By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

Clanton First United Methodist Church will host IF:Clanton on March 17-18.

The women’s event will include live worship and playback of a recording of the IF:Gathering in Austin, Texas on Feb. 3-4. The program was live-streamed internationally and was focused on building relationships and spreading the Gospel, according to Katie Jowers of FUMC.

“The focus is that the Gospel was spread person to person … not mass media of Facebook and that we need to get back to that,” Jowers said.

Some of the speakers that will be shown are Jennie Allen, Lysa Terkeurst, Bianca Olthoff, Rebekah Lyons and Jo Saxton.

According to Jowers, women will sit in groups of six to eight and will have opportunities to discuss the sessions and mingle during break times.

The IF:Gathering is a meeting that gives women an opportunity to connect and discuss matters of faith. IF exists to “gather, equip and unleash this generation of women to live out their calling.” It provides Christian study tools and promotes women’s abilities to make an impact in their communities.

Jowers said her experience with IF has been “wonderful” and that she can “only continue to be in awe of how they can take such a large event and make it small … make it local and intimate.”

“This is not about religion or denominations, it is pure and simple, just Jesus,” Jowers said.

The program will be viewed in the church’s gymnasium in two three-hour parts. The first will be at 6 p.m. on March 17 and the second at 9 a.m. the following morning.

Refreshments will be provided at both showings. Childcare will be available. Register for the event at clantonfumc.org/ifgatheringsignup.php.

To learn more about IF, visit ifgathering.com.