AB Women’s Ministries of Colorado! Issue 58! Spring 2013 The Lamplighter President’s Corner Women’s Retreat was led by Christy Dallmann and Carolyn Yelton. Christy is the exercise guru. Exercise is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Carolyn is the worship leader. Through the weekend we learned how physical fitness is related to spiritual fitness. Our spiritual fitness is achieved in the same way as our physical fitness, carefully, slowly, building a little at a time as we develop the discipline of prayer and Bible Study. We closed our weekend Sunday with Worship. Beautiful music and communion brought us into the presence of God. Carolyn and Christy are delightful. We renewed our spirits, built new friendships, relaxed and learned how to begin and sustain both spiritual and physical fitness. Plans are being made for Conference June 7-9th at Calvary Baptist Church in Denver. With the theme of “A Puddle of Joy – Jump in With Us!!” we look forward to a delightful conference. Lois Olmstead will be our keynote speaker. Humorous and insightful, Lois is a respected speaker, known throughout the United States and Canada. Check out her blog at http://www.timeoutwithlois.com/. See you there. The State Board continues to work on your behalf. We met on Thursday and Friday before Retreat. It was a full two days. A major concern is the decline in our Women’s Ministries in some of our Associations. We all want to support White Cross as well as other aspects of AB Women’s Ministries. Please enjoy the information being shared by your officers in this Lamplighter. The future of AB Women’s Ministries! What is it? Do we care? Each of us hold dear certain events, values, organizations and people who have impacted our lives. One of those, for me, is American Baptist Women and all the ways in which ABW has encouraged me to grow. The unconditional love and support from my ABW sisters has uplifted me in so many ways. Table of Contents President’s Corner! ! ! Notification ! ! ! Personal Development! ! AB GIRLS!! ! ! Mission & Service!! ! White Cross! ! ! Love Gift! ! ! ! 2013 Conference Invite! ! Bits & Pieces! ! ! 1&2 3 4 5 6 7 8&9 10 11 page 1 AB Women’s Ministries of Colorado! Issue 58! Spring 2013 (President’s Corner continued) What would happen if we had no National AB Women’s Ministries? A few of the things I would miss: ♥ The feeling of connectedness. All areas and Regions are represented on the National Board. ♥ Resources. Need a dedication or installation, a how to, Theme Logos, event information, Bible Books of the Month, White Cross and Missions emphasis? ♥ Common program themes. Across the country women are studying and learning together. ♥ A Voice and a vote. Our Executive Director sits on the ABC-USA National Executive Council. We are represented on the boards of Church Women United, BWA’s North American Baptist Women’s Union and ABC-USA’s Mission Table and World Relief Committee. ♥ National Conferences. Women of all ages gather to fellowship, learn and return home renewed for another year. AB GIRLS and Young Adult Women meet and share. There are so many ways in which we would lose if there were no National AB Women’s Ministries. What would you miss? We, as women need AB Women’s Ministries on many levels. The Women and Girl’s Mission Fund simplifies the ways in which we are able to support mission and ministries that benefit women and girls. Women who contribute to The Women and Girl’s Mission Fund support the following funds - AB GIRLS, Leadership Development Fund, Refit, and National Mission projects such as Break the Chains and Stop the Pain. Please consider giving to the Women and Girl’s Fund. These donations can then be used for which ever fund under the umbrella needs it. As a donor you can designate your donation if you so choose. Your support is vital. I pray that you are inspired by the women who have gone before us, leading us into a closer walk with God. I pray that we continue to support His missionaries as they serve on the mission field. I pray that you will enjoy the fellowship as the local Women’s Ministries meet together. I pray that you look to the future and find ways to grow the AB Women’s Ministries in your local church and wider area. May God bless all of you, Yvonne Whisenhunt, President page 2 Notification to all AB Women of Colorado: The following Revision of the Colorado AB Women's Ministries Bylaws was approved at the February meeting of the Colorado AB Women's Ministries Board for presentation at the Annual Business meeting to be held during the June 2013 Conference. Article X, Section 6: Nominating Committee The membership of this committee shall consist of five (5) members representing as many areas of the state as possible. The chair shall be designated by the President. The Committee Chair will then solicit names from the Board to fill the Committee. The appointed members may come from within the Board or from the state-at-large. Under The Nominating Committee Shall !!second bullet change "parts of the state" to "areas" to read the same as the paragraph above. Thank you to Yvonne Whisenhunt for the Board Meeting and Retreat Photos FOLLOWING GOD'S CALL by LaRose Karr Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (Rom 10:1 ESV) "Mom, I just love college!" Our younger daughter, Rhea, bounced through the front door on her second trip home from school. Only two weeks before, her older sister and I drove out of state to move items into the dorm room. The first day, without warning, Rhea lay down on the bed in front of us and began to cry. When offered a hug, she said. "No, don't hug me, I'll cry more!" The very next day she was back to her old self, introducing herself to students and making friends wherever she went. While it is hard to leave home, our daughter knows she was called to this particular college to be a minister to students. When answering God's call, we leave behind friends, family and the familiar to go into the unknown. -- Nine years have passed since I wrote this devotion. In these past nine years my daughter finished college with her master's degree. She is now expecting her first child and recently moved back to Sterling so that she and her husband are near family to raise their children. Here is what Rhea recently wrote on Facebook after living away from home eight years Never thought I'd say this but we are fully and officially living in Sterling. Just goes to show that we make plans but God determines our steps. Well played, God. Well played. My daughter's life has inspired me. I've been blessed to watch her grow and learn, even though mistakes have been made along the way. In life we trust the Lord and whatever comes into our path we choose faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to provide the comfort, strength and help we need. Sometimes all we can do is cry, "Lord help!" I'm thankful for a faith that is never shaken! Recipe for ABG Session Ladies, I know how we all love to share recipes. We love quick and easy, tasty and impressive, and nutritious all in one great recipe. Well, I think this recipe can check off all the boxes for us. Step 1: Schedule around 45 minutes time with the girls (attention is easy to capture for that length of time and Mom & Dad will be able to use a 45 minute span as well) Step 2: Start with a share time for prayer concerns, praises and just to catch up on every ones life, (everyone loves to know that someone is praying and caring about what is going on in their life). Step 3: Have a Missions lesson time, I recommend missionary web sites, and blogs, on our own American Baptist International Ministries website. Most of our missionaries have video clips and and lots of pictures available. You can even go old school with books. My number one book recommendation right now is The life of Adoniram Judson, To The Golden Shore, by Courtney Anderson, it is the story of the Judsons. 2013 is the 200th anniversary of the Judsons arriving in Burma, and a great time for us to refresh our memories of the Judson's and share it with another generation. Step 4; Hands on time. Crafts, food, fashion, dance, music....there are tons of options our there. We love following up our mission time with a food from the region we have studied, or bringing in clothing or jewelry from the area and having a fashion show. In a pinch cupcakes and frosting in traditional colors or the region will never go unappreciated. That is it ... sooo simple and sooo goood. This recipe is quick and easy.....tasty and leaves a missions impression on our young girls, and extremely nutrient rich.... We are sowing whole grain seeds for mission that can come to fruition years from now. I am always available for on the spot ABG discussions and sharing, please continue to keep our younger generations in your prayers and on your heart. Deb Van Ostran, ABGirls Mission and Service These girls from Murrow Indian Children’s Home are standing on the box frame of the beds that need new mattresses. We have raised $1167.70 toward the $3,000 goal that would make new mattresses possible for all the children. This would be a good project to get the entire church family involved in. Perhaps you could have a special “bank” shaped like a bed in an accessible place and ask each family to donate a dollar (or more) for each mattress in their home (and RV if they have one.) There is still time to register for 3 of the 2013 Virtual Mission tours. You will find registration information at http://www.abwministries.org. May 13-17, 2013 Register by May 9 “For I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me: Immigrants and Refugees” This virtual mission encounter will invite participants to explore issues of immigration and the experience of refugees in the U.S. Immigration has been present since biblical times—what can we learn from Scripture on this topic? What’s the difference between refugees, asylees, and immigrants? How do refugee and immigration issues impact families? What are congregations doing about these issues? How can you engage? September 23-27, 2013 Register by September 19 “Garlands instead of Ashes: Domestic Violence” Studies show that one in four women has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime, and nearly 75% of Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. It crosses all socio-economic and racial barriers, and is even present in our congregations. This virtual mission encounter explores the issue of domestic violence from the perspective of faith, including learning about the Cycle of Violence, what congregations can and should be doing around the issue of domestic violence, how to help teens and college-aged youth learn about healthy versus unhealthy relationships, what congregations and neighborhood action centers are doing in the field, and domestic violence in international cultures. November 4-8, 2013 Register by October 31 “For I Was in Prison and You Visited Me: Prison and Aftercare Ministries” Prison ministries and ministries for those who are re-entering society are helping to maintain important family connections and providing hope to former inmates now seeking to become productive members of their communities after release. In this virtual mission encounter, participants will learn about preventative programs for at-risk youth, congregations engaged in prison and jail ministries, ministries for families of incarcerated persons, re-entry programs, and the restorative justice movement. Jan Morony, Coordinator of Mission and Service [email protected] 970-568-8027 WHITE CROSS By now I hope most of the churches have completed their request for 2012-13. National still has not received all of the money for China, but their records are always behind what is sent in. If you have not completed all of your request, please do so quickly and send your reports to your Association Chairs so that they are able to send them to me. This enables me to divide the request for next year appropriately. White Cross is still a vital part of our missionary effort. Without the White Cross donations many of the mission fields would need to cut back severely on helping the people they serve. Please remember how much the missionaries rely on us to help them. Our White Cross project for state conference in June is coming up. The conference is at Calvary Baptist in Denver and Calvary works with an organization called “Family Promise”. This organization helps homeless families with supplies and a day site at which they can receive help with child care, resumes, job searches, supplies, etc. The families are carefully chosen and stay at a participating church at night. Besides donated articles, some of the women at the conference will be participating in a “hands on” project at the day-site. Items they have requested are: • Journals (notebooks for guests to write) • Cleaning supplies (i.e. lysol wipes, laundry detergent, dish sponges, toilet bowl cleaner & brushes) • Feminine sanitary products • Crib sheets and blankets • Sippy cups • Baby wipes • Computer mouse pads They will also accept gift cards for Walmart or Target. Conference attendees have been very generous in the past and I am sure will be this year also. This will be my last article about White Cross in the Lamplighter as I will be ending 6 years as State White Cross chair in June. It has been a real privilege and joy to work with everyone on White Cross. Thank you all for your support and I know you will support the next chair also. Judy Rothe, State White Cross Chair 303-494-0714 [email protected] Love Gift Thank you to all Colorado American Baptist Women for your contributions to Love Gift so far this year. With so much in the media about our poor economy and high unemployment rates, it can get discouraging and frightening to contemplate our own budgets and if we have enough money from month to month. Think back to the origin of Love Gift in 1931 when the United States was going through the Great Depression. American Baptist Women were challenged to raise $150,000.00 to help continue crucial ministries. They did it and Love Gift was born! The title of the Love Gift brochure is “You can serve as the hands and feet of Christ through Love Gift.” Love Gift supports the total missions program of AB Churches USA. That includes the full range of American Baptist mission: Regions, National Ministries, International Ministries, and ABW Ministries. Our state ABW Ministries receives $5,000.00 in operating funds per year. We would not receive those funds without Love Gift. My report from the Region office as of the end of August, 2012 shows a total of $4,855.95 in Love Gift giving. Last year’s total at the end of August was $5,397.31. Thus, we are behind a little over $500.00 compared to 2011. This is concerning, but not catastrophic! Ladies, there are numerous ways to raise funds for Love Gift. Organize a chili supper at your church, and ask for a donation to Love Gift from those attending. Have a bake sale. Pass out Love Gift envelopes at a church service. Put money in your Love Gift box when you are grateful. Our goal this year is $8,500.00. I know we can make it! When my great grandson visits, he asks me for a quarter. I was delighted and surprised the first time I saw him take the quarter and put it in my Love Gift box. You see, I had explained to him previously what the Love Gift box was for, and he remembered. What a blessing. If you need Love Gift supplies, please notify me, either by e-mail at [email protected] or phone call at (970) 263-8181. God bless you all, and have a beautiful fall season. Janet Blackman, State Love Gift Chair Our Love Gift Goal for the 2012-2013 year will be $8,500.00. For more information and ideas on how to promote Love Gift in your church, contact our Love Gift Chair, Janet Blackman. (re-printed from The Lamplighter, Fall 2012 issue) Invitation to AB Women of Colorado Conference 2013: A Puddle of Joy - Jump in with Us!! We invite you all to a heartwarming gathering in Denver on June 7-9, 2013 when American Baptist women (and your friends) will enjoy spending a weekend with Lois Olmstead. Believing that strength, peace and joy come from a relationship with God, Lois shares her faith along with optimistic and amusing views on life. Inspiring others is something that has become part of her everyday life. She impacts audiences with her positive views of living a joyful life; she has you rolling in the aisles one minute and tears streaming down your face the next! To Lois, finding an adventure isn't too hard to do...just look from where you are standing. By her own admission, she can't cook; she once made gravy out of plaster of Paris. This and other stories each illustrate a lesson to be heard. As a breast cancer survivor, Lois shares her message of hope in her book "Breast Cancer and Me", just one of several books she has written. Lois was brought up on a Montana ranch, and she brings a homespun style of looking at life to conferences and retreats across the United States and Canada. She and her husband Robert (married for 50 years) live on the family ranch in the Shields Valley. They have three sons and seven grandchildren. Our two national officers, Yvonne and Jackie, heard Lois when she was keynote speaker at the ABW National Conference last year -- and we are delighted to have her come to Colorado this year! Lois will open our Conference on Friday afternoon as our Keynote Speaker, and she will speak again on Friday evening and a couple more times on Saturday. The Conference will close on Sunday morning with a worship service and communion. Mark your calendars now to join other American Baptist women of Colorado at Calvary Baptist Church in Denver for this weekend of fellowship, inspiring music, special small group opportunities, and heartfelt sharing with Lois -- and look for registration material in early April. Blessings, ! ! Bonnie Glass and Sharon Murphy, Conference Co-Chairs A Puddle of Joy - Jump in with Us !! Save the Dates June 7, 8 & 9, 2013 Inspirational Guest Speaker Lois Olmstead She’s an Encourager She’s an Author She’s a Believer She’s a Survivor She Shares check out her website: timeoutwithlois.com What: AB Women’s Ministries of Colorado State Conference 2013 When: June 7, 8 & 9, 2013 Where:Calvary Baptist Church 6500 E Girard Ave Denver, Colorado Other: Join us for a weekend of joy, laughter, hands-on missions, focus groups, singing, prayer and inspiration. More information coming soon this spring! Books of the Bible 2013 January! ! February! ! March ! ! April! ! May! ! June! ! July! ! August! ! September! October! ! November! ! December! Proverbs! ! Esther ! I & II Peter & Jude ! Jeremiah ! Lamentations ! I Kings ! Colossians ! II Kings ! Obadiah I Corinthians ! II Corinthians ! Isaiah ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Starting with this Spring issue, The Lamplighter will be sent only by email. Please send your email address to the editor; her email address is [email protected] Please share this newsletter with all the women in your church. Please continue to submit articles and photographs, help us all stay connected. The Lamplighter is also posted on the Rocky Mountain Region website at http://www.abcrm.org. click Ministries, click Women, click Current Lamplighter. Calendar 2013 June 6-7! AB Women’s Ministries State Board Meeting, Calvary Baptist, Denver June 7-9! AB Women’s Ministries State Conference, Calvary Baptist, Denver ! July!27-Aug 1 National Conference, Phoenix, AZ