Women of Grace
The "Women of Grace" event was a half-day event held on 14 May 2022. The women of GBC gathered to share, pray, meet other women and to also learn together. Bibianna shares what took place and how God provided for the event.
The pandemic has affected our lives these past two years, and has also disrupted the way we interact with fellow church members. We were therefore excited and thankful that we could hold this. That morning, God brought 50 ladies of different ages, maturity in the faith, backgrounds and also duration of stay at GBC to meet each other.
The morning started with icebreakers, which allowed them to get to know facts about each other. Jocelyn led everyone in a time of Bingo, where they had to complete a series of tasks in order to win the game. The tasks mainly focused on asking questions of each other and allowed the ladies to know more than just each other's name and occupation. It was chaotic, but it was fun.
Pastor Eugene also came to share from Titus 2. it was helpful to hear what God's word says about the role that women played in discipleship in the church. He reminded us that the goal for men and women is the same: to grow in their knowledge of the faith and to grow to maturity in Christ. However, some aspects of this is gender specific. He went on to unpack the importance and also the hows of such ministry, but ended off by reminding women that ultimately, all ministry is empowered by God. Read more here.
Bibianna also shared about the different ways women are already doing ministry at GBC. This takes the form of formal means, via care groups, formal classes and women's Bible studies. It also takes the form of informal means, when women invite other women into their lives to help one another pursue Christ. She encouraged the women present to consider how they can help another woman to follow Jesus no matter the season of life they are in. To help build some connections, the women were given books and encouraged to read it with another. The books given away were: Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin, Aging with Grace by Susan Hunt and Sharon Betters and None Like Him by Jen Wilkin.
The ladies also had a time to share and pray in smaller groups. They were encouraged to share about how they came to faith in Christ and also their current ministry challenges and joys. For those who are not yet discipling other women, they were also encouraged to share about their fears. The time of sharing concluded with a time of praying for each other. This was intentionally built into the programme to allow the ladies a time to share with others how God has been working through the good and the bad times of our lives. The gospel, and the God of the gospel, really unites our hearts and breaks down barriers. The staff workers have been blessed to hear stories of His faithfulness through their work and ministry, and they hoped to give the ladies a chance to experience it themselves and hear first-hand, the testimonies of God's grace.
The morning concluded with a breakout teaching session. The women present could choose one of two sessions and both were taught by women of GBC! Carrie spoke on "Ordinary and Simple Discipleship" and highlighted how discipling can be done by all, even in the midst of our busy lives. Different ladies also shared about what discipling looks like in their lives, and also how they've been discipled by other women in the church.
Yoke Meng led the other session titled "Finding and Cultivating Rest in God". She helped busy ladies think through how they can continue to trust and rest in God especially when so many things around us demand our attention.
This event would not have been possible if not for God's provision and faithfulness. Providentially, the measures relaxed and the ladies were able to meet in-person without much regulations. Each person whom God brought to this session was also part of His plan! At the same time, He provided brothers who willingly volunteered to help with childcare that morning. Many fathers also took care of the children that morning, allowing their wives the chance to come. This is a wonderful picture of God's church at work, helping, serving and loving one another in small ways.
So what's next? It is tempting to do a review and immediately strategise or plan for the next thing. But as Pastor Eugene reminded us, true change and growth will not happen by our own strength. Only God gives the growth and only He can change hearts. An important, and perhaps the best follow-up is to continue to pray for fruit that relationships can continue to form and be strengthened from this event. Pray for the women as they seek to build friendships and relationships centred around and grounded by the gospel. Pray that as they do so, they will be able to help one another grow in love for God and for another, and as they do so, help to build up the church!
If you would like to find out more about how women can minister to one another, feel free to contact any of the staff or elders!