Tuesday, December 17, 2013 WOW-Zine

Are you a little bit busy, ladies? Yep, that's what I thought. So this will be short and to the point.

Both Bible studies meet this week, and we'll be finishing up James chapter 3. We are halfway through the study now, but it's never too late to jump in. Common Grounds is Wednesday at 6:30 PM, and The Perk is at 9:30 Thursday morning. Adrienne and Pam are bringing snacks on Wednesday, and Kristen S. is on for The Perk, with Anastasia the MIC. 

After we meet this week, there will be no women's Bible studies until the first full week of January--the 8th and 9th.

A big thanks to Amy for hostessing such a wonderful WOW Christmas Party last Saturday night! Wasn't that fun?? If you missed it, well, you missed it! So much good food and laughter. I just love our ladies!

I need to hear from you regarding the Undeck the Church party on Friday, January 3rd. This is when we take down all the beautiful decorations, and to make that job a bit more palatable, we toss in some pizza and soda. But, that means I need to know how much pizza to purchase, so I need you to contact me. It costs $5 a person for that. We'll meet at the church at 6 for de-decorating and eating. Then at 7 we hope even more ladies will show up for our first Game Night of the year. 

Our first baby shower of the year will be for Hollie Stamps on Saturday, January 18th, at 10 AM at the church. This is your personal invitation to join us in celebrating this little blessing. More details will be forthcoming, but put this on your calendar now. 

Those of you who keep good tabs on our Women's Ministry schedule will realize that a Sew 'n Sew event was planned for that day. Because of some health issues Shellee is dealing with, that has been put off indefinitely. 

Since next Tuesday is Christmas Eve, I won't be sending a WOW-Zine out that day. So let me just take this opportunity to wish all of you a very merry Christmas. I'm so blessed to have all of you in my life!

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

Tuesday, December 10, 2013 WOW-Zine

It's your week to SHINE, ladies!

WHAT: WOW's SPARKLY SWEET & SAVORY PARTY
WHEN: Saturday, 6 PM
WHERE: Amy's, 7755 SW Bracken Dr., Cornelius
BRING: A sweet or savory dish to share for dinner, PLUS a wrapped sweet or savory item for our gift exchange.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
~ Wear something sparkly
~ Bring slippers or carry your sparkly shoes to change into once      
you're inside, so we don't track mud in.
~ If you'd like to carpool, meet behind the church at 5:30 PM. We'll leave from there at 5:40, so don't be late!

Our Women's Bible Studies meet this week and next, and then we're off until January 8th and 9th. So don't miss out on our last two times together this year! We'll be looking at James 3:3-12 this week. I'll see you at Common Grounds Wednesday night at 6:30 (Rita is providing snacks) and at The Perk Thursday morning at 9:30. (Carol R. is bringing snacks, and Keisha is our MIC.) Both groups meet at the church.

On Friday, January 3, 2014, we'll be taking down the church Christmas decorations for another year. This is not an activity for only the Women's Ministry Team, but something we'd like you to help with. We'll meet at 6 PM for pizza and soda as we un-decorate, and follow it up with a Game Night! If you can't make it there until 7 for games, that's perfectly fine. We just thought it would be great fun to start the year off having fun together! Please let me know if you're coming for pizza and soda so I can get enough. Cost is $5. (Women and teen girls only.)

April may sound like a long way off, but it will arrive sooner than you expect! It's not too early to start planning ahead for our annual Women's Retreat at "our" house in Lincoln City. That happens the weekend of April 11th through 13th. Cost will remain at only $80 once again. Just a reminder that this is a child-free event, meaning that even nursing babies are not able to come. We know that many of you nursing mothers miss the retreat, so I'll be doing something special in May for those not able to come to retreat. 

As you continue in the busyness of this time of year, here's a great thought for you from our friend, Holley Gerth:

Grace for Your Unmerry MomentsHolley, 2013-12-09 13:00 photo by steve p200 Confession: Sometimes I have a bad attitude at the holidays{please tell me I’m not the only one}. I want peace on earth but then I wind up feeling tempted to run over people with my shopping cart when they’re rude. I want to spread cheer but then I get PMS and just want to spread chocolate on every surface I can find. I want to shine brightly like the lights on a Christmas tree but then I get too busy and just want to say “lights out” so I can get some sleep. I used to feel guilty about this quite a bit. What kind of person was I if I got all grumpy at the most wonderful time of year? And besides that, it’s the birthday of Jesus. Surely I must be a heathen and not know it. Dang. But then I realized this: Even if the holidays are here I’m still human. And there’s not some super-spirituality switch I can flip on like the lights on the Griswold’s house at Christmas. No, ma’am. Struggling at the holidays is just proof that what Christmas is all about is true: I need a Savior. And the same grace that covers me the rest of the year is there for me in my unmerry moments, too. Does this mean I just do and say whatever I want? Nope. But it does mean that when I mess up and fall short of the expectations of myself and others, it’s okay. It’s not a time for guilt and condemnation. It’s a time for celebration because the moments when I fall are when the message of Christmas means most of all. Crazy? Yep. But so is sending the Son of God to be born in a manger. The whole gospel is full of surprises and upside-down thinking. That’s the wonder of it all. So if you’ve been threatening to give yourself a lump of coal for Christmas because you just can’t seem to get it together, take it a bit easier on yourself today. Remember that you’re loved, accepted and that God doesn’t want perfection from you. Instead he wants to give you whatever it is you need–perhaps a bit more patience, some laughter and a lot of extra grace. And you can share all of those good gifts with your friends, family and even the person you thought about running over with your shopping cart, too. Until next week, Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@gmail.com   971-285-6699

Tuesday, December 3, 2013 WOW-Zine

It’s the first Tuesday of December, and if you’re like me, you’ve already dug out those bins of Christmas decorations and have started to make your house look festive. As we hang lights and ornaments on trees, let us also remember to hang them in our heart. The Bible says God’s Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It’s so easy for us to head down the wrong path at this time of year by falling prey to the advertising blitz that bombs us so hard. What if we would try to keep the celebration of our Savior’s birth within the confines of our circumstances? In other words, to spend within our means and lead our children by example. To focus on the needs of others rather than to overindulge in more things that we don’t need. 

And those ornaments that grace our Christmas tree? As we hang them, or sit back and enjoy the finished product, let’s take time to think about the things we’re displaying in our lives. What attitudes are we putting out for the world to see? Are we showing peace and patience and mercy, or are we reacting out of our tiredness and becoming short-tempered and irritable? Imagine a Christmas tree covered in ugly, broken ornaments. That’s what we sometimes offer the world when we don’t keep ourselves focused and walking in the light of God’s word.

So there you have it—just a few thoughts from my heart to yours!

It’s time to take up where we left off in our Bible studies. This week we’ll be studying James 3:1-5 as well as finishing the Beth Moore video that we started at our last study. All women are invited to jump in at any time. Common Grounds meets Wednesday evening at 6:30 (Viv is bringing treats) and The Perk does the same lesson on Thursday morning at 9:30 (Sharon is bringing our snack, and Kristen S. will be the MIC.) We just meet for two more weeks after this before taking a long Christmas break.

A reminder that our WOW Sparkly Sweet and Savory Christmas Party is on Saturday, December 14th, at 6 PM at Amy’s. (7755 Bracken Dr., Cornelius). We can car pool from behind the church, so will meet there at 5:30 and leave at 5:40. Please bring a sweet or savory dish to share for our dinner, as well as a wrapped sweet or savory item for our fun gift exchange. Remember some of the fun stealing that occurred last year? Get ready for it to happen again! Since it’s a sparkly party, don some of your best bling. As I said during announcements on Sunday, it doesn’t even have to be tasteful bling! If you’re comfortable in slippers, bring them along so we can help keep the Great Northwest outside Amy’s house rather than dragging it in. If shoes are part of your bling, just bring them along to change in to after getting inside. Just a reminder that this event is for women (defined as upper-high school age or older) and friends. Husbands and children must be left at home or in the trunk!

Doesn’t the church look beautiful as a result of the hard work a crew of ladies put in last Saturday? Savor it as much as you can, as you know the saying about all good things must come to an end. That time for our Christmas decorations will be on Friday, January 3rd. You’re invited to meet at the church at 6 PM for an Undeck the Halls Party. If you’re coming, please let me know ahead of time, as for $5 you’ll get to enjoy pizza and soda while we work, and I need to know how much to get. Then at 7 we’re going to have our first Game Night of the year. We had a great one last month, and it’s time to do it again. Feel free to bring a snack along to share during that time. We’ll just make an evening of it!

Thanks for spending this time with me today.
Until next time,

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

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Welcome to the last week of November! I know we're all very busy preparing for Thanksgiving, so this WOW-Zine will be a short one. But please take time to read it so you'll know what's going on (or NOT going on!)

Neither Common Grounds or The Perk will be meeting this week, but will resume next week.

This Saturday at 10 AM you're invited to help decorate the church for Christmas. Pick up your favorite hot drink to warm you from the inside, and come spend about 1-1/2 hours setting the mood for our church family to enjoy during the holiday season. 

WOW's Sparkly Sweet and Savory Christmas Party

Saturday, December 14th

6 PM

At Amy Rusaw's

Wear some sparkly bling!

Bring a sweet or savory dish to share for dinner, along with a wrapped sweet or savory item for our gift exchange. Use your imagination!

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

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 WOW-Zine

Happy Tuesday, ladies! We've got quite a bit going on, so I'll just get to it. For a neat little thought about loneliness, make sure to read to the very end.

Thanks to Shellee for leading a group of women to successfully make a pillowcase at our very first Sew 'n Sew last Saturday.



 If you're sorry you missed out on this one, there will be another chance to wind your bobbins on Saturday, January 18th. I've heard talk they're going to make cozy pajama bottoms to keep you warm during the cold winter months. 

Both our Bible studies will meet this week as usual, but we'll take next week off because of Thanksgiving. Common Grounds meets Wednesday at 6:30 PM, and The Perk on Thursday at 9:30 AM. This week we'll be discussing James 2:20-26 and watching part of a Beth Moore video. Kristin L., you're signed up for treats on Wednesday, and Heidi H., you've got snacks for Thursday and Carol G. will be the MIC taking care of the children.

Because I've only had one person respond to the announcement last week about having a get-together brunch on Saturday, December 7th about dealing with depression, that event is being cancelled. It obviously isn't working into people's schedules at this particular time. If any of you ever want to get together over coffee and just talk and pray together, I can certainly make that happen. 

I hope you've already put the date of the WOW Christmas Party on your calendar--Saturday, December 14, at 6 PM. We'll be gathering at Amy Rusaw's for a Sparkly Sweet and Savory Christmas! In order for us not to be overloaded on the sweet side for dinner, I'll have a sign-up sheet available for what you'd like to contribute to our meal. Along with a dinner item, also bring a wrapped sweet or savory item for our gift exchange. (You can spend between $4-$8 and be creative. One woman's sweet is another woman's savory!) Those of us in the Gaston area will meet behind the church at 5:30 that evening in order to carpool. 

The church will be donning its annual Christmas finery when we decorate on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Pick up a hot drink and join us at 10 AM on the 30th to help make our worship area reflect the joy of the season.

I promised you a writing about loneliness. This is by Holley Gerth, who has such a great gift stringing words together in a meaningful way. In the busyness of all that is involved preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas, some people can feel a bit lonely. Here's what she has to say about that.

When You Feel a Bit LonelyHolley, 2013-11-13 13:00 Can we just get honest about something today? We all have moments when we feel a bit lonely. It’s part of being human. We go through different seasons, transitions, moves, changes. When you find loneliness sneaking up on you, first say this: “Hello, Loneliness. I know you’re here to try to convince me that something is wrong with me and that I’m the only one who hangs out with you. But I’ve figured out your tricks and I know that’s not true. So thanks for stopping by but I’ve got better things to do than listen to you.” Then pick up the phone, send an email, go to a coffee shop, invite a friend to lunch, hug your kids, sign up for a committee, text someone–whatever you need to do to connect with one other person. Because chances are, loneliness has tried to visit them too. When we listen to what loneliness tries to tell us, we withdraw when what we really need to do is reach out. The surest way to keep from feeling left out is to let people in. You may be lonely right now. But you’re not alone. Who can you love on today? Until next week, Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@gmail.com    971-285-6699

Tuesday, November 12, 2013 WOW-Zine

Good morning, Women of Wapato!  I hope you're ready for a great week filled with the blessings of God. 

Both Common Grounds and The Perk will meet this week and next as usual, but we won't be meeting during Thanksgiving week. This week, as we continue in our study of James, we'll be discussing James 2:8-19. No one signed up to bring snacks this week for Common Grounds (Wednesday, 6:30 PM), but Karen is providing them for The Perk (Thursday, 9:30 AM) and Amy will be the MIC.

This Saturday, November 16th, is our Sew 'n Sew class at 10 AM in the annex. (The building across the street behind the church.) It's not too late to sign up to attend and learn how to make pillowcases. In last week's WOW-Zine I gave you the information regarding how much material you need to bring, depending upon the size of the pillowcases you wish to make. Be sure to wash and iron your material before you come. And if you signed up to provide a machine, don't forget to bring it!

If you love to decorate for Christmas, please join us the Saturday after Thanksgiving at 10 AM to deck the church out in its holiday finery. Pick up a hot drink on your way, and help us prepare our building for the Christmas season. 

To those of you who attended Hope Floats last month, remember the team saying we'd like to provide a little bit of follow-up help? Some of you signed a card indicating you'd like to be part of a support-type group during the next few months. We're going to meet on Saturday morning, December 7th, at 10:30. Show up at Kathy Fordyce's and bring a brunch item along with you. (Even if you didn't sign up, but wish you had, you're certainly welcome to join us.) Please let me know if you're coming. This is not a therapy session--just an informal time to share life with each other over some good food. We plan to be finished around noon.

WOW is hosting our annual Christmas party on Saturday, December 14th at Amy Rusaw's. Our theme this year is A Sparkly, Sweet and Savory Christmas. Add a bit of sparkle to whatever you wear. We'll begin with dinner at 6 PM, so bring a sweet or savory food to share. (I'll have sign-up sheets available so that we'd don't have an overload of sweets.) We're going to do a gift exchange like we did last year, where you can steal items from each other. Please bring a wrapped item that costs between $4 -$8 and is sweet or savory. 

So, does all that give you plenty to do? From weekly Bible studies, to sewing projects, to decorating, to celebrating together, this group is a lot of fun. Please join us whenever you can!

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

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 WOW-Zine

Hello, ladies! Welcome to this week's edition of the WOW-Zine. This is your place to come to find out what's going on in the life of the Women Of Wapato. 

UPCOMING EVENTS:
This Friday is our Wild Game Night, 7 PM at the church. Wear comfy it's-the-end-of-the-week-and-I-want-to-relax clothes, bring a snack to share, and a game. To help get you in the mood of having a wild time, I'll be sharing the DVD of when our family was on the game show, Family Feud. You don't want to miss that! 

Saturday, November 16th at 10 AM in the annex is our first-ever Sew 'n Sew event. This one is being led by Shellee Baidenmann , who will be teaching us how to sew pillowcases. These would even make great Christmas gifts for someone in your family. Please let me know if you plan on attending. Details as to how much fabric to bring and how to prepare it can be found at the end of this WOW-Zine.

Do you know that we offer two Women's Bible Studies throughout the week? One in the evening and one in the morning, so you can choose which one works best for your schedule. Common Grounds meets Wednesdays at 6:30 PM and The Perk is at 9:30 AM on Thursdays. If you're new to Wapato and looking for a way to connect with other women, this is it! Deep friendships and support are forged as we spend time together in God's Word each week. We are in the midst of Beth Moore's study on the Book of James, entitled Mercy Triumphs. We have a lot of discussion and practical application each week, and some weeks (including this one) we watch her video presentation, which is always great. The section of Scripture we'll be studying this week is James 2: 1-7. And don't worry, you never have homework.

The woman who signed up for snacks for Wednesday night is not going to be able to come this week, so is there someone who can fill in for her? All my contact info is always found at the end of this, so just shoot me a text or email and let me know you can provide a little sumpin'-sumpin' for us to munch on at the study tomorrow night. As for The Perk, Nicole P. is our MIC, and Amy, you're on for snacks. Thanks ladies!

And now, for those of you buying material for the Sew 'n Sew, here's the info you need:

Fabric needed based on 44-45" material (This makes one case, so double for two pillowcases)

Standard Sized Pillow
7/8 yard main body fabric, 1/3 yard cuff fabric, 1/8 yard insert fabric
Queen
7/8 yard body fabric, 3/8 yard cuff, 1/8 yard insert fabric
King
1 yard body fabric, 3/8 yard cuff, 1/8 yard insert fabric
Body Pillow
Measure the length of your pillow and double it for the body fabric requirement. The other measurements are the same as above.

Wash and iron your fabric before bringing it to the event.

DISCLAIMER--Sewing is not my thing, so I don't really know what I'm talking about here! I'm just repeating the information Shellee gave me. If you have questions, please call her at 503-985-9577 or email her at shelleerb@yahoo.com.

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