Organizing Your Ladies for Evangelism
Debbie Courtier

Your women’s group can do much to reach the community. Here are some examples:

* Food Pantry – Designed to help distribute food to those that are in need within the church body. However, this ministry can direct those outside the church to ministries within the local community.

* Clothing Bank – A clothing bank can work much like a food pantry; it can be available to those who are in need within the church, and to the local community.

* Community Service Projects – Research agencies and organizations in your area that are reaching the community can help determine how your group may assist them. Work with the agencies of your choice on a continuing basis to support their needs:

* Crisis pregnancy center – Consider hosting a baby shower for the center, or organize a garage sale with proceeds donated to the center. On Sanctity of Life Sunday, place a playpen in the church lobby, and encourage the congregation to fill it with infant clothing, disposable diapers, formula, and baby wipes. Include a piggy bank for monetary donations.

* Women’s shelter – Contact a local women’s shelter and volunteer to work with abused women who come to the shelter for protection.

* Newspaper watch – Appoint a ministry group to watch the local newspaper for birth announcements and death notices. Consider sending congratulations or sympathy cards in the church’s name each week to those listed.

* Bassinets for needy moms – Consider collecting bassinet items such as diapers and wipes, bottles, blankets, and other baby items to place in a small bassinet to give to needy moms. Work with the local hospital to deliver items before mom takes her baby home.

* Classes for the needy – Work with your community’s social service offices to see if there is a need to offer classes for low-income families. Perhaps cooking classes, basic financial management, or home management classes would benefit those in need of learning basic skills.

* Tutoring/school assistance – Many communities need volunteers to teach English as a second language. Many public schools also need lunchroom, library or classroom assistance.

* Internet evangelism – Women skilled on computers can work together to create a Web page that will bring people to a saving knowledge of Christ. If possible, provide an area for comments so visitors to the site can receive help if needed.

* Legislative watch – Women can pray on a daily basis over decisions government bodies make. We offer suggestions on how to pray specifically, and how to contact public officials.

A Mentoring Ministry to Single Moms

Concerned about the single mothers in your church and community? Wondering how you can best help them? You can be trained to provide discipleship and life-skills training to single mothers, with the guidance of Touch with Hope.

This collection of resources includes brochures, guidelines, reproducible forms, and other practical ideas to help you extend a hand to single moms. The Touch with Hope packet also provides a mentor/mentee covenant, and helps you identify the practical, emotional, and spiritual needs of single moms.

You can use this tool to train your small group to be mentors of single moms, or use it for a community outreach, or for one-on-one mentoring. These can be ordered from: www.women.ag.org web site. Contents of each Touch with Hope packet include:

* Touch with Hope poster/cover
* Getting Started
* Ways to Minister to Single Moms
* Reproducible Touch with Hope brochure
* Reproducible Information Form
* Networking Agencies List
* Reproducible Networking Agencies Form
* Reproducible Mentor/Mentee Covenant
* Reproducible Monthly Mentor Evaluation
* Book Resource List
* Bible Study List
* Resource Catalog
* Teen Challenge Discipleship brochure
* iCare brochure
* Guidance for Life discipleship booklet by Randy Hurst

This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”

This article “Organizing Your Ladies for Evangelism” by Debbie Courtier was excerpted from: www.GospelPublishingHouse.com web site. November 2009. It may be used for study & research purposes only.