Sweet Monday

Reaching women for Christ one sweet invitation at a time

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Jennifer Russell

Sweet Monday Rocks

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At my November Sweet Monday, I had a good friend and neighbor share her hobby of painting/decorating rocks and hiding them all over Chesterfield, VA and beyond. We had a bucket full of rocks and all the supplies needed for each woman to paint rocks they could keep, hide, or giveaway. I was surprised at the talent each lady showed and how their designs told a story about them.

When I first spoke to my neighbor about leading Sweet Monday Rocks as a theme, I told her it was fun to find rocks with Bible verses, but wouldn’t it be great if we created rocks to tell the story of the Gospel. I was challenged through Scripture that as followers of Christ, we need to know how to share the Gospel. And those that aren’t a follower of Christ need to hear the Gospel.

I decided I wanted to give the ladies at my Sweet Monday a simple way to explain the Gospel through pictures that even a child can draw (my 7-year-old daughter helped me paint these rocks). That way I knew each lady went home with a simple way to share the Gospel, and if there were any there that needed to hear the Gospel, then they would.

Below are pictures and an explanation for each. Feel free to make your own, share them with others or hide them around your neighborhood. You can also put the link to this article on the back or #sweetmondayrocks so people may come here to see the Good News of the Gospel.

Creation In the beginning was God and He created everything by His perfect design to work together. He created each of us with a purpose to worship Him and to walk with Him. (Read Genesis 1 & 2, Colossians 1:16)

The Fall Life doesn’t work when we ignore God and His original design for our lives. When we selfishly insist on doing things our own way this is called sin. We all sin and the consequence of sin is separation from God in this life and in eternity. Sin is present in every human heart and has led to a world of brokenness. We see this brokenness all around us in our world, relationships, lives and systems. Brokenness leads to a place of realizing a need for something greater. (Read Genesis 3, Romans 3:23, 6:23)

Jesus Because of His love for us, God did not leave us in our brokenness. Jesus, who is God in human flesh, came to us and lived perfectly according to God’s design. He came to rescue us and do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He took our sin and shame to the cross, paying the penalty of our sin by His death and was raised from the dead, therefore defeating both sin and death. This is the Good News. This is the Gospel. (Romans 5:8, John 3:16)

Restoration Simply hearing the Good News is not enough. We must admit our sinful brokenness and stop trusting in ourselves. We don’t have the power to escape on our own. We need a savior. We need Jesus Christ. We must ask for God’s forgiveness, turning away from our sin and toward Jesus. This is what it means to repent and believe. When God restores our relationship to Him, we begin to find meaning and purpose in a broken world and can pursue God’s meaning and purpose in all areas of our lives. Even when we fail we are encouraged and can see God’s presence in this world and through all of eternity. (Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:13)

View and download your free printable Sweet Monday Rocks information sheet here.Download

To find a Sweet Monday near your, visit our Find A Sweet Monday page.

The Purse Swap

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Happy National Handbag Day! I, like most women, have owned several handbags in many shapes, sizes and colors. I can appreciate a good purse when I see one, and love when other women compliment mine.

Sweet Monday themes are designed with women in mind. Hostesses choose topics that will appeal to the women in their community, so it is no surprise that the Purse Swap has been a popular theme among our hostesses. At a Purse Swap, women are asked to bring a gently used purse they are willing to part with. Then women play a variation of the “White Elephant” gift exchange with the purses, and everyone leaves with their new-to-them handbag. It’s a win-win for women looking to get rid of an old purse in exchange for a new one.

Sweet Monday founder Kim Newlen promoting the Giant Purse Swap in 2006.

The Purse Swap theme was so popular that Sweet Monday founder Kim Newlen hosted a Giant Purse Swap at the University of Richmond Robins Center on May 22, 2006. In attendance were close to 2,000 women looking to walk away with a new-to-them purse. Local celebrities donated purses that were given away during the event and a purse donated by Katie Couric was auctioned to raise money for Sweet Monday. The University of Richmond, Ukrop’s, Occasionally Handbags of Carytown and DreamDinners of Chesterfield were among the sponsors that day.

Unless you are going to a purse swap, you are free to leave your purse at home when attending a Sweet Monday monthly social. Nothing is ever sold and money is not collected at these monthly gatherings – no obligations and no strings attached. Instead you will find laughter and fun as women gather to be encouraged by each other and by God’s Word – fun and faithfulness. Visit our Find A Sweet Monday page to find a Sweet Monday near you.

October Sweet Scripture Writing

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We have our “so-excited” faces on as we prepare for our October Sweet Scripture Writing. After the wonderful response we received from so many of you in July, we can’t wait to see what God will do through this daily routine and time in His Word.

Sweet Monday hostess Genie Zook, of McKinney, Texas, shared with us, “A sweet friend in California and I both did this in July. It was a wonderful way to be diligent in the Word daily and also to help our sweet friendship.”

Starting October 1 we are inviting our hostesses, board of directors, staff and other Sweet Monday supporters to commit to writing Scripture for 31 days. We are asking participants to take a few minutes each day in October to look up and write down the day’s Scripture and to write down any prayers, questions, or thoughts that come to mind as they read/write each verse.

October’s Scripture theme is “Thanksgiving,” which is a great topic to prepare our hearts for the upcoming holiday season. It is our prayer that by writing out each day’s Scripture you will write God’s Word on your heart and it will inspire and encourage you all 31 days of October and beyond. Please fill out the form below to receive your free Sweet Scripture Writing plan in your email inbox.

Love One Another

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“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:11-12

National Night Out (NNO) is held each year on the first Tuesday in August. On Tuesday, August 6 people across the nation will spend the evening with neighbors and local police. Neighborhoods will host a variety of special events such as block parties, cookouts, parades, flashlight walks, contests, and youth activities and will be visited by local police and other first responders. Check with your local law enforcement to see if you still have time to register your event.

The start of August also ends our 31-day Sweet Scripture Writing Challenge. The “one-another” Scripture for the last day of July is 1 John 4:11-12.

What do these things have in common? Well, as a follower of Christ we should always be looking for ways to love others, ways to create community, and ways to show the love of Christ to a world that desperately needs it. At Sweet Monday we create opportunities for women to connect with each other and with Christ. Even if you are not a Sweet Monday hostess, if you are a follower of Christ you should desire to connect others with the one who “so loved us” and for others to see Him whose “love is made complete in us.”

National Night Out is a great way to put names with faces, build relationships, and establish community in the neighborhoods where God has placed each of us. Reach out to the neighbors you know to help put together a simple event. Most police departments provide goody bags for children and send McGruff as well as officers to NNO events.

If National Night Out seems like too much for you to put together in a week, then start smaller. Invite a couple neighbors over for a cookout. Start by praying and asking God to make clear to you an opportunity to reach out to your neighbors. Then pray for God’s provision and direction and trust Him with the outcome.

At Sweet Monday, this is what our hostesses do every month when they offer hospitality at a simple and sweet gathering in an effort to reach out and love their neighbors. And each month our hostesses witness God at work as He makes more out of the little we all have to offer and His Word never returns void. Take what you have learned from God’s “one another” verses and look for opportunities to love your neighbor.

Jennifer Russell

July Sweet Scripture Writing

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Starting July 1 we are challenging our hostesses, board of directors, staff and other Sweet Monday supporters to commit to writing Scripture for 31 days. We are asking participants to take a few minutes each day in July to look up and write down the day’s Scripture and to write down any prayers, questions, or thoughts that come to mind as they read/write each verse.

“As we read a verse or verses, our minds can wander and lose focus. When we are done, we think we have read something and then realize that even though we have ‘read’ the words, we have no idea what they were,” shares board member, Sweet Edith.

She adds, “Taking the time to write out the verse or verses ‘forces’ us to pay attention to the words and what God is saying and to think about it as we write.”

July’s Scripture theme is “one another,” which is a topic near and dear to Sweet Monday. It is our prayer that by writing out each day’s Scripture you will write God’s word on your heart and it will inspire and encourage you all 31 days of July and beyond. 

Click here to receive your Free July Sweet Scripture Writing Plan. Be sure to follow along and share your feedback on Facebook.

Spotlight: Sweet Joyce, Chattanooga, TN

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Hostess: Sweet Joyce

Location: Chattanooga Church in Chattanooga, TN

Date Started: October 2015

Favorite Theme: Tea Party

What inspired you to start a Sweet Monday? We have used this Sweet Monday as an outreach/inreach for our church. We have encouraged the ladies to use Sweet Monday as a way to bring their neighbors and friends into the church setting in a non-threatening way. We have also found it being a good way for visitors and new members of the church to get to know the other ladies. Probably 5 of the ladies who have come the past year or so have been visitors or new members.

What advice would you give a new hostess? Make it simple and ask others for help.

How has Sweet Monday influenced your life and others around you? I think our Sweet Monday has encouraged the ladies who come and have gotten many of them out of their comfort zones. We are still working on helping the ladies to see the benefits of using Sweet Monday as an outreach.

How have you made Sweet Monday your own? We have made our Sweet Monday our own by coming up with new themes and ideas and involving the ladies with the execution of them.

Thank you Sweet Joyce for reaching women for Christ one sweet invitation at a time in Chattanooga, TN. To learn more about becoming a Sweet Monday Hostess in your community, visit Become A Hostess.