Women's Ministry and Circles
Circles of women have gathered throughout the ages. They gather to offer support, care for children, tend to the sick, educate or empower one another, and co-create community. Elim has a long history of women's circles for many purposes and they continue to meet on a monthly basis in various locations. They also sponsor several events during the year, such as the Aebleskiver Breakfast and our Biannual Bazaar.
Check the church calendar for dates and places or contact one of the women below:
Women's 2018-19 Board
Carol Mayo, President
Jo Ann Andrus, Vice President
Debra Jensen-Unger, Secretary
Andrea Nortz, Treasurer
Jan Moffitt, Esther Circle coordinator (meets in members homes on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at noon)
Shirley Bunce, Grace Friendship Circle coordinator (meets at Elim at noon on the 2nd Thursday of each month)
Andrea Nortz, Elizabeth Circle coordinator (meets in members homes on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:45pm)
The Board of the Women’s Ministry usually meets the first Sunday of each month after the first service in the Fireside Room (office). Special events sponsored by the Women's Ministry are listed below. Watch for more information in the Elim Express, Sunday bulletins, and the Elim’s online calendar.
We are part of the WELCA
What is WELCA? It’s an easy way to say Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Our organization includes Lutheran women who gather in more than 7,000 locations in the U.S. and the Caribbean, for service, study, advocacy, fellowship and more! WELCA embraces all kinds of ministries that support our mission of mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. Learn more at: www.womenoftheelca.org
Opportunities to connect with other women at Elim
Let us know what you are interested in and we will help you get connected. (Call the church office or watch the bulletin for who to contact.)
The ELCW supports the following programs with the funds we raise at our events:
Circles
Elim’s women’s ministry is run by a board that includes representatives from the three circles. You are welcome to join a circle. They meet monthly and include fellowship and Bible Study (and usually some food is involved!) Call the circle chairperson to find out when the next meeting will be held and the location. You may wish to try out a few of the circles to find out the one that is right for you. All women are also invited to participate in any of our events and activities without joining a circle. We also have a few non-circle groups at Elim. See below for more details about the Crafters Group and the Prayer Shawl Ministry.
Grace Friendship Circle
Grace Friendship Circle meets the second Thursday of each month at 12 pm at Elim; except in the summer. Bring a bag lunch and meet the group in the back of the sanctuary. Enter through the side kitchen door (by the driveway between the church and the office.) If you use a wheel-chair or walker, it is okay to enter via the parking lot doors with the ramp. A preschool staff member will let you in. Coordinator: Shirley Bunce.
Esther Circle
Esther Circle meets the second Tuesday of each month at Noon at the home of the hostess. Coordinator: Jan Moffitt.
Elizabeth Circle
Elizabeth Circle meets the third Monday of each month at 6:45 pm at the home of the hostess, except for the summer months when they take “field trips”.
Elizabeth Circle is currently using an ELCA magazine, “Gather” for our monthly Bible Study. To subscribe to this magazine, call: (toll-free) 844-409-0576 or visit their website at: gathermagazine.org. Coordinator: Andrea Nortz.
Other groups that are not officially part of the ELCW but you might be interested in:Elim Crafters
Leader: Becky Wyrick
We meet most Saturdays (10 am – 1 pm) to work on crafts to sell at pop-up sales on Sunday mornings during the year. The money raised goes to various Elim and community projects and programs. Contact Becky Wyrick to get on the email list to see when we are meeting.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
A prayer shawl is a symbol of love, crafted to give comfort and warmth to those who receive it.
For over 10 years Elim’s Prayer Shawl Ministry has knitted and crocheted at least 250 prayer shawls to give to people experiencing hardships so that they may know that they are embraced by God and Elim during these difficult times. As we create the shawl we say a prayer for the often unknown recipient and before we send them we gather to bless them using this prayer: “May God's grace be upon this shawl... warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing. May this mantle be a safe haven... a sacred place of security and well-being... sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones. May the one who receives this shawl be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in love. Blessed Be!” (prayer by Janet Bristow)
We send a shawl with our Ministry Teams that go to Mexico and New Orleans, as well as people at Elim who are healing or grieving. You may have seen us at work during the worship services. We also knit and crochet at home. We don’t meet regularly but if you would like to join our group and get directions on how to make a shawl, feel free to talk to one of us: Nancy Clarke, Suzy Sellai, Andrea Nortz, Doris Widger, Robin Butts, Lana Reuter, Mary Wyrick and Susan Rodkin.
Parment Calendar (link to schedule)
Elizabeth circle has taken over responsibility for changing the altar clothes following the schedule below, but the task is not limited to this circle! If you would like to help, contact Karen Pesutich.
Circles of women have gathered throughout the ages. They gather to offer support, care for children, tend to the sick, educate or empower one another, and co-create community. Elim has a long history of women's circles for many purposes and they continue to meet on a monthly basis in various locations. They also sponsor several events during the year, such as the Aebleskiver Breakfast and our Biannual Bazaar.
Check the church calendar for dates and places or contact one of the women below:
Women's 2018-19 Board
Carol Mayo, President
Jo Ann Andrus, Vice President
Debra Jensen-Unger, Secretary
Andrea Nortz, Treasurer
Jan Moffitt, Esther Circle coordinator (meets in members homes on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at noon)
Shirley Bunce, Grace Friendship Circle coordinator (meets at Elim at noon on the 2nd Thursday of each month)
Andrea Nortz, Elizabeth Circle coordinator (meets in members homes on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:45pm)
The Board of the Women’s Ministry usually meets the first Sunday of each month after the first service in the Fireside Room (office). Special events sponsored by the Women's Ministry are listed below. Watch for more information in the Elim Express, Sunday bulletins, and the Elim’s online calendar.
- September – GEMS Celebration
- October – Harvest Fair (2019) with our next Bazaar in 2020
- November – Thankoffering Brunch or Tea
- December – Pop-Up Craft Sale
We are part of the WELCA
What is WELCA? It’s an easy way to say Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Our organization includes Lutheran women who gather in more than 7,000 locations in the U.S. and the Caribbean, for service, study, advocacy, fellowship and more! WELCA embraces all kinds of ministries that support our mission of mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. Learn more at: www.womenoftheelca.org
Opportunities to connect with other women at Elim
- Monthly Bible Study Circles (more details below)
- Crafters Group: Weekly Crafting, Pop-up Sales and Biannual Bazaar (more details below)
- Prayer Shawl Ministry (more details below)
- Healing Prayer Ministry (contact Cynthia Griffith
- Women’s Tea (not every year)
- Aebleskiver Breakfast (usually in February or March)
- GEMS of Elim (happening in September 2019 – led by Susan Rodkin)
- Elim Gardeners (contact Cynthia Griffith
- Choir & Music Program
- Sunday Adult Forum (between the services in the music room)
- Adults & Children Service Trips - Foreign & Domestic
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Relay for Life Team (watch for details about meetings, usually in the spring and summer)
Let us know what you are interested in and we will help you get connected. (Call the church office or watch the bulletin for who to contact.)
The ELCW supports the following programs with the funds we raise at our events:
- American Cancer Society
- Christmas Cheer
- COTS
- ELCA Disaster Relief
- ELCA World Hunger
- Elim Service Trips, such as to New Orleans and Mexico
- Elim Youth Programs
- OADS
- PEP Housing
- Petaluma Bounty
- Petaluma People Services Center
- New Life Band
- And special projects at Elim
Circles
Elim’s women’s ministry is run by a board that includes representatives from the three circles. You are welcome to join a circle. They meet monthly and include fellowship and Bible Study (and usually some food is involved!) Call the circle chairperson to find out when the next meeting will be held and the location. You may wish to try out a few of the circles to find out the one that is right for you. All women are also invited to participate in any of our events and activities without joining a circle. We also have a few non-circle groups at Elim. See below for more details about the Crafters Group and the Prayer Shawl Ministry.
Grace Friendship Circle
Grace Friendship Circle meets the second Thursday of each month at 12 pm at Elim; except in the summer. Bring a bag lunch and meet the group in the back of the sanctuary. Enter through the side kitchen door (by the driveway between the church and the office.) If you use a wheel-chair or walker, it is okay to enter via the parking lot doors with the ramp. A preschool staff member will let you in. Coordinator: Shirley Bunce.
Esther Circle
Esther Circle meets the second Tuesday of each month at Noon at the home of the hostess. Coordinator: Jan Moffitt.
Elizabeth Circle
Elizabeth Circle meets the third Monday of each month at 6:45 pm at the home of the hostess, except for the summer months when they take “field trips”.
Elizabeth Circle is currently using an ELCA magazine, “Gather” for our monthly Bible Study. To subscribe to this magazine, call: (toll-free) 844-409-0576 or visit their website at: gathermagazine.org. Coordinator: Andrea Nortz.
Other groups that are not officially part of the ELCW but you might be interested in:Elim Crafters
Leader: Becky Wyrick
We meet most Saturdays (10 am – 1 pm) to work on crafts to sell at pop-up sales on Sunday mornings during the year. The money raised goes to various Elim and community projects and programs. Contact Becky Wyrick to get on the email list to see when we are meeting.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
A prayer shawl is a symbol of love, crafted to give comfort and warmth to those who receive it.
For over 10 years Elim’s Prayer Shawl Ministry has knitted and crocheted at least 250 prayer shawls to give to people experiencing hardships so that they may know that they are embraced by God and Elim during these difficult times. As we create the shawl we say a prayer for the often unknown recipient and before we send them we gather to bless them using this prayer: “May God's grace be upon this shawl... warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing. May this mantle be a safe haven... a sacred place of security and well-being... sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones. May the one who receives this shawl be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in love. Blessed Be!” (prayer by Janet Bristow)
We send a shawl with our Ministry Teams that go to Mexico and New Orleans, as well as people at Elim who are healing or grieving. You may have seen us at work during the worship services. We also knit and crochet at home. We don’t meet regularly but if you would like to join our group and get directions on how to make a shawl, feel free to talk to one of us: Nancy Clarke, Suzy Sellai, Andrea Nortz, Doris Widger, Robin Butts, Lana Reuter, Mary Wyrick and Susan Rodkin.
Parment Calendar (link to schedule)
Elizabeth circle has taken over responsibility for changing the altar clothes following the schedule below, but the task is not limited to this circle! If you would like to help, contact Karen Pesutich.
