Sexual Health
& The Christian
This conference was in the past.
This conference equipped Christian lay leaders, pastors, youth workers and parents to bring healing to a profoundly broken aspect of the church and to seek a healthy view of sex.
On October 4-5, 2024 we presented Equipped Conference 2024 at Prairie College - 350 5 Ave E, Three Hills, AB.
Our Speakers
Our speaker, Jay Stringer, is the author of Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing. Whether it’s pornography, an affair, or buying sex, unwanted sexual behavior, will inevitably affect you or someone you love. How can the average Christian or a caring church help those struggling?
Our Speaker, Ashley Jameson, is a contributing author to Betrayal & Beyond: Healing The Trauma of Sexual Betrayal, Unraveled: Managing Love, Sex, and Relationships, Authentically You, and is a co-host for the Unfiltered podcast: Real Talk About Sex & Love with Ashley and Heather. Ashley takes a partner-sensitive approach to healing from the effects of sexual betrayal. She shares from a place of personal experiences and years of working with betrayed spouses and the churches who want to come alongside to help them.
Our speaker Heather Kolb is Associate Director of Product Development and a neuroscience professional for Pure Desire. She is a frequent conference speaker and contributor to Pure Desire resources, blogs, and podcasts. Heather has been a professor of psychology and criminal justice. She is the author of Digital Natives : Raising an Online Generation. Her workshop is geared to parents and youth workers in the trenches with adolescents.
A local counselling team has their finger on the pulse of our community and our surrounding regions. They know the needs since they see people facing them every day.
MtO Reach has helped us identify our conference topics and establish our goals.
Conference Goals
Our goals were to equip others with:
Grace-based ministry tools
Skills to help people pursue healing
Insight into restoring healthy sexuality
Presenters:
Ashley Jameson
Associate Director of Women’s Groups
for Pure Desire,
trainer and author,
Ashley presents on
Helping those facing
Intimate Betrayal Trauma
Jay Stringer
Licensed mental health counselor, developer of The Journey Course,
and author of the
award-winning book Unwanted,
Jay presents on
Helping those struggling with Unwanted Sexual Behaviours
Heather Kolb
Associate Director of Product Development for Pure Desire, educator and author,
Heather presents on
Helping Adolescents Understand and Pursue Healthy Sexuality
Workshop Information
Beyond Intimate Betrayal Trauma - with Ashley Jameson
This workshop is for men and women who want to learn more about sexual betrayal. Those who attend will gain a greater understanding of the following:
how the trauma from betrayal impacts the mind, body, and soul.
applying strategies to establish safety and emotional health.
identifying and recognizing the symptoms of trauma.
incorporating proactive strategies to alleviate trauma symptoms during times of stress.
learning the power of self-care.
cutting through the fog of gaslighting and deception.
reestablishing trust and emotional health in the relationship.
creating a plan that is informed, intentional, and promotes safety.
strengthening emotional awareness.
seeking God’s Word and truth over the situation.
how to identify safe people to share with.
how to parent while navigating betrayal.
how the church can help, not harm, betrayed spouses.
learning how to facilitate and encourage healing without getting burnt out.
Although sexual betrayal can turn our world upside down, there is hope! Change, clarity, joy, and freedom are possible for men and women who have experienced betrayal.
Healthy Adolescent Sexuality? - with Heather Kolb
This workshop is for parents, youth leaders, grandparents, and anyone else who wants to positively influence the next generation toward sexual health. Those who attend will gain a greater understanding of:
the prevalence of sex and pornography use among teens.
brain changes throughout development.
the brain and its reward system.
how brain changes show up in a teen’s behaviors.
parenting styles—how this impacts kids.
attachment styles—how this impacts relationships.
discipline vs. punishment.
how to create healthy online behaviors.
best practices for parenting your teen.
In our sexually saturated culture, our teens are constantly bombarded with sexual content, which can leave them feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, and unprepared. As individuals who have influence, we have an amazing opportunity to equip our teens with hope, confidence, and an accurate understanding of God’s design for sexual health.
Outgrowing Unwanted Sexual Behaviors - with Jay Stringer
Session 1: How Did We Get Here? Connecting the dots between adverse childhood experiences, the neurobiology of desire, and adult unwanted behaviors
Session 2: Why Do We Stay? Understanding the meaning of fantasies and why we return to unwanted behaviors, despite their consequences
Session 3 : How Do We Get Out? Best practices and resources for facing shame, developing self-care, and creating transformative communities
Conference Schedule
Friday (Evening)
7:00 Opening welcome and instructions/housekeeping
7:05 Worship
7:20 Plenary #1 - Jay Stringer Unwanted Sexual Behaviour, Hope for Healing?
This session will explore what hope and healing looks like for those facing unwanted sexual behaviours.
8:20 Testimony - A couple who have battled this thoroughly
8:50 snacks
Saturday
Note: When someone signs up for a track, they are signing up for all three tracks in that discipline. Each session in a track builds on the last. This is the best way to ensure we are providing material of substance.
Workshop Tracks are considered to be 60 minutes x 3
8:30 KARN housekeeping/announcements
8:45 Worship
9:00 Plenary #2 - Ashley Jameson Unseen Sexual Devastation!
This session will speak to the hope for healing from sexual betrayal brought on by the addicted partners and family members.
10:00 Coffee break
10:30 Workshops #1
Beyond Intimate Betrayal Trauma_1: Ashley Jameson
Outgrowing Unwanted Sexual Behaviour_1: Jay Stringer
Healthy Adolescent Sexuality_1 : Heather Kolb
1:00 Workshops #2
Beyond Intimate Betrayal Trauma_2: Ashley Jameson
Outgrowing Unwanted Sexual Behaviour_2: Jay Stringer
Healthy Adolescent Sexuality_2: Heather Kolb
2:00 Coffee / water available. Not an official break
2:20 Workshops #3
Beyond Intimate Betrayal Trauma_3: Ashley Jameson
Outgrowing Unwanted Sexual Behaviour_3: Jay Stringer
Healthy Adolescent Sexuality_3: Heather Kolb
3:45 Panel Discussion (50 minutes ending at 4:35ish) - Hosted by KARN
Conference participants can text in questions during the conference and one of the KARN executives can moderate. The panel participants are those presenting workshops.
We are so grateful to generous donors whose gifts made it possible for people to attend at a fraction of the actual cost.
