Ways to Share Well-Read Mom & a Member Testimonial
It’s true: stories change lives. So many of you want to tell everyone you know how much you love your Well-Read Mom experience! Yet we’ve also talked with many of you who struggle because your own group is at capacity.
The good news is that only things that are alive can grow. We hope that every one of our Well-Read Mom small groups is so vibrantly alive that growth is the natural result! The question becomes, how can we share our love for Well-Read Mom with a spirit of hospitality while maintaining an intimate group setting where everyone has a chance to share?
Here are some ideas from current members on reaching out to new women:
1. Share a coffee with someone who is looking to join a group. Could you mentor a new leader by sharing your experience over a cup of coffee? Together you can brainstorm how to get the group off the ground, address logistical questions, and perhaps help her host an informational meeting.
2. Split the group. Many groups don’t like the idea of splitting up, but the group may have become too big for group conversations. Is there one member willing to split off and host a new group while maintaining membership in the original group?
3. You can lead more than one group! Believe it or not, we have members who lead multiple groups and enjoy each group’s unique conversations and personality.
4. Use the Find Your Community feature on the Well-Read Mom website. You can connect with other women reading on their own who might be interested in joining a group.
5. Coordinate an area-wide Well-Read Mom gathering in the early summer to wrap up the year or in the late summer to kick off next year. When you help make introductions and connections between women, new groups will begin to take root.
6. Host a small group on The Well-Read Life. Visit WellReadMom.com/Store for a free study guide.
Thank you for all the ways that you expand the circle of readers and invite others into this special community!
A Little Gift from God
Written by Sarah Sehorn
I started a Well-Read Mom group in Aurora, CO, that I led for eight incredible years. During the eighth year, I unexpectedly found out my family had to move across the country in the summer. I was devastated for many reasons, but one significant reason was that I would have to leave this group that had really become a loyal, quirky, wonderful family over all of those years. We celebrated births, mourned deaths, walked through job losses and gains, witnessed conversions, and shared everything in between. We had inspiring conversations about the books during our meetings each month, which sometimes even spilled over into conversations at parks or on walks.
When we found out we had to move, one of the first things I did was hop on the Well-Read Mom website to see if there were any groups close to where we’d be moving. And what did I find? There was a group in the small town that I was moving to! What were the chances? I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I felt like it was a little gift from God saying, “I see you. I know you don’t want to go, but I am with you.” I recognize, on the one hand, that it’s just a book group. But on the other hand, as I think we all know, it’s much more than that.
Sarah Sehorn
About Well-Read Mom
In Well-Read Mom, women read more and read well. Our hope is to deepen the awareness of meaning hidden in each woman’s daily life, elevate the cultural conversation, and revitalize reading literature from books. If you would like to have us help you select worthy reading material, we invite you to join and read along with us. We are better together! For information on how to start or join a Well-Read Mom group visit our website wellreadmom.com
