Disciple Womens Ministries
Who Are Disciples Women?
The purpose of Disciples Women is to provide opportunities for spiritual growth, enrichment, education and creative ministries to enable women to develop a sense of personal responsibility for the whole mission of the church of Jesus Christ and to provide a channel through which women in the congregation and the regional Women's Ministries in the United States and Canada may be joined in fellowship and find means for effective participation in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
R.O.S.E.S. / Leadership Training Event
All women in the Southwest Region are invited to attend the combined R.O.S.E.S. / Leadership Training Event to be held at Creekwood Christian Church in Flower Mound, Texas (near Grapevine) March 25 - 27, 2011.
We are so blessed to have two amazing women as our guest speakers: Pat Donahoo, our new Executive Director of Disciples Women and Mary Jacobs, our new incoming International Disciples Women President who took office at Quadrennial last year!
This event is the place to meet with our sisters from our neighboring Great River and Oklahoma Regions for Fun, Fellowship and Leadership Training. Attending this event is strongly recommended for Coordinators and Consultants to learn more about our roles and how we can all work together to build a stronger Region for Disciples Women's Ministries.
Notes About the Event:
- This event DOES NOT replace the Southwest Region's Assembly of Women. That event is still on and scheduled for June 10 - 12, 2011
- Anyone can attend this event - it is not just for Coordinators & Consultants and you do not need to be a Regional or Area officer. With so many events on the calendar the first half of the year, the original Leadership Training Event (that was scheduled for Coordinators & Consultants in February) was combined with the R.O.S.E.S. event to reduce the amount of time & travel for the women of the Southwest Region.
- The Southwest Region will pay all expenses for the Administrative Committee only and the registration fee only for the Coordinators. Consultants will need to pay their own way or see if their Area has funds available. The Region used to pay for all expenses for the Coordinators, but due to resources we are no longer able to do that. Event registration is $65.
- There will be workshops and information on a variety of topics including our Social Advocacy project of Human Trafficking, Just Women, Spirituality and Leadership and Prayer.
- Although a formal schedule will be given out at the event, here is an idea of what you can expect:
- FRIDAY evening we will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Creekwood Christian Church. Dinner is on your own before you arrive.
- SATURDAY's events will take place at Creekwood Christian Church and begin with a continental breakfast at the church around 8:30 a.m. We will be done by 7:00 p.m. and dinner is included at the church. If you choose to stay overnight you are invited to attend Sunday worship at Creekwood Christian. Following dinner, the Administrative Committee, Coordinators & Consultants only will meet back at the hotel to finalize the planning of the Women’s Assembly taking place in June.
- The church address is 2600 Forest Vista Drive, Flower Mound, TX 75028
- The hotel address is Hilton DFW Lakes - 1800 Highway 26E, Grapevine, TX 76051 - a group rate of $109 has been set up. You must make your own room reservations by calling (817) 410-6770 and asking to make a reservation under the "CCSW room block".
Click here for the R.O.S.E.S. Registration Form.
New Administrative Committee voted in at Regional Assembly
During the Regional Assembly the new Disciples Women's Ministries Administrative Committee was elected and has assumed office for the years 2010 - 2012. The DWM Administrative Committee members are:
- President: Karen Rawlins, North East Area
- President-Elect: Stevie Linn, North Texas Area
- Vice President: Loretta Smith, Coastal Plains Area
- Vice President: Melissa Hovey, Central Area
- Vice President: Pat Puckett, Tres Rios Area
- Vice President: Patricia Bluitt, North Texas Area
- Member-at-Large: Jan Flavin, Trinity Brazos
- Member-at-Large: Ana Aquino, Bluebonnet Area
- Texas Christian Missionary Fellowship (TCMF) Representative: Frankie Williams
- Hispanic Convención Representative: Ana Ramos
It's an exciting time for women's ministries in the Southwest Region and the new committee will hit the ground running with their first meeting in November. Look for updates on what's happening in the Region in future issues of the News & Notes Newsletter.
Get Your Copy of the Latest Issue of "Voices"
The "Voices" newsletter is published by the Office of Disciples Women each quarter. Each newsletter brings news and information from the Office of Disciples Women, Disciples Home Missions and Disciple Women events happening around the country. If you would like to receive the Voices newsletter directly in your e-mail inbox please send an e-mail to odw@dhm.disciples.org and type "Voices Subscription" in the subject line. Don't forget to include your full name.
To see the lastest issue to any of the archived copies of the newsletter, click here to go to Newsletter page at discipleswomen.org.
Blessing Box - Living with Gratitude
For more than 50 years, the women of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have had a special way to express their gratitude to God for the blessings they have received-the Blessing Box.
The Blessing Box was created in 1953, the result of a dream of the women who founded Christian Women's Fellowship. Jessie Trout, who was CWF's co-founder and first executive secretary, developed the idea as an over-and- above way to help fund the wider mission of the church.
Since that time, Blessing Boxes have been kept in the homes and offices of women across the church to enable them to express their gratitude for everyday blessings by giving to others. Thanks is given for a sunny day, a birth, a reconciling experience, a welcome phone call, a child's smile, a beautiful snow fall, a flower in full bloom, relief from pain, a good book, a safe journey, and many other things. It is a way of saying "Thank you God, for your world and especially for people."
For those who participate, it is a spiritual discipline even more than a financial one. It helps keep a focus on gratitude to God and on the responsibility to share blessings with others. The amount put in may be a dime, a quarter or more. The amount is not nearly as important as the discipline of regularly remembering God's goodness thru the acts of dropping in coins and praying prayers of thanksgiving.
Has the Blessing Box Made a Difference?
Yes! In addition to cultivating life-long habits of thanks-giving, the Blessing Box has generated millions of dollars in mission support. From 1999 to spring 2009, Blessing Boxes have contributed a total of $2,663,882 for the mission of the church, with $311,814 of that going to support women's ministries. Since 2007, 50 percent of the donations go directly to the ministries carried out by the women of our church through the International Disciples Women's Ministries. This makes a significant difference in the mission of the church at home and abroad.
How Can I Make a Difference?
Our dream is to put a Blessing Box into the hands of every Disciples woman sitting in the pew of a Disciples of Christ church. You can help by using the materials from this page within your local congregation.
Begin Making a Difference
Blessing Boxes are available from the Office of DIsciples Women. The cost is $7.50 for a package of 10.
What To Do When My Blessing Box Is Full
Offerings may be converted to a check made payable to Disciples Mission Fund, labeled as Blessing Box offerings, including your congregation and city, then mailed to:
OGM-Treasury Services
P.O. Box 1986
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1986
For those who would like to include a form with the check, there is a remittance form in English and Español.
For More Information
For more information about Disciples Women's Ministries, contact us:
Disciples Women's Ministries
888-346-2631
