National Girls Ministries Theme Booklet

national director’s note .................4 Candy Tolbert

features national girls ministries week.......6 Offering and testimonies

planning guide................................8 Timeline and service ideas

devotional .....................................10 Inscribed With Love by the Spirit, by Olga Vigil

coins for kids project....................12

Scripture taken from The Message, Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Versionâ NIV®Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Dear Friends, As mothers, mentors, and leaders of girls it is our responsibility to help them achieve far more than they could ever dare to dream. Through relationship building and the teaching of God’s Word we are privileged to make a difference — to make our mark. That means the choices we make with our girls have a chance to influence the next generation one way or another. It is this kind of commitment and investment of quality time that makes our role as leader so vital.

“Inscribed…with love and by the Spirit” is this year’s annual Girls Ministries theme. Taken from 2 Corinthians 3:3 it powerfully challenges us in our task to influence girls because we not only want our girls and leaders to have God’s Word inscribed in their hearts but through the power of the Holy Spirit we want them to obey it!

These are critical days and my prayer is that more and more women will say yes to their call and step up to take their rightful place in ministry according to the Titus 2 principle; the older women teaching the younger women so that we may pass on what we know and leave an even greater legacy of love for the next generation. A legacy Inscribed… with love and by the Spirit.

You are my heroes! Thank you for the work you do week after week on behalf of girls and pre-school boys. May our Lord continue to strengthen, encourage, and equip you for the work He has assigned for you in 2012.

Love,

Candy Tolbert, Director National Girls Ministries

The 2012 theme, “Inscribed,” is supported by 2 Corinthians 3:3. The national Girls Ministries Department offers resources to help church leaders mentor girls with God’s definition of beauty in the midst of our sexually-driven culture, teaching girls to take time to develop their relationship and identity with God. The national Girls Ministries Department guides the overall vision and direction of Girls Ministries. Our mission statement is threefold:

1.

T o provide effective discipleship tools and support to districts and local churches

2. To

enable leaders to accomplish the fivefold purpose through women mentoring girls

3. To believe God for a harvest of

Ministries Week services, assists the national department in fulfilling this mission statement.

The national Girls Ministries staff provides field ministry, develops new materials and products, provides training and leadership materials, processes training certificates, and processes orders for materials and offerings for national projects.

Your generosity helps cover administrative costs and enables us to continue to provide quality materials and services.

girls — fulfilling His perfect plan for their lives

The annual National Girls Ministries Week offering, collected during local National Girls

The annual offering taken during National Girls Ministries Week in the local churches is a means of support for the national department. Your generosity helps cover administrative costs and enables us to continue to provide quality materials and services to more than 200,000 girls and sponsors involved in the Girls Ministries program. The national Girls Ministries Department thanks each one who participates in this offering, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful to our mission of enabling leaders to disciple girls.

her heart ... her world ... His purpose

National Girls Ministries Week | September 9-15, 2012 6

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What your money is helping to provide around the world ...

“Let’s face it: girls rock! They are energetic, smart, talented, and sophisticated. This ministry allows their individual gifts & talents to develop & grow.

Mostly our girls just need the love & acceptance our leaders can give; someone to care and show them they are special and can accomplish great things for a Great God!” Leisa McNamara, Orland Park, IL “There are things accomplished through girls clubs that could not be accomplished by any other means.

The girls clubs also help girls to build friendships that are crucial for treading the water of peer pressure and giving them an identity as to who they are in Christ. I believe in Girls Ministries! I think that is the one ministry that keeps a link to many girls/families who would not otherwise be involved in church.”

Debbie Hoffman, Carlsbad, NM

“I choose to have a distinct girls ministry because the girls of today face a lot of diversity in this world and they need a safe place to come and someone to they can trust. Through this ministry we can teach how much Jesus loves them and what He chose to do for them on Calvary because of the love He has for them. The resources teach them how to deal with everyday life.”

Judy Wootton, Oklahoma City, OK

What these lessons teach these young girls, they will not learn in Sunday school or children’s church.

“It’s important to teach doctrine and biblical truth at an early age, so it won’t depart from them.”

Michelle Rumley, Danville, IL

“This ministry, in my opinion, is a vital ministry for all churches to have for their young ladies. What these lessons teach these young girls, they will not learn in Sunday school or children’s church.”

Lynne Quatkemeyer, Bethel, OH

Here is our offering for the support of the nationwide ministry to girls.

Amount Enclosed: Church Account #: Name of Church: Church Address: City/State/Zip:

(279051-0200469) _____________

_

_____________

___

_________________ ___________________

A return envelope has been provided in the Theme/Sleepover packet for your convenience. Please make checks out to National Girls Ministries and mail to: 1445 N. Boonville Avenue, Springfield, MO 65802

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2 Months Prior •• Check with your pastor about placing a National Girls Ministries Week service on the calendar, the possibility of presenting Girls Ministries during a service, and/or a directed Girls Ministries prayer time.

4 Weeks Prior •• With your pastor’s approval, arrange for a speaker for your NGMW service.

•• Provide the devotional/sermon to the speaker as a suggested sermon topic or the Girls Ministries promotional video on this DVD.

2 Weeks Prior •• Pray with your girls and sponsors concerning the NGMW service and offering.

•• Display the NGMW poster included on this DVD in the posters folder.

•• Girls can decorate offering containers to be used to take up the NGMW offering.

•• Select girls to be greeters and ushers.

•• Print the order of service and/ or other pertinent NGMW information in your church bulletin.

Basic NGMW information is on page 6.

Before the Service •• Girls can serve as greeters,

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distributing a printed program listing all participants in the service along with their club level and perhaps a short bio.

A Girls Clubs bulletin (item #08MW8275) is available from Gospel Publishing House.

Entering the Church •• The children can enter to various club or Girls Ministries (“Honor You”) theme songs, each club carrying a club banner. (Club banner posters are available from Gospel Publishing House.)

Special Presentation Suggestions •• Allow each club (or just one club) to sing its club theme song. A Theme Songs CD (item #28MW5084), recorded in English and Spanish, is available from Gospel Publishing House.

•• If you want to tie in the Sleepover theme and Coins for Kids (CFK) project, a video about the current project is available on this disk or at www. ngmevents.ag.org/cfk as a free download. You can also find reproducible handouts in the Sleepover packet.

Ideas for Raising Financial Support •• Let girls receive the National Girls Ministries Week offering.

Use the information on page 6 to explain how the offering is used. Consider asking the

congregation to walk to the front and place their offering in the containers the girls have prepared.

Following National Girls Ministries Week •• Mail the NGMW report form on page 7 along with your offering (in the envelope provided in your Theme/Sleepover packet) to the national Girls Ministries Department.

•• Send an e-mail with comments, suggestions, and testimonies about your NGMW service to ngm@ag.org with National Girls Ministries Week in the subject line or post it on the NGM Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ NationalGirlsMinistries. 2

prayer requests

National Girls Ministries Please include these requests in your Girls Ministries Week service as well as throughout the year.

National Staff: •• Pray for direction as we develop new product and materials •• Protection during travel •• Use our staff to bless those whom we come in contact with •• Endurance to run the race well Extend the reach of our ministry Coins for Kids: •• Direction for projects to be selected •• God’s help as girls raise money for the project Girls and leaders across the world involved in Girls Ministries Financial blessing through the Girls Ministries Week offering and giving throughout the year.

•• Pray God would provide what our ministry needs to cover administrative costs and development of quality products, materials, and services

New Parenting Resources from National Girls Ministries Are you a parent of young girls? Are you baffled by your teen girl’s mood swings? Do you wonder if she will ever learn responsibility? Do you wish you could have a network of godly parents to run to for advice or comfort? Well you’re not alone, there are millions of others just like you. Christian moms and dads are doing their very best to instill godly principles and a biblical worldview that will impact their daughter’s heart, influence her world, and ultimately lead her to recognize His purpose for her life! National Girls Ministries wishes to help provide support and resources to help you traverse the bumpy yet scenic journey of parenthood.

Parent Pact Blog Coming in 2012, Parent Pact a weekly blog that explores the world of children, teens, and parenthood. It will Spotlight current trends that could affect your child, bringing existing social concerns to your attention, and discuss difficult parenting issues such as the discouragement, frustrations, and victories of parenting special needs children. As with any blog, you will have opportunity to submit your comments. We hope you do! Stay tuned for more information!

Family Devotions Did you have family devotions as a child? If so, were they fun or extremely boring (Dad reading a chapter in the Bible in a monotone voice)? Well, keep an eye out for the monthly free downloadable family devotional packet. The packet will be aimed at parents of elementary-age children. It will provide a short devotional, guided discussion, a challenge, and an activity to reinforce the lesson and make your family devotions fun, memorable, and interactive. No more boring family devos!

More information to come soon!

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By Olga Vigil When you apply for a job, a college or university, or for any scholarships, it is likely you will be asked to provide references or letters of recommendations from people who know you best such as teachers, ministers, former employers, etc. Did you know that this is not a new concept? It was much the same in the Apostle Paul’s day, especially for traveling speakers. They were expected to carry letters of reference with them as they traveled from place to place. It was often the only means by which they received hospitality and provisions for the journey ahead. Therefore, Paul wrote letters to recommend his friends and co-workers who were spreading the gospel.

•• He recommended Phoebe, a deacon of the church who had been very kind to many people, including Paul (Romans 16:1,2).

•• He gave various letters to Timothy stating both that he was faithful in the Lord and had genuine concern for the Church (1 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 2:19-30).

•• He wrote on behalf of Titus who was a fellow partner and worker, full of enthusiasm and initiative (2 Corinthians 8:16-24).

•• He commended Epaphroditus a fellow worker who almost died for the work of Christ (Philippians 2:24-30).

Paul himself did not carry letters of recommendation when he traveled. He did not carry them because he did not need them since he was the one who started the churches in those cities.

Asking Paul for a letter of recommendation would be like asking the president of the United States

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to show letters of recommendation in order to get back into the country. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Yet some people were questioning Paul’s credentials as if they did not know who he was.

So Paul defends himself by saying: “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone” (2 Corinthians 3:1,2, NIV).

Paul did not need a written document because he had “living” letters, the converts in Corinth were those living letters and their lives were read by everyone.

Paul became highly involved and invested in the lives of the people to whom he witnessed and in so doing he himself was affected. In a schedule-driven society like ours, this kind of commitment to people is quickly becoming extinct.

As leaders of girls, we too should become invested in our girls. The notion that we do not become personally affected or touched by the girls we lead should be as foreign to us as it was for Paul. They too are living letters written on our own hearts, but they are also known and read by everyone they meet. These girls are an extension of our ministry, and because we have had a part in their lives, many times we are the ones who are changed.

instead, to divine references. The credential he offers is Christ’s own letter written with the Spirit of the living God on the hearts of his converts.

It is all too easy to be overly impressed with a list of awards and to lose sight of the fact that inward change, not outward achievement, is what validates someone in God’s eyes.

“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 3:3, NIV).

Can you picture the living letters that are a result of your ministry? What are their names?

Do you remember their faces? How have they changed? How have you changed as a result of knowing them?

We are in the letter writing business; the result of our ministry will be written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts — girl’s hearts.

I challenge you today to engage the girls you currently lead and continue the work for in anticipation of those letters yet to be written as a result of your ongoing ministry! 2

Girls Ministries includes fantastic clubs and curriculum, however, we must never opt for program over the power of the Spirit! Paul’s critics solicited human references. Paul turns,

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