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AB Women's Ministries of
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| Church & Community Ministries |
| “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord” Psalm 31:24 |
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GREETINGS and a BLESSED NEW YEAR! We are blessed to have a new beginning filled
with grace, mercies, love and opportunities to be disciples for Christ and spread the good news.
Let us continue our advocacy for the poor - especially the children in poverty and our sisters
caught in the human sex trafficking - for they live on “the edge” daily. Let us commit to taking the
transforming message of God’s love and forgiveness to give them hope for a better life in “2008”. |
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The BIBLE supports caring for the POOR. There will always be poor people in the land.
Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and
needy in your land. Deuteronomy 15:11 (NIV) Many of us think and believe that people are
poor through some fault of their own. This kind of reasoning makes it easy to close our hearts
and hands to the needy. We are not to invent reasons for ignoring the poor. We are to respond
to their needs no matter who or what was responsible for their condition. Who are the poor in
your community? How could your church help them? When I grew up in Alabama, we did not have social agencies like the welfare system, the church met the needs of the poor. If Christians took a more active role in caring for others a lot of our social problems would be less. We would be responding to our call, being blessed and passing on the blessing. What is CHURCH for? We are the hands and feet of Christ. We need to do what Christ would do. If people are hungry, feed them. If they are lonely, talk to them. If they are naked, clothe them. If they are discouraged, encourage them. Do it by whatever means you can. Go to the schools in your community and read with the children who are labeled as children in poverty. Open your church on Friday nights for single parents and their children to have fun, fellowship and food. Do what you can to make a difference in somebody’s life - one person/one day at a time, right in your own church/community. As you make plans for worship in “2008” include programs to highlight “Children in Poverty” and “Break the Chains: Slavery in the 21st Century”. Your program should develop awareness, support and ministry for our initiatives. For information and ideas visit www.abcopad.org and www.abwministries.org |
| SAVE THESE DATES ... March 7, 2008 is World Day of Prayer Visit www.wdpusa.org to download materials. This is a great way to get with other Church Women in your community and do something together as the larger Body of Christ. June 27 - 29, 2008 is PA/DE American Baptist Women’s Conference at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. Check the Conference webpage for further information. August 9 - 15, 2008 is National Women’s Conference in Greenlake, Wisconsin Check the www.abwministries.org website for registration information. We hope you will plan to attend these events. |
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Let’s listen attentively to our candidates for president of the United States as they discuss their views, visions and programs that they are promoting. Where do they stand and what do they plan to do about poverty, education, health care and unemployment? Are they sensitive to the real life sturggles of all Americans? Encourage the members of your community to exercise their right and register to VOTE. In the meantime and in the between time, continue to pray for our women and girls ministries as we strive to be the church and community that God is calling us to be. |
| Grace, peace and love be yours in abundance. Mary Mary Smith Jones 527 E. Durham Street Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225 email: msj527@earthlink.net |
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| American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware 106 Revere Lane, Coatesville, PA 19320 |