Frequently Asked Questions
General
Questions
Getting Started
Members' Questions
What is Girlfriends
Unlimited?
Women today are looking for fresh and fun ways to connect with
other women and with Jesus. Sure, you've offered Bible studies and
an occasional tea or retreat, but they want something new and
different. Something relevant and relational that
meets them where they are.
Girlfriends Unlimited is that new approach to women's ministry. It
looks different, sounds different, and feels different. It casts a
new vision for reaching and connecting women in the church, one
that is filled with fun and energy. Watch women giggle again and
again! Watch them grow spiritually and emotionally and live
with purpose and significance.
Girlfriends Unlimited centers on bringing women together in
casual, fun settings so that they can meet new friends or are
comfortable bringing old friends. It offers over-the-top themed
events called G! Events or smaller events called
Girlfriends Night Out where women might play games,
experience pampering, or find entertainment (why not hire a
comedian?). Or they may engage in helpful demonstrations (maybe the
three top self-defense techniques) or create crafts. No matter
what, it's good ol' fashioned fun! Don't worry, you don't have to
invent it. We'll tell you how! You'll follow our Planners
or take some of the ideas and make them your own.
There are so many things you get when you start a Girlfriends
Unlimited Connection! Find out about all the benefits of
membership!
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How is Girlfriends
Unlimited different from my current women's
ministry?
Most churches offer Bible studies, prayer groups, and the
occasional women's tea. These are all wonderful and meet the needs
of one group of women in your church. But there is a large group of
women inside and outside the church for whom these activities seem
intimidating or simply "not for me." Many women are not "there yet"
in their faith. Girlfriends Unlimited provides an inviting,
non-threatening way for women to step inside the church and begin
to build a relationship with other Christian women, and eventually
a stronger relationship with Jesus. They come for the fun and stay
for God's love.
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Do individuals have
to "join" Girlfriends Unlimited?
No. Individual women do not join Girlfriends Unlimited. A church
joins Girlfriends Unlimited and has access to ideas, resources, and
support. Any woman is invited to participate in the
activities.
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How much does it cost to start a Girlfriends
Unlimited, and what's included?
Girlfriends Unlimited is an annual church membership. The cost is
$149 per church to start and will renew automatically each year in
the same month you joined for $149. For this low annual
membership, you receive all these benefits
Starter kit which
includes the Girlfriends Unlimited Guide, training DVD, graphics
CD, and other various extras. The Guide contains a simple plan for
designing women's ministry to be an intentional place where women
can connect and make friends. We provide the foundation for doing
this through a philosophy we call the 4 B's. The Guide gives
information about what the 4B's are, and the ways in which to carry
out the 4 B's in your ministry. The 4 B's are Befriend, Belong,
Believe, Become.
Member's only web
site - this is a password protected area where you can
find additional tools for your ministry such as event guides,
evaluation tools, private forum & chat room, member only
Boutique, web tool box, and more.
Bi-monthly Planner
- this is a resource that is mailed to the Girlfriends Unlimited
leader. It contains an idea/event for each of the "4 B's" of the
Girlfriends Unlimited philosophy. These are designed to help you
carry out the 4B's in your ministry throughout the entire year.
- Befriend is an event that you can do on either
a large or small scale. We provide the idea for the theme, and some
ideas for carrying that theme through the event.
- Belong is for what we call G! Groups. The
planner gives G! Groups something you can do together. There will
be activities that draw women together, and can even include
service to your community (done as a group). G! Groups are special
interest groups. These groups give women a group of friends with
shared interests-ultimately giving them a feeling of belonging. For
example: Cuisine Queens can be a group for women who like to cook,
or also could be for women who like to dine out.
- Believe is for bringing women into a
relationship with God. We provide a simple devotion that can be
done with G! Groups, with the leadership team, or at your events.
It is a devotion that is done WITH others.
- Become is for becoming all that God intended
you to be. With Girlfriends Unlimited Become is about leadership.
We provide simple tools/ideas to support women in leadership
(specifically leadership in your ministry). These can be simple
ideas for refreshing the team, building them up, team building, or
tools to help you discover more about who you are as a leader.
20% discount on other Group
for Women resources - as a member of Girlfriends
Unlimited, you get a 20% discount on other resources that Group
creates such as Bible studies, retreats, and more. We will soon be
expanding this discount to include all resources for Adult Small
Groups.
Training - we
provide training opportunities through telephone conference calls.
Every member can attend the "Getting Started" training for free.
Whether you are a new or old member, you can sign up for this
training as often as you like. We also offer over 10 other
trainings on a variety of topics that we've found many of our
members are wondering about. These are offered for the low price of
just $20 per training, and are also over the phone.
Networking - we
provide many opportunities for Girlfriends Unlimited leaders to
network with other Girlfriends Unlimited leaders from around the
world. Opportunities include our own personal network of
Girlfriends Unlimited "coaches" (we call them GALS), forum, chat
room, Facebook, and Twitter. Plus, we are holding our first ever
large event/conference in September of this year to provide more
opportunities for face-to-face networking. Some GALS also like to
get women together from time-to-time to network regionally.
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How do I start a Girlfriends
Unlimited Connection?
Starting a Girlfriends Unlimited is easy. You can start your
membership online. Just visit www.girlfriendsunlimited.com
and click on Join Today. Once you've signed up, we'll send your
starter kit, which includes the training guide on how to set up
your Girlfriends Unlimited Connection, a DVD with videos to help
you cast the vision and recruit participants, and a CD with music
and reproducible promotional materials.
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How long does my membership
last?
Your church's membership lasts one year and will renew one year
from your starting date. Renewal is only $149.
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Do I have to be a church to start
a Girlfriends Unlimited Connection?
No. Anyone can start a Girlfriends Unlimited. Maybe you have a
group in your neighborhood that would like to start a Connection.
Go for it!
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For what size church or group is
Girlfriends Unlimited designed?
The beauty of Girlfriends Unlimited is that it can work with any
size group. You pick and choose the pieces of the program that will
work best for your group based on the number of women in your
church or the number of volunteers you have on your team.
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Is Girlfriends Unlimited
affiliated with any denomination?
Girlfriends is not affiliated with any denomination. It is meant
for any group interested in connecting women - helping them build
relationships with each other and, ultimately, Jesus.
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How can I recover my login name and
password?
If you have forgotten your password or login, please call Product
Support at 1-800-975-4006, and someone will be happy to assist
you.
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Why can't just anyone buy the
G! Gear (the t-shirts, mugs, charms, etc.)?
Access to the G! Gear is one of the benefits of being a
member church. Want to buy something for yourself? Talk with the
Girlfriends Unlimited leader at your church. We've created the
Mini-Boutique, which each church can customize and promote as an
easy way for all women to shop and get exactly what they
want.
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How can I "talk" with other
Girlfriends Unlimited Connections?
Chat with other Girlfriends Unlimited Connections in the Members
Only section of our website. Here you can get great ideas from
other groups. Inspire other women. Ask questions. Once a month,
Girlfriends Unlimited Consultants will be online to chat. And, find
great ideas and stories (and share your own!) when you visit the
Members Only Forum.
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How do I get my discount to
Group's other women's ministry resources?
Your Girlfriends Unlimited leader can access the Members Only
section of our website to purchase Group's women's ministry
resources at a 20% discount. This is a special benefit offered to
member churches and must be done through the Boutique on www.girlfriendsunlimited.com.
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Can I alter the Girlfriends
Unlimited Logo?
Great question! You are welcome to add your church's name above or
below the logo, but the Girlfriends Unlimited words must remain in
the same placement, size ratio, etc. This helps us protect the
official registration on our trademark. We also ask that you only
use the pink and purple or a solid color for the logo. Here are examples of 'Can
Do' and 'Please Don't Go There!'