Formerly known as, “GTS Wives Fellowship & Training”, we decided it might be best to toss the mouth full and give everyone a little more “user friendly” name.  SWIFT, an acronym for Seminary Wives In Fellowship & Training, still exists primarily to assist seminary wives during the days of “seminary life” and to help prepare them for future ministry alongside their husbands.  We also seek to provide an avenue of encouragement for the non-residential seminary wife by utilizing events and the internet as a means of communication and support.  Our five main areas of ministry to you while your husband is in seminary are offering weekly Bible studies, spending time in prayer together, presenting educational and leadership opportunities, and by providing a childcare network for you to attend classes with your husband so you can be trained to the extent that it fits your personal situation. We will be officially changing our blog to www.gtswift.blogspot.com.

·         It is our desire that women grow first in their own relationship with Christ and in their knowledge and understanding of theological and practical ministry issues. 

·         It is our desire that women have a safe place where they can turn to bear one another’s burdens.  We do not seek to have a “prayer chain,” but do ask that if there are important pressing concerns in your family for which you would like prayer that you contact SWIFT via email (seminarywives@grace.edu).  The Steering Committee will be the only people who see the prayer request and, if permission is noted in the email, the prayer request will be passed onto GTS faculty.

·         It is our desire that women grow in their leadership abilities as many times wives will be called on in their ministry life to use these skills in their church.  We will seek to provide opportunities to grow in leadership by providing events specializing in various areas such as “women’s ministries”, “counseling,” etc., providing a personal mentor for the wife if she so chooses, and by providing opportunities for the women themselves to lead in SWIFT itself.

·         We desire that women attend classes with their husband if they so desire.  For this reason we are currently working on creating a network of moms (and any other volunteers) who would be interested in “swapping” childcare.  We want this to be available first to those that wish to take a class alongside their husband and second to those in need for other reasons.  If you are interested in volunteering to provide childcare, or if you are interested in taking a class and are in need of assistance with childcare while you are in class, please contact our Childcare Network Coordinator Emily Tellez.  She can be reached at: thetellezfamily@gmail.com

·         We desire to be a community.  We desire that members find a true community of Christ-followers which will encourage one another, stretch and challenge each other, model for future ministry, and most of all come alongside each other to bring them closer to the Lord during their time in seminary.  The Christian life was not meant to be lived alone, as Christ clearly modeled through his relationship with the disciples.  We want to begin showing a picture of what it means to “live life together” as a true body of believers

Special GTS Wives’ Night

Thursday, January 22, 7 pm

@

Jamie Hartley’s Home (110 Southfield Rd.)

Joining the “new” with the “old”, we welcome all seminary wives to join us for a night of encouraging fellowship. We will spend time getting to know one another better and praying for our families as we look toward this new semester. If you have any questions please contact Kristen Humiston at seminarywives@grace.edu or at home 269-1531. (If no one answers, please leave a message! The phone is awfully hard to get to these days and I will be sure to return your call as soon as possible.) If you need directions, please contact Jamie directly at 269-3978.

Spring ‘09 Calendar of Events

January

5-16 J-Term

19 Classes Resume

22 GTS Wives Gathering (held at Jamie Hatley’s home 110 Southfield Rd (in Southtown Estates)

29 Bible Study:

Lord, Give Me Grace for Today, Kay Arthur Inductive Bible Study

February

5 Bible Study

12 Bible Study

19 Bible Study

26 Bible Study

March

5 GTS Wives Night 6:30 -8:30 pm

12 Bible Study

14-21 Spring Break—No Study on 19^th

26 Bible Study

April

2 GTS Wives Night 6:30 -8:30 pm

9 Bible Study

16 Bible Study

23 Bible Study

30 Bible Study

May

7 No Study

TBA Informal family picnic celebrating the end of year

All events will be held at Winona Lake GBC (1200 Kings Hwy) unless otherwise noted.

October
2 – GTS Wives Night 6:30 pm @ Winona Lake GBC
w/ Guests Gladine McCall & Kate Harmon sharing on “Hospitality”
9, 16, 23 – Bible Study
30 – Special Activity

We invite you to join us for our Welcome Luncheon to kick-off the new year together.

When
Friday, September 5th 11:30 – 1pm
Where
Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church
1200 Kings Hwy

Come and enjoy a delightful lunch in the company of new and old friends alike. We will have the pleasure of hearing from several area pastor’s wives, Grace faculty and faculty wives, and from the Wives Fellowship & Training Steering Committee. This welcome luncheon is specifically designed to give seminary wives a chance to meet one another and find out more about our community and what the seminary wives organization has planned for this year. Childcare will be available so make sure to register both you and any children (include ages) that might attend. (Lunch will be served to the children as well so please note any foods your child is allergic to.) For further information and to register, please contact Kristen Humiston at seminarywives@grace.edu or by phone at 574-269-1531.

We all had our different locations, but the main theme was really who we’d like to spend the vacation with and not so much the “where”. This really fit our topic of community as we began discussing the necessary elements for true community to be built. Let me share a few quotes Christy gave us by Larry Crabb found in his book originally titled, “Safest Place on Earth”.

“A central tast of community is to create a place that is safe enough for the walls to be torn down, safe enough for each of us to own and reveal our brokwnness” (p.11).

True community is “a gathering of people who experience a kind of togetherness that only the Holy Spirit makes possible, who move in good directions–and want to– because the Spirit is at work” (p.22).

The next quote explains exactly what we as the seminary wives at Grace desire to see happen within our own community:

“When member of a spiritual community reach a sacred place of vulnerablitiy and authenticity, something is released. Something good begins to happen. An appetite for holy things is stirred. For just a moment, the longing to know God becomes intense, stronger than all other passions, worth whatever price must be paid for it. Spritual togetherness…creates movement: Togetherness in Christ encourages movement toward Christ” (p.22).

For those that missed our meeting: we missed you! We hope we can slowly build our community and in doing so, build each other in Christ, encouraging one another “all the more as the day quickly approaches”. Thanks to all those that were able to come and a special thanks to Dr. Christy Morr for sharing her heart with us!

http://gts.grace.edu/wives

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