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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.
Many of you are busily engaged in crafting ministry opportunities of your local WICs and PresWICs. Let us help you! First things first… Pray and Prepare Your Heart to Serve…. Prayer is foundational to all we do. Intercessory prayer is one of the primary ministries women should have in a local church. Before the planning begins comes preparation of the heart through prayer and study. · Use Equipping God’s People for Kingdom Praying by Barbara Thompson with your leadership team. Pray God’s Word together, equip your leadership team to be strong prayer warriors for the whole ministry of the local church and for the PCA. · Form a ‘praying team. This is a good way to draw on the maturity of godly older saints …give them specific areas/needs and ask them to plead before the throne of grace for specific and perfect answers. · Order the tapes from the March Leadership Training Seminar. Use them with your leadership team to prepare your hearts for serving and to set a vision for the coming year. See back page of WIC Resource Quarterly – Second Quarter 2003 for tape order sheets. · Read Legacy of Biblical Womanhood as a leadership team – use the teaching and guidelines to help you minister to your women. · Work through a Bible Study together · Share testimonies of each leadership woman…learn the hearts of why they love and desire to serve God’s family. · Pray for your team to be:
You have heard this before, but it bears repeating: “the depth of community on the leadership team will determine the degree to which we cultivate community beyond.” Use checklists, throughout RQ, to aid your preparation in prayer and planning.
Two Examples of Creative Event Planning Hats
Off to WIC The 2002 theme was “Hats off to WIC”. Off and running with the idea…holding on tightly to our hats…many of us wearing more than one…publicity started…letters, flyers, postcards, emails, carried our theme words and pictures of hats about the up coming spring meeting in April. Many arrived wearing hats just as they were asked. More hats…nametags, handouts and table decorations. An announcement skit for the “Seasons of Biblical Womanhood” Fall Retreat featured “hats” that women wear during the seasons of life. (The favorite being the wedding veil.) Undecorated straw hats and beautiful scarves were on the tables at lunch and women were asked to take them home and bring them to the Fall retreat decorated. Hats didn’t stop there…each PresWIC officer received a pin with a straw hat and garden tools hanging from it to remind them of their commitment to serving the ladies of their Presbytery and the need to get busy and get their hands “dirty” while doing the work God called them to do. Throughout the year MORE HATS…lists of ideas for promotion of the Fall Retreat (poster ideas, small gifts, emails, personal invitations and even how to make Styrofoam cups melt into little hats) were sent to churches. …Ending in the Fall Retreat. Not only was every item decorated with hats, but “goody bags” contained hat pins, hat ornaments, hat note cards, etc. When it came time for the roll call of churches, it was evident that the women were willing to show their lighter side, all the while wearing their chef hats, baseball caps, flowered hats, feathered hats…(what happened to the decorated straw hats the PresWIC officers were asked to make? Prizes, of course!) Hats
Off to creativity! Fall 2003 PresWIC Retreat Each PresWIC had unique challenges and opportunities. South Texas has been faithful and diligent in evaluating, and meeting the needs of a presbytery that is vast and diverse culturally. Here is a good tool for planning any WIC event. (South Texas also has a Spanish version if needed!) Fall 2003 PresWIC Retreat Division of Responsibilities 1. PRAYER TEAM - Budget = $0 A. Secure a prayer leader from each church who will
commit to pray for all details of the retreat and encourage other women in
her church to join her in praying. CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: ______________________ 2. PUBLICITY - Budget = $100
A. Design and produce
retreat brochure Posters & Bulletin announcements Creative approaches to publicity Early Bird Special CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: ______________________
3. REGISTRATION - Budget = $0 A. Responsible
for designing the registration portion of the brochure and individual church
sign up sheets and sending to Publicity Committee to be included in
publicity packet CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: ______________________
4. FRIDAY NIGHT PRAYER GROUP/PRAYER PARTNERS - Budget = $25
A. Selection of group leaders CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: ______________________
5. PROGRAMS - Budget = $40
A. Coordinate and
produce the program which will go into the folders CONTACT: ______________________ 6. NAME TAGS - Budget = $25
A. Design and produce
name tags (coordinate as needed with prayer group) 7.
MUSIC & EARLY
MORNING PRAYER AND PRAISE - Budget = $50 CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: ______________________ 8. TABLE DECORATIONS - Budget = $150 * Note: The FAVORS duty has been split off into a separate duty
A. Help select colors
and symbol for retreat CONTACT: ______________________ 9. BOOK TABLE - Budget = $ 50
A. Select books and
tapes consistent with the teaching of our denomination CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: _____________________ 10. FOLDERS - Budget = $50
A. Purchase and
print/decorate front of folders CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: _____________________ 11. HOSPITALITY/OPEN HOUSE - Budget = $75
A. Recruit hostesses,
assign job areas as needed and provide markers for their name tags CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: ______________________
12. HISPANIC LIASON - Budget = $25
A. Facilitate
translation of appropriate materials into Spanish CONTACT: ______________________
A. Create favors that coordinate with the theme and colors of the retreat CHURCH: ______________________ CONTACT: _____________________
Checklist for PresWIC Presidents
Here is the second in a series of "Living Letters" depicting the hearts of the three women who served their regions with faithfulness. Meet Vicki Drake who represented the Mid-Alantic Region. Pray for her as she continues to love and serve her pastor husband, her children, grandchildren, and her local church family. Hear the heart of a faithful daughter. “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3: 2-3 I came to Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia in 1969 as a new Christian and a young wife. I was a 24-hour drive away from my family, and I was scared of the big city. But God used that move to open my eyes to the wonders of his covenant and to set me on the course of working with and teaching women, which has continued to this day. I rejoice that there have been Titus 2 women all around me—from the Mom who made sure I was included as her “daughter” for the Mother-Daughter Tea, to the two women who asked me to join them in prayer for the church on a monthly basis, to the friend who gently led me to the point where I could teach her weekly women’s Bible study when she had her baby, to the teens who cared for my kids without pay after my young husband died, to the women in our church who daily set godly examples of self-control and service. I cannot malign the word of God! I want to encourage you to continue in the pattern that has been set for you in Scripture and through the faithful teaching that you receive in your churches. Continue to follow the examples set by the Titus 2 women around you—those in your own churches and PresWICs, your WASC and WIC Trainers, Jane, Susan, and Barbara, and all of the women found in the pages of the BFW books. 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. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4). My WASC adventure has come to an end. Your “official” work will too one day. But we will never cease being daughters of the covenant. And we will never cease passing on to the next generation our covenant privileges and responsibilities. Our inaction will speak as loudly as our actions do. Keep growing. Keep encouraging. Keep teaching. And I will pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11).
Meet the newest WIC Trainer. If you have been a long time reader of the WIC Resource Quarterly, then you have read and known of the newest WIC Trainer, Evelyn Roberts. Evelyn has served as PresWIC President of Eastern Canada for 5 years. She has taught us much about the importance of women having a Titus 2 ministry in the lives of other women (read her article on Spiritual Mothering in the 1st quarter 2002 WIC Resource Quarterly) and she has been a catalyst for teaching her Canadian women about biblical womanhood. The CEP/WIC staff is thrilled that the Lord is opening this ministry opportunity to bring WIC training to Canada. Pray for Evelyn as she undertakes this new ministry. Pray for David, Evelyn’s husband as he encourages her in ministry. Read David’s testimony of love and support of his wife in the 3rd quarter 2002 WIC Resource Quarterly – you don’t want to miss it! Evelyn was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She became a Christian in 1993 after many years of drifting in the New Age culture. Evelyn, and her husband, David, live, work and worship in the inner city of Toronto. At Grace Toronto Church, Evelyn is the Coordinator of Women’s ministry and she is also President of Eastern Canada PresWIC. As a self-employed sales agent in the giftware industry, free time is a rare treat. When time allows, she enjoys downhill skiing, windsurfing and visiting with friends at their cabins in the countryside. NEW WIC BIBLE STUDY The new addition to the Women in the Church Bible Study curriculum was made available at the recent PCA General Assembly. It can now be purchased from the CE&P Bookstore at 1.800.283.1357 or www.cepbookstore.com. This study covers the first sixteen chapters of the Gospel of Matthew and will be the first of a two-part series. The basic text for this study is the Gospel of Matthew written by Dr. Jack Scott, former writer for CE&P. The text is part of a 26-volume study of the Bible. Susan Hunt, writer-consultant for CE&P, and Lynn Brookside have developed both a student book and a leader’s guide adapted it to the WIC emphasis on understanding the Bible from a covenantal perspective. This study is the third in a series covering the Old and New Testament and uses Scott’s basic text from CE&P’s Adult Biblical Education Series, along with supplementary materials. At least two more are scheduled in this series, according to CE&P’s WIC Coordinator, Jane Patete. When asked, “why do we need a WIC curriculum? Why do we not just study the Bible?” Charles Dunahoo, CE&P’s coordinator, responded,
“First, we know too much church history even in our own country, to be so naïve as to believe that we do not need creeds, confessions, other helps from the church, in order to understand the Bible. Second, the Westminster Confession of Faith, starting with a chapter on Scripture pointed out that while the message of salvation was clear for both ‘the learned and the unlearned,’ also acknowledged that ‘all things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear to all.’ The system of doctrine contained in the WCF was to give a framework to the church for the better understanding of that Word. Third, curriculum is simply a guide to facilitate a better understanding what the Bible teaches. Using a curriculum that is not consistent with our theology orientation can be as confusing as trying to study the Bible in a vacuum."
The full packet contains the volume by Scott, a student book, and a leader’s guide. Student books can be purchased separately. The earlier studies of Ephesians and Exodus in this series are still available. The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood Centered
around the motif of the covenant, Susan Hunt and Barbara Thompson have
written a book for women and about women. This book underscores and
personalizes a scheme set forth a number of years ago by the New Testament
scholar, entitled The Covenant of Grace. Hendrickson wrote,
"The doctrine of the covenant of grace is of great practical
significance. If we rightly grasp it, it will influence all of thought,
word and deed." A leader's guide will be available through the
CE&P Bookstore. Checklist for Directors of Women's Ministries
Bart Moseman, RUF Minister at the University of Nebraska gave a testimony in the RUF report to the Assembly. Here a few of his thoughts… “I was abnormally born – did not grow up in the PCA…but by God’s grace is a Presbyterian by choice. Attended Covenant Seminary and had never heard of Reformed University Ministries. So many of his seminary classmates were strong in biblical knowledge, rich in reformed thinking and committed to the church. Why and how he asked? They all had one thing in common – had been involved in RUF on the college campus. Bart was privileged to travel around the PCA, work in a year internship at Clemson PCA and everywhere he went he met pastors, session members, deacons, WIC presidents, PresWIC presidents who had been trained by RUF and who were loving and serving the church of Jesus Christ. God is at work!” Also, in his report to the Assembly, Randy Stair, PCA Foundation President, thanks WIC regions for their prayer support of the PCA Foundation and staff. Dates of 32nd GA: June 15-18, 2004, Pittsburg, PA Presbytery. If you would like to receive advance notice on the Women and Children's Activities, please send a blank email to GA2004WIC@juno.com The WASC designs the WIC programs for GA to 1) engage us in our helper defender role through intercessory prayer 2) facilitate a corporate celebration of the denomination into which we have been called 3) equip us through seminars in growing our love for God's church and to nurture His family.
...Strategic reading on the subject of Loving God's family, the Church We always like to share with everyone the broad range of books that are available at the CE&P bookstore. Due to some schedule changes, I was not able to share these book titles at the General Assembly WIC program. An effort had been made to choose new to “newish” books that would cover different aspects of nurturing our love for God’s family, the Church, the theme of the WIC program. One of the newest titles is a Bible study by Carol Ruvolo, Grace to Stand Firm, Grace to Grow. It is a study on I & II Peter. I feel that this study is the strongest in her series, Light for the Path. She teaches Peter’s letters theologically and practically, and directs application personally. Three titles that deal with living with and loving those in our community are, The Enduring Community, (Brian Habig & Les Newsom), Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, (Paul David Tripp), and The Communion of Saints, (Philip Graham Ryken) all give great insights into embracing the priority of the Church as well as the practical side of fellowshipping and caring for those in our local church body. Speaking of caring for those in our church body, Amy Sherman has a curriculum workbook, The ABCs of Community Ministry, which is an invaluable training guide for congregational outreach. Real Love for Real Life, The Art and Work of Caring by Andi Ashworth is a jewel in “reclaiming the dignity of the call of caring.” Her written work is personal and practical. In loving God’s family, we cannot forget our children. Ken Sande has taken his practical and biblical teaching in Peacemaker and presented it for use with the whole family with Peacemaker for the Family. And finally, this summer Great Commission Publications is launching an all-new curriculum called Kids’ Quest! Catechism Club. Adapted from a program developed by Susan Hunt and her son Richie based on First Catechism, the curriculum includes Bible stories, music, skits and age-appropriate learning activities. To order any of these titles check the CE&P Bookstore website, www.cepbookstore.com, or call the bookstore at 678-825-1100. Enjoy this “summer” reading and start this fall equipped in loving God’s family, the Church. by Kathy Stair, WIC Trainer and former Resource consultant for CE&P
WIC Presidents, Directors of Women's Ministries, Bible Study Leaders: One of the most time consuming tasks of planning in women's ministry is finding that "just right" Bible study! A well used refrain from WIC Training is "Why do we do what we do?" To be intentional in choosing your WIC Bible study materials, use these guidelines, which reflect our commitment to the authority of God's Word and the Reformed faith, and our high view of the church. At our 2003 LTS, Dr.
Allen Curry of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS pastored us.
In a session entitled “Tools for Teaching Biblically,” he gave
us wisdom that we need to bring to our planning of what and how we should
teach and study the Word of God. A Few Quotes: · The content of the Scriptures must always be central to biblical teaching. Biblical teaching should contain directions for communicating the content. It is what God means by these verses, not “what does it mean to me?” · God the Holy Spirit accompanies the teaching of His Word. God makes it work. He does something to you who will be teaching, and He does something to those whom you teach. If the work of the Spirit is not there, they will not learn · Teaching has a relational dimension; we always teach in the context of relationships (Get those tapes! Order form is in the WIC Resource Quarterly, Second Quarter, 2003.) The following is a grid to help you in the all-important selection of study materials. This is an adaptation of an outline by Joann White, Director of Women’s Ministries, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Study Material Selection Process I. Material A. The vision and mission of the church – Know what is important to your unique churchB. The vision and mission of the women’s ministry – Know your women, their diversity and needs C. Doctrinal soundness—Does it conform to the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms? Does it add weight to God’s name? Does it need modification before teaching? 1. Human tendency is to put favorite popular teachers on a pedestal. Use Biblical discernment rather than personal allegiance. D. Specific objectives— First: what do you want your women to know and what do you want your women to be? ‘Doing’ should be an outflow of ‘knowing’ and ‘being’. E. Variety—Bible book, topic, issue. There are many valid formats for Bible study. Try to use a variety. II. Audience – evaluation will have weight on choosing material A. Different generations—grandmother, mother, daughter. B. Different motivations for being there (study, knowledge, devotional, fellowship, etc). III. Approach—putting the material and the audience together A. Group traits –think through logistics – do you have space, teachers, and childcare? 1. Size—small, large. 2. Type—lecture, discussion, combination. 3. Life-stage—effects expectations of study time and overall commitment. B. Scheduling 1. Learning cycles—heavier doctrinal material in fall; lighter applicational material in spring; life skills in summer. 2. Meeting times—weekly/monthly/annually, day/night, school year/summer – keep your audience in mind in scheduling meeting times. C. Facilitation/support personnel - large groups may require special facilities and support personnel. D. Environment—park, home, lecture hall – different environments will require different support and supplies.
Joann White
PresWIC Ministry Project - RUF A WIC Partnership with RUF The women in the churches of your presbytery can partner with the RUF ministries. Getting Started 1. Contact your presbytery's Stated Clerk to obtain the names of the RUF pastors in your presbytery, as well as the name of the RUF Regional Coordinator for your area. 2. Contact the local WIC Presidents and inquire about whether or not the women in the presbytery would be interested in a PresWIC outreach to the RUF ministries in your presbytery. 3. If there is ample interest among the women in your presbytery, you will need to contact the Regional Coordinator and speak to him about your desire to have a ministry to the RUF chapters in your presbytery. Ask him for permission to contact the RUF ministers to inquire about how the women might best serve the RUF pastor, his wife, and the college women involved in the RUF ministry. 4. If the Regional Coordinator and the RUF ministers are interested in the women serving the RUF ministry, your PresWIC council should form a committee made up of additional women in the presbytery who are interested in this particular ministry. 5. The committee would work closely with your PresWIC council to involve all the churches in the presbytery in this ministry. Ministry Suggestions 1. Those churches that are in close proximity to RUF campus ministries should be praying for the RUF pastor and his wife, as well as meeting any needs that they have. Also, the women in those churches should be heavily involved in friendship/mentoring relationships with the RUF college women that attend their churches. 2. Churches that are a distance away from RUF campus ministries can: a) pray for and send notes of encouragement to the RUF campus ministers and their wives; b) pray for and send notes of encouragement to college women involved in RUF campus ministries; c) send care packages to the RUF college women during their final exams in the fall and spring semesters. 3. The women in your presbytery can also pray for the RUF Regional Coordinator and his wife. 4. Invite RUF college women to PresWIC luncheons, retreats, and other events. Getting Organized 1. Your newly formed committee should furnish the lists of RUF ministers and their wives (including mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers) to the WIC throughout the presbytery. 2. This committee should coordinate prayer assignments and care package assignments among the various churches. 3. This committee should contact those churches closely involved with RUF ministry to see if the women in the other churches can help them in their ministry to RUF. 4. At PresWIC events, allow some time for exchanging ideas and brainstorming on how the women might effectively serve the RUF ministers, their wives, and the college women involved in RUF. The goal is for our PCA women to be "helpers" in this great endeavor of reaching the rising generation for Jesus Christ. Also, our goal is to build covenantal bonds between women in the churches of our presbyteries by serving together. Note: These are merely suggestions. RUF ministers may have other needs that the PresWIC can meet. If your presbytery begins this ministry, please let me know how it is progressing. Marlys Mulkey - tjmdm@gte.net or 972.355.6053.
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 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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