Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC)

Today I attended my local PWOC's Kick Off for it's new permanent home. At the beginning of the school year, we were meeting in the local chapel building, but in October, renovations began on the chapel and we were forced to relocate. Our temporary location was still on post in an older, smaller chapel. A few weeks ago, we found out that the a building that was previously used by ACS (Army Community Services) would be given to the chapel The ladies who attend PWOC have been working to clean and organize this new to us facility and today we held our first PWOC in this new permanent location. We had a great group of ladies attend today and I am excited to see what God is going to do in the lives of the women in Area 1 of South Korea PWOC.

So since PWOC was on my mind, I want to tell you a little bit about Protestant Women of the Chapel. 

PWOC has four aims:

1. to LEAD women to accept Christ as personal Savior and Lord;
2. to TEACH women the history, beliefs, and programs of the church, all built on a solid foundation of worship and Bible study;
3. to DEVELOP in women the skills of prayer, evangelism, stewardship, and social service, against a background of personal spiritual development;
4. to INVOLVE women in the work of the Chapel, in keeping with their abilities and interests.

According to their website, "The Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) is an integral part of the installation's religious support mission, which directly assists the commander in caring for his/her Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their families.  PWOC's part of the religious program is to minister to the unique needs of the military woman and female military spouse. PWOC equips women to flourish in the unique challenges of the military lifestyle through its emphasis on nurturing and mentoring. This is accomplished by seasoned military spouses and mature military women.

It provides the environment to nurture a spiritually enriching community that enhances personal enrichment and family readiness. During times of deployment, the Soldier, Airman, Sailor or Marine can be assured that PWOC will be a close, caring group who will be there to support his spouse and provide a helping hand when needed."

"PWOC is grounded in spiritual principles, and is a unique force multiplier for the commander. This is accomplished by training women in personal and family skills, by being a compassionate safety net to hurting women, and by supporting the ideals that military personnel are called to protect and defend."

So what does PWOC mean to me?  It means that no matter where we are stationed, I can find a group of Christian women, who will encourage and support me.  A place where I can receive prayer, attend Bible studies and have fellowship with other women who are going through the same or similar things that I am going through. 

When we were stationed at Fort Hood, it was the great group of women at my local PWOC that encouraged me and got me through our first duty station and our first deployment. 

If you are looking for a PWOC, where you can get involved, check out their installation locator to find one near you.  You can also find PWOC International on facebook.

I know that if you are stationed in the USA, there are many churches and para-church ministries that you can be a part of, but if you end up overseas, your options are not as broad as they would be in the states.  It was a blessing to be able to come to Korea and find a place to be challenged to grow in my faith and relationship with the Lord.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.  Hebrews 10:23-25