Women of Grace USA, the national women’s ministry of the Charis Fellowship, has announced a new name and a new brand. In their Grace Touch newsletter this morning, they unveiled Charis Women with a mission to connect and equip women in Charis Fellowship churches. That announcement is included below. Check out their new website at chariswomen.com. If you have questions, email them at office@chariswomen.com.
New Name, Same Spirit
The spirit of pioneer women has always fascinated me. Maybe this was due to my grandmothers’ stories of traveling as a child from Pennsylvania to Kansas in a covered wagon. Maybe it was reading the Little House on the Prairies series. Maybe the awareness of the challenges they faced made them seem larger-than-life to me.
The stories of pioneer women are stories of grit and determination. They faced whatever life threw at them and kept pursuing their dream. Even if moving west wasn’t their dream, they stood by their man and cared admirably for their children. They endured the aloneness of scattered homesteads, yet found ways to connect with and help other women. They gave up what was familiar for what they hoped would be a better future for their families. Each new territory brought new adjustments. While leaving a finished house for a rustic log cabin, or maybe a sod house, they managed to keep their family together. They were seen as a stabilizing and civilizing presence in the roughness of life in the West.
Pioneer women aren’t the only ones in history, however, who have demonstrated such ability to tackle hard tasks. Over 80 years ago, women in Grace Brethren churches throughout the country identified needs they could meet and rolled up their sleeves to address the issues. They named themselves Women’s Missionary Council (WMC). Did missionaries need equipment for their ministry? They made themselves available to help outfit them. Did doctors in Africa need bandages for their patients? The ladies found creative ways to make and roll bandages to send. Did women need to get out of the house on a regular basis and meet with other women for prayer? WMC could provide that opportunity.
Twenty years ago, as the world and needs continued to change, the name of WMC was changed to Women of Grace USA. This reflected not only the desire to represent the women of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, but also the value of learning to be people of grace as we hold out God’s truth.
Our world continues to change, but we still see the spirit of grit and determination in women today. I’ve seen women make hard decisions and great sacrifices for a cause they believe in. And what greater cause could there be than to reach out to the world to share the good news of God’s love and redemption?
It gives me great joy to see the same spirit of courage and service to others in women I know right now. Today’s women still have a heart to connect with each other. They still want to be equipped to offer God’s grace and truth to those around them. The Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches is now the Charis Fellowship, and we want to emphasize Charis (Greek for “grace”) in our dealings with others around us. We are keenly aware of the need and desire women have to equip themselves with God’s Word and be able to live it out according to God’s heart for humanity.
As we face the challenges of today’s environment, we’re excited to announce that we are changing our name to Charis Women. This will emphasize our focus on grace and our connection to the Charis Fellowship. We want you to know that if you are in a Charis church, you are a Charis woman.
Our vision is to:
- Connect women to each other. After all, we are stronger together. We can inspire and complete each other through our unique gifts and experiences. Collaboration is possible now in ways it never was before, and we want to be iron sharpening iron to each other.
- Equip women to serve God’s purposes. From knowing how to study the Bible to how to follow God’s heart in ministering to those around us, we all benefit from being equipped and ready to take advantage of every opportunity.
While we are officially a part of the Charis Fellowship, we want to also extend our resources and vision to other women who are seeking to grow and develop their skills for God’s service. Whoever you may be, we welcome you to our community and encourage you to contact us with any questions you may have.
Welcome to the Charis Women family as we explore new horizons in Christ’s service!