As we prepare our hearts and homes for the beautiful gift of time with loved ones, we also reflect upon those things for which we are most grateful - our families, our faith, and God's providence in our lives.
Before all the hustle and bustle begins, I want to take a moment to thank you, our Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® family.
Since 1987, I have had the awesome privilege and gift of working in the vineyard of the Lord in the field of evangelization. Saying thank you seems inadequate to express my deep gratitude for your partnership with us, but
my staff and I are TRULY grateful. We work hard to make sure that your spiritual and financial support are fully utilized to heal hearts, change lives and save souls each and every day.
Through your partnership in our mission to "transform the world one woman at a time" God has graced us with many achievements this year including:
- The 9th Annual Women of Grace Retreat and Benedicta Leadership Institute for Women held at Orchard Lake Schools in Orchard Lake, MI in July.
- The 2015 Women of Grace National Conference and Benedicta Leadership Institute for Women held in St. Francis of Assisi Church in Grapevine, TX in October.
- Speaking engagements in Grapevine, TX, Laredo, TX, Pittsburgh, PA, Greenville, SC, Wildwood, FL, Steubenville, OH, St. Petersburg, FL, Philadelphia, PA, and San Antonio, TX.
- Regional Women of Grace Facilitator Training events in Pittsburgh, PA and Wildwood and Boca Raton, FL.
- Board of Directors Retreat in July held in Safety Harbor, FL.
- Participation in the World Meeting of Families as co-anchor with Doug Keck, President of EWTN, in Philadelphia, PA in September.
- The production of 150 new Women of Grace® television programs and 260 Women of Grace® Live radio programs seen and heard on EWTN.
- The development and soft launch of the Young Women of Grace Study Program.
- Over 150 new study groups in English and Spanish begun around the world including: 40 of the 50 states and Australia, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, and Gibraltar.
But our greatest achievements are the individual lives that are transformed by the Women of Grace study programs. One very special woman, Claire, shared her story with us this year. This was her closing remark upon completing the study:
"This study was dropped into my lap - and my life - by the Lord as a direct answer to my prayer and efforts to go deeper into his heart, the beautiful heart of his mother, and the HEART OF MY FAMILY. The fruits of which are a call to go deeper and further into the ministry of the Church and its service to the world in a mission of the New Evangelization. I feel called to bring this to my own parish now and continue the Lord's work in healing, strengthening, encouraging, and calling women. I praise and glorify God for the way he has worked in the lives of the women of this study and feel privileged to have heard their stories over the course of these months. In fact, he has revealed himself to me as I see his actions in their lives. The sharing has been one of the greatest and most grace-filled aspects of the study."
Claire is just one of the many lives impacted by the work that we do. None of it would be possible without your prayers, your time as a volunteer and your financial support. Our mission can only continue with your ongoing support.
May God bless you for partnering with us so that so much could be accomplished in 2015 but t
here is much more work to be done to "transform the world" and make the face of Christ known. Will you continue to join hands with us in 2016?
Some of our exciting plans for 2016 include:
- The full launch of the Young Women of Grace Study Program in the 1st Quarter of 2016.
- The completion and launch of our fully updated new website by the spring of 2016.
- Expansion of the Benedicta Leadership Institute for Women to offer a Master's Degree and Certification in Catholic Women's Leadership in the summer of 2016.
- The launch of the Grace-Filled Moments Study Program in the fall of 2016.
I need your help with these exciting projects and to continue the work of this apostolate. In addition to the funds being raised for the full Young Women of Grace launch, we need to raise $65,000 to start the New Year in a position of financial strength. If possible I'd like to raise this money by December 31st so we can enter the New Year with a clean slate.
I'm praying five heroes will step forward with gifts of $10,000 or more. Could you consider being one of the five? If not, please join me in praying the Lord wi
l
l inspire someone else to give at that
l
evel
.
I'm also praying for he
r
oic sacrifices in the range of $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000. Could you consider donating at that level?
I'm also praying for many gifts in the range of $500, $250, $100, $75, $50, or whatever you can sacrifice. Would one of those amounts be possible for you?
No gift is too large, and no gift is too small.
Please prayerfully consider making a sacrificial year-end donation so that we may continue to heal hearts, change lives and save souls. We are having a special Christmas Mass said by Fr. Philip Scott, F.J. for all of our benefactors.
Thank you again for placing your trust in us. May you experience the peace that surpasses understanding during the beautiful and holy seasons of Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas and throughout the New Year. Be assured of my personal thoughts and prayers for you and your intentions.
With Gratitude,
Johnnette Benkovic
P.S. Remember, I need your help to enter 2016 in a position of strength so we can escalate our outreach and change more lives. That's why I'm asking you to prayerfully make a generous end-of-year tax-deductible gift. When you write out a generous check you'll have a warm feeling in your heart, knowing you're helping to change lives. Please send your gift today.
P.P.S. Your end-of-the-year, tax-deductible gift for 2015, must be received by December 31st. For your convenience, you can make
your donation online via our secure website or you can make your send your check payable to Living His Life Abundantly (or
Women of Grace)
P.O. Box 5828,
Clearwater, FL 33758-5828. Please indicate EOY2015 in the memo line.
P.P.P.S. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Wednesday of Thanksgiving week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at
1-800-558-5452 if you would prefer to make your donation over the phone.
|
