R.I.S.E. Women's Ministry

The acrostic “R.I.S.E.” encapsulates some anchor points of Women’s Ministry. R is for “REACHING”. Our focus as a church and in women’s ministry is to reach out to others in the community so that more may come to know Christ. I is for “INSPIRNG.” Synonyms for inspire include motivate, move, stir and encourage. Hebrews 10:25 urges us to use creativity in ministry…”Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big day approaching.” (The Message). S is for “SERVING” – we are called to serve one another. A great aide in growing in our capacities to serve is to help identify our giftings and put them to use in the body of Christ. E is for “EQUIPPING” – I dream of having a strong emphasis on the teaching and training of ministry leaders. One of our wonderful seasoned saints said is so simply, but profoundly: “If people read the Bible more, they wouldn’t have so many problems in life.” Truly, the Bible is the book of hope and it is my sincere prayer that I can help other women fall in love with God’s Word.

The Scriptures make it absolutely clear that as we grow in Christ we have a significant responsibility to pass on, mentor and teach the faith to those who have recently come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In the Apostle Paul’s book to Titus he speaks specifically to women: “But as for you, promote the kind of living that reflects right teaching…Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that is appropriate for someone serving the Lord. They must not go around speaking evil of others and must not be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to take care of their homes, to do good, and be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.” NLT

What a considerable responsibility the Lord entrusts to us – especially in this day, in this age and in this geographic locale! Does our culture offer us a lot of help in this area? The answer is increasingly less and less. Whereas once families were more connected and the faith and life skills were more “naturally” transmitted (family members tended to live closer to each other) it is now common to live hundreds of miles away from the rest of our family members. Our culture – especially in the Pacific Northwest (that promotes rugged individualism and self sufficiency ) can distance us from the mentoring relationships that help us grow in the faith and in the concept of community. And beyond this, because of our pioneer beginnings, the Pacific Northwest is a highly unchurched region when compared to other locales in the United States. When we minister and teach, and when the Pastors preach, they cannot assume a Bible literacy that many sections of the country takes for granted. But this is where the church – God’s family – has a wonderful opportunity to speak light into a dark place, be creative and do whatever it takes to reach the lost with the love and message of Jesus Christ.