In June of 2015, about 20 women gathered in London for a meeting to discuss women’s ministries in complementarian contexts around the world. Our hope was to learn from one another and encourage each other in our task.
We heard from women in Australia, South Africa, Europe, UAE, and the USA. Led by the Proclamation Trust, we first met at The Evangelical Ministry Assembly (EMA) and enjoyed excellent teaching and fellowship. Afterwards, we traveled to The Oast House Retreat Center to debrief, discuss, and get to know one another.
It was one of those gatherings that left me wanting to share with others the kingdom work being done by women in a variety of settings. I’ve asked these ladies to tell us a bit about their ministries, so that we can all glean from their wisdom and prayerfully support their labors around the world.
Today, we’ll get a glimpse into the ministry work of Andrea Trevenna. She lives in Kent, in South East England and for the past 13 years has ministered at St Nicholas Church Sevenoaks as The Associate for Women’s Ministry.
Can you share with us a little about the culture where you live and the work you are doing?
Sevenoaks is a very affluent, mainly middle class town with excellent schools, lovely surrounding countryside and good, quick access to central London. As it is such a comfortable place to live with a relatively easy commute for those who are working in the city, there are always lots of young families moving out of London to Sevenoaks (pursuing the “good life”). As the parish church this gives us lots of gospel opportunities as families are often keen to have their baby baptized, get their children into our local church school or are just keen to give their children a good “moral upbringing” (which may include coming along to church!). A good number of women, who have no previous contact with church or Christians, tend to come along to one of our Mum and Toddler groups. As is the case in many churches, we have quite a lot of Christian women who have non-Christian husbands, many of them with young children.
I am seeking, in various settings, to disciple the Christian women at St Nics, through the study of God’s word. We run Women’s Bible study groups each day of the week and alongside this a daytime Christianity Explored course. There is also a group on a Tuesday afternoon for older ladies and monthly women’s breakfasts. Through training courses I am also seeking to help equip women to teach others and to reach out to those who don’t yet know the Lord (there are lots of natural opportunities for many at the school gate). It is a huge blessing that there are a good number of gospel hearted, godly women at St Nics who are rooted in God’s word and it is a huge privilege and joy to minister alongside these dear, precious sisters from whom I have learned so much over the years.
What are some of the challenges of your ministry in Sevenaoks? What are some of the joys?
One of the main challenges is that in an area like Sevenaoks, where so many have so much….nice homes, good jobs, children with good educations etc…it is very easy for the Christian women to just blend in with the world and be totally indistinct from the world. As the parable of the sower says (Mark 4:1-20) it is easy for the cares of the world to crowd in and take over and to result in women not living whole heartedly for the Lord. I have had the heart ache of seeing a number of women, who seemed at one time to be going strong, fall away over the years as the things of this world became idols, or as suffering and difficulties caused them to conclude that God isn’t good and His word isn’t true.
How to use my time is always a challenge…who to spend time with and invest in…and who not to. It is also a challenge to remember that the work is not all dependent on me. I can’t change people’s lives/hearts and I need to just keep entrusting those I am sharing my life with to the Lord. A constant challenge is to spend (much!) more time praying and less time doing!
My biggest joy is always seeing eyes opened as God’s word does its work by the power of His Spirit. Seeing people bowled over by the person off the Lord Jesus during Christianity Explored courses or Bible study has been a huge highlight of my ministry.
Another joy has been seeing people keeping going with the Lord and really growing through difficult times as they have continued to trust Him and keep their eyes fixed firmly on Jesus and on eternity.
Working on a great staff team with a wise, godly, humble boss is also a real blessing.
In what ways have you seen the Lord at work?
It has been a real blessing to see the Lord bringing women who were far from Him and quite hardened to the gospel into a living relationship with Him and now serving Him wholeheartedly! Over the last few years he has graciously done that in the lives of 3 Japanese ladies who are now just radiant! It is beautiful to see their humility. One very real way this is expressed is in the fact that they regularly meet up with each other to study God’s word, confess their sins to each other, and then pray together. I found that hugely encouraging…and also very challenging!
The Lord has been at work in the lives of various individuals who have been through desperately difficult times. They have grown massively in Christlikeness, but it has been a slow work and one of the great blessings of having been here for so long is that I can look back over the years and see how the Lord has worked in different situations to make people more like Jesus through what they have been through.
Through His word the Lord has been at work in me, showing me the pride in my heart, showing me how weak I am…but also showing me again and again what a wonderful, beautiful Saviour we have…that He is gracious, patient and loving, that He is mighty, powerful and wise and that, amazingly, He delights to use proud weak people like me!
How have you been encouraged or supported in your ministry by pastors and elders?
My boss Angus and his wife Sue are both very good at asking my how things are going. I meet regularly with Sue to think, plan, and pray things through together, which is a huge encouragement. Angus meets up with me and the rest of the ministry team (3 other clergy, youth minister, children’s worker and myself) every week for two hours. We always have a Christian book on the go and we discuss a chapter each week together. We then think through various ministry/theological issues together. This is a great opportunity to be thinking things through, planning strategically and learning and growing together, as well as asking and receiving advice from each other. I find this time a real encouragement in my ministry. Angus regularly seeks my wisdom on various situations, and clearly values my opinion as he often takes it into account when making decisions on various issues, which I really appreciate.
For those reading this today, what are two specific ways we can pray for your work?
Please pray that I will be totally dependent on the Lord in all I do in the coming year, and that I would commit to spending more time in prayer for the precious women I am serving and more time praying about the work he has prepared for me to do.
Please pray for a greater confidence in God’s word and a greater commitment to regular, serious Bible study amongst some of the Christian Women at St Nics.
Many thanks for your prayers.
Andrea is the “Associate for Women’s Ministry” at St Nicholas Church in Sevenoaks where she has served on the staff team for the past 13 years. Before she joined the staff team there she lived in Wimbledon and was a primary school teacher in Croydon. She is a regular conference speaker and also the author of “The Heart of Singleness- How to be Single and Satisfied”. She enjoys cooking, going to the theatre and spending time with her 13 godchildren.
To hear a little more about Andrea, take a few moments to listen as she discusses her book, The Heart of Singleness. It sounds like a great encouragement for women:
