Can you believe that it is already February? 

Classes have begun, we have seen snow days and 60* weather, and the 2014 Winter Olympics will begin tomorrow! With Valentine's Day right around the corner, February is often a month dedicated to love. While we don't mind talking about love (after all, we serve a great God whose very nature is love), we are excited to shift your focus a bit this month. 

For the month of February, Walking Worthy will be dedicated to the celebration of Black History Month. 

We have loved the Casual Conversations and intentional emphasis that Southeastern has devoted to diversity on our campus and in our churches. This month, we will continue the discussion with posts from students and faculty.

To whet your appetite, here is a brief introduction to Black History Month from the History Channel's history.com (click here for a video, too!):

"Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. The event grew out of 'Negro History Week,' the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history."

We can't wait to see what this month holds!

We hope to see you on Monday night for the first Connecting Point event of 2014! 

*If you will need childcare, don't forget to contact the Women's Life Office at 919-761-2340 by 4pm on Friday, January 31.*

  

How have you been doing with your

 New Year’s Resolutions?

Earlier this month, we mentioned the “Empty Shelf Challenge” that John Acuff came up with (see his post here). Many of you have resolved to read more this year, and hopefully our posts this month are helping you accomplish that goal!

Today, we want to re-introduce you all to one more resource that can help you read more in 2014.

Ladies, the Women’s Life Office is proud to present:

THE WLO LIBRARY

We hope you will stop by to check out some of the resources that are available to you! You can also find a list of our resources here.  (Just be sure to choose WLO Library on the “Collections” drop down list.)

According to Merriam-Webster, a mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.

As a new student's wife, new mom, new to Wake Forest, with a new job and with no friends or family nearby, I needed someone I could talk to.  I needed someone who had been through the things I was going through, both past and present.  

I came across an email from the Women's Life Office of SEBTS.  The email mentioned that they had a mentorship program.  I looked into it and read through the list of faculty wife mentors available, wondering Do I really need this?  God kept pressing on my heart, Yes, Stephanie, you do.  Yet I decided to pray about it for a few days.

I did pray about it and found myself sending an email to set up a time to talk about the mentorship program.  God led me to pick the faculty wife who had been a missionary.  Why God would want me to pick the person with missions experience was beyond my understanding at the time.  But I did as God told me, all the time saying, Really God?  Missions?  Okay God.  You're gonna have to show me this one.  

Little did I know that it wasn't because of her mission experience that God crossed our paths this way; it was because of her "other" experiences that God allowed our paths to cross.  She had been where I was and was still dealing with them at the same time.  AMAZING how God works things out.

The mentorship program was exactly what I needed at that time.  Without it, I'm not sure where I would be today.  My mentor and I would set up times to meet over coffee, lunch, frozen yogurt, dinner.  It gave me a time to talk, to ask questions, tell her what I was struggling with (which is a hard thing for me . . .  I'm sure it's hard for most people to admit that they are struggling!), to ask for prayer, and to know I was truly being prayed for.  Not only did it help me with the things I was struggling with at the time, but I gained a new friend.  

Almost three years later, I'm still friends with my mentor.  Even though my family and I have moved more than 6 hours from SEBTS and I'm no longer a part of the program, I know that because of our mentorship, I have a forever friend.

Would you like to know more about the Thrive Mentoring program?  Contact Women's Life at 

919-761-2340 or womenslife@sebts.edu 

to see how you can be involved!

Have you ever wondered about a program offered by the Women's Life Office? There are so many things going on around here that it can be hard to keep track! As the fall semester draws to a close, we have asked a few ladies who have been involved with the Women's Life Office to talk to us about their experiences. In the coming weeks, we will have guest bloggers writing about:

Thrive is a mentoring program available to female students and student wives who attend churches that do not offer mentoring opportunities.  A dedicated team of mentors, women associated with SEBTS, have offered to spend intentional time with Southeastern ladies on a personal basis with the specific goal of encouraging practical and spiritual growth. Stephanie Bates, our guest blogger, will share her experience as a mentee and help you understand what such a relationship can look like.       

The LEAD{women} ministry was established by Southeastern Seminary in an attempt to serve the women in North Carolina churches while providing practical ministry experience for our female students. The LEAD{women} ministry team includes women pursuing degrees at Southeastern who seek to serve women in a speaking or teaching capacity. Kiersten Griffith will share her experience at a LEAD event this semester. 

D-Groups: Ladies from all over campus are involved in D-Groups through the Office of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation.  Over the years, the WL office has served as a meeting place for a few of these groups.  We love being a part of students' lives through these groups.  This year, Leslie Hildreth co-leads a group with Mrs. Faye Dunbar, who has written a wonderful post on her experience.
    

Connecting Point exists to foster fellowship and spiritual maturity among women of Southeastern. Connecting Point events are held 4-5 times per academic year. Each has its own unique flavor and is designed to encourage fellowship among the Southeastern women.  Our guest blogger will share from her experience attending one of this semester's Connecting Point events.

We can't wait to share these posts with you! The first post will be available next Tuesday, November 12 at 9am. 

Comment below and let us know what else you would like to hear from us!

THE CRAFT AND BAKE SALE IS THIS SATURDAY! 

(Can you tell we're excited?) 

Please stop by the Ledford Gym between 9am and 3pm to do a bit of Christmas shopping. There will be all kinds of goodies made by our talented SEBTS family. 

For a parking map, please click here. 

See you all there!

The Craft and Bake Sale  is only 4 days away!

I wake up the morning after the SEBTS Craft and Bake Sale and think to myself, “Only 364 more days until the next craft and bake sale!”  That’s no joke – I really am “that” person.  Thankfully, my countdown is almost over and the event is this weekend!

Saturday, November 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., stop by the Southeastern Ledford Center gymnasium.  You won’t be disappointed!

From hair bows and hand-knitted scarves to cookies and candies, you’re sure to find something at the Craft and Bake Sale to bless someone with this gift-giving season, or to enjoy yourself.

This event is more than an opportunity for the community and seminary students/staff/spouses to interact; it’s a blessing to seminary families as we enter into the holiday season.  November and December bring with them Thanksgiving dinner, parties and Christmas presents for our children – making the holiday season two months of tightly-stretched budgeting.  Participants devote hours, days and weeks to knitting toboggans, looping ribbons for hair bows and baking their favorite family treats from scratch hoping to earn some extra holiday spending money to make the holidays more of a blessing to their family and friends.

I’ve been busy preparing apple chips, salted caramel candies, pumpkin chocolate chip bars and Oreo truffles for this year’s event, and hope you all find them delicious!  Stop by The Petite Pumpkin Treat Co. booth (I’ll have balloons to stand out a bit)!  I’d love to see you, praise Jesus with you and have you try my treats!

First Aid for Frazzled Moms

October 26, 2013

9:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Christ Baptist Church | 400 Newton Rd | Raleigh, NC

Join the ladies of Christ Baptist Church on Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 9:00-11:30 a.m. for a parenting seminar featuring experienced mother and teacher Sarah Knott.  Gain Biblical and practical insight into ways in which you can train your children or grandchildren, or help other mothers train their children, toward obedience and respect.

 Tickets are only $5 per person. Purchase tickets from Christ Baptist Sunday mornings or M-Thursday 9-5 in the church office.

For more information, contact Macon Newby (919) 782-6376 or mtnewby@gmail.com.

Limited childcare openings available only through advanced registration by October 11.

Hi ladies!  My name is Hilary, 

and I am pursuing a Master of Divinity in Women’s Studies.

To be totally honest, this wasn’t my first degree choice.  Or I should say . . . it wasn’t the program I applied to Southeastern to pursue!  But, God has searched me and He knows me {Psalm 139} and He so graciously guided me to it. 

I originally applied to the 2+2 program with the intention of ministering to women overseas.  After a series of prayerful decisions, I switched my degree to Women’s Studies and have been so blessed!  God has confirmed my decision over & over again by revealing the {core} of what He has called me to do – minister to women, all over the map. 

I'm not your traditional M. Div student. In fact, I'm a {distance learning} student, which basically means . . . 

·       *  I am full-time at Southeastern

·       *  I take classes on campus

·       *  I live in Charlotte, NC

·       *  I work at a local church in Charlotte

So you may be wondering, how does that work??!  (classes on campus + not living in Wake Forest = doesn’t add up). Well, that’s a great question! 

It does complicate things a bit.  And it has been tough sometimes to arrange my schedule to take the classes that I need for my program during the short window I have to be present on campus.  But it’s worked for two years already (this is my 3^rd fall on campus) & I’m slowly checking off core requirements.  It’s also helpful motivation to carpool to campus weekly with other students, including my hubby. J 

I chose the Master of Divinity in Women’s Studies (rather than an MA) because I truly wanted to learn the original languages // Hebrew & Greek.  Those tidbits of Hebrew in various Beth Moore studies over the years gave me the desire to know it for myself.  I, too, wanted to be equipped to dig into and study the languages of the Old & New Testaments.

As you may have guessed from my carpool hint, my husband is also a full-time student at Southeastern.  He is pursuing a Master of Divinity in Christian Ministries. 

At this time in our lives, we are {expectantly} waiting upon the Lord for next steps.  My husband is currently serving as a pastoral intern in the young adult ministry at our church.  At the same time, we have also begun the application process with the International Mission Board. 

Thankfully God knows the plans He has for us.  Wherever we land {geographically}, I’m so grateful for the equipping, the encouragement, and the education I have received through the Women’s Studies program at SEBTS. 

The program, actually (more importantly) the ladies behind the program {like Denise O'Donoghue} have taught me how to better minister to women in a variety of settings and in a variety of locations: from the formal speaking engagement to the informal counseling session {over tea & cookies} at the kitchen table.

And for that them, I’m grateful..  

It's the most wonderful time of the year! We have released the applications for the Craft and Bake sale (and I can hear many of you rejoicing and exclaiming, "Finally!!") Here is a testimony from one of last year's vendors, Jared Ownby:

The SEBTS Craft & Bake Sale was a great time for me to promote, sell, and meet lots of people. I roast, package, and sell coffee as a hobby business, but that day I sold pour-over coffee by the cup as well. 

If I still lived in the SEBTS area I would definitely participate again. I wish I had that kind of opportunity here in Tennessee before Christmas!

Do you make or bake something people might want to buy? Sign up and participate! You can download an application here.

Did you participate last year? Comment below and let us know what you sold! If you came by to shop, comment with what your favorite purchase was!

We want to let you know about four opportunities for you to spend time with other SEBTS ladies that we are quite excited about. Check out the information below!

Our first Connecting Point event of the year is next Monday, September 9th:

On September 14th, come join women from around North Carolina and around the US to learn from a well-respected women's ministry leader:

You have a chance to see an awesome movie and to meet Mrs. Akin and the wonderful women of the Women's Auxiliary who support us with their time, prayer, and support:

And an ongoing opportunity to make new friends and stay fit at the same time:

About Me

     

My name is Lauren Horn, and I just started my third semester here at Southeastern.  I work on campus in the Student Resources and Financial Aid office and as a Resident Assistant at Flaherty. I attend Christ Covenant Church in Raleigh and am very grateful that the Lord brought me here to Wake Forest.

People always act surprised to find out that I am pursuing a Master’s of Divinity in Christian Ethics.  Now, I don’t know if that means they find Ethics an ambitious degree for me specifically or if they are surprised to discover that Southeastern offers a degree in Ethics.  Whatever the case, the response is usually the same, a slightly high-pitched “Oh.” 

I chose to study Ethics because I feel it is basic to the Christian life but so often overlooked as a field of study.  I don’t want to be someone who has passion for the Lord but dispenses ignorant boisterous objections to cultural events to the masses.  I recognize my need to be trained to think and to pray to the Lord daily for wisdom and a love for His Law.  I want to be able to produce a well-reasoned and Biblical response about the events taking place in the world around me.  I have discovered that people are not always willing to talk about theology or philosophy, but they don’t have a problem giving me their two cents on homosexuality or abortion.  Ethics can be a handy tool regarding evangelism. 

When I am asked what I plan to do with the degree once I have it, I usually respond bluntly, “Live ethically.”  But it is the truth.  I think often about God’s words to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 30:19b, “Therefore, choose life in order that you and your offspring may live” and Christ’s words in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  I think there is a practical and immediate implication to both of these passages.  The Christian life is not about escaping this world but living rightly in it so that we may flourish through obeying God and by grace draw others to Him.  Proverbs is probably one of my favorite books for this very reason.  Chapters 7 and 8 give such a clear picture of God’s desire for right living.  The chapters portray Wisdom and Folly personified and calling out to the ignorant youth to follow them.  That “youth” is you and me.  We have a choice: to either live or to die, to find blessing and life or to descend into the chambers of death.  That may seem dramatic, but what are we to expect from such a holy God?

I want to incorporate my everyday living under the Lordship of Christ and by the aid of the Holy Spirit.  I want my words and my life to be a witness for Him, and I would encourage anyone considering an Ethics degree to take an additional ethics course apart from the Intro course, if only to sharpen the mind to better honor him with holy living and intellectual cultural engagement.  I believe firmly that we need to do a better job speaking out about the evil in the world.  I know I need to.  My fear is that the poet Yeats is right when he comments in The Second Coming,

“The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.”

 I hope at the end of my days that will not be true about me.

Welcome to August, SEBTS girls!  Can you believe it's here already??

With the start of a new school year comes the start of new events, deadlines, & ministry opportunities from Women's Life.  For those of you who are new and for those who are returning...we're glad you're here & can't wait to minister to you and with you this school year!  

Here's what you need to know for the Month of August:

1.    Classes begin August 19^th!!! We can't wait to see you gals on campus again!

  
2.  New Student Orientation begins this Friday, August 9^th for College At Southeastern (C@SE) students. Women's Life is planning a “Pinterest Party” for the new girls on Saturday, August 10^th at 8:00pm.  We hear it'll involve fabric, ribbon, paint and maybe some glitter.  You new girls won't want to miss it!!  If you're a returning girl & would like to help out at the event, contact Carrie at cgilliam@sebts.edu.  The Women’s Life Office will also have an “Open House” on August 15^th, from 3:30pm-4:30pm.  All you new ladies, stop by & see us!!       

3.       If you are interested in taking classes in the Biblical Women’s Institute, we are currently accepting applications. If you're new, let us know if we can help you get started.  For our returning students, don't forget to register for you classes as soon as possible.

4.   Connecting Point will start back up very soon and we're super excited about the events we have planned for this year.  Our date reminders are being shipped to us as we type...but until they get here, you can go ahead & mark your calendars for September 6th at 7 pm. 

 5.   It's official…Beth Moore is coming to SEBTS!  Well, sort of...we're "officially" hosting her Living Proof Live Simulcast on Saturday, September 14^th in Binkley Chapel.  

Please go to 

http://www.sebts.edu/news-resources/conferences/bethmoore_simulcast/default.aspx
for registration information.  Feel free to help us spread the word about this event as well!  We have free posters that you're welcome to take to your church or business.  We'd love for you to invite your friends, family and co-workers. Our hopes are the we'll have a packed house!  

 6.  If you're a returning student and have a heart for public speaking and teaching to women, we are also accepting applications for the LEAD program.  LEAD is a ministry of SEBTS Women's Life that partners with local churches to provide speakers and teachers for their women's events.  We'll do a feature post on this in a few weeks, but in the mean time, feel free to contact us if you're interested! 

7.  Every year, we have girls ask us about mentoring.  For those of you who are in churches that do not have mentoring programs, we offer opportunities to be mentored by SEBTS faculty wives and staff memebers through our Thrive Mentoring Program.  If mentoring is something you'd like to explore further, please let us know.  We'll be happy to talk with you about this. 

And…as always, please call or e-mail if you have any questions!  Welcome to the new school year!!

Women’s Life 919.761.2340

 

These donuts are happy that exams are over. Are you?

Come by the Women's Life Office for free donuts all day today!

 (8-5. We're closed for lunch from 12-1.)

If you have managed to stick with us for this long, your loyalty is about to be rewarded.

It’s time for Giveaway #3!

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the winner.

And be sure to come by the office on Wednesday; we’ll have FREE DONUTS for everyone!

Our second giveaway of the week . . . Be sure to look for the winner to be posted tomorrow!

Don’t forget to cite your sources; you're almost there!

Can you believe that the 2012-2013 school year is nearly over?  As you prep for exams, make summer plans, and start to work on your tans, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Monday, May 6^th at 7pm

Project: Commission

Please join us in the Jacumin Simpson mission building as we send our 2013 deployment group off with a concert of prayer.  We will spend the evening learning about the areas these ladies have been called to, praying over them, and reading Scripture together.  We hope to see you at our last Connecting Point event of the year!

Congratulations to all of our Spring 2013 graduates from the Biblical Women’s Institute!   

Join us in chapel on May 7th as we honor Laurie Long, Linda McLaurin, and Petra Spain.  All three ladies earned the Diploma in Women's Studies.  We are proud of your hard work, ladies!

Wanted: 2013-2014 CARE Coordinators

As a CARE coordinator, you would be expected to:

Care for the people in your area.

Aid families as they have need.

Reach women with important info from the Women’s Life Office.

Encourage those around you.

If you are interested in serving SEBTS in this way, please contact the Women’s Life Office at 919.761.2340 or womenslife@sebts.edu.

The 2013 NC Baptist Women’s Prayer and Evangelism Retreat will be held September 6-7, 2013 at the LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest, NC.  For more information, please visit www.ncbaptist.org/wpec.  Speakers include Esther Burroughs, Merrie Johnson, and Ashley Allen.