Rachel has been with Arise since joining our first Bible study in 2021, and she shared with us this testimony from her experience:
In December of 2020, one of my closest friends, Elaine had invited me to a Bible study that would be starting in the new year. At the time, I had been praying and meditating on what would be a good next step in my life and faith. Though I am Christian and I have been for the majority of my life, I have not always felt connected to God or His Word and I did not realize at the time how much I was truly missing it.
After a bit of thought, I had decided to join the Arise Bible study group. Joining a Bible study was new territory for me and to be honest, I was quite nervous. My previous experiences in various ministry events and activities over the years had not often been the most positive. In fact, they were typically quite negative. I often felt like an outcast and not welcome or excepted for who I was, but I was convicted to attend and I am so glad I did.
The first Bible study topic in January of 2021 was a very fitting one for me. I had been in a rough season in my job and personal life for quite some time. Though I had always thought of myself as a very positive person, amidst the challenges of life and the rough Covid season that our nation was going through, I had found that much of my joy and positivity had been depleted.
The study was called “Looking for Lovely”. It focused on celebrating the positive things in life, even in the mundane and utilizing our God given gifts and talents to find the lovely in our every day lives. This was an eye-opening step back into the world of Christ and His community for me, and this was only the beginning.
Since then I have continued to join Christi and the lovely team of women leaders in Arise for what has become a beautiful journey. I am renewed in my faith and have benefitted so much from the community that they have created and fostered.
One thing that we do in Arise is have prayer group and it has evolved into a beautiful time that I look forward to at the end of every study session. We break into small groups and we share prayers, if we so choose, with one another and we are offered the opportunity to pray for others as well. I have always loved praying, but I’ve always been intimidated by praying out loud and I think that’s because I never really had the opportunity. So I took it upon myself when we started doing the smaller prayer groups to be one who offers to pray, so not only can I share my love of God with others and pray for them, but also grow and learn to be a better communicator with God myself.
I don’t know if I would’ve ever done this before had I not felt so welcomed and encouraged and loved by others in the group. It has truly been a blessing to be part of the Arise Ministry and Bible Study and I am just so amazed and excited by all of the growth and new offerings that are coming from the Arise team. I share the opportunity to come to a Bible study with all of my friends any chance I get in hopes that they will one day be as convicted as I was to join, even if it is just for one session.
I am thankful to God for convicting me to attend my first Bible study, and the many others since, and I am so thankful to Christi, Darla and the rest of the lovely leadership team for welcoming me and every women who joins, wherever they are at in life.
I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to connect with other women in Christ, build friendships, and feel encouraged to continue to learn and grow in my faith and watch others do so as well.
Blessings to each and every one of you.
Sincerely,
Rachel
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