Spice September 2013 by College Heights

September 2013

College Heights Christian Church

Women In Ministry

Area Ladies Retreat

Prayer Retreat

September 20 - 21, 2013 Maranatha Bible Camp Everton, MO

Speakers Megan Gariss, Julie Gariss, Katie Marsh

A Quiet Escape into His Presence

Worship Leader Sonya Wilkins

Pick up a registration form at the Information Center or go online at www.maranathabiblecamp.com. Send in your own registration form & money to the address on the form Early Bird Price – must be postmarked by September 10

Cost: $35 Dorm Housing or $45 Retreat Center Housing To help with transportation, please let the WIM office know that you are registered. (Carol at 417.624.6915 x 301) This is an area women’s retreat. Planned and sponsored by area churches & Maranatha Bible Camp.

October 11-12

Cave Springs, Quapaw, OK Cost: $37

Registration forms and brochure at the Information Center or from the WIM office Space is limited to 20 What is a Quiet Escape? It is simply a time for quiet…and escaping the phone, TV, radio, laundry, and the multitude of others things that vie for our attention. It’s a time to quiet ourselves before the Lord and LISTEN to Him through our personal time in His Word and prayer.

September 2013 | Page 2

Sharing Our Stories “Ladies, we need each other.” The time has come, and I am finally a woman. When exactly did that happen? Was it when I got married, or when my mom and I had "the talk"? What was the defining moment when I went from considering myself a girl to a lady? I guess if I am honest I would still call myself a girl, but I think all women can relate. I can pinpoint this "womanhood" moment if you will, when I waved my family away after they dropped me off at college. No longer would my mom cook for me or be there to watch our weekly T.V. shows. I was a woman, time to find a job and make my way in the world. Fast forward to the present: I am a young wife still in school, happy and in love. So much ahead of me and so much to learn. Up to this point my mom has been the one to guide me in the ways of being a godly woman. After the Women’s Salad Supper, my heart began to fill that empty “mom-shaped void,” the one that had been in my heart since I was dropped off at college. The Annual Fall Kickoff was the cement that sealed the deal for me. Women need other women. I need other women; my husband can't teach me how to be a better wife, mother and woman of God. Not the way an experienced woman could. There are so many women at this church that can have a huge impact on young women like me, and likewise lots of young women who need that impact. Ladies, we need each other. We need a shoulder to cry on, someone who has been there to listen, and wise counsel when required. For now thanks for the impact you have had on me already, whether you know you did or not. God has brought my husband Joseph and me to College Heights for a reason, and I believe meeting and learning from you awesome ladies is one of those reasons. Keep teaching, I'll keep learning. ~~ Jessica Lang

Who is your “Sarah”? For almost twenty years, my mother has held a weekly prayer meeting back home in Louisville, Kentucky. She met with four to six other young mothers from our church every Friday morning, and while us kids played football outside, our moms talked about raising us! They shared ideas for date nights with their husbands, they cooked, sewed, organized, planned and cleaned, and they clipped thousands of coupons. And then they prayed: for their families, for the Church, and for the Kingdom of God. Though 1 Peter 3:1-6 refers mostly to womanhood in the context of marriage, there are great applications for women in all stages of life. My favorite is the line that mentions my namesake, Sarah, as the mother of Godly women: her daughters “do what is right and do not give way to fear.” Those women in Kentucky who meet and pray together are my spiritual mothers (my Sarahs), and I am their daughter. Empowered by their example and prayer, I have the courage to do what is right. What a legacy to leave! There is a gap in my life that needs to be filled. I need mothers. I need to see how older women live Godly lives, and I need them to share that with me! I need to be growing in a community of like-minded, Godly women who love those around them, pray constantly, are experienced in staying away from gossip, practiced in justice and mercy, have a heart of compassion, and a sincere desire to seek God. I loved coming to the Salad Supper a few weeks ago. And the Reflecting His Glory brunch? Awesome! But we need more than a few scattered events. We need a womenʼs ministry full of Sarahs impacting their spiritual daughters, showing them how to be filled with courage and do what is right. So if you see me around church or at the next womenʼs event, will you please chat with me? Or, better yet, find that young woman who didnʼt have such a great group praying over her childhood like I did. Invite her to dinner, pray with her, pray for her, and set a Godly example of womanhood for her to follow. That is Women in Ministry. ~~ Sarah Hester

September 2013 | Page 3

Sharing Our Stories (continued) “Can you still use me?” I’m a mom of two daughters. They arrived six years apart, so for over 20 years my life revolved around our girls. Memories collide of pigtails and prom dresses. Chicken pox and Colorado vacations. Birthday parties and band-aids. A house filled with giggles and at times…slammed doors. Late night talks and tears. My heart overflows with the gift God gave us when we became parents to these girls. But there comes a time in most parents’ lives, that those children become adults, find Godly husbands of their own, move hundreds of miles away and build their own families. Which brought another chapter into my life that I wasn’t looking forward to with eagerness…empty-nesthood. (I know it’s probably not a word, but it should be.) I will always be their mother, but not a 24/7 “hands-on” on-call mom. (But a weekly call or text is almost mandatory. ) So, I had a decision to make. Was I just going to live on memories of those years gone by, watching our grandchildren grow up from afar – by occasional Skypes and Instagram photos. Or did God have more for me? Would there be a possibility that He could still use me? Was there a chance that someone else’s daughter would like to learn how to make a pie, that another girl would need to have a listening ear and I could point to Jesus’ words to answer some of her tough questions. Would anyone want to cry with me during the latest season of Downton Abbey? Could I still have a cup of coffee with a couple of giggling girls? Could we search Scripture and both grow in our walk with Christ? Could I encourage a young minister’s wife? Could we challenge each other to memorize Scripture? God must have smiled at my clueless-ness when I asked Him, “Could you still use me?” It’s hard for me to think of what I do (unofficially or officially) … as mentoring. I don’t think that word “mentor” was even invented until the 21st century. I didn’t have a “mentor.” I just had a mom that sat on my bed and cried and prayed for me. I just had a Sunday School teacher that loved the history of the Old Testament and loved it so much that I caught that excitement for His Word. I just had Miss R, my high school music teacher that listened to my struggles as a young Christian girl, and even though prayer was taken out of the public schools during my kindergarten year, I know Miss R prayed for me. I just had an elder’s wife that took a very scared young married minister’s wife and loved me and loved my daughters like a grandma. I just have a co-worker that will leave encouraging Scriptures or a text that brightens my day. I learned by example…these ladies who loved Jesus and loved me. I am forever grateful. Yes, God can still use me. He still wants to use you. Let’s just love more (and to Crystal & Tiffany…thanks for my on-the-ground training…love ya gobs!) ~~ Carol Bowland

If the word “mentor” is intimating, let’s use the word: friend guide supporter

coach confidant advisor

companion listener sounding-board

role model cheerleader shepherd

cool peer baby sitter Mrs. Fix-it

parole officer private secretary nag

A “mentor” is not a: trained counselor bank/ATM machine psychologist

therapist taxi all-knowing

September A Taste of What’s Happening for Women

Sun 1

Mon 2

Tue 3

All these studies begin on 9/10 Resolution at 9 AM 673-5585 Chase at 9 AM 649-0150 James at 7 PM 437-4351 Daniel at 7 PM 553-2637

James Bible Study at 7 PM Call 793-2761

Last day to register for Prayer Retreat

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

MOPS Atrium 9:30-11:30

Romans & Thessalonians Bible Study at 9 AM Call 626-9296

Resolution Bible Study at 9 AM Call 673-5585

Area Ladies Maranatha Retreat

MOPS Atrium 9:30-11:30

Let’s Do Lunch Root Zero in Carthage

For a complete listing and explanation of each Bible study, go to our website: http://www.chcchurch.org/women-in-ministry or to our Facebook page “College Heights Women in Ministry” or pick up a flyer at the Information Center.

Contact for more information: cbowland@chcchurch.org 417-624-6915 x301 YOUR WIM PLANNING TEAM:      

Cheri Adcock adcockcircus@gmail.com Carol Bowland cbowland@chcchurch.org Dalenna Giles dgiles@chcchurch.org Tiffany Fink o2bad@hotmail.com Sandi McReynolds sanandmac@gmail.com Lesli Neuenschwander leslijn@gmail.com