Women's Ministries typically start one of three ways... either the church leaders want to see one get going and recruit a woman to lead it, or a woman in the church has a passion to start a women's ministry, or some types of ministry to women exist in a church and there is a need to make it a more cohesive ministry.

Whichever situation you find yourself in, it can be a daunting task to get the ball rolling. The question I am always asked is "Where do I start?" Here is what I recommend:

(Note: I am going to abbreviate references to Women's Ministry with WM.)

First, start with prayer. Lots of prayer. Pray for:

• You to have a humble heart that is seeking to serve the Lord first and foremost.
• God to begin working in the hearts of the church leadership to support the WM.
• God to begin raising up leaders for your WM who have a desire to serve.
• God to be glorified as you move forward.

Next you need to create a plan. Here are the basic activities that a WM should have:

• Bible study or studies
• Quarterly fellowship events
• Yearly retreat or conference
• 1-2 outreach or mission projects

This is a simple list because it is a starting point. A church of 50 or 5000 that is starting a WM will have the same basic elements, but a larger church may be able to sustain more events. Notice I say "may"... which brings us to the next point.

Make your WM narrow and deep. As you brainstorm and plan for ministry, there will be lots of possibilities. Choose beginning ministries that focus on building women's relationships with the Lord and each other. It is better to do a few things really well than a lot of things not so well. Keep things deep and intentional.

Focus. Create a mission statement expressing what you want to accomplish in your WM and then stick to it. If a potential event does not line up with your mission, don't do it. Consider filing it away for the future, but stay focused on building a good foundation.

Take Your Time. It is easy to get excited and begin rushing into ministry to get things going. Enthusiasm is great, but make sure that you are not doing something that you have not planned adequately for. Take time to really pray over and evaluate each step you take in building a WM.

Always build on Bible Studies. You can never ever go wrong by getting women in the Word! If you can only do one thing in WM... hold a Bible study.

I love WM and I could go on all day, but I won't! To summarize, here are the basic steps to getting a WM going:

In Him... Robyne Beaubien, Editor

P.S. If you have a question about WM or anything specific you would like to see us address, email Robyne!

Here is a fun event idea that was originally published in Issue #122 of June 2002.

Special Event Idea: What Kind of Tater Are You?

Description: A simple activity for a women's night/day out. Potatoes are the theme! Expounded on kinds of taters:
*Agie Tater-always stirring up trouble
*Hezzie Tater-never gets around to doing anything
*Dick Tater-likes to give orders but don't want to soil their own hands
*Comment Tater-not willing to help but are quick to criticize
*Speck Tater-content to sit on the sidelines & not participate in any ministry
*Sweet Tater-always willing to help, brings sunshine to lives of others, displays fruit of the Spirit

The invitations can have pictures of different kinds of potatoes on them such as potato chips, French fries, baked potatoes, hash browns, sweet potatoes, etc. Ladies can each bring copies of their favorite potato recipes to share.

An ice breaker idea is to play 'Hot Potato.'

Ideal refreshments are potato chips & dip, potato skins, sweet potato cheesecake squares, and sweet potato bread. Potato scrubbers and potato peelers work well as door prizes to give away. At the end of the evening, give everyone a small container of Pringles and plenty of recipes to take home.

Submitted by: Marsha Gabbard of Mason, Ohio

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Be prepared to laugh your head off and watch out for "yarn burn" in this unique icebreaker!

Objectives: Be the first line of ladies to successfully weave a spoon (or other weighted item) tied to a ball of yarn through your clothes.

Materials: Two large balls of yarn and two spoons.

Procedure:
Tie a ball of yarn to each spoon.

Have the women count off (1, 2, 1, 2), and then line up in two lines.

Begin with the first lady in each line and have them drop the spoon down through their clothes and hand off to the next lady. The yarn will follow the spoon through and bind all of the ladies together. The first line to weave all of the ladies together wins.

Submitted by: Karen Gay of Augusta, GA
Source: Ladies' Ministry site - I don't remember!

Did you know there is a brand new Issue of Java with Jennifer?

Java with Jennifer is an informal monthly ministry update specifically for friends who want to keep up-to-date on what is happening with Jennifer Rothschild's ministry of writing, speaking, and singing.

Obviously, because you are receiving this eNewsletter, you are signed up for the Jennifer's "weekly" WomensMinistry.NET eNewsletter. However, if you want to get up close, and personal with Jennifer, just click on the Update Profile link at the bottom of this email, and select the Java with Jennifer interest group.

Still not sure?

See the Latest Issue here.

Don't see your favorite here? Email Robyne at robyne@womensministry.net with your recommendation.

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