Ladies Comedy Night

Hey Girlfriends!
Are you ready for a night of laughs and relaxation after all the
holiday rush?

Then this event is for you!!!

A NIGHT of LAUGHS with
ANITA RENFROE

This Wednesday
January 2, 2008
7 pm

Where:
5325 Seaman St.
Oregon, Ohio

If drive-way is full, park across the street at the municipal building and walk over.

Women of Hope Ministries is providing popcorn and pop! If you’d like, you can bring a snack food to pass!

Christmas Celebration - December 8th

What a blessing God is! What miracles He can and does perform!

Ladies, I've said before and I'll say it again - We serve an AWESOME God!!!!! All praise and glory goes to Him for this evening!!!! And for Karen Alexander-Doyel are guest speaker and sister-in-Christ!

Karen spoke on her continuing testimony! Giving us an update on her health and her joy! She spoke about Psalm 119 - David, a man after God's own heart! Summary: Psalm 119 is all about God's Word: loving it, reading it, following it - John 1:1 tells us that Jesus Christ is God's Word. David was a man after God's own heart because he loved God's Son, Jesus Christ the Word before he even knew he existed! How awesome is that!!! Ladies, if we really want to know Jesus Christ and His ways, all we need to do is open our Bibles! He is the Word of God!

Thank you Karen! For your obedience to the Lord and for being a light in our lives!!! We love you!!

Here are some great pictures! Thanks to our so professional photographers, Sandi and Erin Leiser!! Thank you, girls! We appreciate these pics! Also thank you to each lady who served at the party by decorating and undecorating for us!!! You are a blessing!!!!

We had several new faces at this celebration! If you brought a friend, please let them know about this site! So they can check it out!!!

Think about this....

YOU WILL NEED TO PAUSE THE MUSIC TO THE RIGHT BEFORE YOU WATCH THIS VIDEO!

As we are getting ready for Christmas, please remember to keep CHRIST in Christmas! He is the reason for the season. Christmas isn't all about the babe in the manger, it is really about what that baby meant for us, it was about the baby who grew up and became a man and died for our salvation! For YOU and for me! (John 3:16) It didn't stop there - He died and rose again! He is our God in heaven!!! Who offers us redemption and eternal life with Him. He is the God of second chances!!!!! He loves you and me even with all our blemishes! He loves us in spite of our imperfection! He loves us in spite of our sins!!!! Tell someone Merry CHRISTmas today! Share the gospel with them!!!!!

Psalm 23 For Today By: Dena Dyer

You will need to go to the right and pause the music in the blue music box before you watch this video!

I found this video tonight and I had tears as I watched it. From the mouths of babes sometimes come words from God.

Psalm 23 is probably close to your heart, like it is mine. This video reminded me of a version of Psalm 23 that I had read in a book called Grace for the Race: Meditations for Busy Moms by Dena Dyer.

Psalm 23 for Today

The Lord is my Shepherd--
In the midst of the war on drugs,
the war on terrorism,
and the spiritual warfare in my soul.
I shall not want--
with Him as my Savior and provider,
I'm perfectly content.
While others strive for and worry about
a bigger house, a newer car, designer clothes, and jewels,
I will rest in my calling and purpose--
knowing God and making Him known
in this hurting, harried world.

He leads me beside still waters--
Cool, clear streams of peace
in the midst of orange alerts,
space shuttle disasters, stock market fluctuations,
and baggage inspections.
When emotional baggage threatens my sanity,
He renews my mind.
When grief and despair descend,
He heals my heart.
When doubts and fears assail my tranquillity,
He restores my soul.

Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death--
filled with threats of biological and chemical warfare,
nuclear bombs and ghosts of past regrets--
I will fear no evil.
Not AIDS or smallpox,
not child abductors or doomsayers.
Thou art with me--
even when I feel alone in a crowd.

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me--
especially when I read the paper or watch the news.
(Why do I read or watch? I know the ending!)
Thou anointest my head with oil--
the oil of gladness and peace,
with a calling to be
light and joy in a dark, fear-filled world.

Help me to be a peace-full, grace-full person, Lord,
in the midst of a chaotic world.
Truly, my cup runneth over.
You have blessed me so much!
I have friends and family who love me,
a warm bed, freedom, grace, (more than) enough food,
and a fulfilling purpose.

Surely goodness and mercy--
Your grace, love, forgiveness, and compassion--
shall follow me all the days of my life.
Every second, every minute, You are before and
behind me, with Your arms of love outstretched.

And one day--when all wars and pain,
terror and shame
will come to an end...(Come quickly, Lord Jesus !)
I will dwell in the house of the Lord,
Your glorious kingdom,
where You've prepared an eternal home for me.

Turn on your SPEAKERS

We've added something new to the blog! MUSIC!!!!
Turn up your speakers and you will hear it.
The songs will automatically shuffle or you can scroll down to the music box on the right and click on the song you'd like to hear!

We hope this will put a smile on your face! And perhaps give you a little hope!

A Christmas Celebration

Operation Dough-Nation

It has been several weeks since we began working with Panera Bread in Perrysburg to bring Operation Dough-nation to Oregon Nazarene Church. This new ministry has been such a blessing already, in just a short time. We would like to share a couple of brief testimonies about this ministry: "Our daughter has a friend who knows a family with 16 foster children and they would love to have some of the bread from Wednesday nights. Also, George asked his mailman who in his work neighborhood was in need and got two names. He went to their houses, introduced himself and distributed some bread there also. All three of these families were very greatful and would like more, so he will be picking up more this week."


"I took some bread to my neighbor across the street who has three little girls. She was not home the first night so I put in her door. Later this week, I saw her door open, so I went over and introduced myself to her. She was So thankful. I took her some more tonight. Again she was so thankful. This time I also included a church bulletin so she would know which church we attend."


"I picked up a couple bags of bread on Wednesday. One for me, and one for a woman I work with. She supports a family of 5 (including 2 teenagers) on her income, which is less than mine. It made her day! I have been trying to get her to try out our church, and she even said "you're gonna make me want to go to church!". Please continue this ministry, I really think it is a good thing."

Operation Dough-nation happens on Wednesday nights at Oregon Nazarene Church. Women's Ministries facilitates this ministry however participation is open to anyone. At 6:45 pm, during Caravans you can pick up a grab bag of bread, pastries, and bagels for someone you know could use it! Or for yourself! This is a first come, first serve basis. Please join us in blessing our neighbors! Also if you would like to serve in this ministry by picking up from Panera or sorting the bread - let Women's Minsitries know! We could always use the help!

Are you ready?????

How time flies! We have been anxiously awaiting to begin Beth Moore's Daniel Bible Study and in just 4 short weeks we will be doing just that! How exciting! On Wednesday nights, beginning November 7th - this Bible Study will begin. We are going to be meeting at Christ UMC on the corner of Starr and Stadium - there will be child care - Caravan's will be meeting there as well. There is a cost to this study: $14.95 - this is the price of the book which is essential to the study. Women's Ministries has begun taking orders for this book. To place your order, please make your check payable to ONC Women's Ministries and give it to either Lin or Sharon. We will be available in the foyer starting this Sunday Oct. 14th .

This is not just an enriching Bible study - it is a LIFE-CHANGING Bible study! Please make plans to attend - you won't want to miss it! For Preview of this Study - click here

The study is divided into two six week sessions. The first session will start Nov. 7th. We will take a break for Christmas and then restart the second week of January with the second session!

Other BIG NEWS!!!

Mark your calendars!! Saturday, December 8th, Women's Ministries Christmas Celebration @ St. Charles Hospital Oregon Room at 5 pm. Guest Speaker: Karen Alexander-Doyel!!!! We are so honored to be able to invite Karen back to ONC and thankful that God has continued to use her in her weakness! If you missed her at our Daughters of the King Banquet or if you had a friend that you wish could have seen her and if you saw, you know you would love to see her again - well, now's your chance! Her topic theme is: GOD'S WORD / GOD'S SON - MY GUIDE, LIFE, JOY, LOVE (A study of Psalm 119)

Our intentions were for this event to be at our current building and be a potluck - however, God is GOOD and our building has sold! This has caused a modification our plans. Again this event will be at the Oregon Room in St. Charles Hospital. With this we have had to move from a potluck to a catered meal. Therefore there will be a $10.00 cost for the event. This isn't so bad, had we all made dishes it would have cost about that anyways. This way we get to just come and enjoy what the Lord has prepared for us! The other benefit that God has provided in selling our building is that our building would only hold 120 women in our sanctuary - the Oregon Room can hold up to 200!!!! What a chance we have to show love to our family and friends! Like the group of friends who brought the sick man to Jesus, we need to bring our family and friends to Christ. There will be door prizes, a meal, a speaker, Christmas joy, and much more! Please plan on attending and bringing a couple of friends!

Tickets go on sale - OCT. 21st - Get them quickly!

Also if you would like to help out with this event please contact Lin or Sharon.

Dinner & A Story

This evening Women's Ministries had our second Dinner & A Story. All I can say - next time we are bringing tissues!!!! We'll have them on the tables for everyone. Ladies, it's not that it was sad. There is nothing like sitting in a room with women who are laughing, crying and growing in Christ together. If you have missed our Dinner & A Story's, we encourage you to come to the next.

The atmosphere is always safe. It is a place that you can connect with the women at ONC. It is a night that you are able to get to know one woman in a very personal way through her testimony. Tonight, Kim Donofrio spoke for us. (And yes, I left my camera at home! Sorry!) Kim has attended ONC for about 9 months and we have been so blessed by her families attendance. Her family has definitely been grafted into the family at ONC.

Every women in the room was able to relate to Kim's story. We have entered the room one way and have left forever changed. Words cannot express the depth of fellowship this evening. God was truly there with us this evening! There's no denying!

Thank you Kim from the bottom of our hearts! Your courage to share has inspired us all!!!!! We are truly blessed to have you as a Sister in Christ!

GROUNDBREAKING & DEDICATION

This past Sunday, September 16th was a monumentous day in the life of Oregon Nazarene Church. After several years of anticipation, we were finally able to dedicate our 38 acres on Starr Ext. in Oregon as holy land and break some ground there on the property.

It was an exciting day. After our Sunday morning service, the congregation piled into our cars and caravaned to our new property - police escort and all! It was quite a thing to be a part of. Once on the Starr Ext. we all parked down the road about 1/2 mile and began to walk (and ride golf carts) to the new property. I can only imagine the neighbors thoughts as they watched nearly 200 people parading down the street and gathering in the soybean field that is soon to be ONC's new ministry center.

Our District Superintendent, Larry Fairbanks, joined us for the day. He had the privilege of dedicating the land to the Lord's use. Our church board were the first to break ground. Second, came the children. We all brought shovels for the kids to break ground, since this ministry center is the legacy we are building for them. Everyone took part after that!!!

God is SO GOOD! Here are some pictures of the day. Including pics of some of our very special women at ONC. Look close and you will see the joy of the day expressed on their faces.

Stepping out on FAITH!

WOW! How great is our God? Well, we are learning more and more each day that words cannot express just how great He is!



ONC has been for about three years now planning to build a new ministry center on property we had purchased on the Starr Ext. in Oregon, OH. Our current building had not sold yet, however, we as a congregation took a LEAP of Faith and said let's break ground on the new building and build what we can afforded and trust God to do the rest. Well, if you haven't heard already - within weeks of that decision, after years of no buyers for our current building, God sent a buyer knocking - we have a buyer for our existing property.

You may be asking "what does this mean for Women's Ministries?" Well, here's the answer:

This changes (in an exciting) way everything - As of Nov. 11th we will not have our current building at our disposal for events, activities, etc. So we are going to get creative!!!! Women's Ministries will still have every event on our schedule during our transition. We are looking for sites to continue our festivities at! Nothing will be left out - and Women's Ministries will still go on! (YEAH!)

This is why it is important for you to stay connected in all ways possible. If you have email and would like to be on the Women's Ministries email list - please email Sharon at mcqueary1@bex.net , if you aren't on the Nazarenes in Prayer email prayer chain - again let us know and we will get you on it. Remember the church website www.onaz.org. There are plenty of ways to remain in the "know." Please last, but certainly not least PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR OUR CHURCH - this is an exciting time and we need God's power for every bit.

Looking for YOU!!!

Women's Ministries is looking for YOU!!!!

We need your help! This is your chance to get involved in the planning and preparation for many upcoming events.
We are looking for dedicated women (or just creative women!) to join our planning teams for the United Day of Prayerful Fasting on Sept. 20th, our Christmas Celebration on Dec. 8th (there is BIG NEWS about this - you will not want to miss it!) and for our winter retreat in February.

This is an exciting time in Women's Ministries. There are so many things in the works. Our council is energized and ready to help you connect with our faith community, as well as come alongside you on your faith walk to help you grow and change in Christ.

Please come on aboard and join the fun!

Daughters of the King Banquet - May 4, 2007

"The King's daughter is all glorious within." Psalms 45:13

This was our first "Annual" Daughters of the King Banquet.

It was a twist on the traditional Mother/daughter banquet. Not every women is a mother, but every woman is a daughter.

We had 120 women in attendance at this banquet. We had three guests that evening:

Karen Alexander-Doyel, Katie Jordan and Mary Mortemore

All three were just spectacular!

We are looking for pictures from anyone who attended this event. We have video - we are attempting to figure out how to upload fragments of that. But in the mean time, if you have any pics please let Sharon McQueary know via email or a comment on here.

I John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called daughters of God! And that is what we are!"

Women of Faith - June 22-23

Women of Faith - Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena - the "Q" - June 22-23, 2007

This year ONC Women's Ministries took 25 women and one guy volunteer to this Women of Faith conference.

It was awesome - I am going to let Tammy our Newsletter Editor say it all. The below was published in our monthly newsletter "Women with Purpose", which you can find online at http://www.onaz.org/ under the Women's Ministries link. If you went and have any pics that you would like to add here please email me.

AMAZING FREEDOM by Tammy Strahl

What would it be like to be truly free?
Can you imagine it? God promises
that we can be free. This is truly the
biggest, boldest promise in the Bible -
the promise of freedom.

On
June 22 and 23, twenty-five of us from ONC attended the Women of Faith
conference in Cleveland to celebrate our Amazing Freedom in God. It was an
experience like no other. Just some of what we experienced were: comedian
Anita
Renfroe, music from Sheila Walsh, Luci Swindoll and others. Through
them we
learned about how God has given us amazing freedom. They showed us
how to claim
that freedom and life it out in our everyday lives. We laughed.
We cried. We
strengthened bonds with each other. We met new people, and made
new friends.
Here are just some of our ladies who attended, sharing their
thoughts on the
experience, and the lessons we learned.

Lin - you
only need to ask God's forgiveness once

Jen - uplifting, renewing
experience. I will go home refreshed. This is my
6th Women of Faith
conference and I will never miss one.

Melanie - This is my first year at
WOF and it's a much bigger experience
that I thought it would be. It was
full of meaningful messages. I haven't
laughed so hard as I have this
weekend with these women.

Beth - It really touched where I am right now.
I got a lot out of it.

Sandi - wonderful, uplifting time of fellowship,
laughter and tears. It was
a reconfirmation that God is with us on the
mountaintop and the
valleys...

Sharon H. - uplifting, Marilyn
Merberg was very good. It was great to just
get away.

Sue = I went
witha heavy heart and left with my heart
uplifted

Jody- awesome,
Anita was hilarious. Anyone who doesn't attend these is
missing a lot

Donna - this was my first time at a WOF conference and it was
amazing

Sharon M- It's awesome to see God work through each of the
women He has
called to be part of this conference - how He has given them
the exact words,
each of the 12,000 women that attended needed to hear. It's
an event that I
can't imagine having missed.

Dawn - God meet s you
wherever you are, whether in the valley, or on the
mountain top

Goldie - no matter how big we think our weaknesses are, God is bigger
than
our weaknesses

Robin - irreverent humor, refreshing honesty. I
can relate to the pastor's
wife stuff from Anita Renfroe

Tracey -
This is my first time and it has been the most heartfelt,
wonderful
experience in my life. Special thanks to the kind woman from
Pennsylvania
who gave me the $8 extra I needed to buy a CD

Pull one of these women
aside and ask them about our "IS" or what "raises
us up." Ask them about
teen "cutting" or "spray on tans." Have them tell you
about "dancing bones"
or being free "inside and out." Or ask them about their
"purse-onality."
Most importantly, ask them how you can join us at the Women of
Faith
"Infinite Grace" conference in 2008!

Secret Sister Revealing - April 3, 2007

Women's Ministries at ONC concluded the 2006-2007 Secret Sister program with a revealing party at Joy's house. Secret Sisters is program in which women attending Oregon Nazarene Church are assigned a women to secretly pray for during the year, this also includes giving secret notes of encouragement and sometimes small gifts. Not every women at ONC is involved, this past year we had about 20 in the group. It is just a fun and mysterious way to get to know other women but most importantly to know that there is a women specifically praying for you everyday of the year and knowing that you are uplifting another women in prayer daily.

At this party, the suspense finally ended - we all found out who had been our Secret Sister for the past year. A fun part of the year, is trying to figure out who has your name. Just as equally stimulating is trying to keep your assigned sister for figuring out who you are. There's a lot of sneaking into church early to put gifts on tables (without being seen) and driving to mailboxes across town just to have a postmark different than your town. Myself, I was completely clueless this year about who had been praying for me, and in the end it all made sense! She was great Secret Sister.

Here's one woman's response when asked: What was the best thing about Secret Sisters this year:

"It is nice to know that you are being lifted up in prayer."

When asked what is the best gift that a Secret Sister ever gave you - one woman answered

"Prayer during a difficult and stressful year."

This is the overwhelming response to our Secret Sister program - it is amazing to see how God can use a simple gift exchange

Please check out our church website

Please check out our church website:
www.onaz.org

follow links to Women's Ministries - there you will find out all about our mission and calling

Welcome to ONC's Women's Ministries Blog

Hello!
This is a new thing for Lin and I. We were looking for a way to correspond on a daily basis with the women of ONC and to keep everyone updated on our events and movements within Women's Ministries.

We are new at this - so please bear with us! Hope you like!