by Sharon Rabon
“I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy,
Down in my heart…
Down in my heart to stay.”
I have the joy of the Lord in my heart, but do I enjoy what I have? I enjoy shopping, talking with friends, laughing at the silliest things, decorating, watching HGTV, as well as scanning Facebook and Pinterest. I enjoy being outside on a sunny day and taking a walk in the park. I enjoy finding a nugget in my daily devotions and journaling how God spoke to my heart. I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. There is so much to enjoy in the wonderful world and life that God has given to each of us.
When it comes to ladies’ ministries, why can’t each aspect of the ministry be as enjoyable as the other things and activities that we enjoy? I have heard preachers say many times that it is good for us to laugh, smile, and enjoy being at church. With that thought in mind, let’s look at the word “E-N-J-O-Y.”
E—Exciting!
Every ladies’ gathering should be exciting! Ladies are too busy to attend a boring, half-hearted event.Excitement should permeate the crowd, beginning with advertising to registration and right on through the program. Spontaneity breeds excitement. The program should lend itself to being different each time, not just pulling out last year’s program and doing the same ol’ thing. The title breeds excitement. My personal experience in this area takes me back to a ladies’ fellowship at our church. The theme of God’s peace was a wonderful theme. The leader of the event had given me the details, and I had approved it all. Since I am a visual person, what I saw when I arrived was the décor of a beautiful, exciting luau with games and food to support the décor. The evening was so much fun. I couldn’t help but think, “Why not use a fun title to support the luau instead of “God’s Peace?” This would promote fun and fellowship. Then the theme for the speaker would be the peace of God. It is just a regrouping of the same information, theme, color scheme and program, but a different approach to generate excitement. Look for ways to generate excitement in your ladies’ ministry.
N—Needful!
There is a need for ladies’ ministries in your local church. Ladies have a social need that men do not have. Ladies need to feel needed, included, involved, and important. Having ladies’ ministries can meet those needs for the ladies of your church. Women in a church can be a blessing or a problem. By having various ladies’ ministries, more ladies can be reached and encouraged in their walk with Christ, their spiritual growth, their family, and their involvement in the local church. Topics of interest that need extra attention or that might not be explained from the pulpit can be discussed in ladies’ meetings. Leadership can sprout. What is needful in the ladies’ ministries of your church?
J—Just Because!
Have you ever done something for someone…just because? I have, and I love doing it! “Just because” changes the focus of giving or receiving a card, flowers, or a gift. A while ago my husband came home with three roses and a little piece of paper that he had folded and scribbled a “just because…” note on.He has given me many cards and gifts over the years. He has a wonderful way with words, but this particular note was so special. The roses and homemade note trumps every other gift or card in our 34 years of marriage.
Why can’t we have some “just because” moments in our ladies’ events? Just because…we need to laugh or we need to cry. A “just because” skit would be a funny, short skit that has no agenda or purpose except to bring laughter. It is good and healthy to laugh at silly nothings. Proverbs 17:22a, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” What could you do—just because?
O—Out of the Box!
I have a box, and you have a box. We don’t like to step one foot out of our box. We like our comfort zone. For years at our mother-daughter luncheon, I always had a thematic skit. I do like to carry out a theme 100 percent. Carrying out the theme was great. It was not broken in any way. A few years back I decided to delegate the planning of the skit, and the person in charge asked if it had to be thematic. “No,” I answered, all the while thinking, “Why wouldn’t you want it to be?” My box said that it had to be thematic to be good. Changing it up was the best thing ever! It gave freshness to an already successful mother-daughter luncheon. Now I look forward to others’ adding their touch of personality, thus causing excitement and out-of-the-box suspense. What could you do to step out of your box? Ask people who are different from you to be on the team. It will help you to step out of your box. If it’s not sin, step out!
Y—Youthful!
Do an evaluation of your ladies’ fellowships, Bible studies, and events. What age group do you target? It is important to reach all ages! It is good to keep in mind that if you target the ladies in their 20s and 30s, then you will still reach ladies 40 and above. But if you target ladies 40 and older, you will not reach ladies in their 20s and 30s. For example, in order to target all ages in our Morning Edition Bible Study, I use mostly ladies in their 20s and 30s on the planning team. Topics studied might include the following: spiritual growth, marriage, parenting, balancing life, a book of the Bible. The variety of topics allows the young to be ministered to and allows the median ages to attend as well. An older lady is welcomed at a parenting session as she can offer advice during our discussion segment. Discussion is always made relevant to the attendees. We also add a ten-minute segment on subjects relevant to what is trending, such as Pinterest, decorating tips, craft ideas for Christmas, cleaning tips. This session we are doing a segment on M.I.N.D.ful (Messages In Neighborly Deeds) from Philippians 2:5a, which teaches being mindful of others and letting them know that you appreciate them through cards, etc. So many encouraging notes have been mailed due to this segment!
Ladies’ ministries! Do you ENJOY them?
This article is from the June 2014 issue of the Christian Womanhood magazine.
