‘Sistah’s’ Bible study bring unity to women
Photo by Timothy Ramsey
The women’s ministry of Goler Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church makes a concerted effort to invest in the spiritual lives of the women in the congregation and beyond. On Saturday, Aug. 26, the ministry held its fifth annual “Chit Chat & All That Sistah’s Breakfast & Table Talk.”
The spirit-filled Bible study was designed to empower and motivate while addressing situations they face on a daily basis. The theme for this year’s chit chat was “A Stiletto in a Room Full of Flats.” The organizers stated that “Chit Chat” was not designed to minimize God’s Word or disrespect anyone.
“What we find often times is that women feel like they are being beat down and preached to instead of being taught and educated,” said Marian Anderson-Booker, vice president of the women’s ministry. “One of our goals here at Goler is to do outreach evangelism where we go outside the walls of the church while ministering to the ladies here as well.”
The theme refers to women’s walk with God and her ability to stand out in a crowd. The use of the metaphor stiletto and the flat shoe is symbolic in various ways to a woman’s design, purpose, image, power and walk with God and what kind of shoe fits her for her particular journey.
Anderson-Booker says God gave them the idea for the chit chat because women are “uniquely created with unique issues.”
“We found a creative way to get women together because sometimes we tend to isolate ourselves,” Anderson-Booker said. “We wanted to be creative and have some fun so the message behind the message is to impact their souls and their spirits and get them thinking.
The ladies kicked off the day by selecting the table they would sit at. Each table had a different topic related to the overall theme. The women were then treated to a breakfast to give them a chance to fellowship while eating. Following the meal the table discussions began culminating with each table describing their topic of discussion to everyone.
The guest speaker for the day was the Rev. Sharon Browning, executive director of the Kenneth Monroe Transformation Center in Rock Hill, S.C. Her message continued with the shoe theme, concentrating on the “spiritual stiletto.”
“The main thing was to tell everyone to let the spirit lead you so we can strengthen the women’s fellowship, character and who we are,” said Browning. “Just being transformative will take you a long way.”
Browning was the guest speaker during the initial chit chat five years ago. She says she was amazed by how much the event has grown over the years. She feels events like this can increase the fellowship between women inside and outside of the church walls.
Anderson-Booker said they encourage the women to sit at a table where they are not familiar with all of the women sitting there. This enables the women to get to know one another and many find they are dealing with similar situations without realizing it.
Over the years the participants of the chit chat have given such positive responses to the women’s ministry of Goler. Anderson-Booker said they don’t want the event to feel like a service but rather something that is inviting and open to allow everyone to be themselves.
“It makes you feel good that God is impacting your life in a way that you feel you are doing his will,” Anderson-Booker said. “When you walk in your purpose, it makes you feel good.”
