Sometimes at night I sit and cry, when all else is asleep. And when I think no one is listening, I hear a voice call down upon me.
"Take my hand, and I will lead you. Let me be your friend. I'll take away your sorrows, if only you take my hand. Let go of all your troubles, say goodbye to your sins. If only you believe in Me, I will be your friend."
I look upon the shadows and see the forgiving hands of Christ the Lord, standing above me, calling me to be His friend.
So many days, weeks, and months, the years have passed and grown. That, I have forgotten those forgiving hands, calling the shadows my own. But now I realize, It's Christ the Lord, whose shadows seem to grow. "Dear God, I pray, and thank You, for never letting go."
"Take my hand, and I will follow. I'd like to be Your friend. Please take away my sorrows, please take my hand. I'm letting go of all my troubles, saying goodbye to my sins. Dear Lord, I believe in You. Forever, We will be FRIENDS!"
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Mark Your Calender!!
Tuesday, May 25 Topic meeting- Join us at Bethel Assembly of God in Martinsburg, WV (just past City Hospital) in the MACE building (large activity building behind the church) in room 109 (large center room on first floor) from 9:45- 11:45 AM. We meet for a time of brunch, prayer, and discussion groups.
Childcare is provided on the premises for all ages of children. All childcare workers undergo a background search. Your children will enjoy a craft, storytime, games, and snack.
This is our last topic meeting of the Spring Semester. Share your thoughts on upcoming topics in the fall. Come and get your schedule of events for the summer! Join us back for topic meetings in September!
Childcare is provided on the premises for all ages of children. All childcare workers undergo a background search. Your children will enjoy a craft, storytime, games, and snack.
This is our last topic meeting of the Spring Semester. Share your thoughts on upcoming topics in the fall. Come and get your schedule of events for the summer! Join us back for topic meetings in September!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day!!!
Before I was a Mom.....
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
Before I was a Mom...
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom...
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
I had complete control of my mind
My thoughts
I slept all night.
Before I was Mom...
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests
Or give shots
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom...
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom...
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.
Before I was Mom...
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night,
Every ten minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a MOM!
Author Unknown
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
Before I was a Mom...
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom...
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
I had complete control of my mind
My thoughts
I slept all night.
Before I was Mom...
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests
Or give shots
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom...
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom...
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.
Before I was Mom...
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night,
Every ten minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a MOM!
Author Unknown
Friday, May 7, 2010
Ou Mother's Day Breakfast
I believe everyone would agree that we had a lovely time this past Tuesday at the Holiday Inn for our Mother's Day Breakfast. The buffet style breakfast was delicious! Our special speaker, Pastor Jane Campbell, gave us a great message on being encourager's to one another and to our children. I hope we strive on becoming balcony encourager's to those around us.
Thank you to Donnis Lloyd for taking pictures of mothers/daughters and the event at large. Thank you to Sandie Ridenour for giving us great service at the Holiday Inn.
It is my hope all the moms who joined us were blessed! Have a Happy Mother's Day!
Lisa Fraley
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Possibilities are Endless
All women who come to Mom's Connection should feel welcomed, loved, appreciated, and feel like they have found a landing place among friends. Friends that make them feel like a valuable part of the group. Friends who have been through or are experiencing a lot of the same trials and triumphs. Friends that they feel comfortable enough with that they can share their thoughts and feelings and know that their friends will rejoice with them through the "ups" and pray with and for them through the "downs".
To be able to build these friendships we must first be given the opportunity. Every new lady who visits with us is a new and awesome opportunity to make a new friend. The new lady's first impression of us as a group is make or break. This impression will determine whether she comes back to join us, brings a friend or two to meet us...or whether she writes us off and moves on.
In effect, we have to "Greet Her Right the First Time". This phrase is one of the two new motto's that is going to be part of the Hospitality Team's vision for the future. The second phrase is "Hospitality is Every one's Responsibility".
Let me first explain to you what greeting her "right" looks like. Let's call our new lady "Tammy". As Tammy walks into the building she will be greeted by two ladies at the door. These ladies will then introduce themselves and introduce her to yet another lady. This lady she has just been introduced to will be her taker. Her taker is charged with making Tammy feel welcome and secure. The first part of making her feel secure is letting her know that her children will be well taken care of while she is in the topic meeting so the first place the taker will take her to is the childcare rooms. Once her children are settled in then her taker will lead her back down to the meeting room and will show her where she can get refreshments. The taker should not leave her side until she has been settled into a topic study and met her care circle leader. The entire time that the taker and Tammy are enjoying their refreshments they should be talking as well. The taker should take every opportunity to introduce her to ladies she may have something in common with. Also, Tammy should be introduced to the Hospitality Coordinator (myself) and the Care Circle Coordinator (Donnis Lloyd). I will then give Tammy a welcome bag that has a registration form, hospitality cross bookmark, recipe cards and some other goodies. The taker should make sure that she fills out this registration form because this form contains contact information for the new member. This is the only way we have of getting in contact with her and letting her know that we enjoyed her company.
It is absolutely crucial that each new lady Tammy meets greet her with a smile and a handshake. This is where our second motto for Hospitality comes in with, "Hospitality is Every one's Responsibility". Being hospitable does not end with that initial topic meeting. She will receive a phone call from either myself or Robin Coburn (our Assistant Hospitality Coordinator) and will also receive an email from me welcoming her to the group. When she returns to Mom's Connection for the meetings after that very first meeting she should be greeted as warmly as she was at the first meeting. I encourage you to write down her name when you meet her that first time so you will remember it and try to greet her using her name when she returns. This will make her feel that she made a positive impression and that you care enough to remember her. She will probably not remember the names of all the people that she was introduced to at the first meeting but she will be well on her way to getting to know us better and if we share about ourselves she'll share about herself.
In Mom's Connection no lady ever needs to feel she is alone. If a mom is sitting by herself and nobody is taking an interest in her then we have failed as her friends and as a community. Our mission statement for Mom's Connection states that we are a ministry to nurture all mothers and we are to reach out to each other with friendship, encouragement and support. If she is being offered friendship, encouragement and support then she will, in turn, offer that to other ladies that may come in to visit with us for their first topic meeting and our group will continue to grow. Then we will reach our ultimate goal and reach as many women as we possibly can and connect them to God, grow them in faith and then we will see them and their families become participants in His kingdom.
I challenge you at the next topic meeting and during our summer events to either sit beside or strike up a conversation with another mom that is either new to the group or that maybe you don't know that much about. The possibilities for awesome new friendships are endless!
Tina Burton
To be able to build these friendships we must first be given the opportunity. Every new lady who visits with us is a new and awesome opportunity to make a new friend. The new lady's first impression of us as a group is make or break. This impression will determine whether she comes back to join us, brings a friend or two to meet us...or whether she writes us off and moves on.
In effect, we have to "Greet Her Right the First Time". This phrase is one of the two new motto's that is going to be part of the Hospitality Team's vision for the future. The second phrase is "Hospitality is Every one's Responsibility".
Let me first explain to you what greeting her "right" looks like. Let's call our new lady "Tammy". As Tammy walks into the building she will be greeted by two ladies at the door. These ladies will then introduce themselves and introduce her to yet another lady. This lady she has just been introduced to will be her taker. Her taker is charged with making Tammy feel welcome and secure. The first part of making her feel secure is letting her know that her children will be well taken care of while she is in the topic meeting so the first place the taker will take her to is the childcare rooms. Once her children are settled in then her taker will lead her back down to the meeting room and will show her where she can get refreshments. The taker should not leave her side until she has been settled into a topic study and met her care circle leader. The entire time that the taker and Tammy are enjoying their refreshments they should be talking as well. The taker should take every opportunity to introduce her to ladies she may have something in common with. Also, Tammy should be introduced to the Hospitality Coordinator (myself) and the Care Circle Coordinator (Donnis Lloyd). I will then give Tammy a welcome bag that has a registration form, hospitality cross bookmark, recipe cards and some other goodies. The taker should make sure that she fills out this registration form because this form contains contact information for the new member. This is the only way we have of getting in contact with her and letting her know that we enjoyed her company.
It is absolutely crucial that each new lady Tammy meets greet her with a smile and a handshake. This is where our second motto for Hospitality comes in with, "Hospitality is Every one's Responsibility". Being hospitable does not end with that initial topic meeting. She will receive a phone call from either myself or Robin Coburn (our Assistant Hospitality Coordinator) and will also receive an email from me welcoming her to the group. When she returns to Mom's Connection for the meetings after that very first meeting she should be greeted as warmly as she was at the first meeting. I encourage you to write down her name when you meet her that first time so you will remember it and try to greet her using her name when she returns. This will make her feel that she made a positive impression and that you care enough to remember her. She will probably not remember the names of all the people that she was introduced to at the first meeting but she will be well on her way to getting to know us better and if we share about ourselves she'll share about herself.
In Mom's Connection no lady ever needs to feel she is alone. If a mom is sitting by herself and nobody is taking an interest in her then we have failed as her friends and as a community. Our mission statement for Mom's Connection states that we are a ministry to nurture all mothers and we are to reach out to each other with friendship, encouragement and support. If she is being offered friendship, encouragement and support then she will, in turn, offer that to other ladies that may come in to visit with us for their first topic meeting and our group will continue to grow. Then we will reach our ultimate goal and reach as many women as we possibly can and connect them to God, grow them in faith and then we will see them and their families become participants in His kingdom.
I challenge you at the next topic meeting and during our summer events to either sit beside or strike up a conversation with another mom that is either new to the group or that maybe you don't know that much about. The possibilities for awesome new friendships are endless!
Tina Burton
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Upcoming Events!!
"We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders,... so the next generation might know them- even the children not yet born- and they in turn will teach their own children." (Psalm 78:4,6 NLT)
Friday, May 7 Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A in Martinsburg, WV for Ignyte Women's Ministry at Bethel Assembly of God from 5-8pm. While there, they will provide a craft for women to participate in. They will earn 20% of the sales if you tell them you want to support Ignyte Women's Ministry.
Tuesday, May 11 Topic Meeting Canceled due to No School.
Tuesday, May 25 Topic meeting- Join us at Bethel Assembly of God in Martinsburg, WV (just past City Hospital) in the MACE building (large activity building behind the church) in room 109 (large center room on first floor) from 9:45- 11:45 AM. We meet for a time of brunch, prayer, and discussion groups.
Childcare is provided on the premises for all ages of children. All childcare workers undergo a background search. Your children will enjoy a craft, storytime, games, and snack.
This is our last topic meeting of the Spring Semester. Come and get your schedule of events for the summer! Join us back for topic meetings in September!
Friday, May 7 Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A in Martinsburg, WV for Ignyte Women's Ministry at Bethel Assembly of God from 5-8pm. While there, they will provide a craft for women to participate in. They will earn 20% of the sales if you tell them you want to support Ignyte Women's Ministry.
Tuesday, May 11 Topic Meeting Canceled due to No School.
Tuesday, May 25 Topic meeting- Join us at Bethel Assembly of God in Martinsburg, WV (just past City Hospital) in the MACE building (large activity building behind the church) in room 109 (large center room on first floor) from 9:45- 11:45 AM. We meet for a time of brunch, prayer, and discussion groups.
Childcare is provided on the premises for all ages of children. All childcare workers undergo a background search. Your children will enjoy a craft, storytime, games, and snack.
This is our last topic meeting of the Spring Semester. Come and get your schedule of events for the summer! Join us back for topic meetings in September!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Think Big
"He did not waver...regarding the promise...,being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. " Romans 4:20-21
"Scripture tells us that Abraham, 'without weakening in his faith,...faced the fact that his body was as good as dead'. (vs.19). He was not discouraged, because he was not looking at himself but at Almighty God. 'He did not waver,,,regarding the promise' but stood straight, not bending beneath the staggering load of God's blessing. Instead of growing weak, his faith grew stronger, exhibiting more power, even as more difficulties became apparent. Abraham glorified God for His complete sufficiency and was 'fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.' The literal translation of this passage from the Greek expresses the thought this way: God is not merely able but abundantly able, bountifully and generously able, with an infinite surplus of resources, and eternally able 'to do what He had promised'. He is the God of limitless resources---the only limit comes from us. Our requests, our thoughts, and our prayers are too small, and our expectations are too low. God is trying to raise our vision to a higher level, call us to have greater expectations, and thereby bring us to greater appropriation. Shall we continue living in a way that mocks His will and denies His Word? There is no limit to what we may ask and expect of our glorious El Shaddai---our Almighty God. And there is no way for us to measure His blessing, for He is 'able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us'". (Ephesians 3:20) A. B. Simpson
"The way to find God's treasure-house of blessing is to climb the ladder of His divine promises. Those promises are the key that opens the door to the riches of God's grace and favor."
Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman
Sometimes it is hard to think big when we look at our circumstances, our weaknesses, our failures. Sometimes when I think of who I used to be, the things that have happened in the past, it is hard for me to believe that God can use me to do anything significant or meaningful. It is then that He reminds me that it is not about me or my limitations. It is about Him and His will and all He requires of me is a willing heart that says "Here am I, Lord send me." It is then that He empowers me through His Holy Spirit and equips me for the work that He wants me to do. God opens the doors that no man can shut. We in our power are small, but our God is a big God. Let's think big today.
Kim Ratcliffe
"Scripture tells us that Abraham, 'without weakening in his faith,...faced the fact that his body was as good as dead'. (vs.19). He was not discouraged, because he was not looking at himself but at Almighty God. 'He did not waver,,,regarding the promise' but stood straight, not bending beneath the staggering load of God's blessing. Instead of growing weak, his faith grew stronger, exhibiting more power, even as more difficulties became apparent. Abraham glorified God for His complete sufficiency and was 'fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.' The literal translation of this passage from the Greek expresses the thought this way: God is not merely able but abundantly able, bountifully and generously able, with an infinite surplus of resources, and eternally able 'to do what He had promised'. He is the God of limitless resources---the only limit comes from us. Our requests, our thoughts, and our prayers are too small, and our expectations are too low. God is trying to raise our vision to a higher level, call us to have greater expectations, and thereby bring us to greater appropriation. Shall we continue living in a way that mocks His will and denies His Word? There is no limit to what we may ask and expect of our glorious El Shaddai---our Almighty God. And there is no way for us to measure His blessing, for He is 'able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us'". (Ephesians 3:20) A. B. Simpson
"The way to find God's treasure-house of blessing is to climb the ladder of His divine promises. Those promises are the key that opens the door to the riches of God's grace and favor."
Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman
Sometimes it is hard to think big when we look at our circumstances, our weaknesses, our failures. Sometimes when I think of who I used to be, the things that have happened in the past, it is hard for me to believe that God can use me to do anything significant or meaningful. It is then that He reminds me that it is not about me or my limitations. It is about Him and His will and all He requires of me is a willing heart that says "Here am I, Lord send me." It is then that He empowers me through His Holy Spirit and equips me for the work that He wants me to do. God opens the doors that no man can shut. We in our power are small, but our God is a big God. Let's think big today.
Kim Ratcliffe
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