2019: Our Year in Review
Dear friends of DWITW,
It’s been another year of rich blessing. In a lot of ways for us at DWITW, that feels like business as usual! God is always showing up, always providing, always with us in this work, but we never want to take that for granted or forget it. God has been good, and we make it our aim to recount His goodness regularly. So here, at year’s end, we’ll repeat the practice.
The lyrics of Bethel Music’s ‘Goodness of God’ are ringing in my heart and mind as I write these words to you:
“All my life you have been faithful
All my life you have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God”
Here are some ways God has shown His goodness and faithfulness to us this year:
God made a way for the DWITW team to re-write, film, edit, and launch our At Home in the Word video series and accompanying practice PDFs. This was a project we labored over for several years and were overjoyed (still are!) that it’s out in the world for all to use. (Special thanks to Laura Walters, Molly Bellanco and Kristen Whitt for their help on this one!)
God provided our team a stable office space at Keystone Church for much of this year. It was extremely helpful to have a home base, especially during the wild and wonderful months of summer study!
God brought more women and children than ever before to our 5th annual summer study through Mark. He gave us an amazing set of teachers, a reliable team of volunteers, and a gracious host church (Keystone) for both sessions. We also saw several satellite groups start up in homes around the city (see Caitlin’s story.)
God allowed us to celebrate five years of His faithfulness with a worship night at FCF at the close of summer study. What a joy it was to say thank you to God for the last five years and to remember (much like we are doing now!) how much He’s done. Women all over Dayton have been revived and made alive by His Word. We couldn’t help but sing.
God provided all the finances we needed (and more!) as is His custom! He did that through many of you, who gave sacrificially to see this ministry of the Word thrive and reach more women in 2019. Thank you to all of you who graciously partner with us financially! It spurs us on to stay faithful in the work.
God gave us encouragement through the writers of our DWITW Blog. We got the privilege of reading and learning from our sisters through Team Journals, the Nameless series, and several submissions from women in our network.
God brought two more seasons of the DWITW Podcast to the airwaves - the At Home in the Word series on Biblical Genres and Good News, our series on sharing the gospel. We were encouraged by hearing more stories of how women in our city follow Jesus. We continued to focus on diversifying our guest list to represent a fuller picture of the women of Dayton.
God refocused and reenergized our efforts at Teaching Collective! We switched our format to include more equipping and more personal engagement. God’s been regularly calling up this group of gals to teach about Him and proclaim His name boldly. They are being deployed for the gospel! It’s been a joy to watch them grow into their gifts and face their insecurities in a safe space.
God provided us not one, but two conference co-directors! Our directors felt led toward hosting a conference, but no one was able to take on the task. We prayed for God to bring us a gal with experience who could take it on. We got more than we could have asked or imagined in Melanie Newhouse and Kacey Dixon, and we started the initial work planning Yet Even Now: A Weekend in Joel. God also answered our prayers for a conference venue and teachers for the main sessions in beautiful ways that showed off His kindness toward us.
God was exceedingly generous to us by filling up our DWITW team for 2020. We’ve been praying over this transition in particular for not just months, but years, as 2020 marks a year of big changes for us as I transition out of my role as Team Lead. I couldn’t be happier with the women He’s brought to the team for next year and my heart swells with gratefulness thinking of God’s care for us and for His Word ministry in Dayton.
Lastly, God brought us through many difficult personal challenges this year. Our DWITW family walked through some painful seasons together and continue in them, even now. God has sustained our team and strengthened us in faith in 2019, and given us a fresh longing for His return.
“But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come,
I will remind them of your righteousness alone.” Psalm 71:14-16
On a more personal note, the end of this year has been quite tender and sentimental for me. As many of you know, I am transitioning out of the Team Lead position and preparing to leave Dayton in June as our family relocates with the Air Force. Know it has been a joy to lead and serve you these past five years. There isn’t enough space on this blog to tell you all the ways I’ve seen God revitalize our city by His grace.
Dayton has been a place that others have looked down on, forgotten, or made assumptions about. As it was said about Nazareth (John 1:46), it has been said about Dayton: “What good can come from it?” But we know better. We know all about the restoration, and redemption, and renewal God has brought, and continues to bring, to our city. God has not forgotten Dayton, Ohio, and this ministry is just one little proof! We see proof every time you share your excitement about something you read in the Word. We see it as we watch you use your influence for the gospel. We see it when you teach the kids class at your church, or host the teen Bible study, or give a talk at Collective, or share what you’ve been learning on Instagram.
Evidences of grace and growth are all around, my friends.
Let’s remember what we’ve seen in 2019, express our thanks to God, and believe for more in 2020 and the years to come.
Our great God has come near! Let’s spend our whole lives pursuing Him and sharing Him with others.