by Angela Bell
Now is the time of year when people talk about all they are thankful for, especially on social media. But today, you might run into some grumps.
Why? Because today, Nov. 16, the third Thursday in November, is the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout event, a day when smokers are encouraged to put out their cigarettes. Smokeout promoters are suggesting we break other bad habits as well.
Difficult to change bad habits
As a Women of the ELCA participant, I have so many things to be thankful for. In addition to being elected to serve on the churchwide board this past summer, my congregational unit at St. John Lutheran Church, Bellville, Texas, has agreed to work together to change some of our “bad habits.”
We’ve agreed to reevaluate some of our traditional practices as we attempt to assure our place in this organization for generations to come.
[bctt tweet=”One bad habit we have is that of turning to ‘old reliable.’ ” username=”womenoftheelca”]
One bad habit we have is that of turning to ‘old reliable.’ You know, relying on the person or people who have always come through in the past. We all have at least one or two women in our church who volunteer for everything. They just can’t say no.
This is a bad habit that I urge all in our organization to change. How often do we stick to the same list of people every time an event pops up? We call the same women over and over to bake a cake, to set up or tear down the room, or to speak.
We often discuss how inviting people to our Women of the ELCA meetings and events matters. We should also include with the invitation a task they could help us with. This would make them feel a part of the organization.
All they can do is say no
I know several women who would be tickled to be asked to provide cookies or cake for a meeting or to help plan out a service or event. The worst a person could do is say no.
I’d rather risk having someone tell me no than to make them feel unneeded. Most of us enjoy feeling needed, right?
I challenge each of us to include a service request with our invitations. Of course, invite as many women as possible, of all ages. You might be surprised how many answer your call for help.
What “bad habit” will you or your women’s group try to break?
Angela Bell of Bellville, Texas, is serving her first term on the Women of the ELCA executive board.
Photo by Christian Allard on Unsplash