By Tami Hubler -
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27 (HCSB)
Southern Baptists recognize November as Orphans' and
Widows' Month, with a special observance on Sunday, November 12th. In 2022, there were 11.48 million widowed
women living in the United States (Statista Research Department, August 29,
2023). Even with that number of widows, I discovered there just isn’t as much
written about widows as there is about orphans. This article hopes to add a resource for
supporting widows and will focus on starting a Widows' Ministry in your church.
So, why start a Widows' Ministry in your church?
BIBLICAL
MANDATE
God holds
the care and protection of widows in high regard:
· God declares Himself as the executor of justice for
widows (Deuteronomy 10:18, 27:19; Psalm 68:5, 146:9; Malachi 3:5).
· God calls on believers to love, care for, and provide
food for widows:
o
Including them in
feasts and holidays (Deuteronomy 16:14, 26:12).
o
At harvest (Deuteronomy 24:19-22; Leviticus 19:9-10; The Book of Ruth).
o
Do not mistreat (Exodus
22:22; Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:10).
o
Plead the widow’s
cause (Isaiah 1:17).
· Jesus used the widow giving her two mites as an
example of how to put our trust in God (Mark 12:41-44).
· Jesus used the persistent widow as a lesson on prayer (Luke 18:1-8).
Ministering to widows continues in the New Testament through today:
- The apostles appointed deacons to minister to the needs of widows (Acts 6:1-7).
- Paul taught churches to honor widows (1 Timothy 5:3).
- Paul taught families to care for widows who are
relatives (1 Timothy 5:16).
- James taught that pure and defiled religion before God includes ministering to the widows (James 1:27).
HOW TO START A WIDOW’S MINISTRY
- Pray – Ask God for wisdom, discernment, and a heart for the widows He will send to your group.
- Commit – Commit the ministry to a timeframe. For example, commit that you will meet quarterly for one year, and then evaluate next steps.
- Meet – Meet with your pastor and elder team to talk through what the ministry will look like and any resources available to you (i.e. Where will you meet? Are there monies to help with snacks, events, or Bible studies?
- Build – Build your ministry team. It may only be yourself at first, and that’s okay. However, if you yourself are not a widow, it’s essential that you reach out to a widow in the church to co-lead with you. The ministry must have a widow’s perspective and it’s good to have a backup for covering meetings, etc.
- Train – Train your team in grief, depression, and financial strategies. Teach them good listening skills. Create an escalation list so individuals know how to escalate widow needs within the church. Contact your local WMU officers or state convention for training ideas and resources.
- Calendar – Create a schedule, and publish meeting dates. Include how often, where, and for how long you will meet. Also, include a short description of what the meetings will look like: snacks, Bible study topic, sharing, events, and activities.
- Launch! – Personally invite widows, and add the meeting dates to church announcements at least two weeks before the first meeting. Also, take the time to talk with the widows about their needs and desires for the group.
Remember that the Widows' Ministry helps the widow to connect with others who care about her and can empathize with the hole left by her departed husband. It acts as a support network for emotional, physical, spiritual, and general life needs. It is healthy for the women to talk about their husbands, experiences, and to continue to grow in the Lord through study and fellowship. God loves widows – will you be a champion of widows?
God in His holy dwelling is a father to the fatherless and a champion of widows. Psalm 68:5 (HCSB)
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