Janet has been at GBC for the best part of 12 years and is a familiar face to most of us, mostly through her involvement with the ladies ministry and Compassion.
Janet joined the ladies committee soon after becoming a member of the church and has been involved with the Ladies Bible study at GBC for about five years. As a precursor to the upcoming ladies weekend away, Janet and I had coffee and a little chat to pull together some intel on what goes on with the ladies in GBC...
“We have two types of Bible study. One requires study at home followed by a discussion meeting, the other doesn’t require any study at home, just the discussion meeting, where we all study the Bible together.
This second type, called ‘40 Minute’ Studies, are what we use on Tuesday mornings and are going to use when we go away for the weekend.
The Bible study groups at GBC use materials supplied by Precept Ministries.” Janet explained that they like the Precept Studies because they work directly from the Bible following a very clear method. Firstly by observing the text thoroughly, next finding out what it means by looking at similar passages, and finally by asking “How does this apply to me”?
‘Using this method, all our discussions relate to what the Bible is teaching us.’
It is 2 years since the ladies’ previous weekend away at which they studied the first three chapters of Revelation.
So what will happen on this ladies weekend? ‘We will be studying ‘The Power of Knowing God’, a brand new study by Kay Arthur. We’ll arrive on Friday at around 7pm and have coffee and cake, followed by the first session of study.
Then we will relax and have some fun for the rest of the evening. On Saturday morning we will have 2 more study sessions and after lunch, we are free to go shopping or go home. Leaders for each of the sessions have been arranged, so no one has to worry about being put on the spot! There will be some time set aside for people to pray for each other.’
Laura McGreevy’s vision for the year was from Ephesians 1: 13-25, that the ladies of GBC might know God better. So each meeting this year has been planned around this theme.
Janet added: ‘We wanted the weekend away to be like Tuesday mornings – a ‘no-homework’ study that would give the ladies an opportunity to delve into and discuss God’s word. This new book fits perfectly with our theme for the year.’
What is so special about Tuesday mornings?
‘Our ladies really treasure the Tuesday morning group. (There is a crèche, so young children are welcome.) We learn from God - it’s not always easy, and from each other’s experiences, we laugh and pray together. We also follow up on prayers and ask how each of us are doing. This prayer time together is very important to all of us, that’s why we want to have a prayer time when we are away.’
What would you say to any ladies who are, as yet, unconnected to the ladies ministry?
‘Please come on the weekend! We would love to see you. This is a great way to get to know each other better.‘
‘Many women can’t come to our Tuesday morning bible study as they are working; so this is a great opportunity for them to find out what it is all about!’ It’s also an opportunity for young mums as the weekend has only for one night away from home - to make it easier to leave the children with their capable fathers’.
‘The Whitepark Bay Hostel is one of the best hostels in Northern Ireland. There are 4 twin rooms, 10 rooms with 4 beds and one room with 6, the beds are very comfortable. Each room has a private bathroom and there are lovely views as we will be right on the coast. There is a pathway from the hostel to the beach. We have booked out the whole hostel...but.. this means we have to have a lot of names in by the end of February in order to keep the booking!‘
Venue: Whitepark Bay Hostel
Date: 10/5/2013 – 11/5/2013 Cost: £45.00
Hurry: if you wish to go, please speak to Janet or Laura today!