It’s Just That Time of Year

Dear Sisters in Christ,

When I called my parents recently for one of my weekly calls home, they asked what we had been up to lately. 

My answer read like an insane social calendar: “So and so came over for dinner on Friday because they are still waiting on household goods, and Saturday we went to a welcome BBQ, and Sunday we met friends who just moved here at a favorite local place, and, and, and….” I ended my reply by saying, “It’s just that time of year here!”

Military life is seasonal and cyclical, isn’t it? We are (hopefully) all through the summer PCS season and heading into the “welcome and start of a new year” season. We do welcomes well in the military — see the moving truck, introduce ourselves, and assure the new neighbors you can help if they need a can opener, wine opener, dentist recommendation, emergency contact for their kids or any of the 400 other things we all need when we move. 

Galatians 6:10 reminds us, “So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith.”

While we are busy welcoming all the new families to our communities, let’s not forget what an opportunity this time of year affords us to do good to those who belong to our family of faith.  We can seek out the new family who stood to introduce themselves at the beginning of mass or invite a friend, new or old, to join our women’s ministry group. 

In your women’s ministry groups, remember to catch up not only with the friends you haven’t seen all summer, but to invite someone new to join your table or to sit with you in mass. Ministry leaders, as you plan for kick-off events remember you have a special opportunity to set welcoming tone for your whole group!

(For tips and ideas on how to make your CWOC or women’s ministry more welcoming to all, check out MCCW’s sourcebook.)

And, while you have the welcome wagon rolled out, don’t forget to invite the new women in your community to get connected, united, and inspired with MCCW! We have three great retreats coming up this fall (in Tennessee, Italy, and Korea), a vibrant online community, and we will soon be launching registration for Forum 2020!  

We can’t wait to say, “Welcome!” to you sometime soon!

Yours in Christ,

Kim