Mississippi Valley Presbyterial By Susan Cavin
Missing Puzzle Pieces Q
uite a few years ago, our Women’s Ministry President compared each of our members to pieces from a jigsaw puzzle. Each one sepa- rate and unique, but separately only showing part of the total pic-
ture. Over the years, I have worked on many puzzles. Sometimes framing by little to complete the whole. I am sure some of you have experienced the pleasure of viewing a completed puzzle, as well as disappointment at discovering a piece is missing. As I am challenged to put together the picture of women’s ministry in Mississippi Valley Presbytery, it saddens me to see how many pieces are missing from our puzzle. This is a plea for help in discovering and reconnecting all of our pieces. I am requesting the women of each MVP Church send current contact information for your leadership. Each of you
are important, and without you, we are incomplete. Unfortunately, the information I have is out of date. Please share a brief description of activities, outreach, or ministry projects that are special to your membership. Have you found a particular Bible Study to be meaningful? I will compile these into my report to the Presbytery in the Fall. Would your church consider hosting a gathering for the women in your geographic area? Meet and Greet events have
proven to be successful points of connection. These are sincere questions. I am praying that as we work together on this puzzle, we will locate our missing pieces and once again see the vibrant picture of MVP Women’s Ministry. My contact information is readily available through the ARP magazine.
Northeast Presbyterial By Joanne Hamilton
Growing Through Change W
omen’s Ministry at Church of the Atonement/Northeast Presbytery has undergone organizational change to better serve the women and draw in new and younger with a Steering Committee consisting of a committee chair and members who each oversee an aspect of the ministry. A new name accompanied the restructuring. We now refer to our ministry as Women Woven Together (WWT). to the value women place on the spiritual growth, encouragement, and intimate fellowship these groups provide. With renewed focus on women who are new to the church and those who are not yet connected within the body of women, we have increased our commitment to hosting Sunday lunch for women multiple times a year. These are very simple events, usually offering pizza and salad, and requiring minimal preparation. These lunches provide a laid back get acquainted time that has proven to be very popular. And they serve as a pathway to getting women involved in other ministry activities. “Pop Up Socials” are a work in progress. We want to inspire women to share their leisure activities with others as a means of deepening relationships, and we assist in making that happen. For example, Karen enjoys hiking. She sets a date, time and place for a hike, and she alerts the appropriate committee member. We then advertise her plan through various means to all the women, instructing them to contact Karen directly if they would like to join her. Other activities that have drawn small groups together are crafting, knitting, watching a movie, and brown bag lunch at someone’s home. It’s not about the numbers attending, but rather about fostering connection. Recently at our pastor’s request, WWT hosted a game night with the youth—boys and girls. That proved to be a great
e an stry as
ice breaker yielding cross generation fun. There were board games, an active game of Handball, and even some women prepared to teach the younger how to knit. We provided an abundance of cookies and drinks, and it appeared a good time was had by all. With the Steering Committee format, we have been able to attract new and younger members to the leadership of WWT. We look forward to fresh new ideas that will help to bring women to a mature, saving faith in Jesus Christ.
26 The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
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