Robyn was offered her first drugs at age thirteen. For the next twelve years she never refused them. At twenty-five she had become homeless, helpless, and hopeless. At a shelter where Robyn was staying, a woman befriended her and invited her to an event at her church. For the first time in her life, Robyn felt loved. Sobbing, she asked Jesus for forgiveness and help to quit the drugs. One year later, with a home, a job, and a growing faith, Robyn returned to the shelter to befriend another young woman.
Robyn’s life has been transformed. She’s become a new person. Her old life is gone, and she is living a new life of faith. God gave her a fresh start by offering her forgiveness through Jesus. Once a sinner separated from God, today she has become an ambassador for Christ.
After Robyn was befriended, she found a place to belong with other Christians and grew in her faith. II Corinthians 5:19 says that since we have been given a new life, “God has given us the task of telling everyone what He is doing” (The Message). The women at church gave Robyn an opportunity to share her story, and soon she was helping set up for the women’s ministry events. Robyn discovered she loved decorating and later landed a job at a local furniture store. Today she is able to share with other hurting women the incredible things God has done in her life, reaching out to them and introducing them to her friend, Jesus.
Robyn didn’t have to spend ten years studying the Bible before she was able to share her faith. She didn’t attend a workshop on gifts and talents to discover her love of decorating. Soon after she met Jesus, she was encouraged to share her story and to start serving in ministry. It’s the opportunities she’s been given that are helping her to become all God wants her to be!
How can you help a woman like Robyn become an ambassador for Christ? Befriend her, give her a place to Belong, help her to Believe, and create opportunities for her to Become.
Become
To Become is to grow into the woman God created you to be. We help women to Become when we encourage and equip them to move from being a ministry “receiver” into a ministry “giver.” That means recognizing the gifts and talents they have been given and providing opportunities for them to share them.
Here are a few tips to help women in your ministry to become all God wants them to be:
No “lone rangerettes.”
Encourage ministry leaders to delegate and share responsibilities to allow more women the opportunity to serve.
Share stories.
Invite women to an informal get-together. Set it up like a coffee shop, and allow each woman ten minutes to share the story of how she met Jesus and what He is doing in her life today. It might take a few weeks to hear all the stories!
Think outside the box.
Encourage women to touch your community in creative ways. One group started a ministry called the “Pink Apostles.” They send women in need a box stuffed with pink tissue and anything from gift cards to lip balm to chocolate. A card tucked inside says, “You’ve been pinked!” along with an invitation to their next event.
Give the women in your church the opportunity to Become. Entrust more women to do more in ministry and watch those women grow! The opportunities are unlimited!
~ Group Women's Ministry
