Ladies, keep your eyes and ears peeled! God is always working and the Women’s Ministry of New Community (EXPOSE) is no exception! The next few months are sure to reveal many new opportunities to make connections with other women in our church family! Regardless of your age, stage in life, fears, concerns or even your joys, you are a part of the body of women that God has brought together. Are you ready to embark on year of “Making CONNECTIONS?”

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Mother’s of Young Children (MYC) Julie Taylor (785)643-5789
If you have a young child at home, you will not want to miss this opportunity to laugh, love and fellowship with many other women who also share in the joys and struggles of parenthood. Join us! Set aside a few hours for yourself and mark your calendars!

Monday, April 7th 6:30 p.m. at NCCC (meet in the basement)
Saturday, April 12th 9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. SCRAPBOOK Crop & Social (Bring your favorite snack to share, photos to crop and journal to draft!)

Hannah’s Circle--Monday, April 7th at 6:30 p.m.
If you missed the gathering last month, not to worry! Udena McKee and Nancy Whitely plan to offer the narrative again, on Hannah, her life and her devotion to God. If you are a woman who would describe yourself as “mature in age”, you will not want to miss this opportunity to gather along side other women and share what God has done, is doing and what He may have in store for you in the years to come! God is our constant help – our lives are a testimony of what God has done for us! Join us! Please bring a snack to share!! For more information, please contact Sharon Zerbe (785)825-2976, Nancy Whitely, (785)404-6356 or Udena McKee (785)493-0496.

Women’s Retreat 2008 Planning TEAM--Monday, April 14th at 7:00 p.m.
If you are interested in being a part of the 2008 Women’s Retreat Planning TEAM, please plan to gather on April 14th at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Leslie Hughes. Come with your thinking caps on! If you have any questions, please contact Leslie Hughes at (785)827-6417.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE!
Ministry Needs! What is on your heart? What is your gift? How can you bless others? How can we bless you?

Because EXPOSE functions on the basis of spiritual gifts and not elected offices (Romans 12:4-6), it is this time of year when it is proper to “EXPOSE” some of the pressing needs of our Women’s Ministry.

WOMEN’S RETREAT: (8-10 LADIES)
*Promotion *Planning *Games & Activities*Food and Decorating *Worship

TALLI’S GIFT: CHRISTMAS IN JULY 2008: (2-4 LADIES)
*Planning *Coordinating with families* Promotion

SECRET SISTERS: (1 LADY)
*Deb Edwards is looking for 1 special person to help with the planning, coordinating and maintenance of this special ministry.

THE COMMUNITY TREE: (2-3 LADIES)
*Plan, promote and coordinate this Holiday blessing. Ladies will work with Christina Lopez, Decorating Ministry.

MEDIA (1 LADY)
*Numerous opportunities, especially for promotions.

Other Ministries “In the Works” - Opportunities to BLESS and to be BLESSED!
Sharon Zerbe along with a few other women of our church have been praying and considering the “needs”,” “what’s” and “how’s” that would be involved in meeting the needs of women who would declare themselves to be “older” than most! Whether your children are out of the house, or if you are single, widowed or happily married, there is an opportunity to gather together with other women in your stage of life. You will not want to miss this opportunity to CONNECT. If you would like to visit with myself
or Sharon about this ministry “in the works”, please feel free to contact Leslie Hughes at (785) 827-6417 or Sharon Zerbe .

Are you the mother or a caregiver to a teenager? Do you yearn to talk with other women who are also enduring, oops, I mean embracing this special time in your young person’s life? Or, have you already lived through those times and you can offer some suggestions and insight to others? If so, and you would like to lead this ministry please contact Leslie Hughes at (785) 827-6417.

His Heart, His Hands March 2008 Article
"The Belt of Truth" By: Regina Henry

We all know the importance of speaking the truth, and how lies have a way of unraveling into chaos. But how many of us, though we guard against lying ourselves, fall prey nearly every day to the lies of the enemy? What goes on in your mind, for example, when someone you love is late getting home? As you walk away from a conflict or an awkward conversation, are you ever distracted by thoughts of what someone might be thinking about you? Do you ever find yourself drawn into arguments in your mind with someone who is not even in the room? Too often, in circumstances like these, a few carefully crafted suggestions are all the enemy needs to paralyze us with fear, anger, or despair. In Eph. 6:14, we are commanded to “stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around (our) waist,” as part of our defense against his attacks. Rick Renner, in his book, Sparkling Gems From the Greek, says that the belt was for the Roman soldier of Paul’s day “the central piece of weaponry that held much of the other pieces of armor in place.” In the same way, the belt of truth is what holds us together, both emotionally and spiritually.
II Cor. 10:3-5 says that we have been given power to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” So, how do we put on or tighten the belt of truth when we are beginning to “come undone?” We begin by putting out of our minds every thought that is not based on verified truth, and submitting those thoughts to the authority of Jesus. He who faced threats of suffering and rejection without being shaken lives within us to hold us firm as well. But what about those times when the fear we have fought against becomes reality? In these moments, the enemy will inevitably begin to question the “knowledge of God” in you - those things about God that you have believed and put your trust in. How you weather this onslaught will depend largely on how thoroughly your beliefs about God are grounded in truth. If I have nurtured the idea that God’s love requires Him to protect me from certain levels or kinds of suffering, then I have bought into one of the enemy’s most dangerous lies, and my faith is vulnerable, at best. To put on the belt of truth, we must begin by pursuing every day the truth about God Himself, and be willing to recognize the expectations we have built around Him that are not based on His word. This can be a hard and painful process. But as we press forward, we will be drawn into a love that is beyond our understanding, and girded with the truths that will hold our faith intact when tested, rather than coming unraveled. He who leads our hearts beside quiet waters (Ps. 23) has also said, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” (Is. 43:2.) Even as we ask for quiet waters, let the strength of our faith depend, not on a certain outcome, but on our certainty of God’s unfailing attention and care for
us. Although I am not completely “there” yet, I have seen in others that where the belt of truth is securely fastened, the intimate presence of God will rule, even in the hardest of times.