Seasons of Change
2026 Widows Link
Pastor’s Wives Retreat
March 12-15, 2026
Widowhood can be a hard, cold season to walk through. Many around us do not understand the challenges of ministerial widows. Our identities have been so tied to the ministry that widowhood can feel like we have lost our identity.
We invite you to join us for a Season of Change. The 2026 Pastor’s Wives Retreat aims to provide times of restoration, rest, refreshment, and healing from the pain of ministerial widowhood. Come and seek God’s face alongside others who understand your journey. No matter what season you are in, allow this retreat to bring healing and a new direction for who you are NOW in Christ.
We will enjoy times together of:
Restoration and Encouragement
Healing and Rest
Connecting with others who understand
Margin from our Busy Lives
Breakout Sessions and Panel discussions
Small groups
Laughter and Fun
Highlights from 2025 Pastor’s Wives Retreat
Cost: $190 Per Person
Cost includes meals Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch, lodging, bedding, and towels
Springville Camp & Conference Center
Meet Our Speakers
Audra Smith
Audra Smith is a writer, speaker, mental-health coach, and the founder of The Pastor’s Widow—a ministry that has become a lifeline for thousands of women walking through the valley of grief. A pastor's wife for nearly 25 years, Audra’s life was forever changed by the unexpected deaths of her husband and daughter—journeys she shares with authenticity and grace on her blog. In the quiet darkness of grief, God whispered truths that would shape her calling to walk beside other valley-walkers with tenderness and biblical hope.
Audra’s ministry is built on the conviction that every story matters. Every tear matters. Every step toward Jesus matters. And every woman should have a companion for the journey.
Jelly Valimont
Jelly Valimont is the widow of Dr. Randy Valimont, former pastor of Griffin First Assembly, an Encounter Life Network church. She was born in McMinnville, Tennessee into the home of a pastor and spent her PK life growing up in Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. Jelly has been used by God to speak in the local church and at conferences throughout the United States and internationally. She has written three books, “I Have Issues,” and “Tapestry: a Story of Adoption, Acceptance, and Destiny,” and “Pathways of a Prodigal.” Jelly was also the ghost writer for some of Dr. Valimont’s periodical materials and books.
Jelly’s heart’s cry is to do the will of the Father, wherever and whatever that might be, to bring souls into the kingdom and to facilitate spiritual health and well-being to the body of Christ. If she can do it while laughing, so much the better!
Marlene Craft
Marlene Craft and her husband Wayne were pastors for 30 years, until his sudden passing in 2011. Throughout her time in ministry, Marlene always loved ministering to woman, especially pastor’s wives. Soon after her husband died, she knew that her desire was now to minister to widows. In 2013, she began a small group widows’ ministry at her home church in Alabaster, Alabama. That small group was the birthplace for this ministry we today call, Widows Link. She was appointed as the first Assemblies of God U.S. Missionary to Widows in 2017 and Widows Link became an official 501c3 non-profit in 2019.
Marlene now spends her time ministering to widows through personal conversations and connections, speaking engagements around the country, and our different Widows Link events including the annual Widows Link Cruise and our Virtual Widows Conferences. Marlene’s heart is to help every widow discover how special they are to God and for them to experience the empowerment of God in their personal lives.