On the Horizon

Now that Worthy 2013 is behind us (such an odd feeling), we must look forward. A week ago today, a few of the leaders and I met for the first leadership meeting post-retreat, as well as some fellowship time. After a trip to the pond and a Menchies frozen-yogurt run (a few of the girls exclaimed "Can we do this for every leadership meeting!?"), we got to work.

First up on the agenda was going over the evaluation forms from Worthy 2013, and after synthesizing the feedback we discussed possible improvements for next year's retreat. Earlier departure times, longer worship with an outside band, more preparation and handouts for each session, more small group time and longer breaks less often, a price increase, Bible study ideas, as well as a few things I'll keep under wraps (some things are a surprise for Worthy 2014!) flowed out of us and onto a big dry erase board set up in my basement. After that hour and a half of planning, I'm already excited for next June's retreat and am looking forward to how the Holy Spirit will move among us as we prepare for Worthy 2014.

Next we moved onto the upcoming Leadership Summit in August (the 17th to be exact! See below for the registration form if you're interested in attending :D). Akin to so many times in the past 13 months of planning for Worthy, I had never planned a one day retreat before, so we started by staring at the list of 8 possible topics scrawled on the dry erase board. The girls passed around my copy of The Catalyst Leader by Brad Lomenick, perusing the pages and choosing topics they liked, as I tried to hammer out a possible schedule. We settled (tentatively) on four 2-hour sessions with meal breaks and a 'siesta' break from 2-3pm, and ending with an hour and a half to two hours of worship. Leaving planning for the Leadership Summit there until the next leadership meeting, and being that it was 11:15pm, we decided to take a food break.

After munching on chips, animal crackers, and too many gummy worms, we refocused (as best we could at that time of night) to discuss Worthy as a ministry in general. From staff-intern mentoring, support-raising presentations at our churches, to a lot of calendar planning (leadership meetings, monthly fun events as well as promotional events), we concluded the meeting portion of our evening with smiling faces and joyful hearts. There truly isn't, in my opinion, anything like when you get a room full of young women whose hearts all burn for the same thing. It's truly incredible.

As I have set out this week with my list of 'to-do's' for Worthy, amidst work at The Father's House and a summer Public Speaking class two nights a week, I began to understand what so many have said about your heart being revealed in the little things. It's one thing to be extremely passionate and on fire about Worthy and the vision God has given me for it while on retreat, and it's quite another thing to carry that passion and vision with me day in and day out, fitting a few e-mails or half a chapter of The Catalyst Leader in in-between reports and speech drafts. I'm starting to learn what Brad talks about when he says "It's not the short sprint that shapes us but the perseverance in a particular task. Be faithful in the small things. Our character and who we are as leaders is mostly created by how we behave and grow when no one is watching" (The Catalyst Leader 144).
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WORTHY Summer Leadership Summit Registration Form

The Leaders

What began as a dream placed in my heart by God has grown into a vision fostered and burning in the hearts of nine other women as well. In this post I hope to dig into who they are and how they came to be part of Worthy, and the integral part they each play in this ministry.

Emily - Assistant Director & Purity Pledge Coordinator

This young woman is most definitely one of my 'soul sisters.' Her heart and passion for Worthy and what it seeks to do burns just as brightly as mine does, and she is the one that I look to before any big decision is made in the ministry. Her crowning contribution to our June retreat, aside from her years of wisdom and confidence in the Truth, is the Purity Pledge and Purity Pledge Ceremony. About two months before Worthy 2013 was set to begin, at a small leadership meeting of myself, Moriah, and Emily, she brought up the idea of a Purity Pledge. Her vision, and what became my favorite part of our June retreat, was the idea of a pledge of purity, displayed during the entirety of the retreat which girls could sign declaring that they are committed to living a pure lifestyle. By Sunday of the retreat, fifteen of the twenty-three women present had signed the pledge! Emily and I were both amazed by how God moved in the hearts of those young women. We didn't just leave it at signing the pledge and saying "Awesome job! Good luck!" though - we created Purity certificates and had a ceremony celebrating each girl for her bold commitment. Following the retreat a copy of the pledge as well as a list of the other young women who had signed the pledge and a hand-written note were sent to each girl, encouraging her to establish accountability partners and keep in touch with the other women from the retreat. Thus one of the long-range goals of this ministry was realized: it's meant to be more than just retreats, it's meant to be a community of young women living life together.

Jill - Strategic Planning Director

I first met Jill and bonded about purity in a small diner in Greece, NY on a gray January morning. Jill has a very prominent role at Hope Lutheran Church, leading the 'Twenty-somethings' young adult group as well as the Life Hurts, God Heals restoration and support group. When I met her I instantly thought she was incredible, from her stylish clothing to her warm smile and laugh, and the confident, trusting way she said "so tell me about your heart." After sharing my testimony with her, Jill invited me to come speak at Life Hurts, God Heals, and we spent the rest of breakfast discussing purity and various retreat ideas over oatmeal and chocolate chip pancakes. When we parted later that morning, I knew I had found a true gem of a woman, and my heart smiled that she wanted to help with the Worthy retreat. As the planning process has progressed, Jill has brought to the table not only countless excellent ideas and years of experience in ministry, but a wisdom and faithfulness to the Lord and what He's doing with the hearts of this generation's young women that I haven't encountered in a lot of people. I am so thankful that she decided at the beginning of this month to continue on with Worthy after the retreat, and I cannot wait to see how God uses her in this ministry going forward.

Moriah - Creative Coordinator

Moriah sort of just 'fell' into her role as part of Worthy. Considering that she is my best friend and thus heard absolutely every single detail of every vision God gave me for the June retreat as well as Worthy as a ministry in general, there came a point when I simply asked her "Do you want to be a part of the leadership team for Worthy?" to which she replied, somewhat sheepishly "I was waiting for you to ask..." While Emily is the one whom I can just sit and vision cast with, and Jill is the one whom I glean indispensable ministry skills from, Moriah is the strong voice calming my anxious heart and encouraging me when I doubt. A big part of the months directly leading up to Worthy 2013 was a series of three worship concerts to promote and fund-raise for the retreat. Faced with the daunting task of planning concerts (something I had no experience doing), organizing the worship team, and all the other intricacies involved in putting on an event, there were times when saying I was stressed out was a blatant understatement. Moriah is the one who was and is always there, calming me down and reminding me that God is what makes this ministry incredible - not how perfectly I place the LED candles or how awesome the worship band is - and that everything will work out how it's meant to (Romans 8:28). 

Bianca and Ellie - Retreat Speakers

As I've mentioned previously, Worthy has been full of new experiences, one of which has been recruiting leaders. That is how both Bianca and Ellie came to be part of the Worthy team. When I first started planning Worthy, I reached out to a small group of like-minded young women to see if any were interested, and Ellie was one of those that responded. Bianca joining the team was truly an answered prayer; after one of the original leaders had to step back and I sent out a mass message to some young women on Facebook, seconds after pressing "send" Bianca texted me and told me she wanted to join the team. Both women have contributed so much to the whole planning process - Bianca's warm heart and matter-of-fact confidence, Ellie's likable personality and endearing vulnerability - they have been incredible assets to this ministry. While Bianca has decided because of senior year course work and an internship for her Social Work degree that she can no longer be part of the team, I feel extremely blessed to have had her impact on and in this ministry, and I know that God is going to continue to grow her wherever He leads her next. Ellie has chosen to stay on with the team, and I'm excited to watch her grow as a leader and a follower of Christ as she continues her Worthy journey.

The Interns

During the planning process between leadership meetings, in the day-to-day promotion of Worthy 2013, and especially amidst the long Thursday nights during the Worthy Worship Project, I began to feel God saying to me "Worthy is meant to be more than just this retreat." Tucking that revelation in the back of my mind and on the surface of my heart as I went along, a few key young women emerged whose hearts burned for the cause and who showed the diligence and servant leadership to lead me to ask them to join the team. April, Ashley, Kateryna, and Sarah all have such incredible hearts and beautiful souls, I am beyond delighted to have them on the team. April's immense and thorough knowledge of Scripture, as well as her dedication to being present at events make her an awesome addition to the team, and Ashley's eager and encouraging attitude and open heart to serve add a wonderful warmth to the ministry. Kateryna's sweet disposition and gentle spirit bring a quiet depth and a 'veiled' (Colossians 3:3) element to the team, and Sarah's all-around joyful mindset and true heart for ministry make her a huge asset to the team. As we continue on after the June retreat, planning the Leadership Summit in mid-August and looking forward to next year's retreat and all the events between now and then, the interns bring an excitement, eagerness, and focus that invigorates and strengthens me, reminding me that this ministry has an incredible opportunity to impact young women for Christ.

Preparation

"So many things to prepare, so little time..."

That has been the mentality for most of the last year as I and the team have undergone the preparation process for the first annual retreat. Choosing songs for the worship CD, tracking down the least expensive vendors for taper candles, t-shirt printers, and copies of How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul, purchasing countless mason jars and LED artificial candles, choosing and then refining what content will be covered, exploring fundraising options, scoring our collective contacts to try and nail down a worship team, and promoting and recruiting girls to attend the retreat name just a couple handfuls of what we've been up to. 

When I first started planning, one of the first decisions I made was regarding the location. Being someone who has only ever been part of the team preparing a retreat - not the director overseeing everything - I didn't have a mental file-folder of contacts and go-to locations, and so I started where I imagine most people in my position would: what you know, and what your friends know. I looked into Camp Stella Maris in Livonia (where I had attended 11 retreats throughout high school and my first year of college) and Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua, however neither location was anywhere near the price I dreamt of charging for the retreat. Upon my friend Lexi's suggestion, I looked into Bliss Summit Bible Camp in Bliss, and that's the location we settled on.

I visited Bliss for the first time this past January, and my inner interior designer went to work brainstorming how to transform the cabin-y chapel into the heart of Worthy 2013. I found DIY wall hangings on Pinterest to brighten up one wall, six inspirational quotes that I then framed to be displayed on the two windowsills, and decided to utilize the expansive back wall for the affirmation bags and prayer wall. Once satisfied with the chapel, I focused my energy on the other room of the main building at Bliss - what would become the prayer room. Already exuding a calm and restful energy with its natural shadows expanding from the wall of windows and lack of furniture or technology, I envisioned lots of comfy pillows around the perimeter of the room, soft music playing in the background, and a few flickering candles (artificial, of course!). Later on I had the idea of displaying a picture and short testimony of each leader, and the prayer room was complete.

After the location was nailed down, I turned to content. I skimmed the pages of my worn copy of How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul countless times, reading each highlighted section and note scrawled in the margin. I developed a list of main ideas, and gradually created seven talk topics, with a certain focus for each day.

Day One: What makes us feel unworthy?
Session One: The Media's Affect on Our Sense of Self
Session Two: A Father's Love, Developing Healthy Self-Love, and Finding Fulfillment in God

Day Two: Our Worthiness Comes From Within
Session Three: Identity in God
Session Four: Chastity and Modesty
Session Five: Facing Our Fears, Embracing Our Worth - Dispelling the Lies We Believe

Day Three: Embracing Our Worthiness
Session Six: Making Our Relationships Speak of Our Worth
Session Seven: A Called Generation

The Beginning

Even though Worthy 2013, our first annual retreat, is a mere 12 days away (I can't believe it! So much to do and so little time...), I find it necessary (and right) to share with you how it all began. Just a forewarning, I like to write adding tidbits in parentheses (as you have noticed above), so be prepared for some of them!

It all started in April 2012 when I began reading the book How To Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul by Jason and Crystalina Evert. The book focused on purity, chastity, and modesty - a topic I was pretty familiar with considering I have been practicing abstinence since 2007 - however, the book presented me with ideas that radically changed my idea of what it looks like to live a truly pure life. More important to the story of Worthy is the prompting of God that began while reading this book, which was "There are girls who don't know these things, and they need to." This resounded in my heart in a very profound way, and as someone who thoroughly enjoys ministry (up to this point I had been involved in youth ministry for five years, helping plan 8 retreats and actively participating and leading in my youth group), I toyed with the idea of planning a retreat based on the book's content. After watching Sex + Money: a National Search for Human Worth, in which I learned that two big components contributing to why girls oftentimes enter into human trafficking is because of low self-esteem or an absent father figure (both of which I struggled with), the idea of a retreat for young women was cemented into my heart. Thus, Worthy was born.

After that, I started planning the retreat - first meeting with Joan MacAteer and Lexi, deciding on the number and theme of talk topics, and beginning the very foreign process (to me) of recruiting leaders. It was and still is a very interesting experience to essentially sell your heart to people, and pray that it is God's will that the passion of your heart is also the passion of theirs. To date I have been extremely blessed with five other women (Moriah, Bianca, Emily, Ellie, and Jill) who have passionately served alongside me preparing for Worthy 2013. Recently the Worthy leadership team has expanded to include four interns (Ashley, April, Sarah, and Kateryna), who will begin working with us after Worthy 2013 to plan our Leadership Summit scheduled for the end of August. It truly is a wonder how God has grown and molded Worthy, and I am constantly in awe that He has blessed my life with this vision.

I could go on and on, but I'll save it for the next post :)

God bless!