Building Retreat Testimony~ Linda Clark

You know how you attend a wonderful retreat, get all fired up with resolutions and then slowly get sidetracked with life back “in the real world”? Well, recently I attended a senior ladies Bible study discussion group at another church, and this get together reminded me of the Presbytery Women’s Retreat with its emphasis on building relationships and my desire to have someone special to mentor. The Bible study showed me the blessings of meeting with older women and hearing their stories and their wisdom about different scriptures. It also reminded me of the importance and need for women to be mentoring women. So now I’ve gone back to my notes from the Presbytery retreat to get myself back on track and praying for that special woman &/or women God has for me to mentor and to mentor me and also to share with anyone who may read this what was so special about our North Texas Presbytery Ministry to Women Retreat 2013.

Notes from NTPMWR13:
~Mentoring relationships encourage & build one another up.
~Mentoring relationships can be formal or informal & long or short.
~Mentoring relationships can change over time & require relational wisdom along with clear
communication.
~Mentoring relationships are for ALL women.
~Mentoring relationships should be Christ centered and gospel focused.

Basically in a nut shell, women need to talk to other women. But more than that, our words need to be Christ centered, gospel focused, encouraging and building up each other. Whew! It seems like a very important assignment our Father has given us. Yet talking comes natural to most of us, so we, with Holy Spirit’s help, must pray, pray, pray that our words are within these parameters, then we will be mentoring others informally all the time.

One of the scriptures from the retreat was Titus 2:3-5, which challenged me with some very specific instructions for older women (EVERYONE is an older woman to someone):
*be reverent in behavior
*don’t slander (gossip is so easy to fall into….WATCH OUT!)
*don’t drink too much wine
*teach what’s good & train the young women to love their husbands & children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, & submissive to their husbands.
*do all this in order not to revile the Word

As older women, it’s our responsibility to be an example to the younger women in our sphere of influence: We are role models good or bad, whether we want to be or not. Sort of like those movie stars & athletes, who say they’re not role models, but they are. Someone is watching our every word & action, especially if we give ourselves the name Christian. So no matter our age, young or old, or our maturity in the faith, our lives must not revile the Word. Dear Father, forgive us again for reviling the Word and give us Your grace to be reverent in behavior, self-controlled, pure, kind encouragers for You.

Another scripture from the retreat was 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

The retreat was excellent for making me think about the importance of being a Mentor & how we ALL need to be mentored, old and young. Heavenly Father, send Holy Spirit to touch our hearts and make our words, words of encouragement, which build up each other.

Fall Retreat Recap~ Melodie Bajame

Fall Retreat 2013

“Blessed are Those Who Build!”

Frisco, TX

 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as your are doing.”

I Thessalonians 5:11

 

 

We talk a lot about building ministries but how do we actually do that? In September, the women in the North Texas Presbytery gathered for their annual retreat eagerly looking forward to receiving some building advice! Advice about building teams, relationships, and ministries.

Friday night opened with a chance to reunite with friends and meet new ones along with enjoying a time of praise and worship. I presented the opening invitation with a foundational discussion about building teams - why, who, when, and how. We spent time learning about the ministries the Lord has blessed us with and how to build them in a Godly and constructive manner. The discussion included an interactive time where we built our center pieces with Legos to drive home the message that everyone has been blessed with different gifts and we need them all to have a well-rounded team. Each woman received a Spiritual Gifts survey to complete for the next day.

This year was the first year WMNTP hosted “Girl’s Night!” This year’s was coordinated by Rachele Bajema. Our younger women enjoyed a late night trip to The Cheesecake Factory while the rest of us relaxed at the lovely Hilton Garden Inn.

We opened Saturday morning with discussions about our Spiritual Gifts over breakfast. It was great to see where everyone’s gifts were! Saturday’s topics continued with the building theme and the use of the gifts we have. Nicole Tsui taught on building relationships. Relationships can be formal or information, long or short, long distance, change over time, require relational wisdom and clear communication. Looking at our gifts and where we can be of encouragement and equip a younger woman is our Biblical calling. Cheryl Kendrick shared her wisdom on building mercy ministries. How do we relate with those in need, how do we help in the short term or long term, and much more. We learned to look for issues and actions the people themselves are willing to work on not just what we think is best. The best ministries assist people to be independent and support themselves and their families with their work.

The day closed with a discussion about media in our ministries - both print and social. Panel members included Nicole, Liz Withers from Design Products, and myself. We learned about the options available for our ministries to get the word out from church bulletins to posters, from Facebook to blogs, etc. It is important that we use a variety of mediums as we are reaching out to many different types of women. Through a Q & A session, other women shared what has worked for them. We were encouraged to look closely at the demographic of our ministries to be most effective.

The retreat closed with a variety of resources being presented for the women to use in their own ministries. Each seminar and discussion used several resources. I have listed below the resources we used that weekend for you to use in your ministries. The women were encouraged to use these resources to build their ministries. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful time of learning together. We pray that the women were able to return to their homes "encouraged and built up!"

Sincerely,
Melodie Bajema

Online Resources
PCA Website: http://www.pcanet.org/
General PCA information.
PCA Women's Ministry: http://www.pcacep.org/women/
Our resource for ministry basics, events, recommended studies, etc.
Meet the leaders of the PCA's Women's Ministry!
PCA Bookstore: http://www.cepbookstore.com/c-207-women.aspx
 Great resource for Bible studies, training information, and much, much, more!
WIC Love Gift: http://vimeo.com/56694305
 You are welcome to share this video with your church!
Barna Group: https://www.barna.org/
Resource for faith and cultural statistics
Lifeway Christian Resources: http://www.lifeway.com/Article/Women-Leadership-Spiritual-gifts-
growth-service
This is where the Spiritual Gifts Survey is listed.
Please note this is NOT a PCA website but a useful tool! :)
(click on "Events" for Leadership Training" details)
Books: (all available at the PCA Bookstore)
"Becoming a Woman of Influence" by Carol Kent
"The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood" by Susan Hunt and Barbara Thompson
“Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Mold for Women Mentoring Women” by Susan Hunt
“The True Woman” by Susan Hunt
“When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbet and Brian Fikkert
“A Woman’s Guide to Discipling” by Dana Yeakley
"Women's Ministry in the Local Church" by Susan Hunt and Ligon Duncan
"Women's Ministry Training and Resource Guide" by Susan Hunt