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WIC Resource Letter
for PCA Women in Leadership If you are a Pastor's wife, WIC president, PresWIC president or Director of Women's Ministry and are not currently receiving the Resource Letter, click here to be added to the mailing list.
WHAT IS THIS PUBLICATION? An equipping resource for PCA Women In the Church. WHERE DID IT COME FROM? Christian Education and Publications – Committee of the PCA mandated to equip the local church. WHY DID I GET IT? Sent to: PresWIC leadership, local WIC leadership, Directors of Women’s Ministries, pastor’s wives and missionaries. WHAT DO I DO WITH IT??? Read, share, use it to equip and disciple. This first Resource Letter of 2003 is intended for pastor’s wives, missionaries, PresWIC leadership and local WIC leadership. It focuses on stories, ministry models and Bible study tips to keep the Titus 2 mandate for spiritual mentoring front and center. This biblical principle transcends our life season and circumstance, and is all about teaching women to live covenantally. As we begin this New Year, our prayer is that your ministries, both personal and corporate, will be intentionally focused on Biblical discipleship—training God’s people to think His thoughts and be conformed to His image in the context of relationships. Start reading!!!
Florida Regional PresWIC Conference-September 27-29, 2002 A Woman's Journey: Generation to Generation In September of 2001, our sisters in the Wild West hosted a regional conference around the theme of Fruit of Grace. It was the culmination of a vision for building unity and impacting the geographically scattered churches in the West. It was a partnership of presbytery and WIC. The Lord gave good fruit through the speaker, Paige Benton and the many workshop leaders. It was productive and the state of Florida was watching. For those of you in other regions, read carefully, begin to pray and think about the advantages of hosting a regional conference in your area. Because of our connectionism, our sisters are ready and willing to come your aid with ideas, benefits and help for planning a conference. Check out the benefits that Sherry Kendrick and four PresWIC Presidents saw and participants experienced! BENEFITS OF A REGIONAL WIC CONFERENCE 1. FRIENDSHIPS - We are sisters with united hearts. 2. COMMUNITY – Community is unique in each region. Regular and consistent communication with local churches, presbyteries and CE chairman builds bridges that will be beneficial for generations. At the Florida conference, leadership women who had never been introduced to or involved with WIC were enfolded. 3. DIVERSITY— In Florida, the youngest participant was thirteen and the oldest was eighty-five. Large, older established churches were represented. Young mission churches and multi-cultural churches were represented. We prayed and worshipped together. 4. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. We've grown in our ministry skills. We've taught another generation. Each of us will hand leadership to a new PresWIC president this year (not because we're tired, but because these women are ready!) 5. RESOURCES. In one weekend, we shared women's ministry resources with half of the churches in our region. We introduced and reintroduced everything from the Biblical Foundation for Womanhood and Bible studies to training events. Maybe the most important resource was the personal availability of CE&P staff and WASC members. 6. TEEN INCLUSION. Although we want to include them more at every conference, 60 teenagers were nurtured, loved and prayed for during this weekend. 7. CONTINUITY. The conference is not over! We actually finished with enough money to return $1000 to the presbyteries. However, we're asking for permission to use the money to provide a training event in each of the presbyteries this year. Two are already scheduled! 8. EVALUATION. We would do it again! Want to do a regional conference? Just let us know. We have kept great notebooks with lots of valuable info for you! Serving the kingdom together, Sherry Kendrick, Florida WASC representative Sue Holt, North Florida PresWIC President Emily Palmer, Central Florida PresWIC President Susan Smith, South Florida PresWIC President Brook Breed, Southwest Florida PresWIC President Before you can reap the benefits just mentioned, there must be much prayer and groundwork. In January 2000, Sherry Kendrick, a new WASC representative for Florida, met with her four PresWIC Presidents for an overnight PresWIC planning meeting. During that weekend, a plan was conceived: instead of four separate retreats, a statewide regional conference was birthed! Women divided the tasks of handling finances and registration, writing stories, creating skits and community-building activities, organizing accommodations and putting together publicity. Last, but most importantly, they set in motion strong prayer support to cover this conference. They were of one mind about what should be the focus—traditioning Biblical womanhood. The purpose would be to emphasize what Biblical womanhood looks like in different seasons of life and to encourage women to share God's faithfulness with the next generation. There was a strong commitment to minister to teen girls, high school and college-aged women and to reach out multi-culturally. PRAYING & PLANNING Prayer united WIC during this process. Before we met, we prayed. As we met, we prayed. When we sent out promotion pieces, we asked the churches and the presbyteries to pray. We wrote letters to our pastors and the CE chairman and asked them to pray. We used e-mail and kept a running prayer list of seminar speakers and other working on the conference who needed prayer. About eight weeks before the conference, we felt the darts of the evil one. Eight women were dealing with cancer (either themselves or in their family) and other serious illnesses. In one family, a baby was born ten weeks early with serious health problems. And these were just the physical darts! God was faithful - all made it to the conference. PRAYING & PARTNERING Before we planned very far…PresWIC leadership asked permission to plan this regional conference. Yes, we asked and received permission and $1000 from ALL FOUR presbyteries. Central Florida presbytery assumed oversight of the conference and provided pastors for the Sunday morning worship. We are grateful for our Christian Education chairmen who prayed for us, encouraged us and helped communicate and publicize this conference to the churches in the presbyteries. PRAYING AND PREPARING – Divide and Conquer Over two years, we only met five times. Everything else we did by e-mail. We built upon a sense of community and ministry that had been established when Florida hosted the 2000 General Assembly. Women in Orlando took care of decorations and greeting. Other women coordinated with seminar speakers and picked menus and gifts. We call it our "divide and conquer" approach. But it worked because we never lost sight of the original vision. EVERYTHING we planned backed our focus statement: "This conference is focused on the ‘specific call of a woman’ to teach other women the biblical foundations of womanhood…thus encouraging and equipping her to pass on the richness of her faith to the next generation." THE CONFERENCE What did it look like when the planning was finished? It looked like Biblical womanhood was important. The speakers kept us focused on our theme. It looked practical. There were twenty-one seminars that applied those truths to the different seasons and issues of a woman's life - starting with our devotional lives as teens through grandparenting issues. It looked like a Florida event. With the exception of the keynote speakers, everyone who spoke at the conference or taught a seminar was from a Florida PCA church. The seventeen speakers were almost evenly divided in representation from each presbytery. So we met them as PresWIC leadership became better acquainted. In the process, we've introduced godly, reformed leadership women to our churches. Spiritual mothering stories and skits emphasized passing faith from generation to generation. Each story was from a real woman in a real church who lives a real life in the culture of Florida! It looked like a PresWIC event. The PresWIC presidents were front and center as they introduced aspects of the conference, led prayers and answered questions. Attendance reached almost 500, representing 55 of 120 churches It introduced WIC and PresWIC in a whole new way. In each session we had a ten-minute “WIC 101” segment. We did this by using a visual representation of "setting our women's ministry tables." We used "tablescape" illustrations, introduced to us at the 2002 WIC Leadership Training Seminar. They portrayed how the truths taught during the weekend applied to women's ministries in the local church. We were able to say what covenantal women's ministry really is in a new and unique way. (Yes, you may have a copy of the tablescape script. Sherry will bring it to LTS this year or you can e-mail her at saknaples@cs.com for it!) Editorial note – You really want a copy of this!!!!
A Personal Response to the Florida Conference When the Florida PresWIC Conference was announced at Wellington Church, I had mixed feelings. It sounded interesting enough but "all-women" gatherings had never appealed to me. I loathed "clucking women," "hen parties," and mindless chatter. However, after one of our WellWICs (Women in the Church at Wellington) personally invited me, I decided to go. I enjoyed the ride up and renewed old friendships with my traveling companions. Still I was somewhat apprehensive. What would my roommate be like? Would she hog the bathroom? Would her clothes and make-up be strewn all over the room? How would the WellWICs treat me away from home? Would anyone talk to me? Would I feel comfortable or alienated? Would the same women who rode with me, want to travel back with me? As the conference started, my apprehensions quickly subsided. I realized I was in a very special place at a very special time. The one and only true living God made His presence known through teaching that was so captivating that I sat on the edge of my chair trying to drink in every word. Tears streamed down my face as I learned about my role as a woman, wife, mother, mentor, covenant-keeper and most importantly, an image-bearer of Christ. The worship was exhilarating. The accommodations were pleasant; the food was delicious. I made new friends and deepened relationship with old ones. Praise God for the faithful women who encouraged me to go; and for the time, effort, planning and prayer that was put into this life changing conference. To God be the Glory! ---Participant from Wellington PCA, Wellington, FL
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Teen Perspective on the Florida Conference I loved it! They really taught me a lot. I thought it was really cool to be at a conference with the women, to hear them praying for us throughout the weekend. We loved having our own seminars and keynote speaker. She was AWESOME!!! She related very well to the teens, spent a lot of time getting to know each of us personally, and made us feel that what we had to say was important. My favorite time with her was the Saturday night session. We sat in a circle and had a discussion. She made an impact on what I thought about being a Christian teenager. My favorite seminar was “Purity and Dating.” It made me realize how careful you need to be in dating relationships. Dating a Christian is very important even in high school. You don’t want your emotions to fall in love with someone who does not share your love for the Lord. I came away from the conference challenged by the wonderful spiritual mothering stories I heard. I am now becoming a spiritual mentor to a younger girl, Sherri, in my church. I know what I learned will influence me in the future. – Allison Breed, Sebring, FL
A Titus 2 Story: More Good Fruit from the Florida Regional Do you ever wonder what happens to former WASC members? You meet them at conferences, you often read articles from them in the Resource Letter, and then they say goodbye. What do they do to fill up the time they have given to women’s ministries? Do they say, “I have done that! Now let me find time to get back into my comfort zone” or do they begin a new life of ministry? Rejoice in this testimony of how God prepares us to be Titus 2 women and spiritual mothers, spanning not only generations, but also continents and cultures. Rejoice in this sister’s obedience and pray for her in this exciting new Titus 2 ministry. Carol Arnold served as Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee Representative for the Southeast and Florida Regions for seven years. --Equipping Pastors International, Inc. Jack and Carol Arnold, 6891 Kissimmee Place, Winter Springs, FL 32708.
I was a pastor’s wife working hard in the church and content in my own little world. I never would have thought that my straight-laced husband—a German, choleric, type-A personality, who hates to fly, doesn’t like surprises and doesn’t have an adventurous bone in his body—at the age of sixty-two would become a globe-trotting professor and teacher. But here we are training pastors and wives all over the world, meeting extraordinary people, sleeping in odd places, traveling on all kinds of transportation, eating strange and suspicious food, and spending weeks in the bush where there is no electricity or running water. It shows that you can teach an old dog new tricks—when God is the Teacher! I had taught women all across the United States, but when God called us to this new ministry I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to relate to women in foreign lands. I’ve discovered that God’s Word is true for women from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. African women spend most of their time just trying to live through the day—carrying water, working in the garden, cooking meals over charcoal fires, sweeping the dirt around their huts, washing clothes by hand and spreading them on the bushes to dry, picking the stones out of the rice so it can be eaten. I’ve found that these women live without complaint. They are learning to be content, knowing that God loves them and will take care of them even in their dire circumstances. They have told me, “We are trying to survive in a difficult and often hostile environment. We don’t have the luxury of disagreeing over the kind of music we sing in church!” I have also learned that women around the world have many of the same questions, so I am comfortable spiritually mothering them. However, some of their questions are tragically different.
These women cannot change their past or, often, their present circumstances, but they can teach the next generation a better way. They can tell their daughters the truth of biblical womanhood; but first, they must know the truth. The need for spiritual mothering is worldwide. Women need other women to show them how to apply the truth of God’s Word and how to pass the legacy to the next generation. God will prepare women who are willing to be spiritual mothers to whomever He brings into their lives. We look out over the world and see such big needs. But we must remember that God calls us to live day by day not doing what feels good or what makes us happy, but doing what is right, what is wise, what God would have us do. We are to accept whatever a sovereign God brings into our lives and anticipate the opportunities He gives us each day. The world desperately needs role models – here and overseas – of what Christ can do when we accept His redeeming love. Be a spiritual mother where you are, and one day you might be sharing your experiences with women in Singapore, Sudan or Somalia. Excerpted from The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood, by Susan Hunt and Barbara Thompson, - publishing date – June 2003 Biblical Foundations for Womanhood Resources: Equipping PCA Women for Kingdom Building Christian Education and Publications provides two complementary tracks of discipleship materials for women. Track #1: Five topical studies that teach Biblical principles of womanhood. Track #2: Studies of various books of the Bible that approach Scripture from a covenantal perspective. These are more than parallel tracks. They are overlapping, converging curricula that reinforce each other. They may be studied in any order. New Bible Study: The Gospel of Matthew, Part 1, Chapters 1-16 – Will be available in May. Look for preview chapters on the CEP web page in March.The objectives of this study are that women will: 1. Know God better (Jeremiah 24:7). 2. Know that God’s relentless pursuit of His people is because of the covenant of redemption made between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit before the world began (Ephesians 1:3–14). 3. Understand that the Jesus fulfilled the covenant promise and kept every covenant requirement. 4. Grow in their knowledge of the life and ministry of Jesus. 5. Grow in their knowledge of the privileges and responsibilities of citizens of God’s Kingdom. 6. Rejoice in fulfilling God’s design and calling for women in His Kingdom. Personal word from the curriculum writers: We are grateful for the privilege of being involved in writing this Bible Study Series. It has been thrilling to spend a year soaking in the Gospel of Matthew. From the opening words of Matthew we were gripped by the wonder of the Incarnation. It is amazing that something as glorious as Jesus’ birth would begin with something as boring as a genealogy—unless you understand the covenant. The glory of the genealogy is that it shouts to us that God kept His promise! The account of the Incarnation begins by looking back to the Old Testament because the coming of Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. This reference to the Old Testament illustrates the covenantal structure of Scripture. It has been extraordinary to consider the account of the Lord of Glory stepping into the stream of human history. The more we studied this Gospel, the more we were confronted with our need for God’s grace and the grandeur of His grace. We pray that the same will happen for the women who participate in this study. ---Susan Hunt and Lynn Brookside Editorial Note: As always our desire in providing these resources is to give to PCA women Bible study materials that are in step with CE&P’s approach to women’s ministry in the local church. These are materials written from a biblical/reformed perspective, emphasizing covenantal theology. Why do we continue to emphasize these distinctives? Because they make a difference! As a bonus, here is an article from G.I. Williamson, noted theologian and author, on one of the distinctives of being reformed in your study of the Word of God. Distinctives that Make a Difference: A God-ward Focus G. I. Williamson When Paul the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 3:3 NKJV), he described each one of them as "an epistle of Christ, . . . written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God." This means that every Christian life has a story to tell and the story is written by God. But just as Shakespeare (the author) is much greater and more important than any of the many different characters in the plays that he wrote (such as “Hamlet” or “King Lear”), so God is much more important than the story of Moses or David or Paul. It follows, then, that when we study the Bible—and the lives of some of the great men that we read about in the Bible—the most important thing we need is to understand the great work of God as it is seen in the lives of these people. We don't really understand their significance until we see them as books, or epistles, written by the Spirit. And they were written so that we might know more and more about their Author, who is God. It is this God-centered focus that we constantly endeavor to keep in all the Sunday school materials published by Great Commission Publications. After all, as the Apostle John says, the central thing necessary to have eternal life is to know the true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent (John 17:3). We should ask, “What is David doing in this story?” But we should also ask “What is God doing here with David in this story?” Yes, we need to know that David had the courage to face and conquer Goliath. But we need even more to see the great work of God in David that enabled him to do so. It is not enough to tell our children to be like David—not unless we first help them to see the greatness of the true God in whom David trusted. For of him, and through him, and for him are all things: to whom be the glory for ever. That is what the Bible is all about and our aim is to help you see that it is so! Ready, Set, Teach is a newsletter for Sunday school leaders/teachers published quarterly by Great Commission Publications© 2002 – Publishing arm of the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. You can visit them online at www.gcp.org. Reaching the Next GenerationThis next story has all the right pieces – I am thrilled to share it with you. While working in the CEP Bookstore during the Mission to the World Conference in November of 2002, I met Cameron Reck and his Mom. They are members of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Sebring, FL. Cameron was looking at ABC Bible Verses for Children by Susan Hunt. Listen as Cameron tells in his own words how he partners in ministry with the women in the church. “My name is Cameron Reck. I’m eleven years old and in the 5th grade. While the Women in the Church are in their Wednesday Bible Study, (studying the WIC Study on The Formation of God’s People, Israel) my friend Michael (who is 12 and also the “Dean of Discipline”) helps with the home schooled children. I teach the lesson using the ABC Bible Verses. We always begin with prayer; have the lesson and review verses from the previous weeks using our puppets, Bill and Missy. Michael helps with crafts, snacks and keeping the kids in line. He also gets to pick out all the cool prizes we give when the kids successfully recite their verses. Craft time is usually spent making things like door hangers and bookmarks with Bible verses on them. We take an offering every week. We used the money to buy blankets, through Samaritan’s Purse, for children in other countries who don’t have warm shelters.” What a beautiful picture of the next generation hiding God’s Word in their hearts, and being compassionate children showing mercy to others. Cameron and Michael, thank your for telling of God’s great deeds to these children in your church. Thank you for helping your Moms to have time to study God’s revelation of His redemptive plan in Christ Jesus. Thank you for giving us such a good model.
CATHY WILSON In each issue we are intentional about keeping the CEP resources before you. WIC Training is flourishing and CE&P’s ten WIC Trainers are keeping busy as churches, PresWICs and even large church women’s councils are tapping into this covenantal perspective of ministry. Cathy Wilson reminds us of the rich treasures of our reformed heritage and the responsibility we have to articulate and pass it on to future generations. It is scary how accustomed we can become to the blessings of good biblical teaching and the modeling of the covenant way. We assume that everyone in the Christian community lives off of the same biblical framework and vision of the church. We forget, or at least I have, the excitement we felt when the concepts of covenantal ministry jumped out of scripture at us and the big picture of our Christian life suddenly brought new energy into our walk with the Lord and with our sisters and brothers in Christ. As a trainer for WIC, watching the light bulb go on and the fire of excitement ignite in other women has reminded me of the treasure that we, as Reformed believers, hold a treasure that must be articulated and passed down over and over. I have had opportunity to present this material in several different settings. It is fun to see its applicability to different types of churches as well as the flexibility of the material. I have presented the training in seminar format for a PresWIC and I have used its concepts in speaking to women in churches about Titus 2 ministries. The churches involved have varied in size, have been Southern and Midwestern, from both small towns and from large metropolitan areas. Regardless of the arena, the truths resonate with women! I believe this is so because they speak to the very core of who we are as women in God’s church and thus affect all of life – beliefs, attitudes, actions and programs. To that end, I pray that if you have not already been part of a training session that you will think creatively about how you can use this resource. Discuss with your WASC or a trainer ways to spread out the cost such as pairing up with other churches or by making it a PresWIC sponsored event. Don’t assume that if some of your women have heard the material before that they can’t revisit the concepts again and discuss them with women who are new to the training. One church in this situation told me how a second training further cemented the philosophy of ministry in their women leadership. The women in the WIC office are willing to discuss creative ways to bring this resource to as many of our churches as desire it. Would you pray with us towards that end? We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, may God by His Spirit continue to prepare His bride and may we, by His grace, be faithful in His process! Remember, WIC Trainers are available to help you develop and implement a covenantal approach to the local church’s ministry to women. Call or email the WIC Office at CEP for more information.
By Kari Stanback, Director of Women’s Ministries at Park Cities, Dallas, TXFollowing a year-long strategic change study, Park Cities Presbyterian Church discovered while it was excellent at its teaching, it fell short in producing disciples when it did not equally encourage its members to be involved in fellowship with accountability and service. The Session challenged all of the ministries of the church to clearly demonstrate how they are evangelizing and discipling people within their area of service. As part of the total ministry of the church, the Women’s Ministry seized the opportunity of the Fall Kick-off to demonstrate the principles of biblical teaching, fellowship with accountability, and service. The theme of the event was, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” Psalm 34:8. Biblical Teaching: The Fall Kick-off event featured Carolyn Custis James, author of, When Life and Beliefs Collide. This book challenges us to think seriously about what we believe about God and how our true beliefs are woven into every aspect of our lives. Service: Prior to the event, the Women’s Ministries leadership team selected three women from three ages and stages of life that it felt beautifully exemplified these ministry principles. The team produced a video of these women as they served: making bedspreads for homeless, reading to inner city children, and incorporating their family life into mercy ministry. Fellowship with Accountability: As the women arrived for the Kick-Off Luncheon, they walked into a restaurant setting. Each table was covered with a read and white tablecloth. The lunch was served in Styrofoam boxes. At each place a “Ministry Menu” with various mercy opportunities listed. Each ministry was briefly described during the luncheon. The ladies were given a “To Go” order form on which to respond to the menu. These forms were gathered and members of the Women’s Ministry team did personal follow-up. As a result of the luncheon, over 75 women responded. But most importantly, we demonstrated by the theme that we view women’s ministry as one that extends the Kingdom through evangelism, discipleship, and service. We must not be simply receivers of quality teaching of the Word, but doers of the Word. Without this, we stunt our spiritual growth. “The purpose of the Women in the Church is that every woman know Christ personally and be committed to extending His Kingdom in her life, home, church, community, and throughout the world.”
Mobilizing our Women in Prayer…Frankie Bennett, Chaplain’s wife… We deeply appreciate your prayers for military families always, and even more so now as so many are preparing to leave or have already left for overseas duty. Please include in your prayers the many civilians who are reservists. Many of them—who on a daily basis have ordinary jobs as teachers, engineers, police officers, pastors, dentists, even wives and mothers – are also being called into active duty status and being sent overseas. Here are some ideas for ways to pray (and to offer tangible help) for the service members, reservists, and families: · For stable home situations. In order to be able to focus on the mission “over there,” service members need peace of mind knowing their loved ones are handling the separation in healthy ways. · For strong support networks for the spouses and children. When service members are deployed, the usual crises of life will still occur back home. Their families need a network of wise, helpful, reliable family, friends, church, and professionals who can help with medical needs, tax preparation, home repairs, and life’s other emergencies. · For grace for every service member and for every family member to obey Philippians 4:6-8, entrusting one another to God’s perfect care without anxiety and with the “peace that passes understanding.” · For strong, dynamic fellowship among believers while deployed. Pray for the Spirit to raise up godly lay leaders and Chaplains to lead worship, to teach Bible study, and to encourage one another to put faith into action. · For the spread of the gospel through the vibrant faith of the men and women called to duty. Pray that they will carry out their duties with excellence, with attitudes of willing service, with wisdom, with tact, and with proper submission to the authorities placed over them. · For wisdom for every man and woman placed in authority, especially when life-or-death decisions must be made quickly. · For the evil plans of all enemies (foreign and domestic) to be thwarted. Plains Church, Zachary, LA…Fall Kick Off Idea…Using the theme: “Connecting the WIC Dots,” the need for Plains Presbyterian women to be connected to Christ, His Church, to their sisters in Christ and to the world around them was emphasized. Dots were scattered on the floor, the tables and down the hall to give visual reference to the theme. As the ministries of the Plains Church were listed, the women were instructed to stand if they served in them. It was thrilling to see involvement of women in nearly all of the ministries. The last part of the afternoon was the “Connect-a-thon,” which gave women the opportunity to visit the ministry booths, choose cards that explained the ministry responsibilities and job opening in each. The last activity of the day was to pray together as Women in the Church for the ministries that the Lord has given to them and to consider where the Lord would have them be ‘connected.” Willow Creek Church, Winter Springs, FL… Recognizing that moving to a new city or a new church can be lonely and difficult, the Willow Creek Women’s Ministry has designed an Afternoon Tea and Dessert for “new” women. These quarterly teas are designed to provide practical help and encouragement, as well as, give opportunity to ask questions, meet the Women’s Ministry team, and other women of the church. Personal handmade invitations were sent to women who attended new members’ classes and those who have indicated “looking for a new church home” on church registration. Pastors’ wives and key leaders connected to ministries of women were invited. In the context of fellowship, people and ministries were introduced. The “new” women not only were able to ask questions about the women’s ministries of the church but were also given practical answers about living in this new area. Let’s Go to Charlotte!!! ALERT to ruling and teaching elder’s wives….the packets are coming. Start looking for them and asking your husband to bring you the sheets with information on General Assembly activities for children and women. Here is a preview of good things to come. The local committee has been prayerfully diligent in planning for this Assembly. Keep them in your prayers as the dates draw closer and the responsibilities increase! June 10-13, Charlotte, North CarolinaRemember: You must register in advance for WIC events. Wednesday and Thursday – Morning prayer meetings led by the Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee. On Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, tours will be arranged by a local committee Wednesday 9:00 - 11:30 (WIC Program) and 11:45-12:30 (Luncheon): Discovering and Nurturing Your Passion for God’s Family. Speakers will be Cindy and Harry Reeder, Teaching elder and wife from Briarwood PCA, Birmingham, AL. Thursday: Various seminars and gatherings for wives of Ruling and Teaching Elders. Seminars – Choose one 1. A Woman’s Worldview – Carol Arnold This seminar will prepare us to be Titus 2 women and spiritual mothers, spanning continents and cultures. We will be given a glimpse of what God is doing with and for women around the world, in their marriages, their homes, their church and the world. 2. Family Blessings Generation to Generation – Susan Hunt Practical ways that mothers and grandmothers can weave covenantal principles into family life, and how ministry families can share these ideas with the covenant family.3. Subtle Sacrifices, Sweet Rewards: A Charge to Ministry Wives – Jani Ortlund – Join us as we recognize and validate the difficult parts of a ministry marriage, while emphasizing the wonderful ‘pluses’ of serving Christ as a team. 4. Watching the Garden Grow: Nurturing and Cultivating a Women’s Ministry while Planting a New Church – Connie Miller – This seminar will remind us that we are not in Martha Stewart’s backyard…but on the battlefield of church planting. Let’s learn together how to plant a vibrant women’s ministry in this often ‘hard soil’ of woundedness and scars. 5. Peacemaking, Prayer, and Perseverance in God's Family –Corlette Sande. You want something (obedient, respectful children, and an understanding, supportive husband), but yu don't get it.....even when you lecture, nag, punish, and argue. God has a better way. Come and learn how to pursue peace within your family by using the powerful peacemaking tools God has given us in His Word Local WICS: Treat your pastor’s wife to these GA functions and ask her to share her vision when she returns. WHY DO YOU GO TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY? Some thoughts from various ruling and teaching elders’ wives: Ô “I want to experience and connect with other women whose husbands are elders. I want to gain a bigger vision of the PCA.” Teaching Elder’s Wife Ô “Its fun! I love seeing and keeping up with dear friends, always enjoy the women’s activities that have been so carefully planned for us. I want to support my husband.” Ruling Elder’s Wife Ô “Because I consider our ministry a partnership, I want to be there to encourage and learn together. I look forward to the great fellowship.” Teaching Elder’s Wife Ô “A fun way to seize the opportunity to support my husband by experiencing a part of who he is (without water, bugs, cold, and dirt –my hubby loves the ‘great outdoors!’). I love the fellowship of women from all over the denomination and seeing that God’s church and work is broader than ourselves.” Ruling Elder’s Wife
Make copies of the WICK and distribute to every woman
in the church. Schedule
the 2002 WIC Love Gift Video: contact the Video Library 1.800.283.1357 or order
online
Local WICS: Make sure the CE&P/WIC office has a correct and updated
name and address for your WIC president/contact woman. Call 678.825.1132
or make corrections through the web
site.
Pray for the CE&P/ WIC staff in Atlanta, your WASC representative, and
your PresWIC President.
PresWIC Presidents: Make plans to attend the 2003 Leadership Training
Seminar Plan
to attend the 2003 Mercy Conference in Atlanta (March 13-15) and publicize
it to your entire church. PresWIC
Councils: Be creative and diligent as you seek to connect your women
through newsletters and other publicity for important equipping events.
Pray for WIC Trainers, PresWICs and local churches as they prepare for
upcoming WIC training events. For information about scheduling a WIC trainer, contact the WIC office at 678-825-1146 or jpatete@pcanet.org
Pray Put these dates on your calendar as you plan for 2003:April 29- May 1 June 10-13 To get more details about conference content and registration, go to www.pcanet.org/cep. Either select the conference listed in the left hand bar or go to the "Events" calendar on the right hand bar. Have you changed addresses? Stay connected! If you are a local WIC president, a WIC contact person, a PresWIC president, a director of women’s ministries or a wife of a teaching elder, please update your contact information with us. Go to www.pcanet.org/cep/wic and click on "WIC Contacts" on the left hand sidebar. Complete and send the form to stay in touch. "IF WE ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO SHAPE THE WORLD ...THE WORLD WILL SHAPE US." Each year, CE&P sponsors large conferences which bring together hundreds of people from many PCA churches. These events are often the catalyst for renewal in the local church as members are motivated and trained for service. Check the CE&P website to find out more about the following conferences.
We want to hear from you: good ideas for local and PresWIC events and WIC training events…especially ways that women are connecting personally, cross-generationally, denominationally, and globally. Also, what are some creative ways you have shown the 2002 WIC Love Gift video? If your church or WIC has a newsletter, please send it to the PCA WIC office. Put us on your mailing list so that we can see what things are happening at your church or in your PresWIC. We depend on you for information and creative ways of ministering to the Daughters of the Covenant. Let’s share with one another the good things God is teaching us. Published by: Christian Education & Publications, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 102, Lawrenceville, GA 30043 Charles H. Dunahoo, Coordinator; Jane Patete, Coordinator of Women's Ministries
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