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Women's Ministries Programs
May 2006
"A Time To Remember"
Fellowship Program
by
Debora Sam
Eastrern Territory
History of Memorial Day
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves. By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America’s wars.
In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May.
Community Picnic
Sponsor a picnic to honor veterans or those men and women who are now serving our country. Invite the community to participate. Ask various vendors to supply the food and other items that will be needed.
Honoring Veterans
Invite a number of veterans to the women’s ministries meeting. For suggestions of these individuals, ask the women if members of their family served in the military. If you don’t have any veterans in your corps, contact a Veteran’s Hospital in your community for their recommendations. Ask the staff for information about these veterans so that you can hare their story.
Service Suggestion
Following the program, take a group of the women to the cemetery to clean the graves of veterans.
Program Ideas
1. The site www.usmemorialday.org has a wealth of information that can be incorporated into a program honoring veterans—the history of Memorial Day, poetry, prayers, images, videos and music. It also has links to other helpful sites.
2.Interview a veteran, asking where they served, how many years they were in the armed forces and their memories of those days.
3. Ask someone who has lost a family member or friend in a war to share about this experience.
4. Some of the women may remember World War II, the Korean War or the Viet Nam War, ask them to share what they remember about those times.
5. Sing patriotic songs. Numbers 963, 965, 966, 967, 968 in The Salvation Army Song Book would be suitable.
6. See if a local high school band could join forces with the corps band to provide patriotic music.
Refreshment Ideas
1. For a picnic—hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad and soft drinks.
2. Flag cake—ice a sheet cake with vanilla frosting. Make the stripes and stars using raspberries, strawberries and blueberries or use red and blue candy (gum drops, jellybeans, red licorice).
3. Berry parfaits—layer strawberries, whipped cream and blueberries in a clear plastic cup.
4. Serve red, white and blue popcorn —available at specialty shops.
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Devotions
Healing Our Land
“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14). This verse is probably the best–known verse in Chronicles. After 9/11 it was frequently quoted. We heard such expressions as “God is punishing America for her sin;” and “If America doesn’t turn from her evil ways soon, God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” But is that really the context of this well known verse of Scripture?
The temple Solomon built had just been dedicated. Verse eleven and twelve indicate, “When Solomon … had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, the Lord appeared to him at night and said …” (Read 2 Chronicles 12–22.) God was speaking to the Israelites (see Numbers 6:27 and Deuteronomy 28:10) and told them to humble themselves. God spoke often to the
Israelites and others about humbling themselves (see Exodus 10:3, 1 Kings 21:29). But in addition to humbling themselves, they had to pray and seek God’s face. Lastly, in order for their land to be healed, they needed to turn from their wicked ways. Many times the Israelites followed the gods of Canaan. They disobeyed God time after time, but if they would follow His instructions, God says to Solomon, He would heal their land.
The United States is definitely in need of healing. Although 2 Chronicles 7:14 was a promise given to the Israelites, we can follow the edicts prescribed there. We need to humble ourselves before God by putting away our pride, admitting to ourselves and to others that we don’t always know the answers and, more importantly, stop playing god in our everyday lives. First Peter 5:7 reminds us, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” We need to surrender control and depend more on Him. We need to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Finally, we all need to pray more in the Holy Spirit—not our own self invoked prayers—but for those things that the Holy Spirit lays upon our hearts.
Shirley Dobson is among many who believe that “Prayer is the hope of our nation.” It is the only hope. No president, political party, religious group or civil rights group can really change our nation. Only God can do that.
We need to remember those who have given their lives for our freedom. We should pray for those who are serving in our armed forces, daily risking their lives to protect us from evil. But first, we need to pray that God will reveal Himself to each one of us, and that the Holy Spirit will show us our wicked ways, so that we may be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Finally, our prayer should be that God will bless and forgive America. |
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