Blessed by Those We Serve

"Will you emcee our next conference?" Such a simple request but oh, how it challenged me.

Forty years ago, women began meeting quarterly to network and share resources. Then we decided to host a conference designed specifically for women leaders in ministry at one of our churches. Women wanted another conference and another. The response was so overwhelming, Susan Kimes felt called to resign her position as Women's Ministries Director and form NEWIM as a nonprofit so we could host conferences. Susie became NEWIM's first president.

In 1990, Anne Graham Lotz was just starting out when we asked her to keynote our conference. Two years later, we asked Anne to come back and invited Jill Briscoe to join her. Attendance kept growing. The conferences were really good.

The year I was asked to emcee we had 800 women in the Red Lion Hotel ballroom. I remember the hours I put into preparation. The new clothes I bought. How scared I was as I stepped up to the podium. A friend encouraged me, "Honor the audience with your anxiety." I honored them all right. Ultimately, I survived. Women encouraged me. It was such a gift for women to see potential in me (that I didn't see in myself) and invite me to serve. In seeking to bless others, I was affirmed and blessed. Isn't that often the case? 

This month we are celebrating how the Lord uses those we serve to profoundly bless us. Women in NEWIM sought to bless others by hosting the best conferences we could, and we were stretched and encouraged and blessed in the process. Has that been the case for you? As I reflect on how often this has happened in my life, I'm encouraged to invite others to step up to leadership. I want to be their Barnabas (Acts 11:22-26). Affirm their potential. Stand by and encourage them as they grow. See them be blessed as they serve.

And if you are asked, don't be afraid to say, "Yes."

We are blessed by those we serve.