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Women's Ministries Programs
“He Remembers Our Names”
May Worship Program
Janene Zielinksi
Setting the Mood
Pair a name brand item with a generic item. For example use a box of Cheerios® and a store brand cereal. Other popular items that have generic equivalents are shampoos, cleaning supplies, clothing items or food. Use these in the center of each table or on a table at the front of the meeting room. Have the women discuss the differences between the original and the generic. Remind them that each one of us is an original. No one is generic with God.
Refreshments
Serve generic and name brand treats. See if the women can tell the difference between the products.
Program Ideas
My Name
As the women arrive, have them write on a note card a short explanation of how they received their first name. Ask them to keep it a secret and leave the note card in a basket. At intervals throughout the program, pick a card from the basket and read how a woman got her name. Share just a few at a time, but be sure to include everyone.
Stone of Remembrance
Write the names of the women on a large smooth river stone. This could be done as the women are introduced during the activity “Getting to Know You.”
Purchase plastic jewels from a craft store. Glue them to the names covering the river stone. A good time to do this would be during the devotional time when discussing the High Priest breast piece (Exodus 28). Add this stone to the altar of remembrance.
Getting to Know You
Even if the women know each other well, this is a fun and affirming activity. Pair up the women with someone they may not know very well and instruct them to spend two minutes getting to know each other by sharing the best thing that ever happened to them.
Have the interviewer choose a one–word description (attribute) that begins with the same letter of the alphabet as the name of the woman she is interviewing. For example: Joyful Jane, Happy Helen or Super Sarah. Go around the room and have each of the women introduce their new friend using their descriptive name and tell something they learned about them. Give each woman a small stone to write her name on to remind her that God will not forget her name.
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Theme:
"Memories"
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Devotions
God Never Forgets Our Name
We remember the names of those who are closest to us—our spouse, children or someone we spend a lot of time with. But have you ever been embarrassed at a store or a party because you couldn’t remember a person’s name? Most people love to be called by name. One of our greatest fears is that we will not be remembered. This fear can tempt us to take desperate measures in our desire to be recognized. Many of us think if we only work hard enough or if we identify ourselves with a celebrity or a good cause, we will be remembered—at least for a little while. When someone remembers us, we feel important.
Read John 10:1–5. This is the parable of Jesus as our shepherd. Look at verse three: “He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.” John reminds us that God knows us so well that He calls us by name. We are important to Him. We don’t have to do anything to earn this recognition other than being His sheep. He remembers us all and never forgets a name.
In a crowded mall, a mother hears a child call out “mom!” Although several women could answer to that name, one turns toward the child. A mother knows her child’s voice. Look at John 10:4: “His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.” In Bible times, to “know” someone meant much more than just being able to recall their name or recognize their voice. It meant you had spent time with them and had common experiences. It was when you truly knew someone that you earned the right to “call them by name.” Ask the group to discuss how we know the voice of the Good Shepherd.
Read Isaiah 49:14–16. Discuss the images used to communicate that God cannot forget us. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne” (verse 15)? What insights into God’s character does verse 16 reveal? “See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.” God has our names carved, not just pictured, on His hand. Read Exodus 28:15–30. Have the group discuss the way God designed the breast piece of the high priest. What did the stones represent? (Add the jewels to the Stone of Remembrance at this point.) What was to appear above the stones (verse 21)? What was the purpose of the breast piece (verse 29, 30)? Try to imagine what the high priest must have looked like as he entered God’s presence wearing the breast piece. How can we learn about praying for our loved ones from this image?
Educators tell us that children will not “know” a new concept if they are just told about it or simply watch it. They must experience the concept if they are just told about it or simply watch it. They must experience the concept with each of their senses—seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. We are God’s children. We are the sheep of the Good Shepherd. Jesus, our High Priest, bears our names before the throne of Grace. God wants us to be so intimate with Him that we know Him in every sense. We recognize
His voice because we have spent time with Him. We follow Him because we are certain we can trust and put our faith in Him. We know that God cares about us. He never forgets our name. He always remembers.
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