Women’s Sunday Prepared by

Commissioner Debi Bell

God’s Beautiful Home For the Western Territory

Women’s Sunday
Holiness Meeting Outline
God’s Beautiful Home—My Heart
A Beautiful Home
What a beautiful home, God ... I’ve always

Theme Verse, “What a beautiful home, God ... I’ve always

longed to live in a place like this, always
dreamed of a room in Your house where I
could sing for joy.
Psalm 84:1,2 The Message

longed to live in a place like this, always dreamed of a room

in Your house where I could sing for joy”
(Psalm 84:1,2, The Message).

Call to Worship
Psalm 84 (The Message), Psalm 24 (NLT)
and 1 Corinthians 3:16

Opening Song
“Come in, My Lord, Come In” #562*
Responsive Prayer Reading (page 54)
Based on Song #6 “Eternal God” and Selected Scripture
Special Music,
“There’s A Sweet, Sweet Spirit in This Place”
Testimony by a Women’s Ministries Member
Responsive Scripture Reading (page 54)
Song #218, “Come, Great Spirit“
or # 709, “Friendship With Jesus”*
Worship by the Giving of Tithes and Offerings
Song #645, “What a Friend We Have In Jesus,”*
Suggested Reading “My Heart Christ’s Home,”
by Robert Boyd Munger
http://www.geocities.com/bgmcansh/My_Heart_Christ.html
(The story can be acted out or read by several different voices.)
Purpose
Women’s Sunday gives the corps an
opportunity to reach out to visitors
and help women’s ministries partici-
pants connect with the corps’ congre-
gation. It is a good day to invite the
mothers of the children involved in
youth programs. Women’s Sunday
also gives an opportunity for the
women’s ministries groups to connect
with women who attend the corps but
do not participate in a women’s min-
istries group.
The worship service outlined in this
program will help remind the congre-
gation that God provides a place and
time for corporate worship. We must
encourage the cultivation of right
hearts as we enter God’s beautiful
home so that we can enjoy His pres-
ence. Since God’s home is also our
hearts we must choose to live with
clean hearts.

Message, ”God’s Beautiful Home—My Heart”

Preparation
Time of Commitment Send invitations to all women’s min-
istries participants and Home League
members inviting them to attend this
Solo, “It’s Not Good Enough for the Rose”
special Women’s Sunday in God’s
and “I Came to Him”
beautiful home. Put an announcement
from “The White Rose” or in the Sunday bulletin and newsletter
Song #663, “Home Is Home”* indicating the focus of this special
(Use the Tune “The Unveiled Christ,” Music and Midi File at: Sunday. Ask those who regularly
http://www.ccel.org/cceh/0011) attend the corps to be prepared to be
blessed and to extend an open wel-
Closing Song #952, “Give to Jesus Glory”* come to visitors making them feel at
home. At least one month before the
Benediction meeting form prayer groups to pray
for those who attend and that God’s
presence will be evident.
*The Salvation Army Song Book

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 Make bookmarkers with the theme
verse to be given as a keepsake of the
day. Don’t forget to put the name of
the corps, the address, telephone
number and the corps officer’s name
on the back of the bookmarker. Check
out the program cover and poster
designed especially for this special
Sunday.
Holiness Meeting Message
God’s Beautiful Home—
My Heart
Introduction
Have you ever wondered why God
created mankind? Were we created as a
whim when one day God was bored
with heaven and the angels so He
thought, “Oh, what shall I do today?
I’ve got an idea. I will create Adam and
Eve. I will give them freewill so that
they can cause problems for Me to give
Me some challenges to fix.” Scripture
teaches us that God delighted in the
creation of humans and gave us freewill
so that we could choose to have fellow-
ship with Him. “So God created man in
His own image, in the image of God He
created him; male and female He creat-
ed them” (Gen. 1:27).
As we look at the account and sci-
ence of creation, we discover that the
earth was uniquely and specifically
made to sustain human life. This
would indicate that humans have a
place and purpose in the heart of the
Creator. Before the fall of man, record-
ed in Genesis chapter 3, God had
fellowship with His creation in the
Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve
chose to disobey God that fellowship
was broken and humans were sepa-
rated from God by sin.
Romans 5:12—21 helps us to under-
stand that because of the sin of Adam,
we have all sinned and are separated
from God. Yet, it was His desire that
through His Son Jesus’ suffering and
death the means to restore that fellow-
ship would be provided. “For if the
many died by the trespass of the one
man, how much more did God’s grace
and the gift that came by the grace of
the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to
the many!” (Rom. 5:15). A lot of histo-
ry and a lot of Scripture span the gap
between Adam and Jesus. To aid our
understanding of God’s desire to
restore fellowship with humans we
must look at some key passages of
Scripture that deal with God’s desire
to dwell with us.
God’s Blueprint for His Home
After the fall, there were a few key
men and women who enjoyed limited
fellowship with God. Genesis chapter
4 indicates that Abel understood how
to please God, while Cain could not.
Abel gave God the best he had to offer,
while Cain gave some of what he had.
God accepted Abel’s offering because
he gave it with the right motive. His
heart was right before God. Cain’s
offering was rejected because he had
not offered it with a right motive.
Next, we see the man Enoch who
walked with God, and his life pleased
God (Gen. 5:24). In a world that had
become corrupted, Noah found favor
in the eyes of God (Gen. 6:8). He
warned Noah of the flood that was
about to come on the earth. Noah
believed and obeyed God. Because of
Noah, his family and the animals of
the earth were saved.
The next recorded person who
enjoyed a relationship with God was
Abram (Genesis 12). After making a
covenant with him, God changed his
name to Abraham. It was through
Abraham and Sarah that God prom-
ised a descendant who would bring
about the restoration of fellowship
with all mankind.
We follow the line of Abraham’s
descendants, Isaac, Jacob, the twelve
sons of Jacob and their descendants to
the man Moses. God used Moses to
deliver the Hebrew people from
bondage and slavery in Egypt and to
lead them to the promised land of
Israel. In that journey we see the story
of salvation and sanctification. God
gave the laws that would govern His
people. He gave them the Tab-
ernacle—a tent for His special dwell-
ing place.
The design and the laws of the
Tabernacle were specific and detailed.
It was to be a holy place where God
would dwell among His people. The
attendants and priests were a holy
people set aside to serve God so that
they could help the general popula-
tion understand what was necessary
to bridge the gap caused by sin. The
building of the Tabernacle and the set-
ting up of the system of sacrifice was
an important step in the restoration
process of mankind.
57
“So I will consecrate the Tent of
Meeting and the altar and will conse-
crate Aaron and his sons to serve Me
as priests. Then I will dwell among the
Israelites and be their God. They will
know that I am the Lord their God,
who brought them out of Egypt so
that I might dwell among them. I am
the Lord their God” (Exod. 29:44–46).
God wanted a people who would
worship Him with right motives. He
wanted a people who would worship
Him with their whole heart.
Later, a descendant of Abraham,
Solomon, built the Temple according
to a specific and detailed design given
by God. In the dedication prayer he
said these words: “O Lord, God of
Israel, there is no God like You in
heaven above or on earth below—You
who keep your covenant of love with
Your servants who continue whole-
heartedly in Your way. You have kept
Your promise to Your servant David
my father; with Your mouth You have
promised and with Your hand You
have fulfilled it—as it is today” (1
Kings 8:23, 24).
In 1 Chronicles 28:9 we read, “And
you, my son Solomon, acknowledge
the God of your father, and serve Him
with wholehearted devotion and with
a willing mind, for the Lord searches
every heart and understands every
motive behind the thoughts. If you
seek Him, He will be found by you;
but if you forsake Him, He will reject
you forever.”
The two beautiful places God chose
to make His dwelling place were the
Tabernacle and the Temple. Each of
these two dwelling places or homes of
God were key in helping humans
understand His desire and plan to
dwell among us. Both of these places
were limited and temporary until the
day that God would become flesh and
blood to dwell among us as the final
step in the process of restoration that
would enable God to dwell within us.
“The Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us. We have seen
His glory, the glory of the One and
Only, who came from the Father, full
of grace and truth” (John 1:14). This is
a short but significant verse of
Scripture that simply and profoundly
states that God wrapped Himself in
flesh and blood so that He would be
able to dwell among us. Jesus’ physi-
cal time on earth was short, but part of
His work was to prepare the way for
the Holy Spirit to come and dwell
within us. Read John 14:16–24.
We see the move from the physical
dwelling places of the Tabernacle, the
Temple and the body of Christ to the
spiritual dwelling place we call the
heart. “And I will ask the Father, and
He will give you another Counselor to
be with you forever—the Spirit of
truth” (John 14:17). Jesus explains that
the Holy Spirit would soon dwell in
the believers.
God’s Home
It is very easy for humans to get
caught up in the physical. God knows
and understands that we are both
physical and spiritual beings. The
physical surroundings of a place of
worship are important to help prepare
and enable us to enter the spiritual
presence of God.
The Tabernacle in the wilderness
journey was important to the people
as it reminded them that God was
with them and that they were His peo-
ple. It was a place to teach and inspire
them to be a people with whom God
could have a relationship. The Tab-
ernacle moved with them through
their journey. The presence of God in
the Tabernacle was symbolized by the
form of a cloud by day and a pillar of
fire by night. His presence would
inspire, but could not guarantee that
the people would trust, obey and fol-
low God with a right heart.
The Temple was built as a more solid
and permanent place. It was designed
to remind the Israelites that God was
among them. It too inspired, but could
not guarantee, a people who would
wholeheartedly live for God.
When Jesus encountered the woman
at the well, she wanted to discuss
physical places, but Jesus took her on
a quick journey to the heart of truth
(John 4:21–26). He explained it was not
the place but the attitude and motive
of the person that would determine if
their worship would please God. “Yet
a time is coming and has now come
when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for they
are the kind of worshippers the Father
seeks. God is spirit, and His wor-
shipers must worship in spirit and in
truth” (John 4:23, 24).
We gather in our places of worship
so that we can corporately worship
and come into the presence of God.
We call these places the house of God.
In a real sense when His Spirit and His
presence dwell among us, these gath-
ering places are houses of God. It is
important that we have these physical
places to worship, but it is more
important that God dwell in us.
God’s Home—Our Heart
“Don’t you know that you your-
selves are God’s temple and that
God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Cor.
3:16). Is your heart really God’s home?
What kind of home does God have in
your heart? Are you like Abel, who
gave God his very best and came to
worship Him with the right kind of
heart? Or are you like Cain, who gave
some things to God? Are you a person
who gives God some place in your
heart but will not turn over ownership
of that heart? Is your heart a beautiful
place for God to make His home?
In the Gowans and Larsson musical,
“The White Rose,” the main character
was a young woman, Clair, who was
led to accept Christ through the min-
istry of the Home League. As a symbol
of that action she was presented with
a white rose.
58
When Clair took the rose home and
put it in a vase on her table, she
noticed that the table was dirty in com-
parison to the beauty of the rose. So
she cleaned the table. When she real-
ized that the kitchen was not clean in
comparison to the table, she cleaned
the kitchen and then her whole house.
When she looked in the mirror, she
noticed her dirty, unkept appearance
and realized she needed to do some-
thing about it. Her children saw the
changes in their mother and they too
wanted to be different. When her hus-
band arrived home, he saw all the
changes in his family and wanted to be
a part of this transformation.
It was not the beautiful white rose
that made the difference in this family,
but the fact that Christ had moved
into Clair’s heart. She responded by
giving Him access to all of her heart
and that brought about the change in
her. When Christ lives in your heart
and you give Him your whole heart,
the world will see the difference.
What kind of heart/home have you
given to God as His dwelling place?
Are there rooms in your heart that
need some home improvement that
can only happen by surrendering
them to Christ’s control? How about
the library or den? Perhaps the
kitchen, dining room or even the bed-
room areas of your heart need a thor-
ough cleansing. Do you have some
secret locked closets that you hope
Christ will not discover or claim?
Is there someone here today who has
never invited Christ Jesus to enter the
home of their heart? It is easy to wel-
come Jesus into your heart. God’s
original plan was to have fellowship
with us, but because of Adam and
Eve’s sin that fellowship was de-
stroyed. Our sin destroys that fellow-
ship with God, and so He sent His
Son, Jesus, to bridge the gap and
restore that fellowship.
To receive Jesus you must believe
that He can restore fellowship with
you and God. Then accept that Jesus,
who was God in flesh, dwells among
us and wants to make His home in
your heart. You must surrender your
heart to Jesus and allow Him to own
and restore every room. This will be
the ultimate home improvement be-
cause your heart will become God’s
beautiful home.
 Opening Prayer
This prayer is a responsive reading based on song #6 in The Salvation Army Song Book and on selective Scripture.

Leader: Eternal God, unchanging through all the changing years,

Whose hands all things created, who holds the countless stars;
Enthroned in heavenly glory, yet not a God afar;
Thou deignest to have dwelling here where Thy people are.

Congregation: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our
own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish”( John
1:14, The Message).

Leader: Forbid that man’s achievements should cause our faith to wane,
Or seek in human wisdom our spirit to sustain;
Lord, surely thou art shaping all things to Thy design,
And born of this conviction is faith to match our time.

Congregation: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the
days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His Temple. For in the day of trouble He
will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock”
(Ps. 27:4, 5).

Leader: And in a world divided by selfishness and guile,

When truth is on the scaffold and faith is standing trial,
Grant us, by inward knowledge no learning can bestow,
A faith that answers firmly: These things, these things I know.

Congregation: “I was glad when they said unto me; let us go into the house of the Lord” (Ps. 122:1, KJV).

Leader: Though men have wrought confusion, Thy hand still holds the plan,
And thou, at length, decideth the destiny of man;
Dominions rise and perish; the mighty have their day,
But still Thy word abideth, it shall not pass away.

Congregation: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Ps. 127:1).

Leader: Eternal God unchanged through all the changing years. Your hands have created all things. You hold the
countless stars.
Congregation: God enthroned in heavenly glory, yet not a God afar. You have chosen to have a dwelling place here.

Together: Eternal God, unchanging and unchanged, You have chosen to have a dwelling here with us today. We
thank You for allowing us to come into Your beautiful home. Help us to be worthy of the honor as we join
together and worship You this day. Amen.

Responsive Scripture Reading

Leader: So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests. Then
I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt
so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God” (Exod. 29:44¬46).

Congregation: “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the
Lord (Zech. 2:10).

Leader: Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having
salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zech. 9:9).

Congregation: The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the
One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

All: And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He
will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them” (Rev. 21:3, ASB).

59
 Annual Meeting and
Leadership Recognition
A Beautiful Home—A Beautiful
Home League
Purpose
The purpose of an annual meeting is
to celebrate the accomplishment of the
past year and recognize the leaders
who gave of their time, talent and
treasure to the women’s ministries
and the Home League.
Centerpieces
The centerpiece for each table could
be unique houses. Three places to shop
on line for inexpensive centerpieces
and table favor items are: Oriental
Trading Company, www.Oriental
Trading.com; Terry’s Village, www.
TerrysVillage.com, and Collections
Etc., www.collectionsetc.com. If you
add a little greenery and some ribbon,
you can have a gorgeous centerpiece
and related table favors without a lot of
expense or work. Also, remember to
check the Hallmark supplies for suit-
able items.
Room Decoration
Ask the women if they have a collec-
tion of small houses or villages that
could be displayed on tables around
the room. Quilts, pictures and knick-
knacks help transform a house into a
home. Use these to add to the amb-
iance of the event. If you are going to
recognize the leaders with a gift, per-
haps some of these can be used as dis-
play items and given out in the recog-
nition time.
Icebreaker—Whose Home Is
This?
Ask the women to take a picture of
the outside of their home and their
favorite room in their house. Scan the
pictures and use them in a Power-
Point® presentation. This could also
be used as an icebreaker. Print the pic-
tures and invite the women to guess
who lives in each house and which
favorite room belongs to whom.
Game—What Kind of Home?
Ask the following questions: What
kind of house best describes you and
why did you choose it? Choices could
include a lighthouse, birdhouse,
Victorian, cottage, castle, ranch or
haunted house. Share the answers
around the table.
Annual Meeting
Program Outline
A Beautiful Home League
Whose Home Is This?
PowerPoint Ice Breaker
Game—What Kind of Home?
Punch Bowl
Welcome to Our Home
(Call to Order)
A Year in Review PowerPoint® Report
Scripture: Revelation 3:19–21
Opening Song #562, “Come in, My Lord”*
Prayer to Welcome God’s Presence
Meal
Special Music, “In This Very Room”
Words and midi file at:
http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/veryroom.html
Recognition of Leaders (Pg. 57)
Devotional Message
What Kind of Home Is Your Heart?
Closing Song, #241 “Any Room for Jesus?”*
Benediction
*The Salvation Army Song Book
Devotional Message
Refreshments
Incorporate home cooking or com- What Kind of Home Is
fort foods into your menu. If the event Your Heart?
is not built around a meal, enhance the
event by using scented candles to
Introduction
Once I saw a billboard that said, “We
engage the sense of smell. The color of
buy ugly homes.” My first question
tablecloths and napkins is as impor-
was, “I wonder what they do with
tant as the food when setting the envi-
ugly homes?” Then I asked, “What is
ronment for a pleasant and memo-
an ugly home;” “How ugly does it
rable event. Coordinate the center-
have to be before no one wants it;”
pieces and table favors.
and “How far gone has it become
before it can no longer be restored and
must be torn down?”
Printed Program
A printed program is a good re-
minder of the event that the women
I like to watch those home improve-
can take home. It shows that this event ment shows that take an old house
is significant enough for plans to be that has been abandoned and restored
made for every detail. It is also a good to a beautiful dwelling. It gives me
tool to provide information on income hope that what may seem like a
and expense and the monies raised for lost–cause home can be restored with
the various projects. work by a master crafter.
60

God’s Desire to Dwell Among
His People
From the day God chose to create
humankind it was His desire to have
a personal relationship with us.
Throughout history God established
physical places of worship like the
Tabernacle in the wilderness, the
Temple in Jerusalem and even the
modern churches of today because He
knows we humans need a physical
place and things to aid us in reaching
and understanding the spiritual.
When God established the Tab-
ernacle in the wilderness, He knew
the people needed reassurance that
He was with them, leading them to
the Promised Land. The Tabernacle,
also known as the Tent of Meeting,
was where the people brought their
sacrifices and offerings. It was here
they would learn the law that would
govern their behavior and make them
a people acceptable in God’s sight.
The Tabernacle was a temporary place
where the people could meet with
God and know His presence was
among them. The priests were to be a
separated people who would teach
and show the people how to live to
please God.
"So I will consecrate the Tent of
Meeting and the altar and will conse-
crate Aaron and his sons to serve Me
as priests. Then I will dwell among the
Israelites and be their God. They will
know that I am the Lord their God,
who brought them out of Egypt so
that I might dwell among them. I am
the Lord their God” (Exod. 29:44–46).
Later when the Temple was built in
Jerusalem, it symbolized a lasting
covenant between God and His people.
“I will bring them to My holy moun-
tain of Jerusalem and will fill them
with joy in My house of prayer. I will
accept their burnt offerings and sacri-
fices, because My Temple will be
called a house of prayer for all
nations” (Isa. 56:7, NLT).
However, even this building was a
temporary house replaced when God
was wrapped in flesh and blood and
dwelled among us so that we could
behold His glory. “The Word became
flesh and made His dwelling among
us. We have seen His glory, the glory
of the One and only, who came from
the Father, full of grace and truth”
(John 1:14).
Man’s Destructive Rebellion
It was God’s desire and design to
have a special relationship with man-
kind, but through our disobedience
we allowed sin to separate us from
His presence. We distanced ourselves
not only in our spiritual lives but also
in the way we treat places set aside for
the purpose of worshipping God and
drawing near to Him.
“Don’t you yourselves admit that
this Temple, which bears My name,
has become a den of thieves? Surely I
see all the evil going on there. I, the
LORD, have spoken” (Jer. 7:11, NLT).
“He said to them, ‘The Scriptures
declare, ‘My Temple will be called a
house of prayer,’ but you have turned
it into a den of thieves!’” (Matt.21:13,
NLT).
Human nature seems to destroy and
degrade the beautiful things of life.
We look at nature and either seek to
worship it as a false god or conquer it
as a thing to be used and disposed of.
We worship the beauty of a cathedral
or church rather than the God for
whom it was built. We pervert its pur-
pose. Politics and human passion take
the place of learning to become God’s
people who have a right heart before
the Creator of heaven and earth.
We look at a mansion and seek to pos-
sess it, but lack the ability to maintain it.
It soon becomes a place of rot in need of
repair and renovation. This could be a
metaphor of a life/heart designed by
God to be a beautiful home yet
destroyed by disobedience and sin. Is
there any hope for an ugly heart/ home
to be redeemed, purchased by a Master
Craftsman and restored so that it can be
the beautiful home God designed? Yes!
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God’s Design for Redemption
It is clear in Scripture that God has a
design for restoring His people to
Himself, that He came to dwell among
us and that we beheld His Glory.
“’Shout and be glad, O Daughter of
Zion. For I am coming, and I will live
among you,’ declares the Lord” (Zech.
2:10). “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of
Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your King comes to you,
righteous and having salvation, gentle
and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the
foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). “The
Word became flesh and made His
dwelling among us. We have seen His
glory, the glory of the One and only,
who came from the Father, full of
grace and truth” (John 1:14). “And I
heard a loud voice from the throne,
saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God
is among men, and He will dwell
among them, and they shall be His
people, and God Himself will be
among them’” (Rev. 21:3, NASB).
God’s glory filled the Tabernacle in
the wilderness. His glory filled the
Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was God
wrapped up in flesh and He revealed
God’s glory to those who beheld Him.
Yet God’s plan goes even deeper than
living among us. We read in John
14:17 and 1 Corinthians 3:16 that it
was God’s ultimate plan to dwell
within us. Our hearts are His home.
What kind of place is your heart? Do
you have a beautiful home or an ugly
house? The only hope that an ugly
heart has for redemption and renova-
tion is to surrender to the original
owner and Master Designer—the
Lord. God, the Creator of this universe
designed you to be His beautiful
home. He made provision to buy you
back, to redeem you through the sacri-
fice of Jesus Christ, His Son. Through
the power of the Holy Spirit your
heart can be renovated and turned
back into the beautiful home for
which it was designed. It takes so little
from us to have this happen. We must
simply trust and obey.
Our Decision for Rededication
We must choose to give our lives to
God and let Him be our owner. The
choice is clear. If we choose to live life
for our own purposes, we are serving
sin. If we choose to live for God’s pur-
poses, we are choosing obedience.
God blesses obedience.

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to
serve the Lord, choose for yourselves
today whom you will serve: whether
the gods which your fathers served
which were beyond the river, or the
gods of the Amorites in whose land
you are living; but as for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh.
24:15, NASB).
In the short story “My Heart,
Christ’s Home,” (see the Holiness
Meeting Outline for the website) we see
the man inviting Christ in to be his
guest. As Christ lives there, the man
surrenders more and more of his
heart/home until finally he turns the
key over to Christ. Then it becomes a
beautiful home.
Do you have a beautiful heart or an
ugly one? Does Christ have every
room in your heart or are you holding
back? Give your whole heart to Christ
today. Make it God’s beautiful home.
Scripture Supporting the Annual
Meeting Devotional
Exodus 29:44-46
God’s Desire to Dwell Among His People
Isaiah 56:7
Jeremiah 7:11
Man’s Destructive Rebellion
Matthew. 21:13
Zechariah 2:10
God’s Design for Redemption
John 1:14
Revelation 21:3
1 Corinthians. 3:16
Joshua 24:15
Our Decision for Rededication
1 Kings 18:21
Bulletin and Poster
Check the CD–ROM for a printable
Women’s Sunday bulletin and poster.
Leadership Recognition
Place a Bible with a house on it in the middle of the table that has been covered
with a cloth that matches or complements those used in the room. Add a large
unlit candle that will be used in the ceremony.
Before the meeting, prepare candles for each of the leaders and place them in a
basket hidden under the table. Tie a small bouquet of silk flowers with a ribbon
and bow at the base of each candle. Also purchase a small gift like a devotional
book or miniature house to give each leader.
Ceremony
The symbol of the Home League is a home on a Bible signifying the
intent of the Home League to help women build their homes upon prin-
ciples and wisdom found in God’s Word. The idea of home first relates to
a woman’s life, just as Jesus refers to the wise builder in His parable found
in Matthew 7:23–25. It also relates to family life (Prov. 14:1).
The idea of home can also be applied to the community and nation.
Second Samuel 20:15–23 is an example of how a woman got involved to
save her community. This noble ideal of a beautiful home life represented
by the Home League symbol is important to review at least once a year so
that we can remain true to our purpose.
A beautiful home is built on hearing and obeying the words of Jesus
Christ. A woman with a beautiful heart is a woman who studies the Word
of God and builds her life through a personal relationship with Jesus. A
house is not a home unless love reigns, and a heart is not a beautiful home
unless it is surrendered to Jesus.
In John 14:23 we read, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching.
My father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home
with him.” When we invite Christ into our heart, He will make a differ-
ence in the way we live.
The Bible on the table represents the principles that should govern all we
do in our homes.
We light this candle as a symbol of the light Jesus brings into our lives.
(Light the large candle.)
Would the following women please come forward? (Call the leaders and
women who will be recognized during this ceremony by name and have
them stand on the two sides of the table.)
Today we recognize each of these women for their leadership and help
given to this group over the last year. (Identify the leaders by name and
leadership position.)
I give you this candle to remind you that as a leader it is your responsi-
bility to bring the light of Jesus to every corner of your world. Your wit-
ness and faithful obedience has blessed us in the past and will help guide
us in the future. Each of these leaders has a beautiful heart where Christ
is at home.
I invite you at this time to light your candle from the central candle,
which represents Christ, the light of the world. You should always seek to
spread the light of His love to those around you.
Prayer of Rededication
Lord, we thank you for each of these women who have so willingly
given their time and talents to extend Your Kingdom through the pro-
grams of the Home League and women’s ministries. As we look to the
year ahead, we pray that they will continue to reflect Your love so that
women will be drawn closer to You. Bless all the women present today.
May they feel the warmth of Your love in this Your beautiful home. Amen.
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