The Common Bond is Jesus

I always look forward to spending time with my fellow sisters in ministry.  In the association that I am a part of here in the Little Rock, Arkansas area, we have a group of 15-20 ladies who meet once a month. There is always laughter, good food, more laughter and lots of chocolate.

When we gather, we plan for fun.  Just this month we met at one wife’s home and she prepared a wonderful soup meal for us.  All the rest of us had to do was show up with our leftover Christmas “junk” and share it.  As we sat around the table there was no planned program.  Since our last meeting almost two months ago, we simply caught up on each other’s lives.  (Because ministers’ wives CANNOT squeeze another event in during the month of December, we take that month off). 

As I prepared for bed and tried to fall asleep after our fellowship, I was consumed with the reminder of the sweet fellowship that took place around the table that evening.  Here is what I discovered:

*We represented a variety of beautiful skin tones but what really made each lady beautiful was the love of Jesus oozing from inside.

*We come from different backgrounds from around the nation. 

*God uniquely designed each of us to be our husband’s perfect helpmate in ministry.

*We serve in large churches, small churches, new church plants but the common denominator is seeing lost souls won for Christ.

*Our churches are located in different areas around our metroplex-rural, suburb, downtown-and our churches range from very small to very large congregations.

*Our ladies are school teachers, nurses, stay-at-home moms, preschool teachers, business professionals, college professors, and more.

* We represent moms of preschoolers, grade schoolers, high schoolers, college students and grown independent adult children.  Some of us have even graduated to being grandparents.

I could go on with my list but I think you get the idea.  This group of ladies is not a click.  We are a group of wives who are married to men in the ministry. We are a group of ladies who understand the unique roll of a minister’s wife.  We understand the glory days of ministry and we have fought through the yucky days of ministry life.  We struggle to raise our families, at times endure financial hardship, and so much more.  We serve alongside our husbands because we are called to be God’s cheerleader for our men.

People often ask me why I attend this fellowship or why I have been part of others like it.  My response is always the same.  It is the one place that I can remove my ministry wife mask and be myself.  It is the one place where other ladies can encourage me and provide laughter to my soul.  It is the place where there is no competition between churches (there never should be) and we can come together in one accord.

I have also been asked what makes a group of ladies from different backgrounds and churches come together.  My answer is that we all have a common bond.  It is the bond of having Jesus as our Savior.