning this and that and that and this. But we shall prevail. After all, this year's theme is, "It's Time to
Move On."

And, so we shall. On Ocober 25, the Rev. Kenneth Pearman, pastor of the Reaching Out For Jesus Christian Center, Pa., will be the preacher/speaker for the group's prayer breakfast. The event itself is scheduled to be held in the Passaic County Community College's Paterson Room during the day and in the college's theater evenings.

God makes a way out of no way. He always has. He always will for those who would dare to be faithful.

Please send comments to my e-mail address: t_nance@hotmail.com