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Nurturing Faith at Noon (5/14/2008)

Recently EMCWomen’s Director Debi Snider and I travelled to Toronto and sat down with new author Rosemary Flaaten. Rosemary attends Centre Street EMC in Calgary and was in Toronto for a book signing. The next day she would be arriving at the studios of 100 Huntley Street for an interview.

Although we spoke of her book, A Woman and Her Relationships, and how she came to write it we were also enthralled with the trajectory of a ministry she is heading up in her home city of Calgary. (See the end of this article for more info about this book.)

Work/family/spiritual life is a difficult balancing act for women who work outside of the home. For many, the demands of a full-time job and the needs of hearth and home leave very little time or energy to pursue meaningful outside Christian relationships, especially as traditionally offered in the evening hours. More often than we would like to think, the spiritual disciplines of study, prayer and the benefits of Christian relationships are pushed to the sidelines receiving only the barest of attention.

Professional Women’s Network (PWN) provides a 50 minute weekly opportunity for women who work within the downtown corporate sector of Calgary to meet for study, prayer and community over their lunch hour. Often Christian business women feel isolated within the corporate structure and they are finding that time with others, soaking up the Word of God together meets their need to know and be known and transforms their hearts and minds as they return to their jobs having met with Jesus. “This is exactly what I have been longing for and praying for, for years”, said one woman who attends. No group is ever ‘full’ and women are encouraged to live missionally in the workplace, looking for opportunities to bring co-workers to a non-threatening, simply structured lunch time get together over the Bible. Another woman said, “My husband is not a believer and forbids me to go to church on the weekend or to have any church involvement in the evenings. PWN has become my church.”

Since its inception in 2006 PWN has exploded and new groups are popping up all over the city. They meet in corporate board rooms, cafeterias and inner city church facilities and each group has autonomy on what Biblical material they choose to study, according to the individual makeup of each group. They host a “bridge-building” luncheon at the Chamber of Commerce three times a year. They are careful to choose strong Christian speakers who have credibility in the corporate sector and have the ability to seamlessly weave their faith story through their business identities.

Rosemary has been the Community Leader for PWN for the past two years and it has been her job to get the new groups up and running and be the primary contact for inquiries. She also coaches the leaders. Because of the unprecedented growth, she and her team are looking at changing the structure to represent strong peer-coaching amongst the leaders. She would then focus on the expansion through working with the larger faith community in Calgary, developing new leaders as well as the continued link back to Centre Street Church as they provide under-girthing support. “I am passionate about this ministry”, exudes Rosemary. We conducted this interview over lunch, but Rosemary ate little, so enthused she was as she told us what God is doing through PWN. “He is simply drawing His Bride together and transforming one life at t time. It’s incredible to watch that happening!”

What is happening with PWN need not be unique to Calgary. Does this resonate with you? How about your town, your city? Do you work in an office all day and return home depleted with little energy left to nurture your personal spiritual life? Could you and other women you know benefit and be a means of God’s encouragement and strength in the lives of others? Is He calling you to begin a group in your area?

(Editor’s Note: If you have questions about beginning a noon hour group in your area you may contact Rosemary at rosemary@awomanandherrelationships.com. See also: Book Review of A Woman and her Relationships)

Jean Winker
EMCC Communications Editor

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