March 12, 2015   

 

Dear MLEPC Members and Friends,   

 

For the past several weeks, members of our staff have been sharing with you components of our equation for spiritual addition at MLEPC: 4 + 3 = 1, one church family with four life stages: children, youth, adults and senior adults. We are always seeking to go in three directions: upward to the glory of God, outward to the world in witness and service, and inward to each other in discipleship and fellowship. This week it is my privilege to write about our women's ministry. Ashley Gardner and I are the staff liaisons for women's ministry. It was intentional for the two of us to fill that role as Ashley and I are in very different seasons of life. Currently on maternity leave with her new baby, Nathaniel George, Ashley relates well to the needs of the younger women in the church. I'm in a different season of life with grown children (and 6 years from being eligible to retire!). Ashley and I work together with an awesome women's ministry team to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the women of the church and beyond. Thinking back on the years that I have been a part of women's ministry and more recently a staff liaison, it has been a joy to see this ministry develop and grow into spiritual maturity.

 

The mission statement of MLEPC's women's ministry is: "To reach the women of MLEPC and beyond, unifying them and encouraging their Christian growth through study, fellowship and service." All of our women's ministries are "open," as visitors and friends of members are intentionally encouraged to join us whenever possible for our events and small group studies - this is our outreach component. As we regularly gather in small groups and for events, we enjoy fellowship with one another as we grow in faith - this is our inward component. Whenever and wherever we gather, we pray, and our retreats include wonderful worship times - our upward component.

 

Over the past year, women's ministry has helped with several Family Fusion meals, including partnering with the men on our church-wide picnic/Fusion kickoff in September. Over 60 women enjoyed one-day retreats in February 2014 and in January 2015; 40 women traveled to Salt Fork for a three-day retreat in 2014 and almost that many are signed up for this year's retreat in April. We had around 75 women come to the annual Christmas Tea. A half dozen small groups are flourishing. But it's not "all about us!" Women's Ministry feels very strongly that service should be a priority. We staffed a collection point for Operation Christmas Child, collecting 1,142 boxes. Women were asked to bring non-perishable food items to the Christmas Tea, which were then given to the Brookline Christian Food Pantry. After our February 2015 one-day retreat called "Beautiful Feet", we sponsored a service project to collect shoes for a mission called "Soles for Jesus". As a result, 200 pairs of shoes were collected and delivered to a shipping company on Neville Island. The owner, a member of Memorial Park EPC, ships the shoes to Milwaukee, where they are then sent on to countries in Africa.

 

The Women's Ministry Team meets each month, not simply to plan programs but as an accountability check to ensure that we are living up to our mission statement. And further, it's not even all about programs and service - there's a huge relational aspect to our ministry as we encourage and support one another and families by providing meals, prayer support, and listening with sympathetic ears throughout the year.

 

Coincidence? In worship on Sunday, we will be reflecting on a woman - on Jesus' mother as she stands "at the foot of the cross" (John 19:25-30). This is week two of a sermon series on why Jesus came, and last week Pastor Tim began the series as we examined why Jesus came to die. If you missed that wonderful sermon, simply, Jesus came to die as our ransom so that we are redeemed (did you know you can go to www.mlepc.org, click on Pastors' Letters and Sermons, and listen to "Let My People Go Free"?). This week we'll consider what Mary might have been thinking and feeling as a mother on that day when Jesus, her son and God's son, was crucified. Hope to see you in church!

 

Love, in Christ,

 

Linda Pokrajac, Director of Congregational Care

 

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