When you put together a Ladies’ Tea at your church, what do you spend the most time on? Ensuring the finger foods are delicious and match your theme?

A female Christian blogger writes, “We’re choking on cutesy things and crafty bits, safe lady topics. . . . Some of us are drowning, suffocating, dying of thirst for want of the cold water of real community. We’re trying really hard—after all, we keep showing up to your lady events, and we leave feeling just a bit empty. It’s just more of the same every time.”

So, how can you turn cupcake time with women into steak dinner, spiritually speaking?

Let’s say you’re hosting a scrapbooking get-together for a few friends who have young children. Put together a list of three or four questions that children ask about the Bible. During your event you could take a break every 30 minutes or so and briefly discuss the answer to one of the questions.

Or, if you’re having a cookie swap at Christmas time, some of that time could be spent on a short Bible study, such as a discussion of the connection between Christ’s work as Creator and the fulfillment of the promise given in Genesis 3:15 about His birth.

At your weekend retreats, engage attendees with topics that are personal without being overly emotional. The possibilities are endless. For instance, some attendees may never have considered the personal implications of Creation and the Fall:

• How do the actions of the first woman, Eve, affect women today?
• How does Genesis 1–3 connect to marital conflict, the loss of a child, or cancer?
• Is God always good, even when bad things happen to our children?
• How do we live out our hope in Christ in the most difficult situations?

Ask trusted women who have demonstrated a close walk with the Lord to give their testimonies about God’s goodness and grace through life’s trials. And find creative topics to discuss that lead to deeper study and practical applications. For instance, offer Bible studies on who God is as seen in Scripture—His attributes, His names, His mighty works—and then show how He displays these same attributes in our lives today.

Another effective way to minister to women who work with non-Christians is to offer classes on how to answer skeptical questions about Christianity. This practical approach usually allows the group to discuss all sorts of relevant, biblical insights.

Most important, get to know the women in your care. If you know some of the questions they have about God, the Bible, and Christianity, you can be more focused as you look for ways and times to provide them with the hearty spiritual steak they’re craving.