Beltway Women

Beltway Women is hosting the SHAPE Retreat next week, October 25-26, at Big Country Camp in Lueders, and you are invited! This is a wonderful opportunity for women to discover their God-given spiritual gifts.  It is our belief that each member of the Body of Christ has been gifted and is mandated by Scripture to be a minister.  Our purpose for this retreat is to prepare you for the works of service that God has ordained for you so that the Body may be built up. So why do we call it the SHAPE?  Well, each letter represents an aspect of your life that we will be discussing…Spiritual Gifts, Heart (or passions), Abilities (or natural talents), Personality, and Experiences (your life experiences).  All these things combined create your unique SHAPE, and help to determine what God intends to do in your life.  Understanding the purpose you were created for is part of the secret to knowing God’s will for your life!  God is consistent in His plan for each of ou...

Introducing Angelique Moore ! Angelique is married to Jacob, Pastor of Creative Arts and Media.  They have been married for six years and have a five year old son, Kenaniah.  Angelique was a stay at home mom for four years, but this year she returned to work as a seventh grade science teacher and coach and is also in her last year of graduate school where she will earn an MA in Family Ministry.  Around Beltway Park, Angelique serves on the Home Team, Women's Ministry, Missions Team Leader, Prayer and Healing Teams and has been a past D-Group Leader. Growing up, Angelique did not see herself married to a pastor at all.  She recalls her dad praying over she and her sister on the way to church once, that they would marry "God fearing young Christian men who seek God’s face in all they do and are in the ministry or serving at church.”  Angelique and her sister, only eight and ten years old at the time, looked and each other and said ,”Ewwwwww, no dad...

You may not recognize Doris Linch  right off the bat, because she is one of those precious souls who loves to serve quietly, in the background.  But, we are here to put a beautiful face with the name!! Doris has been married to Pete (Elder at Beltway) for 49 years.  They have 2 children, Lanette Ferrell, and Bryan Linch.  And, they have 4 grandchildren: Rader (21), Juddson ("Juddy") (18), Emily (12), and Ethan (9). Have you ever wondered how our Worship Center at Beltway ends up so pristine from week to week?  Well, I'm here to tell you, it ain't because we are all amazing at picking up after ourselves.  Nope.  It's because of amazing people like Doris Linch, who volunteer their time on Monday morning for the "clean-up crew."  That's right.  This is the place Doris serves at Beltway, and working behind-the-scenes is very important to her.  She counts it a blessing to be able to serve in this way, and she is thankful that the ...

We would, next, like to introduce you to our wonderful Director of Kids' Club at the Park, Mrs. Linda Griggs .  Linda has been married to Billie for 22 years, and she has 4 children, including one biological child, 1 adopted child, and 2 children she began parenting upon the death of their mother.  They also have 7 grandchildren and 1 on the way!!  So exciting!! While Linda never anticipated working in church ministry, she did have an inkling that she would someday work with kids.  Prior to working for Beltway, she once held a job as a babysitter for $0.50/hr  and tutor for $0.75/hr, "And I loved it!"  (If only we could find those rates nowadays!!)  However, as a child, herself, Linda's church experiences were not positive, "so working in a church was never on my radar." It is fitting that she should work as the Kids' Club Director, given that she has the spiritual gifts of Administration, Encouragement, and Teaching, and she has a passi...

If you've ever met Cara Dowdy , you know that she epitomizes the word sweet.  Kind, caring and genuine, Cara has a heart for her family and others and loves use her gifts to bless others. Cara is married to Brenton who is the Associate Pastor of Worship at Beltway Park.  They have been married for five years and have a son, Josiah who is a year and a half and are expecting their second child soon.   One of their favorite past times as family is playing disc golf together in their free time. During the day, Cara is a stay at home mom with her son.  She also loves getting to volunteer at her former place of work, Pregnancy Resources of Abilene.  Cara has been gifted with the spiritual gifts of compassion, service, and encouragement.  She uses these gifts most effectively in her role at PRA once a week, counseling and praying with women who find themselves in crisis pregnancies.  Cara's extreme passion for LIFE is also a natural fit for her ro...

Dear Beltway Women, ”Let’s Get Together” was an overwhelming success!  Thank you so much for joining us last Thursday to celebrate our Lord’s goodness. I know some of you were surprised when we began the evening with that powerful and upbeat video “Break the Chain.”  I tell you, I was so happy to see most of you grab hold of the idea and participate with us in singing, shouting, clapping and dancing!! Also, there is nothing sweeter than to hear over 300 women give glory to God in worship and celebration.  Thank you Cherith Newman and the worship band for using your gifts to lead us in that worship. The testimonies from Hannah Holmes, Kristi Andrew and Kayla Weinkauf were proof that our God is alive, He sees and hears us, and He speaks to us and transforms our lives.  Thank you ladies for being so vulnerable to share the personal things that God has done in your life. It was thrilling to hear Melissa Weaver recite her poetry “A Definition” of hope; it was su...

A Definition by Melissa Weaver Hope is not something seen skin-deep. It’s not happiness.   It’s not ignorance.   It’s not naïve. Hope is not some girl skipping through a daisy field.   Daisies die , you see. It’s an eyes-open concept. Hope sees, opens eyes to the death the ashes it’s surrounded by. It stumbles through the blazing, thirsty desert knowing the taste of water will come soon It sees the moon in the night, waits for the drip from the midnight faucet, the tap that means freedom. Hope is not feeling, but it’s not just knowing either. Hope is a God . A great, holy, awe-inspiring God. But Hope is also an odd, stooped figure with a washrag scrubbing some guy’s feet. It is both a death and a life. It is The Way. It is a splintery, blood-stained, cracked cross. It is a broken-open, light-bursting, night-smashing, empty tomb. It’s an angel explaining why a man dead for...

You may recognize Crystal Cox from around Beltway Park.  Crystal is married to Tim, Assistant Director for Kid's Club. They have been married for fifteen years and have two daughters, Angelina, who is twelve and Caitlin who is seven.  During the day, Crystal works as an Operations Specialist at ACU. Crystal never envisioned herself married to a pastor.  When she and Tim got married right out of high school, the only thing they ever talked about was being in the military.  They had planned that the military would be Tim's long term career.  Even when Tim decided to leave the military, it wasn't to pursue ministry.  About a year after leaving the military, the Lord started to make it clear to them what He had been preparing them for the last ten years of their lives.  Even an injury that Tim sustained while serving overseas proved to be a tool the Lord was using to bring Him into vocational ministry.  This whole process proved to be one of the...

If you don't already know, Sherry Bluhm doesn't take herself too seriously.  Having grown up in a very legalistic religion, Sherry finds the gift of Freedom in Christ as an invitation to truly enjoy life and show the world that walking with Jesus is a fun adventure. And adventure she does!  Sherry's primary adventure is being married to her husband, Brian.  Sherry says they've been married for twenty-three wonderful years for a total of twenty-four years.  We're sure it's this ability to laugh that has made so many of their years together wonderful.  Brian is an elder at Beltway Park and Sherry is blessed to be his "head cheerleader". Though she didn't quite envision herself as an elder's wife, in college Sherry was asked to write where she saw herself in ten years and she wrote that she would be married to a youth pastor.  Brian was a youth pastor before he and Sherry met, giving ground for a prophetic spiritual gift in Sherry. Sherry an...

We would next like to introduce  Cara Lee West , who has been married to Jeremy (College Pastor) for 5 years.  Together, they have two sons, Jireh (age 2) and Elim (age 1). Cara Lee is a homemaker, which is the place where she primarily puts her spiritual gifts of Service, Shepherding, and Wisdom to use.  "Praying and serving my family is part of my job everyday.  I also have taught some, and have had the opportunity to pray for girls in the college ministry."  She also has a prophetic gift, which she uses, as the Lord "randomly" brings certain people to mind for her to intercede for, in prayer. Cara Lee is passionate about being all that the Lord has called her to be as a believer, and in her various roles as mother, daughter, sister, and friend.  She is also passionate about helping others along in their journey to walk in all that God has for them. Cara Lee and Jeremy have faced the unique blessing and challenge of having a child with sp...

Beltway Park is privileged to have an amazing Elementary Children's Pastor on-board, to shape our children in the ways of the Lord.   Kimi Byington  has been a Children's Minister at Beltway since 1999.  While she helped her mom work with children in church, as she was growing up, she never anticipated being in a pastoral role, herself.  "The Lord has a sense of humor, and I am humbled that He would use me!"  Taking the job in 1999 was one of the biggest faith steps she has ever had to take, mainly because she had been planning to stay home with her children, and wasn't sure if she could juggle both.  At that time, the position was part-time.  "So, I asked the Lord, and waited for an answer.  In the most funny and amazing ways, He made it very clear to me that this was His will for my life.  And, it's been so good to be where He wanted me!" Kimi operates in the spiritual gifts of Administration and Prophecy, and she is passionate abo...