Women’s ministry in Tuscaloosa gets help from new team

Tuscaloosa Association’s approach to women’s ministry leadership continues to flourish in its second year.
   
“The Women’s Ministry Leadership Team of the Tuscaloosa Association is on the move,” said Women’s Ministry Coordinator Judy Patrick.
   
Patrick is the wife of the pastor of Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Northport, Tim Patrick.
   
“Our goal is to assist every church in the association to grow a strong, healthy women’s ministry,” she said. “We believe that women’s ministry in a church strengthens the overall ministry of the church.”
   
Patrick — who has held the volunteer position since the team launched its efforts — has developed a plan for assisting churches interested in beginning or growing a women’s ministry.
   
She formed the The Women’s Ministry Leadership Team of the Tuscaloosa Association.
   
The team, consisting of Patrick and six other women, will be available to help women in their association learn more about organizing and leading women’s ministries in their local churches. The team also wants to provide a network for sharing ideas and resources.
   
Patrick said each team member will “shepherd” 12 churches, being available to women’s ministry leaders to provide whatever assistance is necessary.
   
According to Patrick, when the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical needs of women are met, the women are more equipped to extend themselves in service through their families and the local church’s ministries and missions.
   
Women’s ministry endeavors to help meet those needs through discipleship, Bible study and enrichment. As a result, women will want to minister to others through missions and evangelism.
   
The team members offer assistance as requested by local churches and promote women’s ministry events in churches throughout the association.
   
Recently, the team sponsored the second annual Women’s Ministry Celebration at Northport Baptist Church with more than 450 women from approximately 55 churches in the association attending.
   
Several women from local churches led in praise and worship music, and Tollie Meggs of Valley View Baptist Church spoke to the group, encouraging women to experience genuine worship in their lives. 
Meggs described the ways in which women’s ministry helps women, both individually and corporately, to enrich  their own relationship with Christ.
   
She also encouraged the women to contact the leadership team for assistance in either beginning or growing the women’s ministry in their own churches.