Our ministry is doing a Thursday night class called "More than Rubies" for women who are unsaved and new believers.

Through another outreach ministry, we realized that many women think they need to be perfect to go to church. I heard excuses like, "Oh, man, the church would burn down if I walked in!" "Maybe someday, when I quit drinking, smoking, etc." "They don't want my kind in there."

For months, I had told these women that they are more precious than rubies in our Father's eyes. A church is a hospital for lost, lonely, hurting, and sick. I usually say, "Well, your theory about the place burning down is wrong, because it didn't when I walked in!" And, I explain about how we all fall short. A few women came... but most would not.

So... we opened up our "house!" The upstairs of our ministry office (more about the ministry below) was re-decorated for the outreach class. Every Thursday, we open our women's home to women from the street. A local Christian college has partnered with us as an "outreach ministry" class for their school, bringing 12 students.

A typical evening goes like this:

6:00 - We pick up the women
6:10 - Prayer and worship
6:30 - Dinner (local churches sign up for two Thursdays a month, and our Men's home cooks for one Thursday and the Women's home for the remainder)
7:00 - Bible study (The Pursuit of Holiness, by Jerry Bridges) perfect to explain that God is HOLY, and He is not looking for perfection just progression in our pursuit of holiness.
7:30 - Closing and take them home

When we first started advertising, I heard, "I can't come because I have kids," so we put our heads back together and decided to have a "Little Rubies" and "Boys of Valor" class at the same time downstairs. We feed them dinner, worship, pray, and then separate into smaller classes. The kids are taught the same thing as the mothers, except at their level and always with crafts so that they have that "common" teaching to hopefully share between the moms and children. 

The response has truly blown us away, and so has the level of participation and joy these women are experiencing! They have bonded together, opened up, and really listened and shared. We have single moms, prostitutes, drug addicts, women who are "hard", women who are scared, women who are just lonely, and more. All are lost and seeking. 

The women who are "baby" Christians have just blossomed. They ask wonderful questions, give awesome insight, and don't feel "dumb" in this class, since everyone is learning together!

Our "base" ministry is called Libre House and is part of Changing Lives Now Ministry. It is a home where we bring in men and women who are recovering from drugs, alcohol, and/or are just homeless. We help them find jobs and help them become employable in our community.