2016: Our Year In Review
2016 has been a year of tremendous growth for our ministry. At this time last year, we were just beginning to plan our very first city-wide gathering! God has done such beautiful, tender work in the lives of so many women in our city. He has used this ministry as a way to pull us toward Him by His Word. What an undeserved grace!
As the calendar year comes to a close, the song "All Glory Be To Christ" by Kings Kaleidoscope is often running through my head. The song is set to the tune of the old NYE favorite, "Auld Lange Syne," but the lyrics are full of truth about our Lord Jesus. When we look back on 2016, we aren't patting ourselves on the back. We are sharing the work that HE has done! He deserves all the glory for the things that we carry out with human hands. He is the one who made us, who called us to this, and who completes the work by his Spirit.
“All glory be to Christ our king! All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing, all glory be to Christ!”
Here are some of the things God did among us in 2016:
- He brought women from all over Dayton to four city-wide gatherings
- He connected us with a variety of churches and ministries across greater Dayton area
- He equipped us to host and teach our summer Bible study through the book of Daniel
- He provided for us to host several workshops aimed at equipping women practically in their study of God's Word
- He led us to launch the DWITW Blog with weekly posts from local women
- He brought about Season 1 of the DWITW Podcast, where we interviewed a wide range of women from our own city
- He connected us with many of you on the DWITW Facebook Group and Instagram
- He stirred in many of us a greater hunger, understanding and appreciation of the Bible than we ever had before
“Should nothing of our efforts stand, no legacy survive unless the Lord does raise the house, in vain its builders strive. To you who boast tomorrow’s gain, tell me, what is your life? A mist that vanishes at dawn, All glory be to Christ!”
God has been at work, amen? We hope that you have been as encouraged as we have by what God has been doing among the women of Dayton.
Will you join us in prayer for our next year of ministry? As the song says, we recognize our lives are a mist and that the Lord is the one who raises this house called Dayton Women in the Word. Would you pray with us that we would not boast in the gains of tomorrow, that we would not strive for recognition or our own glory, but that we would give all glory to Christ our King? We lay all of our plans at the feet of King Jesus.
Thank you for being a part of God's work in Dayton! May the Lord continue to raise up women of God in our city who know, believe and share His Word!