New Things in the New Year

God blessed The Connection with another wonderful year of serving Him and you!  

Was every minute Pinterest perfect?  

Nope.  

But we learned from our mistakes. We keep on turning to Him and trusting Him. We look for the joy in every situation.  

“When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:1-4 NLT  

Some memorable moments of the past year…

• 2020 was over – but not over over, if you know what I mean.
• We walked through deep, dark valleys with some of our friends. We can’t make the pain go away but we can be sure that they know they are never alone.
• We made many new friends both locally and spread out thanks to our online opportunities.
• We returned to Zigbone Farm for the Retreat.
• We began partnering with other local groups to begin showing faith-based movies at Waynesboro Theatre every other month.
• We celebrated our 5th birthday and how God is using TC.
• We remodeled our website with a fresh, streamlined look and feel.  

Look for the link below to view awesome photos of some of the awesome ladies that make The Connection so special.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 NIV  

And now begins a brand-new year! Can you sense the excitement of what’s to come in 2022? We’ve been feeling for a while that big things were coming. And now we can feel the rumblings of new growth about to spring up.  

Here are a few things that are coming in early 2022…

• New leadership members – We’ll be introducing you to new members of our leadership team over the next few weeks. We’ve been praying for God to provide the right women for these positions and He has!
• New app – On Wednesday, January 12, we will be releasing our very own app! It is super simple to use and full of all of the things that you need to know and access.
• Increased online options to allow more women to experience TC – Our first Zoom study of the year begins on Friday. Details HERE. It’s not too late to join in. AND our very first online conference, Encourage, will be held in just a few weeks. Expect to be blessed and…encouraged by the amazing speakers that we’ve got lined up. Details HERE.
• Be an encourager – We want to be a blessing to our community. One exciting way we plan to do that is to have light post banners with encouraging messages installed on Main Street. Be watching for them to go up in March and April!
• More college scholarships – In 2020, we offered one scholarship to a graduating senior girl. In 2021, we offered two. In 2022, we will be offering three! One each for Waynesboro, Greencastle and Smithsburg school districts. (Yes, homeschoolers qualify!)
• Preparing for expansion of our facilities – God isn’t finished growing this ministry and that means our physical needs will be growing too. We are saving up to be prepared for future expansion.  

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20  

In 2016, four women decided that it was time to begin “something” that would bring together Jesus girls no matter what church they went to. And now, we’re looking toward 2022 and this list of plans and dreams. AND let’s not forget those unexpected “infinitely more” things that God will surprise us with. All I can say is, “Wow! God is good all the time.” 

Mandy Hood

Mandy Hood is executive director of The Connection. She loves to facilitate women connecting with each other and helping them grow in their faith.

Mandy and her husband have been married for 41 years and have 2 adult children, 2 in-law children and 3 grandchildren. Every year, they look forward to GramCamp – three days of spoiling and fun.