Changes Within New Hope Mom's Ministry
“Lord, we do not understand. We see through a glass darkly. But, You, God...Thou knowest.” BY SUZANNE BATES
This year has been incredible with changes and challenges. Are any of us able to speak that we know and understand what God is doing among us as His people? Surely, God does know. He is in control of all things, especially the things that He cares about...the widows, the orphans.
New Hope has been transitioning for the last three years. “Are we there yet, God?”
— Lea Wawina, from the Congo, arrived last fall
One of our greatest transitions has been the movement to South City to walk along side our sisters in the immigrant and refugee community. God, alone knew that things would change within the People of Refuge (POR) Ministry. He alone knew the need of the implementation of the New City Health Ministry. And it was Him, who has known from the beginning that New Hope would be needed in a much different way in working with these ministries to serve His people in that community.
What’s been going on? New Hope has been praying about and moving in the direction of POR and South City for some time. Little did we know that God would take us south. As a pilot, in November of 2004, we hosted a New Hope meeting at the POR office. We really wanted to see what would happen. We had been seeking God about forming more intimate relationships among the immigrants and refugees in our midst, yet no clear direction seemed apparent. Thus we decided to try one meeting at the south office. Wow! It was a blessed time! God moved! The women (primarily of the Liberian community) were so excited about getting together. Since then, we have decided to have one New Hope meeting a month (now the 1st Thursday) in South City. Some of the ladies have even expressed an interest in meeting during the daytime hours as many of them are working evening jobs.
God has not only brought more women, He has brought more volunteers to help out. He has begun to raise up leadership within the immigrant/refugee community, Serrina Kwitee -Liberian, to name one. Serrina, a beautiful, gracious, Spirit-filled, woman of God, has joined the Diaconal, Free Store, and New Hope Moms Ministry teams. She will work a few hours a week with the different ministries to bridge the gap between the different cultures. Serrina had been praying about God using her within New City to minister to His people. She is so excited. And we are so blessed to have her on board.
With the addition of Serrina and other new volunteers, New Hope is excited about seeing what God is going to do as He continues to bring forth the women, and as He gives vision and direction on what He wants to accomplish in our lives. We will continue to seek opportunities to build relationships with single moms and women in need of diverse cultures, with a hope to share the love of Jesus. We welcome the new challenge to join the Health Ministry and Diaconal Ministry teams in visiting immigrant and refugee women. We are praying about and anticipating the implementation of more concentrated times of study in God’s Word with an emphasis on what it means to be a Christian - living the word, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and other areas that directly impact the lives and worship of the growing immigrant and refugee community within the body of New City Fellowship.
Remember, none of these things can be accomplished without you. We need your prayers!!
