Here we go:
Strategy #1:
Arrange the chairs in the room to correspond to the number of participants.

This is such a simple strategy that many people won’t even try it. There is something that changes in a room when everyone can see the body language of the other people in the discussion. If you are meeting in an auditorium or a room with lots of chairs and people are far apart, you need to modify. Everyone that is part of the discussion needs to be able to see everyone else’s eyes. You see, most people who talk too much realize their fault to some extent. They aren’t always able to control it but they do know they have it. These women especially need the visual clues that other people want to speak. I particularly like some sort of circle. I want to see everyone at once and I want everyone in the discussion to be able to see each other. If you have 15 chairs set up and only 6 people show up for class, before you even start the discussion, remove about half the chairs. If people show up late you can add more chairs. (Adding the chairs back is psychologically exciting…everyone is thinking…. “This is a great class, more and more women want to come, and we are adding chairs every week!) When the women in your group can feel each other and see each other it changes the way they participate in the discussion. Give it a try!

In my house sits a very old table and buffet.  It belonged to my husband’s grandparents.  This table and buffet were one of the first pieces of furniture they bought when they were married.  My husband remembers sitting at the table when he was a young boy.  As a child, my mother-in-law ate supper at this table and pulled dishes out of the buffet.  When I pull a chair up to the table I am sitting down at a tangible piece of our family history.  When I pull dishes out of the buffet, I am part of a long line of Taylor women who have been hospitable.  This table and buffet help build my identity – who I am and who I want to be.  The tie me to the past and give me courage to face the future.

For a Christian, a beloved child of God, Genesis serves the exact same purpose.  When I read the creation account and think about what God created for me from the very beginning, I stand in awe.  God created this entire world for me!  He made plans from the beginning – plans to give me place to live, plans to communicate with me, plans for me to prosper, plans for me to have work to do, plans for me to come home to live with Him eternally.  When I carefully read and meditate on the words at the start of Genesis I know so much about who I am and who God wants me to be.

Womens Bible Study

We all need to do more Bible study.  One of the best ways to do that is to encourge daily Bible study in conjuntion with regular Bible classes.  That is what our Ilumination series is all about.  Each lesson has five sections to do during the week to help each one prepare for the next class.

What a great way to get more women studying the Bible every day.