Participants at GROW show their finished projects. Photos by Langdon UMC.

Women and children recently gathered at the United Methodist Church in Langdon, North Dakota, for GROW, God Renewing Our Women. The evening started with supper and continued with a Christmas nativity craft. Kids decorated some wooden boxes; all had fun!

"There's something about being together at church for fun, conversation, and faith," said Julie Howatt, a member of Langdon UMC who coordinated the GROW event. "Everybody had a great time. It was just quick and not a huge commitment. People came between 5 and 5:30 p.m. They were done by 6:45 p.m. They were able to bring the kids."

Howatt explained that the idea for GROW started right before COVID. There was a need to refresh what was once United Methodist Women, now known as United Women in Faith, to include multiple generations. There was also a desire to draw people back together.

"During COVID, nobody could get together. It's been hard to bring people back. I think everybody got used to not going anywhere or to church. I felt like we had to try to do something. We have some older women and a lot of young moms. I am a grandma, and I know what it is like to be a mom. Families are very busy. So, we tried something less of a commitment and fit with schedules," she said. 

Langdon is in Northeast North Dakota, 15 miles from the Canadian border. The closest Walmart is one hour away in Devils Lake. Grand Forks, a major shopping center, is two hours away. 

"There are a couple of restaurants in town. You know, going out to eat takes time and money. We didn't ask for any money. People brought food. We wanted a way to get people to come without having to commit to anything," shared Julie. "If you have to commit too much time or money, the next time you pass it up." 

Bev Robillard, Lana Balsdon, and Howatt provided soup, salad, and macaroni and cheese for the supper. Howatt prepared the nativity craft activity for adults. She also had boxes that the children could paint and decorate. 

"We had Christian music playing in the background. We talked about what was going on in our lives. I thought about doing a scripture lesson, but we just stayed with conversation and the craft. That was enough," stated Julie. "Our pastor [Pastor Robert Blackburn] was present. He was wonderful. He cleaned the kitchen while we did our craft."

Children show off their projects at GROW.

The nativity craft supplies were low-cost items put together in bags. The children's boxes were also low-cost. Howatt provided a variety of paint colors and embellishments for decorating the boxes. 

"We had everything cut and ready to make a little nativity set. We had little boxes for the kids to decorate," described Julie. "We always wish we had more, but we had a good group. It was a good start." 

The event was held on Wednesday evening to avoid conflicts with sports activities and to allow Sunday School teachers and helpers a chance to spend time together.

"We have a lot of Sunday school kids. We have moms who do so much for the Sunday school. It's fun to be able to do something that they can come to and don't have to do any of the planning," Julie said.  

There were 10 adults, aged 30-80, and six children. People learned about the event through announcements at church and on Facebook. The hope is to host three to four GROW events each year. 

"It's just something fun to try and draw more people to come. Everybody had a great time. They weren't there for hours and left without a long-term commitment or feeling like, 'I have another thing I have to do.' Every month—it's a commitment. Three or four times a year is doable," she shared. "It doesn't have to be anything deep. Just something that welcomes people."