Welcome to our website for Women Ministries of the Central Conference!

If you have been here before & and just want to know WHAT'S NEW  < < <  click it!

We are so excited to have you visit!  It is our hope that you will be able to find on these pages 
  the tools you need to help equip you for ministry in your church. 

  Check out all the links and information on our site to become familiar with not only the
  VISION & MISSION of our ministries in Central Conference but also to learn who is involved in   Women Ministries of the Central Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.  If you
  take your time to browse, you will find many resources which can equip you and the women of
  your church to GROW, SERVE, and REACH OUT with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

  Please let us know how we can be of assistance in your church or with your connections
  across your District or the Conference.  We can now be reached directly by email at                    wmccares10@gmail.com .
  Welcome! Bienvenidos!
!
WE NEED YOUR HELP !
WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE !
                             




                                 
                                       Dear friends,
                                
                                       What a year we have had in Women Ministries of the Central Conference!  God has blessed us with a leadership
       team of gifted, inspired leaders; women of faith who serve with gladness and generous hearts!  It has been like a gift for me to be a
       part of it all.  We have added new ministries, 1)  Compassion, Mercy & Justice, 2)  Communications, and 3)  Historian, and changed
       the title Missions to Global, to follow the lead of our WM denominational board.  Renee Shepherd will head the CMJ ministries,
      Jenny Christensen will be our historian, and we still await a Communications Chair, who will work with our newsletter editor and
      website manager.

       In April, we completed the rebuilding of our web of connection when I found out that one of the women from our St. Louis District
       would serve as District Liaison.  It was with joy that I accepted her on our team.  We now have a liaison serving each of our 12  
      districts.  Her job is to be a communicator between the Leadership Team and the local churches.   She needs email addresses from
      women in the churches and seeks a contact person for each church to best communicate with the women there.

       It is a thrill to be Conference President during a Triennial year and this year is no exception.  Excitement is building over various 
      plans to travel to Washington, D.C., and spend some days where we contemplate together how to "Reflecting God's Glory."  Then
      we get to meet as a Conference over a meal and celebrate our lives together in Christ.

       I look forward to the Fall Retreats at Covenant Harbor and Covenant Point, as well, when we can greet one another once again.
       The retreats, led by women from our District churches, seem to get better and better each year!  Registration is now open, so
       please take some time to consider giving yourself a weekend escape from life as usual.  You will find registration materials and
       promotionals within this website:  Go to the Retreats page and see for yourself what will be offered in 2010.

       Excited to be serving our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ, among you,
       grateful to you for your support & encouragement,

       Ann Richards




~Ann Richards~

Greetings from our President




               Women Ministries of the Central Conference (of the Evangelical Covenant Church) presents

Walk to Break the Chains
   Saturday, July 10, 2010











 
                  * Human trafficking is growing every year
  * 600,000 - 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year.
  * 80% are women
   * 60% are minors
  * The majority are enslaved in the sex trade
   * You can help!


                                               Walk around Geneva Lake -- 26 miles

Men, women, and children are invited to participate! The path around
Geneva Lake varies from pavers to gravel to worn dirt. It's a lovely walk,
not suitable for strollers. Runners will need to navigate a rough course and
other walkers along the way.

Is 26 miles too long? Consider a shorter distance: 5 or 15 miles.

This 26-mile walk begins and ends at Covenant Harbor, with a
celebratory dinner on the lake to follow.

Sign up, raise funds, and let's get walking!





                                                          WALKERS        Register online on the ECC Break the Chains website
                          Register as an athlete
                          Name of Race: Walk to Break the Chains
                          Location: Covenant Harbor
                          Date / Length of Walk: July 10, 2010 / 26, 15, or 5 miles
                          Confirmation ID: Leave blank

SPONSORS       Sponsor walkers on the ECC Break the Chains website
                                 Register as a sponsor
                                 Donate to a specific athlete or leave Athlete Name blank

VOLUNTEERS   Contact Cherith Anderson for volunteer opportunities
                           E-mail: cherithanderson (at) gmail.com
                                  Phone: 262-745-6257


           






                                                           Raise funds for New Day for Children, a new shelter
providing housing and counseling care to young girls
rescued from sex trafficking in North America.

           
PROMO MATERIALS   Full Page Flyer    

          Postcard - color  
          Postcard - black/white                    
Report on Break The Chains Walk

The 26 mile walk  fund raiser was a huge success!  Many families came out to walk.  Some walked 5 miles, some 15 miles and one  80 year old man walked the whole 26 miles around beautiful Lake Geneva at Covenant Harbor Bible Camp in Lake Geneva , WI .   Sponsored by Women Ministries of the Central Conference, this walk was intended to raise our consciousness about human trafficking, as well as bring in some necessary support monies for New Day for Children, a home for rescue and healing of girls freed from sexual slavery.  At least 12 walkers raised $600 in entry fees alone.

There were signs erected along the path with balloons in the breeze to attract the attention of regular groups of path walkers.  One woman actually came back to ask how she could walk for "Break the Chains."  Others slowed down on the path to read the facts about human trafficking, so lots of information  was disseminated.

Brenda Myers-Powell, Co Founder and Chief Operation Officer of the "Dream Catcher" Foundation of Chicago, herself a former prostitute, from an early age and an intervention specialist with the Chicago Police Department spoke about the desperate need for recovery shelters for the girls 10-17 years old.  There are almost none in the area at all!

That was the main focus of the Break the Chains initiative for funding for "The New Day for Children" located in southern California.  Brenda touched their hearts with her story of how she prayed to the Lord to send an angel who'd rescue her and care for her.  And how certain individuals, first a doctor and them some women assisted her at the shelter showing her love and acceptance and carried her along to wholeness in Christ.  

Churches are encouraged to take time during worship or Sunday School to view the "Break the Chains" video available from the denomination so that our congregations are aware of this terrible criminal circumstance.  Our youth need to be aware of how to be safe.  Let's be educated about what is being done to rescue these young girls, and play our part.