This final weeks' study is about forming authentic, two-way, enjoyable, and enduring relationships. Paul expresses his passion for the people in his life: "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:8 " As we end our 6 week study we encourage each other to notice someone, take a moment to listen, love them no matter where they are coming from, support one another, let others know they are of value and that they do belong.
A couple weeks ago a group of us shared lunch with the women at Shepherd's Door, here is a short reflection of the experience from Linda Holt.
"I was a little intimidated at first, as I decided to take the plunge and sit at the table with only one space available. Six Shepherd's Door women, a baby and me. Would they welcome this “church lady”? or would they merely see me as someone who can’t relate to them? Ahhh, my apprehension was unfounded, as I was met with “Hi! Nice to meet you. Thanks for coming.” I was pleasantly surprised at how open many of these women are. I heard some of you say the same thing. Many shared their background, their struggles, and what God has been teaching them. As a couple of the women couldn’t share today because they were on dish duty and short on time, they added, “But I would love to share my story with you next time you come!” So, what about it gals? The ministry director, Jan, told us that consistency is a very important thing to these women. People who commit to visit on a regular basis have an impact bigger than they can imagine. We start building relationship with them that way. We may even start making them feel they “Belong” to the community at large. Hmmmm…. Does that sound familiar to anyone? Wouldn’t it be cool if some of these women moved to Vancouver after completing the program and said, “I have friends at Brush Prairie Baptist Church. I think I’ll go there”?"
That is just one of many of the positive and passionate responses we ladies had as we experienced some connecting and beginning steps towards relationships with other women in our community. We are excited about making Shepherd's Door lunch a monthly date so we can continue on sharing not just our lunches but our lives as well.
We will be taking a break and joining together again in April, more details coming soon. Lastly, check out Stonecroft Ministiries web site, they have this great column called, "To Inspire You" and that is simply what it does, check this article out.
Posted by Sarah Stout
No comments:
Post a Comment