Your story is a powerful part of our sisterhood following Jesus together. Sharing our experiences and ideas is how we learn from each other. It helps us know how to encourage one another and enables us to see God more clearly. Even as our stories are still unfolding, venturing to tell it, having it heard, and hearing from others is a powerful way of connection.
MW USA has an exciting opportunity for sharing your story. Each month we feature an original community journal entry in our Women's Voices blog celebrating and empowering women. Send in a 500–800-word story, reflection, meditation or vision.
To help as you write, please consider these guidelines adapted from MC USA:
Photo: Please include a high-resolution digital image that depicts some aspect of your writing. Be sure you have permission to share it.
Affiliation: Please include your job title and organization. Feel free to list more than one, and jobs for which you are not paid definitely count! We don’t include a bio with our posts, but welcome listing whatever professional or social affiliation with which you’d like to be identified.
Publishing permission: By submitting a writing, you provide MW USA with permission to publish it on our Women’s Voices blog and share it through MW USA’s social media platforms.
Write to share information from first-hand experiences and verifiable sources that will increase understanding.
Promote learning and spiritual reflection, not destructive debate.
Be kind and respectful of others, even those who may not share your views. Be mindful of language that may be inadvertently divisive (i.e., “we” vs. “them”).
If quoting Scripture, please include the book, verse number(s) and version of the Bible. Avoid paraphrasing.
Try to avoid using jargon/abbreviations. Explain any such words or phrases early in the blog.
For inspiration, consider writing about a seasonal theme or a favorite scripture. Find the common lectionary here. MW USA’s Scripture for 2023 is James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my sisters, whenver you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perserverance must finish its work so that you may become whole and complete, not lacking anything.” And following are some seasonal themes our sisterhood has found relevant or might be interested in:
January: New Year’s Day (1/1), Women’s Christmas, Mid-Winter Warmth, Mentoring Month, Human Trafficking Awareness Day (1/11), + MLK Day/Day of Service (3rd Monday)
February: Galentine’s Day (2/13), Valentine’s Day (2/14), Ash Wednesday, Black History Month, Groundhog Day (2/2) + Random Acts of Kindness Day (2/17)
March: Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day (3/8), Lent, Read Across American (3/2), Pi Day (3/14) + World Storytelling Day (3/20)
April: Easter, Community Service Month, Siblings Day (4/10) + Earth Day (4/22)
May: Mother’s Day (Second Sunday), Mental Health Month + International Worker’s Day (5/1)
June: Pride Month, Donut Day (6/3), Juneteenth (6/19) + World Refugee Day (6/20)
July: MennoCon, Mid-Summertime, Malala Day (7/12) + International Day of Friendship (7/30)
August: Back-to-School + Women’s Equality Day (8/26)
September: Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15), Grandparents Day (9/11) + International Day of Peace (9/21)
October: Women’s Small Business Month, Vegetarian Month, International Day of Nonviolence (10/2), Taco Day (10/4), World Teacher’s Day (10/5), World Mental Health Day (10/10) Day of the Girl (10/11) + International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (10/17)
November: Indigenous Heritage Month, National Family Caregiver Month, All Saints Day (11/1), World Kindness Day (11/13), International Day for Tolerance (11/16), National Day of Listening (11/25), Thanksgiving (3rd Thursday)
December: Advent, Christmas + International Day of Persons with Disabilities (12/3)
Each time we email our Women’s Voices Blog posts, MW USA connects with 3,000 people who care about encouraging, empowering and celebrating one another. MW USA is for women however they come to us: broken, powerful, questioning, free. Pen your story and share it with our sisterhood today!
Email office@mwusa.org with your writing in text or an attached Word document.