Beginnings
Green Olive Tree Ministries (formerly Refresh Women’s Conference) provides a starting point for ladies to plan a retreat within their own communities. Several recorded video teaching sessions and worship are the main components of our annual digital event.
The conference began as an in-person event in 2019 in Southern Virginia. Seeing a women’s conference happen locally was a dream of Joanne’s for many years. She had attended various women’s retreats and had found them to be a spiritual oasis. Carving out time yearly for a personal retreat or an inspirational event was important to her for rest and renewal. She would walk away from these times with a desire to participate and provide a similar opportunity for other ladies.
God provided a way forward. Conversation with several friends who had started similar events was key. Together, Jo and her long-time friend, Rachel, prayerfully formed a committee of nine ladies to plan the first Refresh Women’s Conference.
The year 2020 brought significant change, and the event went virtual for 2021. God used this to direct us to our present vision of women connecting in their own communities. 2022 brings a name change that we feel better reflects where we sense God is leading us.
Green Olive Tree Ministries hopes our annual digital event will encourage you to connect with ladies you do everyday life with. Together may you be encouraged and challenged in your walk with Jesus. We pray these times can facilitate more open connections that will nurture growth in communities all over the globe!
Team
Many women have given their time and talents over the years to make our events possible. Joanne and Jessica have been keeping the planning and organizational aspect of things going and appreciate the prayers and insight others have offered.
Joanne Hershberger
Joanne is Eric’s wife and mom to Cedric. She enjoys meaningful connection, creating beauty and providing opportunities for ladies to experience refreshment. Working alongside other ladies who share this vision has brought her joy!
She dreams of more ways GOTM can reach women. As she has engaged her own story more fully and has had loving guides to walk with her, she aches to create similar opportunities for others. She envisions a weekend retreat where a handful of women could come, be known and their stories held safely and tenderly by skilled guides in a beautiful, restorative setting. She also desires to address those topics that are hard to talk about but so important. Most importantly she wants women to know they are not alone in their struggle and heartaches.
Jessica Lehigh
Jessica is from central Virginia, married to her husband Nathan for 19 years, and a homeschooling mamma to three children. Her church family is Koinonia Christian Church where Nathan is an elder. She enjoys so many things, but topping the list are photography, gardening, and creating. She’s passionate about the truth of God’s goodness, the truth of His Word, and the truth that we can personally know this Being who willed and created each of us.
Lori Weaver
Lori is from SugarCreek Ohio where she lives with her husband Kevin. They have been married 28 years and have 4 children, and 1 darling granddaughter! She enjoys her coffee shop meetings with friends, meaningful conversations with women, quality time spent with her husband and children, and beautiful flowers. Her passion is to live life being real, honest and joyful; not allowing the brokenness of her past cripple her from the joy of her future. She is forever grateful that her Heavenly Father is the Great Healer of all things broken and can restore what the enemy has meant to break forever.
Contributors
Here are the ladies who are helping to make this year’s event possible. We’re grateful for the way these women have shared with the gifts God has given them.
Joelle Zimmerman
Joelle is married to Jordan and they have two little boys, Jaden and Milo. She started her graphic design business, springhousecreativeco, when she became a stay-at-home mom in 2019. She loves having a creative outlet and a way to use her design skills from home. She enjoys spending weekends in the mountains with family and friends.