Resources
Presentations
Elizabeth Ministry workshops, seminars, retreats, parish missions and consultations are available with founder, Jeannie Hannemann and/or others who are on the Presentation Team.
Arrangements can be made to have an Elizabeth Ministry Consultant or Team come to your location. Contact us for more information.
We offer a variety of books and tools for touching the heart, inspiring the mind and reawakening the Spirit. All our resources are available through our online store.
Since Elizabeth Ministry as an organization does not charge membership or subscription fees, our expenses are funded through voluntary contributions and the sale of our gifts and resources.
Many of our items also support other charitable services.
We feel strongly about honoring women artist and validating their work. Many of our products are created and produced by women. We all have a choice to make when we spend our shopping dollars and we appreciate the fact you choose to support Elizabeth Ministry. Thank you for helping us make a difference.
TYPES OF RESOURCES
Resources For Establishing An
Elizabeth Ministry Chapter
Overview Video
In this introductory video you will hear Jeannie Hannemann, founder of Elizabeth Ministry describe the origins of this powerful ministry. It shows the viewer the mission and purpose of Elizabeth Ministry through examples of maternal mystery mentoring. Fr. Kurt Gessner, founding spiritual advisor, shares insights directed at clergy. You will also learn how this ministry touches women and their families, enriches volunteers and builds community!
Elizabeth Ministry Starter Program
To help you get started we have created what we call the "Starter Program" available for only $95.00 plus shipping and handling.
It consists of the following three manuals as well as samples of many other Elizabeth Ministry items. The manuals provide you with everything you will ever need to operate a Chapter of Elizabeth Ministry. (However, it is best if each of the Core Team members have their own Leader’s Manual and the other volunteers have their own Visitor’s Manual.)
Our Leader’s Manual is a comprehensive guide that offers practical help for starting and maintaining a chapter of Elizabeth Ministry in a church setting. It can easily be adapted for other organizational settings. It contains background on Elizabeth Ministry and guidelines for ministry implementation and maintenance
Our Visitor’s Manual recognizes that women volunteers in Elizabeth Ministry have been “trained” for this outreach by their own experiences. No lengthy preparation process is required. Elizabeth Ministers do not visit as counselors or advisors; they are women who stand with other women in experiences related to their own. The Visitor’s Manual provides detailed information designed to help empower them to reach out more meaningfully to women and their families. in the parish. (You may want to get one for each volunteer. Quantity discounts available.)
Our Collection of Prayers contains 54 prayers for the areas of Elizabeth Ministry in a convenient three-ring binder. With purchase, you get the rights to reproduce these prayers. We suggest you print the appropriate one, scroll it and tie it with a ribbon to present to the person you are visiting. When a chapter first gets started they may not have the funds to create the Gift and Resource Kits, so these prayers are an inexpensive way to still be able to give the person you are visiting a symbol of your care.
Chapter Registration
When you receive the manuals, be sure to fill out the Chapter Registration Form in the front pocket of the Leader's Manual and return it to us. (There is no fee.) Permission to use the name is Elizabeth Ministry is granted when we receive the form and send you a Chapter Registration Certificate with a Chapter Number.
Identity Resources
T-shirts, sweatshirts, tote-bags, mugs, logo pins, buttons, cards, notepads, pens, candles and other accessories help build a sense of community and shared ministry.
Pastoral Guides
Pastoral Possibilities With Families Experiencing Infertility or Pregnancy In The Age Of Genetic Testing and Assisted Reproduction Technology
In the past few years, developments in genetic testing and assisted reproduction technology have created new spiritual, moral and ethical considerations for couples. This guide will provide information and resources to assist you in ministering with families struggling through today’s complex and challenging experience of infertility and pregnancy in the age of assisted reproduction technology.
Pastoral Possibilities With Families Experiencing Miscarriage, Stillbirth or Newborn Death
This guide provides insights into the unique pastoral needs of a family facing miscarriage, sillbirth or a newborn death. This resource also contains ideas for rituals and memorial services. Public mourning of miscarriages and stillbirths will not only bring peace to a grieving family, the will bring about an awareness of the sanctity of the unborn to our world.
Resources For Creating
Gift & Resource Kits
When an Elizabeth Minister visits she brings with her a Gift and Resource Kit that may contain a scrolled prayer, pins, reflections, journals, etc., as visible symbols of the Church’s presence and support. Each gift is designed to fit the unique circumstances of the women visited. These Gift and Resource Kits are also available for parish members to give to family and friends who do not belong to the local church. It is a way to empower the entire community to celebrate the joyful times and share the difficult times of the childbearing experience.
Elizabeth Ministers invite the women they visit into a process of ongoing prayer and reflection on their experiences. Our inspirational gifts and resources are available to assist in this process. Each Chapter of Elizabeth Ministry designs their own ‘Gift and Resource Kits’ for the Elizabeth Minister to leave with the woman visited. Many include handmade items such as blankets or booties along with purchased materials.
Elizabeth Ministry International offers you a selection of gift items to address a variety of childbearing experiences within a range of prices.
We stock a large variety of books, journals, pamphlets and videos related to the tender times of the childbearing years. Some of these include:
Books, Booklets, Pamphlets, Written Material & Videos
Ponderings of the Heart Journals
Each journal addresses a special situation such as pregnancy, first year of mothering, adoption, infertility, the loss of a child, crisis, grandparent and being an Elizabeth Minister.
Elizabeth Ministry reflections are designed to touch the soul of families in the numerous areas of the ministry. They may be framed or scrolled and tied with a ribbon to be included in the Gift and Resource Kits.
Handwritten message by the Elizabeth Minister to the woman she visits are another valuable part of this ministry. We stock a wide range of greeting cards.
Inspirational Keepsake Gift Items
Our line of unique gifts includes figurines, pictures, plaques, posters, jewelry, wind-chimes, greeting cards, prayer cards, tote-bags, mugs, clothing, reflection, prayer tools, candles and other inspirational items. The simplest gift can become a treasured memento of a joyful or difficult time when it is delivered by a caring volunteer.
Blessing Bundles
Let us help you reach out to family and friends at times of joy, challenge or sorrow. We will personalize a “Blessing Bundle” with inspirational gifts and resources of your choice or price range.
We can handwrite your message and mail it directly to the receiver or send it to you for personal delivery.
Blessing Bundles
Let us help you reach out to family and friends at times of joy, challenge or sorrow. We will personalize a “Blessing Bundle” with inspirational gifts and resources of your choice or price range.
We can handwrite your message and mail it directly to the receiver or send it to you for personal delivery.
Below is a listing of some of our “Blessing Bundles”. Other types of “Blessing Bundles” are also available! We can design an inspirational gift that will touch the heart and soul of someone facing any life challenge. See our online story for other possibilities.
Proceeds from the sale of our “Blessing Bundles” helps support the outreach services of Elizabeth Ministry.
“Blessing Bundle” For The Onset of Menses
We have designed a “Blessing Bundle” for a young girl at the onset of menses. Starting to menstruate is a time to celebrate! It is a symbol of growth from a child to a woman. We believe this transition is one of the most important times of a woman’s life. It should be celebrated and honored!
“Blessing Bundle” For Moving Into Manhood
We have designed a “Blessing Bundle” for a young man when he becomes a teenager. This gift offers an opportunity to talk about the issues related to this special time in a young man’s life. It is a visible reminder of the giver’s love and support and helps strengthen the parent/son relationship.
“Blessing Bundles” For Those Struggling With InfertilityOffer understanding and support to a couple facing the challenges of infertility by giving them a “Blessing Bundle”. Resources include guidelines and information about church teaching regarding the use of assisted reproduction technologies.
“Blessing Bundle”For A Pregnant WomanHonor the sacredness of a woman being “with child” by giving her this special gift. It is designed to help her bond with the unborn child. Special resources are available for crisis pregnancies or if prenatal testing shows something is wrong with the baby.
“Blessing Bundle” For A Pregnant Woman On BedrestThe resources in this “Blessing Bundle” provide very practical, nitty-gritty tips, as well as emotional support for the woman and her family. Special resources for young siblings of the unborn baby are available.
“Blessing Bundle” For Celebration of Birth
This gift recognizes the blessings of bringing new life into the world. Resources and gifts are available for the baby, mother, father, siblings and grandparents!
Special resources are available for the birth of a child with special needs.
“Blessing Bundle” For Adoption
We have resources to create a special gift for those involved in adoption. Separate “Blessing Bundles’ are available for birth parents, adoptive parents, the child and siblings. We can even create a “Blessing Bundle” for a birth parent to give the child.
“Blessing Bundle” For A Premature Birth
This unique resource offers families information and encouragement addressing the roller coaster of emotions experienced when a child is born prematurely. Special resources are available for young siblings of the newborn.
“Blessing Bundle” For Raising A Child With Special NeedsParents receive encouragement, reassurance, understanding and realistic perspectives for the unique role of parenting a child with special needs. It enforces the feeling that they were given a precious child.
“Blessing Bundles” For Those Who Are GrievingAllow us to help you express your compassion and support. We can custom design a gift that fits the particular grief situation. We specialize in resources for the loss of miscarriage, infant or child death. Specific resources for grieving children are available.