Building on a strong foundation
There is a rich history of women’s Bible study at Second, and among the many small-groups, large-groups, and medium-sized-groups that have met over the years is a longstanding group whose mission is to minister to the hearts of moms.
A Mother’s Heart, started by Pam Hill, Carey Moore, Ginny Nearn, and Jamie Simmons, and led over the years by many faithful women*, met for over three consecutive decades at Second. When Jennifer Wilson, the group's most recent leader, was led to focus more of her efforts on the Growing Place Library, a leadership gap opened up. Around the same time, longtime church member Leesa Jensen stepped down from her role with the parachurch organization Bible Study Fellowship and began praying for God’s guidance regarding where to serve next. When she learned about the need at A Mother’s Heart, she sensed God leading her to fill in the gap.
In the Spring of 2021, Leesa compiled a team of 10 women to serve on the leadership team for the Bible study, which would be called Overflow: A Bible Study for the Hearts of Moms. Along with other women on the team, Leesa had a vision for expanding the Bible study to include a wider range of ages. Mary Helen Holman, who participated in A Mother’s Heart for many years before joining the leadership team, noticed that many of the moms around her age had begun to drop off, feeling that they were “too old” to remain involved in the group since they were no longer new mothers. One of Leesa’s hopes was to bring these women back in so that they could continue being equipped to “live, love, and lead from the overflow of their relationship with Jesus.”
This is exactly what countless women gained from 30+ years of A Mother’s Heart at Second. “We are standing on the shoulders of the women who taught us,” Mary Helen shares. “We really honor them.” One of the key ways that the Overflow leadership team honors the women who came before them is by imitating them. “After everything that’s been poured into me,” shares Overflow leader Bowie Campbell, “I’m an older woman to somebody.”
As for Mary Helen, she thinks about the lectures she heard at A Mother’s Heart whenever it’s her turn to teach at Overflow. “Those women were themselves. They were authentic; they weren’t trying to sound like so-and-so. I want to sound the same at the podium as I do sitting in small group. I saw that modeled well from the women who taught me when I was a young mom in A Mother’s Heart."
together on tuesday mornings
Each month, Mary Helen teaches once, Leesa teaches twice, and Bowie leads a seminar-style time of reflection and practical application. In the Fall of 2021, the group studied Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and in the Spring of 2022, they studied Proverbs. After Mary Helen or Leesa taught the lesson, the moms would break up into their small groups to discuss the lecture as well as their takeaways from their personal study the week prior. And then the members of the group would share prayer requests and spend time lifting their voices together to the Lord.
“The most important thing we have done all year is pray,” shared Bowie. “That’s been my favorite part about the whole thing. We prioritize prayer on Tuesday mornings.” And they prioritize prayer on Monday afternoons, too, when the leadership team meets: “We always get on our knees and pray,” Bowie reports of leadership team meetings. “And not for 5 minutes, but for 15.”
Extended times of prayer are one of the ways God knit the Overflow small groups together in fellowship this past year. Women who barely knew one another at first became close friends, texting each other to check in about particular prayer requests as well as asking for prayer when urgent needs arose.
Connecting throughout the week
In addition to reaching out for prayer, small groups reached out between Tuesdays simply to connect with one another. Bowie was blessed by the fact that the women in her group became genuine friends, utilizing 45-minute windows in between nap times, mealtimes, and carpool pick-up times to squeeze in a walk around the neighborhood and share life together. “Sometimes I used to feel lonely at church,” Bowie shared, “so this has met a real need for me.”
Leesa, Bowie, and Mary Helen have all seen God use Overflow over the course of the past year to help women reconnect with one another after Covid. All three women have come to realize that even those who show up for corporate worship morning and evening every Sunday can feel lonely at church if they aren’t a part of a group of deeper connection and prayer. “I have a real burden for the members of this church who are not connected,” says Leesa. “I hope we’ve moved the needle on that.”
Reaching out to those around us
Another burden that Leesa and the leadership team share is for women who aren’t involved in a church family at all, or who have become disconnected from church during the pandemic. On that front, too, this past year in Overflow was encouraging. In fact, 40 percent of the women involved in Overflow were not members of 2PC! From a “happenstance” invite at Trader Joe’s leading to one woman's faithful weekly attendance, to another woman joining Overflow after hearing about it from a friend who doesn’t even go to Second, God was faithful to bring a diverse array of women to the church on Tuesday mornings to study His word, connect with His body, and implore the help of His Spirit to follow His Son.
Beyond word of mouth, the fourth-Tuesday Perspective “seminars” were another effective means of outreach. Though the aim of these Overflow “special editions” was to give the women concrete, real-life examples of how to flesh out biblical principles in their life as a family and as a mom, these times also served as a great “back door” into the church. They gave women the chance to dip their toe into Christian community without fully committing to anything they weren’t yet ready for. They were invited (but not pressured) to stay after the lecture and join a small group for discussion. A couple of women enjoyed their time so much that they kept coming back week after week.
Perspectives panels included George and Jackie Robertson and Brian and Joanne Lewis, who discussed how to make progress in raising and discipling your children; Todd Erickson, who spoke on conflict, reconciliation, and peacemaking; Brent Stenberg, who led a training on anxiety; and the children’s and youth staff, who shared about parents partnering with the local church to instruct their children in the ways of the Lord.
This topic of partnership became even more boots-on-the-ground when one of Second’s local ministry partners, Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc., joined the Overflow moms for brunch in early December. CEO Ephie Johnson sang, the women learned about NCC’s mission and work, and, best of all, the small groups had the chance to put partnership into practice right then and there by ordering bundt cakes for Christmas. The fact that Bowie had recently handed off her bundt cake business to NCC, where it now functions as a job-training program, made the morning all the sweeter.
Looking ahead with eyes of faith
As much sweetness as there is in reflecting on the past year in Overflow, there is just as much excitement in looking forward to the year to come. Starting this Fall, they’re eager to learn from the life of David by studying I-II Samuel, along with select corresponding Psalms. “My big hope is that the women who come have hearts that are so filled with the Lord that they overflow,” shares Mary Helen, “and that the overflow impacts first their family and then their community and then the city of Memphis.”
Heavy-hearted that there were times that women had to be turned away due to an insufficient number of nursery volunteers, Mary Helen “would love to be in a position where nursery availability is never a problem, where when we invite somebody to Perspectives, we can always say, ‘And there’s room for your child in the nursery.’” There's already a nursery waitlist for this Fall, so volunteers are desperately needed.
Leesa’s vision is just as ambitious. “We have a lot of Memphis city leadership in this church. These women in our church are raising the next generation of leaders for Memphis, and I just pray that those kids will be a generation that seeks His face. Anything that we can pour into the moms that will grab their hearts so that they will overflow and truly begin to lead biblically in their home is what my passion is. At my age, I just know—this is what really matters.”
Bowie, too, wants to see God influence generations through Overflow. When asked how Overflow is going, her answer is simple, full of faith, and yet to be seen: “Ask me in 50 years.”
* A special thanks to the many faithful women who led and served with A Mother's Heart over the years, including: Frances Thompson, Sarah Gaye Sneed, Scottie Cain, Ragan Magness, Carol Overcast, Kimberly Graham, Molly Witherington, Kathy Hammond, and many more.
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