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ABW Elective
ABW Elective
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ABW Elective is an opportunity to engage women in a 6 - 10 week study with a project that will involve them in mission either locally or globally.
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The ABW Elective is not to replace an existing WMS /ABW group in your church. It is a different style of a group, more suited to women who are busy with work and raising families yet desire to connect with women in a spiritually enriching and mission minded way. ABW Elective provides a wonderful opportunity for women, who already participate in ABW, to involve other women who do not come to an existing group.
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ABW Elective is a new initiative. Invite the women of your church to join together for a small group study for a specific number of weeks, and involve the group in a mission project. The mission project will support one of the ABW home missions within the Atlantic Provinces or a Canadian Baptist Ministries project.
Step 1:
Pray about the possibility of inviting women to the small group. Invite someone to pray with you. Hear God’s voice and sense His leading with this new opportunity for the women of your church.
If the Lord is leading you to initiate this small group…
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Step 2:
Review the books listed on the 2023 ABW Reads! program. Suggested book: Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, by Mark Vroegopis is intended for small groups. Included in the book are questions to discuss and answer as a group. Each woman should have her own book, read the chapter during the week and be ready to discuss the information with the others in the group.
Step 3:
Choose the book, buy one, read it.
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Step 4:
Decide when you will meet. Determine: date, place and time the small group will meet. The small group should be held in a comfortable place accessible to all of the women. Both a start time and an end time should be determined. An hour or hour and thirty minutes are suggested lengths of time.
Step 5:
Invite and promote this small group opportunity. Invite women personally, announce it at your church and print it in your church newsletter, website or bulletin. Make the initial announcement six weeks - two months before the first meeting. Include the date, time and place of meeting, the title and cost of the book as well as the number of weeks the small group will meet.
Step 6:
Purchase a few books for those who have indicated that they would like to participate in this small group. If ordering them they will need to arrive before the first meeting. Books may be ordered from Sonshine Books & Gifts: sonshinebooksandgifts@gmail.com
Step 7:
Meet together!
Make sure everyone knows each other’s name. If the group is larger than twelve you may consider dividing into two small groups to discuss the questions on the chapter. Have a confident leader ask the questions and encourage responses as well as discussion among the women. One person should not do all the talking or dominate the discussion time.
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Have a time of prayer before or after the discussion. Ask if there are prayer requests. Women may respond with personal needs or those of family, friends and neighbours. Prayer cards of our Canadian Baptist Ministries Global Field Staff may also be distributed or you may choose to give each one the prayer card of your church’s partner in mission. Have a time a prayer, remembering to include the CBM Global Field Staff. One person in the group may pray aloud, covering all the requests or several women in the group may pray aloud. Use a method that is comfortable for the women of your group.
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After the last week the leaders of the ABW elective may want to discuss: What went well? What needs improvement?
Will the small group meet again? What book will be chosen for the next ABW elective?
The Offering, financially supporting a project through either Atlantic Baptist Women or Canadian Baptist Ministries, is sent to your Provincial Treasurer, designated for the project.
For contact information, email: atlanticbaptistwomen@gmail.com
We would like to know if you initiated an ABW Elective.
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