You may be wondering why I feel so compelled to write a column on ministry to girls? Here’s my story: Growing up, I felt I needed to prove myself-in school, in sports, and especially in the church. It felt like most of the leaders were men and their attention went straight to the guys in our group; the girls were often an afterthought. Rarely did anyone take a special interest in ministry to the girls. Since I went to church alone, I found very few female role model made themselves available to the girls involved in the ministry. My desire was to learn how to grow as a woman of God, but I felt stuck.
When my senior year of high school approached, the pastor’s wife had a "girls only" event. It impacted me so much, I remember ALL the details and that’s been over 15 years since the event took place!
We met in her home early one morning. We began with devotions, then dove into our day-long adventure, looking at what it meant to be a godly woman. We talked about true beauty and understanding our emotions. We did manicures, created and wrote home-made thank you cards, and learned how to make a three-course meal including cream puffs for dessert (yum!). I have never forgotten that day.
So why did this one 24-hour period make such an indelible mark on my memory? Because for the first time I felt someone at the church was taking the time to invest in me as a young woman. The pastor’s wife helped me address personal issues, answer questions about characteristics of godly women, and met me right where I was as a young Christian female. At that moment I learned I wasn’t just one of the guys-I was learning what it meant to be a daughter of the King.
Are you taking special interest in the young women in your own ministry program? What are you doing to teach them the role of a godly woman? Keep your eyes open for future columns on thoughts and ideas for engaging and inspiring your girls to grow into the godly women God so longs for them to become.