Ezer

Grace Church Women’s Ministry

Ezer, Grace Church’s women’s ministry, was founded upon the Scriptural truth that women were created in the image of God and out of a desire to provide women with freedom and clarity on what that means. Woman was created as an “ezer-kenegdo” or an essential counterpart – as one who comes alongside and lends strength. Being an ezer is the core of who a woman is and as such is not dependent upon season of life or circumstance. As an essential counterpart, a woman is equipped to invite, nurture, and partner with others in a way that strengthens and brings life. By welcoming others into her life through invitation, a woman is able to nurture others in a way that helps them become who God created them to be. Invitation also enables a woman to partner with others, utilizing her gifts and talents to help further others in their mission, moving them toward their goal.

We believe that life change happens best in community. Just as a mirror brings clarity to the physical realm, community can bring clarity and insight to the emotional, social and spiritual realms of our lives. To that end, Ezer offers opportunities for women to gather and grow in their understanding of biblical femininity.   Through study, seminars and special events, our desire is that each woman would reflect inwardly on biblical concepts, understand her biblical calling to be an ezer and live it out on a daily basis in all her relationships.

We encourage continuing community and reflection through our online website and blog, Feminine Reflection, found at www.gracewomensministry.org.    The blog offers new posts twice a week that encourage women to live out their calling as ezers in many different everyday circumstances and season of life.   Women can subscribe to the site to receive regular updates  or set up an RSS feed.

As we continue to equip women to live out their biblical calling, we will offer the Ezer study again this fall.   Look for information on the blog later this summer.  If you have questions about Ezer, please send a message to femininereflections@gracechurchsc.org.

Inviting

Inviting is the gateway to being nurturing and partnering.  Inviting is having a heart and a spirit that is approachable, vulnerable, comforting, welcoming and inclusive.  An inviting woman offers the promise of finding life, joy, peace and rest through Jesus Christ.  Throughout scripture, we see that God is an inviting God.  In Matthew 11:18, Jesus invites us when He says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  By trusting that she is accepted and loved by God, a woman is free to make others feel accepted and welcomed, and she points others to Christ, not herself.

Nurturing

Nurturing is life-giving.  The purpose of nurturing is to create strength in another individual, helping them to be who God intends them to be.  Nurturing is equipping others around us to live out their God-given calling.  Nurturing is not self-centered; instead, it is a posture of humility.  Nurturing has nothing at all to do with our personality nor does our individuality or our season of life dictate if we have this capacity.  It is, simply put, a capacity that every woman possesses because she is an image-bearer of God and God is a nurturing God.  Jesus reflects the nurturing nature of God perfectly as seen in Matthew 6:31-32, “so don’t worry about these things, saying “what will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heaven Father already knows all of your needs.”

Partnering

Partnering assists another in movement toward a goal.    Women were created with a unique mission.  We have the ability to come alongside others and help carry their burdens.  We can also further the cause of another by contributing strength, support and assistance.  Within the partnering capacity, we see the idea of submission.  Our best example of what godly submission looks like can be found in the Trinity.  Christ, God the Son, is in a position of submission to God the father.  Christ is not a lesser, unequal part of the Trinity and He does not feel devalued by being eternally submitted to God the father.  Likewise, all believers are called to submission.  Specifically for women, submission is the act of a woman denying her core sin of autonomy, being a law unto herself.  When a woman submits, she intentionally owns the cause of another.  She is putting herself under the authority of another in a way that is honoring to the Lord.  Partnering within marriage always calls for submission but partnering outside of marriage may or may not include submission.  We can partner in a variety of relationships, with children, siblings, co-workers, neighbors, friends and parents.