Thank you!

Thank you to all who participated in February's Essence Event. It was a wonderful night of worship, fellowship, and encouragement. We had a great turn out, about 60 women of all ages and backgrounds. Our next Essence event will be in early summer. Be sure to make plans to attend and bring your friends!

Thank you to Melissa Elliott for leading worship. Thank you to Carrie Johnson for her powerful testimony. Thank you to Kristi Clark for the beautiful decorations. Thank you to Christie Noone for the coffee and snacks. Thank you to Marci Blasi for taking care of our children. Thank you to the entire events team who put everything together so beautifully! What a wonderful night!!!

Essence event coming soon!

Essence is coming! Make plans to join us on Thursday evening, February 28th, at 7 PM in the Connection Cafe. This event will have something for everyone - worship, encouragement, an acoustic mini-concert, coffee, fellowship......and so much more. Our topic - "Finding Fulfillment in Christ." You won't want to miss it!

International Missions

Please be in prayer this week (Jan. 15th - 18th) for Deb Russell. This beloved woman from our church is meeting with the International Mission Board with hopes of traveling abroad to spread the love and truth of Christ. Please pray for peace, clarity, and direction as decisions are made this week.

We love you Deb, and know that God has incredible plans for your life!

Writers Wanted!

Wanted: Women with a passion for writing, photography, and graphic design.

We are in the process of transforming our Women's Ministry publications team. We are currently collecting sample articles to be considered for our women's newsletter, our women's blog, and even a women's magazine that is in the works! We believe that publications can be a powerful tool for equipping and encouraging women, keeping us connected, and reaching the lost. So, if you have a passion for writing, put together a sample article about anything that interests women. Be as real, relevant, and authentic as you can be. Pour your passion, your dreams, your humor, your creativity.....all that is in you, into your work. Then submit your article to Jennifer at jpinkerton@theharvestchurch.org. I will pass it on to our editors and we'll get back with you as soon as possible. I can't wait to see what you've written!

Women's Ministry Goals for 2008

• To connect every woman more intimately with Jesus. That we would all know and understand what our lives are really about. We would surrender our lives fully and completely to the Lordship of our Savior. Our relationships with Christ would not revolve simply around church activities and service, but that we would know Him intimately and personally. That our private, personal lives would radiate His Presence. How can we do this? By training and equipping women in Bible study and worship. To paint a new picture of what life with Christ really looks like, and teach women how to apply the Word of God more powerfully in every area of their lives.

• To connect women more intimately with one another. Women are relational. We need friendships and relationships. We need friends to encourage and challenge us....to laugh with us, cry with us, empathize with us, and point us to the goodness of our Lord. How do we connect women? We help them to find small groups where they can be more intimately involved - Bible study groups, life groups, play groups...We partner them with mentors that can guide, support, and encourage them. The Christian life is not meant to be lived alone, so let's grow in our relationships with one another and enjoy the body of Christ as God intends for us.

• To create an atmosphere of authenticity among the women of our church. To encourage women to be real, to be transparent, and to be approachable. Christian women struggle with "real stuff"- so it is impertative that our ministry be honest, and relevant to the everyday issues of life.

• To equip women to live out the purposes in their lives with great passion and power. To understand the roles and purposes that we have as women. To find our value and significance in Christ alone so that we can live and serve out of the abundance of His Presence in our lives.

• To provide every opportunity for the women of Harvest to be the "hands and feet of Christ." We must come to understand that ministry is not limited to the church building. We want to branch out, to get outside of this church, impacting our community for Christ.

• To bring God glory by enjoying Him! Life with Christ is anything but boring. Let's add some fun to our worship of Him. We want to include fellowship and fun in all that we do so that God might be glorified in our enjoyment of Him.

Food Pantry

Our next Food Pantry distribution day is this Saturday, December 22nd. Our food pantry is designed to serve families in need in our church and community. Last month, we provided food (including a full turkey dinner) to over 70 families. We expect to feed a large number of families this month as well.

This is one of my favorite outreaches of Harvest church. People come through our doors each month needing food, but this provides us with an opportunity to share the love and grace of Christ to those in our area. We would love for you to be a part!

Please join us Friday night from 7-9 pm to get set up. Or on Saturday from 7:30-12 for distribution. We meet at the church in the fellowship hall. You are welcome to bring the whole family. This is a great opportunity for your children to get involved with serving others. I've found that it adds some much needed perspective to a busy holiday season. Hope to see you there!

Transition

Transitions are never easy. Although change can be very exciting, it is usually followed by a period of transition. Transitions are times of adjustment, adaptation, a little uncertainty.... times of reflecting on the old, and dreaming of the new.... times for shaping expectations, casting vision, and stepping out on faith. The last few months have certainly been a time of transition for me personally and for the women's ministry as a whole. (I've been a stay at home mom for the last 8 years - so going back to work, even part-time, has been a transition.)

Within this time of transition, the Lord has shown Himself faithful. He always does! He is our constant in the midst of change, our stability when things are uncertain. He's bringing great enthusiasm, and great vision...sparking new interest, and calling women to new areas of service and ministry. I am excited about all that He has for the women of our church. As we move through this period of transition, now is the time for YOU to get involved. I would love to hear your thoughts, your dreams, your visions about what women's ministry should be. I would love to know the giftings and callings that God has placed upon your heart.

How I would love for you to join with me as we serve the women of our church! Please contact me at jpinkerton@theharvestchurch.org, and let's set up a time to get together and dream about how you can be a part of all that God is doing within the body of Harvest Church.

Women's Life Groups

I remember the first time that we visited Harvest. It was December of 2000. We visited an ABF class our very first week - we were anxious to get plugged in! We were warmly greeted and felt right at home. Dan and Amy McCollum made sure we knew where to sit in service, and then invited us to join them for lunch after church. Our very first week at Harvest, I was invited to a life group for women on Tuesday night, and a playgroup for young moms on Friday morning. Instantly connected! I see a great need for more life groups for women. We need more opportunities to connect with women on an intimate level. I love ABF classes, yet they still lack some of the intimacy and in-depth study that can be found in a life group. Of course, I realize that we are all very busy. But, I don't believe that life groups are intended to make our lives busier,... but fuller, more connected, supported, encouraged. I would love to hear your thoughts and testimonies concerning life groups. Please contact me if you would like to be a part of a life group, or even if you would like to lead one - I would be more than happy to get you all of the resources that you would need!

Why blogging?

Why not?? I've recently discovered the world of blogging. My sister in law is an "avid blogger." I love checking out her blog site to see what is going on in her world, to see pictures of my nephews, to check up on my brother, and hear about all of the craziness and fun of her life. Just recently I was given a book called "The Blogging Church." I loved the idea of being able to share all of the happenings of the women of our church in an easy, fun, accessable format - what a great way to bring technology into our church! I believe that this is a place to share information and encouragement in a candid, authentic, "real" way. Some days we may want to announce an upcoming event...other days we'll want to share a short devotional or insight into God's truth....sometimes there will be fun pictures to post, or stories to tell...we may even want to review a great book, CD, or movie. Let's just share all that's going on among the women of our church! God is doing great things - let's stay connected and share all that He is doing in our lives!! Feel free to join in the conversation and share your comments about each post.

What is radiant living?

How I long for women everywhere to experience the fullness of living in the center of God's will! There is nothing more beautiful, more radiant, than a woman fully surrendered to the Lord and filled completely with His Presence. For in the Presence of the Lord, there is peace, joy, light, life, and great beauty- all of the things we're looking for. It is my hope that we will seek Him together - go deep in the Word of God - and find that He is everything we want - everything we need! Let's explore the power and relevance of God's truth to penetrate and satisfy every area of our lives. God is so good and life with Him is more abundant, more fulfilling, more complete than any kind of life we could imagine!... Scripture tells us that God desires to reveal His glory through His people - that He desires to let His light shine is us. It is my desire that when others look at me, when others look at us as the women of Harvest church, that they would no longer see us - but that they would see the radiance of our Lord - His glory, His life, His light. I am excited about exploring this truth together... helping one another to seek the Lord with everything in us and live completely the pleasing, abundant life that God intends for us!