What is WOW supposed to accomplish?

WOW! So what is the thinking behind the WOW Initiative? In the spring of 2006 Commissioner Pat Swyers met with Lt. Colonel Debi Bell and Major Rose-Marie Leslie to share her heart and thoughts about Women’s Ministries in the Western Territory. We all sense that there is a great opportunity on the horizon for advancement of the Kingdom of God. We share the same belief that the women of The Salvation Army will be mightily used by God to bring about the salvation of souls and a movement of holiness not yet experienced in our history. Our statistics tell us that we have been in a fifteen year recession through out most of the territory. That in itself is a great concern to us. We prayed and talked about the challenges facing the women’s ministries programs.

Commissioner Pat Swyers shared her thoughts about some kind of WM promotion that she would like to see developed and that she would like us to name it WOW. She explained that WOW could stand for Win One Woman. As we talked about the ways to develop this idea for the territory, the three of us became very enthusiastic about the possibilities of this endeavor.

Tasked with filling in the blanks, Major Rose-Marie and I left the office to begin to piece together a plan that would be “user friendly” for the corps and ARC units of our territory and still have the desired effect of winning souls for the Kingdom of God and building the ranks of The Salvation Army. That is how the WOW Initiative was born. We decided that it would be called an Initiative instead of a campaign, contest or endeavor.

Why use the word “Initiative” instead of something else? The word initiative means “plan, proposal, scheme, idea, enterprise, program, project, or inventiveness.” We hope that our officers and soldiers will catch the vision and get excited about what they can do for the Kingdom of God, The Salvation Army and for women.

There is nothing new here. We want the field to recognize the value of what is expected from a balanced ministry approach.

Women’s Ministries Programs can provide one of the best outreach opportunities we have in The Salvation Army. The women who “enter” The Salvation Army through the door of Home League or other women’s ministries groups often become your stable leaders and hope for the corps. It is time to take back the dignity of women’s programs and work. We can no longer allow it to be marginalized. As leaders in The Salvation Army, it is up to you to create a culture where women’s ministries and women are valued. (By what you say and do.)

Our dream is to see creative, exciting programs reach out to women and their families to bring them to a right relationship with Jesus. Then to establish them as leaders and soldiers in the Salvation War!