0 All Booked 0.00 All Booked 0.00 All Booked 29245 LOCAL EVENT: Women’s Apologetics Conference (Chicago) 9:00AM CT https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/?event=local-event-womens-apologetics-conference-chicago-830am-ct&event_date=2026-08-26&reg=1 https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr 2026-08-26

LOCAL EVENT: Women’s Apologetics Conference (Chicago) 9:00AM CT

The Compass Church - Naperville Campus, 1551 Hobson Rd, Naperville, IL 60540, USA
  • kj@cslewisinstitute.org
  • In-Person Event Type
Register 2026-08-26 09:00 2026-08-26 13:30 America/New_York LOCAL EVENT: Women’s Apologetics Conference (Chicago) 9:00AM CT

To love God is not only to give Him our devotion, but also to offer Him our questions, our thoughts, our doubts, our imagination, and our whole attention.

 The Compass Church - Naperville Campus, 1551 Hobson Rd, Naperville, IL 60540, USA r.smiertka@cslewisinstitute.org

CSLI-Chicago presents

Loving God with Your Heart & Mind
Women's Apologetics Conference

with Dr. Jo Vitale & Alycia Wood

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
-Matthew 22:37

To love God is not only to give Him our devotion, but also to offer Him our questions, our thoughts, our doubts, our imagination, and our whole attention. Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. Yet in the pressures of ordinary life, in seasons of uncertainty, and in a culture often confused about truth, this calling can feel difficult to live out with clarity and confidence. Christian faith has never asked women to leave their minds behind. From the pages of Scripture to the life of the Church, women have wrestled honestly, believed courageously, asked faithful questions, and borne witness to the truth of Christ. The life of the mind is not separate from the life of faith; it is one of the ways we learn to love God more fully.

Join the C.S. Lewis Institute this fall for Loving God with Your Heart & Mind, a women’s apologetics conference designed to encourage women to think deeply, live faithfully, and engage the questions of our time with wisdom and grace.

Hosted in partnership with Compass Church in Naperville, this one-day conference will bring together thoughtful teaching, practical encouragement, and meaningful fellowship for women who desire to grow in confidence as followers of Christ. Throughout the day, participants will consider the vital role women have played in the biblical story, explore how faith and doubt relate to the search for truth, and learn how apologetics can shape everyday witness in homes, workplaces, churches, and communities.

This conference will also follow Compass Church’s Girls Night Out event on Friday evening, creating the opportunity for women to participate in a meaningful two-part
weekend. The Friday evening event and Saturday conference will have separate registrations, allowing women to attend one or both gatherings.

Whether you are new to apologetics or have spent years engaging questions of faith, this conference offers a place to be strengthened, equipped, and encouraged. Come ready to listen, reflect, ask honest questions, and be reminded that loving God includes the whole person: heart, soul, mind, and life.

Featured speakers include Dr. Jo Vitale and Alycia Wood.

We invite you to join us for this special fall gathering as we seek together to know Christ more deeply and bear faithful witness to Him in the world.

Date: Saturday, October 24th, 2026
Time: 9:00 am - 1:30 pm CT
Location: The Compass Church 1551 Hobson Rd. Naperville, IL 60540
Cost:  $25/person + $3.52 Fee = $28.52/person

Jo Vitale

Speaker

Jo Vitale is the co-executive director of Kardia, a ministry whose focus is to help people be reconciled to God, with others, and within themselves. Jo has three degrees from the University of Oxford: a bachelor’s degree in theology, a master’s degree in biblical interpretation, and a DPhil (PhD) in Old Testament studies. For her doctoral dissertation she centered her research on the Old Testament’s depiction of women (specifically, female beauty and blame culture). Jo has spoken internationally in a variety of contexts, including at churches, businesses, schools, radio shows, and on the campuses of multiple universities in the US and internationally. Jo and her husband Vince enjoy teaming up for their Ask Away podcast and giving talks together.

 

Alycia Wood

Apologist and Teacher

Alycia Wood has been an apologist for over twelve years and currently works with Apologetics, Inc. where she is a speaker, writer and podcaster. Her podcast, “Hey Alycia!” aims to help the seeker make sense of Christianity by engaging with tough questions that pose a stumbling block. She has spoken around the world in a range of venues— including Universities, colleges, conferences and churches. Alycia holds an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology and a Master’s degree in Social Justice. She has written on the topic of Transgenderism in the book, Truth: Lectures from the 2025 Defend Apologetics Conference (Deward publishing, 2025) and on the topic of Intersex at apologetics.org

 

The Schedule

9:00 am - 1:30 pm Presentation