Women’s Ministry

1. Women’s Ministry “Take your everyday, ordinary life your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering... fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.” Romans 12 v1&2 The Message

2. The main aims of the Women's Ministry in BHC • To encourage, resource and inspire Christian woman to reach out to the people they regularly meet with God’s love. • To be at the heart of their community, creating innovative and natural opportunities, openings and friendships, being creative, forward thinking of how Christian women can be salt and light in today’s society. • To enable women to be secure in their identity, living life as Jesus intended it in all its fullness. • To build up healthy relationships between the women of the church, developing a love and understanding of one another.

3. The Box

4. To encourage, resource and inspire Christian woman to reach out to the people they regularly meet with God’s love. • Creating a desire to want to share your faith, to get a passion for it Eternal VS Temporary Col 3: 1-2 “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven…Think about about the things of heaven, not the things on earth.” Matt 6:16-21 “…store your treasures in heaven…wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be”

5. To encourage, resource and inspire Christian woman to reach out to the people they regularly meet with God’s love. What drives you?? What takes up your time and energy? Work, study, your house, trying to be popular, money …temporary Or areyou driven by relationships, wanting to spend quality time with friends, family…..all things eternal

6. The Box

7. To encourage, resource and inspire Christian woman to reach out to the people they regularly meet with God’s love. • Be prepared – your story 1 Peter 3:15 "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect". The story should be less than 100 words, and explain the before and after – what’s the difference • Word/concept that describes who you were before you met Christ • The fact that you then came into a relationship with Christ • Key word/concept that describes who you are after walking with Christ for a time.

8. To be at the heart of their community, creating innovative and natural opportunities, openings and friendships, being creative, forward thinking of how Christian women can be salt and light in today’s society . Responsibility to share our faith and to be pro-active. Eternal: Make spending time with friends, family, neighbours a priority Using your abilities, skills, resources God has given you.

9. To be at the heart of their community, creating innovative and natural opportunities, openings and friendships, being creative, forward thinking of how Christian women can be salt and light in today’s society • Prayer Colossians 4: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message…..Pray that I may proclaim it clearly…... Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

10. But… Time • Work to do’s – work, school, meetings • Personal tasks – sleep, wash, eat, exercise • Household tasks – clean, cook, washing….. • Children tasks – school, clubs, reading, homework 4 activities we must engage in to pursue life in God’s kingdom. • God“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 (NLT) • People –family/friends/neighbours • Calling– your passions “do not neglect your gift” I Tim 4:14 • Joy – “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete John 15:11

11. To enable women to be secure in their identity, living life as Jesus intended it in all its fullness “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10 v10 God has made us so wonderfully complex! ..made all the delicate, inner parts of my body..knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139 God made you exactly as you are, he wired you and gave you the temperament, experience and the background that you have because he wanted someone just like you. You do not need more experience, different personality, different life situations, you need to be you and your skills, interests, gifts, and natural style to make a difference. Just be the woman that God created

12. To build up healthy relationships between the women of the church, developing a love and understanding of one another. God made us all just as we are and we are all learning how to walk God’s ways.

13. The main aims of the Women's Ministry in BHC • To encourage, resource and inspire Christian woman to reach out to the people they regularly meet with God’s love. • To be at the heart of their community, creating innovative and natural opportunities, openings and friendships, being creative, forward thinking of how Christian women can be salt and light in today’s society. • To enable women to be secure in their identity, living life as Jesus intended it in all its fullness • To build up healthy relationships between the women of the church, developing a love and understanding of one another.

14. What’s next • Breakfasts Next breakfast is January 19th, Emma Dipper. Great opportunity to bring someone along as well, start praying now • Socials Oct/Nov • Prayer partners, triplets • Women’s conference in Thame – Sept 2013 • Activate conference March 1-3rd 2013