Women’s Ministry at House of the Gospel took a turn in the summer of 2007 after a group of ladies gathered together to go through a program called The Wisdom for Mothers by Denise Glenn. For the first time women began to feel connected to one another, but soon after the program ended and with that, all the meetings ended.
This is not to say House of the Gospel did not have a women’s ministry. In fact, women have always been part of ministry at the church as far as helping the needy and sending packages to their home country. They also had prayer meetings and even conferences. However, majority of the women, especially the younger generation, were not involved and did not feel connected to the older generation or the church. When this program came about, it attracted many of the younger ladies. I was one of those ladies that attended these meetings and enjoyed getting to know other women. Since I did not know many people at the church even though I attended this church for seven years, it was refreshing to be able to share my struggles as a new mom and hear other moms share their struggles.
When the program ended along with the weekly meetings, I felt a sense of loneliness again. Soon after I got pregnant with my third child and those feeling only got worse. All my family lived in a different state, so I could not turn to them for support. During the next year, I tried to read more Bible and grow spiritually, but I still found myself severely depressed. Then I learned about a program called Bible in 90 Days. I was skeptical of it and remember saying that it was impossible to read the Bible in 90 days to my sister-in-law when she told me her church had that program available. That night I went on their website to learn that if I read 12-16 chapters a day, I would read the entire Bible in 88 days. Though I grew up in a Christian home, I struggled with reading through the entire Bible often getting stuck in the middle and skipping to the New Testament. I also struggled to grow spiritually, never really feeling any spiritual power from reading. I felt like it was an impossible task and knew I could not read it on my own considering my past attempts, so I invited all the ladies I met in the program to read with me. About 20 of them agreed to read the bible in 90 days and meet weekly for discussions and videos. At the end of 90 days, 12 of us completed the entire program with some of us reading the entire bible for the very first time. And to my great amazement, it was through the passages in the bible that I always skipped that the Holy Spirit finally got a hold of my heart and revealed to me the grace I so desperately needed to overcome my depression. This was the beginning of a new kind of women’s ministry at our church, a ministry focused on growing spiritually in God’s grace, and meeting weekly for Bible Study and fellowship.
Now 12 years later, we have grown as a ministry to have groups of all different ages ranging from 11-year old girls to elderly women. Our primary mission is to help girls and women find Jesus and grow in a loving relationship with Him and others. Our youngest group composed of 5th-7th grade girls started as a girls’ retreat in January of 2019 and now meeting every other month for activities and fellowship. Our 8th-11th grade group of girls also began as a retreat in 2018 and since then meets every other week going through different studies for girls. For example, last year they went through a study by Lysa Terkeurst called Uninvited. The studies are chosen based on girls’ interests based on age. Our 12th grade – College age group meets weekly studying something that is more relevant for them. Currently they are starting Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons, which addresses how to find freedom from stress and anxiety as a Christian. Then, we have a group of ladies who are newly married, currently going through a study called Authentic by James McDonald. Our biggest group is 30s-50s ladies that also meets weekly and goes through about three to four different studies every year. We also have a mommy prayer group that meets for prayer. Majority of the studies are in English even though the ladies are speaking Russian or Ukrainian during meetings, with the exception of younger groups, who primarily speak only English. We also have three groups that are only Russian speaking. One of those groups is a group of ladies that are new to the Christian faith and come with many questions. It is a place for them to ask those questions freely while learning about God’s character and love. Another group composed of ladies in their later 50s and 60s follow a Russian curriculum. The most elderly group of ladies 70th and up meet for prayer weekly.
To unite all the groups together, we have women’s events 4 times a year. Three of those are Ladies’ Lunches and one is a Ladies’ Tea Party Dinner. This is an opportunity for each group to not only come as a group but also invite their family and friends, especially those that don’t typically come to church. It is also a chance for the younger ladies to connect with the older ladies and gain some wisdom as Titus 2:4-5 teaches. These events help with creating unity in the church and bridging one generation to the next. The event is structured where ladies eat and socialize for the first 20 minutes, then more opportunities are provided for connection through different activities. After that, we engage in worship followed by a message, a testimony, or an open forum. During each event, women hear the gospel and are encouraged to continue living it out. At the end of the event, ladies are offered an opportunity to take their next steps by filling out a connection card. This could be volunteering, joining a group, or just asking for prayer.
In addition to corporate ladies’ events, we recently started craft nights. We will be holding our second craft night already because the first one in October was a success. This is a place for girls and ladies any age to come and create something for themselves, learn a new skill, as well as connect with other ladies. This is ideal for inviting unbelievers and get to know them while making something. This was a paid event with participants paying $10 per person. There were 5 different classes offered: painting, quilling, flower arranging, clothes embellishment, and loop yearn knitting. Ladies had to sign up in advance. The next one will be in December and one of the crafts will be making a door decoration for Christmas.
House of the Gospel Women’s Ministry is also involved in taking care of the needy and those going through difficult time. We have one lady responsible for organizing meal trains for moms that just gave birth. Women sign up on https://www.mealtrain.com/ for one day and deliver a home prepared meal. This lasts for the duration of two weeks. Another lady is responsible for organizing groups of ladies to visit the elderly as well as looking out for people that might be going through a hardship or families that are new to our church. With all these needs, ladies donate their time and resources to help people that need extra attention or necessary financial support. Every Christmas, House of the Gospel ladies buy presents for kids of single parents and widows. This is an exciting time because families are surprised when groups of ladies show up with a bunch of gifts at the door.
To make sure all these ministries and groups feel connected and supported, we have leadership meetings once a month for the 21 leaders involved in this work. This is a time for all leaders and their helpers to come together, share how their ministry is going, encourage one another, and pray for one another. We usually start out with a connection activity to get to know each other and learn what God is going in our lives personally. Then each leader provides an update about their ministry or group. We then engage in different learning to grow as leaders, listen to an encouraging message, or use the time to plan for next big event. These meetings are essential for the ministry's unity and leaders’ spiritual growth.
From these 21 leaders, there is a core leadership team that is composed of five members: Ministry Coordinator, Events Coordinator, Bible Study Coordinator, Outreach, and Publicity. We used a resource called Designing Your Woman's Ministry: a Step-by Step Planning Guide to help us organize. This group meets once a quarter to discuss current plans, plan for future, and pray for one another. I hold the position of Ministry Coordinator and I oversee the entire ministry. I meet with the core team as well as the entire leadership team composed of all the bible study leaders and other leaders that are responsible for different ministries. I also organize retreats for leaders as well as girls and women. We usually budget one retreat for ladies and one for youth girls each year. The Events Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the Ladies’ Lunches, Mother Daughter Breakfasts, and other events that might happen in church. Bible Study Coordinator is responsible for meeting with the group leaders, checking in with them, and supporting them with resources and materials. The Outreach Leader is responsible for creating opportunities for outreach. The Publicity Leader is responsible for creating flyers, updating our social media accounts, and keeping our ministry visible. This team is new, and we are still developing these roles as a ministry. Our goal is to equip more women to lead so the gospel would continue to spread not only in this generation but in the next.
We are grateful for all the women that serve in this ministry because the impact is evident. Their commitment to God is contagious and their faith is flourishing in the knowledge of Christ. Because of that, more and more women are beginning to share their stories of what God is doing in their lives. Though being open and vulnerable is still a barrier in the Slavic culture, Jesus is working in the hearts of women to break those chains of secrecy, allowing women to share the gospel of hope. As Romans 1:16 states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” This is not only helping women receive freedom and healing, but also inspiring the new generation to make a commitment to Christ and follow Him fully. I believe that if we can be open about our struggles as women, the next generation will know that a Christian life is not about being perfect, but about bringing all of our brokenness to the foot of the Cross, which happens on a daily basis, and admitting that without Christ’s resurrecting power, we are powerless to live a life that is pleasing to God. 1 John 1:1 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” When we expose the sin of our hearts, whether it is bitterness, fear, anger, or insecurities, we are demonstrating what it means to walk in the light, and only through that, are we able to have fellowship with one another and in turn reach the next generation.
By Nicole Gorban
House of the Gospel, Fresno, CA
