LANGHORNE (BRN) – As a women’s ministry director, I have encountered many women in their later years who have sat with me crying and sharing their regrets. It has troubled me for a long time that these women found freedom in Christ later in life.
I often wondered as I listened to their anguish, “If I only knew what I know today…” I imagined how impactful it would be if our women’s leadership could come alongside young women during their formative years and teach them what biblical womanhood is and what it looks like before the world deceives them and leads them down paths of hopelessness and despair.
In September 2017, I attended a Simulcast offered by Revive Our Hearts titled, “Revive ’17: Adorned: Women Mentoring Women the Titus 2 Way.”
During that event, I heard Susan Hunt speak, and her statement, “young people are making life decisions without any life experience,” really resonated with me. This thought overwhelmed me and I couldn’t shake it.
I knew we needed something for young girls, but I wondered who would take up the torch to start it. I prayed that God would raise someone up for this purpose and fervently sought guidance for over a month. God began nudging me to be that person, but I kept insisting, “No, I don’t work with teens; I focus on women’s ministry.”
Finally, in late October 2017, I surrendered to His call and accepted the responsibility to start a ministry for young girls in grades 6-12.
On Nov. 5, 2017, “Girls of Grace” was born as part of our women’s ministry and was formally launched in January 2018.
Our mission is to reach, teach, encourage and equip young women in their commitment to Christ by embracing God’s core calling for their lives, choosing wisely, living courageously and expecting God’s greater reward. Any young lady in grades 6- 12 is welcome to participate, regardless of whether they attend our church.
Leaders for this ministry are chosen with great care, as they play a significant role during these crucial years in the lives of the young ladies. Prospective leaders are hand-selected and presented to the Elders for approval.
To qualify, leaders must be members of Bucks Church, possess both Criminal Background and Child Abuse clearances and complete a Statement of Belief. Once the Statement of Belief form is submitted, it will be reviewed by one of the pastors. Currently, there are seven leaders, five of whom are grandmothers.
We also have Junior Leaders who were developed to train these young ladies to one day lead a ministry. Junior Leaders help plan our Bible study topics, our annual retreat and other events. They sometimes help lead small groups by facilitating questions.
A Junior Leader must have many attributes including being an encourager, displaying godly character (humble and gentle spirit) both in verbal and non-verbal, having a genuine walk with the Lord (walks the talk), being an encourager and welcoming to newcomers, having a good relationship with others and displaying leadership qualities during small group.
Being a Junior Leader is a place of service, so we place many expectations on them.
We meet every Friday night 6-9 p.m. from September through May, taking a break in December when each small group is encouraged to do at least one activity with their group.
The first hour (6-7) is called our “Dinner Hour.” Ladies can arrive at any time during this hour. It creates a time of fellowship for leaders and young ladies to just have conversation or play a game together. There is music and lots of food. This segment was designed for those that were coming from sports events, dance or band to be able to just come without having to run home and eat first.
It was very soon after that we realized that this “Dinner Hour” was much more as some of the young ladies are coming from homes that there was no food in the fridge or cupboards. They were coming hungry.
Girls of Grace falls under our Women’s Ministry budget and the leaders contribute many of the “Dinner Hour” items. We do not ask the young ladies to bring anything so as not to put undue pressure on their parents.
We start promptly at 7 p.m. with announcements and a time of worship led by one of the leaders. Some of the young ladies accompany her with the singing. We have a teaching time that runs about 45 minutes, then we break into small groups, each one comprised of 8-10 young ladies of varying ages and two leaders.
This is designed with the Titus 2 model in mind where “the older women are to teach the younger women.” There is no specific age as to when this teaching is to begin.
It is beautiful to see, for example, when a 6th grader shares her struggle with daily quiet times, then a 10th grader shares what has helped her personally in that area. In that moment, the older woman is teaching the younger woman. The older woman takes it further by intentionally reaching out to the younger throughout the week to follow up and encourage her. That is Titus 2 in action.
We typically use adult Bible studies as these young ladies have expressed a desire to learn scriptural answers to their peers’ questions, and to be confident in their faith. They are not required to do “homework” to attend.
Here is a list of some of the topics that we have covered or are currently working through: True Woman 101, Proverbs 31, Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild, Lies Young Women Believe, Fruits of the Spirit, study of the book of Ruth, 12 Extraordinary Women of the Bible, the Armor of God and Living in the Daze of Deception.
Parents are encouraged to read the Bible study books as well so that they know what we will be discussing. We the leaders do the teaching, working through study questions together in our small groups.
Girls of Grace was designed to teach young women to live biblically. We want young ladies to know that they belong in women’s ministry no matter their age, and we work closely with our Youth Ministry to ensure that we are working as a team.
Karen Miller is Director of Women’s Ministry at Bucks County Community Church. If you would like more information about this ministry, she would love to hear from you. You can reach her with questions at: 267-575-8322 or karen@buckschurch.org
