“God’s there when you get there,” says Florence Wadman, a Women’s Connection area representative in Massachusetts. “When God calls you to do something and you say ‘yes,’ He always shows up.”
Florence discovered this truth when she got involved with Women’s Connection in her area in the 1990s. She’d been a Christ-follower for years when she started attending the Stonecroft outreach. But she didn’t see herself as a leader. Then she met Eleanor Kalem.
Eleanor, the prayer coordinator, went out of her way to make Florence feel welcome. She greeted Florence when she arrived and sat by her at meetings, helping her to get comfortable in the Stonecroft community. Eleanor also encouraged her to serve.
Eleanor suggested Florence consider coordinating Features for the Group events, a role that required public speaking.
“I could never do that!” she told Eleanor. Florence was shy and couldn’t imagine speaking in front of a Group.
“Give it a try. You can do it!” Eleanor persisted.
Finally, Florence accepted the assignment. “The first time you stand up in front of the Group, it’s so nerve-racking. But then the Holy Spirit takes over,” she says.
Florence grew in her leadership skills and later became Chair of the Merrimack Valley Women’s Connection in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Eleanor and several other leaders encouraged and mentored her in that role. Today, Florence invests in others what those leaders poured into her. That kind of investment continues to be relevant in Groups all over the country.
Florence is deeply grateful that Eleanor went out of her way to welcome her to Stonecroft years ago. “God had her there for a reason. She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”
Today, Florence gives something back to Eleanor, who now lives in a nursing home. Eleanor never married and has few living relatives, so Florence has become like family to her. She visits her three times a week. As part of her care team, she helps to meet Eleanor’s spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.
Though time passes and roles change, investment in others can reap long-time benefits for the giver, the recipient, and others around them. Getting women involved as Stonecroft volunteers is a great example of this.
Florence offers these suggestions for involving women in the Women’s Connection community:
- Obey the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
- Invite nonbelievers to every outreach event, even women you think might decline. “Sometimes it’s still hard for me to ‘put myself out there’ to do this, even after all these years in Stonecroft,” Florence admits. “But God always goes ahead of me. He’ll do the same for you.”
- Go out of your way to welcome visitors. “That’s so important!” she says. “But often we’re so wrapped up in our own lives that we don’t take the time to do this like we should.”
- Encourage newcomers to get involved right away.
“That’s the wonderful thing about Stonecroft,” Florence says. “This ministry not only brings women to Christ in a relational way, but (its leaders) also encourage women to go beyond what they think they are capable of doing. God has used Stonecroft immensely in that way. (Stonecroft leaders) push you out of your comfort zone.”
Mary Speidel
Writer and Editor