Shirley Brosius

Besides speaking alone, Shirley enjoys speaking with Kim Messinger and Janine Boyer as Friends of the Heart.

These three are real women that tell of Christ's real love as they experience real life at various stages. Through drama, personal testimony and singing, Kim challenges women to build their faith and share it with others. Janine, a twin who experienced the death of her mother at a young age, encourages women to accept God's unconditional love. Shirley offers fresh insights into God's Word as she dramatically presents scripture from memory. Whether motivating small groups or ministering to larger audiences at Christmas or Mother's Day events, Friends of the Heart addresses the life needs of women.

Kim and Janine supported Shirley in writing Sisterhood of Faith. Their retreat talks include those listed below the schedule, but they are happy to consider any topic. Click on the link to the right to hear Friends of the Heart discuss their ministry with Marnie Swedberg, host of www.womenspeakers.com.

What people are saying:

"I attended a retreat last year with a good friend of mine who goes to another church. The theme was “Serving: The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love.” I have been on many retreats, and I have to say it was probably the very best one I had ever been on. It is lovely to see the love and friendship between the three of you. You each lend something wonderful to your ministry. I loved the skits, music, testimonials and especially was moved by (Shirley's) reciting of Philippians on Sunday morning. What a special time that retreat was." Sharleen Nickson, retreat participant

"Our church had the pleasure of having "Friends of the Heart" come to speak for our women's retreat. What a blessing! Their different personalities each contribute to a wonderful blend of transparency, inspiration and challenge to walk with God. Their talks were grounded in scripture, yet well balanced with personal examples and illustrations. Our ladies left encouraged and exhorted. Shirley's presentation of the book of Philippians from memory is not to be missed. We really appreciated their ministry to the women!" Bonnie Solberg, director of women's ministry at Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church, Wethersfield, Connecticut

"These three ladies are the real deal! Each one of them has a story of grace to tell. Each one of them has struggled with the heartaches of a life well lived. Do they tell you how to live your life? No, they simply tell you how God has encouraged them to live a victorious, overcoming life of purpose. I don't know any soul-searching woman who wouldn’t benefit from time spent with these three women. I took my eighteen-year-old daughter with me and she had a wonderful time. The ages of the women there were as varied as the lives they have lived. If you want to know how to form healthy habits for your heart, then please spend time with these ladies. Your life will be touched." Sonja Ritter, retreat participant

"Shirley's recitation of Philippians was the biggest hit of our retreat weekend, even though it was all good, every bit of it! The women are all reading their Bibles differently now. Shirley's rendering of Philippians has brought the pages to life. Several of the women have told me that the pages are alive in a way they never thought of because of the way Shirley presented Paul's words. It just changed their whole perspective and humanized it. We are grateful to Shirley for walking and learning, and memorizing, and breathing new life into the living Word of God for the women of Gateway." Linda McCoster, reteat organizer for Gateway Community Church, Media, Pennsylvania

Our Schedule:

January 9, 2010, 10 a.m. - Friends of the Heart - Christmas Cafe for Community Evangelical Free Church, Harrisburg, "Mary: Ordinary or Extraordinary?"

January 10, 2010, 9:15 a.m. - Shirley presenting the Gospel of John 1:1 to 3:30 at Williamstown United Methodist Church, Williamstown.

January 16, 2010, 9 a.m. - Friends of the Heart - Trinity Lutheran Church, Robesonia, The Snowflake Cafe: "Mary, Martha and Their Psychologist"

April 10 - Friends of the Heart - Women's Faithlift at Hope Church, Lenox, MA, "At Any Age, At Any Stage: Celebrating the Christian Life."

May 8, 11 a.m. - Friends of the Heart - Mother's Day Tea, Hebron Church, Millersburg, "That Face in the Mirror: Who Do You See?"

May 8, 6 p.m. - Friends of the Heart - Mother/​Daughter Dinner, St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Reinerton, "That Face in the Mirror: Who Do You See?"

May 16, 5 p.m. - Friends of the Heart - Women's Banquet, Eberly's Mill Church of God, Camp Hill, (Theme: Use Me) "That Face in the Mirror: Who Do You See?"

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Retreat talks are designed for four sessions of about one hour in length, and most sessions include small group time. However, the number of sessions, times and even topics can be adjusted to meet the needs of any event schedule.

If Our Closets Could Talk - A retreat that asks us to look in our life closets and decide: What's in There? What Doesn't Fit? What Should We Give Away? What Should We Keep?

At Any Age, At Any Stage - Celebrating the Christian Life - A retreat that will help women accept each stage of life by avoiding the pitfalls and finding fulfillment. Sessions include looking at life through the characters of Dora the Explorer, Wonder Woman and Hyacinth Bucket of Keeping Up Appearances

Serving: The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love - A retreat that challenges women to feel God's joy, follow God's path and find fulfillment through serving others. Sessions include: The Job Interview: No Experience Necessary, The Job Resume: Background Check, The Job Description: Something for Everyone, Signing the Contract: The Job is Yours, Celebrating the Job With Worship and the Word.

Mary: Ordinary or Extraordinary - A a one-hour Christmas presentation incorporating drama, testimony and song to tell women God loves them and has a purpose for their lives.

That Face in the Mirror: Who Do You See? - A one-hour Mother's Day presentation that focuses on women influencing women.

Tea With Mary and Martha - A one-hour presentation that includes skits, song and a presentation of scripture from memory.