Faithful at the cross. First to know of the Lord's resurrection. Women who respond to God's call, whether others see it as big or small, are part of God's plan for the ages.


April 2017
Grace Touch 
Facilitating Global Impact
She Dared to Obey
By Viki Rife

Sarah's father, John, was the first to notice the changes in his daughter. The nineteen-year-old had become quiet and withdrawn. When he asked what was wrong, she looked pained, but wouldn't explain. Finally he sat her down and said, "Whatever it is, you can tell me. What is bothering you so much?"
Slowly, hesitantly at first, Sarah opened her heart to her father. "I think God is calling me to go out and preach. I need to tell people about Jesus."
Her father wisely asked her probing questions. He recognized a sincerity in her that he could not deny. "I don't know what to think," he told her. In the Brethren church in 1827, it was unthinkable for a woman to speak up, much less preach. Yet he also wanted to make sure his daughter obeyed God.
"Let's talk to the church elders," he told her. "Maybe they can advise us in this situation."
Surprisingly, the church elders listened to what Sarah had to say without dismissing her. They asked her questions. They, too, recognized her sincerity and her distress over sensing a call she could not fulfill. Finally, they offered her a chance to preach at one of their church services there in Germantown, Pennsylvania.
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She wasn't surprised!

Women have made significant contributions to society, many of them in small ways that others may never know about. Ruth Barndt was one of those women for me. At age 16 I began attending a Grace Brethren church in my home town, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. I needed a way to get there-Ruth and Harry Barndt stepped up and offered to take me. We had been neighbors years earlier in another part of town. My parents were glad someone they knew was providing my ride.

The Barndts faithfully picked me up every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. If they couldn't come for me, they had someone else pick me up. Once while riding home from church, I mentioned that I thought it odd that we had once been neighbors and now they were taking me to church. Ruth answered, "It doesn't surprise me at all." She told me that when we were neighbors years earlier, she wrote the names of each of the kids in my family in her Bible and had prayed for us daily ever since. In God's timing, all four of us came to know the Lord, and one even became a Grace Brethren pastor. Ruth was significant in my life. She taught me so much about faithful prayer, not giving up (how many of us have prayed for someone daily for 12 years?), and waiting on God.

Women of Grace USA is helping women grow spiritually and become a "Ruth" in the lives of other women and girls. You can support this ministry by and become a monthly donor through the Trellis Ministry.

Do you know?

Have you ever wondered how the Brethren church responded to slavery in the years before the civil war? Find out in the upcoming issue of Women's Spectrum, available the end of July.

Hispanic Women's Summit
2016 Hispanic Summit

Pray for our Hispanic sisters who will be gathering in Atlanta April 28-30 from different parts of the country for their Women's Summit. Pray for the speaker, Agnes Torres, a life coach and trainer from Puerto Rico. Pray also for the team that is putting this summit together. 

Soul Cry Retreat

Does your soul cry out for more of God? Do you long to see His power at work in your life and in your church? Make plans now to join us at Camp Conquest in Denver, PA, September 15-17, to explore together why God calls us to call out to Him. Details

Prayer Watch

This month, invest in prayer that we all as women will be bold in obedience to Christ and filled with a humble and teachable spirit.





Mom to Mom: Four Things I'm Learning from My Toddler
By Kate Ward

When my husband and I decided to have our third child, we knew that it would be a huge adjustment. We had a seven-year-old and a four-year-old. We had made it through the baby years and the terrible 2's/3's twice. We were heading into the early school years with our youngest. Starting over, I knew, was going to be a big transition, but I had no idea how much I would learn from our third Ward boy.   (continue)

Mark your Calendar
Apr 28-30 - Hispanic Summit - Atlanta, GA Register
Apr 28-29 - WLS  Soul Care - Ripon, CA Register
May 5-6 - WLS Soul Care - Marysville, OH Register
June 2-3 - Equipping Others for Ministry - Elizabethtown, PA Register
June 23-24 - Women & Scripture - Winona Lake, IN Register
Aug 11-12 - Foundations of Leadership - Hagerstown, MD Register
Sept 15-17 - Soul Cry Retreat - Denver, PA Register

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