Women's Connect - July 7, 2011

Dear sisters in Christ,

I am so excited to invite you to participate in a life-giving experience.  On Friday, July 29, 8-5, I am facilitating a Focused Living experience that I recently walked through with our church staff.  Terry Walling, teacher/author/life coach/pastor, led us through this and I found it so helpful to my own life and ministry that I want to share it with you.  Our Women’s Leadership Team was going to be doing this and they graciously have opened up our day to all of you.  For those of you who are wondering what God is doing in your life journey – for those of you interested in a greater sense of discovery, clarity and destiny – this day-long workshop is for you.  I hope you will register in the church office and pay the $5 registration fee as soon as possible.  The fee includes supplies, treats for breaks and a lunch.  If you want maximum benefit, I encourage you to purchase the book “Stuck!” by Terry Walling, and journal through it before July 29^th.  There will be ten copies available for sale in the church office.  We’ll order more as needed.  You will also be able to order the book on the day of the workshop.  Cost is $12.  Pre-registration is required!

Check out the new resources in our library. Due to a generous donation, Central's library has received over 300 new adult and teen fiction books. If you enjoy reading books in a series, we have several of them by popular Christian authors.  These books are on the shelves ready to be checked out.  Next week is the book discussion hosted by LeeAnn Simenson.  Women's Book Discussion will meet on Tuesday, July 12 at 1:30p.m. at the Elk River Activity Center.  The book is Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef.  The author is  the oldest son of the founder of the world's most dangerous terrorist organization, Hamas, in the Mideast.  This true story is a gripping account of terror, betrayal, political intrigue, and the unthinkable choices that he had to make.  He now follows Christ and has sought political asylum in the U.S.  Everyone is welcome next Tuesday!

Here is a great opportunity for prayer, something we all can do.  “Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.  Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of the children."  Lamentations 2:19.  Kris Studniski is working to set up a prayer ministry for Central's youth.  Please consider partnering with her in this prayer ministry for our youth at Central.  The goal is to have several groups of 2-3 coming together at Central on a regular basis to pray for Tuesday School kids and Wednesday Echo students.  If you are available at a certain time of the week, we can match you with a partner or two.  If you have a friend or two that you would like to pray with, let me know when you will meet.  I will forward prayer ideas and list of student names.  There is no greater thing that we can do for our children than to lift them up in prayer.  Please contact Kris Studniski at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Many women are meeting each week this summer for good old-fashioned Bible studies – one on Moses and the other on Ruth.  There are two new spiritual growth opportunities starting shortly.  Consider gifting yourself in time with Christian women and God’s Word.   All I Need is Jesus and A Good Pair of Jeans is a book study facilitated by Janet McCarty on Mondays, 6:30-8 PM, July 18-August 15^th, here at Central.  When Godly People Do Ungodly Things is a Beth Moore study and will be led by Stacy Minor, Tuesdays, 6:30-8 PM, July 19-August 23, also here at Central.  Register in the welcome book on Sunday morning or on our website or by calling the church office.  Pre-registration is not required but it really helps us have the needed materials on that first night!  Thanks!

Lastly, the Metro Mission team has spent several Saturdays this summer working to renovate a space into a classroom for inner-city children in St. Paul.  Sue Hage and Bev Johnson have been leading the effort and we are so excited about those who have expressed an interest in tutoring students.  We have two needs as we approach the start of the DIVINE session.  We need someone to coordinate the volunteers who signed up to tutor and we need financial resources to finish our work project.  If you could meet either of those needs, please respond to this e-mail.  Both of these are last-minute needs so your immediate response will make a difference! Thanks millions.

I am so blessed to be able to send out a women’s connect each week.  It is encouraging to hear back from you- regarding prayer needs or spiritual growth interests or concerns.  Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”  I hope you know that words from you are sweeter to me than golden apples! J  Blessings on your week-end.  See you in church on Sunday!

In Christ- Sonja Dixon