ET Women's Ministries

03/25/2022

Friday, March 25th is our Ladies' Night Out! Invite a girlfriend out to dinner and then join us in the ET Lobby at 6:00pm for cupcakes and connecting. Sanctuary doors will open at 6:30pm. It will be an incredible night of worship and hearing from our dynamic guest speaker, Stefanie Chappell. This will be a night you and your friends won't want to miss!

Childcare will be provided for single moms with newborns through 5th grade! To sign up for childcare, please fill out this Single Mother Child Care Form. Or, text CHILDCARE to 833.821.0781

07/01/2020

For those of you who are not in our ShelbyNext system and therefore may not have received the email. This letter was sent out yesterday.

Dear Women of Evangel Temple,

What a year 2020 is turning out to be. When we started planning things for the year for this ministry we were filled with excitement and vision. Our first event was a great launch to a new year, and we were anticipating great things. All of that was brought to a screeching halt with COVID-19 as so many things were.

We, the Women’s Ministry Leadership Team, have met and have prayed and pondered on how to move forward. We knew that we would not be able to move forward with many of the events that were planned but were hoping to come together for the retreat in October. That maybe this craziness would be stabilized but that is not the case, unfortunately. We have decided to cancel it for this year. We have not given up though. Once we have clarity and clearance we will plan an event where we can all come together.

We are currently doing what we can to prepare for your return. We are praying and seeking the Lord for our next steps. I am asking God for direction on how He would want us to proceed. I ask that you join the team and me in that prayer. This year has already looked different than we expected and we will likely find ourselves in unfamiliar territory again in 2021. So, we ask for your prayers that we would be able to seek and hear the Lord clearly. I want to be a part of what God is already doing and not be blinded by anything that would hinder me from going before the Lord saying, “Not my will but yours be done.”

I thank you for your support and encouragement. I pray that you are all able to find the opportunities in this time for serving, connecting with loved ones, and mostly connecting with the Lord in a new way and that you have been able to learn new things to refresh your faith.
I will update you as I am updated on future happenings with the Women’s Ministry. Please let us know how we can pray for you or if you are in need of any assistance.

In His Service,
Jenny Austin
Women’s Ministry and Connections Director
Evangel Temple

05/11/2020

We're finishing up the book of Luke this week, and we're excited to talk about the Resurrection! Be sure to email [email protected] to join in on Zoom (Wednesdays at 5pm)!

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I and II Kings describe a lot of kings that reigned over Israel and Judah. Some feared the Lord but most did “evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Two things they all had in common: they all died and they all stayed dead. When Jesus came and was teaching and giving signs and miracles, the people were convinced He was the Messiah that was coming to redeem Israel... he was going to restore Israel to a nation of righteousness and free them from Roman tyranny. But then He died, and they all expected him to do what people do when they die... stay dead. I can imagine the pain they felt at the loss of their son, friend, brother, and teacher. The grief must have been overwhelming as His body was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb. I think about how the women must have been reminiscing and doing what they could to hold back their tears as they prepared the spices for his burial. What a long two days it must have been for them. Then to approach the tomb, and see the angels and the empty tomb. Do you think that they felt a little bit of hope among their absolute confusion?

There is a lot in this chapter to talk about, but I think among the most important is the Resurrection. “The story of the gospel that you share with another is not complete if you leave out the act of the Resurrection. Jesus not only died for our sins, but He rose for our justification.” (Charles Swindoll, Living Insights, Luke). This is such a profound statement to me. We talk so much of his suffering both physically and spiritually and in all other ways on the cross, but the battle in the grave and the defeat over death by his Resurrection is where our victory lies. The men and women did not go on to live and die for Jesus because of something they believed. They did so because of something they witnessed for themselves. Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection and then he pulled it off! They were all there and saw it and it has been recorded and is the most impactful moment in history. Where does your faith come from? Does it just come to you like some sort of mystic glitter? Or do you have it because you were shown the power of Jesus in some personal way? And how is that faith strengthened on a regular basis? Is it just a feeling that shows up? Or is it something that is built upon daily because of the way God works in your life and the life of others?

After his ascension, “They returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising God”. They were no longer hiding. They were no longer afraid of being caught. They no longer felt abandoned or disappointed or confused or defeated. It is kind of like when you fall in love and all the love songs finally make sense. Everything Jesus had been saying to them finally made sense and they were overwhelmed with the good news! All through the Bible, God was trying to make ways to dwell with us and now He can! They now were able to be intimate relationship with God not only hear on earth but eternally! Oh, the rejoicing Heaven must have heard that day! Having this joy and this good news what do we do next? How does this change us? How should this change us?

05/04/2020

We're studying the 23rd chapter of Luke this week! Feel free to share any thoughts or reflections here, and join us on Zoom on Wednesday (email [email protected] for an invitation).
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Luke doesn't fully describe the suffering Jesus went through because his audience would have been very familiar with the practice of crucifixion, and everything that led up to Him being nailed to the cross. There were cruel beatings with instruments that are inconceivable in our western world. No one was short on insults and ways of humiliating the condemned. He went through several hours of this before he was forced to carry the cross up the hill. The religious leaders were fully aware that this was going to happen to Jesus if they got their way... and they wanted it to happen.

Here are some things to think about as we read through this chapter.
1)Think about the hatred that the leaders had for Jesus. They wanted Him gone and they made it happen at any cost. The trial itself was a joke. Pilate found and Herod Antipas found no guilt in Jesus. Pilate offered to 'punish' or 'teach him a lesson' and send him away, but the religious leaders wanted a man that was accused and convicted of insurrection and murder released instead of Jesus... purely out of hatred for Him.
- Have you ever felt such hatred? Such anger towards another person? Did you feel justified?

2) The only thing greater than their hatred was Jesus' love for all of them and for us. There were a hundred different times and ways that Jesus could have ended everything, but the prize was too great for Him to give up.
- How does our faith in Him compare to His faith in His mission? What does this do for our faith when we read this passage? Does it increase your gratitude? Does it increase your obedience? How does this effect you?

For those that have been a Christian a long time, how often do you revisit what it cost for Jesus to pay for our sins? We will never fully understand, at least in this world, what it really cost for Jesus to do what He did. But I believe there is a way we can show our gratitude and that is through absolute obedience.

04/29/2020

Hello, ladies!
Our Women's Bible Study has been reading through the book of Luke! We're going to be posting reflections and materials here every week so we can all participate... read along with us, post your thoughts, and don't forget to email [email protected] if you'd like to join in on Zoom (every Wednesday at 5pm).
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Imagine you are a healthy adult and it seems you would have many years ahead of you but still you know you are about to die? And what is more you know exactly how it is going to happen and it will be unpleasant to say the least? How would you spend your last moments on earth? We can look back in history and point to great leaders that faced insurmountable odds but did not back down, knowing that if they accomplished what they had set out to do, it would change generations. And failure was not an option.
Among those are Winston Churchill facing the N***s when all of Europe had crumbled... Abraham Lincoln keeping a whole nation together while fighting the civil war and standing against slavery...George Washington, who led men who were not equipped for war and were certainly inferior to the opposition... Martin Luther faced certain death but he would not accept any other authority but that of the Word of God.

Jesus knew exactly what He was facing and as any great leader would do He lead His people. As you read Luke 22 keep in mind all that Jesus knew (and He knew everything) as you walk through all things He did and said during the last night he would spend with his disciples knowing that the next day he would face the greatest suffering any human has ever endured.

04/21/2020

Join us for part 2 of the "Eve's Daughters - Life Lessons From Women In Scripture" devotional! You can follow along independently (via the link below), and come back here for reflection and discussion at the end!

https://my.bible.com/reading-plans/9115-eves-daughters-life-lessons-women-scripture-part-2

Discover modern day life applications from the stories of women in the Old Testament.

04/14/2020

This was the first time I had ever reflected on the last week of Jesus’ life before His resurrection. I became increasingly emotional each day. I felt like I was getting to know him better and I was becoming more attached to Him every time I studied about the events of each day. It was a strange feeling, to be honest. I’ve always admired Jesus when I have read and studied the gospels, but this was different. I felt anger when He felt anger. I felt pain when He felt pain. I felt heaviness when He felt heaviness.
I think it struck me first when He is looking over Jerusalem and is weeping over the city knowing all they needed to do and they just couldn’t bring themselves to do it. It makes me think of my mom watching me making one bad decision after another that would only lead to more misery. She couldn’t make me change. Jesus had to open my eyes and my heart but I had to choose to follow.

I couldn’t stop from crying when I read about the Last Supper. As I read each act of kindness He performed for His disciples that night, I felt this heaviness on my heart. He knew what was coming. He would be betrayed by one of His own and He would die a very painful and gruesome death. His friends would deny him, scatter and hide because nothing would make sense to them at first. He still prayed with all of His strength and then some. “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” (Matt 26:37)
He went away and prayed three times while Peter, John, and James fell asleep. They really had no idea what was happening, but it had to annoy Jesus, to say the least. Then came the betrayal, the trial, His crucifixion and His death.

Saturday seemed so quiet to me. Like something was missing in the world. There is a famous sermon that starts with “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’.” It describes the garden and the betrayal and the crucifixion, but the world doesn’t know what is coming. It always gets me fired up. Jesus knew what He had to do because He knew what was coming.
He knew on Sunday, the third day, He was walking out of that tomb defeating death and Satan. He would claim victory for all of us. Death no longer has a hold on us. Sin no longer has a hold on us. We have freedom because He broke the chains that day. And that moment is relived every moment a new believer comes into the kingdom. Heaven rejoices because all that was done on the cross, the battle fought in the grave, and the victory displayed when He walked out of the tomb is relived every time. He didn’t just have to die as a sacrifice, He had to defeat death and come back to life to claim us all for His own.

Do you remember the moment that Jesus became real to you?

When you think about your own salvation and what your life was like before that day how did it change you?

Do you let Jesus continue to transform your heart?

Have you had the opportunity to see that in someone else?

Let us now reflect on the joy of the victory and praise God for His sacrifice, and also for the battle that He fought and won so that we could live with him again!

04/12/2020

Happy Easter, ladies! How are you celebrating on Resurrection Sunday?

04/10/2020

Maundy Thursday

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who where in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1)

There would have been lamb, unleavened bread, stew, wine, and dates. Jesus knew what was coming. He knew this was the last time he would be with his disciples like this. As I am reading about this Passover I am overwhelmed with emotion. I am overwhelmed with what Jesus was feeling. He knew this was his time and that everything was changing. In this moment he got up from supper, laid aside his garments, took up a towel, girded Himself and washed the feet of his disciples. This, to me, is one of the most beautiful moments in scripture. He then institutes the last supper with the bread and the wine. He calls out Judas and predicts Peter’s denial and gives the disciples a new commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.”

We have the privilege of seeing this through the lens of history and knowing the power of the final meal and moments Jesus would share with His disciples. They, however, were oblivious to the significance of every moment. Later the Spirit would remind them of each detail.

04/09/2020

Holy Wednesday

Two significant events happened on this day. First, a woman, whom John identifies as Mary, the sister of Martha, anoints Jesus with a large and very expensive jar of perfume. Second, Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

Mary anointed Jesus with the perfume without hesitation or an ounce of regret. She wanted to honor him and this is what she could do accomplish that. As Mary is anointing Jesus with the perfume, the disciples ask, “Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” (Matt 26:8-9) Jesus replied that she “has done a good deed to me.” (vs. 10).
At some point that same night, “Satan entered Judas” (Mark 22:3) and he went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” (Matt 26: 15). It seemed so easy for Judas to hand Jesus over to those that wanted to kill him.

Do you ever wonder what happened to Judas? He was there with Jesus from the beginning. He witnessed all the miracles and heard all his teachings. He even went out with the twelve and performed some of those miracles and preached the gospel himself. Somewhere in his life ,lies were planted in his heart and they were never confronted. So, they grew. And Satan was ready and waiting for his moment. Judas did eventually feel remorse, but it was too late.

04/09/2020

Holy Tuesday

This day was a busy one for Jesus. He curses a fig tree, has a lesson about faith for the disciples, then enters the temple and begins teaching.
The priests seemed pretty determined to trap Jesus in some way. They had to be careful, though, because people were watching, and the people loved Jesus. So first, they challenged his authority. Second, they challenged his allegiance by asking him if they should pay a tax to Caesar. Third, they tried to ridicule his belief in resurrection, and fourth, when he silenced the Sadducees, the priests tested him on the greatest commandment. It baffles me how they never tired of this battle.

What can we learn from Jesus’ response to each of these attempts to trap him? First, he didn’t waste any time or words. Second, he honored God with each of his responses. Third, he didn’t belittle anyone but provided the opportunity to engage and turn from their ways. Fourth, he didn’t waste it. There were lessons in there for everyone... everyone that was present that day, and for all of us today.

04/08/2020

Holy Monday

On the Monday of Holy Week Jesus came in and cleaned house. Passover was coming. People from all over traveled to Jerusalem and when they arrive, they need to exchange their Greek money for Roman money in preparation. Money-changers were in the courts of the temple. They were doing business in the holy place. And on top of that they are taking advantage of people, particularly the poor and the widows. Jesus gets angry and throws them out and turns over tables. And while he’s at it he heals the lame and the blind. Why do you think he was so angry? God wants all of us. And he wants us to worship only Him. These people had gotten a way from that.

What are we doing that prevents us from giving all of ourselves to God?

What do we hold in our hands that may seem like a holy thing but is really keeping us from worshiping only Him?

Are you more in love with what you do for God than God himself?