Opportunities for Calvary Ladies!

I'm so excited, thinking about all the opportunities for Calvary ladies! THIS IS YOUR TIME...don't miss out on it. There are sensational things bursting forth on your horizon.

As I told you last time, mentoring is coming up around Easter time; but don't wait until then to get involved and set the stage for amazing growth in your spiritual life.

On Thursday mornings, there are two types of AWESOME Bible studies available to you, along with Mother's Day Out; so, if you have children you can rely on Calvary's expert child care while you study God's Word:

1) Sheila Breazeale and Jane Crowell lead our Precepts Bible study, where you can learn to dig into God's Word and really understand it on a deeper level. This study provides daily instruction on exactly how to study each verse, cross reference with other Scripture, and what questions to ask yourself as you read God's Word. Then, each Thursday, we meet for a review/recap on our week's study.

2) Donna Johnston leads our Beth Moore Bible studies on Thursdays, too. If you've never heard Beth Moore, you're in for a treat. She is a dynamic speaker, and has a wonderful way of weaving God's Word into practical, daily life applications.

Contact Calvary Baptist, or this blog for more information.

In January, we launched our ladies' small group once-a-month Bible study, under the direction of our new Women's Ministries Director, Kelly Bledsoe. We've just begun a monthly study of the book, "Satisfy My Thirsty Soul", which is teaching us about God's perspective on true worship, and challenging us to incorporate it into our daily lives. It's not too late for you to jump in!

In addition to this, Sheila Breazeale has provided an online forum for us to participate in discussing this study together. She has a blog called "Bucket Ministries" (bucketministries.blogspot.com), and as a part of that blog, we are able to post comments about the study.

What a wonderful resource we have available right at our fingertips! No need to wait until the next month to discuss what you have on your mind today. Post your comment in this forum, and keep up with the questions and insight offered by other women. Amazing! Not only can you keep up with the "Satisfy Your Thirsty Soul" study on this blog, but Sheila also posts questions, recaps and study helps for the Precepts Bible study.

Ladies, if you can't get excited about all of this, you must be living in a fog! I am absolutely beside myself, and cannot WAIT to hear back from you regarding your thoughts on these marvelous opportunities.

Post your comments below! Become a "follower" on this blog by clicking on the "follower" button in the left-hand column (you can do that same thing on the Bucket Ministries blog).

Mentoring-Just Around the Corner!

Calvary Ladies, the Sisters in Christ Mentoring season is just around the corner. When Easter is nearby, so is the beginning of our season (which closes around Labor Day).

As we've learned in past seasons, “A mentor is someone farther on down the road from you who is going where you want to go, and who is willing to give you some light to help you get there.”

You Can Choose:

h Mentee - you are looking for a Christian woman to take you under their wing, and help you to grow and mature in your spiritual life

h Mentor - you have been a Christian for a while, are growing in Christ, and willing to walk along side a woman, who is younger in Christ than you are, in order to help her grow closer to Christ.

h Prayer Warrior - you understand that prayer is a priority, and are willing to regularly pray for and encourage a mentoring pair.

Mentoring Closing Picnic

Prayer Warriors, please make sure your prayer journals are all filled in, as you will be presenting them at our closing meeting, Sunday, Aug. 29 @ 5:00.

Everyone, please make every effort to attend this closing meeting. We will have a picnic theme and we'll be taking pictures. Be ready to talk about both the good things that you've experienced and also areas that can be improved.

In addition, I need one or two volunteers to give a testimony about what kind of impact the mentoring ministry has had on them. I'll be waiting to hear back from you.

As always, if you have a poem or song that has inspired you, please share it with us.

Half-time Refresher Meeting on Sunday, June 6

We're almost halfway through this year's mentoring session! Can you believe it???? I hope that your mentoring partnership is going smoothly and enriching your life. I know that my mentoring partnerships are very fulfilling, and I thank God for placing us together.

Our "Half-time Refresher Meeting" is due to happen at the end of June, but I'm going to be having some surgery in a couple of weeks, and need to rearrange the refresher meeting a bit.

The "Half-time Refresher Meeting" is designed for mentors and prayer warriors to come together to receive updated information, encouragement, prayer time, and to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your mentoring partnership.

It is important that all mentors and prayer warriors attend, so please mark Sunday, June 13 on your calendar right away. Here are the details:

Half-time Refresher meeting (for mentors & prayer warriors)

Sunday, June 13

Prayer warriors meet from 3:00-4:00

Mentors meet from 4:00-5:00

Where?

At Julie's house

1036 Rambleview Lane

Woodworth, LA 71485

442-0675

jt4some@hotmail.com

Prayer Warriors Sending Cards, Mentoring funtime

We are about six weeks into our 2010 session.

Prayer Warriors, remember to pray regularly for the mentoring team you've been assigned to. By now, you should have made at least one phone contact with each of your ladies and have prayed with them individually (make sure to record it in the Prayer Journal in the back of your handbook). So, today might be a good time to send out cards to your mentoring pair. You may use the cards you were provided with, or find another that you like better.

Mentoring pairs, now that you've met a couple of times, perhaps try a fun activity together. My mentee and I have chosen to attend the Beth Moore simulcast this Saturday (I can't wait!!!), but there are other activities that could be fun choices, too.

How about getting a sno-cone? There are many locations throughout the Alexandria area. Or, perhaps one of you are searching for shrubs or flowers to plant in your landscape...why not make that an outing for the two of you? Chick-Fil-A has just opened a new location on Jackson St., there are many boutiques around town, how about a trip to our zoo?

There are dozens of "everyday" types of things you can do together. It doesn't have to be anything expensive. Just include your mentoring partner in an activity you normally do. What about a game night (or day), Yahtzee, Boggle, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, etc.? At a meeting like this, you could invite your Prayer Warrior to join you!

The 2010 Mentoring Session Has Begun!

Woo hoo! Our 2010 Sisters in Christ Mentoring session has now begun! I can't wait to hear about how God works in the lives of Calvary's women this six months.

Each woman participating in this session has been notified concerning who their partner is and what they need to do to get started.

If you thought you had signed up for participation, but have not gotten a phone call from me (Julie Taylor), please contact me as soon as possible at jt4some@hotmail.com.

Most ladies have already picked up their handbooks and workbook, but there are still a few handbooks left at Calvary's welcome desk by the sanctuary. Please pick them up right away. If you wanted to purchase the workbook, "Conversations on Purpose", but have not done it yet, you can purchase it for $15 at the New Beginnings bookstore.

What happens next?

1) Read through your handbook before your first meeting with your partner, discuss any questions at your first meeting

2) Contact your partner to set up a time and frequency to meet

3) Prayer Warriors should contact the mentoring team she is responsible for and make her first log into her prayer journal

Due to a shortage of available Prayer Warriors, I was not able to offer a Prayer Warrior for each mentoring team.

Matching is Underway!

Well, the matching process is underway! I'm so excited to see what God will do in your lives throughout the next few months!