Graduates of the recent CWJC Level 1 training show off their certificates.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A group of women from Beebe are embarking on a journey to start a Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC) site in White County.
A compassion ministry of the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), Christian Women’s Job Corps is geared toward equipping women, in a Christian context, for life and employment.
“We are hoping to start a Christian Women’s Job Corps in Beebe, Arkansas. We are going to start one. It’s going to be for White County, but located in Beebe,” said Brandy Dillin, who attended the Level 1 National Certification training held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 9-10, at the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
Dillin was one of five women from Beebe to attend the training with a goal to start a new site in their city.
“There is a need. A couple of us are educators. We know, the women, they need hope. We’re in a position where we can give them hope and give them a future. … We’re going to make a difference. We are determined,” she said.
This training is one of the first steps in creating the new site, which will be a ministry of not only Beebe First Baptist Church –although four of the five women at the training were from there – but the community.
The two-day training was led by National Certification Trainer Ann Buck. The Level 1 training equips prospective site coordinators to plan, develop, operate and evaluate a CWJC ministry.
According to the Christian Women’s Job Corps website, as a result of completing this training, individuals will be able to:
- Articulate the biblical basis for the CWJC model.
- List and explain the key elements of a CWJC ministry.
- Identify the steps to create and run a CWJC ministry site.
- Articulate the purpose and skills necessary for a mentoring relationship in a poverty context.
- Complete a ministry plan for organizing, operating, and evaluating a CWJC ministry.
Although each CWJC site looks different in the programming it provides, each one includes the eight key elements in its structure. Those elements are Bible study, mentoring, advisory council, certification, covenants, evaluation, needs assessments and networking.
Additionally, Buck said they looked at the foundation of the Christian Women’s Job Corps.
“The foundation is prayer,” Buck said. “We talked about how important prayer is. How it’s an absolute necessity.”
After the Level 1 certification training is completed, it usually takes 8-12 months before a CWJC site is open and seeing participants. With Level 1 training certificates in hand, the next step for these ladies is to register their site with the WMU.
CWJC sites are currently located in Benton, Fort Smith, Paragould and Roland. Through the CWJC, Buck said God is transforming women one life at a time.
“The women learn to dream again. The women learn to dream again before life happened and closed their dream. But God creates us for a purpose, and He has a plan for us. Nothing takes Him by surprise. That purpose doesn’t die. It’s still there. We want to help them walk that out,” she said.
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