Susan

WIC Logo

In 1973 the Steering Committee for a Continuing Presbyterian Church took steps to form a new denomination. A Convocation of Sessions was held in May,1973, at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Then an Advisory Convention met in Asheville, NC in August. At this meeting, the Steering Committee sponsored a meeting of interested women. Six of those women were elected to serve as an advisory sub-committee to the Christian Education Committee.

The First General Assembly heartily endorsed a plan from the Christian Education and Publications Committee for the establishment of women’s organizations in churches and presbyteries. Thus WIC-Women In the Church-was born.

Isaiah 62:1 was selected as the theme verse:

For Zion’s sake I will not rest and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep silent, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. Isaiah 62:1

An old-fashioned lamp was selected for the logo. Tradition this rich imagery to your daughters and grand-daughters . . .

• In order for a kerosene lamp to give light, it must be filled with oil.
• The believer’s life must be filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit.
• The wick must rest continually in the oil.
• We must rest in Christ and draw life and spiritual strength from His Holy Spirit.
• The wick must be regulated and trimmed regularly.
• Our lives must be daily regulated and trimmed in obedience to God’s Word.
• The lamp chimney must be kept clean and clear.
• Our light shines to the world as we repent of sin and live in whole-hearted obedience to our Savior.

Feel free to copy the logo(s) below and use in local WIC material and publicity. For a higher resolution logo, WICLogo-large.

Logo as of 2006

Old Logos

Biblical Foundations for Womanhood

A Women’s Ministry built on Biblical Foundations needs . . .
Women Who think Biblically and Live Covenantally

• Soup kitchens and ladies’ luncheons. Kiddie carnivals and “charity fairs.” They serve good causes. But will they cause a woman to grow?
• Will they equip her to fulfill the extraordinary promise and purpose of womanhood?
• Will they see her safely through the modern minefield of conflicting ideas and contradictory roles?
• Will they help her to take her place as a committed member of a covenant community?
• Will they give her the joy that comes from living each day in harmony with God’s design?

In the Presbyterian Church in America, we believe that the true measure of Christian ministry is not how much we are doing, but who we are in Christ. That’s why your Christian Education and Publications Committee has created Biblical Foundations for Womanhood, a resource designed to be the touchstone for a vibrant women’s ministry in your church.

Here is a proven starting point for building a women’s ministry that’s driven by more than just events, projects, or personalities. Here is a foundation for a women’s ministry driven by the Word of God. Each of the five books is practical, proven, and biblically based. And a separate Leader’s Guide is available for each title to help make the study a meaningful experience for every woman in your church.

	Leadership for Women in the Church. Here is the foundation-the starting point for building the women’s ministry in your church. You’ll explore what having a women’s ministry can mean in women’s lives, discover how to construct the ministry on a solid theological footing, and learn how to train a leadership team. (Preview)	Order Book Leaders: see Training and Resource Guide below
	Spiritual Mothering In the second chapter of Titus, Paul outlines a ministry model in which older women nurture younger women in character, in faith, and in doctrine. With this study, you can put the principles of “spiritual mothering” to work, helping your women create a close-knit community built on covenant relationships.	OrderBook Order Leader’s Guide
	By Design: God’s Distinctive Calling for Women. Once spiritual mothering relationships have been formed, they become a powerful launching pad for women’s ministry-particularly ministries of mercy. Here, your women will discover how their unique design has specially equipped them to be channels of compassion to the church, the community, and the world.	Order Book Order Leader’s Guide
	Treasures of Encouragement. Women are also designed to be vessels of encouragement. This study will help you turn that gift into a vibrant, biblically based ministry. As one who has suffered much, Sharon offers stories, principles, and examples to help build up you and your church through the ministry of encouragement.”	Order Book Order Leader’s Guide
	The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood. Whose responsibility is it to disciple women in the biblical image of womanhood? Hunt and Thompson believe this important job belongs to the church—and offer practical advice on starting a “spiritual mothering” ministry in your congregation. Discover the joy that comes from “passing the baton” of faithfulness to the next generation!	Order Book Order Leader’s Guide
	Women’s Ministry in the Local Church. In a time of confusion and uncertainty, authors Susan Hunt and Ligon Duncan walk women through the Scriptures to help them better understand what it means to have an effective, biblical women’s ministry in the church and provide many proven tools to help start a women’s ministry in your church.	Order Book Leaders: see Training and Resource Guide below
	Women’s Ministry: Training and Resource Guide. This is an affordable, composite 3 ring notebook with updated tools that will equip women with life giving skills. The purpose is to help churches study a biblical approach to women’s ministry in the church & to provide resources to develop, implement, and train leaders to plan for a woman’s ministry.	Order Book
	The True Woman. Where there is no sound theology, there can be no real ministry. The True Woman helps even the busiest women re-connect with basic truths and essential doctrines-keeping them firmly anchored in their commitment to biblical truth. Preview	Order Book Order Leader’s Guide

Objectives:

• To teach women a biblical perspective of their relationship with Christ, family, and church.
• To challenge women to fulfill their helper design.
• To help women examine the implications of the covenant in their relationships.
• To train women to cultivate community by obeying the Titus mandate to nurture one another for God’s glory.
• To train women to be channels of compassion by obeying the Micah mandate.
• To equip women for leadership roles in the women’s ministry of the church.
• By working with these materials, you’ll be able to develop a women’s ministry that’s more rewarding than any project and goes deeper than any social event.

Foundations From the Heart of Scripture.

No, these studies are not the only way to build your women’s ministry. And they’re certainly not the only materials you’ll ever use. But they are a good place to start-and the only resource we’re aware of that’s directed specifically at women and has a covenantal perspective of ministry.

Since these are foundational truths for women, these materials can and should be used again and again-constantly cycled through your Sunday schools and small groups in order to keep your women’s ministry focused on biblical principles and foundational issues.

And while these studies are not meant to replace your Bible studies, keep in mind that they are Bible studies in their own right-topical studies that dig deep into the heart of Scripture.

Application Models

One Woman At A Time: A woman can be spiritually mothered by reading these books and then pass the legacy of biblical womanhood on to others.

Small Group Model: Women can use the studies in interactive groups as they learn and apply the concepts of biblical womanhood.

Women’s Ministry Model: In this model, Biblical Foundations for Womanhood (Foundations) is the framework for the women’s ministry in a local church. This is accomplished through things such as:

• Regularly involving women in the studies in various forums such as monthly studies, weekly studies, retreats, etc.
• Planning events that model and reinforce the objectives of Foundations.
• Equipping women’s leadership so that Foundations informs all of their planning and decisions.
• Using Foundations as a commentary and foundation for all women’s studies and ministries.
• Creating a vehicle to establish and encourage Titus 2 relationships.
• Promoting a vision that includes women of all seasons and circumstances.

Bible Study Model: Women’s Bible study teachers are equipped through Foundations to incorporate and apply the principles of biblical womanhood into whatever they are teaching.

Speaker Model: Women who speak at retreats and events can intentionally integrate the concepts of Foundations in their speaking/teaching.

To Order go to: www.cepbookstore.com or call the CE Bookstore: 1-800-283-1357

The stated purpose of the PCA’s Women In the Church, which was approved by the first General Assembly, is:

“The purpose of the Women In the Church is that every woman know Christ personally and be committed to extending His kingdom in her life, home, church, community, and throughout the world.” (From the WIC Resource Manual)

A philosophy is simply an overview of the reason we do what we do. It is a longer version of the purpose statement.

The WIC philosophy of ministry is grounded on woman’s helper design. “The Lord said, `It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him'” (Gen. 2:18).

The Hebrew word for helper is ezer. Throughout the Old Testament this word is used to refer to God. In discussing this word, The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says:

The Lord is seen as the helper of the underprivileged: the poor (Psalm 72:12) and the fatherless (Psalm 10:14) . . . He (the Psalmist) is conscious of divine assistance at a time of illness (Psalm 28:7), at a time of oppression by enemies (Psalm 54:4), and at a time of great personal distress (Psalm 86:17).

This explanation of how God is our ezer gives insight into the helper design. Community and compassion are two of the ways God is our Helper. God enters into a covenant relationship with His people (community). He comes to our aid, comforts us, and is merciful toward us (compassion). This touches our souls because entering into nurturing relationships, and extending compassion to those in need, is part of our creation design. Our nurturing, relational strengths grow out of our helper design. Our design equips us to demonstrate community and to be channels of compassion in our marriages, families, churches, communities, and throughout the world. This does not mean that all women will express their design in the same way; it frees us to practice community and extend compassion creatively according to our gifts, abilities and circumstances. This concept has application to women as individuals, and it also gives definition to the purpose statement of Women In the Church. The WIC ministry should have the effect of bringing a deeper sense of community and compassion into the home, church, community, and world. The WIC task at the Assembly level is to help churches encourage and equip women for this mission. A covenantal understanding of the church demands this.

The Westminster Confession of Faith says:

All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by His Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with Him in His grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory; and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.

Saints by profession are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Which communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus (WCF XXVI Of the Communion of Saints, 1, 2. Italics added.).

“An holy fellowship” is the launching pad for ministries of compassion, and compassion is the grace-reality that draws unbelievers into the community of faith.

A biblical strategy for encouraging and equipping women to share their gifts and graces for the mutual good, and to maintain an holy fellowship, is found in Titus 2:1-5. The Titus mandate for women to nurture women should be the driving force of a women’s ministry because this is part of our covenant privilege and responsibility.

The goal is that each woman will “know Christ personally and be committed to extending His kingdom in her life, home, church, community, and throughout the world” and thus God will be glorified.

The WIC ministry is not project or event-driven. It is theology driven. The philosophy gives the guidelines for mapping out the specifics of the WIC ministry. Each project, event, and written resource is one point on the total ministry-map. To understand the purpose of any specific project, one must understand the philosophy of ministry and where a specific project fits on the map. The WIC ministry-map is just one piece of the total ministry-map of Christian Education and Publications, so it must always help to achieve the over-all objectives of CEP.

A final word:

Whatever else you do, you must pray. Everything we do must be saturated with prayer. Unless God shines His face upon us, there will be no blessing. We must live in His presence and radiate His glory. Then we will know His pleasure upon us. The ultimate question: Is God glorified?

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together (Psalm 34:3).