Barnabas – Perfect PWOCer?

regional review
Mar 062012

Asia region is currently hosting an online Bible reading group, join us on Facebook – it’s never too late to begin.  Barnabas grabbed my attention while reading through Acts. Below is a quick (incomplete) character study.

Acts 4:36

  • son of ENCOURAGEMENT
  • sells his land and BRINGS the proceeds to the kingdom

Acts 9:26

  • takes Saul, ex-persecutor of the church,  and BROUGHT him to leadership, sponsored him if you will, while others were distrustful

Acts 11:19-26

  •  sent to  Antioch to investigate rumors of Greeks being converted
  •  reputation as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith
  •  rejoiced and encouraged new believers
  • considerable numbers were BROUGHT to Christ
  • searched for Saul and BROUGHT him to Antioch where they spent a year together

Acts 11:27-30

  • BROUGHT a contribution for the relief of believers in Judea
  • once again WITH Saul

Acts 12:25

  • BROUGHT John Mark into leadership circle
  • continued to mentor him after failure

Barnabas – consistently BRINGING/leading to Christ. He encouragingly taught and developed those whom others saw as risky leadership propositions.  He certainly involved those around him in the work of the kingdom. He shared his place at the table.

I’ve been evaluating spheres of influence? What does it look like to bring others to Christ? At home, in PWOC, in my military community, on Facebook, in a homeschool support group, in my neighborhood…am I consistently bringing those around me to the kingdom? Am I taking a chance on “risky potential” – spending time mentoring, teaching and rising up?  Am I willing to share my place at the table in order to make a welcoming place for new leaders at the table? Do I continue to invest in the face of failures? Isn’t this bringing at the heart of WILD, facilitator trainings, and PWOC leadership selection?

I desire to be intentional about bringing others to Christ, about mentoring them so their gifts can be used for His glory.

Asia’s creativity in seeking and rising up leaders blesses me. In Misawa quarterly facilitator trainings equip new facilitators, who are then paired with experienced facilitators, for a season. Within months they soar as NEW PWOC Bible Study facilitators. Misawa and Area 4 made good use of the leadership ice breaker in the resource section. Camp Zama held a job fair with each PWOC “job” featured. Women caught the vision of many working together for a healthy team.

 

I’d love to hear, via email at asiapresident@pwoc.org  or Facebook, how YOU are actively bringing women to Christ and leadership. Your thoughts may inspire another. Asia Region’s Board is praying for each installation during this season of leadership selection.

 

De’Etta Goecker

Asia Region, President

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Posted by Blog Manager at 6:01 am Tagged with: ,

SouthEast Updates

regional review
Feb 282012

This month, (February 2012) we had our first Southeast Regional board meeting.   Our entire board was present.   Let me introduce our board to you:

  • Stacie Dorris  -  President, Ft. Bragg, NC
  • DeBorah Tunnage  -  Vice President,  Ft. Bragg, NC
  • Sarah Rufenacht  -  Administrative Coordinator,  Shaw AFB, SC
  • Patti Minietta  -  Financial Liasion,  Ft. Bragg, NC
  • Carolyn Strong – Prayer Coordinator,  Ft. Bragg, NC
  • Nancy Wheatley  -  Titus 2 Advisor,  Ft. Bragg, NC
  • Michele Husfelt  -  Regional Training Coordinator,  Eglin AFB, FL
  • Florence Clay  -  Leadership Selection Chair,   Keesler AFB, MS

Suzanne Mikkelson attended our regional board meeting and facilitated our board bonding time and assisted us in creating our Vision Statement.   We were really excited about how the Lord guided us in creating our Vision Statement.

Suzanne asked us to write on post-its where we see God at work in our region and in our local PWOC’s.   Then, she asked us to write on post-its what two things we would want written on our epitaph to be remembered by.   Our results included notes on Love, Unity, Connecting, Strengthening, Growing, Refining, and for God to be Glorified.

We were pondering our notes when Flo spontaneously said, “Connecting in love deeply to reflect God’s glory.”   We immediately wrote down the statement.    To connect means to join or unite so we believed this word to adequately describe our desire for unity.   Also, we all strongly sensed the Lord calling us to walk in love.  We moved the adverb deeply to, “Connecting deeply in love to reflect God’s glory.”   So, that is our Vision Statement.  The first statement made became our vision statement.

We were all amazed at God’s clear and distinct guidance!   His presence was truly evident in our midst.   So, it is the desire of the Southeast Regional board to connect deeply in love with God, with one another on our regional board, with the local installations in our region, and with the International board.   Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.  (Matthew 22:37-39).  It is our great desire to grow in love and to walk in love over the next two years of our tenure.    Jesus also said that,  “By your love one for another all men will know you are my disciples.”   (John 13:35)   Our number one aim in PWOC is to lead women to Christ.  How will we lead?   It is our prayer we will lead by loving God and one another and the result will be that God will be glorified and the lost will come to know him.

If we can love or support you in any way, please contact us!   Our goal is not to just have surface level relationships but to have deep connections with God and others.   Please pray for us as we strive to grow and walk in love!   It is our greatest joy to serve Him!

In His service, Stacie Dorris

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Posted by Blog Manager at 5:36 am Tagged with: ,

Pacific

regional review
Feb 162012

Aloha and greetings from the beautiful state of Hawaii. My name is Dipala Brown. I am the Vice President for the Pacific Region. I must say getting here has been a humbling experience for me. It seemed as though I had to overcome one obstacle after another. I just kept praying and saying, “I want to meet Jesus under the palm tree”. Well I am here now. I have met Jesus under the palm tree and I continue to meet him daily in various places. He has blessed me with the position of VP for the Pacific Region. It is an honor and privilege to be able to serve in Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC), a ministry that touches the lives of many women.

I was introduced to PWOC in 2002. A friend said to me, “Let’s go to PWOC”. I had nothing else to do so I went with her and I have been hooked ever since. In 2005, I served as the Hospitality Chairperson at the local level, in Seoul Korea. Since then I have been an active participant of PWOC, learning and studying the word of God through various bible studies. I have also been involved with the children’s ministry and have helped with other ministries within PWOC.
Despite the changes in my life as a military spouse (different places, different homes, and new schools), PWOC has remained the same for me. It is a place where I can always find God, love, a community, food, fellowship, and fun. It is a place where I can be me and I can continue to grow and develop into what God has called me to be.

My family consists of my wonderful husband, LaVaughn. He has been in the military for eighteen years. We have three beautiful children. Our son, LaVaughn, is a senior in college. Our daughter, LaVauria, is in middle school. And our youngest daughter, Lasaiaha is in kindergarten. My family and I are very grateful to the Protestant Women of the Chapel. So along with my family’s support, it is an honor and a blessing to serve in this position.   My family and I attend Church at the Aliamanu Chapel (AMR chapel) in Honolulu, Hawaii. I attend PWOC there as well. We enjoy AMR chapel because we have found a community there and our faith is being and has been strengthened.

I am looking forward to learning, growing, and working with you wonderful women of God! My vision for the Pacific Region is to work closely with our board and others to inspire and unite women to experience the love of God, so that they can grow closer to Christ.

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Posted by Blog Manager at 4:34 pm Tagged with:

Central Region - Working Together

regional review
Feb 142012

The Central Region board has worked and prayed that installations would catch a “corporate” vision; that they would begin to work together to share ideas and resources for ministry. We are seeing that happen!

Fort Sill, Sheppard AFB and Tinker AFB have been working together, planning a retreat for this spring. I asked the ladies to share some thoughts about how this event came to be, and below is what they said:

Tamra Ivanoff, Fort Sill: During WILD 2011, we had our first late night conversation in a hotel room about working together to share resources and connect our PWOC ladies. During the Central Region conference, Fort Sill and Sheppard worked together to share resources by travelling together on one bus. On the way home from the conference, Tinker AFB ladies invited us to join them at their lunch stop, setting aside a place for both Fort Sill and Sheppard ladies who were on the bus. We began to talk about how we could meet together for a spring retreat, we would be able to share the cost of location, speaker, food as well as utilize the talents of the ladies within our chapters to provide music, decorations etc.

Kimberly Chretin, Tinker AFB: We sensed a sisterhood amongst us and felt called to nurture that relationship to see what God wants to do through our area-wide PWOCs building a more intimate friendship. We might see this as a mini-regional retreat, with a reunion feel. We would love to see this happen every spring, as a precursor to WILD. We want to see lots of discipling through relationships, not necessarily workshops, and lots of time to personally connect with each other and the Lord. With Tinker’s Big Budget, Sheppard’s Big Heart, and Ft. Sill’s Big Leadership, God is up to something Big in the Bible Belt! Plus, if we have room, we would like to invite any gals from Altus AFB and Vance AFB who don’t have a PWOC yet, but might be encouraged to start one with their sisters’ support. Even 1 or 2 gals would be worth it. I don’t know what I would’ve done without our PWOCs while at Tinker, Elmendorf, and Richardson. We LOVE this ministry!!!!!!

So, as you can see, the Central Region is hearing God’s heart for corporate ministry. Please pray for us as we continue to foster relationships between installations. It is fun to see God connecting hearts!

Kristin Hathaway

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Posted by Blog Manager at 6:35 am Tagged with:

Europe Region

Leadership Development, regional review
Feb 102012

In January, ministry leaders from PWOC International met together for a time of vision-casting and goal-setting for the ministry at large.  While many of the participants stay connected throughout the year by phone and email, nothing replaces the deep understanding that results from face-to-face communication. This year, in addition to international board members, regional presidents and conference coordinators from around the globe joined in the vibrant exchange of ideas. Our common purpose connects our works of service: to see the four aims of our ministry unleashed in PWOC participants’ lives.

Vision Summit is a huge undertaking. In addition to transportation and lodging considerations, the lives of volunteers are complicated and arrangements for childcare, missed work and school all impact a successful event. When situations appear difficult, it’s tempting to eliminate the irritant and simply continue on the path already begun.  But we know that paying attention to movement of the Holy Spirit and bringing new people on board requires that we gather together in person and assess where we are and where we want to go.

The international board composed a captivating vision when they began their term in 2010: to foster an atmosphere of intimacy, simplicity and legacy.  Without the opportunity to talk about the vision and how it’s being lived out in the lives of PWOC participants, it slowly leaks and leaders lose passion for doing ministry well.  This vision isn’t just for the executive board; regional and local leaders help ministry thrive when they are familiar with the vision and take bold steps and breathe the vision into their local groups. During our weekend, the word “legacy” was particularly meaningful to me in my role as Europe region president. Our ministry was founded in Germany over 55 years ago, and the aims that anchored the ministry then–Lead, Teach, Develop and Involve–continue to form a strong foundation for what we do today.  During Vision Summit, I was reminded that legacy isn’t about old people telling young people how it should be done.  Rather, legacy is a living concept that breathes and moves in the relationships that I currently enjoy.  I want to communicate deeply with other women a vibrant legacy of faith and share how they are helping shape my identity in Christ.

Kristen Reitkerk

Europe Region President

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Posted by Blog Manager at 7:07 am

West Region Update

regional review
Jan 262012

God is amazing!   He is moving and we are moving with His Spirit!

My prayer as I started out as a West Region President was that new PWOCs will “pop up” everywhere in the West.   It is still my desire and prayer.   Last September, a new PWOC started in CA and just tonight, a sister at Camp Pendleton emailed me asking why there was no PWOC there!   Isn’t that amazing????  What is more amazing is that our awesome God is being made known!

Isaiah 64:2 says “As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make Your name known to Your enemies and cause the nations to quake before You!”  When God comes down, He doesn’t just come down quietly.  He comes down to make His NAME known to the enemies!  The nations can’t help but tremble at His presence!

Let us continue to run this race together.  Let us continue to call on the Name, the Name that is above all names, Jesus!   Let’s make His Name known, make Him famous!  We are workers together for Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Sara <><

West Region President

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Posted by Blog Manager at 6:36 am

A Young Ladies Bible Study at Ft Bragg PWOC!

regional review
Jan 242012

Wow! Our Fall Semester 2011 at Ft Bragg PWOC was fabulous. The new Young Ladies Bible Study grew to 20 young ladies between the ages of 12-16. Our Spiritual Life leader, Bree McDougall, chose ‘The Purple Book’ for not only our Young Ladies Study but also for one of the adult PWOC Bible studies. ‘The Purple Book’, by Rice Broocks and Steve Murrell, provides a foundation of Biblical truth and challenges the reader to walk out her Christian faith. The exciting discussions that followed each chapter challenged each young lady to look at her life and walk with Christ in such a way to establish a foundation that no storm in life will prevail against and to fill a heart that’s shaped and guided by the knowledge of God’s Word. ‘The Purple Book’ is a twelve-part Bible study designed to help new believers and longtime followers of Jesus stand firm and grow strong in the Christian life.

Some of the moms of the young ladies in this class chose the ‘The Purple Book’ as their adult study. This enabled the mom to have intimate conversations at home with her daughter as both of them were tackling the discussion questions. Each week the young ladies joined the PWOC ladies in Praise & Worship. During a special PWOC Tuesday the Young Ladies Bible Study was highlighted.  Besides some of the girls joining the Praise & Worship Team, others girls helped with Hospitality, Greeters, and Program set-up and clean-up. This exposure to the various PWOC ministries opened doors for the Young Ladies Bible Study to get involved every week with the PWOC ministries according to the gifts and talents of each of the girls. As their Bible study leader, I walked the girls through the various PWOC ministries so they would have a good understanding of the ministry and see how their unique gifts and talents could be used for God’s glory at PWOC.  The various ministry leaders have truly appreciated the extra hands. This Young Ladies Bible Study is enabling Ft Bragg PWOC to train-up a younger generation in the aims of PWOC:

  • To LEAD Women to accept Christ as personal Savior and Lord.
  • To TEACH women the history, beliefs, and programs of the church, all built on a solid foundation of worship and Bible study
  • To DEVELOP in women the skills of prayer, evangelism, stewardship, and social service, against a background of spiritual development.
  • To INVOLVE women in the work of the Chapel, in keeping with their abilities and interests

Why wait for daughters of military families to be out of the house and married to the military to begin involving them in our local PWOC? What a great opportunity PWOC has to train-up our young ladies to be Godly young women who are impacting the military community and living out and promoting the aims of PWOC. Our daytime and nighttime PWOC meetings can be used as a training ground for the next generation of spiritual leaders.

Peace & Blessings:

Sandy Murphy

 

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Posted by Blog Manager at 7:13 am

Great Things Going On In Pacific Region

regional review
Jan 192012

Aloha from Oahu, Hawaii and Jody Garcia. I am proud to be a part of Pacific Region PWOC.

With four installations close at hand and Guam just a phone call away, I am blessed to serve in such a unique area of PWOC. I get excited when I sit and think about what God is going to do in our region. Our focus is to unite all of the installations in harmony and one accord. I ask that you bathe us in prayer as we have our first meeting with the installations to discuss unity within our region and how we as the regional board vision that. HE is going to do great things here in Hawaii and Guam!

Just a few words about me, I was born and raised in San Diego, California a long time ago. Lived there most of my young years, then traveled up to Los Angeles, California where I lived the next 28 years. I was a single mom for quite awhile but there is nothing I would change about those years because I am who I am thanks be to God and my four children who loved me so unconditionally.

I got remarried in 2002 after being a single mom for 12 years. I married a military man; he was my high school sweetheart.  My husband, Chaplain Wayne Garcia, is in the Army, currently working at Tripler Army Medical Center. I never figured me to be a Chaplain’s wife, but our God has a wonderful sense of humor, HE knew just want Wayne needed. Okay, I needed Wayne too.

Between Wayne and I, we have 7 children. They range from 36 years of age to 26 years of age. Our children live in various places across the United States as well as Paris, France and Santiago, Chile. We have six incredibly, beautiful grandchildren.

In the last nine years I have lived at three different duty stations. I have to say I am most happy here in Oahu. I love the beaches. I love the sunshine. And I get to work on my tan every day if I want to – just don’t tell my dermatologist. God knew just want I needed. Yes, you got it, beaches, sunshine and a tan! I am already thankful for the godly women from PWOC HE has brought into my life. I am blessed that God knew just the kind of friendships I needed to make these next three years adventurous, rewarding and spirit-filled.

In next month’s blog, I will share with you about our regional meeting that is being held on the 19th of Jan. Please stay tuned for some exciting things happening in the Pacific Region – I know I am.

As for me and my house – beaches, sunshine and a tan, but mostly importantly – we will service the Lord in love and in truth!

 

Jody Garcia

Pacific Regional PWOC President

Mark 12:28-34

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Posted by Blog Manager at 7:58 am

Asia...Different and the Same

regional review
Jan 182012

Ladies,

My husband and our two youngest Gherkins drove from Misawa, Japan to Yokota AB in Tokyo yesterday.

Yes, there was a snow storm in the north. As we continued to drive south we were blessed with a visual of how very vast and varied is our Asia Region. By the time we reached the outskirts of Tokyo (a phrase our 6 yo now loves) we were noting NO snow to be seen anywhere, crops still in the ground and farmers out working. The traffic increased, incredibly tall buildings began appearing….yep….Tokyo is different from Misawa.

Seoul is different from Tokyo. Okinawa is different from Area 1. Camp Humphreys is different from Yokosuka.   Different, yet not better. Varied, yet serving the same Lord. Different methods, the same passion for King Jesus’ kingdom to be established.  We’re united in our passion to:

  •  Lead women to Christ
  • Teach women a solid foundation of worship and Bible study
  • Develop in women spiritual disciplines
  • Involve women in the work of the kingdom

Your regional team is praying for you as you seek to follow the heart of our King in your location….be that warm, cold, Japan, Korea, rural or urban. Women need the good news you posses. We’re praying for God to meet every need on each installation. May the Lord of the Harvest send out laborers into the field. (Lk 10:2) Please feel free to share your prayer needs with us….either in the comment section or by emailing AsiaPresident@pwoc.org or AsiaPrayer@pwoc.org (in the process of setting up).

We continue to also pray for laborers to serve on Asia’s regional team. If you are prompted to consider serving as an Admin Coordinator, Assistant Conference Coordinator, Training Coordinator, Leadership Selection Chair or Financial Liaison, you can read job descriptions in the Women’s Ministry Manual,  and download a Request for Consideration form,  or simply email De’Etta at AsiaPresident@pwoc.org with your questions and thoughts. In addition we may need tech help on various projects and would love to start a “tech go to list”.

Today – I continue to rejoice (wildly, ecstatically – check out the TnT on FB for Lk 10:21) in the magnificent variety that makes up PWOC Asia Region.

Joyfully following the heart of our King,

De’Etta (PWOCI Asia Region, President)

 

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Posted by Blog Manager at 7:05 am

EYS Training In The NE Region

regional review
Jan 172012

Many of you who attended the PWOC International Conference in Dallas received the Engaging Your Strengths booklet.  Have you had a chance to go on line and discover your strengths through the EYS assessment?

In November at our Northeast Region conference, break-out classes on the Engaging Your Strengths material provided a more in depth look at specific strengths and how to apply them to our personal and PWOC ministries.  Attendees embraced the training and wanted more!  Becky Puchy of American Bible Society and ReNata Bauder of Fort Belvoir recently hit the road to offer EYS instruction to the PWOC ladies of Dover.  Over 30 attendees soaked in the concept of living at their optimal levels by engaging their strengths–not focusing on weaknesses.  As a body we work more effectively when we’re all working to strengths; when all our parts are working in unison to accomplish the Lord’s purpose for our lives and His Kingdom.

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Posted by Blog Manager at 6:30 am
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