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June
Articles:
Moving
“Beyond Me” in Women's Ministry
By
Kathi Macias
 The late
President Ronald Reagan once said, “There is no limit to
what a man [woman] can achieve when he [she] doesn’t
care who gets the credit for it.” As someone who has
served in various areas of ministries for many years, I
can certainly attest to the truth of that statement.
Despite
criticism that American women—even Christian women—are
pampered and spoiled and self-centered, I’ve discovered
that they readily rise to the call to move “beyond self”
and give to others when challenged in the right manner.
As a result, they experience emotional healing and
spiritual growth in their own lives, and are then better
able to mentor others.
This challenge came into focus for me one
day when I took my pre-teen granddaughter to a
department store. She headed straight for the makeup
counter, where an enticing display of perfume and makeup
for teens beckoned. As I dutifully accompanied her, I
was appalled to see the name of the makeup line: “It’s
About Me!”
I immediately began to come up with reasons
to counter this anti-biblical attitude, but realized it
was going to take more than a brilliant argument to
dissuade my enrapt granddaughter. Then I wondered, are
we supposedly “mature” Christian women any different?
Already in the midst of writing a book
titled BEYOND ME: Living a You-First Life in a
Me-First World, I decided to start doing some “test
runs” on women’s ministry groups. What I found was that
presenting the subject as a Bible study was a yawner at
best, producing little or no action or results. But when
I incorporated the study into a hands-on, “beyond-me
living” exercise, the results were astounding.
If selfless, you-first living is something
you’d like to see incorporated into your women’s
ministries, with the bonus results of healthier,
happier, more productive and spiritually mature women,
here are some points I’ve used at women’s retreats and
other venues to challenge attendees to “beyond me”
living:
1.
Have the women find a prayer partner, exchange
prayer lists, and then promise that for a pre-determined
period of time (a weekend retreat is a good length),
each time their own concerns come to mind and they are
tempted to pray about them, they will instead pray for
their partner’s concerns, knowing that their own
concerns are being covered by their partner. This is
easier said than done, as it’s no easy task to NOT pray
for your own concerns, but it also makes you more
faithful in keeping your prayer commitment to your
partner.
2.
Have the ladies commit to do at least one nice thing
for someone else—daily, weekly, monthly—but in such a
way that they receive no credit or acknowledgment for
it. When the ladies come together after doing this for a
while, discuss only the blessings and benefits they
gained through the practice, never mentioning their
“good deeds” so the doers of the good deeds can remain
anonymous and thus multiply the blessings.
3.
Ask the ladies to journal about the inner changes in
their lives throughout this “beyond me” practice. How
has their relationship with Jesus deepened? How has
their prayer life been affected? How have their other
relationships—husband, children, friends—changed for the
better?
As simple
and basic as
these exercises may seem, they will practically and
spiritually counter an ever-growing “all about me”
culture that woos us at every turn—and the multiplied
blessings will explode into all areas of your women’s
ministry.
About
Kathi Macias
Kathi Macias, popular speaker
and prolific author, is an Angel-award winning writer
who has published twenty-one books and hundreds of
articles. Whether keyboarding her latest book (BEYOND
ME: Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World from New
Hope Publishers), keynoting a conference, or riding on
the back of her husband’s Harley, Kathi “Easy Writer”
Macias is a lady on a mission to communicate God’s
vision. Her insightful words—filled with passion, humor
and soul nourishment—refresh audiences from all walks of
life. Kathi is available to speak at retreats,
banquets, and other special women's ministries events.
Learn more about
Kathi.
Women's Ministry
Leader Spotlight
by
Janette
Felder,
Iva Gier &
Debbi Jo Schwarz
1. A Type of event that has worked great
~ Our
events are strategically designed as “doorways” to enter
the church body and to encourage women to choose deeper
steps of faith as they attend. Events range from a light
spiritual emphasis for the seeker to a thought-provoking
spiritual challenge for the mature believer. We want to
see women accept Christ as their Savior, grow in their
faith, and to step into areas where they can serve.
This
diagram illustrates how each event lays along a simple
trajectory which encourages women to grow spiritually.
*
Gathering Pointe Café
- Social time with devotional.
* Girlfriends Making a Difference -
Doing a project which meets a need.
* Balanced Strength - Exercise and a
devotional
* Whole Living Lectures -
Class to learn practical applications on living a
healthy Christian life.
*
Christmas Event - Large Group event with an
evangelistic emphasis. Speaker and refreshments.
* Hearts
Alive - Large group event with speaker.
2.
What are the most challenging issues that your women's
ministry is facing? ~
No
matter the age of the woman, one of the great challenges
in our ministry is to help women understand who they are
in Christ, what they believe, and then how to live it.
They must learn to trust that God is good and that He
can change her life.
3.
Your best event tip(s) ~
1. Pray
hard and often. Allow God to work.
2. Have
a purpose. What do you want to accomplish? Never have
an event for the sake of having an event. That’s a dead
end street.
3. Encourage
the event teams of women by helping them understand the
purpose and why their involvement is critical.
4. Do
a few things very well. Plan each detail so that women
know what to expect, feel cared for, and can safely
invite friends.
4.
Biggest Event Success
~ That
depends on how you measure success. A changed heart is
a success. Truth that is ingested and carried back into
the family or others is success. We do our very best to
follow God’s leading and pursue excellence, then leave
the results to Him. How can God fail?
5.
Biggest Event Disaster ~
Our
retreat speaker hurt her back one day before a weekend
retreat and had to cancel. God blessed incredibly and
within a few hours, we were able to find someone whose
ministry is to step in at the last moment. She purchased
the last seat of the last plane of the day, arriving on
Friday afternoon by 2 p.m. The outcome of the retreat
was that women were challenged in their personal walk
with Christ and many made decisions to follow Christ for
the first time. The testimony of God’s faithfulness was
written in their hearts forever.
6.
Marriage Tips
~ Learn
what God intends for marriage and how important it is to
Him, not what American culture says. Don’t expect your
husband to fulfill all of your needs. Make sure you
have appropriate boundaries set and protect your time
with him.
7.
How do you achieve a high level of
involvement for your events? ~
We
begin the ministry year with an event that lays the
entire year out for the women, detailing each event and
its purpose. Each event has multiple teams of volunteer
with team leaders who are introduced. The women then
have the opportunity to sign up to be on one or more
teams if as they feel led. We ask them for a year
commitment. As we see women grow, we give them small
opportunities to experience leadership with the hopes
that they take greater steps of leadership as God
matures them.
Women want to be part
of something that builds their character and also helps
them know they are making a contribution into other
peoples lives. Having a well-established and
well-planned event, helps women feel secure in
volunteering and serving.
8.
Parenting Tip ~
1. Learn
what God intends for the family, parent, children – then
do it.
2. Remember
that God made each of your children unique, with their
own personalities. Love them tenderly according to how
God made them. You are raising adults, not children, and
they will have their own lives with the main purpose of
glorifying God.
3. Encourage
your child to serve in some area (whether in the church
or community). When they are young, serve as a family.
9.
What Encourages You Most As a Women's Ministry Leader?
~ It
is encouraging to see people respond to God with life
change and step up to the plate to lead with their
gifts. We love to know that the work God has laid on our
hearts is reaching women, their families and further
beyond into the church or community. It is energizing
to watch women as they get connected with other women
through Bible Study Small Groups, events or serving on a
team. It is heartening to observe their hearts soften as
they become the woman that God wants them to be.
10. How Does Your Women's Ministries Team Encourage the
Women of Your Church?
~
We encourage the
women of our church by recognizing their importance.
Women are creative, spiritual, and very relational. We
encourage them to express or experience these attributes
in a safe and Christ-centered environment through events
and Small Group settings. Rather than working to meet
the needs of different demographics (the unwed mother,
single woman, mother of teens, empty nester, grandma,
etc.), we work to consider the needs of women in general
and what we have in common – a need for Christ and
spiritual growth. From beautiful decorations and
take-away gifts to detailed planning, our message is,
“we care about you.”
11.
Words of Encouragement for Other Women's Ministry
Directors
~
1. Trust
God’s leading for everything.
2. Stay
focused on your stated ministry goals. Be willing to
incrementally change or drop things that don’t fit your
goals as they used to.
3. Keep
working on your events to make them better.
4. Find
ways to stay close to the Lord through prayer, scripture
study and healthy relationships.
5. Stay
physically fit, through rest, diet, and exercise. Guard
yourself from exhaustion.
6. Be
accountable to a close friend.
About the
Authors & Ada Bible Church
Together
we direct the Women’s Ministry at Ada Bible Church. Ada
Bible Church, Ada, Michigan (adabible.org).
Ada
Bible is a church of over 5000. It is located in Ada,
Michigan, just outside Grand Rapids. It was founded in
1978, with 11 people. Currently the congregation is
located in a building that houses multiple services and
has 4 video venue rooms along with a main auditorium.
The mission of Ada Bible Church is to
lead people into a relationship with God and His church
that transforms them to Christ-likeness.
The
women’s ministry currently hosts many events and has a
vibrant small group Bible Study ministry, called Women
in the Word with the same goals as the church; to help
transform women into Christ-likeness through leading
them into a relationship with God and His church.
Iva
Gier (sitting left)
Director of Women’s Small Groups;
Janette Felder (sitting right) and
Debbie Jo Schwarz (standing)
Co-Directors of Women’s Events.
How
to contact the women's ministries leaders @ Ada Bible
Church:
Co-Directors of Women's
Ministry Events:
Director of Women's Small
Groups:
- Iva Gier igier@adabible.org
Making Space in
Your Schedule
By
Jennifer Swanson
 When I registered my
daughter for swimming lessons last summer, the 25-minute
lessons didn’t seem like a big commitment. Once lessons
were in session, however, I discovered the reality. Add
10 minutes to gather suits, towels, and other beach
equipment—and apply sunscreen to two wiggly
preschoolers. Add another 10 minutes to hustle the kids
to and from the bathroom and load them into their
carseats. Then it takes 15 minutes to drive to the lake,
unload the van, and walk to the beach. Did I mention the
25-minute lesson? Afterwards, figure at least 10 minutes
to coax the kids out of the water, dry them off, and
change their clothes. And 20 minutes to hike back to the
van, buckle everyone in, drive home, and unload.
But that only gets us back inside the
front door. The diaper bag needs to be restocked. Sandy
shoes are scattered across the entry floor. Swimsuits
and towels wait to be rinsed and hung to dry. Shovels,
buckets, sippy cups... Suddenly we have a two-hour
event, not counting any unexpected glitches. Then the
phone rings, and before long, it’s time to leave again
for the next activity.
Similar scenarios happen every day, in
all seasons. Some activities we schedule out of
necessity, like going to the doctor or the grocery
store. Others we choose for the purpose of adding fun
and variety, like moms’ groups, play groups, or other
organized programs for ourselves or our children.
It’s easy to see when incomplete,
unfinished projects in our homes (laundry,
paperwork, hobbies, etc.) cause disorder and
frustration. The results of uncompleted events,
however, can also add to the chaos. We find ourselves
hurrying from one project or event to another, not
really completing one before rushing to the next, and
stress sets in—both for us moms and for our families.
It’s hard to maintain a sense of order
and balance when we feel short of time. We may even find
ourselves resenting the very activities that were meant
to be good for us. What we need is not more time in a
day, but more space between events. Here are a few ideas
to help create that space.
Plan realistically.
If you truly want to slow your hectic pace, take a hard
look at your schedule. Take out your calendar or day
planner. Does your schedule reflect the pace of life you
want to live? What does a “good day” look like to you?
What do you want to have time for? What’s
stopping you?
Look at one event at a time. How much
time do you need to allow before, during,
and after each activity in order to feel
unhurried? Would it help to prepare ahead of time (e.g.,
the night before, or earlier in the day)? Block out
sections on your calendar to guard that time, and keep
in mind that underestimating leads to over-scheduling.
The problem is not just that we
miscalculate how long each activity takes away from
home. Much of the problem lies in underestimating the
transition time: the time it takes to get everything
ready before we leave as well as the time it
takes to put everything away after we return
home.
Transition gently.
When we’re running late, it can be tempting to blame our
little ones for our own lack of planning. We often
expect our kids to immediately drop what they’re doing
to comply with our plans. Imagine yourself in your
child’s place. No wonder they make it difficult to get
out the door!
Work on being consistent about how you
define time. A minute doesn’t mean much to a young child
if you say, “Just a minute,” but then wait five or ten
minutes before you finally respond. Respectfully guide
them as you approach the time to go. Offer to help them
clean up rather than making demands. Give yourself and
your children the time you need to leave gracefully. You
will quickly see that making transitions easier on your
children will make things easier on you, too.
Focus.
We moms are used to jumping from one task to another,
often doing several things at once. But usually
multi-tasking is less efficient than focusing on
one task at a time. Don’t try to squeeze in “just one
more thing” before you leave for an appointment. It’s
okay to be early. Enjoy what you’re doing when you get
there, and don’t worry about the next “to do” on your
list.
When you get home, commit to completing
the task of unpacking and putting everything away. It
can be tempting to check your voice mail or e-mail right
away when you get home. Even if the phone rings, ignore
it—especially if you just walked in the door. (One
minute later, you would have missed the call anyway.)
Finish well by bringing closure to that one event, and
get some breathing time before you move on to the next.
Commit.
Getting control of your schedule is one of the best ways
to feel more balanced. Set aside time each week
to carefully review the upcoming week’s plans. When you
have a good handle on your time, it’s much easier to
confidently say “yes” or thoughtfully say “no.” The
process is not magic; it does take focus and discipline.
Since this is also about changing habits,
it might take a while, so don’t give up too soon. Of
course there are things you can do to save time,
especially if you often can’t find what you need when
you need it. But until you make changes to your current
systems and get more organized, give yourself some grace
by building in extra time.
Notice how you and your family feel as
you go about the week. Make choices to honor the time
and space your family needs. Work around the things you
can’t control, and focus most on the things you can. It
might even mean letting go of some activities to make
others more meaningful. Instead of trying to do more in
less time, take more time to do less, and do it well.
About
Jennifer Swanson
Jennifer
Swanson is a professional organizing consultant, popular
speaker and frequent media guest. Jennifer is
available for speaking at seminars, workshops, banquets,
etc.
Learn more about
Jennifer. |
