Advent Brunch 2010

Advent Brunch is always a great way to kick off the holiday season!  It is an event that will touch your heart no matter your age or your spiritual walk.  It's a time to meet new people and catch up with good friends.  Most importantly it is a time to prepare your heart for the Advent Season!

Our beautiful and festive centerpieces:

 We thank you for your generosity in purchasing these ornaments on our centerpieces!  We raised over $400 to support our National Women Ministries.  We are so blessed to be just one group of women across the nation who belong to Women Ministries.  Since their inception, women have raised almost 9 million dollars for causes such as helping educate women in the Congo, advocating for women who have been abused, abolishing human trafficking, and much more.  Your generous donations will allow our National Women Ministries to continue to address the needs of women and children across the globe.

Many men made this day possible by babysitting and serving our tables! Thank you!!  

 Several of our beautifully decorated tables along with just the beginning of the amazing food that was served! We thank all those women who played a role in preparing the food, donating quiches, and hosting a table!

Kinsey and Cheryl (Women Ministry Chairs) share about our upcoming events.  They were excited to share about Spring Retreat!  Stay tuned to the blog for posts about the retreat and see the left side of the blog for more details!  They also shared about Women Ministries heart for those who have been abused or are the victim of human trafficking.  Not the type of conversation you expect to hear at a Christmas Brunch!  Yet, just the type of subject that grabs at our hearts as women and moves us to action.  

 We were so blessed to hear Glory's testimony about surviving abuse and why this is such a topic that is near and dear to her heart.  She is passionate about our upcoming event this May called Advocates for Victims of Abuse (AVA).  AVA will be a three day event where a trained advocate will be traveling to our church. Each day will offer a different extent of training in hopes to reach all levels of interest. This event will focus on educating about abuse, raising awareness on becoming an advocate, and extensive training to raise up and train advocates in our church, and providing awareness to young adults about these important topics and how it relates to dating.

 Glory's powerful testimony:

As many women generously donated food and hosted tables we were able to keep the cost of this event low.  Your ticket cost helped to pay for the event but will also help to fund our AVA event so that people from our church and community will be able to attend that important event for a nominal cost!  Thank you! 

Christy Jantzen blesses us by her singing and her words about Reflecting God's Glory at Christmas:

 We ended our time together by singing Christmas Carols:

 Advent Brunch was a big success due to the many people who donated their time by helping with set up/clean up, serving, babysitting, baking a quiche, hosting a table, decorating, preparing food, giving a testimony, and playing the piano. Thank you to all who generously donated their time, gifts, and money to make this event possible. Finally, Cheryl and Kinsey also want to thank the Women Ministries leadership team for all the time and effort they put into the event! We are so thankful for you!  We were so blessed by everyone's attendance at the event and hope this was a great way to begin the Advent Season!

Keeping Connected

Women Ministries has a passion for helping hurting women.  Our cause this year is helping to raise awareness about abuse and to equip people to support those who have been abused.  We are excited to have an opportunity to support a women who is working with those who have been abused.  Irene Houdek is a member of Arvada Covenant Church and is now on staff with Alaska Christian College where she raises her own support.  Many of the women who attend Alaskan Christian College have been abused and by being on staff at the college, Irene is just one of the many people who can touch their lives. One way we can support Irene is by purchasing her note cards.  The cards feature captivating photos from the Alaskan Wilderness. 

 Check Out Irene's Pictures:

They would be a great holiday gift or for your own personal use. The cards are sold in packs of 10 cards for $20. Please let Wendy (place4stuff@yahoo.com) know if you are interested!

Race For Freedom

Last weekend 14 people from our church joined together for the Race for Freedom!  It was a gorgeous fall day at Aurora Reservoir:

 Nearly our entire group of racers:

This race raised over $4500 for the Pearl Alliance.  This organization is partnering with In His Steps International (a Christian organization) to build a safe house in Cambodia. 

Their website (http://pearlalliance.org/2010/07/the-safehouse-project/) describes the project:

There is a DESPERATE need for a safe house within the community of Saang, Cambodia. Sadly it’s NOT only the orphans in this area that are at risk…the very children of the community have no safe place to escape the parents who’d put them in harm’s way. Some are sold to pay off gambling debts. Others are sold to feed addictions. If there is a SAFE place within the village where children are loved, educated and nurtured, it declares that an individual child’s safety is a GOD GIVEN human right! The need was so urgent we’ve agreed to fully fund this project, but we need your help.

In partnership with In His Steps International, Pearl Alliance is constructing a 6 bedroom, 2 bathroom concrete safe house in the Saang province of Cambodia. Once completed, the house will shelter 12 boys and girls at risk of being trafficked. Children who live in the safe house will have access to education at the local government school, mentoring, and job skills training when appropriate. Most importantly, they will be raised in an environment where they are valued and loved.

The construction of the safe house began in May, and the house will be completed by the end of this month, July 31st. The total cost of constructing this safe haven for children is $50,000. So far, Pearl Alliance has received just over $20,000 of the $50,000, so just shy of $30,000 is needed to completely fund this project!!

The race for freedom was able to help fund 1/10 of this project!  It was a great day to be active for a good cause!  Be sure to check out the Pearl Alliance and In His Steps International websites!

http://pearlalliance.org/

http://www.ihsionline.org/blog/category/safehouse



Fall Into Fellowship

We gathered at 3 Sons Restaurant on a cool fall afternoon to share a delicious meal, to meet old friends and make new friends.

Cheryl Meakins spoke to us about how we can reflect God's glory in our lives.

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the LORD's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the LORD, who is the Spirit."  2 Cor. 3:18

Kinsey Ringenberg highlighted some upcoming events - ways we can make a difference in the life of a hurting woman - and encouraged us to join small groups and Bible studies to connect with other women and grow in our faith.

Of course we had plenty of time to chat before we left!

45 women were able to join us this day!  Check out our events section and join us in an upcoming event.

Hope to see you soon!

Race for Freedom

As many of you know, we have been focusing on Human Trafficking as the cause for Women Ministries.  Last spring we had the Break the Chains event that raised awareness about Human Trafficking as well as over $1000 for the cause.  At our last Advent Brunch you generously donated over $300 for Human Trafficking.  We would like to continue with raising awareness, funds, and spending time in prayer about this awful crime that goes on across the world through participation in a 5/10 K race.  You can run or walk and bring the entire family (guys welcomed too)!  Watch the promotional DVD and check out more details for the race at http://www.strategicendurance.com/5K_10KRace.html. The women in charge of this race are fellow Christian women fighting for this cause!  What a great way to support them in their efforts!

Race Details

5K Run/Walk and 10K Run

Quincy Reservoir, 5800 South Powhaton Road, Aurora, CO

Saturday, October 30, 2010

10K Run begins @ 9:00 a.m.; 5K Run/Walk begins at @ 9:15 a.m.

Food and awards to follow the race.

5K Registration: $35 by October 22, 2010
10K Registration: $40 by October 22, 2010
No Race Day Registration

This years race will include a "Super Hero" costume theme for those interested. Dress as your favorite "Super Hero" for the cause of stopping human trafficking.

The mission of the 2010 Race for Freedom 5K/10K is to raise awareness of the horrific realities of the human trafficking industry while raising money through race entry fees to be donated to Pearl Alliance, an organization committed to aligning with on site organizations throughout the world that work to combat the trafficking of women and children. Your race entry fee will be donated to Pearl Alliance.

If you are interested contact Carolyn (docholiday4224@yahoo.com) or Kinsey (kringenberg@gmail.com) from our church!  We would like you to register for the race yourself at http://www.strategicendurance.com/5K_10KRace.html. 
Then let us know that you plan to be there by email so we can meet at the starting line (or carpool from ACC) on race day!

We hope to see you there! 

Fall into Fellowship

We are thrilled to be supporting another local business for our Fall into Fellowship! 

Join us at 3 Sons for a great time of food, fellowship, and teaching!

Date: October 10th

Time: 1-3 p.m.

Place: 3 Sons - 64th and Indiana

Cost: $14

Buy Tickets in the Family Life Center between services or in the church office during the week!

Learn how to connect with Women Ministries and Small Groups! This is a great way to meet people and deepen friendships!

See you there!

Fall Retreat at Covenant Heights

Last weekend 14 women from our church had the opportunity to go to Covenant Heights in Estes Park for our Midwest Conference Fall Women's Retreat!  We had a great time of teaching, rest, fun, and fellowship!  Ruth Hill, the national Covenant Women Ministries director was our speaker.  She did an incredible job of teaching us about our identity in Christ.  She taught us that we as women are accepted, precious, loved, and chosen.   Cheryl and Kinsey both did a great job giving their seminars!

Saturday afternoon we had the opportunity for free time.  Some of us napped, hiked and shopped.  Check out these pictures from Lily Lake:

Our wind blown look:

View from Camp:

Group pic:

Our friends from camp:

Several women from our church took a step of faith and came not really knowing anyone.  That is a difficult thing to do!  For example, Glory, a new member at our church, took the weekend away from her husband and three kids to come up to camp.  She felt God's tugging to come and took a step of faith to come to the retreat not knowing any of us. The following is her testimony from the weekend:

I went to the Women’s Ministries retreat a bit scared but with an open heart. I moved to Colorado six months ago. My husband and I have just become members of the church; I had heard about this retreat for a few weeks but was skeptical because I really did not know anyone at the church. My thoughts were – “How am I going to go there without knowing anyone? I’m going to feel left out and all alone." I had asked my husband if he thought it was a good idea and he said for me to go that he would take care of the kids. I really needed some time alone with God and thought this would be good for me. I really needed to know where God was leading me.

During this series of messages God spoke to me in many ways; first by reminding me that “I am accepted” with the first message. I have often felt that I would not be accepted by anyone if they became aware of my past. But I was reassured that I am accepted by God because He called me by name and He has a purpose for my life. The second message reaffirmed my worth because “I am precious” in God’s eyes. I had issues when I looked at myself in the mirror because I often believed the lies of the enemy who constantly told me that I was not worth anything; that I was not beautiful that I was ugly because of the things that had happened in my life, but I learned that in God’s eyes I AM PRECIOUS! Then the following message really hit me when the sermon was titled “I am loved” because I often thought that God could not love me after all the things I had done, but God in his mercy loves me just as I am. My sins have been forgiven just like the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears. I am a new creation of Christ all of my sins have been washed by the blood of the lamb! On the final day I acknowledge that “I am chosen” –I believe God is sending me on a special journey all I have to do is be willing to do His will.

I recently learned that Women’s Ministries will be working with abused women. The program is called Advocacy for Victims of Abuse (AVA). Having been through this situation I would like to become an advocate. This is something that is close to my heart.

I have to say that the women at this retreat made me feel more than welcome. At every meal someone would ask me to come join them because they wanted to get to know me. My God is a wonderful God! I felt right at home with my sisters in Christ.

Thanks for sharing, Glory!  We hope that her testimony will encourage everyone to think about coming to retreat!  This fall retreat was one of the best retreats up at Covenant Heights! Join us next year!

Ice Cream Social

We started out the 2010-2011 year for Covenant Women with an informative Ice Cream Social!  We appreciated the group of women who came to hear more information! 

I love our decorations for this!  They match our design for the year!

We had the opportunity to hear from our sewing circle!  What a great experience to hear from women who take time to sew layettes, quilts, and robes as well as roll bandages.  They send the fruits of their labor all over the world!  Thank you for the update, ladies!!  Be sure to see the tab on the left hand side for more info about the sewing circle!

We are off to a great start and are excited about where God is leading our ministry!!

Fall Retreat

Fall Retreat

Our Fall Retreat will be held at Estes Park on September 17-19th!

The Theme is GRACEBOOK - What's your Profile?

We are Precious, We are Forgiven, and We are Chosen - Presented by Ruth Hill

A native of Bellingham,Washington, Ruth Hill attended Seattle Pacific University and graduated in 1972 with degrees in psychology and education. She continued her studies in education at the University of Washington. In 1972 she and her husband, Brad Hill, were called by the Covenant to serve as missionaries to Congo (then Zaire). During nineteen years of service there, she taught high school, trained couples for pastoral ministry and was very active in women's ministries. In 1991, the Hills moved back to Bellingham to serve Bellingham Evangelical Covenant Church for the next eight years. Ruth Hill has served on mission boards at the conference and denominational level. In September 1999 she was called to serve as Executive Minister of Women Ministries for the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Cheryl Meakins and Kinsey Ringenberg from our church will be giving the breakout sessions.

Guard Your Heart - Presented by Cheryl Meakins

Cheryl has been a Christian for over 20 years. God has been her healer. Through growing up in an abusive home to a struggle with depression in college and even a marriage on the edge of divorce, God has shown himself to her as “Abba.” His pursuit of her life has been her joy. Her career paths have varied from stay at home mom to Occupational Therapist and is now venturing into Christian writing and speaking. She is currently the Women Ministries Chair at Arvada Covenant Church; the heart of her calling. Visit her blog: http://www.meakinsspeak.wordpress.com/.

Weighty Issues – A Christian Perspective on Obesity and Eating Disorders From a Medical Point of View presented by Kinsey Ringenberg

Risky Business – A Christian Perspective on Teenage Sexuality From a Medical Point of View presented by Kinsey Ringenberg

Kinsey Ringenberg became a Christian at a young age. As a teen she had several medical conditions, including anorexia nervosa, which were the basis for her decision to make the medical field her mission field. Kinsey obtained her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies at CSU before she completed her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Shortly after graduation in 2008 she joined Indian Crest Pediatrics in Westminster. Kinsey believes that God has called her to this field so she can encourage others in making good life decisions by basing her advice on Biblical principals. Kinsey is married to Luke and they attend Arvada Covenant Church where she is the Vice Chair of Women Ministries.


Come join us for an amazing weekend in the mountains, fellowship, and teaching! There will be time to hike, enjoy Estes, have alone time away from the business of this world, and deepen friendships! Please check out the following website for all the details:
http://www.covenantheights.org/Events/Womens_Retreat.html.
See you in Estes!

Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club is starting again on September 11th!! Come for food and fellowship. Contact Joan Hitt for more details at Koolwater101@aol.com.

Leadership Retreat

We had a great group of gals up in the mountains to plan a new year of ministry and we are excited about all that is coming! Look on the left side of the page with information about our first event, the Ice Cream Social.

Carolyn, Sherry, Kinsey, Brenda, Julie, Kathy, Cheryl, Barb:

See you at the Ice Cream Social!

Secret Location of Triennial XIV Revealed!

TRIENNIAL XIV WILL BE HELD IN...............................................................................................

SAN DIEGO!!!

As you all know, San Diego is much closer to Colorado than Washington DC.  It will be easier and cheaper to fly or drive there.  So I am revising my estimated cost (the cost I gave you in my day 4 blog posting) to get to Triennial XIV! You can easily get to the next Triennial for less than $1000!  That means saving around $25 per month for the next three years will be more than adequate to cover your conference, hotel (if you share a room), and flight! Cheryl and I are taking roommate requests now! You will be richly blessed for your faithfulness to invest in attending a conference like this! I hope that a dream is planted in your hearts and that you will be moved, no compelled, to come to San Diego with us! It is a trip of vitality, of healing, of calling out in you what you may be. You belong with us in San Diego! 

Triennial Recap

I love that I not only got to go to Triennial with Cheryl, but that I got the chance to bond with my mom and grandma as well!!

Triennial was a life changing experience for me. It has changed my personal life as well as my passions and goals for ministry.

Let me tell you a little background on my story. At 13 years old I developed anorexia nervosa. While I overcame the acute phase within a year, I still had varying degrees of the illness until I was 21. I spent 8 years trying to heal on my own and could never succeed. During those 8 years, I was able to still be that “good Christian” girl during that time because I compartmentalized that sin into a tiny corner in my life…or so I thought. After struggling with this for 8 years I became resigned that this was the way I would live my life and complete healing wasn't possible.  But God had bigger plans for me.

When I was 21, I went to my first Triennial. At that time I had just decided, after a very difficult period in my life, that I could NO LONGER live this way and begun counseling for my eating disorder. I can’t tell you much about what the speakers said at that Triennial but the one thing I took away from that experience was the taste of freedom. The theme of freedom was interwoven into that conference and I began to see that God had wanted to set me free for years. By God's grace and with the help of a Christian counselor when I was 21, I began to overcome those destructive behaviors. As I’ve grown over the past few years and been able to gain perspective on that time in my life, I see those behaviors didn’t develop because I liked to starve myself and look thin.  There were deeper issues.

Until coming to Triennial and hearing Kirstin Haglund speak, I wasn’t able to label the root of my behavior. She feels that the root sin that caused her anorexia was pride. As I began to think about it more I saw that pride did play a role in my story, but God revealed to me that fear is the core of my issue. Fear that I may not succeed, fear that I will disappoint others, fear that I will make mistakes. This fear in my life led to anxiety and the need to control my exercise habits, eating habits and many other areas in my life. I am chuckling to myself on the plane ride home as I write this. It only took me 14 years (over half of my life) to see the root of my sin was fear.

I am so thankful that since I was 22 years old, I have been healed in that I no longer have anorexic behavior. However, I notice that when I become fearful of circumstances in my life those old thought patterns become tempting again. While I do not revert back to anorexia, I try desperately to feel that I am in control in some way. It usually comes out by having rigid control over my schedule, exercise patterns, and having things “in place” in my home.

Through my experience at Triennial I have felt God challenging me to address the fear in my life. While I am not anorexic anymore, fear brings back that temptation and it also keeps me from fully being the wife, friend, daughter, physician assistant, and leader that God intends me to be. I feel that recognizing the root of my problem is half the battle. Now I need to act on the challenge God has given me and draw near to Him daily for the strength to overcome the fear.

As a leader Triennial changed my heart. I see how powerful a movement of women can be. I now see the bigger purpose to women ministries through conference and national ties in the Covenant Church. E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one)! There is power when women unite within the church to serve their savior! I hope to continue to strive not to just make a difference at a local and church level but to be part of the bigger picture that includes a movement that is changing the world!  Cheryl and I are excited about the vision God has given us this year and we hope and pray that you will be a part of it!

E Pluribus Unum ~ Triennial Day 5

E Pluribus Unum ~ Latin for "Out of many, one."  This saying is on the seal of the United States.  Cheryl felt it was an appropriate theme for the day. 

The morning began with the testimony of 2008 Miss America, Kirsten Haglund:

Cheryl recaps Kirstin's message for us:

Keynote Speaker: Kirsten Haglund

Triennial has just gotten better and better. Unbelievable, I know – you should try being here with us!

Kirsten was Miss America in 2008 and came to us to share one truth. Perfectionism has no place with Peace. Kirsten knows. She studied to be a ballerina from the age of 7. Unknown to her at this young age was that the world of being a professional ballerina is brutal. Every part of your body must be crazy thin, every position aligned perfectly with every beat of the music and every person you dance with. Everything about being a ballerina meant perfection. And during this time Kirsten decided to diet to just lose 5 pounds. But the diet did not end and soon she found herself lost in the pit of an eating disorder.

God delivered her from this pit. He rebuilt her, piece by piece, until she could stand knowing that the perfection of God in her imperfection was her completion.

After this time she decided to compete in a county pageant, just to try and win a $200 scholarship to help her pay for college. To her surprise, at only age 18 she won. She moved to the state level competition, for yet another scholarship. She won. This moved her on to Miss America. By now she was a little perturbed with God for moving her on this path, not of her choosing. She already had plans on how she was going to serve the Lord. The Lord had other plans for her to serve! She realized in the week of the 2008 Miss America competition that she needed to give herself over to His plan. She was crowned Miss America and gave her year of service as Miss America as a sacrifice unto others. She spent her year speaking and infusing young men and women with the truth about the destruction that comes when you measure yourself by others.

Her call to us is that we should not waste our time plucking off the leaves of jealousy, harsh words, over-eating, under-eating, or anything else that is a surface sin. For the leaves are attached to branches, the branches belong to a huge trunk called INSECURITY, and the trunk stays strong because there is a mass of well-established roots that belong to PRIDE. We must get at the root for there to be a lasting release from the products we see in our leaves. Pride is the assumption that we can make ourselves ‘good enough.’

There is not one of us that is good enough for God. So let him tear out what doesn’t belong to reveal what treasure and beauty He births in you.

We then had a Women Ministries Celebration. As a young women in leadership I have not caught the passion and vision of the conference and national ministries. I can now say that I have caught the vision! As a leader it is so daunting to look at how one ministry at one church can make a difference. But ACC is a church where women make a difference. And we are part of a movement ~ our Conference and National Women Ministries! E Pluribus Unum.

Cheryl recaps our Celebration Session:
Keynote Session: Women Ministries Celebration
We gathered today for an hour and a half to celebrate all that women ministries was, and is and might be. We celebrated the book that has been written to honor women who have influenced an individual’s life. It is called “Balcony Women.” We have purchased a copy to be placed in our church library so that we all may share in the joy of mentoring another in our Faith. Another book that was produced just for Triennial XIII was the very last issue of Inspirit magazine. It is a commemorative issue looking back at the last 33 years of publication. In the near future the paper magazine will be moved to an online, subscription based magazine to alleviate the financial cost of a magazine whose subscriber base has declined in the last year while the e-newsletter subscription base has soared. Look for these two books at our church library and share in the wealth of the written word.

We celebrated with women from the Congo who benefit from both the ministries of AVA (Advocates for Victims of Abuse) and the bandages that our sewing circle wraps and sends to care for their sick. See more about this ministry at: http://www.covchurch.org/women/ava. E Pluribus Unum.

We celebrated with a woman from India who spoke on the dramatic and literal salvation of women held captive in the Human Slavery trade due to our efforts with Break the Chains. Countless young women (and girls under 10 are not spared) are sold into human trafficking. Money from Break the Chains is making a difference one woman at a time. Check out the link on this ministry at: http://www.covchurch.org/humantrafficking. E Pluribus Unum.

Another beneficiary of Break the Chains is A New Day for Children here in these United States. Human Trafficking is not a problem that occurs elsewhere. It is estimated that 300-400,000 women and children are trafficked in the US. A New Day For Children is an organization that gives hope, shelter, and protection for girls 10-18 that escape human trafficking. What a powerful ministry!!! They save girls one by one. Please check out their website: http://newdayforchildren.com/. E Pluribus Unum.

These reports have encouraged me to realize what a strong and vital connection we have to our Conference and the National Women Ministries. For on our own, at our church, we do great work. But together, across our Nation, unified in cause through the leadership of Ruth Hill WE ARE MOVING MOUNTAINS! It was impressed on my Spirit today that we celebrate Women Ministries in our nation’s capital where this motto appears in our Capitol building and on our money “E Pluribus Unum” – “Out of Many - One.”

Women, anointed in God’s work, are an unstoppable and powerful force that God is taking great joy to move among and through. We are many – but when unified to become One we are DANGEROUS!

We joined in the commissioning of our Regional AVA Coordinators, our ministry Coaches and the women who serve us as Clergy. Ruth Hill also received the Evelyn M.R. Johnson Leadership award for her years of service with Women Ministries. Ruth is now in her final year of service in this her third term. Ruth was honored today for her work Nationally with AVA and Break the Chains among many other accomplishments.

Our last bit of news shared during our Women Ministries Celebration is both sad and yet filled with hope as we turn a new page in the wonderful story of history with Women Ministries in the Covenant Church. Ruth Hill has served us well and will be completing her years of service with us at the end of this term. Her announcement was greeted with a sigh of sadness from the entire crowd. And as it is with any remarkable leader, I feel as though we will be lost without her. But as clearly as God has directed Ruth in stepping down I have no doubt that He is raising up the next Woman in our midst to receive the baton of leadership, vision and inspiration. Be in prayer for our leaders to discern God’s Will for Women Ministries.

In the evening we had a concert opened by Michael Pearce Donley. He touched our hearts and made our bellies ache from laughing! Check out his website: http://www.michaelpearcedonley.com/.

Natalie Grant has been on the top of the Christian music industry for years. She is a vocal powerhouse and has a heart for revolution. She is passionate about seeing the end of human trafficking! Her new CD is called Love Revolution and debuts in a month. She sang a song for her new CD and it was amazing! Natalie is just one person, but she is following in the steps of our Savior in a revolution against the injustice of Human Trafficking. Check out her website to hear more about her heart for this cause at: http://nataliegrant.com/. E Pluribus Unum.



What an amazing journey! Look for links to be permanently posted on the left side of the blog! We will be ending our journey with you tomorrow. We hope you have enjoyed journeying with us!