by Jen Balkey
Women’s Ministry can be viewed as an extra-curricular activity, but our hope as a team is quite the opposite! Women have a unique calling and place in life. While the calling varies greatly between one another there are inevitably many similarities. We all have a heavenly Father who loves us and has a plan for us! He has placed us within this community at Hebron for a purpose. He has given each one of us gifts to be used for His glory as He sees fit. Each gift has been given to a specific woman for a unique reason. Some have been given large families to care for or children to care for, or both. ALL of us always have a list of things to do - whether that be at home or away.
How do we make the most of the time and resources God has provided us? Our Women’s Ministry logo is “Anchored and Reaching Out”. Our desire is to come alongside women and encourage them in their walk with God. We desire that we all become strong enough (anchored in and by Him) to reach out for another with God’s love and God’s Word to impact the world around us.
At both the 2017 Heart Breakfast and the Women’s Spring Retreat, Kelly Knapp challenged us to live counter-culturally. To do so requires intentionality and an example. The world’s way of doing things is constantly in our face and SEEMingly easier… but God’s plan is available and Jesus set the example for us to follow. When we take the time to reflect on it we are encouraged and our lives are ACTUALLY made simpler. Life can be lonely, challenging, discouraging, and distracting. I am not at all saying we will not have trials and hardships doing things God’s way, but making decisions when faced with these hard times will be easier if we have the perfect guide in mind. If we choose to truly live TOGETHER with our focus on God instead of ourselves and our problems we will be able to help one another get through the tough times -- and things will BE easier.
The Bible is a great place to look for examples of how we are to live our lives for Christ. Our Women’s Ministry Leadership Team wants to focus our efforts on those things that help encourage women to embrace a mindset that will bring people closer to Christ. We must be intentional in the choices we make.
At our recent team retreat we reflected on Acts 2:42-47 where Luke is sharing about the culture of the church from both a historical and theological standpoint. He is making an example of the way they lived as a direct reflection of Jesus’ example. There was constant fellowship, prayer, teaching, unity, meeting one another’s needs, and sharing one another’s concerns. Does that sound like a breath of fresh air? It can be a reality!
Praise God for going before us and loving us. Thank Him for giving us His Word to light our path. At this summer’s Summer Sensation where women gathered at Margie Krogh’s home for an evening of smoothies, s’mores, and Scripture, women were given a bookmark with a list of spiritual disciplines that each woman can practice so that she can better discern God’s voice and let Him be her pilot instead of following the world’s ways. In Philippians 2:1-2 Paul says, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
I pray the Holy Spirit is with each and every one of you, guiding you closer to His will each day!
