Editor’s Note:
We wanted to highlight some exciting new opportunities in some of our ministries, so that in this different season we’re in, everyone has opportunities to connect and experience community in whatever ways they’re comfortable in. In this post, we asked Samantha Dean, one of the three co-leads of the Riverbend Women’s Ministry, to share her heart for the women of Riverbend and some ways that women can connect.
Riverbend is so dear to my heart, and Riverbend women in particular hold a very special place in my heart. It is rare to find such a socially inclusive group of women, and I’m thankful to be a part of the women’s community here for that reason. I really want to see female connections grow at Riverbend.
True, deep female friendship and discipleship are so important to the health of a Christian woman. This year in particular, has been so difficult. We’ve experienced isolation, financial hardship, job loss, changes in teaching our children, fear for our health, and the stress of national division. In addition to their own feelings, I think women also experience these stresses on behalf of our husband and children.
In light of all that is going on in and around us, we need unity as Christian women now more than ever. I want the women of Riverbend to feel loved, supported, and part of a deep social network where they can laugh, cry, and bear each other’s burdens. I want Riverbend’s women’s group to reflect Jesus’ desire for community among believers. We may have different experiences, be in different seasons of life, have different dress sizes, have different skin colors, have different political leanings, but we have Christ in common! Christ is what unifies us. And all those differences? They can bring such a rounded and rich view of our work here on earth as part of Riverbend and the Lehigh Valley.
My goal for this group is that we would be able to provide social, service, and study opportunities for women at Riverbend through the women’s ministry. Socializing breeds friendships and support. Service gives us the chance to reach out and love the community around us. Study allows us to dive into God’s Word more deeply, so that we can go about the socializing and serving with wisdom! We can also bring that wisdom into our everyday lives as we raise children, maintain, friendships, go to our jobs, and love our husbands. We will be imperfect in providing an even ratio of these things, but I know Christy, Jessica, and I love the women of our church and will do our best to lead well; God will fill in the cracks!
My other goal is to provide opportunities for women, but not completely carry women in their faith lives. There are seasons where we all need to be carried, but I’m a big proponent of taking ownership. What I mean by that, is I’d like to see women empowered to take leadership of their lives and their faith. Christy, Jessica, and I are not special. Any woman at Riverbend can lead, and I’m hopeful that if someone has a service opportunity they’d really like to participate in, that they take the initiative to organize it. It could be a Bible study, a social event—whatever may be laid on someone’s heart—and Christy, Jessica, and I can provide support and resources :)
If you’re reading this and wondering how you can get connected and involved, the biggest thing a woman can do is start doing! Some options that are available right now are:
1) Join Riverbend Women CONNECT on Facebook (Closed group requiring an invite, but any woman already in the group can invite you, so just ask a friend on Facebook or send an email to women@riverbendonline.org and we’ll get you plugged in!)
2) Join us in making space for God’s Word in our daily lives— Christy and other ladies are reading through the New Testament in 2021 (or choose your own reading… whatever gets you in God’s Word every day!). See the Women’s Facebook group or email the women’s team for more details.
3) Come to our next event.
4) Invite a woman or a few women you’d like to get to know for coffee or dinner.
5) Start praying for connection. That God would provide opportunities to connect with other women.
5) Have an idea for an event?? Let us know! Help us organize it! Let’s make it happen!
I’m so excited to see what this season at Riverbend brings!
Sam