Just thought i would share with you an idea we are working on setting up for the ladies at Bay firstly as a social event but also with the longer term goal of it being a community / outreach event in the hall at blackmans bay. It has been done a fair bit on the mainland and is very well developed. Our ideas are still very young & will take some organising yet but we (El and I) reckon it could be a great opportunity.
Here is a link you can look at but i will (try) and explain it anyway.
http://www.clothingexchange.com.au/Site/Home.html
So.... basically it is like an exchange. Everyone is required to bring decent items (could be anything like clothes, shoes, accessories etc) to contribute to the 'stall'. For each item that you bring you are given a button (currency in the land of "my sisters wardrobe). For each button you have you are then able to take something home. Obviously it will work better the more people and things that are contributing.
Does this make sense? I guess we see it as a lead in - or a way to make real contacts in the actual community of Blackmans Bay (since none of us actually live there).
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Hi
Hi girls - i am finally on!
Not really sure what i am doing though... will work it out over time i guess.
Not really sure what i am doing though... will work it out over time i guess.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Tasmanian Women's Bible Conference
The month is moving by very quickly - we are on the count-down now by just days. I wanted to share with you a few things:
Everyday we are getting a number of enrolments. This is an encouraging sign that the conference is coming in to it's own, so to speak. The vibe too, that we are getting is that people are excited and are looking forward to the day.
The elective speakers are working very hard on their subjects. They are praying that God will speak through them and how they present will not be a distraction to the subject. They are all meeting together tonight to share ideas, ask questions of each other and basically encourage each other in their roles. Thanks to Ali for organising this.
The musos are also coming together and thinking hard about the song choices. Thanks to Jo for this.
Jess (the admin whiz) has started printing name tags and the booklet is nearly finished! There are women in their churches who are promoting the day, there are women organising the book stall and other interesting 'bits' for morning and afternoon tea.
We thank God for all these people and we pray that He will strengthen them for their tasks leading up to the day. We are thankful too, for Louisa (our main speaker) for her efforts so far, we thank her mum for coming as well to look after her toddler and we pray that God will also protect them leading up to the day.
I am continually encouraged to see how God works even through the smallest of things. We will see you on the 28th!
Everyday we are getting a number of enrolments. This is an encouraging sign that the conference is coming in to it's own, so to speak. The vibe too, that we are getting is that people are excited and are looking forward to the day.
The elective speakers are working very hard on their subjects. They are praying that God will speak through them and how they present will not be a distraction to the subject. They are all meeting together tonight to share ideas, ask questions of each other and basically encourage each other in their roles. Thanks to Ali for organising this.
The musos are also coming together and thinking hard about the song choices. Thanks to Jo for this.
Jess (the admin whiz) has started printing name tags and the booklet is nearly finished! There are women in their churches who are promoting the day, there are women organising the book stall and other interesting 'bits' for morning and afternoon tea.
We thank God for all these people and we pray that He will strengthen them for their tasks leading up to the day. We are thankful too, for Louisa (our main speaker) for her efforts so far, we thank her mum for coming as well to look after her toddler and we pray that God will also protect them leading up to the day.
I am continually encouraged to see how God works even through the smallest of things. We will see you on the 28th!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
It's not about you stupid
Recently in the Briefing (A Matthias media monthly magazine) there was a story about someone complaining about something in the church (forgive me for my lack of exact details I can't find the edition right now but you will get the gist!) and the response from the pastor was "It's not about you stupid" Who knows if this story is an urban myth but it's message is a timely one.
When we look at the church (and when I talk about church I am talking about anything related to the community: bible studies, one-to-one dicsipleship, fellowship) why is that our thoughts are - what can church do for me today?, rather than, what can I do for the church today? I think (and therefore am putting myself out here) if we were to think the later, lots of our issues with the church would cease. Let me give some examples that relate to Women's ministry (but not only).
If you are not happy in your bible study group, why?
Is it because the bible is not being studied? Then have a friendly quiet chat with the leader and make suggestions on how this can happen more and how you can help the situation. The same goes if the prayer time in your group is not going so well, be the one to model it! Make suggestions to the leader about things that have been helpful to you and then you may be given the chance to share that with the group.
Unfortunately, in my experience these are not the reasons why women are unhappy about their groups. It has more to do with the people in the group. Some of the stuff I have heard over time are:
"I am trying to find one where I fit in", "The other group has more fun", "I am just not ready to give of myself", "Some people in my group are just down right annoying", "There are two women in my group who are good friends and they don't include me"
Now, don't get me wrong I am a female too and friendships and fitting in are really tricky things aren't they. But is this why we meet over God's word and encourage each other? Is it really about me? The answer, of course is no. Church is about God, Jesus and loving His community, it's not about having my needs meet, about finding the exact 'fit' for a group (is this even a remote possibility?) or not being willing to give of ourselves.
- There are reasons why we are not willing to give of ourselves, but these are usually not about the group, per sue. And these are things that will need to be dealt with.
So, next time you come across a situation where you are not totally comfortable in the church community - ask yourself
How have I contributed to this situation? (we always contribute, be it small or large)
If we were in a perfect world how would I think this group should function? How can I change my behaviour to work towards this?
If there are women whom you are interested in getting to know better, go for it! Create opportunities for you both to spend time outside the group together, find out what interests you share, I don't know many women who would not be interested in making new friends.
If people are annoying you - pray! Pray that God will change your thought patterns, when they annoy you pray for their marriage, when they discuss a topic that you are not interested in - pray that you will be.
More importantly pray that you will love the women in your community with the love that Christ has shown you on the cross.
"Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it" 1 Corinthians 12:27
When we look at the church (and when I talk about church I am talking about anything related to the community: bible studies, one-to-one dicsipleship, fellowship) why is that our thoughts are - what can church do for me today?, rather than, what can I do for the church today? I think (and therefore am putting myself out here) if we were to think the later, lots of our issues with the church would cease. Let me give some examples that relate to Women's ministry (but not only).
If you are not happy in your bible study group, why?
Is it because the bible is not being studied? Then have a friendly quiet chat with the leader and make suggestions on how this can happen more and how you can help the situation. The same goes if the prayer time in your group is not going so well, be the one to model it! Make suggestions to the leader about things that have been helpful to you and then you may be given the chance to share that with the group.
Unfortunately, in my experience these are not the reasons why women are unhappy about their groups. It has more to do with the people in the group. Some of the stuff I have heard over time are:
"I am trying to find one where I fit in", "The other group has more fun", "I am just not ready to give of myself", "Some people in my group are just down right annoying", "There are two women in my group who are good friends and they don't include me"
Now, don't get me wrong I am a female too and friendships and fitting in are really tricky things aren't they. But is this why we meet over God's word and encourage each other? Is it really about me? The answer, of course is no. Church is about God, Jesus and loving His community, it's not about having my needs meet, about finding the exact 'fit' for a group (is this even a remote possibility?) or not being willing to give of ourselves.
- There are reasons why we are not willing to give of ourselves, but these are usually not about the group, per sue. And these are things that will need to be dealt with.
So, next time you come across a situation where you are not totally comfortable in the church community - ask yourself
How have I contributed to this situation? (we always contribute, be it small or large)
If we were in a perfect world how would I think this group should function? How can I change my behaviour to work towards this?
If there are women whom you are interested in getting to know better, go for it! Create opportunities for you both to spend time outside the group together, find out what interests you share, I don't know many women who would not be interested in making new friends.
If people are annoying you - pray! Pray that God will change your thought patterns, when they annoy you pray for their marriage, when they discuss a topic that you are not interested in - pray that you will be.
More importantly pray that you will love the women in your community with the love that Christ has shown you on the cross.
"Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it" 1 Corinthians 12:27
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