Mennonite Women USA

Annual study guides feature careful biblical scholarship, true life stories, and ideas for discussion, journaling, and prayer. Faithful to Anabaptist Mennonite theology. All from the perspective of contemporary Mennonite women. Commissioned jointly by Mennonite Women USA and Canadian Women in Mission. Published by Faith & Life through Mennonite Publishing Network.

2012 Bible Study Guide  Let Justice Roll Down: Women Engaging the World Rebecca Seiling 2012. 69 pages. $8.99 USD Order from Mennonite Women USA or MennoMedia

Throughout the prophetic books of the Bible, a steady drumbeat can be heard: return to God’s ways, remember who you are, seek justice. These calls are persistent, and not without harsh words of coming judgment. Amos, whose name means “burden bearer,” carried a message of warning to the Israelite people. Let Justice Roll Down, commissioned by Mennonite Women USA and Mennonite Women Canada and written by Rebecca Seiling , is ideal for women’s gatherings, Sunday school classes, retreats, or individual reading and inspiration. Twelve sessions examine the book of Amos and topics such as the prophetic voice, the church’s witness in the world, consumption and generosity, and the relationship between worship and justice.   2011 Bible Study Guide Wonderfully Made: Women, Faith and Self-Care   Terri J. Plank Brenneman 2011. 73 pages. $8.99 USD Order from Mennonite Women USA      or MennoMedia   "To offer good and healthy care to others, we need to nurture and replenish ourselves, our primary resource," writes Terri J. Plank Brenneman in her preface to this Bible study.   Wonderfully Made provides careful study that validates the importance of personal wholeness. As the author shares wisdom learned from her journey with infertility, readers will connect their own life experiences with sound scriptural and psychological principles helpful in self-care.   Commissioned by Mennonite Women USA and Mennonite Women Canada, Wonderfully Made is a beautifully written gift for women's gatherings, Sunday school classes, retreats, or individual reading and inspiration.   Terri J. Plank Brenneman is a clinical psychologist residing in Goshen, Indiana. She holds a doctoral degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, as well as a master's in theology and a master's in marriage and family therapy.    Wonderfully Made is available from MennoMedia, telephone 1-800-245-7894 (U.S.), 1-800-631-6535 (Canada). Price: $8.99 USD/$10.34 CAD.   Faith & Life Resources is the curriculum imprint of MennoMedia, the publishing ministry of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada.   Preface by Author Treated to a favorite menu-tea and scones-I was approached by a dear colleague to consider writing this Bible study guide on the topic of self-care. She primed the pump well with her sumptuous fare! One of my most pleasurable acts of self-care is to have afternoon tea at a lovely antique store tea room nearby.   Writing about self-care resonated with me from the start. I know the concept well from my training as a clinical psychologist. My work with Mennonite Women in the U.S. and Canada gave me a deep appreciation for the gifts women bring to the world. I know the benefits of caring for ourselves to sustain our creative endeavors and to carry out our many care giving tasks. To offer good and healthy care to others, we need to nurture and replenish ourselves, our primary resource. My seminary training in biblical studies added another reason to write this guide. I seemed to have all the right tools.   The challenge in writing the guide was that, well, it is a Bible study guide, after all. Where to find the biblical support for what I know to be true? Especially since so much of my early learning can be summed up in the old Sunday school song about "Jesus first, others next, yourself last." I did not want to search for Scriptures to support a concept. I wanted to let the Scriptures call us to the need for and benefit of self-care.   Developing my first outline, I entitled it "Everything I need to know about self-care I learned through infertility." For it was through this challenging life circumstance that I came face to face with my personal and spiritual limitations. I had to learn new ways of caring for myself: body, mind, and spirit. This devastating experience ultimately resulted in a deeper self- and spiritual transformation than I could ever have imagined. That transformation came through acts of self-care where I met God through Scripture, prayer, and meditation.   As I wrote these sessions, I rediscovered the spiritual practice of self-care. At least, that is what these lessons became for me. May they enrich your personal and spiritual life as they have mine.   Table of Contents   Breathe (Ezekiel 37:4-5, 9)  Delight in Rich Food (Isaiah 55:1-2) Walk in the Way (Psalm 25:4-5; Isaiah 30:21; Romans 12:1) Rest for Your Souls (Matthew 11:28-29; Psalm 23:2) Seek Wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-5, 9-11) Reclaim Childlikeness (Mark 10:13-16) Share Burdens (Galatians 6:2) Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25-34) Be Cleansed (Psalm 51:1-2, 10) Nurture Creativity (Exodus 31:1-11; Genesis 1:27-28a) Rekindle the Gift (1 Timothy 4:14-15; 2 Timothy 1:4-7, 14) Write the Vision (Luke 4:18-19, 42-44; Habakkuk 2:2b)  Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (Closing Worship)

2010: Seek Peace  & Pursue It: Women Faith, and Family Care, by Elizabeth Soto Albrecht, is the second in a trilogy on Care. In the Preface Elizabeth Soto Albrecht writes "The goal of this Bible study is to motivate church women to examine our family life and create steps to become families of God, where God's peace is present. We need to 'seek peace and pursue it' (Psalm 34:14b) if we really want to have healthier families--not only eating well, but living in peace and well-being with each other."

Each of the 12 lessons contains practical ideas for sowing the seed of true peace, while examining everyday actions. This guide is ideal for use by women’s groups or for a Sunday school quarter. Thoughtful questions make this guide helpful for individual devotions and journaling.  Developed by Mennonite Women USA and Canadian Women in Mission, the guide is published by Faith & Life. Copies can be purchased for $8.29 plus $2 postage from MennoMedia at www.MennoMedia.org or by calling 1-800-245-7894 (U.S.), 1-800-631-6535 (Canada). Price: $8.99 USD/$10.34 CAD.

2009: For the Beauty of the Earth: Women, Faith, and Creation Care,  by Patty Friesen, is the first in a trilogy on Care. Each of the 12 lessons and the closing worship focuses on creation care. This guide is ideal for use by women’s groups or for a Sunday school quarter. Thoughtful questions make this guide helpful for individual devotions and journaling. Copies can be purchased for $8.29 plus $2 postage from MennoMedia at www.MennoMedia.org or by calling 1-800-245-7894 (U.S.), 1-800-631-6535 (Canada). Price: $8.99 USD/$10.34 CAD.

Caring for God’s creation is a timely subject, as Patty Friesen writes in her preface. Natural disasters, flooding, and drought have roused our awareness of the effects of climate change, reminding us that a healthy planet is essential for human health, physical and spiritual.  Spiritually, the earth is one of the most tangible ways that God communicates love and creativity to us. Lifestyle changes and commitments in the realm of creation care walk hand-in-hand with the lifestyle changes and commitments in our Christian walk. It is an ongoing process of discovery and joy.