The Sixth
Weekend
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We had extended
our boundaries, believed in the word God had given us, "Behold I will do a new
thing" from Isaiah 43:19, and 104 women had booked in for the sixth weekend at
our new venue - St. Gabriel's, Ditchingham!
Isaiah 43: 18-19
says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.
Behold I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?
I will make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the
desert." |
Many things were new to
each one of us as we approached this new venue - for some it meant new
bedrooms, new meeting rooms - and no men to cook for us! For others, it was
their first Women for the Kingdom weekend. Yet as we met together on the first
evening, there was a tangible sense of excitement, anticipation and expectation
about what God would do in our midst. The worship in the chapel that evening
was wonderful and we knew we were in for a good weekend.
On the Saturday morning
we heard from Theresa Cumbers, the Project Manager from The Magdalene Group.
She shared with us about the care, encouragement and physical help that the
group give to women who are victims of prostitution. At the end of her session,
it was a privilege to gather round Theresa and pray for the work of the
Magdalene Group and for the staff and volunteers who are involved in this
ministry.
Over the years the
seminars have proved to be very popular and are always well-attended. We are
delighted that each year different women have presented them and it has been a
means of developing in confidence and growing in ministry. This year's
seminars/workshops were:
- The work of Covenant Ministries Kenya
- Drama in Worship
- Knowing your Ministry and not using
it
- Women in Leadership
We have a wonderfully
generous God - he far exceeded all our expectations over the weekend. Our times
of fellowship were sweet, whether it was while we were queuing up at the dining
hall, during mealtimes, or strolling through the beautiful grounds. Our times
of worship were very special and many prophetic words were spoken, which
brought encouragement and release. Our times of ministry were powerful because
God, as always, speaks through his word and many women were released from
former things that would hold them back from God's plans and purposes for their
lives, and were enabled to move into the new things that God had planned for
them.
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