ON THE WAY TO 50K

stonecroftministries — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:48:35 +0000

Southern Africa’s Christian Women’s Club Trustee Ailsa Williamson recently challenged Stonecroft women under her mentorship to “actively participate in the exciting 50K challenge” by:

GROWING OUR TEAMS AND CONNECTIONS: Invite a friend or member of your church to join you on the planning team. Hold a Christmas Gathering or a shared interest get-together. Set growth goals for your local group and challenge other groups to better your increase.

SHARING THE GOSPEL: Invite first-timers to an outreach meeting where speakers present the Gospel message so that women are challenged to give their lives to the Lord.

BECOMING A REGULAR DONOR: Partner with Stonecroft by becoming a regular donor to our ministry.

GUIDING NEW STONECROFT BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: Offer to become a guide for six weeks for an introductory Bible study.

PRAYING: It is good to remember that this is not all about numbers. It is about joining God in His work to insure that none will perish, but all shall have eternal life. This goal cannot be reached without all of us, together, seeking God.

So there you have it—great ideas from our South African sisters on expanding God’s work through Stonecroft Ministries. Their theme for 2008 is “On the Way to 50K.”

What is your group doing to help fulfill Stonecroft’s vision for adding 50,000 voices—volunteers, Stonecroft Bible Study participants, donors and people ordering Stonecroft evangelism resources—by 2010? Share your thoughts now.

BE THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

stonecroftministries — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:26:51 +0000

In a recent Stonecroft Live! story, we shared with you how attendees from the Amarillo Christian Women’s Connection nourished bodies and souls in their community. They donated 30 quarts of soup to the local Ronald McDonald House, which provides lodging for families whose children are receiving hospital care far from home. The women also spent time praying specifically those families.

READ CHICKEN SOUP (AND CHILI TOO) FOR THE SOUL

CAN YOU HEAR THE BELLS?

stonecroftministries — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:57:11 +0000

It’s that time of year—the time when Christmas Gatherings are taking place! Have you been a part of a Christmas Gathering? Or do you have one planned? Take a minute and share about the experience. You may just motivate someone else to have one, too!

100 VOICES SURVEY

stonecroftministries — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 22:16:11 +0000

September 2007 marked the end of the first year of a survey campaign by Stonecroft Ministries we call “100 Voices.” Through this campaign, the Stonecroft Marketing Team sent surveys via e-mail to 100 women who agreed to participate. Some are involved with Stonecroft. Some are not.

The survey questions started off general. As we began to learn more about our survey takers, we asked more specific questions. These ranged from what types of magazines people read to some of people’s biggest fears in sharing their faith with others.

A year has gone by and we are learning and gaining so much from these surveys, we want to continue them. Our ongoing desire is to learn how to serve you better every day. Here is some of the information we’ve learned from over a year of surveys—along with the questions these findings have raised.

100 Voices – What we’ve learned through the first year

RELATIONSHIPS
The majority of people surveyed make time for friends over anything else in their schedule. They frequent restaurants, coffee shops, and homes most when getting together.
This is a good indicator that people crave face-to-face interaction in their lives and place great value on having and maintaining relationships.

PRAYER
Prayer, personal spiritual growth, and listening to God are the top three answers for what they are most interested in learning at an event.
People need and want intimacy with God. How can we help facilitate that? STONECROFT STUFF
When asked which products they were most interested in, the 20- to 30-year-old 100 Voices participants selected travel mugs, water bottles, and tote bags as their top three. The 30- to 50-year-olds are interested in products that cater to an on-the-go lifestyle, but were also interested in jewelry and apparel.
This is a generation on-the-go. How can we cater to this lifestyle?

MENTORING
The majority of participants are not in a mentoring relationship and listed limited time as the biggest factor.
Time is the biggest factor keeping people from mentoring.

When asked what would most help them feel more equipped to lead, participants needed improved biblical knowledge first and mentoring second.
However, as indicated above, most are not in mentoring relationships because they believe it takes time they do not have.

BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE
Survey 7 revealed people felt they needed to or wanted to improve their biblical knowledge. Most people prefer to study the Bible in a group led by a teacher or in a discussion group.
People don’t seem to be confident in their own biblical knowledge and feel they can learn best from studying with others.

BIBLE STUDIES
When asked questions about how long a mentoring relationship should last and a Bible study should last, 43 percent of those in their 20s thought a Bible study should last about six months, while only 18% of those in their 30s and 40s felt it should last that long. The majority of older participants believed a study should only take up the duration of two to three months.
What is it that keeps the older 100 Voices participants from wanting to get too committed in something that requires a larger amount of time investment?

When asked, “Where do you purchase Bible study materials?” the majority in both groups purchase materials from Christian bookstores.
What can we do to make people aware of Stonecroft Bible Studies?

SHARING OUR FAITH
We asked: Do you share your faith with those who do not know Jesus Christ? The most popular answer was “Once in a While.”

How do we change this? What’s keeping people from sharing more?

The open-ended question, “What are your biggest fears about sharing your faith with people?” was asked. The top repeat answers were: people were afraid they wouldn’t have all the answers, people were afraid of offending people by seeming too pushy/judgmental, people were afraid of rejection.
People enjoy the relationships they’ve built and are afraid of losing them by bringing up their faith. How can we help them through these fears?

PUTTING THE FUN IN FUNDRAISING

stonecroftministries — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:38:00 +0000

Fall—it’s the season when many outreach groups hold an annual fundraiser, often in engaging and creative ways. If your group has held a unique fundraiser, share about it!

BIBLE STUDY BONANZA

stonecroftministries — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:00:33 +0000

Stonecroft Bible Studies leaders are a creative bunch. Wherever you find people, you’ll find Bible studies. So where are you conducting Stonecroft Bible Studies this fall? Share the unique opportunities God has given you.

SPREADING THE NEWS

stonecroftministries — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:17:32 +0000

Small joys. Big miracles. What has God been doing in your Bible studies and outreach groups? Share your story with others and you may even find it published on Stonecroft LIVE!

SPEAKERS SPEAK UP

stonecroftministries — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:02:06 +0000

Stonecroft speakers play a key role in outreach events as they effectively present the gospel message. If you are a speaker, what encouragement would you pass along to someone who is just beginning to speak? If you work with speakers, what ideas do you have to share? This is your place to dialogue with each other.

IT’S TIME TO BUILD A FORUM

stonecroftministries — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:58:13 +0000

You’ve tried the blog—now it’s time to build a forum! To meet the needs of Stonecroft’s volunteer Leaders, we’ve decided to expand. Our forum will be designed to make communication between leaders as convenient as possible—but first we want to hear from you.

Tell us what topics you would like to see on Stonecroft’s new Volunteer Leaders’ forum. What discussion categories would help you to find answers for your questions, spark some new ideas, or allow you to encourage others? From creative outreach ideas to compelling stories of Jesus at work in your neighborhood, God’s Kingdom is your only limit. So, let us know how Stonecroft can help you become an even more effective leader. We want to hear and share your Ideas that Work!

REACHING ALL GENERATIONS

stonecroftministries — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:12:56 +0000

How does your Stonecroft Outreach Group or Stonecroft Bible Study engage and invite women from other generations?

Often, we spend time with those who are in our same stage of life. But to expand our influence and reach those who live in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and marketplace, it takes a special effort. Stonecroft is committed to reaching all generations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And, Stonecroft has always trained and equipped those who are coming after us.

So, how do you do it? What works? Share your story about how you have engaged women from other generations.

(Remember, too, that other Blog items are still ‘active’. We’ve had several new comments posted this week on the Welcome posting.)