New Hope Fellowship's Women's Ministry continues to strive to fulfill its three main purposes:
1. Building relationships and fostering spiritual encouragement.
The Women's Ministry hosts several brunches throughout the year, across the Westchester / Putnam / lower-Connecticut region. These brunches are intentional times for our women to gather - to yes, eat lots of delicious food - and share with each other about their daily & devotional lives. They are wonderful environments in which to tell each other what God is teaching us, share how He is growing us in our faiths, and pray for each other in an informal setting.
God also blesses our women with many opportunities to gather more casually. Through moms' lunches, prayer groups, reading groups and spontaneous meals, the Holy Spirit moves in and through us to create firm foundations of faith, friendship, encouragement and Christ-rooted love.And on a slightly more frivolous track, the women also gather periodically for seasonal Clothing Swaps. These are fun evenings that make us clean out our closets, come together for what is usually a hilarious time, and collect bags of clothes and other items to donate to those in need. For this spring's upcoming Clothing Swap, please note that unclaimed baby / toddler / children's clothing & accessories will be donated to the NICU at Harlem Hospital.
Please continue to pray that the women of New Hope remain open to the Holy Spirit working in us to sustain these God-given bonds.
2. Teaching and learning.
Last summer, our women were blessed to participate in an inductive Bible study of The Acts of the Apostles. The Holy Spirit led us on an exciting adventure through the birth of the early Christian church. Best of all, God used this study to draw us close to His heart for Creation, and He enabled us to set our hearts properly before Him in preparation for a new year of beholding and broadcasting His majesty and mercy.
Formal study & reading groups are on temporary hiatus, as we support our brothers by providing time & space for their Men's Accountability Group Meetings. BUT, in the coming months, we'll be starting a new Ministry-wide study, and are planning a trip to IHOP (International House of Prayer, in Kansas City, MO) so that the Lord can teach us more about living a faithful, consistent and powerful life of prayer & communion with Him.
Please pray for the Lord's guidance and blessing to be over our women throughout this year.
3. Sharing our talents and serving others.
The Women's Ministry is proud to announce a new initiative for 2009: the launch of The Bethesda Team, a group of women committed to coordinating & overseeing the care of our congregation members. From the happiest of baby-births, to the hardest of illnesses, to the most unfortunate of job-losses and to the saddest of deaths, the Bethesda Team will be the front-line of NHF in offering Christ's love and our community's care through prayer and material provisions. While the Bethesda Team doesn't preclude individual expressions of care & concern, these women will make sure to keep their ears to the ground, so that none in our community are overlooked, and all administrative needs are covered.
We are also actively exploring a wide variety of ways in which we can use our God-given talents, interests & skills to bless those in our broader community: neighbourhood, workplace, school, carpool, classroom, etc. This year, in particular, we want to boldly look outward in ways we have not before, and obey the Spirit's guidance to serve with our hands and feet, just as Christ did.
Please pray that all that the women do and share will be life-giving and Christ-centered, for the benefit of God's people and kingdom, and for the exaltation of His Name.