Crafts for Christ at Westwood Christian Church

Dawn Zimmerman recently began a new ministry at Westwood — Crafts for Christ. Here is a description of the ministry from Dawn and volunteers who have worked with her:

I started Crafts For Christ to reach women who are trying to start over by teaching a craft and showing the love of Christ to them. We work with the ladies of Arc, a non-profit organization serving women and children for over 30 years, located in Madison, WI. The Arc house offers a four-month program and residential facility with minimum security for women offenders trying to rehabilitate themselves from former addictions and create a new life.

ARC House – Madison

The person in charge of this ARC house is Celesta who is excited about our ministry and is giving me her full support. She has explained to me how important it is to teach these women how to have fun without using drugs while at the same time improving their social skills and that this can be done through crafts. Sharing crafts with these women will teach them new skills that will increase their living skill. Completing projects helps to raise their self worth and self esteem and many of these women are mothers and can then teach these crafts to their children.

The women have been a lot of fun to meet and work with. I really didn’t know what to expect the first time I went there so that’s been really great. One cool thing is that the women write out prayer requests for us to pray for which is a privilege. You don’t have to be a crafting expert to help out. You can be involved in a variety of ways from donating to Crafts For Christ, helping me to shop for craft materials, putting together samples and supplies, to joining me in sharing a craft with the ladies of ARC. Prayers are always welcomed.

Dawn Zimmerman

Here are three volunteers reactions to their time at ARC House, along with pictures of the crafts they helped the ladies make:

I was excited to help with the ministry and to be able to encourage the girls. Here are my general impressions of Crafts for Christ during the time I helped Dawn with a Christmas craft.

I was impressed with the way the girls looked out for each other, i.e., 1 ) made sure everyone was there, 2) gave suggestions to each other about their particular project, and 3) when a suggestion was made, the girls seriously considered the advice.

They showed pride in their finished projects, making places to display their creations. Many of them probably had not felt pride in themselves for a (long) period of time.

Several of them were comfortable writing prayer requests and submitting them to Dawn for prayer. They were often about family members and their needs rather than something to the effect of "Help me get out of here soon."

This Christmas project gave the girls the opportunity to comment about what they knew, thought, or had heard about Christ's birth. Some girls with some Christian background made comments such as "My grandmother told me that."

The craft was fun for the girls and they had the extra bonus of knowing that someone cared for them and was willing to spend time with them when it was not necessary to do so.

I think it would be beneficial to provide Crafts for Christ more than once a month. That would give an opportunity to discover what an individual girl’s needs are and perhaps to find more ways to help her.

Clarissa Shockley

“The ladies who gathered lived in a home atmosphere of togetherness and they welcomed us with smiles, though a bit tentatively as they weren’t too sure what origami is all about. But they joined in whole-heartedly with chatter and much laughter at their mistakes. It was a fun time for all.”

Betty Anderson

“I was surprised at the enthusiasm and cheerfulness of the ladies, all so friendly and looking forward to doing a craft. They really seemed to enjoy it. I was really tickled by the one table I gave all the bling (shiny stuff) to. They were like little kids. Here there are women whose kids have been taken away or are in foster care and they are still delighted with simple things. They seemed so appreciative and I really think it makes a difference for them.”

Kathi Seman

Responding to the Questions That Jesus Asks

In a post last week, I commented on a passage from Stan Guthrie’s book All That Jesus Asks, which I am currently reading. Let me take you deeper into the book by asking a question: Have you responded to all of the questions that Jesus asks of us?

First you might ask a question: What questions does Jesus ask? Since we are talking about questions, that is a good question. The answer is quite simple: All you have you to do is read the Gospels — just as we are going through the Gospel of Luke with my messages this year — and you will find that one of Jesus’ primary methods of teaching is to ask questions.

Guthrie sums up the questions Jesus asks us like this: “His questions prompt our participation, inspection, and reflection. His questions draw us into the mind of God and invite us to grow as we walk with him. As we grapple with Jesus's questions, we learn what we truly believe-and what we don't…. Jesus, the master teacher of history, asked probing questions of all who came to him: friend and foe, skeptic and follower, seeker and betrayer. And he still asks today.”

Here are some of the questions Guthrie explores that Jesus asks:

First Guthrie seeks to answer the vital question, “Who is Jesus?” Guthrie says, “Jesus was intensely interested in knowing what people thought of him, because our relationship to him determines our eternal destiny.” So he explores questions such as:

• “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” in exploring the crowds’ response to John the Baptist.
• “Can a blind man lead a blind man?” as he discussed the context of his teachings.
• “How can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?” in discussing his authority.
• “Why do you not know how to interpret the present time” as he discusses his mission and his followers’ awareness of that mission within the world.
• Most importantly, “Who do you say that I am?” as Jesus explores with us his identity.

Those are just some of the questions that Guthrie suggests explore Jesus’ identity. Jesus also asks questions about following him, questions that explore our thinking and whether we love the Lord with al of our minds, questions that explore our character, and questions that challenge some of the critical doctrines we must believe.

As I read Guthrie’s book while I am also studying Luke in preparation for my messages each week, I find myself paying closer attention to Jesus’ questions and how I would answer them. Let me give you one brief example:

The first question that Jesus asks in Luke during his ministry is in Luke 5:23: “Which is easier to say, ’Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ’Get up and walk.’” With this question, Jesus forces us to think about the forgiveness that we need and his ability to forgive anyone, in any circumstance, of their sins. You and I need to keep the power of his forgiveness in front of us.

So let me ask you, are you willing to let Jesus explore your commitment to him by seriously giving consideration to his questions?