WOW

I walked into the Fellowship Hall late one Wednesday morning in October to find some thirty women busy at work, sitting around tables or in a far corner hovering over an assortment of bags. The room was filled with cheerful chatter yet everyone worked with a determined purpose.

Those sitting at the tables were busy making knotted blankets. Some women, scissors in hand, cut into the hem of the blankets to make tassels while others tied two blankets together with those same tassels, creating an extra thick offering of warmth for someone who would need it this winter. The finished blankets would be wrapped around Bibles before the morning was over.

The women in the corner were sorting toiletries. The sparkly toothpaste, colorful toothbrushes, baby shampoo and assorted items decorated with cartoon characters went to one table, the more “mature” versions of the same personal care items went to another table. On both tables these toiletries were wrapped in gift paper and ribbons, each capped off with a small slip of paper on which were found one of two Bible verses: I can do all things through God who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13) and Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).

These were the volunteers of Women on Wednesday (WOW), a division of Perimeter’s Women’s Ministry which meets weekly but also teams up with Community Outreach six times a year to serve a different ministry in our surrounding community. What I watched that day was their service project to benefit the poor and homeless who turn to the Norcross Cooperative Ministry for help.

I asked Tracy Baird to help me understand the WOW ministry.

Tracy: The role of WOW is to provide a place at Perimeter for women to connect, serve, and grow. Women can drop in at WOW any week or attend all year. Through our service projects, women have opportunities to serve without having to make a long-term commitment to a ministry. It is a great place for newcomers to Perimeter to meet other women and for women interested in volunteering to learn about a number of ministries while searching for the one that is a good match for her gifts and interests. We like to say “if you don’t know what you want to do, come to us.” We’ll help women find a ministry if they want to move on to a long term commitment, or, under our umbrella, give her opportunities to serve whenever she can.

Greg: Which ministries do you serve and in what way do you serve them?

Tracy: WOW provides women with opportunities to serve in the morning, and has served or is scheduled to serve the Norcross Coop, Light of Messiah Ministries, Wellspring Living, Victoria’s Friends, Children’s Restoration Network, and A Beacon of Hope. In addition, there are evening opportunities for women to serve and those projects include the Salvation Army Gwinnett, Open Arms House, Bethany Christian Services, and still others. We serve these ministries in many ways. Today we are making the blankets and basic necessity bags; we’ve made gift baskets of different varieties depending on who is the recipient of that particular ministry, and we’ve held food drives.

Greg: How do you choose a service project?

Tracy: In our relationship with Community Outreach we identify which ministries have needs that we believe we can meet with our pool of volunteers. We have the hands and the will, we just need a small but impactful project that we can complete in a single day.

Greg: This seems to be a great ministry for moms at home with young children.

Tracy: It is. We provide childcare for children up to age five so that moms of preschoolers can serve the community and be near their children at the same time.

Greg: Is WOW open only to Perimeter members or can any interested women attend?

Tracy: We are open to all women who want to come. We think many women have a heart for service and we encourage our regular attendees to invite their service-minded friends to participate. We have a Facebook group to help get our name and purpose out there, as well as a separate “women serving” webpage on the Perimeter website, and we welcome anyone who wants to come whether that is to serve or participate in our regular program.

Greg: And what is the regular program?

Tracy: Our typical program includes an inspirational speaker and great music over snacks and coffee, while also occasionally providing information on ministries where our attendees may want to serve or be served. There are movie clips, ballet performances, and other special offerings, as well as opportunities to just visit and connect with other women. We are also hosting a Women’s Ministry Newcomer Brunch three times this year, and showing two movies. WOW offers fellowship for women of all ages in addition to our community service projects.

And what is WOW doing in December? Visit the Fellowship Hall on Dec. 2nd, 9:30-11:30 to help prepare Hanukkah baskets for Jewish families in Atlanta, in service to the Light of Messiah Ministries.

Since 1992, Light of Messiah ministries has been proclaiming the message of Jesus to the Jewish community of Atlanta. They are committed to helping Jewish people learn more about the truth of the Messiahship of Jesus and helping Christians learn more about the Jewish roots of our faith as believers in Jesus.

From the WOW website:

WOW is a place where women of all ages and stages can attend anytime during the year and feel comfortable and welcome. Join us for a single session or attend all year. Our purpose is to share God's truth that sets us free, encourages our hearts, heals our wounds and offers hope for the future.

WOW is for you if you are seeking to understand God's plan for your life, wanting to be refreshed and encouraged, needing a friend, wanting to invite a friend, and/or wanting to connect within Perimeter.

For more information about other upcoming events, visit www.perimeter.org/women