Did you know that nearly 1 in 2 people live with a chronic illness? Though you may feel like your women's ministry is doing an adequate job of meeting the needs of those with illness, it's unlikely because you may not even know who is sick. About 96% of all illness is invisible and many people are reluctant to share their struggles.

Sept 10-16, 2007 is National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and it's sponsored by Rest Ministries, the largest Christian organization that serves the chronically ill.

Here are six simple ways to encourage those who suffer silently, and get your women's ministry involved, despite those back-to-school to-do lists.

To encourage those who you know are ill:

1. Ask everyone to come up with one thing they can commit to providing in the next year for anyone with an illness. Could a woman take someone with her when she gets her hair done? Or stock up on pretty paper plates and napkins for a chronically ill friend who is having meals delivered, but can hardly do the dishes? You can find many creative ideas in Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend.

2. Make "JOY" coupons to give to chronically ill friends who find it hard to ask for help. JOY stands for "Just Offering You _____" and fill out what you can do.

3. Fill "Care Baskets" at each table during your events for different people who are hurting (the ill, newly diagnosed with cancer, caregivers, the divorced, etc.). Remember to add fun items too like your favorite Veggie Tales DVD. Have each woman write a note to attach to her item to make it more personal, even if it's anonymous. For example, add a pretty hankie with a note that says, "It is okay to cry, but you should do it in style."

To encourage those who have illnesses you don't know about:

1. Provide resources so that those with illness know their church is there when they need it. Freshen up the church library and staff resource directories with magazines like HopeKeepers or Arthritis Today and Guideposts in Large Print. Stock it with illness devotional books, Bible studies and tracts. Request your church bookstore manager to do a display of encouraging books for those with illness. (See www.restpublishers.com for resources.) Have Invisible Illness Week cards in the foyer.

2. Ask people with illness to share their testimonies to encourage others. Have articles in the church newsletter. Partner people together who have any illness to encourage each other, and possibly start a small group like HopeKeepers.

3. Encourage the chronically ill to stay involved in the church and allow them to serve in leadership whenever they can. They have many gifts such as writing understanding encouragement notes, taking event photos, or helping with the church web site. Often they withdraw because they no longer can serve in the ways they once did and this leads to loneliness and depression.

Invisible illness impacts nearly every family. The divorce rate among the chronically ill is 75% and 60% of suicides have uncontrollable physical pain as a influencing factor. Many people sitting beside us look healthy, but they go home to heating pads, medication and deep depression. Remember, it's not the size of the ministry you build to reach out to them, or even the presents, but your consistent presence in their lives that will make all the difference.

Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and can lead you to dozens of resources through her ministry to encourage the chronically ill and make your church an even better refuge to those who are hurting. Find more ways to encourage a chronically ill friend by reading an excerpt of Beyond Casseroles.

WomensMinistry.Net note: Lisa is going to give away 10 copies of her book Beyond Casseroles. Click on any of the links in this article and we will randomly choose the winners and let you know how to get your copy.

This great idea was sent to us by Heather Perkins, the Director of Women's Ministries at the Chapel of the Cross in Southboro, Ma.

Our women's ministry has an annual "Lovin' From the Oven" event in which we make several different freezable meals, soups, and desserts for a local food pantry. We attach scripture verses to each meal as an added blessing. We include ingredient lists and directions on top each meal as well.

The other events we've had to reach out to the community have been a Christmas Stocking craft evening where our ladies made and decorated their own felt stockings and took them home & filled them with items related to our charity (this happened to be a Christian pregnancy center so the stockings contained baby items and soaps, lotions & niceties for mom). We also had a "Gifts in a Jar" event where our ladies assembled soups and cookie mixes in a jar and attached scripture verses to each jar. These were given to the local food pantry around Thanksgiving time.

You're invited to be in the studio audience when Jennifer Rothschild talks about her new book Self Talk, Soul Talk on the LIFE Today television show with James Robison Tuesday, September 11 at 7 pm. Tickets are free... but you must reserve your seat. To do that, call 817-354-3655 or e-mail audience@loi.org. The studios are located just minutes from DFW International Airport at 1801 West Euless Boulevard, Euless, Texas 76040.

Take a minute to visit these recent sponsors...

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• Check out Priority's female friendly Bible studies, There Is A Season and The Temple by Laurie Cole.
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This fun icebreaker was sent to us by Penny Ward and was originally published in Issue 170 in July of 2003 .

Objectives: Fun way to mix, mingle and meet new people!

Materials: one pair of new socks per person registered

Procedure: Divide two pairs of socks and pin together the "new" pair. Do this with all the socks. Pass out the socks and instruct everyone to find their new "sole" mate (the person with an exact matching pair). We did this at our ladies retreat before evening dessert and coffee; everyone had a great time and lots of ladies were running around in their new socks!

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 when asked to update your profile.

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