The ladies’ tea and book club

Jody* is a hairstylist who has many co-workers and clients whom she has come to know as friends. Recently, she took a step of faith and discovered a simple and effective way to help her friends clearly understand and believe in the good news of Jesus Christ.

Jody explains how she makes meaningful connections with her clients:

“As a stylist, I work hard to make the women who sit in my chair look and feel beautiful. As a Christian, I want to be a good listener, so that each one knows I truly care for them.”

Jody listens to clients talk about troubled relationships, issues at work and the loss of loved ones. As she commiserates, she prayerfully looks for ways to help these women understand the hope she has found in Jesus. The salon, though, is not an ideal setting, and there is little time to explain the gospel.

Last year, Jody was introduced to the idea that she could invite friends to join her as she guided a course that explained the Bible’s message in accurate and simple terms. She didn’t really fancy herself as a teacher, but she did have a love for books, and she knew many of her clients and co-workers did too.

She had the idea to start a ladies’ tea and book club on Thursday mornings from 10am till noon at her house. She ordered 24 copies of By This Name and began giving out this invitation to her friends: “Please come and relax, make some friends, have tea and treats, and read a really great book together.” It was a big step of faith for Jody because she didn’t know how many—if any–would actually come. She also wondered if just reading a book together would be an effective way for them to learn about the gospel. But Jody was willing to give it a try.

On the Sunday before the first get-together, she was pleased when she had to order more copies of By This Name to ensure there were enough for everyone who said they were coming. Sure enough, that first Thursday morning, Jody’s front living room was filled, knee-to-knee with more than 30 moms, students, and friends all chatting and drinking tea together. Jody knew many of them had read very little of the Bible or had rarely been to church.

Jody gave a brief introduction about the book, saying that the Bible could be a big confusing book, but that rightly understood, it contained a message of hope and peace that helped people make sense of life, suffering, death, and it even gave a glimpse of life after death–all from the perspective of God himself. She invited the ladies to take turns reading aloud as they felt comfortable, while the others followed along together. One lady felt nervous and asked, “So, we’re just going to read, right? Because I don’t know anything about the Bible.” Jody assured her, “Yes, we’re just going to read it together.”

For this group of women, the next seven Thursday mornings became a respite—a quiet time set aside from their busy lives, and an opportunity to go on a journey of discovery about the Bible. There was no homework or assigned reading. However, Jody did learn that a number of the ladies would go home and look up Bible verses on their own.

Near the end of the book, Jody wrote to us saying, “The [ladies’ tea and book club] has gone really well. It’s taken a little longer than we thought it would, but there has been a ton of growth and understanding… We still have had a good turn-out and some definite light bulbs have gone on!! One of my co-workers practically jumped off the couch when we got to the good news that our sin debt is paid in full–past, present and future. THAT was fun! Just too see such a growth in understanding in these women has been so rewarding.”

Jody discovered that sharing the gospel can be as simple as sitting down and reading a book together one-on-one or in a group.

(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)