Start or revitalize a PW group
By Bonnie Blair
Contact the national offices of Presbyterian Women for information on how to start a new PW group or to request a speaker.
Live out the PW Purpose with your programs. Any program that embraces any part of the purpose can be a PW program! Try
Order the PW Manual — it has sample bylaws for PW groups, job descriptions and overviews of the many programs in which PW participates.
Be flexible with the number of positions on your coordinating team. If you only have a few women, begin with a just a moderator and a secretary/treasurer on the coordinating team. As your group grows, add a search committee chair and search committee. They can put together a team with a moderator, secretary, financial secretary, mission representative, mission representative and any other positions your group needs.
Hold a planning retreat with current and incoming PW leaders to evaluate which programs should continue and which new ones could be added.
Plan a variety of projects. Many younger women prefer action-packed, short-term projects, such as building a Habitat for Humanity house. Some women could work on the house one day, while other women go to the church and prepare a dinner meal for everyone, including men. The women who worked on the house could share their experiences over dinner and other group and church members can hear of the good work.
Order Becoming the Beloved Community, a DVD and booklet on a racial ethnic dialogue group. Learn from the group on the DVD or use the suggestions in the booklet to hold your own racial ethnic dialogue.
Offer an array of programs. Not all group members will participate in all activities, but most members will be able to find a few programs that appeal to them.
Use the Horizons Bible study. If you have more than one circle, try to have the circles come together once a month. Invite a speaker to present on the study or to discuss a project that relates to the study. Advertise the event in your church newsletter and in the community, letting people know they are welcome to attend and enjoy the fellowship. Everyone could bring a sandwich and one of the circles bring a cake — spread these on a tray and everyone stay for lunch. Many times, the pastor(s) will join you for lunch or even attend the program.
Publicize your group’s activities in the church newsletter and on church bulletin boards; speak during “minute for mission,” in the worship service, if you have one; if not, ask the Session to allow you to speak on PW activities.
Attend PW Presbytery functions. You can learn so much and meet women from other churches in your presbytery.
Not only can you start a circle at your church but you can start a circle at an assisted living facility where one or more of your members reside. Or how about one for high school or college girls?
Have a grandmother-mother-daughter event. Each generation can share stories about their lives and faith stories. Or grandmothers could tell stories about their childhoods.
Check with your local schools or shelters to find out their needs. One PW group discovered that many children in a town school were underfed at home on weekends. So they donated child friendly, ready-to-eat food that school personnel discreetly slipped into the children’s backpacks on Fridays.
Participate in Together in Service, the hands-on mission program for Presbyterian Women. You can select your own mission project within your community or get involved with one of the recommended projects. Or look into supporting Together in Service in Congo, three projects that address specific needs in Congo.
Hold a tea party. Invite a new neighbor or newly-retired person. Offer to pick up someone who is homebound. Provide childcare so women with young children can focus on the meeting. Invite each guest to bring her own teacup and tell its story. Then send two tea bags home with each guest so that she can have tea with someone else.
Be creative! Have fun! Enjoy PW!
Ask your group to pray that God will bless your efforts and do mighty things through PW.
Have an end-of-year celebration of your group with a luncheon or party. Celebrate all of the growth your group cultivated: spiritual growth; growth in numbers; growth in publicity in the church or community; growth in number of programs; growth in spreading God’s word. Write up everything you did, then include the list in the church newsletter and send a copy to your PW presbytery moderator. |
