Then and Now
Today someone brought in an Aglow magazine they uncovered as they were going through files. It was the 50th issue and it was published for the months of January/February in 1981. It caused me to take a trip down memory lane realizing the rich legacy of the ministry.
Even in the year 1981, the names of each married woman had the name of her husband in parenthesis. I was President – Jane Hansen (Mrs. Howard). As we filled out leadership questionnaires, the women would put their married names. My form said, “Mrs. Howard Hansen”.
We were still known as Women’s Aglow Fellowship then, becoming Aglow International in 1997. I believe that we were in 80 nations. Nations began to come forth rapidly reaching 170 nations by 2007. Aglow’s impact in the world has been a work of the Spirit with the Lord saying to us prophetically in 2017, “I have positioned you both spiritually and geographically in the nations of the earth.” While we couldn’t see that in the early years, it is breathtaking as we look back at all the Lord has done in what has been predominately a woman’s ministry.
This particular issue of the Aglow magazine included my answers to practical issues of the day. You will read my answers then and my answers for today.
What are some of your immediate considerations for Aglow?
1981
“Because Women’s Aglow has grown so quickly, I felt the need to stand back, observe and consider input being given. I believe Aglow is undergoing a time of some reorganization. I believe it is a time, not only for Aglow but in the Body of Christ, when He is shaking everything that can be shaken.”
2024
Here we are again in a time of shaking! The very soul of our nation and the nations of the world are under attack and the root cause remains the same today as it has been since the Garden, that attack against the female gender, as well as, exposing the spirit behind Islam, and supporting Israel.
Our role is critical as we continue to step into the middle of all God has called us to do through Aglow around the world. I am always feeling my way after Holy Spirit, seeking His wisdom and direction as to where we are to go, what we are to do, how do we draw in the younger generation? How do we provide training for groups around the world that cause them to rise in the authority given to us by God? How do we continue to expose the abuse of women globally? How do we stay relevant in an ever-changing world and remain true to our core beliefs which are founded on Biblical values?
We were birthed by the Spirit in 1967 at a critical juncture in the world. The Charismatic Renewal was beginning, thousands of young people were being saved, denominational churches were shifting as more and more attendees were receiving the Baptism in the Spirit.
Our persistence to follow after the Spirit all these years later continues to open paths before us to be a voice to the nations and in the nations. Just as our stand to support Israel is non-negotiable, so is our stand to be a Spirit-filled organization. He birthed us. He continues to guide us.
What are your goals for Women’s Aglow?
1981
“I feel the Lord wants to use women in intercession in a greater way than we’ve ever seen. The Lord gave me the word ‘network,’ showing me Aglow would be a network of prayer encircling the world. I believe we have yet to tap into the full power that is available to us through prayer. Women, by the very nature God has put in them, know what it is to travail and to labor, to bring forth life and then to have compassion for that life.
Secondly, I feel the Lord is birthing a message within Aglow concerning the restoration of women to their roles as God intended them prior to the fall of Adam and Eve. God had a holy and mighty purpose in bringing forth Eve out of Adam, and I believe He is revealing that purpose to women today in a greater way.”
2024
As Loren Cunningham said to me a few years ago, when asking how many nations Aglow is in, “Jane, don’t forget the rest.” My heart is to see an Aglow presence in every nation, because an Aglow presence means there is a Presence of God there. The Gospel is going forth. People are being saved and filled. Understanding of Biblical principles are being taught and a nation is coming alive in the Spirit!
My heart is to see women recognized in the Body of Christ as an equal partner in bringing forth God’s Glory in the earth. I want Aglow to be a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare a way of the Lord. I want Aglow to be like Esther and not miss one moment where God has called us to stand in the gap for nations and people groups. I want to see our young people rise up and take their places in the Body – a multi-generational powerhouse that showcases the blessings of the Lord from generation to generation.
I want to see the abuse of women and children stopped. I want to see all people come into an understanding of who they are in Christ and all He has provided for them to live a life of Godliness that enables them to overcome every hindrance the enemy throws at them. Is that impossible? Nothing is impossible with God. We simply do what He puts into our hands to do. That is our part.
What are some crucial issues facing Christian women today?
1981
“I think the deterioration of the home is a primary issue. Our permissive society and the fact that so many women must work today contribute to the breakdown of communication and stability in the home. Children aren’t supervised in the same way as they used to be. There isn’t the consolidation or that solid feeling of home life. We’re busier, more spread out. The expressions of love, caring and being there are important to the foundation of the family.
Another important issue is the departure from the absoluteness of the Word of God, even within the Christian community. In the last ten years we have seen the pendulum swing back to the more fundamental and basic beliefs of God as we try to adjust our lives according to His Word. But if we’re going to live by the philosophy that everything is relative and it is dependent upon our unique set of circumstances, there will be a continued weakening of the moral and social aspects of our society.”
2024
As I look back on my answers from 43 years ago and think of life today, Psalm 27:13-14 comes to mind, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the Goodness of God in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.”
I do not know how people live today without having a close relationship with the Lord. As I said, implied in my reply in 1981, there has been a continued weakening of the moral and social principles of society. Good has become evil, and evil is called good. Drug abuse by all ages. Gender confusion. People from every walk of life live with hopelessness, yet in communities around the world, groups of Aglow people gather to worship and pray and to seek the Lord. They reach out into their communities with testimonies of God’s Goodness. They pray in the public places calling for the power of God to come down, just like the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
From time to time, people ask me if Aglow is still relevant today. I say that it is needed MORE than when we began. I hear reports of women who were in Aglow many years ago coming back and being active again. It feels like they are taking up their places on the walls of their communities because God has something more for us to birth. A third awakening has been promised and I firmly believe that we will see our sons and daughters, our grand and great-grandchildren come to know the same God that we have followed all our lives.
Aglow truly is a voice for the times and not an echo of something that is over. I encourage you to find your place, take up the sword of the Spirit, and join in corporate unity to partner with God’s angel armies to usher in the return of the Lord. When He comes, I believe that the Aglow family will be found joined with other like-minded Kingdom movements with our hands to the plow.