Submitted by Beth Mills, PWOCI President
There’s a new girl in town. Have you met her yet? I’m guessing she’s somewhere between 18-25 years old. Her name? It might be Megan or Jasmine or Haley. She and her husband have only been married a couple of years. They’re already on his second deployment and they just had a baby.
Her vocabulary may be filled with words like “fair trade”, “organic”, “sustainable”. Her lightning-fast thumbs are skillfully developed from sending thousands of text messages. She can surf the web to find any kind of information faster than you can say, “I’m not sure where you can find that information…” She even has her Bible on her iPhone. She’s come to chapel once or twice. She definitely wants a deeper connection with God; she’s just not enthusiastic about the traditional chapel setting.
She’s been invited to PWOC, but she thinks it’s a little too formal. She’s not really interested in a packaged Bible study with prefabricated questions that lead you to the “right answer.” She’s more interested in figuring out how to cope through this deployment and sleepless nights with her baby girl. She’s trying to figure out how to be a good mom and live well on her tight budget. She wants to talk through the issues of life, connecting with other people like herself.
We first introduced you to the “new girl in town” at the 2010 PWOC International Conference. You’ve heard of Baby Boomers, Busters, GenXers, etc. Megan is part of the “Millennials” or “Mosiacs.” Although no one completely fits into these categories, there are certain trends in each generation which help us discover innovative ways to reach them with the Gospel. I encourage you to get to know Megan personally–in your neighborhood, your unit, perhaps in your chapel. Rather than focusing on how to “reach out” to her, make the effort to “reach in” to what she has to offer. It will require making some changes to the way you think and do things, personally and in PWOC.
If your installation hasn’t already done so, start a Facebook page[1]. It’s a great way to send out information as well as networking people in community. Consider offering a short class on a hot topic like “Healthy Living” or “Organic Gardening,” weaving in Biblical truth. The Bible is very practical! As you trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you, you’ll be amazed at the opportunity you’ll have to engage God’s Word during these studies. In these small groups, create a safe atmosphere for “being real.” Pray for one another and with one another. We’ll all be enriched by the relationships we develop as we discover new ways to experience God together.
The PWOCI president update is posted the first Wednesday of every month. For comments please email president@pwoc.org
[1] We have instructions and guidelines for setting up a Facebook page in the Resource Library at pwoc.org.
