Sabbatical Updates
June 2011
• The HBC Facebook page has taken off like a rocket! Re-launched just a month ago, our Facebook HomeMakers group page is adding members daily, and the conversations are amazing! Be sure to check it out for great advice, encouragement, ideas and resources – from Mom to Mom. You will be inspired and encouraged!• Donna Otto was the featured speaker this month at Harvest Church women’s conference in London, Ontario Canada. This small group of women had been so impressed and inspired by the Choices Matter DVD series they were studying as a group, they decided they just HAD to meet and hear Donna in person. The counter-culture message of HomeMakers is as relevant as ever – and now it’s gone international!
May 2011
• HomeMakers is making a return to Facebook! Improvements yet to come, but check out what we've got so far, and check IN with your HomeMakers friends...we'd love to hear from you. Go to Facebook, search for Homemakers by Choice, and start writing on our wall!• HomeMakers is in month seven of our one-year Sabbatical, which began October 1, 2010. We continue to see God work through the ministry of HomeMakers, and are greatly encouraged by the support, prayers and feedback we've received! Thank you, thank you to all of you, friends, for being a part of this ministry. We are here because of you and for you!
• We are in the process of re-formatting the Study Guides that go with the Choices Matter DVD Series. The new guides are more in-depth and are created especially for a small group study format. The guides will be available to all who purchase a Choices Matter DVD.
April 2011
HomeMakers was included in Project 52 for McDowell Mountain Community Church, located at 124th Street & Shea in Scottsdale. McDowell Mountain has chosen to integrate the ministries supported by the members of their church.Each week a new ministry is presented with the following:
• A write-up in the McDowell Mountain Church bulletinThe Randy Ohlinger Family chose HomeMakers for their 2011 ministry focus. And on April 10, 2011, HomeMakers was introduced to the church.
• A video and/or PowerPoint presentation during the Sunday services
• A personal greeting from a representative of the ministry
• A strong voice of support from McDowell’s pastor
• A donation
It was an honor to represent the ministry and see what McDowell Mountain Church means to the community. If you are looking for a church, check it out: http://www.mcdowellmountainchurch.com/
February 2011
• Donna will be traveling to Spokane, Washington in March to speak at the Countryside Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Please be praying for Donna as she shares the message of HomeMakers!• Two HomeMakers study groups currently meet weekly to share the teaching of HomeMakers, and to grow in fellowship with one another and with Jesus.
Butterfly Angels: Meeting Thursdays, 9am. Although the group is closed, feel free to visit and get ideas on starting your own group. Contact Stefanie Brown, 480.650.0743 or home 602.923.7350, smbs205@yahoo.com.• Face Lift...for our website that is! Our HomeMakers website will be undergoing a face lift over the next few months. You'll be the FIRST to know when it's ready to be unveiled!
West Side Study Group: Meeting Tuesdays, 9:15-11:15. Location varies. This group is open to new members, and is using the Choices Matter DVDs for their study material and teaching. Contact Alison Van Brunt, alivb143@yahoo.com, 623-434-3451.
• Please keep HomeMakers in your prayers as we continue to seek God's direction for the ministry.
January 2010
• HomeMakers products found their way into lots of homes this Christmas! Again this year, one of our best sellers was the Advent Candle. It's exciting to think of so many families gathered around the candle, reading Scripture together as they prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ!• It looks like organization is the focus for many...CD's from the Secrets to Getting More Done in Less time conference are popular right now.
• HBC Podcasts through iTunes are gaining a bigger audience all the time. Our newsletters and resources also continue to be very popular.
• Please keep HomeMakers in your prayers as we enter a New Year with new opportunities and challenges for ministry!
December 2010
• As we enter the third month of our Sabbatical year, HomeMakers continues to be actively involved in the lives of women!• The Choices Matter DVD's are reaching around the country and around the world. We have shipped DVDs to Arizona, Texas, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida and Michigan; plus Canada.
• There are study groups based around the DVD's currently in Arizona and Canada! Women are finding each other and reconnecting here at home! Local study groups are meeting weekly in Scottsdale, Central Phoenix and the East Valley.
October 2010
• Our Podcasts are going to be moving, and we will no longer be hosted by OnePlace. Beginning October 16, 2010, HBC Podcasts will be hosted directly by iTunes.• Resources are still available to you! The complete set of Choices Matter teaching DVD’s, as well as all of Donna’s books and materials, are available for you to order online, or by calling the office at 480.368.0873.
• Our website – which is undergoing a face-lift – is up and fully operational! This is a great source for current updates as well as free resources.
• Ministry Director Lori Ritchie will continue to process orders, answer phone calls and emails, and generally hold down the fort during the Sabbatical year. Please don’t hesitate to contact Lori with any questions you may have.