SLMF Meeting: My Personal Opinion (by Jonita Barram)

I like to smile at strangers in stores. I’ve gotten some interesting responses. Sometimes I get a friendly smile back. Sometimes I get a “Wow! I can’t believe somebody smiled at me” smile. But most of the time, I get no smiles.

I went to a store after the Sunshine Ladies Missionary Fellowship (SLMF) met at our church on Mar. 13. I noticed a contrast. All day I had been smiling at strangers, but all day I’d gotten smiles in return—friendly, “Hi, sister. Isn’t God good?” smiles. I felt so refreshed from the fellowship and challenged by the messages, both spoken and sung. I’m glad my boss let me attend as a reporter. (Read my official report at www.BaptistBulletin.org.) I’m also grateful for Lee Dusing, who took photos all morning and then lent me her camera to use after she had to leave.

Ruth Rhoden and Lorraine Hooser greet ladies and help them sign in.

The morning began with a continental breakfast provided by the church. I didn’t see Beth Brown, but I know she worked behind the scenes to organize everything. Then Evelyn Dinsmore, Dorothy Albritton, Dot Malcolm, and Mary Pence served and cleaned up both breakfast and lunch. The breakfast was a great time for reconnecting with ladies from other churches and meeting ones I didn’t already know.

Evelyn Dinsmore, Dorothy Albritton, Dot Malcolm, and Mary Pence serve and clean up so others can enjoy a great meeting.

From there we went into the chapel, where the SLMF president, Maribeth Smith, welcomed everyone. Then Bea Ide spoke on behalf of the Faith ladies. “We love you all, and we’re glad you’re here,” she said.

Bea Ide, liaison between the SLMF and Faith, welcomes the ladies.

I won’t give a detailed account of the day, but I would like to touch on some highlights and our ladies’ involvement.

Sheila Vegter, accompanied by Rebecca Tarquino, sang “I’m Surrounded by His Love” during the morning session and “Don’t Quit” during the afternoon session. Both songs were written by Doug and Donna Lowry. When Sheila introduced the first song, she mentioned that she is related by marriage to Doug Lowery: he is the brother of Jerry Vegter’s wife Diane. (Jerry is Bill’s brother, Vi’s son, and so forth and so on.) Doug is an evangelist; he and Donna travel the country as a ministry team.

Sheila Vegter sings "I'm Surrounded by His Love

Rebecca Tarquino accompanies Sheila

I noticed several of “our ladies” looking over the book table, brought by Connie Overholt from Heritage Baptist Church. Maribeth thanked Connie and the others from Heritage for bringing the books. Then she plugged her brother Larry’s book, Elephant Trunk Steaks and Other Adventure Stories about growing up as MKs in Africa.

Carla Gaswint and Ellen Balsley visit the book table, managed by Connie Overholt (Heritage Baptist, Lakeland, far right)

Margaret Tolosa, the SLMF secretary/treasurer, told us about this year’s project. EBI (Editorial Bautista Independiente) has put together a 26-book library for pastors in Spanish-speaking countries outside the U.S. A pastor can pay $20 for his library, but it cost $150 more to publish the books. So EBI is asking for others to donate the funds. (EBI covers the postage.) Ladies groups in the various churches have been saving money since the October 2011 meeting. When the offering was collected on the 13th, the project money amounted to over $730! That’s almost half of the SLMF’s goal to raise $1,500 to purchase 10 libraries.

Margaret Tolosa introduces the 2012 missions project:  purchasing 26-book libraries for 10 pastors in Spanish-speaking countries outside the U.S.

When we ladies divided into pairs or threes to pray, I had the privilege of praying with Margaret and with our missionary speaker for the day, Nancy Ball. Nancy was a missionary in Ghana for 45 years. She gave her testimony in the morning and showed slides in the afternoon. She was part of a literacy work, teaching nationals to read. (For more details, see my report at www.BaptistBulletin.org.)

Nancy Ball points to a stack of Bibles: two New Testaments and one complete Bible in the Waalii language of Ghana.

Stephen Simpson ran the sound so we could hear Nancy speak, Sheila sing, Maribeth lead the music, others make announcements, and Maribeth and her cohorts put on two hilarious skits about translating for American speakers. (For more details on the skits, see my report at www.BaptistBulletin.org.) It was good to laugh so much!

Stephen waits for the afternoon session to begin so he can run the sound system.

Maribeth Smith and Dessie Johnson demonstrate the language barrier when Americans use figures of speech and interpreters translate literally.

People who enjoy an event always tell those who weren’t there, “You missed a great time.” But really, ladies, if you weren’t there, you missed a great time. Think about attending the next meeting, October 9, at Bethany Baptist Church, Avon Park.

God's Gifts to Me through the Ladies' Retreat (by Jill Osborne)

The Women’s Ministries of Faith Baptist Church sponsored a Ladies’ Retreat October 14 and 15 at Camp Gilead, Polk City, Florida.

  

• Gift #1 – Beautiful weather!
    
• Gift #2 – The joy of seeing ladies of all ages from Faith fellowshipping together.
    
• Gift #3 – The opportunity to learn new things from our ladies.
    
• Gift #4 – The fun of seeing so many ladies involved in serving the Lord!
    
• Gift #5 – The blessing of sharing God’s Word and life lessons with our ladies.
    
• Gift #6 – The time to talk with ladies and get to know them better.
    
• Gift #7 – The prospect of continued growth, unity and ministry among the ladies of Faith.
     

Related Posts:

• Broken & Spilled Out - Thoughts on the Ladies' Retreat (by Lee Dusing)
• God Gives Good Gifts - A Ladies' Retreat

Broken & Spilled Out - Thoughts on the Ladies' Retreat (by Lee Dusing)

The Women’s Ministries of Faith Baptist Church sponsored a Ladies’ Retreat October 14 and 15 at Camp Gilead, Polk City, Florida.

  
"Broken and spilled out

And poured at Your feet

In sweet abandon, let me be spilled out

And used up for Thee"
  

That is one of the verses the "Retreat Choir" sang for us from "Broken and Spilled Out." That tune has been running in my mind since then. What a retreat! What a blessing I received from all that went on. But also, those words were true for me. Physically? By the time Dan brought me home after the retreat, I could hardly get up the three steps to get in the house. Spiritually? My Spiritual Cup is filled up and overflowing!
   

Early in the week, it was becoming apparent that satan did not want things to go well. I kept fighting a low-grade fever most of the week. Cancellations started coming in, all with good reasons, but it sure kept the book work busy trying keep up with it all. When Phyllis Foster had to cancel because of Jim's surgery, I felt so bad for her because she had literally spent hours helping me with the retreat and was looking forward to it so much. Other problems kept showing up. All of us were praying that the Lord would pour out His blessings and challenge the ladies coming, us included. I started telling others that the Lord must be going to work mightily, because satan was fighting so hard.
   

From my perspective, the Lord got the victory. What a blessing it was as I watched the ladies fellowshipping and meeting new friends. Thanks to Nadine mixing us up at meals, we had to sit by our birth month at one meal and by our folder color at another meal. Then she had questions to be asked and discussed. The fellowship continued Friday night around the "S'more Time" by the bonfire. What a beautiful night the Lord gave us. The stars were out and the temperature was just right. Most of all there was not 6 inches of rain like the previous weekend.

Helen VanHorn performing in a skit.
  

Because of responsibilities, the General Sessions were the only parts I observed. The blessings from all the fantastic speakers, challenges, songs, skits, even Terri making us exercise filled my cup to "overflowing." I watched the Lord answer prayers as some issues presented themselves for solutions. Did we make mistakes, yes, I am sorry to say. Yet, He never deserted us. 
  

Terri Hunter leading an exercise session.
   

Praise the Lord for allowing me to be used, stretched, challenged, but never abandoned. He was right with me giving the wisdom needed. Praise the Lord for all the ladies that helped, whether doing something before the ladies or behind the scenes. Praise the Lord!


See also: Birds at the Ladies Retreat

Ladies' Retreat - Parenting & Prayer Journaling

Join the women of Faith Baptist Church at a ladies’ retreat on Oct. 14 and 15. Costs vary, giving you options. $20 is due at registration. The last day to register is this Sunday, Oct. 2. (Balance due Oct. 9.) The retreat is being held at Camp Gilead, Polk City, Fla.

3 Rs of Parenting

Workshop leader Jill Osborne (pictured above with her family) says, “Of course there are more than just three” Rs of parenting, “but I’m going to talk about only three basic disciplines that if you practice them, God can bless your parenting.”

Jill says the Lord has shown her and her husband (Pastor Osborne) these three Biblical, commonsense principles “that have really worked—not just with our children, but as we’ve observed other people.”

Jill has observed that moms can become uptight about parenting. These 3 Rs will encourage mothers that parenting is not as difficult it might seem. Jill says that grandmothers can benefit from these three principles but that the workshop is geared more toward younger moms because “you develop your parenting style really early, and it determines how your kids turn out.”

Jill has learned these Biblical principles primarily through experience, so Jill will be sharing answers that God has given her along the way. If you’re a young mother, soon to be a mother, or hoping one day to be a mother, plan to attend Jill’s workshop!

Prayer Journaling

Nadine Gentry, an experienced Bible study leader, will lead the workshop on prayer journaling. To find out more about Nadine click HERE.

She says the first time she did prayer journaling—even though she hates writing—was when her children were in high school. Life with three teens was busy, and Nadine quit journaling her prayers for a while.

In 1994, Nadine took a Bible study that encouraged journaling. Based on Philippians 4:6 and 7, she began writing out her prayers and listing her concerns. She has not stopped journaling since.

Nadine says journaling does more than give you a record you can go back to look at. “It helps you focus on prayer, and the Holy Spirit will guide your prayers,” she says. Nadine says three things have contributed to her spiritual growth: prayer journaling, Bible study, and praying facedown. “Prayer journaling is so important to me,” she says. “It increases dependence on God and faithfulness. And when I get discouraged, I can get my prayer journals, look at them, and see where God has answered them or how He has answered them or areas that I’m still struggling with that I struggled with years ago. When you really look at it, there are many things that you don’t realize you’re growing in until you go back and see where you were,” says Nadine.

Come to Nadine’s workshop to be strengthened, challenged, and encouraged!

Related Posts:

• God Gives Good Gifts: A Ladies' Retreat
• Ladies' Retreat - Workout Time & Bread-Making Workshop
• Ladies' Retreat - Scrapbooking & Encouragement Through Card Making
• Ladies' Retreat - Parenting & Prayer Journaling
• Ladies' Retreat - Couponing & Organization Workshops
• Ladies' Retreat - Joy in Trials & Singing Workshop

God Gives Good Gifts: A Ladies' Retreat

On October 14 and 15, dozens of women from Faith will gather at Camp Gilead for a retreat. The whole thing is the brainchild of Lee Dusing.

The Idea for a Retreat—about Talents (Gifts)
Last spring, Lee went with some other women from Faith to a ladies’ retreat sponsored by the Sunshine Baptist Fellowship and held at Camp Sparta in Sebring. She says:

“We had just gone to that retreat at Camp Sparta. I’ve been here almost five years, and I said, ‘Hey, how come we haven’t had a retreat?’”

Lee says that’s when she learned she should have kept her mouth shut—the retreat was her idea, so she was asked to head it up, along with Jill Osborne.

The theme, “God Gives Good Gifts,” came from Lee’s realization that, in her words, “the church is so loaded with talent, it amazes me. I was thinking about what we would do, and that’s when the idea of the talents came up.” She says that a good way to view the retreat is “some to use their talents and gifts in presenting various workshops and presentations, and others to find their talents from those.”

Lee says there are several goals. “Number one,” she says with a smile in her voice, is “for the ladies to get away.” She then points out that many women don’t realize they have talents. They think that if they are not musical or artistic, they don’t have a talent. She hopes women will attend the retreat and “look inside and see where the Lord can put them to work.” She points to herself, saying, “I have to stick to my birds and my computers and loving the Lord” as her talents. Lee does not simply enjoy bird-watching; she has a web-based ministry through which she shares the gospel, God’s Word, and, of course, birds. Lee blogs here on The Fountain as well as at her own website http://leesbird.com/.


In addition to her responsibilities as the retreat’s coordinator, Lee will be leading two workshops, one on bird-watching (no surprise there) and one on E-Sword, a Bible study program.

Lee’s Bird-watching Workshop
Lee previously lived in the Ft. Lauderdale area. She says:

“There were all kinds of birds right by our house—we had a lake. I started seeing them, becoming aware of them. There was a little park nearby. The naturalist there took me under her wings and trained me. She got my interest piqued. I’m not an expert, but I enjoy watching God’s creatures.”

“The main gist” of her bird-watching workshop, she says, “will be making people aware of birds. You can’t be a birdwatcher if you’re not aware of birds. I’m going to show how to use binoculars and give general tips on bird-watching.”

Lee’s E-Sword Workshop
Lee is a fan of E-Sword and recommends it. But she learned from experience that people she recommended it to don’t always know what to do with it past a certain point. So for this workshop she will have her laptop set up, show learners how to load the program, how to download the options, and go from there. E-Sword lets users find Bible words and verses in a variety of translations and provides access to dictionaries, commentaries, and other resources.


Retreat Registration and Costs

The last day to register for the retreat is Sunday, Oct. 2. Twenty dollars ($20) is due at registration, with the balance due on Oct. 9. You can register on Sundays at the Information Desk in the church foyer or simply by sending us your name and which 'plan' you would like to register for. Various plans are available:

• $65—Cabin accommodation, one night + meetings + 3 meal
• $45—No overnight accommodations, all meetings + 3 meals
• $35—Saturday meetings only + 2 meals
• $20—Friday meetings only + 1 meal

Related Posts:

• God Gives Good Gifts: A Ladies' Retreat
• Ladies' Retreat - Workout Time & Break-Making Workshop
• Ladies' Retreat - Scrapbooking & Encouragement Through Card-Making
• Ladies' Retreat - Parenting & Prayer Journaling
• Ladies' Retreat - Couponing & Organization Workshops
• Ladies' Retreat - Joy in Trials & Singing Workshop

Meet Nadine Gentry (by Jonita Barram)

If you attend various services at Faith, you have seen and heard Lou Gentry. And if you read this blog regularly, you’ve seen his name on several articles. If you haven’t read them yet, you really should! Lou belongs to one of the Sunday-morning men’s prayer groups, sings in the choir, and is called on to pray publically on Wednesday nights. If it’s true that “behind every successful man stands a great woman,” you should meet Lou’s wife, Nadine.

Nadine grew up in a Christian home in Miami. Shortly before her tenth birthday, her pastor visited her in the hospital (she had broken her leg). During their conversation, Nadine realized she needed to believe on Jesus as her Savior from sin, and was born again (John 1:12; 3:3, 16–18; Romans 10: 9, 10, 13; Ephesians 2:8, 9). After her cast came off, she was baptized (Acts 2:41).

Nadine and Lou attended the same very large church but did not actually meet until two weeks before Nadine left for Florida State. God brought them together at a going-away party, they eventually married, and “the rest is history,” which includes three children—two sons, Lance and Lamar, and a daughter, Luann—and seven grandchildren. On September 2, 2011, Nadine and Lou will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary! All of the Gentrys’ children and grandchildren live in the West, so Lou and Nadine spend much of their summers traveling west in their RV and visiting their family.

After Lou and Nadine moved back to Florida from Hiawassee, Ga., a few years ago, they spent a year visiting area churches. They kept returning to Faith Baptist, and the Lord let them know this was where He wanted them. They have become active at Faith, with both singing in the church choir, among other things.

Nadine is an important part of Women’s Ministries at Faith, including serving as a care cluster leader.  She enjoys scrapbooking and making calendars, but her passion is leading ladies’ Bible studies. Since joining Faith in August 2009, Nadine has led four Women’s Bible studies. The fifth one, Fingerprints of God, will begin soon. You have two options if you want to be a part of this Bible study.

• One option meets Monday nights, 7-9pm, at Nadine's house, and will start March 28th.  
• The second option is a Thursday morning class at the church, 9:45am-Noon.  It will begin March 31st.

Please contact the church office (863-293-0689) if you would like more information about joining either one of these Bible Studies.

Other Posts by Jonita Barram:

• My Goals for 2011
• The Doll Project
• 8 Things I'm Thankful For
• Haiti: A Land of Potential