Women’s Updates

After Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is the annual Tuesday after Thanksgiving that encourages generosity and making a positive change in the lives of others. An expected $3.5 billion in donations are expected to be given this Tuesday, November 28^th, as part of this annual national pastime.

$60,000 Matching Challenge

Under the leadership of Board Chair Linda Oury, the Crucible Board members have challenged every Redwood to give something this year. They collectively have committed to $60,000 in donations and are challenging you to join (link to board match article) them in Finishing 2023 Strong by matching every dollar you donate between now and December 31, 2023, including on Giving Tuesday.

Making the Most of Giving Tuesday 2023

There are many ways you can make this year’s Giving Tuesday have the greatest impact.

• Pray – Please pray for generosity as about 40% of Crucible’s annual budget is through generous financial donations.
• Donate – Make a one-time gift or join many other Redwoods in setting up a secure online monthly donation. You can also learn about all the other ways you can donate, like through corporate matching programs, donor directed funds, transferring securities or through estate planning gifts.
• Free Facebook Support – You can like and follow our outward facing Facebook Page and like, comment and share the Giving Tuesday countdown posts between now and November 28^th. Commenting that you give and why you give will allow your Facebook Friends to learn about Crucible.
• Free Instagram Support – You can follow our outward facing Instagram Page and heart, comment and share the Giving Tuesday countdown posts between now and November 28^th. Commenting that you give and why you give will allow your Facebook Friends to learn about Crucible.
• Forward Emails – You will receive some Giving Tuesday emails. Forwarding the emails to your family, friends, other church members and coworkers will help them learn something about Crucible and give them an opportunity to also support this worthy cause.

November 28^th, Charities like The Crucible Project annually focus on social media campaigns to help fund the operations of the ministry. You can help spread the word between now and Giving Tuesday about the opportunity to give to Crucible by liking, sharing and commenting on our Facebook and Instagram posts. All Giving Tuesday donations will be included toward the $60,000 goal.

Dollar for Dollar

Every dollar donated during the Giving Tuesday campaign will be matched by the board members, up to $60,000. Learn about all the many ways that you can give and keep up with the goal of a full $60,000 matched online. Commitments to give monthly will be annualized as part of reaching this matching goal.

A Worthy Charity

Crucible is certified transparent by both Excellence in Giving and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out and have your questions answered.

The Women’s Crucible Leader Track offers three specific tracks – Group Leader, Carpet Leader, and Retreat Leader. All initiated Redwoods who have staffed a minimum of four weekends are invited to participate in the Leader Track and can choose to engage in just one track, two tracks, or all three tracks individually or simultaneously. If you are interested in learning more about or raising your hand to join the Leader Track, contact Lisa.

Group Leader certification allows you to lead a Growth group that provides both the 12-week curriculum following an Initial Crucible Weekend and ongoing exercises. There is no carpet work or coaching in this type of group and the group meets on a regular basis.

Becoming a certified Carpet Leader is a combination of working on oneself, gaining technical expertise, and growing in character and spiritual development. Certified Carpet Leaders not only facilitate during carpet work, but also observe other carpet leaders and are responsible for the overall health and safety of each women present in the carpet room. The path toward Carpet Leadership requires formal training, practical experience, and ongoing evaluation by other Carpet Leaders in The Crucible Project. All the current Carpet Leaders collectively are the overseers of the evaluation process.

Our certified Retreat Leader track does require the most amount of time to complete, but those who have completed it will tell you it is worth the investment of time to have a front row seat for so much life change. This track has specific levels of certification based on competency, beginning with Key Process Leader where candidates start getting reps leading various processes during the weekend retreats. Once the core competencies of this level have been met, candidates then progress through Apprentice Co-Leader, certified Co-Leader, Apprentice Retreat Leader, and finally, fully certified Retreat Leader.

We require all Leader Track participants to adhere to and respect The Crucible Project’s Philosophy of Leadership, detailed below.

Christ as the Model Person and Leader

We believe that Christ, while fully God, was also fully man. Accordingly, we look to him for our example of ideal personhood and ideal leadership.

Wounded Healer as Leader

We believe that all men and women, having grown up in a fallen world, are emotionally wounded. This woundedness can lead to unhealthy, dysfunctional behavior. Further, we believe that regardless of the amount of personal growth and healing work a person might do, no one will be fully healed this side of heaven. Thus, we believe that our leaders (and all who serve) are wounded healers, leading and serving from their brokenness. Such brokenness should not come as a surprise to anyone leading or following others.

Life-long Learning, Healing, and Growth

Furthermore, because of this woundedness, we believe that learning, healing and growth are a life-long process for every person. One fundamental requirement for leadership in the Crucible Project is that a person is continuing to do his/her “work” of learning, healing, growth and discipleship. Another is that leaders understand their leadership shadows, and how they might prey upon those they lead. Transparency about those shadows protects leaders from unhealthy patterns of hiding. We do not hold ourselves up as people and leaders who have “arrived”, but as persons in the on-going process of working on our issues.

Team Leadership

We believe in the power and safety of teams of leaders. Our intent is that no Crucible Weekend or group would be led by just one leader. At least one other person, often several others, back up and consult with the top leader for every event. This provides both support for the leader and safety for those being led.

Accountability in Leadership

We believe that leaders should be accountable for their choices and actions. We invite fellow-leaders, as well as followers, to bring to the attention of a leader any way in which they see his/her choices or actions putting himself/herself ahead of the organization, ahead of those being led, or those being served, or putting any of those groups in danger. Our leaders accept challenges brought to them about their integrity or other leadership issues.

Leading with Integrity and Transparency

We believe that leaders should live, serve and lead with integrity and transparency. They walk their talk, and reveal rather than hide. We invite leaders around us, as well as those being led, to bring to our attention any way in which they see us out of integrity or not living transparently. We take responsibility to “tell on ourselves” at every turn, to model the life of openness under the grace of God in the community of others.

Role of a Leader

We believe that the role of a leader is to bring order to those being led, to empower them, to challenge them toward growth and healing, and to bless them. The leader does this as he/she leads a mostly volunteer team to accomplish the Crucible’s overall mission and the goals, within the leader’s area. We believe that the leader serves others and the mission in his/her leadership, and not the other way around. Part of this service is developing and mentoring the less experienced leaders under his/her charge.

Moral Character of a Leader

We believe that a leader should live life “beyond reproach”, consistent with Biblical principles. While we don’t expect perfection, we do believe that a person choosing an on-going pattern of behavior inconsistent with Biblical principles disqualifies himself/herself from leadership.

I recently took my five-year-old son to a meet-up with other kids his age who will be entering Kindergarten this fall. My son took off running toward the playground when we got there and jumped right into the middle of the crowd of kids congregated around the biggest climbing structure. Throughout the hour, the kids ricocheted like ping-pong balls dumped from a bucket from the swings to the slides to the monkey bars, and occasionally colliding with each other. Some were shy and played alone, others instantly formed a pack and chased each other around. One boy found an abandoned kickball and was immediately dubbed the leader, as the other boys clamored to play with him or plotted to get it away from him. The social dynamics always fascinate me, with stories fresh in mind of so many souls who attend The Crucible Project retreats and groups whose very memories of these types of kindergarten interactions were those of intense pain or isolation. Whispered lies of shame are eager to seize the opportunity to answer the questions that arise in young minds in those confusing moments. “Why did he laugh at me when I fell down?” The voice of shame may say, “Because you’re not fast or strong enough. You can’t keep up. You don’t have what it takes.” These lies can bring a sense of comfort to us – our human desire is to make sense of confusion. These little moments of choosing to believe the lies and move toward agreement with them – while painful and soul-killing – bring some comfort to the human mind, because they’re answers to the unknown. We hate the unknown! We’d rather believe terrible things about ourselves, God and others than risk wondering or trusting what God has said in his word.

As my son ricocheted through the playdate, I watched him experience feeling like a victim when a friend rejected his offer of a high-five and a knock-knock joke. Not five minutes later, he became the villain to another boy when he accidentally scratched the boy’s hand during a scuffle over that coveted kickball. Then he was lauded as the hero by two other moms when he let a little girl go before him on the steps up the slide. What a rollercoaster. I was grateful for the chance to speak into his experience along the way – encouraging him to apologize for scratching the boy’s hand, even though it was an accident. I reminded him that sometimes he doesn’t feel like stopping to hear jokes either, and maybe there was someone else who would want to give him a high five.

My inner five-year-old girl and my inner thirty-eight-year-old girl both received some valuable reminders from this: Even if I accidentally scratch someone – or “on-purpose” scratch someone! – I lose nothing if I move toward them to apologize, see if they need help, and they still decide not to play with me anymore that day. The person who was scratched and I have the same value. Repair can come with time and effort on both sides, but it might not. We both still have the same value.

Sometimes in my scrambling to make sense of situations that seem incomprehensible, I accept lies, or half-truths, about myself, others and God. I want to continually test those beliefs against God’s Word. Tonight, I brought spoke some of those beliefs to my soul group and processed through where they come from, what is really true, and repented of lies I’ve been hanging on to. I took the opportunity to bring wisdom to myself like a patient, steady mother who knows that everything is going to be ok, even when I encounter confusing, chaotic environments.

I encourage you to continue to press into your own life-story, God’s word, and community like so many have found in The Crucible Project to weed out those lies and replace them with truth and life-giving encouragement about how much you truly matter and that it’s all going to be ok.

Have you ever wanted to invite a friend to a Crucible weekend, but don’t know how?

Here are some simple tips on how to invite someone to a weekend:

• Pray about who God will bring to your heart. Pray that God would prepare and open their hearts to have a conversation with you. Be patient with your invitations.
• Stay connected with community. Draw upon the strength of your fellow Redwoods for support. In the bible, it talks about sending out disciples two by two, as well as how the body of Christ works. Use others in this process. Learn from Redwoods who have walked this road many times with different people.
• If you want to be effective, have the conversation in a safe setting that is face to face, eye to eye & heart to heart. Emails and texts are easy to write and then spiritualize that it’s now in God’s hands. This approach is usually ineffective compared to having the real heart to heart discussion that leads to transparency, and vulnerability.
• Focus on Transformational Change: A message of personal transformation is key to helping others understand the value of a Crucible Project weekend. Talk about your life and your Crucible testimony. Be personal and transparent at a level you are comfortable sharing. Share details of how your initial weekend led you to understand your brokenness, and how that understanding brought greater meaning and healing in your life. How it helped you see your greater purpose more clearly and the impact it’s had today and for generations to come.
• Communicate Clearly & Cleanly: Jesus speaks in a clear and concise way in which people understood him. He adjusted His talk to match with others around him. He knew when to speak and when to listen. It’s very helpful if you write out your testimony, then revise it and shorten it many times over if necessary, so that it is clean, clear and concise. Use clean talk “I” and “me” statements. This will personalize your sharing and help you own your own statements. Keep it simple.

• Be Radically Compassionate: Welcome their struggles and their story. Hear them out. Enter into their life during your discussion, understand them, and yet then be clear as Jesus did when it came to His mission. Jesus incarnated and compassionately entered a person’s world in a few minutes, while never losing sight of His mission. Be clear about your mission.
• Commit to Action: Be intentional and generate the invitation NOW. Use the strategies outlined above. Welcome whatever emotions that you may experience during this process, it’s part of our own soul work. Remember you are not alone in having these conversations. Remember the gift that you received on your own initial weekend and draw from that power to share that gift with them.

For more tips on inviting people to a Crucible Weekend, check out this video.

New Year- Better Me

Resolutions, Resolutions, Resolutions….

If you’re on social media, you’ve probably been seeing them everywhere… Or maybe even people coming up with their “words” for the year.

In Crucible, you may be familiar with the question “What do you Want?”

This question is then boiled down to how YOU show up.

For example, you may want a better marriage. However, we can’t change how your partner shows up in life. But how YOU show up, has a significant impact on the relationship.

So, who do YOU want to be going into 2023?

“The Journey Continues….”

This phrase is said as participants leave their initial weekend…

Soul work is a journey. The only way to keep growing, is to keep journeying.

What is next in the journey of becoming the person that you want to be?

Here is some good news, you don’t have to take on this journey alone. We have coaches, group leaders, and fellow Redwoods who are eager to walk alongside you as you continue your journey.

What is next for you?

• Join a Group
• Attend a Second Level Weekend
• Staff a Weekend
• One on One Coaching
• Invite others in on the Journey

Women’s International Weekends

Australian Women’s Chair Jolynne Turner and Redwood Lyn Prior pressed into Lisa Modrzejewski about hosting an online weekend.  After an Online Intensive where the number of new Australian Redwoods grew, Lisa, Andrea Ray, Kim Rush, Dawn Aldrich and Jess Donovan joined them for the first international weekends in Western Australia. Nineteen new Redwoods completed the Initial Crucible Weekend followed by sixteen Redwoods completing the Second-Level Unshackled weekend.

Historic Urban Weekend

Founder Greg Huston put his heart into action gathering Urban Chicago pastors to discuss the possibility of Crucible weekends in the heart of Urban Chicago.  In October, four of the Urban Regional Leadership team solely led the weekend.  Certified Retreat Leaders Terrance Foster and Tony Bradurn were joined by Co-Leaders Mikkal Harris and Chris Cooper to lead this historic Urban Chicago Weekend.

Mexico Leadership Dark Side

Twenty-six participants, mostly Redwood Leaders from several Mexican Regional Communities, completed the Leadership Dark Side Weekend in Tres Marias, Mexico in October.  Chadd Shroeder, James Henderson, and Mateo Reed led the weekend.

Historic Veteran’s Work

Veteran Redwoods John Redstone and Joshua Ramos and active-service Redwood, Staff Seargant Armando Batista, have put together a standing Check In every 4^th Wednesday at noon via zoom.  If you are interested in joining, get the zoom link, let us know.  Also let us know if you’d like to be a part of planning of Veteran-centric weekend and other services.

Sexual Integrity Check In for Men

In addition to the Sexuality Weekend, we have launched a regular Sexuality Check In for men.  If you want to know more about this regular check in opportunity, let us know.

The Crucible Project is excited to announce Joy Dunning as the New Women’s Ministry Assistant.

Joy began her soul work in 2017 and now serves The Crucible Project as the Women’s Ministry Assistant, providing support for our women’s groups and programs. Most of her career has been spent in an administrative capacity for various ministries and non-profit organizations, and she is passionate about partnering with others to bring transformation and hope to the world around her.

Joy is a native of the Chicago suburbs but now resides in Green Bay, WI, with her husband Mark, who is a fellow Redwood, and her three children. As a family, they enjoy tackling new projects around the house, spending time with great friends and good food (especially Chicago deep-dish pizza) and cheering on the Chicago Blackhawks.

If you want to become a soul work evangelist and get women you know to have the same impactful experience in her soul that you had, you need to know that it will only happen one woman at a time.  You sharing the opportunity for connection, peace, joy, freedom, confidence, passion or purpose directly with her one-on-one.   We have put together the best advice from some of our best participant recruiters for you here.

 Prepare for the Meeting. 

Pray for the woman and the meeting.  Invite the woman to view the video testimonies at TheCrucibleProject.org/stories prior to meeting. Remind yourself of the upcoming Weekend dates just prior to the meeting to have those on your mind as you meet.

When You Meet.

1. Most effective face-to-face. Next most effective is an online meeting.  Next most effective is a phone call.  Minimally effective is an email or social media post.
2. Have a conversation – briefly catch up. Short introduction to Crucible:  Ministry that ignites Christlike change through experiences of radical honesty and grace, primarily through transformational weekends, groups and coaching.  “I went in Month/Year and found it impacted me in the following ways:
3. “What do you think? What parts appeal to you?”
4. This is the critical part when you ask the woman something like:

“What holds you back in life? A lot goes on at the retreat weekend, but it allows you to dig deep into that area. The ratio of participants to staff at my retreat was 1:1 … You will experience a real breakthrough in that area.  You will have the chance to look at the part that has you stuck.”

5. Speak about your story. Use “I” statements. Share what you discovered about your story, your woundedness and the new grace you experienced. Speak from your heart about what you felt on the weekend and feel now. Your answers to the following questions may help you prepare.
   • What did you learn about the level of integrity and power in your life?
   • What did you learn about the differences between the image you show the world and the real you inside?
   • What dilemma did you discover? What are the two opposing messages that keep you stuck?
   • What did you learn about what you do with your anger and what that costs you?
   • What are the parts of yourself that you hide, repress and deny that you uncovered?
   • What was the thing you stepped out to get for yourself? What was the block—the message that keeps playing and holds you back; and where in your past did that block come from? What new affirmation (“I am” statement) did you receive about who you truly are?
   • What gold did you discover in yourself? What gold did other women affirm in you?
   • How are you most changed having been through the weekend? How has that affected those around you?
6. Remind the woman about the additional video testimonies available on the
7. When she seems interested, tell her she can sign up online right now.
8. Most initial weekends fill up fast, so do it soon!
9. Sticker shock often shows up. Say, “The weekend was worth far more than the price for me. We don’t want money to be an obstacle. There is usually some financial assistance available.  You can click the Financial Assistance request when you register and someone will follow up with you.”

Follow UP: Continue in prayer about the woman.  Email follow-up within in a couple days with a link to TheCrucibleProject.org/crucible-weekend-for-women. It also gives you a chance to encourage her, answer any questions and reinforce the positive parts of the conversation.

If you get a no:  If she is afraid to go on a local weekend, make sure she knows about weekends that she can fly to where she will likely not know anyone. Ask if she would be interested in joining a group of women or getting a Crucible Coach.  Tell her that Crucible launched an online app that is cool and has dozens of pre-recorded sessions as well as an assessment.  Groups, coaching and all of that can be found at MyJourneyTo.com.  It doesn’t cost anything to join.  If she is scared of doing an in person weekend, let her know that Online Intensives might be an option.  She can

Keep following up:  At some future time she may be in a more receptive place to the weekend.  Invite her every time unless he asks you to not invite him anymore.

We sat down with one of our high-level volunteers to find out more about her and volunteering at Crucible.  Colleen Hewitt retired from teaching 4½ years ago.  She taught mostly kindergarten, as well as first and second grade for ten years in the public school. While raising her own 2 beautiful girls, she shared music with children ages birth through 1^st grade while teaching Kindermusik. She returned to a private school teaching kindergarten to finish out her career.

What Are You Doing For Crucible?

Colleen serves in a key volunteer role of Protocol Coordinator for Crucible Women’s Ministry. She works closely with Lisa Modrzejewski, Byron Myers and Brian Heiser, Volunteer Men’s Ministry Protocol Coordinator, to update, modify or create protocols for the weekends. Colleen also has or currently leads or co-leads Exploration Groups, a Growth Group, Growth Group 2.0, and Weekly Lunchtime Check Ins.

Why Do You Volunteer?

Volunteering in organizations that bring a Christ-centered love to others is vital to the reason Colleen volunteers. She shared that she has done a lot of her own healing through Crucible retreats, retreat staffings and groups. She also has seen God at work in other women’s lives and hearts within Crucible as well. She shared, “I’ve seen God at work performing miracles of healing. I believe whole-heartedly that women need community, experiential processes and groups to further their own growth along their journeys in life.”

Colleen has participated in staffing the women‘s retreats since the beginning. She commented, “Over the course of staffing, I saw the need for formalizing the protocols and getting all of Crucible’s systems in place. The men have relied on “tribal knowledge” for so much that isn’t written down. I wanted to understand and provide more details about each part of the weekend, so that the women could have more thorough protocols and the weekend could be even more successful.”

Colleen believes that each person is an asset to Crucible and offers so much through their gifts and talents. She commented, “I wanted to put my gifts to use in the mission of Christ and Crucible. I thank God for the gifts that he has given me gifts in organizing, creating lesson plans, attention to detail, and leadership.”

What’s It Like to Volunteer with The Staff Team?

Colleen stated, “Being a volunteer has me working with the staff frequently. I’ve found the staff to be open, encouraging, caring, and willing to do anything to help. Together we make a great team. I always feel supported, open to give new ideas and know that all of me is accepted.”

Advice For Someone Considering Volunteering

Colleen believes that for organizations like Crucible to thrive, volunteering is crucial. There are many areas throughout the organization where women can use their gifts to support the life-changing work occurring. “Put your hearts and gifts into it. Jump in with both feet! Reach out to your local community leader, Lisa Modrzejewski or Brittany Duke and let them know you want to bring your talents to Crucible.  You won’t regret it.”

Open Key Volunteer Positions

Scheduler – Do you have experience scheduling multiple people for meetings?  We are looking for a virtual scheduler who would be willing to help set up meetings.  If interested, connect with Brittany Duke

Database Manager – Looking for a Redwood with high attention to detail and experience with Excel or databases, such as CRMs, Salesforce, etc.  If you have time and high attention to detail, we’ll train you.  If interested, connect with Brittany Duke.

Content Developers – Redwoods with years of experience in soul work and participating or leading groups who might want to work with other experienced Redwoods to create new experiences for non-Redwoods across the globe through My Journey To online offerings.  If interested, connect with Bob Locascio.

Communications Coordinator – Are you good at editing?  If you have experience with MailChimp and would like to assist with growing outward facing communications, connect with Roy Wooten.

Podcast Host – Work with a team of volunteer podcasters to interview guests as part of the Crucible Podcast launching soon.  If interested, connect with Roy Wooten.

Video and Audio Editors – Do you have skills editing video and audio recordings?  We are looking for volunteers willing to serve 2-4 hours per week to help with editing audio for podcasts and video for outward facing communications.  If interested, connect with Roy Wooten.

Local Community Coordinators – tracking materials, organizing local trainings, recruiting staff for retreats. If interested, connect with Lisa Modrzejewski

Online Community Builders – Facebook, GroupMe, Discord, Marco Polo, WhatsApp, Messenger, iMessage… there are so many digital platforms that the women of Crucible use to stay connected to each other! We’d like to create intentionality around how we connect with each other online, and we’re looking for savvy digital community builders who would like to play with what’s possible with online soul work for Redwoods. If interested, connect with Lisa Modrzejewski

Weekly Check-In Hosts – Wednesday check-ins are here to stay, and we’d like to get organized and expand our host rotation! It’s a great way to step into leading and hosting on Zoom in a relaxed, low-pressure environment! If interested, connect with Lisa Modrzejewski.

Pre-Retreat & Post-Retreat Interviewers – Like talking on the phone? Good at basic facilitation skills? You do not need to be staffing a particular retreat to help with interviews. You’ll receive training and detailed instructions for how to complete the interview. If interested, notify Retreat Leader during Staff Application.

Participant Coordinators – like emailing with participants and tracking details? Work with retreat leaders to help women get to the retreats with all the information they need! Got a sturdy shield and lots of grace to extend to scared participants who have not yet gone on their Crucible retreat and know what you already know? Maybe you’re cut out for being a participant coordinator! Requires some customer service, computer and problem solving. If interested, notify Retreat Leader during Staff Application.

Staff Coordinators – If you enjoy being the hostess, you’ll love being staff coordinator! Help make sure staff have the info they need for meetings, updated protocols, and coordinate travel and bedding for staff who are traveling in from out of town.  If interested, notify Retreat Leader during Staff Application.

Online Crucible Intensive Staff – are you passionate about helping those who cannot attend a retreat in-person have the Crucible experience? If interested, notify Retreat Leader during Staff Application.

Crucible is at a critical moment where donations are needed now more than ever.  We asked several generous Redwoods why they financially support the Crucible ministry by making regular contributions.  Here’s what they had to say:

“This past Saturday, as I watched a woman on the carpet being ministered to, surrounded by a community of women supporting her, I thought ‘these Crucible women are a Royal Priesthood, this is the kingdom Jesus loved to teach about’.  I give to The Crucible Project because I’m passionate about the transformative work this community provides in people’s lives as part of God’s kingdom.” – Nancy Riley

“One desire I have for every woman in the world is the opportunity to find a community of women, just like her, who will accept her for who she is, challenge her to grow, support her in the process, and love her deeply throughout. This is why I give my time, money and prayers to Crucible.” – Colleen Hewitt

“I give to Crucible to give back from what I received and to build a legacy and a path for women to become part of a rich tapestry of valuing ourselves and each other.” – Sharon Cooper

“As a woman I have seen first-hand transformation in my husband’s life starting with his initial weekend. Old wounds from early in his life kept resurfacing and hurting our relationship and our family.   Crucible gave him a way to better understand himself and release anger from those wounds. I participate in Crucible for Women.  Together we now share common language to understand ourselves and resolve our differences.  I am so grateful for the growth we have both experienced.  This is why we support Crucible with our finances, time, and personal skills.” – Linda Oury

“Curt and I decided early in our marriage to prioritize giving to our local church and other Christian organizations. The Crucible soul work model is grounded in scripture and it works. We’re thrilled to support men and women as they experience radical truth and amazing grace.  Crucible radically changed the life of my husband, and since 2019, I’ve seen it change the lives of hundreds of women, too.  I was honored to be on the volunteer launch team for Crucible women’s work and remain committed to supporting it financially. It’s exciting to see how men and women ‘doing their work’ can create healthy couples and safer homes, churches, and communities.” – Deb Gustafson

Find out how you can support Crucible when shopping, setting up monthly contributions, support for a tax-event, settling estates, realigning securities and real estate, giving from donor-advised funds or retirement plans, and including Crucible in your will at TheCrucibleProjecty.org/Donate.

Weekly Check-In & Exercise

Need a mid-week reset? Join our Wednesday check-in and soul care time. Drop-in, share and be heard, and sharpen yourself with authentic women.
We meet the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, 12-1pm

July 7, 14, 21 | August 4, 11, 18

Join here
Meeting ID: 868 1492 3030
Passcode: gracetruth

Declaring Your Independence!
July 10, 9-11AM CDT
For Men and Women

FREE –  Invite your Friends, Family, Coworkers and Church!

Take Charge of Creating The Life You Want! Tired of waiting around for others or the world to be different, so you can have the life you want? Learn the keys to letting go of dependence on others and taking charge of your life. Anchor your goals in an experience of freedom during the workshop.  Target Audience : Anyone ready to lead themselves and wanting to learn how.
Register for FREE in My Journey To Events!

Advanced Process – Predator

Dates: July 23, 2021 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM + July 24 and 25, 2021 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Location: Online video conferencing
Led by: Scott Selby and Lisa Modrzejewski | Prerequisite: Completion of Introduction to Facilitation
All trainings are co-ed.  $350/individual and $600/couple.

Participants will learn the theory behind the Predator and Shadow Reversal, the steps of each process, and have process leading modeled. Each participant will have an opportunity to ask questions from a certified expert in these two processes. In order to receive the training manual in time to review for the training, registration six weeks prior is highly recommended.  Register now!

Advanced Process – God Split

Dates: August 7-8, 2021 | Times: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Location: Lafayette, CO
Led by: John Casey | Prerequisite: Completion of Introduction to Facilitation
All trainings are co-ed.  $350/individual and $600/couple.

Trainers will teach the key elements of the Sovereign quarter and the wound that occurs, explain the theory behind the God Split process, unpack the steps of the process and help participants both learn the process steps and practice the entire process. To allow participants to receive and review the manual prior to the training, we recommend registering at least six weeks in advance. .  Register now!

Advanced Process – Tombstone

Dates: October 30-31, 2021 | Times: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Location: Lafayette, CO
Led by: John Casey | Prerequisite: Completion of Introduction to Facilitation
All trainings are co-ed.  $350/individual and $600/couple.

Trainers will teach the key elements of the Lover quarter and the nature of the lover wound, explain the theory behind the Tombstone process, unpack the steps of the process and help participants both learn the process steps and practice the entire process. To allow participants to receive and review the manual prior to the training, we recommend registering at least six weeks in advance. Register now!

Introduction to Facilitation Training

Dates: November 19-20, 2021 | Times: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Location: Lafayette, CO
Led by: Judson Poling All trainings are co-ed.  $350/individual and $600/couple.

Trainers will teach beginning basic elements of the facilitating carpet processes, explain the theory behind setting boundaries and support, unpack the steps of the process and help participants both learn the process steps and practice the carpet process. To allow participants to receive and review the manual prior to the training, we recommend registering at least six weeks in advance. Register now!

Hello Women!

Please join me in praying for the women who are coming to the in-person Crucible women’s retreats over the next few months! When we are at the March retreat in St. Charles, IL, it will have been over a year since our last in-person women’s retreat, and we are excited to be back together. Pray for health for all of us, and for the women who are ready to fight and persevere to reclaim their passion, power and purpose.

If you are looking for opportunities for continued growth outside soul groups, weekends, and your community involvement, check out our weekly online check-ins – these are not just sociable lunch hours, we process as a group, share deeply, and support one another with sage counsel (when asked!)

We also have a new workshop opportunity for you! As it’s been over a year since the pandemic began drastically impacting many of our lives, maybe it’s time to take some time to reclaim some parts of yourself that you lost touch with during the pandemic. Or you haven’t slowed down to survey how these changes have affected your ability to hear from your four archetypes. This is a great chance to be guided through an experience that will help you be more tuned in to your body, heart, mind and feminine soul.

Upcoming Events:

Women’s Weekly Check-Ins – Wednesdays, 12-1pm Central Time. April 7th, 14th, 21st. Drop-In Group for Crucible women’s community

Reconnecting With Yourself After 2020 – 2-Hour Workshop for Women. Saturday, April 10th. Interested in more info? Contact Us

Crucible’s Women’s Retreats

March 26-28 | Saint Charles, Illinois

April 23-25 | Andover, Connecticut

June 25-27 | Alba, Texas

Sign up for Text Reminders of the Week’s Events: Contact Brittany

– Lisa

Women’s Crucible came out of the gate into 2021 moving fast! After cancelling so many of our events and retreats in 2020, it was with much joy that we welcomed nine new women and ten new men into the Crucible community with our pilot online women’s retreat. This kicked us off into a season full of programming options for men and women to do their soul work, invite others, and step into leadership opportunities! Check out the list below for more dates and details about what’s available for you, but also connect with your local leaders and communities, as there often other local offerings as well that are not listed here.

A thought for you to ponder in the coming weeks:

As you may know, many Christians observed Ash Wednesday this past week, which began the season of Lent. This begins a 40-day period where we anticipate celebrating Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. It is a season of slowly emerging from winter and feeling the groaning, aching and hope of spring and the joy of Resurrection Sunday.

This reminds me of a pregnant woman who is anticipating the birth of a child. The last 40 days of a woman’s pregnancy are often marked by groaning, being stretched, physically and sometimes emotionally and mentally, to a breaking point. Until finally, new life is the precious fruit of labor – is birthed.

Whether or not you have been pregnant or given birth, have you ever experienced a similar experience of feeling like there is something growing inside you – a new knowing, truth, piece of work – that eventually is birthed from your inner world and out into the open? I invite you to consider what new creation God is growing within you that you will give birth to in the coming season. I challenge you to take a step into vulnerability to share the experience with another. I don’t think it will be a small thing, but something uniquely you and worth celebrating.

–       Lisa Modrzejewski, Women’s Ministry Leader

Stay Connected

Sign up to receive texts: email Brittany Duke

Survey

https://forms.gle/hieF8RKztc8HtRRg6

Weekends!

March 26-28^th, St. Charles IL, We have room for 1-2 more staff and 1-2 more participants. Participants should sign up through the Crucible website. Interested staff contact Katherine Elmore.

April 23-25^th, Andover, CT – Now accepting staff applications. Staff selection date March 7.

Weekly Check-in    

Wednesdays 11:00am-12:00 pm ET / 12:00-1:00pm CT

March 3, 10, 17 | April 7, 14, 21 | May 5, 12, 19

Upcoming Topics:  When I Feel Small, Practicing Presence, Shifting from Blame

Meeting ID: 868 1492 3030 Password: gracetruth

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86814923030?pwd=eXRQR2VRT01GaU12TURxUjFMZ3pCUT09

Groups

New Growth Groups Beginning Soon

Wed 9:30am-11:00am ET / 10:30am-12:00pm CT – Michelle Hollingsworth

Wed 7-8:30pm ET / 6-7:30 CT – Dawn Aldrich, Nancy Riley

Trainings

Introduction to Facilitation Training (Online) – Friday-Saturday, March 12-13th

https://thecrucibleproject.org/training-schedule/

Save the Dates- 

May 8 – Key Process Training

May 21-22 – Retreat Leader Training

June 3-6 – Advanced Process Training: Predator

June 24-27 – Alba, TX, Women’s Initial Weekend

August 6-7 – Advanced Process Training: God-Split

October 29-30 – Advanced Process Training: Tombstone

Text Updates

Feel like you’re missing information about what’s coming up for women within Crucible? Subscribe for a weekly text update of upcoming events for Crucible women! Contact Brittany Duke to get signed up.

Survey

The Women’s Advisor Council of Crucible would like to hear from you about what YOU are interested in this year. The pandemic has turned our world upside down in terms of how we do so many things, including how we do soul work. Please fill out this survey to share with us what you would like to see offered for Redwoods women in the future.

Fill Out Survey

Upcoming Opportunities

Weekly Check-In & Exercise

Date & Time: Wednesdays, 12-1pm CT

February 10 – Finding Love in a Shaming Voice

February 17 – Creating and Avoiding Intimacy

February 24 – Embracing Complexity

Location: Online Zoom Session (contact Lisa Modrzejewski for meeting link)

Led by: Varies

Carpet Processing Session

Get to the heart of the matter around an ongoing issue you want to address in your life.

Date: February 20, 2021 Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM CT

Location: Online video conferencing

Led by: Lisa Modrzejewski

Individual: $60 (financial assistance available)

Prerequisite: Completion of the Crucible Initial Weekend for Women or previous carpet work experience.

Register Here

Introduction to Carpet Training

March 12-13, 2021 Register HERE

Learn the basics of the carpet work processes that we use on the weekend.

For more information, contact Lisa Modrzejewski or Byron Myers

Video From Lisa

Hello Sisters!  I want to send you all a quick message – thank you for being women who care. Thank you for being women who stretch yourselves. Who have tough conversations. Who speak words of blessing freely. You consider carefully your commitments and the impact of what you say and do. You are introspective and curious about yourself and your relationship patterns.. you care deeply about the world you live in and how you can contribute to God’s kingdom through God-given strengths and sage wisdom that has come from your long, hard-fought journey. As we approach Christmas, a time of fulfilled hope in the birth of Jesus, our Messiah, my hope for all of you is that you can see and step into what is true of you, what God sees and put in you – your worthiness, your loveliness.

In this prolonged time where normalcy has been stripped away for many, loved ones have been lost, loss of income, physical connection, that you can focus on what you truly want for yourself. What do you want to end this year well? Maybe in order to see that you first need to acknowledge the losses. To grieve and lay to rest the hopes, disappointments, and look at the here and now plainly. After that, step with confidence and boldness into what’s next for yourself.

In this newsletter and on the Redwoods webpage you’ll read about lots of different ways that you can grow and serve with your sisters in the Crucible Project in 2021. From new online content through My Journey To, to an online weekend experience in February. Monthly workshops, weekly connection times, and more, there’s something for you right where you are. I encourage you to do life with others who are committed to being a part of God’s transformation In their lives.

Lisa Modrzejewski

Jersey Calf

My Journey To

New offering for Redwoods and future Redwoods coming in January!

Weekends

March 25-28 – St. Charles, IL

April 22-25 – Andover, CT

June 24-27 – Alba, TX

August 12-15 – St. Charles, IL

Communities that would like to host a weekend, contact Lisa Modrzejewski (lmodrzejewski@thecrucibleproject.org) to discuss!

Groups

– Drop-In Community Journey Group 12pm Ct Upcoming dates below:

Wednesday Nov 25 – Thursday Dec 3 – Friday Dec 11 – Thursday Dec 17

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87200896855

password: gracetruth

-New Groups (including Growth Group 2.0) beginning in January 2021!

-New Growth Group 2.0 available in January 2021!

Leadership Development

Retreat Leader Training Nov 30-Dec 03

Grief and Loss Workshop Dec 13

Predator Training Jan 07-10