• Blog
• About Us
• Join The Team
• Local Events
• Virtual Groups
• Equipping Marriages
• Media
• Resources
• Connections
• Store

Leading and Loving It

Summer Block Party

Posted by Tiffany Cooper

HEY, LADIES!!!

IT’S TIME TO PARTY…SUMMER BLOCK PARTY STYLE!!!

Just thinking about summer makes me want to put on my flip-flops and enjoy a hamburger on the patio. It also makes me think about slower schedules and fun with friends. It’s the perfect time to hangout stress-free. That’s why we’ve created the Leading and Loving It SUMMER BLOCK PARTY!

What is a Leading and Loving It SUMMER BLOCK PARTY?
A casual gathering of women, either your ministry staff ladies or Pastor’s Wives and Women in Ministry from your area.
A time to hangout and build relationships.

SUMMER BLOCK PARTY SUGGESTIONS!
Your Home * Park * Coffee Shop * Restaurant * Ice Cream Shop * Sno Cone Stand * Church * Bowling Alley * Lake * Local Hangout Spot * BBQ * Potluck
***Wherever the spot, get together for some fun, relaxed hangout time.

WHEN IS THE SUMMER BLOCK PARTY?
Anytime throughout the summer, June-August. Find a date that works with your schedule and make it happen!

WANT TO HOST? WHAT’S NEXT?
Simply email me, Tiffany, at tiffany[at]leadingandlovnigit[dot]com.
We’ll get you started and help to promote your event through social media. Easy as that!

We would like to hear from you. What are some SUMMER BLOCK PARTY ideas you could do in your city/town/area? Share your thoughts and help others get some ideas!!!

Internships …

Posted by Lori Wilhite

This is my incredibly sweet intern Kaylee. She’s been working with me part time for about a year now. We are winding up her internship as she transfers off to another college in the fall … I’m trying not to be bitter, truly. I really love her and am so thankful that she’s interned with me this year. I’m certain that I’ve gotten the far better end of the deal. She’s incredible.

I asked Kaylee to share a little about her internship for those who are considering an internship program. Our internship program is unpaid and can last for varying degrees of time. If the intern is from out of town, we will help secure housing for them at one of our church members homes. Hopefully we’re able to pour into them as much as they do our church.

From Kaylee

Hey ladies! My name is Kaylee Zentai, and I have the privilege of being Lori Wilhite’s intern. I am 20 years old, about to transfer to Biola University in Southern California, and I have attended Central Christian Church for about 13 years. I have grown up at Central and have experienced what it’s like to be a student leader in the high school ministry, an intern for the high school ministry, and now to work with Lori and some of the incredible women at Central.

I have been involved with the intern program at Central for 2 years. What this means is that I work 20-30 hours a week (and at least double that during certain ministry seasons) as unpaid staff. I am also a full-time college student, work two part- time jobs, and still have to find balance in my life to be a present member of my family. So what, you might be wondering, would motivate me to spend so much time, effort, and emotion in super-volunteering at church?

The answer to that question is simple. It has been a HUGE blessing for me to be a part of the intern program. I have been emotionally and spiritually challenged. I am growing up and learning how to be a mature adult faster than normal. I’m confronting the flaws in my leadership, and in the midst of doing ministry, I have been able to discover what God’s call on my life is.

The first year of my internship was challenging, if I’m being honest. I was fresh out of high school, working with my former peers, and learning how to be a big kid who could responsibly lead teenagers and communicate effectively with parents. I also had to learn how to appropriately work with a leadership style that was different from my own and how to be the only girl on a team with 5 guys. I learned that being a Christian leader meant that everything you do is a reflection of the church and of Christ; that meant that I had to change the way I approach my Facebook account, the words I use, and the attitude I have.

The second year of my internship has been very different. It has given me an opportunity to be influenced by some incredible women, wives, and role models. It is also allowing me to “blossom” into the woman and leader God created me to be by cultivating the skills I already have as well as teaching me new skills. I’m learning to be comfortable in my own skin because only I can be who God created me to be. I’m getting to do all of these things in a supportive and grace-filled surrounding with the intern program and Lori.

I’ve been able to have a few different roles at Central; to experience first hand what ministry is really about. I’ve learned that God has called me to a special kind of ministry. And I’m learning by example and from experience what a leader looks like. I have been able to attend Catalyst West twice with the intern program, which has radically grown my leadership. I’ve also been able to meet a few of you ladies, hear your stories, and learn from you. These are just some of the benefits that the intern program has provided for me and for the other interns at Central. But the internship program isn’t just about receiving, it’s also about giving. I’m able to give back to my home church not only with my time but by discipling student leaders and serving the women in ministry and wives at Central.

If you don’t have an intern program or are considering starting one, I would highly recommend it! The benefits to the interns and to the church are beyond worth it, and you will get to witness first hand the development of future leaders for Christ.

If you have an internship program, what are the positives and negatives?
Do you have any questions for Kaylee or me about our internship program?

Let People Say No …

Posted by Lori Wilhite

Our sweet friends Vanessa Brown and Angie Green lead Local Events for the staff wives at their NewSpring campuses. With no budget but a sweet heart to help support and connect the women of their churches, they have done an incredible job. We asked Vanessa to share how they’ve been able to pull of these events with little to no money. Thanks Vanessa and Angie for all you do!

From Vanessa and Angie:

Last year at the Armed and Dangerous Retreat, one of the take-aways we had was, “Let people say no for themselves.  Ask and then wait.”  This has been huge for us because we have been called to pour into the staff ladies and wives at each of our campuses, but we don’t have a budget for doing so.  As we prayed through what this ministry would look like for us and how He wanted us to serve our ladies, we felt led to host three events a year (one of the events is at each individual campus, the other two are larger and ladies from both campuses come together). We are in the midst of our second year of events and, because God has provided so faithfully for us, we wanted a chance to share with others how you can make what God has called you to do happen.

First, there is a LOT of prayer involved in having people partner with us to help make our events a reality. We dream big, we pray big, we ask big. We pray for God’s provision. We pray for revelation of who to ask about helping support our events. We pray for what to ask for. We pray for God to make it all happen.  And, because He has called us to this, He continues to equip us and provide for the ministry to these ladies.

Once we pray about WHO we should ask to help sponsor our vision, we make sure that these people are tithing. We don’t want to “steal” from God! We realize that their first financial responsibility is to bring back to God a tenth of what He has provided for them. If they have not come to this point in being obedient to Christ, we don’t ask them to help support us!

If they are being faithful to God in this area, then we share our full vision for the ministry God has called us to do.  We usually initiate conversations with people at church or send an email that shares with them our ministry journey, our heart for our staff ladies and wives and the reason behind our events. (We would be happy to share an example of our email with you, if you’d like – just let us know) We also give them a detailed list of everything we’d like to have for each event from big things to small things – we make a list everything and give them the opportunity to jump in and help any way they can. This may mean writing a check as a contribution or making cupcakes for the event. Some people can do more than others, but everyone’s contribution put together is what makes it all happen and we are thankful for every bit of it.

Side-note: We have had people say no or simply not respond to our email. That’s okay, they are saying no for themselves. We don’t let that discourage us, because every event has always been provided for far beyond our expectations.

We also make sure to thank them abundantly! We share pictures and details from the event and are sure to communicate how they have PARTNERED with us to make the events a reality! Many of the people who have helped us with one event, end up helping out with multiple needs of our ministry. One of the neatest things about bringing in our members to help us love and encourage our ladies is that they start realizing how much these ladies as staff or wives do, they realize the spiritual burden they carry and start praying for them more, encouraging them verbally when they see them at church, and they thank US for giving them the opportunity to appreciate them and love on them when they didn’t know how to do that before.

Finally, we continually remain in a position of gratitude, humbleness, and thankfulness to God! It’s been amazing to see that as we have been faithful and obedient to Him in what He has called us to do, people have stepped up to help and give generously – even beyond what we have asked for, because they are excited to love and support our ladies as well. He is the one moving in the hearts of the people who are partnering with us, He is providing for us through the generosity of His people, and He gets all the glory!!!

We’d love to hear how you find ways to let other people partner with you! Thoughts?

Fun Friday … Happy Mother’s Day

I love that this Sunday we all get an excuse to celebrate the mom’s in our lives! I loved this song and wanted to share it with all the Leading and Loving It girls for Mother’s Day! Enjoy!

The Mom Song on You Tube

What do you need to give your mom a special “thank you” for this Mother’s Day?

Enjoy the Ride

Posted by Tiffany Cooper

This Sunday, May 13^th, marks my 10^th year as a pastor’s wife. Yep, 10 years on a non-stop learning curve. There have been some enjoyable lessons and a share of painful ones. It’s been 10 years of committing to the ups and downs. Through it all, one phrase comes to mind, ENJOY THE RIDE!

Here’s my reality: In the midst of my biggest and most profound “ups” in ministry, I’m also (in many cases) dealing with a “down” moment. I have to fight against allowing the “down” to overshadow the “up”. On the flip side, in the midst of my lowest “down” moments in ministry, I still have “ups”. Basically, there is rarely a moment in ministry where everything is just as I want it to be in a perfect world. Why? Because, I’m living this thing called life. Life is imperfect because people, especially me, are imperfect. But I can enjoy the imperfect ride!

A few ways I enjoy the ride?

• Invest greatly in my family. Having a home of peace and love and having a close family make everything better. Ministry would feel overwhelming if I didn’t have my husband to walk through it with, he is my dearest and closest friend. We talk about everything with no judgment. Our home and our family is our safe place to fall.
• Take the Hits. Basically, I decided not to fight against the hits but instead take em’ and move on.  Ministry involves people. They may love me one day and hate me the next. People say things about me that aren’t true and others wrongly assume things about me. I can’t enjoy the ride if I’m constantly consumed with what people think about me. Instead, I live my life knowing that every single day people misunderstand me and even dislike me. I take the hits and move on trusting that God ultimately has my back!
• Embrace the Ups and Downs. I embrace the down moments because they make me better. I can learn from those moments when I don’t fight them or give them too much power…God is greater than any down moment. AND I totally embrace the up moments. In fact, I don’t wait for them happen; I proudly create up moments for my family and myself to enjoy. God wants us to enjoy our life and he wants us to have those moments in abundance. Work hard, play hard!

Friends, don’t be surprised when ministry doesn’t happen like you expected it to. Life is a roller coaster ride and ministry brings a lot of up and down moments along the way. I simply encourage you to find ways to enjoy the ride. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy your ride!

How would you describe your current “ride” in ministry? How do you enjoy it with the ups and downs?