Mission Matters – Spring 2025
Dear Friend,
As we step into 2025, I’m filled with gratitude for the faithfulness of God and the legacy of GEMS Girls’ Clubs. This summer, we are thrilled to launch our newest curriculum, Walk on Water: Stepping Out to Trust Our Faithful God. Rooted in Deuteronomy 7:9—“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations”—this theme is especially meaningful to our ministry. GEMS is not just impacting this generation of girls—we are building on the faithfulness of those who came before us. One club recently shared a remarkable story: one night, they had four generations of GEMS and Calvinettes represented! What a beautiful testament to the lasting impact of this ministry. With your support, we can continue to reach even more girls with the truth of God’s love. Together, let’s invest in the next generation and beyond!
With gratitude and joy,
Wendy Hammond
GEMS Executive Director
Mission Accomplished in Chicagoland
We are deeply grateful for your unwavering support as we continue our mission to introduce girls into a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ through Bible lessons, worship, crafts, badges, and meaningful group discussions that help them grow in faith and knowledge.
In the Chicagoland area, one of the most remarkable stories comes from a GEMS Girls’ Club that meets after school at a public school. After several weeks of building relationships, gaining trust, and sharing the message of Jesus, the Club Coordinator asked the girls an important question: “Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?” What followed was a moment that left everyone in awe. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop as five girls stepped forward and made the decision to give their lives to Christ. One girl, in particular, was overcome with joy as she rejoiced, proclaiming that she was now Heaven-bound.
This beautiful moment is a testament to the incredible impact GEMS Girls’ Clubs have in reaching the hearts of girls and transforming their lives for Christ. It’s a reminder that, together, we are making a difference. As prayer warriors and financial supporters of our mission, your role is vital in helping us reach more girls for Christ. Every prayer, every donation, every act of encouragement contributes to changing lives.
Curriculum for Sale
Did you know that GEMS Girls’ Clubs writes its own curriculum? We do! We currently have five curriculums that are being used throughout our clubs and beyond with a brand new sixth curriculum releasing this summer.
And what you also might not know is that you don’t have to be part of a GEMS Girls’ Club to buy our curriculum. We sell it to churches, ministry leaders or anyone who wants to teach and share the Word of God.
Our curriculum is thoughtfully designed to engage girls in grades 1 through 8 with age-appropriate, faith-based content that nurtures their spiritual growth and personal development. Each lesson is crafted to be both interactive and meaningful, blending Bible study, hands-on activities, and discussion to help girls apply God’s Word to their daily lives.
One of the ways you can support us is to let someone know about our curriculum. Each one is available to look at on our website along with the ability to download a sample lesson. Just visit gemsgc.org.
We Value Innovation: Embracing Creativity to Serve with Excellence
At GEMS, one of our core values is innovation—a value that drives us to think creatively, explore new possibilities, and adapt in ways that best serve the girls in our clubs.
This commitment to innovation was put into action this year when we faced the challenge of finding a song for our new upcoming curriculum, set to launch in July. Rather than spending valuable time searching for a song that would fit our theme and dealing with the associated costs of licensing, we decided to take a different route—one that better reflected our value of innovation.
We reached out to a friend of the ministry and commissioned an original theme song tailored specifically to our new curriculum. This solution not only allowed us to have a song that perfectly aligns with our theme but also provided a more cost-effective alternative to purchasing an outside song.
This decision is a perfect example of how innovation plays a crucial role in helping us deliver relevant, impactful resources for our leaders and girls. By embracing creative approaches like this, we can better meet the needs of the girls and leaders we serve, all while staying true to our mission.
GEMS Girls Send a Box of Love
Recently, the GEMS Girls’ Club at Friendship CRC in Byron Center embarked on a heartwarming project that touched lives across continents. The girls made beautiful yarn dolls and butterfly hair clips to send to their sister GEMS club in Africa, creating a meaningful connection through handmade gifts. Along with these thoughtful creations, the girls wrote cards sharing about their experiences with snow—describing what it’s like and the activities they enjoy in winter. They also shared what they are currently doing in their own GEMS club and, most importantly, reminded their sisters in Africa that God loves them, and so do they.
This project was inspired by an overwhelming response from last year when part of the club sent Valentine’s cards to Africa. The girls who received the cards were deeply touched, especially because it was the first time any of them had ever received mail. They were so moved to know that someone in America cared enough to reach out. This year, the entire club—more than 30 girls—was eager to get involved and wanted to send a tangible gift along with their words of love and encouragement.
Once everything was prepared, the items were placed in a large box that sat in the middle of the room on a stool. The girls gathered around the box, each ready to bless their sisters across the world. The coordinator of the club led them in a prayer of blessing. Those closest to the box placed their hands on it, while the rest of the girls extended their hands over the group. This act symbolized that even if they weren’t directly touching the box, they were still extending a blessing of love and prayer.
The coordinator reminded the girls that everything they did that evening was for someone else—not for themselves. No one took a yarn doll or a butterfly hair clip for their own use. Instead, they gave selflessly to bless another. They prayed that the box would arrive safely in Africa and that the girls who received these items would feel loved both by them and by God.
This beautiful display of love, prayer, and generosity is a perfect example of the GEMS mission in action—reaching out with the love of Christ and making a difference in the lives of girls around the world.
Lead with Love: Equipping GEMS Leaders to Lead with Compassion and Understanding
This winter, we launched a powerful webinar series for our GEMS leaders titled “Lead with Love.” Designed to strengthen and equip our leaders, this series delved into essential topics that help foster growth, compassion, and understanding within our leadership community. By addressing both the practical and emotional needs of our leaders, these webinars create a strong foundation for them to support and guide the girls they serve.
Each webinar in the Lead with Love series provided leaders with valuable insights into the unique challenges and experiences girls face today. Key topics included Ministering to the Neurodivergent, which focused on understanding and supporting girls with neurodiverse needs; Beyond GEMS Sunday: Inspiring Church Support for Your Club, which emphasized the importance of church involvement and how to build support for girls’ ministries beyond the church doors; and Walking with Hurting Girls: Leading Them Toward Healing and Wholeness, a session dedicated to equipping leaders to provide emotional and spiritual support for girls facing difficult life situations.
These nine dynamic webinars are designed not only to inform but also to encourage practical application. After the live sessions, the recordings are posted to our ReFresh Training page, ensuring that our member club leaders have ongoing access to these resources. This allows them to revisit and reflect on the materials, fostering continuous growth and learning in their leadership journey.
