Women of the Church

Barrington Presbyterian Women

		BPW is an organization for all women of The Presbyterian Church of Barrington.

Purpose
Standing Committees
How To Get Involved
Bible Study (Morning)
Bible Study Evening (GTIF)
Book Club
Women With Aging Parents
Agencies Supported By BPW
The Presbyterian Women Symbol

Purpose
Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit we commit ourselves
To nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study,
To support the mission of the church worldwide,
To work for justice and peace, and
To build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (USA) and witnesses to the promise of God’s kingdom.

Standing Committees

Bible Study (Morning)	Bible Study (Evening) G.T.I.F.
Book Club	Christmas Benefit
Christopher House	Church Women United
Community Crisis Center	Fall Fellowship
Family to Family	Fellowship Picnic
Historian	Home of the Sparrow
Kitchen Coordinators	Meals with Wheels
Memorial Receptions	Mission
New Members	Nominating Representative
Poinsettia Sale	Publicity/Promotion
Shawl Ministry	Spiritual Life
Winter Program	Women with Aging Parents
Valentine Care Packs	White Breakfast
Women’s Spiritual Retreat

How To Get Involved
If you are interested in working on a committee, feel free to call the committee chair directly. If you have any questions, feel free to call the Moderator. You may be interested in joining one of the following groups.

Bible Study (Morning)	Meets the second Wednesday of each month at 9:30am in the church parlor. The study is lead by Paige Unangst. The study guide is available through the church office.
Bible Study Evening (GTIF)	Growing Together in Faith (G.T.I.F.) meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7pm in a member’s home. Contact Jill Minner for more information.
Book Club	Meets in various homes the third Thursday of every other month at 1pm. Contact Sally Moore for more information.
Women With Aging Parents	Meets the third Wednesday of the month at 9:30am in the Youth Lounge. It is a time for women to share their joys and concerns about their parents, and to receive support from the group. Contact Marge Slocum for more information.

Agencies Supported By BPW

Christopher House	was founded in 1905 in Chicago and is a non-sectarian, non-profit social service agency that delivers services to over 7,000 children and families. Christopher House offers Head Start, after school programs, tutoring, teen parent support, and much more.
Church Women United Storybook Project	enables incarcerated parents to select and read a book on audiotape for their children. More than 4,000 children receive books and tapes from their incarcerated parents each year. Fifteen federal, state and county correctional facilities host the Storybook Project, which is spearheaded by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.
Community Crisis Center Elgin	specializes in helping adults and children suffering from domestic violence, sexual assault and economic crises. Provides shelter, counseling, batterers intervention programs and referral services.
FISH, Barrington	stands for “Friend, I Shall Help”, and has volunteers to help provide medical related transportation or emergency shopping assistance serving the people of School District #220. FISH also provides referral information on many support agencies.
FISH Food Pantry	located in the Meadowdale Shopping Center in Carpentersville, supplies donated food and other necessary items to needy families in our area.
Home of the Sparrow	provides programs for homeless women to help them develop living skills and work skills so they can return to the work place and become self-reliant.
Hospice	provides comfort and support to patients and families coping with terminal illness.
Humboldt Park Social Services	serves the neediest persons in the Logan Square & Humboldt Park communities. Incorporated as a non-profit community service agency by its sponsoring organization, Humboldt Park United Methodist Church of Chicago, HPSS serves approximately 1,800 homeless and disadvantaged people each year with a range of programs.
Samaritan Counseling Center	provides team-oriented, cost-efficient counseling, education and consultation that emphasize the interrelatedness of mind, body, spirit, and community.
Scholarship For St. Gregory Graduate	supports a St. Gregory Graduate by paying tuition fees and educational expenses. Managed by Christopher House.
Meals with Wheels	provides a nutritious midday meal, Monday–Friday, to persons 60 and over who are unable to cook for themselves.
Presbyterian Church Youth Mission Trip	enables youth from our congregation to reach out to those in need at various locations across the United States. Youth in grades 8 - 12 provide Vacation Bible School, construction, and soup kitchen services during each nine-day annual trip.
Winchester House	is a nursing home, and our donations help provide chaplaincy services for the residents, their families and the staff of the home.

The Presbyterian Women Symbol

The original Presbyterian Women's symbol, designed by Sarah Abbott in 1988, was updated in 1999 to carry the organization into the twenty-first century. The cleaner lines and sharper image strengthen the original design while retaining its ability to visually express the Presbyterian Women purpose.

Some Meanings Found in the Presbyterian Women Symbol

Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus Christ,
Forgiven and freed by grace through faith, the central figure stands in praise.

and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves:
Rooted in faith, the trio of women emerge. The outline of the central figure forms a cross. We are Presbyterian women, engrafted in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us.

to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study,
The right figure holds a book to guide her reading, studying, praying, or meditating.

to support the mission of the church worldwide
The left figure reaches out to care for others, as she shares, nurtures, and heals. The circle represents the church worldwide where women offer their gifts and talents in the midst of the global community.

to work for justice and peace,
The uplifted arms of the central figure reach out to embrace a just peace for the world. The relationship between the three figures depicts lives of wholeness rather than turmoil.

and to build an inclusive, caring, community of women
The three women have no distinct features and represent all women. The shapes surrounding them express energy, strength, and openness.

that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Our name, Presbyterian Women, ties us to our denomination. The Bible resembles the Bible depicted in the PC(USA) seal.

and witnesses to the promise of God's Kingdom.
Guided by our purpose, we witness to the reality of God's realm.