Let Us Pray!

The Women's Ministry KNOWS the value of prayer! Everything we do is absolutely covered in prayer. And, as strange as it may sound, we have been praying about . . . praying. We wholeheartedly believe that nothing in our ministry can be accomplished without prayer. For some time, we have struggled with a way to begin and continue a prayer ministry/prayer team. This effort is being spearheaded by Martha Johnson who has set up a meeting for Sunday, August 2nd, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 150. This will be a planning meeting for the prayer team. Guidelines and procedures are needed, and this will be a time to do this. If you feel like God is tugging at you to become more actively involved in prayer (or the Women's Ministry!), perhaps this is a meeting that you need to attend.

Years ago, when I was in youth choir, we learned a song that is actually one of my favorite prayers. It is by St. Francis of Assisi. As a youth, Francis became a troubadour and longed to become a writer of French poetry, not at all deterred by the fact that he was Italian. God had other plans, and Francis ended up founding the Franciscans while still in his twenties. The prayer goes like this:

"Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

We can learn a lot from St. Francis.

James 5:16 says, "...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." It is the prayer of the Women's Ministry to be truly powerful and effective for God.

Like to Read? Like to Talk?

Henry Ward Beecher must have had me in mind when he asked, "Where is human nature so weak as in a bookstore?" I have loved books all my life. As a child, if I had to choose between taking my dolls along or taking my books, the books ALWAYS won. I even read directions! Maybe reading is your hobby - you love it and you read every chance you get. Or maybe you like to read, but you just don't quite have the time to fit it into your busy life. Well . . . whatever the case, we have a book club for you! Here's the deal - our next Book Club meeting will be August 6th at 6:00 p.m. in Room 144. The book we'll be discussing is Never the Bride by Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridge. Now, here's one of the best things about our Book Club. You are welcome (invited!) to come, even if you haven't finished the book - or even started. Really. Now, you might be wondering how it could be any fun at all if you don't even know what the book is about. Come and see. You will have a great time meeting with others who share your passion for reading. So what if you haven't read the book yet - you'll get to find out ahead of time if you think it is worth the time. Julie Merritt leads our Book Club and does a fantastic job of organizing our discussion and keeping us all on track (as much as possible). Coming to the Book Club is not a permanent personal commitment. We meet the first Thursday of each month, but it is fine to just participate when your life/work/circumstances/schedule/family/etc. will allow. Hope to see you there!

Good News

Here we are - only about a decade into the new century and we're just about to catch up with the old one! Those of us who work as the Leadership Team for the Women's Ministry love the Lord and try very hard to understand the direction in which He might be leading us. For some time, we have felt very strongly that we needed to be more in tune with today's modes of communication. Truthfully, though, it is all a little intimidating and we have NEVER claimed to be technologically savvy - and with good reason. Nonetheless, we are acting on what we believe to be a very real need to reach out in new (albeit a tad uncomfortable) ways. Therefore, we have launched our brand new blog and will use it as a means to inform and encourage all who might venture in and find us. We will tell you about upcoming events, prayer requests, and anything else we think might be of some help. So, welcome...and let us hear from you! We invite you to take part in all the activities of this fun, exciting ministry to and for women.