 |
Women’s Ministry Ideas B
Welcome and Opening words of information.
Devotional – Jeremiah 29:11 and introduction of John and John’s introduction of Jesus from John chapter 1. The questions we want to ask ourselves tonight are: “Who Am I?”, “What is my story?”, “Why tell my story?” and “Why listen to your story?”
Demonstration: Emma introduces Francesca (use sheet of questions). When this public interview is completed turn and introduce her to the whole group.
Questionnaire: Using the questionnaire, face your partner and exchange answers so as to be able to introduce each other to your table (this should take about 5 minutes each).
Now each couple introduces each other to the other four women at the table. This will take approximately 15 to 18 minutes. When introductions are completed it will be time for a break.
Coffee Break then back to small groups
Sharing: Women who wish to share their story will be encouraged to pick up their article of interest from the table at the front before sharing. At the end of the evening have two or three people close in prayer.
|
|
Gems in Clay Jars:
This is another evening idea
that encourages women to share their stories. Here is an outline of the evening
and the story written by Marleen Bahr as an additional resource.
“Gems In Clay Pots”
Welcome, Name Tags, Reception: (A variety of finger foods were served)
View Creative Displays brought by women of art projects they have created.
Gather for Worship Songs
Scripture reading: II Corinthians 4:7-10 S
Special Music Selection
Poetry read by some women who had personally written it.
Song before our main feature: “Change My Heart, O God”
Main Feature: “Beauty through Brokenness”
(A reading and dramatization by Marleen Bahr)
Beauty Through Brokenness
One morning, I visited the Potter’s house. In
His hand He held a plain, somewhat unattractive jug. It looked cracked and had
obviously been reconstructed. By the twinkle in His eye I knew there was
something unique about this jug. “What’s the story on this pot?” I
questioned.
“This is one of my favorite containers, he responded with a smile. To me it’s
beautiful! Originally I fashioned it to water my seedlings. I used it to give
daily care and attention to my tender young plants. But this little pot seemed
to have a mind of its own. I never knew where I’d find it. Many times I’d
discover it admiring the bigger, more colorful planters made to display the full
beauty of my mature blooming plants. When I returned it and refilled it for
daily use it appeared to be less than pleased. Soon I was looking for it again.”
“Why didn’t you make me bigger and more colorful? I would have preferred to be a
vessel of honor and beauty, fit to display the best of your flowering plants. I
don’t hold much water and it’s so dull and boring in this corner. When will you
use me to water the bigger plants?”
I held the pot close and lovingly explained, “But you are indispensable to me.
The time will come, when all these little plants will grow and blossom into
beautiful plants all because of your faithful care.”
One day, the little clay jug accidentally fell to the cement floor. You guessed
it. There it lay broken, splintered and shattered. My teardrops fell on the
broken pieces as I tenderly gathered them one by one and placed them gently onto
a tray. Carrying it carefully to my workbench I knew this would be my project
for a long time. Gradually, with intricate care, I rearranged, glued and filled
in the larger cracks.
Eventually, I recreated this unique watering jug. It is very useful to me. I
still use it for watering plants – even the bigger ones from time to time. It
doesn’t seem to have the same need to flit about from place to place. It seems
to be more content and at peace. I have given this jug a new purpose for being.
It now has a specific mission. However, you will need to wait till its dark to
see the full effect of this special task.”
In the evening I returned to the workshop and greenhouse. As I opened the door
and entered the dark cool stillness I was met by rays of colorful, inviting
light. There stood the potter holding up a radiant jug. Was this the same clay
pitcher we had been discussing earlier? He had placed a light inside and was
using it to illuminate his every task. Each piece seemed to blend with the other
to create pictures of attractive beauty. It was then I saw the form of the cross
and the outline of the Potter’s face.
I learned an important lesson that day. The beauty of the Lord is reflected best
in our brokenness.
Closing Exercise: Presenting Our Brokenness to God (optional)
Quiet music while women write down things they consider to be brokenness or pain in their lives and bring what they’ve written to the front, rip it up and drop it into a ceramic planter. This act symbolizes a letting go so God can begin to do a further healing in their lives. They may wish to kneel at the front for prayer or just return quietly to their seat.
Prayer for Healing of Our Memories & Hurts (Prayer leaders available)
When everyone is back in their seat we close by singing:
Closing Song “I’m Trading My Sorrows”
|
|
JUGS
- Just Us Girls! began as a result of Celebration 2002. During the weekend we
all sensed the Lord working in our lives. While waiting at the airport,
discussing what we had experienced at Celebration, one of the gals suggested
that we process our thoughts and meet in a week or so to discuss what we had
gained from the weekend. At the second meeting, everyone shared the lessons
learned and the blessings received. It was then, one of the gals revealed
that she sensed God calling her to fulltime ministry. Sadly, another
revealed a troubled marriage that eventually ended in divorce. Sensing the
need to gather together again to share and pray together, we decided to meet
on a monthly basis. These early gatherings were special because they were
Spirit led. There was no structured program, no planned lesson, no organized
prayer time. Sometimes only one or two would speak. Other times we'd all
need to share.
JUGS works because it started with a shared experience - a need for
gathering together. We are women with the same "heart-set" - to know Christ
more fully, to acknowledge and encourage His working in our lives and to
share our struggles which become our needs for prayer.
One of the women shared that she came to and stayed with the group for a
selfish reason - she needed it. She needed the accountability of knowing the
challenges that other Christian women are facing; accepting the
responsibility of praying and coming alongside them; the encouragement and
fellowship of these women. JUGS has become a priority in her life.
If you are interested in forming a similar group, we strongly encourage
women to "Go for it".
• Keep the size between 8 and 10.
• Be respectful and sensitive of
others
• Keep information shared strictly
confidential.
• Be willing to be open both
emotionally and spiritually
• Commit to meeting and sharing
• Honor the Lord in word and deed
• Make prayer the vital part of the
group.
|
|
KISS
– Keep It Simple Sister is another idea to make gathering together easy and
fun. When women meet either at a church or in each other’s homes, they bring
their own mug and even their own muffin, so no one has to fuss about being the
host or doing dishes.
|
|
A Ladies Breakfast – several churches are moving toward holding a quarterly women’s breakfast for working women and busy moms. This has been very successful at West Hill Baptist in Regina, FBC in Calgary and White Rock Baptist has begun a new program where the older women have hosted and helped in the planning for the Young women to attend. Heather Thomson
(ottawakids@shaw.ca) can give you more information on
their approach. Here are some basic elements for a successful morning breakfast
for women:
a. speaker – local woman sharing her
journey of faith – how she became a Christian, - how her life has been
different
since she
became a Christian
b. guest speaker – local ministries
eg. Pregnancy counseling center
c. craft demonstration
d. special music
e. keep decorations simple – a splash
of colour from paper napkins
f. coffee & muffins or something more
elaborate for special occasions
g. fashion show – local shop, home
sewing, display of quilting
h. silent auction craft sale
i. provide childcare
The idea of LIFT is to offer an informal activity that provides a starting point
for inviting the community and un-churched to a safe and friendly environment.
It is a place to build relationships through fun and meaningful conversations.
Twice a year, they also hold UP-LIFT, an inspirational sister to LIFT whose goal
is to encourage and up-lift Christian women.
For information and ideas, ask Brenda Eberl at
aeberl@telusplanet.net
|
|
THE GATHERING
is a women’s ministry idea out of Pincher Creek, AB. We also gather one
Tuesday each month with the purpose of getting to know one another on a deeper
level. In groups of three, we work through questions together that initiate
dialogue on various topics. The first couple of questions are ‘get to know you
better’ topics and then we move into a Scripture passage and discuss ideas that
come from our interaction with the passage. The most important part of the
evening is the third part when each person in the triplet shares a personal
prayer request and the other two lay a hand on her and pray for her.
We haven’t had huge numbers attending, but those who have come have found it
very helpful in building deeper, more intimate relationships with women in our
church. The power of praying for one another is immeasurable.
CLICK HERE FOR SIX OUTLINES FOR “THE GATHERING” – Sept, Oct, Nov, Jan, Feb,
March.
If you would like to receive the outlines for our Gatherings, email Faye
Reynolds at sfreynolds@shaw.ca
|
|
WOMEN IN TOUCH
of West Van Baptist Church have many interesting ministries taking place. They
held a Saturday Breakfast called “Celebration of Womanhood” where women were
encouraged to bring their sisters, mothers, daughters and friends. One Sunday
Evening they held a program highlighting 12 different ministries of West Van
with displays and presentations, along with special music, worship and dessert.
Journey to the Cross – was the name of a luncheon that they held before Easter.
After a nice lunch and quiet conversation, through Scripture and song they told
the Easter story together, and then had an open microphone for women to express
what Jesus means in their lives. A beautiful time was spent together.
Marleen Bahr is a wonderful resource for ideas and has developed a strong
leadership team for women’s ministries in their church.
If you would like to know about West Van’s ministries, contact
bobmar@shaw.ca to
reach Marleen Bahr.
|
|
CHEMAINUS
– Carol Ginter and Christa Stegemann are an excellent resource for gathering
creative ideas on how to reach women of the community. They have held several
successful outreach events for their community.
Try contacting Carol at carolginter@shaw.ca. for potential outreach event ideas.
|
|
Day Retreat Idea from Westhill
Baptist in Regina
The Westhill Ladies Spring Retreat was held in Moose Jaw on Saturday, May 1. We
met at Timothy Eaton Gardens, the old Eaton’s store, which is now a seniors’
center. Our theme was “O, You Beautiful Doll”, and the theme verse was “I am
marvelously made” from Psalm 139:14 (The Message). We were all to bring a
favourite doll, with a card giving her name, owner’s name and a bit of her
history. There was a wonderful display of dolls, some with very touching
stories.
Three of the ladies dressed up in their flapper outfits and sang “Hello Dollies”
and “O, You Beautiful Doll” (with the words re-written
to give them a Christian
theme). Our speaker was Julia Ellergodt, a pastor’s wife from the Alliance
Church in Moose Jaw, and Denise Gerein provided music. Julia spoke about circles
of concern in our lives: evangelism, encouragement, and mentoring. She
encouraged us to push ourselves to get to know people. One suggestion was
“project friendships”, where you get together to work on a project, anything
from housecleaning to quilting, but use the time to share your faith with
someone. She also encouraged us to get out of the slump in our devotional life,
and quoted from the book “Incredible Moments with the Savior” by Ken Gire.
Nancy Redford led us in a quickie craft – we each made a beaded bracelet.
Free time options were Trolley Rides through historic Moose Jaw, Tunnel Tours,
Temple Gardens Mineral Spa, Cranberry Rose Tea Room, Yvette Moore Art Gallery,
Emerald Glass (another art gallery), Briercrest Bookstore display, a craft mall
and THREE wonderful quilt shops.
The seniors’ center provided wonderful, home-cooked meals. The day concluded
with a fashion show based on the poem “Basic Black Dress”.
Moose Jaw is just far enough away that you feel like you have had a get-away,
but not so far that you have to spend a lot of time away from family and busy
schedules. Some of the ladies went up the night before and stayed at Wakamow
Heights Bed & Breakfast Inn, which is the old Aldersgate College campus. A
couple from Caronport bought it and renovated it. They say it’s a wonderful
place to stay.
|
|
'A Moment for Me'
in Hyas, SK
Here in Hyas, we have just had our second 'A moment for me' morning. We meet at
8 am. on the third Saturday of the month for a light breakfast—bagels, scones,
fruit, yoghurt, juice, and coffee then chat for a good while. We then divide up
according to numbers. If gals are comfortable about praying aloud, we pray for
the gal on our right. If they are comfortable taking one another's hand, we do
that. For those who are experiencing this type of thing for the first time, we
pray silently for the one next to us. We have two gals from the community
joining us and loving it. The remainder are from the church. We have two
wonderful older women who join us and we are so blessed by their life-long love
for the Lord and their ability to walk alongside others. Our goal is to be
finished by 9 so that we can carry on with the day. Some stick around to clean
up and visit. Our aim is to attract young moms or working gals.
Submitted by Patricia Kachman
|
|