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Resources 2009/2010National HeadquartersAuthor Unknown

PreparationCover a table with a red or green

cloth. As you talk about the varioussections of the enrollment service, addpieces from a nativity set to the table.

IntroductionThe Salvation Army Home League is

one of the largest organizations forwomen in the world. What a joy it isfor us to welcome new members intoits worldwide fellowship. In the pastwe have used a flower arrangement,teacups or candles to enroll new mem-bers. Today we will use the mangerscene and its figures as our symbols ofthe women’s ministries program.

Will the following women whoserequest for membership has beenreceived and accepted please comeforward as I call your name.

Fellowship—StableThe symbol for the Home League is

a house on the Bible. The house repre-sents a family, a home. We know thatthe structure alone doesn’t make ahome. It’s the people within the housethat make the family. “Home is wherethe heart is.” This simple stablebecame a place of perfect fellowshipfor all because of the person whooccupied it. (add stable) It was JesusChrist who transformed a stable intoholy ground.

When Jesus lives within our heartand we come into our meeting place,we too can have perfect fellowshipone with the other. Remember toenjoy fellowship with the Lord Jesusyou must make Him Lord of your life.

Worship—The Christ ChildMary and Joseph welcomed those

who came to the stable. (add Mary andJoseph) But the little baby lying in amanger was the focus of each personthere. (add Jesus) They couldn’t taketheir eyes off Him. They bowed downand worshipped Him.

We are commanded by God to wor-ship Him. We believe that there is onlyone God, who is infinitely perfect, theCreator, Preserver and Governor of allthings, and who is the only properobject of religious worship (Doctrines of

The Salvation Army, #2). May you jointhe other worshippers in this group asthey worship the One True God.

Service—ShepherdsThe shepherds held the lowliest

occupation one could hold in thosedays. (add shepherds) Day in and dayout they went about the business oftending their flock. They were simplepeople, not sophisticated, arrogant orprideful. What possible gain could theLord get from sending His angel (addangel) to these shepherds with such animportant message? They didn’t haveany fancy gifts to honor Him. ButScripture tells us, “When the angelshad left them and gone into heaven,the shepherds said to one another,‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see thisthing that has happened, which theLord has told us about’” (Luke 2:15).God understood the heart of a shep-

herd. It is a servant heart. In the-women’s ministries we are expected tobe of service in our community, but notjust any service. We are to be in theservice of the King of kings. May youalways serve with a servant’s heart thatothers will see Christ through youractions. May we truly know the boun-ty of God’s blessing as we serve Him.

Education—Wise MenContrary to popular belief, the Bible

doesn’t record that there were threeWise Men. (add Wise Men) We havecome to this conclusion because itmentions the three gifts the menbrought—gold, frankincense andmyrrh. It does, however, say that theywere wise. Perhaps the smartest thingthey did in their lives was to followthat star and worship the King overwhom it rested.Learn by their example. We will learn

many things in this group—crafts,quilting and sewing. Speakers on vari-ous topics will share their knowledge.We will explore various cultural back-grounds and maybe even learn to docountry line dancing. You will learnmany new things, but let your greatesteducation come from the Word of God,which says, “The fear of the Lord is thebeginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10).Jesus said, “You will know the truth,

and the truth will set you free” (John8:32). Jesus is the truth.

ConclusionThis enrollment ceremony makes

you a member of women’s minstries,but it is through the Christ child thatyou can experience new birth.

Each of you has a responsibility tothis nation, to your family and to thechurch, which is your spiritual family.Through the vehicle of this women’sministry you can gain a deeper under-standing of the scope of this obliga-tion. But you must be willing to:

� Seek to know God’s will concerningyou, remembering that He is yourHeavenly Father.� Strive to make your home a happyone with your highest aim being thatof uniting each family member inChristian love.� Give your loyalty to this nation andpledge your allegiance to it by makingit a better place in which to live.

If you agree and claim these princi-ples as your personal desire, wouldyou declare it by saying, “Amen.”

I accept you as our newest membersof the (corps name) women’s ministriesof The Salvation Army and present toyou your membership card and pin.(Ask the local officers to fasten the pins onthe newest members.)

May you experience the fullness ofeach part of the women’s minstriesthrough fellowship, education, serviceand worship. May you be conscious ofthe wonderful bond, which unites ourhearts and minds in love and friend-ship. God bless and keep each one ofyou and bless The Salvation Army.

A ChristmasEnrollment Service

Girls’Weekend Resources 2009/2010Major Carolynne Chung

Eastern Territory

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It’s been a long time since mydaughters were young teenagers.How well I remember the trips tocamps, activities at the corps, youthband practices, school plays and soc-cer games. How did I survive?Those years have dimmed. I don’t

remember (not much anyway) themother–daughter tensions that oftenmark that stage of life. I do know Iprayed a lot. I prayed for the youngwomen and older women who wererole models for my daughters. Iprayed for their friends. I prayed thatin the questioning times of the teenyears that God would bring support, alistening ear, challenge and lots of loveto my daughters’ lives. From this sideof graduation I can say God is faithful.We made it! It was fun. I so appreciatethose women who modeled goodchoices and offered wise words to mydaughters.But times have changed. I am suremy

parents said the same thing, as did mygrandparents. I believe this generationof young people faces an onslaught ofoptions in life and behavior choices thatprevious generations never had to face.It hits them from every angle. Youngpeople standing for godly behaviorchoices can be ridiculed, bullied andjust plain ostracized.I approach the Internet like I read a

dictionary. I look up a word and find20 more words that catch my interest.I Google “Christian teens” and comeup with a thousand sites that saysomething good and bad about life asa Christian teenager. And I findmyself lost in another world. Thisworld I do not recognize. I think of theteen girls I know and have a newappreciation for their parents andadults in their lives. Exposed to theworld through Internet, music, adver-tising, school and after school activi-ties, teenage girls are subjected tochoices that my daughters did noteven know existed.“How does a young man (read girl)

keep her heart pure?” (Ps. 119:9). Thepressure to conform to what the worldthinks is cool is enticing. Even withinChristian circles there is dissension asto what is right for young teens indress, behavior and activity.

As Women’s Ministries Secretary Isaw many corps with aging women’sministries groups. “Our ladies are get-ting older; they cannot do so much,”was often related at reviews. Yet, inlooking at women’s ministries in otherchurches I saw young mothers, work-ing women, empty–nesters, all agesenjoying ministry groups. I noticedthat for many churches girls were partof the continuum of women’s min-istries—young girl to womanhood.Different age groups met separatelywith an appropriate program, but itmeant that the continuity of ministryto women required interactionbetween the ages. I believe it is calledmentoring—older women modelingand supporting the younger women.The Bible describes it beautifully inTitus 2:3–5.Back to the young teens in our

corps—the young Christian women,many in uniform, who are active incorps activities. What pressures dothey face in school and with theirfriends? How could we, as olderwomen, support these young ladies inmaking godly choices? Could we do itin our corps? Let’s be Titus 2 womenfor the next generation.John Kotter in Leading Change states

that to effect change we must firstsense the urgency to change and cre-ate a vision. We must then share thevision and empower others to effectthe vision. I spoke to our DivisionalChristian Education Director who wasimmediately enthused. We agreedthat it could not be another activityimposed on the corps. Let’s have aweekend for the girls and women.At the next Women’s Commission

we shared our vision. The responseproved beyond a shadow of a doubtthat this was God’s vision. We werejust releasing it. And so the visionbecame more concrete. A planningcommittee was formed. The Women’sCommission decided to use this GirlsWeekend as a women’s ministriestwo–year Divisional Project, so thatthe participants would be able tocome.Our goal was to speak Christ and

Biblical values into the lives of adoles-cent girls by addressing issues rele-

vant to their sex and age: identitydevelopment, body image, dating,friendships, clothing choices, sexuali-ty, faith and family. Activities wouldbe planned so mentors would beencouraged to come alongside thegirls in support as they return to thecorps. Why not have an all–nightpajama and pizza party? Could wenot discuss what style and clothes sayabout body image? The ideas wereendless.

Our goal was to invite one teen andone adult woman from each corps.Hopefully the teen and adult wouldalready be friends. Corps officerswould not be required to attend.

Two corps in the division havealready started a teen group, withactivities such as cake decorating andBible study. As one corps officer said,“You can teach them cake decorating,but then they start talking about whatis really bothering them.” This is asample of Titus 2 all over again.

“Tell the older women to behave asthose who love the Lord should. Theymust not gossip about others or beslaves of wine. Theymust teachwhat isproper, so the younger women will beloving wives and mothers. Each of theyounger women must be sensible andkind, as well as a good homemaker,who puts her own husband first. Thenno one can say insulting things aboutGod’s message” (Titus 2:3–5 CEV).

Our prayer is that one girl and onementor will get a small group togeth-er in their corps. DHQ will encourageand provide further resources. Andbecause God is in it, who knowswhere it will lead?

Planting Seeds of FriendshipResources 2009/10Major Beth TrimmellCentral Territory

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PurposeSometimes our efforts to bring new

women into women’s ministries andthe corps are so narrowly focused thatwe are unsuccessful. This promotionplan is designed to stimulate womento reach out to women outside of TheSalvation Army and cultivate friend-ships into meaningful relationships.

The challenge is to focus on no lessthan a six–month commitment, whichwill allow an opportunity for an actu-al relationship to develop and intro-duction made to Salvation Army pro-grams. This outreach also encourageswomen’s ministries members to prac-tice kindness, which will enhancetheir own spiritual walk.

Kick–off MeetingInvite the women to a kick–off meet-

ing to explain this program. The meet-ing should include a challenge, devo-tional and a time of prayer and com-mitment. Distribute a flyer thatincludes the goals of the program andthe list of suggested activities.

ChallengeIt is important to select a woman

with whom you would like to becomefriends. Please don’t bombard herwith invitations to women’s ministriesor The Salvation Army. This plan isnot based on a blitz, but rather kind-ness and true interest in another per-son over an extended period of time.

The women should become aware ofthe Army in a natural way as youoccasionally mention an upcomingactivity or event. For this plan to beeffective, it is important to be sensitiveto the response and needs of thewoman you are befriending. If this is acasual acquaintance, you should initi-ate your friendship gradually throughfriendly conversation, a phone call ora casual invitation for coffee or otheractivities. The first month should en-tail no more than two contacts.

Goals❋ To reach out in friendship towomen who have no previousSalvation Army affiliation.

❋ To maintain a three times permonth contact over a six–monthperiod of time.

❋ To introduce the Women’sMinistries programming in anatural way, as a consequence ofsharing friendship.

❋ To encourage Salvationist womento break out of the insular mindsetthat inhibits growth.

❋ To promote the habit of kindnessand outreach within the Women’sMinistries group.

Suggested Activities❊ Taking a walk in the park❊ Shopping at the mall❊ Attending a children’s program❊ Planning play dates for children❊ Inviting for a coffee date❊ Running errands or shopping fora specific item

❊ Baking together❊ Going on garage sale or thrift storeexcursions

❊ Planting flowers❊ Doing a craft project❊ Dying Easter eggs❊ Seeing a movie or video❊ Attending a free lecture orprogram at the library or localcollege

Suitable Small Gifts❋ Fresh baked cookies or bread.❋ A bouquet from your garden❋ A card

Planting Seeds of KindnessJesus warned us that our life would not always be easy. Some things

we recognize as hardships, but what could be difficult about beingkind? Jesus requires us to love in more than just words but also by ouractions. This is impossible without God’s help. Fortunately Jesus gaveus some instructions in the practice of kindness in Luke 6: 27–31. We areadmonished to love our enemies. At 3:00 a.m. it can be hard enough tolove our own screaming infant, let alone someone whose TV is pre-venting us from getting any sleep. Nevertheless, Jesus instructs us tolove our neighbors, even at 3:00 in the morning.

Read Luke 6 31–38 from The Message.We are mandated to love everyone,even our enemies. Normally we love others through an emotional orfamilial connection, common interests, familiarity, or empathetically.There is a different dynamic in loving one’s enemy. That can only beaccomplished through observance and obedience to God’s Word andputting our own feelings aside. Loving an enemy begins by praying forthem on a daily basis, just as Jesus taught. It is impossible to honestlypray for someone regularly and also harbor malice.God is the Creator and He made us in His image. If we solicit His

help, He will provide us with insight and ideas of ways to love othersgenerously. We’re often so wrapped up in the cares and concerns of ourown lives that we walk past hurting people. Our mission of love couldbe as simple as providing a listening ear, offering a ride, sharing a cook-ie, or sending a card. Other times we may need to sacrifice personallyto help another. Even though loving others requires obedience and sac-rifice, when we generously share with another, we never regret it. Ifyou think about the times when you wholeheartedly gave of yourself,the reward was a sense of warmth, peace, affirmation and joy.As you participate in this outreach program, pray that God will lead

you to the one that He would have you befriend. Ask Him to give youwisdom in your approach and that through the women’s ministriesprogram they will be introduced to Him.

The Welcome Mat Resources 2009/10Major Paula PowellSouthern Territory

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There is nothing so lovely as toarrive at a destination and feel expect-ed and welcomed. It chases away anyshadow of insecurity, uneasiness ordread of not fitting in.

The same is true of our gatherings inwomen’s ministries. We spend time inplanning our programs but we needto make sure that the welcome mat isout for visitors who come to our corpsand women’s ministries activities.

Curb AppealGet to know the neighbors around

the corps building. Take a walk andsee how your facility fits into the area.Are the grounds and parking lot wellmarked and have an easy entrance?Make sure that the grounds are neat.Is the signage easily visible and wellkept? Does the outside of the facilitylook inviting and welcoming?

If the entrance frequented by most isin the rear of the building, make surethat there is a welcoming sign visiblefrom the street where people passeach day. Add lighting outside toattract attention. If there is a little useddoor on the front that is kept locked,have a sign posted that gives direc-tions to the building entrance. Conveythe message to those who pass by eachday that there is vibrant life, activityand a warm welcome for all at TheSalvation Army.

The Pleasure of Your CompanyHave regular advertisements in the

Sunday bulletin and corps newsletterabout women’s ministries. Make surethat they speak of a vibrant, excitingprogram. They should be not onlyinformative but inviting. Make surethat the time, place of meeting andcontact number are clearly stated.Establish a welcome committee, whichis on duty at all services encouragingwomen to attend women’s programs.

We Have Been Expecting YouFirst impressions are important.

View the approach to your corps from

the perspective of new visitors. Makesure that the meeting room is wellmarked and easy to find. Adjust theroom temperature so that it is com-fortable. Make sure that restrooms arewell marked, clean and fresh. Themeeting area should be free of clutter,old programs, papers and broken fur-niture. Do not use the corners as stor-age for AV equipment, instrumentcases or boxes of donations. The visu-al experience should speak of a com-fortable, attractive meeting area.

Change the set–up of the meetingarea on a regular basis by altering thelayout of the chairs and tables. Thiskeeps the appearance fresh and pre-vents “tenant’s rights” in establishedseats and tables, thus making room forvisitors and even regular members.

A Welcome for EveryoneOne can feel very lonely in a room

full of people, especially if you are un-known. Teach inclusiveness by exam-ple. Having someone assigned to greetvisitors as they arrive says, “We’reglad you are here.” This is true for reg-ular members as well. Make visitorsfeel special with a small token from awelcome basket. Provide a pamphletdescribing the history of the HomeLeague and the mission of thewomen’s ministries program. If thevisitor is alone, someone on the wel-come committee should sit with her.

Have someone assigned to recordthe visitor’s name, address and phonenumber. Nametags for all membersare a wonderful tool to break downbarriers. Make a point of calling thevisitor by name several times duringthe program.

Consider Yourself Part of theFamilyIt is nice to make visitors feel special,

but the real act of welcoming someoneis to make them feel at home. Includevisitors in your corps family life rightaway. The kitchen is an excellent placeto become part of the family. Theymight be asked to help pour bever-ages or put ice in cups—any type ofduty where the family works together,sharing conversation and developingrelationships. Be careful, however, not

to overwhelm newcomers with longterm service commitments.

Have a plan to develop visits intorelationships. This should be morethan just the corps officer visiting butinclude locals and members as well.When a visitor comes, be prompt infollowing up with a phone call. Withina week send a letter of welcome in-cluding an attractive copy of thescheduled programs for that quarter.Follow up with a visit or secondphone call with the intent of meetingfor coffee, offering a ride to the nextmeeting or any other attempt to estab-lish a relationship.

Schedules that FitBe creative in scheduling. Make sure

that the time of your meeting is acces-sible to the majority of the women.Program material needs to be organ-ized prior to the service. Decorationsneed to be completed before thewomen arrive. Be punctual in startingand ending times. This says that youvalue the personal commitment oftime from each woman attending.

Design for GrowthTake an objective look at current pro-

grams. They must be well planned,uplifting, meaningful, of substance,relevant and, most of all, fun. Theremust be something interesting and ofvalue that will merit women takingtime from busy schedules. Severaltimes a year plan a series of specialprograms to coincide with member-ship initiatives and special events.Make sure that these programs arewell advertised at the special eventand follow up with invitations tothose new women attending.

Consider Yourself At HomeWhen a guest comes to our home,

we want them to feel relaxed, at home,a part of the family. So it is with new-comers in our women’s ministriesprograms. Even the small detailsshould say, “We care and want you toenjoy your time with us and comeagain.” Just a little imagination, a littlecreativity, a little preparation, plus awillingness to include others trans-lates into gracious and genuine hospi-tality moving from participating tobelonging.

Unclutter Your LifeResources 2009/10Captain Roberta McKinneyWestern Territory

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Have you ever felt caught in thatsinkhole syndrome? This is where atask seems so overwhelming that youget tired before you even begin, soyou never start. Organizing yourkitchen can be like that. You openyour cupboards, then quickly closethem and just give up.

Kitchen OrganizationTo make organizing your kitchen a

less daunting task, take everythingout of each cupboard. Clean theshelves and start thinking about whatyou will put on each shelf. Things toconsider as you de–clutter are: Doesthis item really belong in the kitchenor could it be put elsewhere? Is it agadget that looked good at the statefair but now you can’t get it to work?When was the last time you used thatbowl, catering plate or appliance?

Make a decision to put back onlyitems that you use. Seasonal pieces andentertainment items like punch bowlsand turkey platters can be stored in thegarage in large plastic tubs or cleargarbage bags. Get rid of those itemsthat you’ve not used in a year.

You may have to invest some moneyto get organized. But the cost of spacesaving devices are well worth it. Thereare alternatives to buying in thehigh–end container stores. Dollarstores are a great source for spacesaver items.

Another tactic is to organize with thehelp of a friend. Friends help to keepus on track and force us to make deci-sions as to whether to keep or giveaway those seldom used items.

Outdated ItemsCheck the food items in the pantry

for expiration dates and dented cans.Once past the expiration date they losenutritional value. Before you put any-thing back in the cupboard, ask your-self if you’re ever going to cook withthis. If the answer is no, get rid of it.

Check for out–of–date items in therefrigerator and freezer.When youplaceleft–overs in the refrigerator, mark thedate they were served. Throw them outafter a reasonable time.

When you purchase spices, place the

date bought on the container. As timegoes by, they lose their potency.

Pantry OrganizationPut junk food on a high, difficult to

reach shelf. Place the healthy food ateye level. This will help you feed yourfamily healthier food.

Place items in categories. Put all thebaking supplies in plastic containersin the same cupboard. This will makeit easier to see what you have andwhat items need to be replenished.Assemble canned vegetables, tomatosauces, canned fruits and soups onriser shelves for easier viewing.Cluster together foods that are similarlike breakfast or lunch foods.

Organize According to MealsPlan your menus for a week. Check

to see what items you will need to buyat the grocery store. When you returnfrom the store, place everything youneed for each meal together in a con-tainer. Include the recipe.

Grocery ListAs you use a certain item or it’s

getting low,place it onthe grocerylist of itemsneeding tobe replen-ished. Thiswill help toeliminate the frustration of starting toprepare a meal only to discover that akey ingredient is missing.

CupboardsThe scariest two cupboards in the

house may be those where you storethe pots and pans and the plastic stor-age containers. Stack pans and storethe lids in an organizer. Get control ofyour plastic containers by buying aninexpensive set of stackables. Getbrave and toss the old plastic contain-ers out.

Command StationA command station is a place for the

family to keep a calendar of activities,cookbooks, phone numbers and acommunication board. It is also help-ful to keep a small tool kit in a con-venient place in the kitchen.

ClutterOrganization is important in every part of our lives. Clutter in our

homes is often an indicator that other parts of our lives need attention.As you work to unclutter your kitchen cupboards, begin to consider thecondition of your spiritual life.Apply the same principles for organizing your mind and heart that you

use to organize your cupboards. Is your mind cluttered with thoughts ofwhat might have been or regrets? Do you need to throw out the dentedcans of bitterness or sorrow? Have you been hanging on to gadgets orideas that looked good before you were a Christian but now need to betossed?Do you have old recordings that go on in your thoughts about things

that are in the past? Are you still filled with self–doubt? Use a techniquecalled thought stopping. When a bad recording starts, consciously stopthinking it and replace it with something good.Getting your mind, heart and soul organized will cost you some effort,

but the result will be worth it. Work with your friend Jesus and let Himhelp you stay on track and make the difficult decisions. Get rid of theoutdated and rotting things so you can have the good things that onlyJesus can give.Organize your time for devotions. Set aside a place where you go to

meet with God. Keep your Bible, songbook, devotion book and journalin a container like a basket, so that it is easier to grab as you go have aspiritual meal with God. Get organized in mind, body and soul. Let Jesushelp you and you will succeed.