Summer 2012
from the
A Publication of NEWIM, Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry
“...to strengthen women who minister to women…”
Hearts Awakened Conference 2012
SERVING NEWIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jackie Rettberg Assistant to the Director Sherylynne Carriveau BOARD CHAIR Carolyn Shea
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Maureen Moore RECORDING SECRETARY Jill Austin BOARD MEMBERS Shirley Barber Susan Booker Luann Budd Cheri Dale Joyce Kinnu Teri Thompson Tammy Tkach Barbara Willett PRESIDENT EMERITUS Ginger Bertoni
What a special and life-changing time we experienced at our NEWIM Hearts Awakened conference in Fresno, hosted by Peoples Church Women’s Ministries. On Friday evening, February 17, gifted worship leader Anne Barbour led us into an evening of praise and worship. The thoughts she shared opened our hearts to what the Lord had in store for us on Saturday. Anne Graham Lotz was able to slip in the back of the auditorium to join in the worship that evening. She commented later it was exactly in line with the messages on her heart for the next day, and she could sense the presence of the Lord and His provision. If you’ve never heard Anne Barbour, she is a singer, songwriter and worship leader you don’t want to miss! On Saturday, after Anne Barbour opened again in worship, Anne Graham Lotz shared her heart to the audience of 1,300 women (and a few brave men!). Her call to us was to be “Awakened to His Coming.” With a clear message, filled with Bible passages and references to current events in our world, Anne challenged us to have eyes and hearts open and prepared for the Lord’s return, and to live our lives every day with that perspective. During her second session, “Awakened to His Word,” Anne taught and led us in a system of Bible study using Genesis 18:16-26 as a sample passage. She showed us how to listen to God’s voice through our own personal reading and exploration of the passage of Scripture. The time spent looking into the Word, seeking to apply it to our lives and hearing the comments of others, helped open our eyes to what the Lord was saying to us. This method of Bible study is a vital part of Anne’s ministry. Following lunch (we served over 700 boxed lunches), NEWIM Executive Director Jackie Rettberg shared opportunities and resources available through the organization. Anne’s third session challenged us to be “Awakened to His Heart.” This message used the Genesis passage we had studied earlier and Abraham’ experiContinued on page 2
Hearts Awakened (Continued from page 4)
ence as an example, giving us opportunity to observe the heart of God for His people, to understand He calls each one of us to share that heart and to live in the reality that our choices determine the direction of our lives. As part of the application, Anne invited us to repent of our sin, to look at anything in our lives that could hinder our relationship with Him and to write those things on a slip of paper. As women came forward to symbolically lay them at the foot of the cross, it was a significant moment in their lives. Anne Barbour and Anne Graham Lotz closed our time together with a time of worship and celebration as we focused on all the Lord has done for us, and His call to share His message of hope to a world that so desperately needs it. During the breaks, many women visited the NEWIM resource tables in the lobby, met the team members and gathered information and resources about the ministries and opportunities NEWIM provides. With women coming from throughout the state, it was a great chance for networking and exposing them to all NEWIM offers. NEWIM provides conferences bi-annually in both southern and northern California. We hope you’ll join us for the next one!
Online Hotline Do you wish you could talk to someone about ministry issues? The following NEWIM leaders are available whenever you need help: Shannon Reese: sreese@calvarylife.org Luann Budd: luann.budd@sjsu.edu Monica Brislawn: monicabrislawn@gmail.com Susan Booker: sobooker52@yahoo.com Betsy Stowe: stowefam@sbcglobal.net Beverly Amsbary Davenport: hwdbev@orionbroadband.net Jackie Rettberg: oasis631@cox.net Go to newim.org and click Online Hotline for their areas of expertise.
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How to Start a Women’s Ministry Forum A Women’s Ministry Forum provides an opportunity for women in a specific area of ministry, serving in the local church, to gather together in a safe environment to share ideas, encourage one another and pray intentionally for specific needs. Directors of Women’s Ministry If you oversee the women’s ministry in your church, whether you are a volunteer or salaried, this is an opportunity to meet other women sharing your heart and facing the same challenges. It is refreshing to have an opportunity to network, share ideas and pray together because of this common interest you share. 10 Simple Steps to Start a Forum in your area: PRAY! Ask the Lord to go before you as you plan; who to invite, discussion theme. Decide on a location, date and time—10 weeks ahead of time! Make a list of the Directors of Women’s Ministry, local to your area; encourage them to bring one of their leaders; perhaps one you are Shannon Reese, grooming for more responsibilities. Forum Moderator Select a relevant topic. For example: “Challenges you face as a leader;” “Conflict Resolution;” “Bible Study Suggestions.” Send invitations 6-8 weeks ahead of time via email or U.S. mail. Create an agenda for your time together. Here’s a sample for a good turnout and a productive meeting: 9:00—9:30: Women arrive, are greeted, given a name tag, offered coffee and a light snack. 9:30—10:15: Each woman introduces herself, shares about her ministry and the “connection question.” 10:15—11:00: Facilitate the topic of the day. 11:00—11:30: Pray together. The Roster: From your invitation list, provide a roster for the women to review to ensure the information is accurate and any additional guests can be added for future meetings. Brainstorm a list of topics they would like to discuss in the future. You can look through the list and invite future guest speakers/facilitators to share. Set a date for the next meeting. Reiterate how NEWIM can be a resource to them personally and for their ministry. Encourage them to visit the NEWIM website www.newim.org for helpful resources and upcoming events.
Join us for the next Director of Women’s Ministry Forum Are you a Director of Women’s Ministry? We’d love to see you at the next Director of Women’s Ministry Forum Friday, October 26, 2012, 10:00 am, at the home of Jackie Rettberg. Please email Jackie at oasis631@cox.net to RSVP and for directions. Page 3
Meet our new San Diego Chapter President, Dawn Wilson Dawn Wilson, President of the new San Diego NEWIM chapter, was drawn to a
“...equipping, encouraging and energizing women for the work of ministry.”
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NEWIM focus long before Jackie Rettberg ever approached her to lead the group. “I was reading Colossians 1:9b-10,” Dawn said, “and I felt the urge that this is how the Lord wants me to spend the rest of my years—equipping, encouraging and energizing women for the work of ministry.” Dawn says she sought God for confirmation that this was His direction. While speaking at a women’s conference, a pastor’s wife and women’s ministry director approached her. She asked Dawn, “Do you know of a group where I can go to be encouraged by women just like me—women with my same struggles and needs?” Dawn laughed and said, “I sure do. I’m going to be leading one soon!” It was that simple, Dawn said. She was delighted to chat with women in January about direction for the new chapter. While open to all women in ministry (especially leaders) in San Diego, the San Diego chapter is being revived with a new focus on east and south counties and the inner city. “I’m praying that God will lay it on the heart of a woman in the North County to reach her area, just as I desire to minister in my immediate locale,” she said. “We can then focus on women nearer to home all year, but get together once a year for a joint event.” The Lord prepared Dawn for NEWIM’s outreach through her more than 30 years of ministry as a youth pastor’s wife, pastor’s wife, women’s Sunday school teacher, work with a revival ministry and as director of her own ministry, Heart Choices Ministries (www.heartchoicesministries.com). Dawn’s focus has been to help women make proactive choices that build a life of excellence to the glory of God, focusing on the application of practical truths in scripture to everyday decisions and activities in the home, family, career and personal life. Dawn is the researcher and reviewer for author and radio host Nancy Leigh DeMoss of the Michigan-based Revive Our Hearts, and also researches and writes articles on prophecy and current news events for World Prophetic Ministries in Colton. She is a freelance journalist with the San Diego-based Christian Examiner. One of Dawn’s personal blogs, Heart Choices Today, deals with issues and choices relevant to women and ministry, especially a focus on biblical womanhood, revival, and sometimes, apologetics (http://heartchoicestoday.blogspot.com). Her other blog, LOL with God, is a humorous devotional that arose out of her book, LOL with God: Devotional Messages of Hope and Humor for Women, co-authored with Pam Farrel by Focus on the Family (www.LOLwithGod.com). Married for more than 37 years to her husband Bob, Dawn has two grown, married sons, three granddaughters, and a maltipoo pup named Roscoe. A resident of Lakeside, California, in the East County, she is a member of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon. Dawn is quick to talk about things she holds dear—with a humorous twist. “Life is all about choices,” she said. “I choose God, family, bookstore gift cards and rich dark chocolate. “And now,” she adds, “I will add my role in NEWIM. What a calling it is—what an opportunity. I get to encourage some special women of God as they encourage other women in ministry. It doesn’t get better than that!”
NEWIM Silent Retreats Fall 2012 Is it time to stop pouring out? In order to do the work of the ministry, we often sacrifice activities that nurture our souls. We give up meeting friends for coffee, taking walks at the park, enjoying leisurely mornings with the Lord. There’s so much to do, we can’t even imagine how we could carve out a morning, much less a few days to get away for retreat. There’s just no way. A book I read posed an intriguing question: Is it possible that instead of meeting the expectations God has of us, we are actually insulating ourselves from Him? We may say we wish we had more time, but we are the ones who keep filling up our days. We tell folks we don’t have time and maybe we even believe this lie ourselves. Could we actually be the ones filling up every minute because we want to avoid the Spirit? Could it be that our obsessive busyness and extreme attention to every detail is a well-crafted way to hide, to insulate ourselves from Him? As I’ve thought about it, it makes sense to consider if avoidance may be at the heart of why my life gets wound up in a frantic cycle of meetings and obligations. I may say I’d love to get away, but do I really want to? It can feel really risky. As leaders, I think we have to stop thinking we are too busy to take time for ourselves. We know we cannot keep pouring out if we don’t take time to allow the Lord to pour in. We have to get away for more than a few hours, to give ourselves time to dial down and become open and still. Maybe you can’t get away this week, but surely by October or November you can free up time. Take this as an invitation from the Lord to set aside all you give your life to for a few days, so you can give your full attention to God. NEWIM’s fall retreats are designed to give leaders the gift of time to fall in love with Jesus all over again. If you can’t do this for yourself, do it for your family and the women you serve. You, and they, will be so glad you did. Scholarships are available. Alive in Christ—a two day Silent Retreat, October 19-20, Mary and Joseph Retreat Center, Rancho Palos Verdes; $138 (double) or $165 (single). Call Lisa Bergstedt (949) 274-3243 or email lisa@lcbevents.com for more information. Payment may be made by check or through the NEWIM online store at www.newim.org. The Springs—a three day Prayer and Reflection retreat, Nov. 14-16 (Wednesday through Friday), St. Anthony’s Retreat Center near Visalia; $255. Testimonies from women who have come are available on the Springs blog, www.thespringsretreat.blogspot.com. Register and pay or at www.newim.org. Contact Darlene Derby at darlenederby@comcast.net for more information and/or to pay by check.
We may say we wish we had more time, but we are the ones who keep filling up our days.
—Luann Budd Page 5
The NEWIM Board is here to serve you! Like all organizations, NEWIM is governed by a Board of Directors. The purpose of the Board is to express what God, by the Holy Spirit, is revealing to them concerning implementation of the purposes, values, mission and policies of the organization. They are also responsible to ensure that NEWIM meets its legal requirements. The NEWIM Board was recently restructured to better fulfill the purposes of NEWIM and to serve its members. The Board members are all working members, each with her own area of ministry. Meet the Board: Jackie Rettberg, Executive Director. Newport Beach, CA Carolyn Shea, Board Chair, Newport Beach, CA Maureen Moore, CFO, Santa Ana, CA Jill Austin, Recording Secretary, Fort Collins, CO Shirley Barber, Central Valley Chapter President, Fresno, CA Susan Booker, Orange County Outreach and Director’s Forums, Fountain Valley, CA Luann Budd, Director of the Springs Retreats, San Jose, CA Cheri Dale, liaison to Anglican Women in Ministry, Tustin, CA Joyce Kinnu, Membership and Data Base, Fountain Valley, CA Teri Thompson, Kern County Chapter President, Bakersfield, CA Tammy Tkach, Website and Newsletter, Fontana, CA Barbara Willett, Special Projects and Chapters Outreach, Redondo Beach, CA
Become a Member or Renew Your Membership... ...online and save a stamp! Just go to www.newim.org and click the online store link. Choose your membership level and receive real benefits, including an online member roster, audio presentations and selected event discounts. Join today and we’ll post your ministry report in our Member Corner (all members are welcome to contribute). Your fee is tax deductible. Page 6
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From the Director Healing the Wounded Soul More and more people in our society are suffering from deeply wounded souls, many through wounds inflicted by others but just as many are self-inflicted. Many of these wounded souls are in our churches, desperately needing to be healed. What is the role of the church in the healing process? Wound therapy: When you get a gash or a scrape on your body what do you do? You clean the wound, maybe dab on an antibiotic cream, cover it with a bandage to stop the bleeding and keep it clean to prevent infection. You provide an environment that promotes healing. In time, as healing begins deep inside, the wound develops a covering of its own, the scab, and so you remove the temporary bandage, exposing the wound to light and air. When the wound is completely healed the scab drops off. What kind of wound therapy does the church provide for wounded souls? The church acts as the temporary protective bandage for wounded souls. It offers grace, acceptance, love and prayer to try and stop the bleeding, keep the wound clean and combat infection. It provides a safe environment so healing can begin. At some point, as the soul begins to heal a little, it is able to develop its own covering. At this point in time the church takes a step back and allows the air and light of Jesus alone to deeply penetrate the soul. It is only then that the wounded soul has the potential to become completely whole. As members of the body of Christ, we will want to remind ourselves our only role is to provide the temporary covering. We have no power to heal anyone. We are not able to change anyone, nor fix anyone nor make anyone whole! There is only one who heals the soul from the inside out and that is JESUS! True healing begins deep within each of us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Many wounded souls want the church to heal them. They really aren’t interested in coming face to face with Jesus. They go from meeting to meeting, conference and retreat to conference and retreat, from small group to small group and blame the church because they never heal. The saddest thing is we in the church forget our role and we fall into the trap of trying to heal, thinking what we say and do will actually heal someone. We think the safe environment we provide will heal them. The truth we must face is only Jesus will heal them. If we really believe the Lord has the power to heal we will stop trying to fix everyone. We will take a step back and let Jesus do His work in each soul. We can then continue to do our work! We will continue to extend grace, offer acceptance and love, AND WE WILL PRAY! It is the Lord who heals! (Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Peter 2:24-25).
The church provides a safe environment so healing can begin.
—Jackie Rettberg oasis631@cox.net A great many people are trying to make peace, but that has already been done. God has not left it for us to do, all we have to do is to enter into it. —D. L. Moody Page 7
Newsletter Editor: Tammy Tkach Email: tammy.tkach@gci.org VISIT US ON THE W EB: WWW. NEWIM. ORG
Bridge Day NEW IM members and friends will once again gather to play bridge and support NEWIM Retreat Scholarships. Date: 9/27/12 Venue: Big Canyon Country Club Reg i s ter: c al l R h o d a Stanley, 949-675-7722. We hope to see you there! We welcome donations.
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From the Heart