August 2018 Branches

southwood
by Martha Brady and Nanette Respess
AUGUST 17-18
Women's Conference
Julie Sparkman, The Lodge
Register at southwood.org/crazytrain
Southwood women, A group of women meets together
regularly to pray for you, to plan, and to dream about
where God is leading our women. Our meetings are filled
with lots of dialogue and laughter. We get our work done
and are not afraid to engage in hard discussions. Pastor
Ron assists us in planning and sharing our work with the
pastors and session.
Who are these women? Active women involved in the
church, our kids’ schools, our jobs, and our communities.
We are busy, just like most of you. You should be able to
identify with at least someone in the group ... if you are a
woman!
This working mom in her early 50s has a newly married
daughter and a college-bound son. Her laughter permeates
a room!
This woman has been at Southwood since the beginning.
She is unmarried, in her 27th year of teaching and she and
her sisters care for their aging mom. She enjoys her little
and young friends at church.
This busy wife, mom, and ER doctor spends most days
when not working in her car shuttling a teen and pre-teen.
Her mom is an SPC member, and she is one of our fearless
‘leaders’ who attempts to keep us on track with an agenda.
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This woman is in her 20s, married fewer than five years, no
children yet. She works at our Crisis Pregnancy Center in
Huntsville. She and her husband now live in Lincoln Village.
Her smile and tender heart bring warmth to our meetings.
This woman in her 40s is a wife and mom of four children
plus some in heaven. Of her four children, two are adopted
(one with physical disabilities). Her thoughtful application
of the Word and spiritual insight are gifts we use often.
This woman is a reader, wife, mom of two boys and a
daughter in heaven. She was a teacher before having
children. Her humor, tender spirit and discernment bring
balance to our team's work.
This insightful woman in her 70s is also a retired RN, retired
pastor’s wife, mom of three and grandmother of seven.
She is a part-time caregiver to her husband.
As we work to plan activities, we want activities that
equip, encourage, and engage our Southwood women
to experience and express grace. We want all of you to
feel a part of this, so we’ll be asking this fall for your input
about how we can best do that; be on the lookout for that
survey! Right now we’re particularly excited about this
month’s conference with Julie Sparkman that kicks off our
fall study. Check out the details on this page and make
plans to join us!
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(L to R): Nanette Respess (#5), Gracie Clark (#2), Anna Babin (#1), Lolita Owens (#6), Cathy Mayer (#4), Martha Brady (#7), Sara Foreman (#3)
Leadership Training Class
Equipping Men and Women to Lead
Class Begins August 15
Email rita.clardy@southwood.org for sign-up info
or visit southwood.org/leadership
Have you ever considered leading a small group but felt you wouldn’t know what to do? Have you wanted to understand
God's Word better for yourself or for conversations with friends and family members? Have you desired to use your
gifts to serve the church but felt uncertain as to what gifts you had or where they could help the body? We would love
to have you in the Leadership Training Class this fall (Wednesday evenings from 6:00-8:00)!
We all have different gifts, personalities, and passions, but the heart behind this class is to equip all the saints for the
work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12); men and women, longtime members and visitors. Some of us lead in formal offices
like elder or deacon. But most of us are called to lead children’s Sunday School classes, lead the Huntsville community
in serving the poor, lead small groups, or lead neighbors to Christ. In that informal sense, all of us serve as leaders and
need the deeper understanding of the gospel and its impact on all of life that enables us to point others to Jesus.
To the end of equipping us to go deeper in the gospel of Jesus Christ and its application in our lives, this class includes
conversations on the Heart of Southwood, meaty theological discussions, and intensely practical classes like “Caring for
Hurting People.” Having the opportunity to interact around the Word of God and to wrestle through the mission God
has given to Southwood is a rich opportunity for all of us.