Tuesday, April 28, 2015 WOW-Zine

Can you believe it's already the last Tuesday of April? Don't mean to scare you, but Christmas will be here before we know it! 

Before that, however, we've got a lot of good things we get to do together, including LIFE! The more time we spend with each other, the richer our lives become. Here are some possibilities for you to do that:

Late tomorrow morning (Wednesday) I'll be buying the tickets for the concert at Lake Bible Church on Saturday, May 9th, 7 PM. I've been thrilled at your interest in attending this concert focused on women's friendships, presented by the lead singer of Kutlass. Tickets are only $5, so if you want them at that price, contact me right away. If you don't get in on the group rate they're only $7, so it's not a huge difference. But with that $2 you'd save, you could put that toward going out to dessert afterward! This event is only for women and teen girls. I'll be contacting those of you who signed up sometime next week so we can figure out carpooling plans!

Our Feminini-Tea is Saturday morning, May 16th, 10 AM. Our theme, The Purse-uit of Happiness, will be enhanced by several of our women speaking on different "purse" words. Please let me know if you'll be attending, and how many guests you'll be bringing (age 5 and above.) Everyone other than table hostesses is asked to contribute a tea-type food to share, so have fun finding a fun recipe to fix. You're also encouraged to wear a dress and carry a purse (how could you not, with such a theme?!)

At our recent retreat several of you expressed interest in getting together with others to work on knitting or crochet projects, or to learn how to do those. Both Carol Gross and Sally Fivecoat are available to head up a time when ladies can meet to do that. If you're interested, please call or text Carol at 503-680-5542 or email her at rdgcagross@comcast.net.

It's been a while since I've shared a devotion from Holley Gerth with you, so want to leave you with this one:

Beauty Comes from Broken Places Holley, 2015-04-22 10:30 There’s an old story about two pots. One was perfect in every way. The other had cracks and broken places. Each day a woman filled the pots with rainwater she collected and then carried them down the path to her home. The first pot felt proud that she never leaked a single drop. The other felt ashamed because no matter how hard she tried, she spilled a lot along the way. One day the two pots overheard the woman talking with someone who lived nearby. The neighbor exclaimed, “The flowers along your path are so beautiful! What’s your secret?” The woman answered, “One of my pots is broken, and the water that spills out helps the flowers grow every day.” We think that we have to take what’s broken and make it perfect in order to be used by God and bless others. But God thinks in a completely different way. He took what was perfect, His Son, and made Him broken in order to bring us healing. So if you’re sitting there wondering if God can use you because your life is not as it should be, and your heart is aching—know that your greatest hurt will probably be your greatest ministry. Like the disciple Thomas who doubted until he touched the scars of Jesus, some people in your life need to see your broken places more than your victories. We’re all like the second pot in the story. God sees purpose in our brokenness even when we don’t, and He can use it to bring forth beauty that blesses those around us. Until next week, Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@gmail.com    971-285-6699

Tuesday, April 21, 2015 Wow-Zine

Good morning, ladies. I'm over in Tigard for the beginning part of the week taking care of grandchildren, but I'll be back for all our activities of the week. And those activities include:
~Common Grounds--Women's Bible study on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM at the church. Sally is providing treats.
~The Perk--Women's Bible study on Thursdays at 9:30 AM. (I guess we're all on a diet, as no one signed up to bring goodies!) Good news is that Annette Engle is going to watch the kiddos in the prayer room for us. 

Our memory verse for this week is I John 4:19. There are a couple different versions of this verse, but after talking to my resident Bible scholar (my husband), I'm going with this: We love, because He first loved us.

UP-COMING EVENTS
 ~Saturday, May 9th, 7 PM Concert at Lake Bible Church in Lake Oswego with the leader singer for Kutlass. He will be singing and there will also be presentations about women's friendships. (And we all know hows valuable those are!) This evening is for women and teen girls only. Tickets are available for only $5/person at a group rate, or $7 if you buy on your own. I will be making our reservations (at the $5 price) on Wednesday morning, April 29th. If you'd like to attend, please let me know before that time. We will car pool and perhaps go out for dessert after the concert.

~Saturday, May 16th, 10 AM Feminini-Tea at the church. This is a special event for you, your daughters (age 5 or older), friends, etc. Our theme is The Purse-uit of Happiness and different speakers will address some of the things that contribute to true happiness. I'm still looking for a couple more women to host tables. While the event is free, it's very important that we have a head count to know how best to plan. So please let me know as soon as you can if you're coming, and how many guests you'll be bringing. This is a fun opportunity to put on that spring dress, find a special purse to set off your outfit, and bring a favorite tea-type food to share potluck style. See you there!

Until next week,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@gmail.com     971-285-6699  
 

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 WOW-Zine

Another retreat is behind us, and was it ever a good one! We missed you if you weren't there. Our speaker, Gina, did a great job of helping us think through what hope really is, and how our hope in Christ anchors our life during the rough times. We all loved her practical, spunky sharing. The weather was predicted to be rainy, but we have wonderful, sunny skies at least part of each day. Our hearts were strengthened and our bonds as women were deepened with each other. You can already plan ahead for next year--the second weekend of April.(Many of you asked for the Truth That Brings Freedom Bible study guide that Gina had us use Saturday morning. You will find it as an attachment to this newsletter.)

Both of our women's Bible studies--Common Grounds and The Perk, will meet this week. The verse we're encouraging each other to learn is  I Kings 8:23--

Oh Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You

in heaven above or on earth below--You who

keep your covenant of love with your servants who

continue whole-heartedly in Your way.

Common Grounds meets at 6:30 Wednesday night, and The Perk 

meets at 9:30 AM on Thursday at the church. Helen is bringing treats on Wednesday, and Carol R. on Thursday.

Saving Grace Maternity Home is having an informational fund raiser dessert this Friday in Hillsborro. If you're interested in knowing more, contact Cassie at 503-477-0273.

Carol Gross and Sally Fivecoat are interested in starting a women's handiwork group that will meet at someone's house once a month to work on knitting, crocheting, etc. You can either attend to learn how, or simply to work alongside others. If you'd like to be a part of this, please contact Carol at 503-680-5542.

(By the way, I have NO idea why the spacing is acting like this, but I can't figure out how to get it to the usual way. Sorry.)

It's A Concert & A Conversation on Friendship!   We have women representing a variety of ages, stages, seasons of life and churches who will be sharing their perspective on friendship.  Jon Micah, lead singer of Kutless will be leading us in worship and even share his thoughts on friendship.  We get to unite as women to worship and build unity in our friendships.  Get your tickets today and join us! ONE HEART: PDX With Jon Micah Sumrall, lead singer of Kutless! May 9, 2015  |  7PM @Lake Bible Church:  (click for directions) Click to GET YOUR TICKETS...$7 each or Group Rate $5

Several of us are planning on attending, which means we can get the group rate! (Hey, look! The spacing is suddenly working again!!) If you'd like to go, please contact me right away, as well as get me your $5. I'm thinking perhaps we could carpool and maybe go out for dessert afterwards. 

Our Feminini-Tea--The Purse-uit of Happiness, is Saturday, May 16th. Thank you, those of you who have already signed up to host a table or to let me know you'll be attending. And a special thanks to the couple of ladies who have let me know they'll speak for 5-7 minutes on a "purse" word--such as perspective, perseverance, personality, etc. I'd still like to have two or three more speakers, so if you're interested, please let me know.

Until next week,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@gmail.com     971-285-6699

Tuesday, April 7, 2015 WOW-Zine

Good morning, friends. This WOW-Zine is going to be very short today as my focus and energy is going into our retreat. There are still two spots available if you know of anyone who is wanting to go. We are looking forward to a wonderful weekend together. 

Because the Women's Ministry Team goes a day early to get things set up, there are no Bible studies this week. We will resume our regular schedule next week. The memory verse we're all encouraged to learn for our next lesson is I Kings 8:23--

Oh Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You

in heaven above or on earth below--You who

keep your covenant of love with your servants who

continue whole-heartedly in Your way.

Remember our Feminini-Tea coming up on Saturday, May 16th. I'm still looking for table hostesses and speakers to go along with our theme of The Purse-uit of Happiness. Please let me know if you can help.

Until next week,

Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director

sherrieashcraft@gmail.com     971-285-6699