March 2018 Theme: When Plans Change Because of Attitude / Jonah Check Your Attitude Summary: God wants us to follow Him joyfully, with a heart eager to do His will. But, let s get real, we all have times when we don t want to. What do we do then act like Jonah? Scripture: Jonah; Romans 10:13-15 Song: People Need The Lord (Chorus- REJOICE p. 352; Full Song YouTube); Give Me A Vision (REJOICE p. 359); How Deep The Father s Love For Us (by Stuart Townend YouTube); Mighty to Save (You Tube). Suggestions and Helps Promotional Helps Resources: Resources are available from www.wnac.org (under Treasure/Program Helps section). Invitation: Use a world map or map placemats and cut them into 4x4 squares. Write on the back side (blank side) the meeting date, time, and place. Decorations: Have various women who have traveled to interesting places bring items from their travels to use on tables as centerpieces. Use these as discussion starters to get women talking to each other about what areas of the world are open to missionaries, what areas of the world are closed to traditional missionaries, and what are some ways people can enter these countries to work and live and share the Gospel through non- traditional means. Presentation Ideas Ice Breaker: FWB missionaries serve in many states, provinces, and countries. Choose several missionaries and write the name of the place where they serve on a piece of paper (possibly cut into the shape of the state/country as depicted on the map) or pass out prayer cards. Have the women pair up and share information and/or statistics they know about the country or missionary cards they received. To find out more about FWB missionaries go to https://fwbgo.com/ or https://fwbnam.com/ To find out more about the countries where international missions serve, visit http://www.operationworld.org/countries- alphabetically and print the information that might not be well- known about that country but would have an impact on how the gospel is presented in those places. Missions Project: Purchase a whale- shaped piggy bank at a local retailer or online (Amazon.com has them). Consider giving your whale a name. Set him up in the church and ask women to donate to a particular missions project throughout the month by means of this bank. For project ideas, contact North American Ministries at 877-767- 7674, FWB International Missions at 877-767-
7736, or WNAC 877-767- 7662. Advertise the project in your church newsletter, bulletin, or announcements so others can contribute. Service Destination Unknown: Officers, plan and schedule a place for the women in your group to go and minister. These would include such places as a children s shelter, crisis pregnancy center, or in a different ethnic neighborhood. If your church has a ministry to people who speak a different language, plan a special event for them to help meet a need they have. Study Compare the stories of other people in Scripture God lead to minister and witness in an unusual circumstance. How did Jonah s response compare to the actions of Naaman s servant girl in 1 Kings 5? How does Philip s response to the Ethiopian eunuch compare to Jonah s response to the people of Nineveh? Ask the women to name others God called and compare them to Jonah. Prayer Cover a bulletin board with a world map. Have several women use a push pin to mark the place they would least want to visit and tell why, i.e., there are terrorists there, the people aren t like us, the country is at war. Spend time praying for people in those places asking God to send missionaries to them that they may come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Refreshments This month would be a great month to pull out the goldfish crackers! They would go well with Clam Chowder or Seafood Stew. If you like spicy foods, there are many Cajun seafood recipes. Purchase Scandinavian Swimmers at Trader Joes. These are gummy candies in the shape of fish, lobsters, seahorses, etc. For those brave of heart, serve items made with seaweed. Some everyday items that contain seaweed as an additive are sushi, ice cream, macaroni and cheese, cheese, soy products, crackers, and breads. Caution: If you are serving anything made with shellfish, remember that some are allergic and offer an alternative item. Extras Challenge: Have the Jonah chapter four printed out for each woman to take home. Ask her to read it throughout the week and focus on God s incomprehensible love for man. Ask God to give you opportunities to share His love with those around you. Object Lesson: Kids are not the only ones who love object lessons and hands- on projects. Visit http://www.origami- instructions.com/easy- origami- whale.html to find out how to make a simple origami whale. Have enough origami paper available for each woman to make a whale. Note: While there is a lot of discussion about the great fish or whale, for the purpose of this project keep the conversation light- hearted by pointing out that we ve all heard the story of Jonah and what really matters is that this animal could swim and was huge!
April 2018 Theme: When Plans Change Because of Finances From Whirlwind to Hog Pen Summary: When you were younger, you may have had an idea of how your grown- up life might look. Nice big house, husband that goes to work every day in a suit, beautiful children, and most of all everyone is happy and healthy. Unfortunately, things can change in an instant, shattering our dreams and often our finances. This month s lesson looks at two men whose financial status changed one remained faithful; the other became wasteful. Scriptures: Several chapters in the book of Job; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 55:8-9; Proverbs 3:5-6; Luke 15:11-32 Songs: Trust and Obey (REJOICE p. 451); Great is Thy Faithfulness (REJOICE p. 8); What Faith Can Do by Kutless (YouTube); Walk By Faith by Jeremy Camp (YouTube). Suggestions and Helps Promotional Helps Resources: Resources are available from www.wnac.org (Under Treasure/Program Helps section). Decorations: Decorate with a Monopoly theme or the Game of Life. These two board games force us into financial decisions in the pretend world however; they can be great icebreakers for discussion with our children in the real world. Poster: Create a poster detailing a financial project for the women of your church. It can focus on supporting a missionary who is in financial trouble, a room in the church that needs remodeled, or a community project. Presentation Ideas Ice Breakers: To open lines of communication about this topic, ask every woman what they would do with a million dollars. Missions We can each recall a time we have heard a missionary discuss trouble with finances. Missionaries rely on the faithfulness of churches to give in order to live out God s work. Devote a portion of the meeting to the struggles of missionaries. Before the meeting, make a list of several missionaries to focus on, detailing the financial issues they may be facing. Do they have kids entering college, an illness, a deficit account, etc.? Spend time in prayer specifically for the finances of these missionaries. Consider doing an Easter bake sale with the proceeds going to missions. Project: We can each recall a time we have heard a missionary discuss trouble with finances. Missionaries rely on the faithfulness of churches to give in order to live out God s work. Devote a portion of the meeting to the struggles of missionaries. Before the meeting, make a list of several missionaries to focus on, detailing the financial issues they may be facing. Do they have
kids entering college, an illness, a deficit account, etc.? Spend time in prayer specifically for the finances of these missionaries. Consider doing an Easter bake sale with proceeds going to missions. Consider one major project that would require faithfulness in stewardship. Work on this project with your group. Service Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. This is usually a time for spring- cleaning! Consider spring- cleaning for some of the elderly or disabled folks in your church. Perhaps someone needs flowers planted or windows washed and can t afford to pay someone to do it. These are tangible ways to ease the financial burden of our church family. Study For this month s study take an in- depth look at the story of Job. Concentrate on all that was lost. We immediately think of Job losing his family and friends but he also lost all of his wealth and he was a wealthy man. Yet, Job remained faithful. Consider sponsoring a class for the church like Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. Prayer As springtime has arrived and Easter has come and gone, pray that the power of the cross will influence unsaved family and friends. Also, pray for improved stewardship of all that God has given to both the church and her members. Refreshments Do a potluck this month. Consider soups and light salads in celebration of spring. Extras Bring each woman a coin bank to save extra change for the cause of your choice. Ask each woman to save and bring all of the pennies she has to the next meeting. Find a long counter and place several rows of masking tape, sticky side up, on the counter. Have each one place their pennies on the masking tape. While pennies aren t worth as much as quarters, you will be surprised at how many a group can save in a month. Count the pennies and use the proceeds to fund a small project perhaps, the financial class.
May 2018 Theme: When Plans Change Because of Life / Esther Three Characteristics of a Successful Woman Summary: There is nothing more constant than change. Heraclitus, 535 BC. How unbearably true this statement is. It feels like we get used to one phase of our life only to find we are moving on to the next. One thing always constant is God. He is unchanging, always the same, perfect in His timing, and ever so gracious! As we struggle to deal with change in our life, may we always hold to God s unchanging hand. Scriptures: The book of Esther; 1 Peter 3:3-4; Colossians 3:15 Songs: Hold To God s Unchanging Hand (REJOICE p. 448); Change My Heart Oh God (Maranatha Music, YouTube); Your Love Never Fails by Chris Tomlin (YouTube); Change Me God by Reilly Music (GodTube). Suggestions and Helps Promotional Helps Resources: Resources are available from www.wnac.org (Under Treasure/Program Helps section). Decoration: Because the women are at varying stages in life consider decorating this month with pictures of the women from baby to present day. Celebrate all those stages in life! Presentation Ideas Ice Breakers: Have the women partner with a woman in a different stage of life. Create a getting to know you sheet and have the women spend time getting to know one another. Missions Have the women send cards of encouragement for each missionary s particular stage in life. Contact International Missions (877-767- 7736) or North American Missions (877-767- 7674) for a list of retired missionary wives/widows and send a card of appreciation/encouragement to them. Include a gift card to Chick- fil- A or Starbucks. Arrange ahead of time for a phone call with a retired missionary wife or widow and put her on speakerphone so all your women can hear the conversation. Ask about her transition from being on the field to retiring and coming home. Thank her for her years of service and ask for ways to pray for her. End the call with prayer. Service Have a service night where the women go to a nursing home and spend time encouraging women in that specific stage of life. Make a date with someone in another stage of life: Find a skill you can teach each other (cooking/baking/sewing/internet/ Pinterest/iPhone photo skills, etc.)
Compare childhood stories and note the differences and the affect those differences have on how you see life today how you do things, etc. Compare your church experiences, how you have your quiet times, what worship songs are your favorites, what Bible characters speak to you the most, etc. Is there a classroom for a certain group in a particular stage of life that needs a makeover in your church? Perhaps the nursery, a junior girls classroom, or even the senior saints Sunday School room? Perhaps your women s group could clean and re- stock or re- decorate it together. Project: Have the same women from the Ice Breaker project pair up as prayer partners for the year. Study This month, study women in the Bible who are in different stages of life. It will allow the women to find a Biblical woman with whom they can identify. Prayer Pray for each woman in your church who is faithfully serving. Refreshments Serve cut out cookies of a butterfly. Bring colorful icings and have the women decorate them. It is a beautiful representation of change. Extras Invite a Mary Kay representative or other professional to do makeovers as an illustration of change.