Michigan WMU Ministry Center

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI – Launching an innovative ministry center in metro Detroit has been quite a rollercoaster ride for Sue Hodnett and her volunteer ministry team.

 

Initially opened in January in a small, tidy storefront in Shelby Township, the center is designed “to make a difference in the lives of women,” explained Hodnett, executive director of Michigan Woman’s Missionary Union. She said ministry priorities include group Bible studies, one-on-one counseling and mentoring sessions, a “Mission Friends with Mom” pilot project and a food bank partnership.

 

Unfortunately, as the coronavirus crisis struck, the ministry center closed its doors just six weeks after starting up. While the ministry efforts coordinated by Michigan WMU continue, much of the center’s work shifted to online video conferences.

 

Hodnett, who also leads Michigan Baptists’ women’s ministry emphasis, said she anticipates reopening the ministry center sometime this summer as sheltering restrictions gradually are lifted. Although “I don’t know what God’s plan is for the ministry,” she said her primary goal is “to follow through on the doors that He’s opened so far.”

 

“Our passion is to come alongside women and help them, meet them where they’re at, help them find Christ if they don’t already know Him, just be there to encourage them,” Hodnett emphasized. “We know that if we touch the life of a woman, most of the time we’re touching the life of a whole family.”