Women’s Ministry

Grab your Bible and a cup of coffee, and gather for a small-group study. This is an opportunity for women of all ages and stages to grow in  faith alongside one another. Our studies are a casual affair—we meet around a table or in a cozy living room. But we go deep. We strive to do the hard work of studying and applying God’s Word to our lives. Some years, we select a theme or book of the Bible to work through together chapter-by chapter. Other years, we choose a classic of Christian literature, or a newly-published Christian book to read and discuss as a group.

In recent years, we have tackled the New Testament book of Colossians, challenging ourselves to memorize portions, discussing the meaning of difficult passages and wrestling with how to live out the Word in our day-to-day lives. We have also recently enjoyed reading the book 12 Things God Can’t Do by Nick Tucker. This book was full of surprises and encouraged us to think about the theology of God from a fresh, yet thoroughly biblical perspective. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for our upcoming studies and hope YOU can join us!

Need a break from the daily grind, and a chance to dig in deep to teaching from God’s Word? Excited to make friends and get to know other women at GFC? Join us for our women’s retreat! This is a yearly opportunity for women from our church to gather for an extended time of fun, fellowship, and teaching from the Bible.

Some years, we pick a relaxing retreat venue, for a weekend event that includes an overnight stay. The Kirby Episcopal House has been a favorite spot over the years. Other years, we hold the retreat right on our church premises, and structure it more like a day-conference. But regardless, we always make sure to have times of singing, games & activities, small group discussions, and good conversation around the table as we share meals together.

Each retreat features keynote speaker sessions on various relevant topics that challenge us to grow in our faith. Recent speakers we have enjoyed hearing from have been Nancy Snyder, Christian counselor and deaf language interpreter, on “Hebrews 7: Saved to the Uttermost,” and Christian author Christina Fox, on her book Closer Than a Sister.

The annual retreat is one of our bilingual events that wonderfully serves to bring together women from our English- and Spanish-language ministries. We offer headset translation during the keynote sessions, and make every effort to allow women to participate in small group discussions in their language of choice.

We strive to make our annual women’s retreat a time for everyone to get to know one another better, make a new friend, be challenged in the Lord, and just kick back and relax!

In the middle of winter, there’s almost nothing more welcoming than the fellowship of sisters in Christ around a shared pot of tea. That’s the spirit behind our annual Ladies’ Fellowship Tea. Every year, the anticipation builds, as the tables are set, centerpieces arranged, and everyone bustles around deciding what special tea-themed food to contribute to the gorgeous spread!

This is one of our bilingual events that wonderfully serves to bring together women from our English- and Spanish-language ministries. We always look forward to singing together in a beautiful unified blend of Spanish & English language, hearing a speaker share encouragement from God’s Word, and, of course, enjoying fellowship and conversation over afternoon tea.

The other unique part of our Ladies’ Tea event is that it serves as the kickoff for our Prayer Sister partnerships each year. Those women who wish, can sign up to be included in this team of women who commit to pray for and encourage a sister from our church for the coming year. Simply draw a name out of the hat, and see who you can be specifically praying for in the coming year! Someone will draw your name too, so you are also on the receiving end! It’s a perfect way to get to know a new friend for the year, and to be challenged to pray for and encourage one another.

As part of the body of Christ, we are exhorted to care for one another in various tangible ways. We have several specialized care-teams that help coordinate our efforts to reach out to those in our body who are going through difficult circumstances.

Each winter, we try to brighten up the semester for our college students and military personnel with a care package. Everyone contributes so that the boxes are chock-full of healthy snacks, candy bars, and encouraging messages from us as a church family.

A group of volunteers known as the Sonshine Committee, dedicates themselves to being mindful of those who are going through a season of pain or sorrow, and seeks to personally uplift them with a card and a message of encouragement.

Volunteers from our church also roll up their sleeves and prepare casseroles and freezer meals, hearty soups and other easily-reheatable meals at times of special need. Depending on the circumstance, we use Meal Train or sometimes even just word of mouth to announce a need, and provide meals for families who have a new baby, or an acutely difficult circumstance. We welcome volunteers from the entire church to help out in any and all of these these valuable care ministries.