Walk the Micah Road Experience Available for Your Club!

Walk the Micah Road! A great event filled with great ideas, of how to be justice walkers, how to show mercy and how to be humble servants before God. We wanted to present this for our clubs and congregations in Area 23, but the timing just isn't right. There are too many fall start up activities pulling us all in other directions, so we are going to give you an opportunity to Experience Walk the Micah Road in a different way. The event to be held at Ada Park, on October 3 was canceled.

However, every club in our area can still participate in the Walk the Micah Road Experience. We will bring the experience to you, or send it to you or you can pick it up from the GEMS Service Center. We have three sets of each station and all the set up instructions, and you can decide when and how you want to do it. Schedule a pick up or drop off site, and you can Walk the Micah Road with your club and your church.

This was an exciting event, meant to draw in families and communities and help them connect with GEMS Girls' Clubs, so now you have the opportunity to experience this within your church and your community. It is GREAT material, lives will be changed. If you invite families, parents will have new opportunities to talk to their children about being justice walkers, showing mercy and how to do it being humble servants. If several churches in one area want to do it together, what a great thing that would be. This would be a wonderful tool if your church does a Mission Emphasis Week as well.

We have the materials, let us know how and when you want to experience Walk the Micah Road in your clubs. Your club and church will be blessed.

T-shirts are still available from the Service Center.

Any questions, please don't hesitate to call the Area 23 Leadership Team.
What Will We Learn From the Micah Road Experience?

Your destination may not always be clear, but the Walk the Micah Road Experience can help you discover how God wants you to get there!

And what does the LORD require of YOU?
To act justly and to love mercy and
to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

God calls each of His followers to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him, and this event will show you just what that means. The Walk the Micah Road Experience is an intergenerational event for the whole family.

Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunt, uncles, friends: everyone will enjoy interacting at the three learning stations along the route that not only explain God's walking requirements for our lives, but offer practical ways to start and continue your journey down the Micah Road. All ages will get to experience what it means to be a justice walker for God!
Please, come learn and grow with us as we discover what it means to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, while raising money to further His work around the world!


Here is an explanation of each station.


Station 1 - Justice - Focus on orphans and their lack of being able to receive an education.

Has 6 large doll cutouts - representing different children from different countries. There are 2.2 billion children in the world - one in every six will never get to attend school - they have no access to schools. There is a world map showing where all the children living in poverty are. There are photo/story cards to be given out, each card contains a story about an orphan child in Zambia.
Station 2 - Mercy - Focus on World Hunger

There are 3 - different meals - empty plate, (tin) tin w/ beans and rice and a china set with a beautiful full meal, including dessert and beverage.
There is a food quiz for each participant to do.

Pick your ending stories - Sarah's Story Begin - a choose your own adventure.
Station 3 - Walk Humbly - Focus on all that we have and how we waste so many things.

There are three bins of stuff for the girls to count. To help them realize how many things we own and how many do we need. Then there are several ways for them reuse and recycle materials. They can also make a BE-attitude magnet.

CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE THE MICAH ROAD EXPERIENCE AT YOUR CHURCH OR CLUB!

Walk the Micah Road Experience Meeting - Tuesday, March 31

Hello Dear GEMS Sisters,

Wow, how is your GEMS' season going? Can't believe that we are already planning the end of year activities for our clubs. What a great theme, I have loved the lessons, learning right along with the girls, how I can be more of an activist for Jesus Christ and those around me.

Which brings me to the reason for this blog entry.... The Walk the Micah Road Experience, a great way to continue to bring knowledge and information to our girls. To their parents, siblings, extended families and to our congregations and communities. This event is an all area wide event, for all the clubs in Area 23 of Michigan. It is to help promote and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of GEMS and God's faithfulness to this ministry. To help families, congregations, communities experience just a little taste of what GEMS is doing both here and around the world in GEMS clubs. To help girls learn active ways that they can become true activists for Jesus Christ and for their families, churches, and communities to be a part of this event, the first ever inter-generational event for GEMS! a walk-a-thon! What a great way to celebrate 50 years, many moms and grandmothers, were probably GEMS or Calvinettes at a time during the past 50 years! How fun for them to get a chance to be included in this event.

This is where it is so important for all Club Coordinators to be on board, to get their leader excited and anxious to be a part of this great event for our GEMS girls, their families and our churches. What we are asking, is that one counselor from each club, or more if you'd like (maybe all of your counselors would like to attend, that is up to you) attend the informational meeting to help you understand and get you all the needed information about this event.

This meeting will be held at the Hillside Christian Reformed Church at 1440 68th Street SE in Cutlerville on March 31 at 7:00pm. We will present all the details of this event, answer your questions, give you information you will need and have some good things to eat! Hillside Church is very close to M-6 and just a over 2 miles from US 131, making it very easy for everyone. We are looking forward to seeing you!

Walk the Micah Road is an inter-generational event. For families of all ages, for our church families and for our communities. To help all who participate to more fully understand the biblical truth of Micah 6:8. To give girls and their families and friends the opportunity to meet and make friends with other justice walkers on the Micah Road. And also, to raise funds for local clubs and the overall GEMS ministry. There will be three participation stations and some fun stations (ie. face painting) along with some food booths, to help make this event a GREAT one for GEMS.

Thanks so much for serving in the GEMS ministry! We appreciate you all so much and thank God for you and all you do serving Him.

Walk the Micah Road Experience

WALK THE MICAH ROAD EXPERIENCE Saturday, October 3, 2009 Ada, Township Park Ada, Michigan

Your destination may not always be clear, but the Walk the Micah Road Experience can help you discover how God wants you to get there!

And what does the LORD require of YOU? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

God calls each of His followers to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him, and this walk-a-thon will show you just what that means. The Walk the Micah Road Experience is an intergenerational event for the whole family.

Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunt, uncles, friends: everyone will enjoy interacting at the three learning stations along the route that not only explain God's walking requirements for our lives, but offer practical ways to start and continue your journey down the Micah Road. All ages will get to experience what it means to be a justice walker for God!

But, that's not all! A portion of the pledges you raise for the Walk the Micah Road Experience will help support local GEMS Clubs, and a portion will be used to further GEMS international ministry in Africa. As God continues to use GEMS to further His work in Zambia, more and more women and girls are coming to know the unending love of their Heavenly Father.

Please, come learn and grow with us as we discover what it means to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, while raising money to further His work around the world!


WE NEED YOU!!! Each GEMS club in our area is asked to select one member of their club (or a parent or church member) to be a part of the Micah Road Committee. This is a huge event and we would like to get every club involved! Please talk with your counselors to determine who would be willing to serve and watch for more details to come SOON!!

ADDITIONAL
FUNDRAISING IDEA
The Micah Road Experience will also have several food booths. Our event is from 1:00 - 3-4:00 so they would necessarily have to be a meal type booth. Some ideas are... baked goods, ice cream, fruit, popcorn, cider, sports drinks. caramel apples... be creative!! All profits made from your food booth would go directly to your club. If your club would be interested in hosting your own food booth please contact Melissa.

Anniversary Celebrations!

GEMS 50th Anniversary

This year we are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of GEMS. As we celebrate God’s amazing blessings and faithfulness to the ministry. Think about the GEMS organization that we all love, changing the lives of young girls, both in the church and in our communities, for the past 50 years. Think about the number of girls, that have been brought into a living, loving relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m sure many of us are leaders today, because Calvinettes/GEMS was important in our lives as we grew up. We have so much to celebrate, and thank God for His abundant blessings on the ministry. Do you have plans for a special anniversary celebration with your church? Is your club going to do anything special to celebrate? We would love to hear from you and how you plan to honor this joyous occasion. Share your ideas, send pictures that we can share with the other clubs in our area. Send information and pictures to emreitsma@comcast.net. We will all be able to rejoice together, with each celebration.

Are You Enjoying the Theme?

How Are You Enjoying the Theme?

Are you enjoying the lessons in the "Walk the Micah Road" theme, as much as I am this year. After being in GEMS for many years, I am learning much from the lessons on acting justly, to love mercy and am looking forward to the ones on walking humbly. The girls also, seem to enjoy learning about the world changers. They share, how even though they are young, they can fight the injustice that they see in the world around them. I am impressed with how they are taking action to fight some of the injustice that they see.
To wrap up the season, be sure to put the "Walk the Micah Road Experience" on your calendars for October 3, 2009. We would love to have 100% participation from all Area 23 clubs. What a great way to share with parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives and friends, the many things we learned in our lesson time, during our GEMS season. And what a great way to celebrate God’s faithfulness to GEMS over the last 50 years, but by involving the families of all our girls, in our clubs and communities.

Annual Counselor Leadership Conference

40th ANNUAL COUNSELORS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
July 23 - 26
Reedemer University
Hamilton, Ontario

You are invited to the 40th Annual Counselors’ Leadership Conference where it is our prayer that you will be equipped and encouraged to help girls discover the incredible love and power that comes from a living relationship with Jesus Christ!
For 40 years women have been blessed by attending the Annual Counselors’ Leadership Conference, and this year will be no different! One of the greatest benefits you will receive from this annual training opportunity is to grow in your own faith as you walk alongside other women and are personally challenged and encouraged through the workshops and mass meeting events. We know the times we spend in worship together will be cherished moments active and alive with the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the conference we will explore the Annual Theme, Prayer – No Worries!, based on Philippians 4:6,
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Together we will learn how God tells us over and over in His word that we should pray. Prayer protects us from anxiety and is an antidote to worry. What an amazing privilege we have to bring every situation, prayer, petition, thanksgiving, and request to Him!

NOTE: You will need a passport of traveling from the United States.
Check out the GEMS Website for more info!

Mission & Vision Statement - Goals for Every Club Meeting

The mission of GEMS Girls’ Clubs is to help bring girls into a
living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.

Our vision is to see girls around the world actively and
enthusiastically expressing love for God and others – girls
equipped, motivated, and passionately engaged in living out their faith.

Together, our goal for every club meeting is to grow bigger
hearts. Together, we will learn how to love and care for God, one
another, other people, and ourselves. And we’ll do this by learning
about Jesus Christ, what He has done for us, and His plans for
each of our lives.

Going Green!!

In an attempt to honor God by being responsible stewards of His entire creation, GEMS is revising some of its practices and encouraging you to do the same. All of our publications, including SHINE brightly and Sparkle Magazines, are now printed on post-consumer recycled paper and use vegetable-based inks.In addition, GEMS has an all-new Green Team t-shirt that proudly states “God Loves Green!” These shirts are a great way for girls and counselors to promote a Christ-like view of creation. We are also offering reusable and convenient “God Loves Green!” bags to encourage GEMS to reduce the amount of plastic bags that we consume.

Lovin' On Club Coordinators

Area Club Coordinators Gathered for an Evening of Fun & Fellowship

On Friday evening November 15 several area Club Coordinators gathered at Cascade Fellowship Church for an evening of fun & fellowship. The ladies were treated to a catered dinner by The Olive Garden and delicious Cheesecake for dessert. There was an opportunity for fellowship with other area GEMS Club Coordinators. They also participated in a sectional called “Telling My Story.” Leadership Trainer Kim Hofstra shared how important it is to tell your story and write it down. By writing it down your loved ones for generations to come will be able to know about you and hear your story. To enable the ladies to tell their story we gifted them with an album, insert pages* to help tell the story, and a pen to write down their thoughts. The woman then had an opportunity to get a good start on their own album. It was a very nice evening for all who attended.
“The "Lovin on Club Coordinators Event" was a wonderful blessing to me. It was obvious that much love and care went into making a special evening for club coordinators to bless us and to equip us. I remember going home excited and happy, truly filled up. I had gotten to know other club coordinators better, had a lovely evening, received a neat door prize, and thought through some ideas to build my club. Thank you so much! M. Klooster

* Telling Your Story insert pages are available from the Service Center.

Welcome!

Welcome to the GEMS ACTS Area 23 Blog! It is our goal to keep this blog up so that you will be aware of what is going on in our area! We hope and pray that all your clubs are doing well and having a great year "Walking the Micah Road!"