Coming 2023: New City Women
by Heather Perrin
For the last five years, I have had the great privilege of helping lead the Women’s Leadership Cohort. I was on staff when it began, and it has been a gift of grace that I’ve been able to be a part of it. During that time, we've had over 40 women go through the cohorts, and we’ve been able to watch them learn from good theological resources and from conversation with one another and think deeply about how the things they’re learning change how they live, work, and play. It is so fun, and it amazes us every year what God does through it.
But this whole time, as we’ve watched women grow in their discipleship and love for God and His work in the world through this kind of training environment, we’ve wondered how to get this equipping in the hands of more and more people. Every year we celebrate what God has done and think about how we can help more people grow in their knowledge of and love for God. The cohort is a huge gift, but it’s also a 9-month intensive program reserved for New City Partners, and it requires a high level of commitment on the part of the participant and the leaders. All of that makes it uniquely valuable, but what can we do to serve and equip people who aren’t in the season to take on this commitment, who aren’t New City Partners, or who have already done it? I really didn’t have an answer, until a few months ago when God reminded me that He actually is working when I’m not aware of it.
2023: New City Women
In January 2023, we are going to launch New City Women: a series of discipleship programs designed to help women grow in their knowledge of God and their love for God and neighbor.
Like everything we do here, our goal is to help people live in light of the gospel. We believe that knowing Christ deeply changes everything about us, and these programs will be another way to grow in our love for Him and in our ongoing transformation into His image. We dream of seeing women transformed by the gospel, growing in discipleship to Jesus through His Word, and sent out to transform their homes, churches, city, and the world.
It’s a big goal. But it’s what God has called the church to do - to make disciples, and teach them to obey all He has commanded them. To equip the saints for the work of the ministry. It is His work in our lives and in our church, so we know He will accomplish it, and we trust Him with the outcome.
A quick overview of what we’re doing: We will have 4 programs over the course of the year that we hope to replicate and expand on in coming years. They all compliment one another and build on one another, but each stands alone. So you can join one or all four and not get things repeated or feel like you’ve missed a pre-requisite. We hope this means many women from New City and all over Macon will be able to benefit from them.
In January, we will kick off with an 8-week class on How to Read Your Bible
In early March, we will host a weekend retreat on the classic practices of the Christian life (or spiritual disciplines)
In August, we will host a one-day conference on the attributes of God
And in September we will launch another 8-week class, this time on Core Beliefs of the faith.
Our desire is that each of these will both further equip seasoned saints who have walked with Christ for years and introduce people who are curious about Christianity to the essential truths of the gospel. They will be open to any women who would like to attend and there aren’t any pre-requisites to participate. So be thinking about who you might want to invite to come with you!
The cohorts will of course continue - this year’s group has started and is going to be wonderful - and ideally these new discipleship spaces will only strengthen that good thing. At New City, we want to see every person in our reach live in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and this is simply another avenue toward that goal. We will strive to learn together as a family, to reach our neighbors with what we learn as missionaries, to invest in the growth of others as servants. And most of all, we hope to grow as disciples who make disciples in every area of our influence.
Keep an eye out for more information to come this fall, including registration for our first class, and please reach out if you have any questions!
Praise God for His goodness to us, even and especially when we don’t expect it. I can’t wait to see what He does in 2023.