Presbyterian Women
What is a PW Circle?
It is a group of women who come together 1x a month for fellowship and to study God’s word.
Circle groups range in age and life stage to meet the needs of all women. If you are interested in nurturing your faith through Bible Study and prayer while meeting other women from the church, then a PW Circle is for you.
Village Church currently has 9 Circles, which meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month from September through May. All women are welcome!
PW Bible Study Leaders
One part of the Purpose of Presbyterian Women is “to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study. One way we can live out this purpose is through Bible Study during our monthly Circle gatherings. Women from all over the world use the Horizons Bible Study and it provides another link in our chain of Christian sisterhood. The study provides access to excellent resources that are available to all leaders, no matter the size of your church.
Each circle designates an individual…or individuals….to be the Presbyterian Women Bible Study Leader (PWBSL). At Village Church Linda Gibson coordinates all of the study leaders. This year, 2012-2013, there are twenty-four women who are leading the Horizons Bible Study entitled “Dispatches to God’s household: The General Epistles”. One might ask, “Why are there twenty-four study leaders for 9 circles?” And the answer is that several study leaders teach in their circle only part-time….the job is shared or rotated! Pastor Meg Peery McLaughlin is the staff person who meets with the PWBSL once a month. We meet on the 1st Tuesday to prepare the lesson for the Circle meetings the coming week. We are greatly blessed with Meg’s knowledge, wisdom and love for God and PW!! She considers this time together with the study leaders her circle, and she teaches us like she is our PWBSL! Meg prepares a possible outline for us to use which is a gleaning of the rich information provided in the study booklet. This helps us to facilitate the discussion in each of our circles.
In a very informal, unscientific survey of some of the PWBSL the following information was compiled:
Of the fifteen people surveyed three women were first-time study leaders; ten had been study leaders from 2-6 years, and some were leaders as “far back” to the time when Dr. Bob was the staff liaison and provided a topic for the circles to study and discuss.
In a sampling the ages of PWBSL are 34, 36, 40, 48, 55, 57, 58, 61, 64, 65, 67, 69, and 80.
When asked, “What are you looking forward to as a PWBSL?” three of the answers were (1) “Humbly learning about myself. I look forward to being equipped to lead and to thoughtfully share with others”; (2) “Garnering wisdom from Meg and the other women in the group; furthering my Christian journey.” (3) “Learning from the lesson and all the wisdom of the women in my circle.
When asked, “What do you like about studying the Bible in a PW Circle setting?” some of the answers were: “Insights from others; I love hearing what other women’s spiritual experiences and insights are; I love listening to women discuss God’s Word; I like the spiritual intimacy that develops among multi-generational circles; I am always the biggest learner; I have had my mind and spirit expanded in so many ways; I learn best when I hear various points of view and perception.”
Presbyterian Bible study leaders help us to learn, share and grow, so through this opportunity for study we will all be witness to the promise of God’s kingdom. You might want to think about saying “YES” to being a PWBSL the next time you have the opportunity!
The PW Bible Study leaders for 2012-2013 are: Judy Baird, Caryl Herman, Kim Higgins, Lisa Schellhorn, Karin Imhof, Rebecca Seyferth, Elizabeth Wallace, Linda Gibson, Audrey Pollard, Joan Benson, Bev Mullarkey, Jean Sullivan, Caroline Davidson, Gene Ann Newcomer, Kathy Peterson, Carla Rauth, Gloria Reed, Kathryn Kraal, Annette McLaughlin, Roxann Holland, Laurie Hughes, Carole Smith, Louise Woodward, Carolyn Fendorf, and Jennifer Sawyer.
Click for detailed information about PW Circles.
