Studying Together
Sarah: New Adventures
What an adventure! The life of Sarah could easily be summed up as “one great adventure”. (The story of Abraham and Sarah can be found and further studied in Genesis chapters 11 to 25). Called with her husband to leave their home in Ur and journey to Haran, they were in their mature years of life; Abram was 75 years old and Sarai, sixty-five. As they left their homeland, they left with a promise of a land that would be shown to them. Ultimately, they would end up in Canaan – the Land the Lord had told them of, though not at the first.
As though leaving Ur in her later years wasn’t exciting enough for one life, Sarah would conceive in her old age and bare the son promised to Abraham. At 90 years old, Sarah became a mother…yet again, something NEW and adventurous! Sarah would live one hundred and twenty-seven full years!
However, even after many years of adventurous living, she was not immune to experiencing NEW things. Yet, we see that when the possibility of something new overwhelmed her, she gave in to taking things into her own hands.
Ultimately, her faith held firm.
(Hebrews 11:11) “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”
A word of encouragement to you, as you face the promise of new things in this new year – The God Who was faithful in your last NEW and unknown thing will be faithful in 2025! Trust Him!
Harmony Pace, Euro Ladies Ministries Director
Chatting Together: Susan Dadzie
Hello ladies, greetings in the name of the Lord. My name is Susan Dadzie and I have been a member of the Ladies Ministry (Women of Worth) of the Church of Acts in Vienna, Austria. Since time in Christendom, women have wholeheartedly served and continue to serve the Lord by playing crucial roles in both the church and in their communities.
How long have you been leading Ladies ministries?
In 2019, I took over the local leadership position of the Women of Worth Ministry from my wonderful Pastor’s wife, Sister Harmony Pace. Sister Pace did tremendous work; encouraging us through diverse means (Word, Prayer, phone calls, etc.) to draw us closer, to love one another, and to support each other. (Editor’s note: At the Austrian General Conference held in November 2024, Sister Dadzie was appointed to serve as Austrian National Ladies Leader.)
What scripture would best describe your Ladies ministries?
It has been a great privilege to work and serve the wonderful ladies of our church. Although we are from different nationalities, languages, cultures and different age groups (young and old), it is difficult to recognize these differences. This is because we have humbly submitted and subjected these differences to the Lordship of Jesus. The bond of love, respect, acceptance, unity, selfless dedication, support for each other, etc. are some of the qualities of the Holy Spirit that keeps us growing. John 13:34-35 and Galatians 6:2 perfectly describe the ladies of Church of Acts in Vienna, Austria.
What has been your greatest challenge in Ladies Ministries?
We have been experiencing great fellowship through the past years. We meet monthly to share the Word of God, encourage and pray for each other. However, not all the women are members of the Women of Worth Ministry and they do not attend our monthly meetings.
What has been your greatest victory in Ladies Ministries?
Our goal is to ensure no one is left behind. With the advice of Pastor’s wife, I started our weekend meetings (Saturdays), which takes place every three months. During such meetings, the ladies get the opportunity to put spiritual gifts to use. It is also a time to fellowship and have fun. The attendance and testimonies have been amazing. Besides this, our hiking trips and picnics has been very well patronized.
What tip would you have for motivating ladies to be a part of Ladies Ministries?
We will keep supporting and encouraging our sisters who are not yet members to see the need to join the Ladies Ministry. It is a great privilege for every woman to join the Ladies Ministry of her local church because it helps to address, with the help of the Lord, spiritual and other needs that pertain to women. Ladies Ministry is intended to help ladies in our local churches to develop a deep relationship with the Lord Jesus, as well as with fellow sisters. The older mature ladies of faith lead and guide the younger to not only grow spiritually, but also to be able to take up leadership roles in the church. Hence, we always support and encourage each other through thick and thin.
Has your Ladies Ministries done any community outreach? Tell us about it.
We have done a Prayer Walk through some parts of the city center of Vienna. We intend to do more of such outreach in the future.
What advice or encouragement would you give to someone who is just starting out?
For this reason, leader(s) of this wonderful ministry ought to know they will not only be serving the ladies, but the Lord. Such a woman should be faithfully and lovingly serving the Lord. Her way of life should be emulating to the ladies she will lead. She has to be humble, allow her members to exercise their gifts, be very open minded, be there for everybody, show a real sense of maturity. She should be able to create an atmosphere of love, peace and unity among her members. The Women’s Ministry leader should be able to accept, respect, and pray for all her ladies.
Debra Summers, Euro Ladies Ministries Secretary
Leading Together
When Jacob wrestled with the angel in Genesis 32, he probably didn’t expect to walk away from this interaction completely changed. And yet, his name was changed from “Jacob” to “Israel,” and he was left walking with a limp. This experience with the Lord made him a different man.
Our purpose is to create discipleship opportunities where our ladies can have new, life-changing experiences with God. We want them to grow deeper in the Lord, to delve into new understanding of His word, and to enter new places in prayer. We want to make new disciples, teach new Bible studies, and see new baptisms and Holy Ghost infillings. Just as the Lord desires to see the “new,” so do we.
As leaders, what can we do to help facilitate these experiences and modes of growth? Is there a topic that we should teach, a project that we can complete with our ladies? Is there a new area in our community where we can serve? How can we encourage our ladies to step into that new thing that God has planned for them? The Bible is full of examples of both men and women who embraced something new from the Lord and walked away completely changed. It’s a natural result of encountering the King of Kings: one will never be the same.
Isa 43:19 tells us, “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” God has new, amazing things planned for this year in our region! Let’s look for them with expectation and allow God to take us and our ladies along on this exciting journey – we will walk away changed.
Candace Lindholm
Meeting Together
The beginning of a new year is often a time when we take personal inventory of the year that has just closed, and we contemplate the new year that lies ahead. In some sense, a new year (or a new week) represents a new beginning for us. To this end, we frequently make New Year’s resolutions we declare that the next 12 months will be full of great things. The problem is, only about 9% of people keep their resolutions (this is an American statistic.) In fact, most people don’t even keep their resolution for the entire month of January!
Although we as humans put a lot of emphasis on a new year, it is my opinion that God does not. Although we think January 1 (or Monday morning) is a great opportunity to start something new, Lamentations 3:22-23 declares that the mercies of God are new every morning! In other words, every day is a brand-new opportunity.
Using this as a starting point, here are some possible themes you could consider for your January (or early in the New Year) meeting:
- In with the new, out with the old. Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17. You could ask the ladies to bring some clothing articles they’re no longer wearing (out with the old) and donate them to a women’s shelter or to another lady who is in need.
- Turning the page/Starting a new chapter. This could be used as a book exchange wherein ladies bring a book they’ve read and they exchange it for a book they haven’t read.
- Time to take inventory. Ask your ladies to give a testimony of something God did for them, or a lesson they learned in the previous year. Ask them to explain how they plan to carry the new lesson into the new year.
- Looking forward. Philippians 3:12-14; Luke 9:62; Isaiah 43:18; Proverbs 4:25.
- Remove. Renew. Restore. This theme was one that God gave me personally at the beginning of 2017. In Psalm 51, David cried out to the Lord to “remove” the stain of his guilt (vs. 9), to “renew” a loyal spirit within him (vs. 10), and to “restore” the joy of salvation unto him. (See also Psalm 119:40; Ephesians 4:23.) This theme could be coupled together with the thing of “Time to take inventory.”
May God bless you as you continue to lead your Ladies Ministry group into 2025!
If these articles are helping you, please share it with me! We would love to see your photos and hear your testimonies of how God is working in your church.
Crystal Wallace
Teaching Together
Bible Reading is for Everyone! “Read your bible, pray every day – and you’ll grow, grow, grow!” How well I remember singing the words to this little song in Sunday School and participating energetically in all the accompanying motions. I grew up in minister’s home surrounded by the word of God in all aspects of our lives, yet it was not until I was older that I actually read the Bible completely – cover to cover – for myself. I will never forget the feeling of accomplishment and closeness to the Lord that I felt the first time I completed my goal. Since then I have read the Bible completely many times and am now thoroughly convinced that it is still the best way to get the word of God into our lives and hearts in a way that it will never be taken from us.
We all need to read the word of God! Daily! Bible reading is for everyone, and can be an enjoyable, fulfilling daily discipline and not just another dreary task to add to our already full list of daily duties. The King James Version (KJV) and the RV1960 (Español) contain 1189 chapters; divided by 365 days in a year = 3.26 chapters per day…. You can do this! Below are several recommendations, links, and other resources to help each of us “grow, grow, grow!” in our walk with God!
- Read! The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) has long understood this concept and promotes daily bible reading among members in their annual BREAD program – Bible Reading Enriches Any Day. Their nifty printed chart is available in English and Spanish, in print and PDF versions at https://pentecostalpublishing.com, under BREAD. There are also many other on-line plans that can be downloaded for guides to reading the Bible thru in 1 year, 2 years, or even in 1 month! Challenge yourself – see what God can do through you!
- Listen! Audio versions of the Bible abound – I highly recommend the YouVersion app (free). Download this (or your favorite) app to your device, pick a plan each year from multiple choices – and fill your mind, home, auto, workplace, and headphones with the spoken word of God daily! Keep a pen and paper handy – you will be inspired and want to jot down thoughts as they come.
- Write! Invest in a nice journal with blank pages that speaks to you and your tastes, and WRITE your thoughts, feelings, and what God is speaking to you each day as you read His word. If you are a speaker/teacher, you will be amazed at how many times He will give you a thought way before you even know you will need it!
- Make it a habit! Habits are formed by repetitive behaviors, and most are those that we would prefer not to have! Let’s start 2025 by creating new, healthy habits and daily spiritual disciplines. Tyndale House, one of the world’s largest producers of bibles and Christian literature, published an article in January of 2021 titled “4 Steps for Turning Bible Reading into a Daily Habit.” Check out their very wise recommendations here.
Daniel 11:32 states that “the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” We get to know our God more intimately by reading His word daily. Everything that He desires of us and for us – He has already written in a book, and it is there for us to enjoy and experience. Let’s go forth into 2025 as ladies of God – full of His spirit and word – and do exploits for Him!
Kay Burgess
“She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” Mark 14:8-9 (NLT)