Fridays worked for my schedule last year…why are you changing the meeting day??

The first year of CONNECT we met some Wednesdays and some Fridays.  The second year we met only on Fridays, and found that our attendance at most meetings dropped by 30-50%.  Wednesday—right in the middle of the week—seems to work better for many women.   We hope to see everyone from last year return, and to be able to welcome even more women to our meetings this year!

Why did you change the start and end time of the meetings? 

Why are you charging a fee this year? 

Many of Northbrook’s ministries—MOPS, Bible studies, Yoga—charge a nominal fee to cover expenses.  In past years, we have tried our best to fund CONNECT through a small church-provided budget and, primarily, donations from our attendees.  So why start charging a fee now, in our third year?  CONNECT leaders want to give you the best value for your time.  We want to invite the best speakers to our meetings on the 1st Wed. of each month, and be able to provide a top-notch curriculum for our 3rd Wed. meetings (when we’ll be studying the Bible in new, innovative ways).  If you’re making a commitment to CONNECT, we want you to have an unforgettable experience every time you come!  CONNECT leaders place a high value on good stewardship of our budget; we’re accountable to Northbrook, our attendees, and most importantly to the Lord.

Why add an extra meeting day this year?  Wasn’t one meeting a month enough? 

Many women have commented that they find it hard to make real connections with other women when we meet only once a month.  If a woman misses a meeting, it may be 8 weeks before she is able to return!  That makes it really difficult to establish and maintain relationships that matter.  By going to a twice-monthly schedule, we’ll be able to enjoy a speaker and brief discussion time at our first meeting, and then deeper discussion and exploration of the Bible at our second meeting.  This will allow more relaxed fellowship time with other Christian women, time to reflect on the speaker’s message, and an opportunity to discuss ideas and concepts more fully.  Women say they are coming to CONNECT for spiritual growth and we want to make sure they have time to spend doing just that!