Author: Haley Knight
For the past six months, women from various seasons and circumstances of life have gathered in a home, around a table, rushing in from work, from dinner clean up, or having just putting little ones down, to fellowship with one another around the Word of God. In this, I have seen the fruit of discipleship, and what it looks like to follow a nudge from the Lord and see Him do all the work.
In August, one of my dearest friends went to be with the Lord. Jorja was my best friend during a very impactful season of my life when I was a single mom. She was twenty years older than me, and her family served as a second family to mine. She was just a little further down the line in season of life which made the meshing of ours, perfect. She mentored me, I discipled her teenage daughters through our church’s discipleship program, and her girls babysat my girls. Our families were really intertwined in a discipleship oriented way. I always told her that she was the Paul to my Timothy. I really believe the Lord brought her into my life to train and disciple me before my next season. The verse, “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm,” (Prov. 13:20) is a fitting verse. The Lord trained me in wisdom through giving me Jorja to walk with. She was a true friend in the biblical sense of always being ready to serve, meeting my needs if she was able, and rebuking me as an older and wiser woman when necessary. She was with me through the years of single motherhood, longing for the next season.
She was there to celebrate with me when I met Keith, and stood up with us at our wedding. It was a shock when she was diagnosed with cancer last year and passed away at the age of 58 just months after the diagnosis. In her passing, her husband and daughters encouraged those who had been impacted by her to “pay it forward.” In all of the posts and comments from people who had known her, the thing that stuck out exponentially was that she was a discipler of women. As I considered what I could pass on from what she had done for me during our season of life together, I recalled the Bible studies she had led. She coordinated and facilitated the Bible studies at our church and I would typically not attend because they were either during the day while I was working, or they were in the evening and I was unwilling to give up that time with my girls after not seeing them all day while they were at school. So, she started an 8pm Bible study so I could spend the evening with my girls and put them to bed, then she would send her girls to my house so I could come to study. That seemed to be the thing the Lord highlighted, a late evening Bible study for women.
On that nudge, I prayed about it and reached out to some ladies who I thought would benefit and that the Lord laid on my heart, and decided on a Jen Wilkin format Bible study in James. The goal was that it would be women in various situations and season of life, accessible to young or single moms, and that we would study the Word together. It really came together pretty organically, I threw out invitations, and the Lord wove it together.
A lovely single mom in the church offered to host weekly, and it is special to me that the Lord ordained it that way. She has the gift of hospitality and watching her get to use it is so encouraging. The group started with about 10 ladies, and after round 1 in James and ladies inviting friends we grew to 19 at one point. We meet weekly on Monday nights after having studied the passage on our own, to discuss and wrestle with how to apply it to our lives. If I am gone, someone else facilitates, if the host is out of town, then someone else will host, this is a group project.
We have now walked (sometimes crawled) through James and 1 Peter together. Every gathering we have a time of prayer requests and sharing, it has become a way for us to really bear one another’s burdens and be involved in each other’s lives. We just finished up 1 Peter and a couple months of a Secret Sister program where we were each given one lady to lean into blessing and covering in prayer. We had a reveal party to celebrate finishing 1 Peter and moving into a break through the summer and it was such a joyful time. This group began as a nudge from the Lord after watching one of His faithful disciples, it was built around the studying of the Word, and it has become a deeply relational community. A text thread keeps communication open all week, and spontaneous invites go out for Friday night dinners or coffee meet ups.
I’m not sure what the future holds for this group, or how it will change over seasons, but I know that God used a woman who was faithful where she was planted to produce much fruit even after she has gone. Even if it’s only season is the one that just ended, it’s been exactly what a lot of us have needed during this time.
Below, a few women from the group share how God has been at work in their lives throughout their time together:
- "The women’s group I was fortunate to be a part of this past year helped me grow in so many ways. I have a hard time socializing with others-but this group of women always made me feel welcomed, safe, and surrounded by the truth of Jesus. The minute you put out a prayer request-EVERYONE in the group jumps at praying for you and offering their help. I grew in my understanding of the word with our Bible study focus-but I also learned what it means to be surrounded by God-loving women who truly have hearts for Christ-and everyone around them."
- "I not only grew in learning how to study Scripture by myself, but also, doing so with other people. Studying on our own grows our relationship with the Lord, but in a group where everyone is eager to learn, be teachable, build one another up, and challenge each other, it produces humility."
- "As an introvert, larger groups are intimidating to me. I am quick to "opt out" and stick with what is comfortable to me. I shocked myself (and those who know me well haha) when I said "yes" to this group. It was a big commitment for me and definitely out of the norm: weekly meetings with a large group of women, in-depth study of the Word and homework to complete throughout the week. It has been worth it! God has used these studies and the group to help me grow in my understanding of scripture and how it applies to my life, how important community is to the Christian life, and how staying "comfortable" will never lead to growth."
- "I've been a member of Stonebridge for a while now, and was told about this "group of women" meeting together by a friend. I was extremely nervous because I had never really met most of the women in the group, and I was wary that I wouldn't really fit into this new group. I barely have the words to explain my gratitude and gratefulness that God led me to this group. I started with knowing one or two, and now have such an immense and powerful community of women around me. I am constantly in awe of how God moves in groups, and I have learned so much about God, about myself, and about my new friends! We've cried, laughed, laughed even harder, and loved each other through so many difficult and amazing seasons. I love this group, and I love that God has given me this opportunity to connect!"
- "I think that there have been a couple areas of growth for me one in that I think it has helped continue to bring about a maturity in the way that I read my Bible, but also I think it’s brought that reminder that I need to be in constant deep discussion (and sometimes just deep listening and spending time processing ) with people who can help me to continue to renew my mind on gods truth."
- "Monday night bible study has been an answer to many prayers for me from the very beginning. It has gotten me to read my bible in a whole new way, with deeper meaning and understanding. I actually look forward to Mondays now! Such a wonderful mix of women from all different walks of life that each bring something so unique, beautiful and supportive to our group. I know they are there if I want share praises, have questions, am in need of prayer and even just to lighten the day with a good laugh. I think another person from the group summed it up best when she said "These are my people"."
