God’s Invitation into Something New

March 28, 2020 | Your Couch | World Wide

On March 24, 2020, the Couch Conference brought us together in a brand new way. The short clip below shows our Founder, Krista Breilh, reacting to the overwhelming response from all over the world. By days end, there would be more than 500 women logging in for the Live Salted Couch Conference.

When the pandemic struck, we asked God how to approach this unprecedented time in history. One of our core values at Live Salted is connecting kingdom-minded women. How were we to do that during a time of isolation? 

God’s response: Gather online.

Back then, tools like Zoom and Breakout Rooms were unfamiliar to us so we gave ourselves a crash course. We didn’t know how many women would show up but we knew women were craving connection. And that is how our first virtual Salt experience was born.

When we originally posted on social media about our decision to host this event, we were praying 30 women would show up. But we quickly saw the list of registrants grow and leaders from churches and other organizations reach out asking if they could use the Couch Conference to gather their ladies together.

We were absolutely blown away when over 500 ladies logged on March 24, 2020, and we hosted 50 breakout rooms!

How the Day Unfolded

The event kicked off with prayer, followed by Salt’s longtime friend Kendall Hill ushering us into a time of worship. It felt surreal, knowing that so many women from around the world, spanning different cultures and time zones could gather at one time, in one place to seek what Jesus wanted us to know, together.

Emily Jamieson was our speaker for the evening, and she likened our collective experience of Covid to  Jesus at thirty years old, alone and hungry in the wilderness, poked and prodded by the enemy in a difficult circumstance (Matthew 4:1-17). 

She went on to say: “That while we might be locked in by our circumstances, that there is a God who is inviting us to take hold and redefine our circumstances … I want you to know right now that wherever you sit, it says in Scripture that there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God. So right now, wherever you sit, trust that the presence of God is in that space … He says, ‘I am bigger than you can imagine. I am yours and you are mine. And there is enough of me to give all of me away and still have so much left over so do not hold back.”

After Emily’s powerful message, we broke off into Breakout Rooms where some people had the opportunity to connect with women living outside of their household for the first time in weeks, and others reunited with their small groups in their virtual spaces. The realization that we could use virtual spaces to create community in the midst of isolation was life changing.

Virtual Small Groups are Born

The lasting impact of your response to the Couch Conference is our Virtual Small Group format. Like the conference, we had no idea what the response to the invitation would be. However, soon after launch, we had over 100 women sign up and 18 small groups were formed. During an impossible time for physical communities, virtual small groups helped women build a strong foundation for intimacy with God and with others. 

God sometimes grows us in the dark, but we are always meant to shine!

Thank You!

We’d love to see you at our next experience! If you are interested in joining us at a future event we would love to see you there. Check out our upcoming events calendar below for more information.