Celebrate Sisterhood: Testimonials for Appreciative Inquiry and NPWL Leadership Forums
Written by Amy Holloway, Associate Pastor for Adult Discipleship, First Presbyterian Church, Winston-Salem, NC
Editor's note: In October 2007 Pastor Amy Holloway attended an NPWL Leadership Forum and has used what she learned there to bring positive change to the Women's Ministry in her congregation. In this article, Amy shares that process, the changes that resulted, and some of the things they learned along the way.
"Those young women aren't involved in the church! Who is going to decorate the church for Christmas when we can't anymore? Who is going to support all of our service and mission projects?" - Older woman in a Presbyterian Women's Circle
"I've tried to explain why I don't join a circle. For starters, they meet midday when I'm at work. Secondly, I don't want to join a decorating or kitchen team. I want to use my spiritual gifts and engage in more serious Bible study." - Younger woman from an evening Bible study
Those were some of the comments I heard from women when I began as Associate Pastor of Discipleship at First Presbyterian Church, Winston-Salem, NC two and a half years ago. The congregation had wonderful programs for women of all ages, each with unique focuses that honored God. For example, the MOPS program ministered to harried mothers of preschoolers and was a strong outreach to women who didn't yet know Christ. The Presbyterian Women's circles, largely populated with older women, had a strong heritage of service and mission. And the weekly Women's Bible study engaged women from churches across the city in serious Bible study and prayer. But the women in the various programs were wary of one another. They viewed the other women and programs with suspicion. We had great ministries for and by women, but we didn't have a healthy women's ministry.
NPWL is pleased to announce that two new translations of our study guide,Women’s Words, are now available, and a third will be available by November 1.
- A Farsi translation is now available: download the PDF. (Farsi is the language most commonly spoken in Iran) -
- A Korean translation is now available: download the PDF or DOC.
- A Spanish translation will be available by November 1.
Each of these translations is available at no charge, thanks to a generous gift secured by Nancy Worth and Beverly Hills Pres Church. The studies will be formatted as PDF files (which can be read using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader). They can be printed onto 8 ½ X 11 paper.
Women’s Words was originally written by Leigh Swanson and Debbie Schmidt. It includes ten inductive Bible studies focusing on the words of women recorded in scripture.
Living Into God's Design: Life Lessons for the Journey (Joshua Bible Study)
You are about to embark on a journey – a journey through one of the most exciting books in the Old Testament – the book of Joshua. The stories in Joshua help us wrestle with issues relevant to our lives today such as judgment and grace, success and prosperity, transmitting our Christian beliefs and values to our children, church discipline, immigration, deception, and the troubling problem of holy war.
Each lesson is designed not only to help you understand and interpret the text, but also to apply what you have learned to your daily life. As an introduction to each lesson in this study, Jane shares a story from her life, following in the African American tradition of linking story and Scripture together. Because Old and New Testament Scriptures are inextricably linked, each lesson also features a section connecting Joshua with the New Testament. The connections made between Old and New Testaments will deepen your understanding and appreciation for the Scripture as a whole, opening a window to see the text in a different light.
Those were some of the comments I heard from women when I began as Associate Pastor of Discipleship at First Presbyterian Church, Winston-Salem, NC two and a half years ago. The congregation had wonderful programs for women of all ages, each with unique focuses that honored God. For example, the MOPS program ministered to harried mothers of preschoolers and was a strong outreach to women who didn't yet know Christ. The Presbyterian Women's circles, largely populated with older women, had a strong heritage of service and mission. And the weekly Women's Bible study engaged women from churches across the city in serious Bible study and prayer. But the women in the various programs were wary of one another. They viewed the other women and programs with suspicion. We had great ministries for and by women, but we didn't have a healthy women's ministry. 
NPWL is pleased to announce that two new translations of our study guide, 
You are about to embark on a journey – a journey through one of the most exciting books in the Old Testament – the book of Joshua. The stories in Joshua help us wrestle with issues relevant to our lives today such as judgment and grace, success and prosperity, transmitting our Christian beliefs and values to our children, church discipline, immigration, deception, and the troubling problem of holy war.
