Dear Lucy Leader … Finishing Your Leadership Role

Dear Lucy Leader,

I’ve enjoyed serving as a leader but it’s time for me to serve in another way.  Do you have any tips on what I should tell my successor?  

Departing Donna

Dear Departing Donna,

Thank you for serving as a leader in LWML. And thank you for recognizing the importance of a smooth transition between you and your successor.

First of all, thank and praise God for the opportunity to serve Him. Make updates to your files. Clean house – don’t pass on things the new leader will not need. Meet with the new leader to make sure she understands the position and assure her that you will be there as a servant, resource, and mentor. Go over the files with her so she has a general understanding of the information you passing to her. And most importantly, pray for and with the new leader. You can find more details at www.lwml.org/posts/leadership/stay-calm-and-transition-on.

Thanking God for your leadership,
Lucy Leader

Do you have a question for Lucy Leader?
Write in to depor@lwml.org!

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

2019-2021 LWML Leadership Development Committee Members
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Dear Lucy Leader … Staying Involved During a Pandemic

Dear Lucy Leader,

How can I stay involved in LWML during this pandemic?  

Isolated Izzy

Dear Isolated Izzy,

The first and foremost thing you can do is pray. Prayer is a very important part of the life of the LWML. Pray for the women in your local group and your zone and district leaders. It is very important to pray for our LWML grant recipients. You can find this list and a little about each grant at www.lwml.org/mission-grants. You can find the list of your district grants on your district website. Remember to support those grants financially by prayerfully continuing mite contributions as you are able.

Prayer is vital and praying individually is a good thing. Praying with other people is another blessing. Consider asking your church’s group to pray with you at 3:16 every day. This time keeps us focused on John 3:16 which is fundamental to our faith. Sharing prayer requests with each other encourages bonding among us. 

Study the Bible with your LWML group. Hold each other accountable. Have phone conversations or video conferences about what you are studying. Find free downloadable LWML Bible studies at www.lwml.org/bible-studies. Read the Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly together. 

You can find ideas for activities you can do while you are at home at www.lwml.org/mission-service-activities. This link provides guidelines and directions for making masks, marking Bibles for prisons, and other ideas.

Stay connected with LWML women all over the country on LWML’s Facebook page Lutheran Women in Mission -- LWML. I am very excited to tell you that Donna Snow is leading a Facebook Live Bible study on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. Central Daylight Time through June 2, 2020. Donna has the gift of making the Word come alive in her LWML Overflowing Abundance Bible Study. A wonderful thing about this is that you will be studying the Word with more than 700 people from around the U.S. You will experience a special fellowship as you see the comments of many of your fellow viewers. Non-Facebook users will be able to download the study a day or two after each Tuesday event at www.lwml.org/bible-studies.

We are certainly living in challenging times. Yet Christ is still the Lord of all. We are still His church and we can find new and different ways to come together to serve, pray, and be inspired. May He bless you as you remain involved in LWML!

Lucy Leader

Do you have a question for Lucy Leader?
Write in to depor@lwml.org!

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

2019-2021 LWML Leadership Development Committee Members
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Dear Lucy Leader … Getting Involved Without Overscheduling

Dear Lucy, 

My name is Caitlin and I am a Young Woman Representative from the Northern Illinois District. I could use some advice on the new role that I have been given. I want to find ways to become more involved with my district and church. I always have new ideas and feel the call to become more involved. However, I have a very hectic schedule outside of the church and am often very busy. How can I stay active within the community AND not become so overwhelmed or overscheduled? 

Warmly, 
Caitlin

Dear Caitlin,

I thank God for you! It is wonderful that you want to become more involved in your district and church.

Finding time to do everything one wants to do is a challenge many women face. LWML has a resource that will help you manage yourself — not your time. Hopefully, you will be able to find the time to look at the resource found at www.lwml.org/posts/leadership/time-management.

Another resource that takes a little less time to read is www.lwml.org/posts/leadership-tips/using-gods-gift-of-time. This resource will give you some tips to help you manage the time God has given to you.

Be sure to take the time to go to God in prayer. Be willing to follow His direction. He will bless you and your time!

Serving Him,
Lucy Leader

Do you have a question for Lucy Leader?
Write in to depor@lwml.org!

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

2019-2021 LWML Leadership Development Committee Members
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Dear Lucy Leader … Are Officers Needed?

Dear Lucy Leader,

Does a women’s church group need officers to be classified as an active LWML group in their district?

Leaderless in New Jersey

Dear Leaderless in New Jersey,

You ask a good question. The answer to your question depends upon the needs of the women involved. The very minimum requirement is to have a contact person that can keep the information flowing between the local group and the zone, and thus between the local group and the district. This person’s responsibilities include keeping members informed of, and encouraging participation in, LWML activities and submitting mite offerings to the designated LWML district financial officer. Larger groups generally have a chairman, a secretary, and a treasurer who have specific assigned duties. Some groups may decide to work with coordinators instead of officers.

LWML groups may be structured in different ways. To learn more about LWML structure, go to www.lwml.org/posts/handbook-resources/group-structure. To learn about specific officer guidelines, go to www.lwml.org/officers-and-committees.

The important thing is to keep Christ as your leader. May Christ bless you and your work!

Lucy Leader

Do you have a question for Lucy Leader?
Write in to depor@lwml.org!

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

2019-2021 LWML Leadership Development Committee Members
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Dear Lucy Leader … Leading During a Pandemic

Dear Lucy Leader,

How do I lead during this coronavirus pandemic?

Panicked Pam

Dear Panicked Pam,

God has chosen you to be a leader at this particular time. God has called you for such a time as this.

So, what do you do? First – and most importantly – make sure that you are connected to the Leader, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Go to Him in prayer often. Spend time in the Word. Fill your head with Christ-centered music.  

Connect with the women you are blessed to lead. Use any means possible. Send texts. Post comforting words and Bible verses on Facebook. Make a video of yourself so your women can see your face. Use your Twitter account. Make video calls so you can see each other in real time. Send cards or notes to those who don’t have electronic forms of communication. (There are Heart Blessings cards that you can download from LWML at www.lwml.org/posts/free-resources/heart-blessings-cards to send.) Make phone calls asking how they are doing. If you have the resources, ask them what they need.

Engage in Bible study with your women. You may do this together using electronic platforms or you may do this individually, keeping each other accountable and sharing what you are learning. You can find a list of downloadable LWML Bible studies at www.lwml.org/program-helps-bible-studies.  

Give the women opportunities to serve. The women will feel better when they are helping someone else. Download and color cards for Phil’s Friends. Send a card to your pastor and teachers in a nearby Lutheran school. Impress upon the women how important it is to pray – even if they cannot do anything else – prayer is of utmost importance. They may want to keep a prayer journal or a written prayer list.

God has chosen you. He will not let you down!

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling (Psalm 46:1-3).

Praying with and for you,
Lucy Leader

Do you have a question for Lucy Leader?
Write in to depor@lwml.org!

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

2019-2021 LWML Leadership Development Committee Members
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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Dear Lucy Leader … Zone Presidency

Dear Lucy Leader,

How much time does it take to be a zone president? What's all involved? What is a zone, anyway?

Sincerely, 
Clueless Clara

Dear Clueless Clara,

LWML districts organize local LWML groups into zones, corresponding to district circuit boundaries as much as possible. Zones offer opportunities for participants from different congregations and settings to meet for spiritual development, Christian fellowship, and sharing of ideas and information.

The zone president presides at zone meetings and attends meetings of the LWML district board of directors. She is an important link in sharing information from the district with her zone.

Serving as a zone president may at first seem scary. Don’t worry —– LWML has resources to help you be the best zone president you can be. Check out www.lwml.org/posts/leadership/zone-president-pointers.

May God bless you as you prayerfully consider what your position in LWML may be!

Lucy Leader

Do you have a question for Lucy Leader?
Write in to depor@lwml.org!

God's Blessings,
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Leadership Development Committee

2019-2021 LWML Leadership Development Committee Members
Marie McNary
Sherrie Smith
Lois Teinert, Chairman
Marie Chow, Vice President of Organizational Resources, Advisory

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