Resources 2009/2010 A Christmas

National Headquarters
Author Unknown
Enrollment Service
Preparation
Cover a table with a red or green
cloth. As you talk about the various
sections of the enrollment service, add
pieces from a nativity set to the table.
Introduction
The Salvation Army Home League is
one of the largest organizations for
women in the world. What a joy it is
for us to welcome new members into
its worldwide fellowship. In the past
we have used a flower arrangement,
teacups or candles to enroll new mem-
bers. Today we will use the manger
scene and its figures as our symbols of
the women’s ministries program.
Will the following women whose
request for membership has been
received and accepted please come
forward as I call your name.
Fellowship—Stable
The symbol for the Home League is
a house on the Bible. The house repre-
sents a family, a home. We know that
the structure alone doesn’t make a
home. It’s the people within the house
that make the family. “Home is where
the heart is.” This simple stable
became a place of perfect fellowship
for all because of the person who
occupied it. (add stable) It was Jesus
Christ who transformed a stable into
holy ground.
When Jesus lives within our heart
and we come into our meeting place,
we too can have perfect fellowship
one with the other. Remember to
enjoy fellowship with the Lord Jesus
you must make Him Lord of your life.
Worship—The Christ Child
Mary and Joseph welcomed those
who came to the stable. (add Mary and
Joseph) But the little baby lying in a
manger was the focus of each person
there. (add Jesus) They couldn’t take
their eyes off Him. They bowed down
and worshipped Him.
We are commanded by God to wor-
ship Him. We believe that there is only
one God, who is infinitely perfect, the
Creator, Preserver and Governor of all
things, and who is the only proper
object of religious worship (Doctrines of
The Salvation Army, #2). May you join
the other worshippers in this group as
they worship the One True God.
Service—Shepherds
The shepherds held the lowliest
occupation one could hold in those
days. (add shepherds) Day in and day
out they went about the business of
tending their flock. They were simple
people, not sophisticated, arrogant or
prideful. What possible gain could the
Lord get from sending His angel (add
angel) to these shepherds with such an
important message? They didn’t have
any fancy gifts to honor Him. But
Scripture tells us, “When the angels
had left them and gone into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this
thing that has happened, which the
Lord 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 to
be of service in our community, but not
just any service. We are to be in the
service of the King of kings. May you
always serve with a servant’s heart that
others will see Christ through your
actions. May we truly know the boun-
ty of God’s blessing as we serve Him.
Education—Wise Men
Contrary to popular belief, the Bible
doesn’t record that there were three
Wise Men. (add Wise Men) We have
come to this conclusion because it
mentions the three gifts the men
brought—gold, frankincense and
myrrh. It does, however, say that they
were wise. Perhaps the smartest thing
they did in their lives was to follow
that star and worship the King over
whom 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 do
country line dancing. You will learn
many new things, but let your greatest
education come from the Word of God,
which says, “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10).
Jesus said, “You will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free” (John
8:32). Jesus is the truth.
Conclusion
This enrollment ceremony makes
you a member of women’s minstries,
but it is through the Christ child that
you can experience new birth.
Each of you has a responsibility to
this nation, to your family and to the
church, which is your spiritual family.
Through the vehicle of this women’s
ministry 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 concerning
you, remembering that He is your
Heavenly Father.
❄ Strive to make your home a happy
one with your highest aim being that
of uniting each family member in
Christian love.
❄ Give your loyalty to this nation and
pledge your allegiance to it by making
it a better place in which to live.
If you agree and claim these princi-
ples as your personal desire, would
you declare it by saying, “Amen.”
I accept you as our newest members
of the (corps name) women’s ministries
of The Salvation Army and present to
you your membership card and pin.
(Ask the local officers to fasten the pins on
the newest members.)
May you experience the fullness of
each part of the women’s minstries
through fellowship, education, service
and worship. May you be conscious of
the wonderful bond, which unites our
hearts and minds in love and friend-
ship. God bless and keep each one of
you and bless The Salvation Army.

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Girls’ Weekend
It’s been a long time since my
daughters were young teenagers.
How well I remember the trips to
camps, activities at the corps, youth
band practices, school plays and soc-
cer games. How did I survive?
Those years have dimmed. I don’t
remember (not much anyway) the
mother–daughter tensions that often
mark that stage of life. I do know I
prayed a lot. I prayed for the young
women and older women who were
role models for my daughters. I
prayed for their friends. I prayed that
in the questioning times of the teen
years that God would bring support, a
listening ear, challenge and lots of love
to my daughters’ lives. From this side
of graduation I can say God is faithful.
We made it! It was fun. I so appreciate
those women who modeled good
choices and offered wise words to my
daughters.
But times have changed. I am sure my
parents said the same thing, as did my
grandparents. I believe this generation
of young people faces an onslaught of
options in life and behavior choices that
previous generations never had to face.
It hits them from every angle. Young
people standing for godly behavior
choices can be ridiculed, bullied and
just plain ostracized.
I approach the Internet like I read a
dictionary. I look up a word and find
20 more words that catch my interest.
I Google “Christian teens” and come
up with a thousand sites that say
something good and bad about life as
a Christian teenager. And I find
myself lost in another world. This
world I do not recognize. I think of the
teen girls I know and have a new
appreciation for their parents and
adults in their lives. Exposed to the
world through Internet, music, adver-
tising, school and after school activi-
ties, teenage girls are subjected to
choices that my daughters did not
even know existed.
“How does a young man (read girl)
keep her heart pure?” (Ps. 119:9). The
pressure to conform to what the world
thinks is cool is enticing. Even within
Christian circles there is dissension as
to what is right for young teens in
dress, behavior and activity.
Resources 2009/2010
Major Carolynne Chung
Eastern Territory
As Women’s Ministries Secretary I
saw many corps with aging women’s
ministries groups. “Our ladies are get-
ting older; they cannot do so much,”
was often related at reviews. Yet, in
looking at women’s ministries in other
churches I saw young mothers, work-
ing women, empty–nesters, all ages
enjoying ministry groups. I noticed
that for many churches girls were part
of the continuum of women’s min-
istries—young girl to womanhood.
Different age groups met separately
with an appropriate program, but it
meant that the continuity of ministry
vant to their sex and age: identity
to women required interaction
development, body image, dating,
between the ages. I believe it is called
friendships, clothing choices, sexuali-
mentoring—older women modeling
ty, faith and family. Activities would
and supporting the younger women.
be planned so mentors would be
The Bible describes it beautifully in
encouraged to come alongside the
Titus 2:3–5.
girls in support as they return to the
Back to the young teens in our corps. Why not have an all–night
corps—the young Christian women, pajama and pizza party? Could we
many in uniform, who are active in not discuss what style and clothes say
corps activities. What pressures do about body image? The ideas were
they face in school and with their endless.
friends? How could we, as older
Our goal was to invite one teen and
women, support these young ladies in
one adult woman from each corps.
making godly choices? Could we do it
Hopefully the teen and adult would
in our corps? Let’s be Titus 2 women
already be friends. Corps officers
for the next generation.
would not be required to attend.
John Kotter in Leading Change states
that to effect change we must first Two corps in the division have
sense the urgency to change and cre- already started a teen group, with
activities such as cake decorating and
ate a vision. We must then share the
Bible study. As one corps officer said,
vision and empower others to effect
“You can teach them cake decorating,
the vision. I spoke to our Divisional
but then they start talking about what
Christian Education Director who was
is really bothering them.” This is a
immediately enthused. We agreed
sample of Titus 2 all over again.
that it could not be another activity
imposed on the corps. Let’s have a
“Tell the older women to behave as
weekend for the girls and women.
those who love the Lord should. They
At the next Women’s Commission must not gossip about others or be
we shared our vision. The response slaves of wine. They must teach what is
proved beyond a shadow of a doubt proper, so the younger women will be
that this was God’s vision. We were loving wives and mothers. Each of the
just releasing it. And so the vision younger women must be sensible and
became more concrete. A planning kind, as well as a good homemaker,
committee was formed. The Women’s who puts her own husband first. Then
Commission decided to use this Girls no one can say insulting things about
Weekend as a women’s ministries God’s message” (Titus 2:3–5 CEV).
two–year Divisional Project, so that
Our prayer is that one girl and one
the participants would be able to
mentor will get a small group togeth-
come.
er in their corps. DHQ will encourage
Our goal was to speak Christ and and provide further resources. And
Biblical values into the lives of adoles- because God is in it, who knows
cent girls by addressing issues rele- where it will lead?
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Resources 2009/10
Major Beth Trimmell
Central Territory
Purpose
Sometimes our efforts to bring new
women into women’s ministries and
the corps are so narrowly focused that
we are unsuccessful. This promotion
plan is designed to stimulate women
to reach out to women outside of The
Salvation Army and cultivate friend-
ships into meaningful relationships.
The challenge is to focus on no less
than a six–month commitment, which
will allow an opportunity for an actu-
al relationship to develop and intro-
duction made to Salvation Army pro-
grams. This outreach also encourages
women’s ministries members to prac-
tice kindness, which will enhance
their own spiritual walk.
Kick–off Meeting
Invite 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 that
includes the goals of the program and
the list of suggested activities.
Challenge
It is important to select a woman
with whom you would like to become
friends. Please don’t bombard her
with invitations to women’s ministries
or The Salvation Army. This plan is
not 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 of
the Army in a natural way as you
occasionally mention an upcoming
activity or event. For this plan to be
effective, it is important to be sensitive
to the response and needs of the
woman you are befriending. If this is a
casual acquaintance, you should initi-
ate your friendship gradually through
friendly conversation, a phone call or
a casual invitation for coffee or other
activities. The first month should en-
tail no more than two contacts.
Goals
❋ To reach out in friendship to
women who have no previous
Salvation Army affiliation.
❋ To maintain a three times per
month contact over a six–month
period of time.
Planting Seeds of Friendship
❋ To introduce the Women’s
Ministries programming in a
natural way, as a consequence of
sharing friendship.
❋ To encourage Salvationist women
to break out of the insular mindset
that inhibits growth.
❋ To promote the habit of kindness
and outreach within the Women’s
Ministries group.
Planting flowers
❊
Doing a craft project
Suggested Activities
Taking a walk in the park
❊
❊ Dying Easter eggs
Shopping at the mall
❊
❊ Seeing a movie or video
Attending a children’s program
❊
❊ Attending a free lecture or
Planning play dates for children
❊
❊ program at the library or local
Inviting for a coffee date college
❊
Running errands or shopping for
❊
a specific item Suitable Small Gifts
❊ Baking together ❋ Fresh baked cookies or bread.
❊ Going on garage sale or thrift store ❋ A bouquet from your garden
excursions ❋ A card
Planting Seeds of Kindness
Jesus warned us that our life would not always be easy. Some things
we recognize as hardships, but what could be difficult about being
kind? Jesus requires us to love in more than just words but also by our
actions. This is impossible without God’s help. Fortunately Jesus gave
us some instructions in the practice of kindness in Luke 6: 27–31. We are
admonished to love our enemies. At 3:00 a.m. it can be hard enough to
love our own screaming infant, let alone someone whose TV is pre-
venting us from getting any sleep. Nevertheless, Jesus instructs us to
love 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 or
familial connection, common interests, familiarity, or empathetically.
There is a different dynamic in loving one’s enemy. That can only be
accomplished through observance and obedience to God’s Word and
putting our own feelings aside. Loving an enemy begins by praying for
them on a daily basis, just as Jesus taught. It is impossible to honestly
pray 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 others
generously. We’re often so wrapped up in the cares and concerns of our
own lives that we walk past hurting people. Our mission of love could
be 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 personally
to help another. Even though loving others requires obedience and sac-
rifice, when we generously share with another, we never regret it. If
you 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 you
wisdom in your approach and that through the women’s ministries
program they will be introduced to Him.
65

There is nothing so lovely as to
arrive at a destination and feel expect-
ed and welcomed. It chases away any
shadow of insecurity, uneasiness or
dread of not fitting in.
The same is true of our gatherings in
women’s ministries. We spend time in
planning our programs but we need
to make sure that the welcome mat is
out for visitors who come to our corps
and women’s ministries activities.
Curb Appeal
Get to know the neighbors around
the corps building. Take a walk and
see how your facility fits into the area.
Are the grounds and parking lot well
marked and have an easy entrance?
Make sure that the grounds are neat.
Is the signage easily visible and well
kept? Does the outside of the facility
look inviting and welcoming?
If the entrance frequented by most is
in the rear of the building, make sure
that there is a welcoming sign visible
from the street where people pass
each day. Add lighting outside to
attract attention. If there is a little used
door on the front that is kept locked,
have a sign posted that gives direc-
tions to the building entrance. Convey
the message to those who pass by each
day that there is vibrant life, activity
and a warm welcome for all at The
Salvation Army.
The Pleasure of Your Company
Have regular advertisements in the
Sunday bulletin and corps newsletter
about women’s ministries. Make sure
that they speak of a vibrant, exciting
program. They should be not only
informative but inviting. Make sure
that the time, place of meeting and
contact number are clearly stated.
Establish a welcome committee, which
is on duty at all services encouraging
women to attend women’s programs.
We Have Been Expecting You
First impressions are important.
View the approach to your corps from
The Welcome Mat
the perspective of new visitors. Make
sure that the meeting room is well
marked and easy to find. Adjust the
room temperature so that it is com-
fortable. Make sure that restrooms are
well marked, clean and fresh. The
meeting area should be free of clutter,
old programs, papers and broken fur-
niture. Do not use the corners as stor-
age for AV equipment, instrument
cases or boxes of donations. The visu-
al experience should speak of a com-
fortable, attractive meeting area.
Change the set–up of the meeting
area on a regular basis by altering the
layout of the chairs and tables. This
keeps the appearance fresh and pre-
vents “tenant’s rights” in established
seats and tables, thus making room for
visitors and even regular members.
A Welcome for Everyone
One 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 greet
visitors as they arrive says, “We’re
glad you are here.” This is true for reg-
ular members as well. Make visitors
feel special with a small token from a
welcome basket. Provide a pamphlet
describing the history of the Home
League and the mission of the
women’s ministries program. If the
visitor is alone, someone on the wel-
come committee should sit with her.
Have someone assigned to record
the visitor’s name, address and phone
number. Nametags for all members
are a wonderful tool to break down
barriers. Make a point of calling the
visitor by name several times during
the program.
Consider Yourself Part of the
Family
It is nice to make visitors feel special,
but the real act of welcoming someone
is to make them feel at home. Include
visitors in your corps family life right
away. The kitchen is an excellent place
to become part of the family. They
might be asked to help pour bever-
ages or put ice in cups—any type of
duty where the family works together,
sharing conversation and developing
relationships. Be careful, however, not
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Resources 2009/10
Major Paula Powell
Southern Territory
to overwhelm newcomers with long
term service commitments.
Have a plan to develop visits into
relationships. This should be more
than just the corps officer visiting but
include locals and members as well.
When a visitor comes, be prompt in
following up with a phone call. Within
a week send a letter of welcome in-
cluding an attractive copy of the
scheduled programs for that quarter.
Follow up with a visit or second
phone call with the intent of meeting
for coffee, offering a ride to the next
meeting or any other attempt to estab-
lish a relationship.
Schedules that Fit
Be 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. Decorations
need to be completed before the
women arrive. Be punctual in starting
and ending times. This says that you
value the personal commitment of
time from each woman attending.
Design for Growth
Take an objective look at current pro-
grams. They must be well planned,
uplifting, meaningful, of substance,
relevant and, most of all, fun. There
must be something interesting and of
value that will merit women taking
time from busy schedules. Several
times a year plan a series of special
programs to coincide with member-
ship initiatives and special events.
Make sure that these programs are
well advertised at the special event
and follow up with invitations to
those new women attending.
Consider Yourself At Home
When 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 ministries
programs. Even the small details
should say, “We care and want you to
enjoy your time with us and come
again.” Just a little imagination, a little
creativity, a little preparation, plus a
willingness to include others trans-
lates into gracious and genuine hospi-
tality moving from participating to
belonging.
Resources 2009/10
Captain Roberta McKinney
Western Territory
Have you ever felt caught in that
sinkhole syndrome? This is where a
task seems so overwhelming that you
get tired before you even begin, so
you never start. Organizing your
kitchen can be like that. You open
your cupboards, then quickly close
them and just give up.
Kitchen Organization
To make organizing your kitchen a
less daunting task, take everything
out of each cupboard. Clean the
shelves and start thinking about what
you will put on each shelf. Things to
consider as you de–clutter are: Does
this item really belong in the kitchen
or could it be put elsewhere? Is it a
gadget that looked good at the state
fair but now you can’t get it to work?
When was the last time you used that
bowl, catering plate or appliance?
Make a decision to put back only
items that you use. Seasonal pieces and
entertainment items like punch bowls
and turkey platters can be stored in the
garage in large plastic tubs or clear
garbage bags. Get rid of those items
Unclutter Your Life
date bought on the container. As time
goes by, they lose their potency.
Pantry Organization
Put junk food on a high, difficult to
reach shelf. Place the healthy food at
eye level. This will help you feed your
family healthier food.
Place items in categories. Put all the
baking supplies in plastic containers
in the same cupboard. This will make
it easier to see what you have and
what items need to be replenished.
Assemble canned vegetables, tomato
sauces, canned fruits and soups on
riser shelves for easier viewing.
Cluster together foods that are similar
like breakfast or lunch foods.
Organize According to Meals
Plan your menus for a week. Check
to see what items you will need to buy
at the grocery store. When you return
from the store, place everything you
need for each meal together in a con-
tainer. Include the recipe.
As you use a certain item or it’s
Grocery List
getting low,
place it on
the grocery
list of items
needing to
be replen-
ished. This
will help to
eliminate the frustration of starting to
prepare a meal only to discover that a
key ingredient is missing.
Cupboards
The scariest two cupboards in the
house may be those where you store
the pots and pans and the plastic stor-
age containers. Stack pans and store
the lids in an organizer. Get control of
your plastic containers by buying an
inexpensive set of stackables. Get
brave and toss the old plastic contain-
ers out.
Command Station
A command station is a place for the
family to keep a calendar of activities,
cookbooks, phone numbers and a
communication board. It is also help-
ful to keep a small tool kit in a con-
venient place in the kitchen.

that you’ve not used in a year.

You may have to invest some money
to get organized. But the cost of space
Clutter
Organization is important in every part of our lives. Clutter in our
saving devices are well worth it. There
homes is often an indicator that other parts of our lives need attention.
are alternatives to buying in the
As you work to unclutter your kitchen cupboards, begin to consider the
high–end container stores. Dollar
condition of your spiritual life.
stores are a great source for space
saver items. Apply the same principles for organizing your mind and heart that you
use to organize your cupboards. Is your mind cluttered with thoughts of
Another tactic is to organize with the
what might have been or regrets? Do you need to throw out the dented
help of a friend. Friends help to keep
cans of bitterness or sorrow? Have you been hanging on to gadgets or
us on track and force us to make deci-
ideas that looked good before you were a Christian but now need to be
sions as to whether to keep or give
tossed?
away those seldom used items.
Do you have old recordings that go on in your thoughts about things
Outdated Items that are in the past? Are you still filled with self–doubt? Use a technique
Check the food items in the pantry called thought stopping. When a bad recording starts, consciously stop
for expiration dates and dented cans. thinking it and replace it with something good.
Once past the expiration date they lose
Getting your mind, heart and soul organized will cost you some effort,
nutritional value. Before you put any-
but the result will be worth it. Work with your friend Jesus and let Him
thing back in the cupboard, ask your-
help you stay on track and make the difficult decisions. Get rid of the
self if you’re ever going to cook with
outdated and rotting things so you can have the good things that only
this. If the answer is no, get rid of it.
Jesus can give.
Check for out–of–date items in the
Organize your time for devotions. Set aside a place where you go to
refrigerator and freezer. When you place
meet with God. Keep your Bible, songbook, devotion book and journal
left–overs in the refrigerator, mark the
in a container like a basket, so that it is easier to grab as you go have a
date they were served. Throw them out
spiritual meal with God. Get organized in mind, body and soul. Let Jesus
after a reasonable time.
help you and you will succeed.
When you purchase spices, place the

67