Dear
Women’s Ministries Leader:
Enclosed
is “Living While Waiting,” the Resource Packet for the 2005 Women’s Emphasis
Day to be held on
The
Euro-Asia Division, South American Division, and Southern Asia-Pacific Division
are the 3 divisions selected for special emphasis. Please highlight the
wonderful things happening in these divisions and also remember them in prayer.
In the packet there is specific information regarding these divisions that you
can use as you plan your program.
Thank
you for all of your efforts on behalf of Women’s Ministries. May God bless you.
Sincerely,
Director
During
Women’s Ministries Emphasis Day we are focusing special attention on three
divisions. This year they are Euro-Asia
Division (ESD), South American Division (SAD), and Southern Asia-Pacific
Division (SSD). Below is the name of each division’s Women’s Ministries director,
along with a brief description of some of each division’s challenges and
programs. We ask that you would give these divisions special consideration in
your thoughts and prayers during this day of emphasis.
Euro-Asia Division
Territory:
The Euro-Asia Division faces
many challenges, such as vast distances, inaccessibility, poor economy,
religious prejudice, and a lack of printed materials. Translation into the many
local languages is also difficult. However, these challenges are not stopping
the women. They have developed a wide variety of ministries to spread the
gospel.
Many are helping in
orphanages through contributions of time, food, toys, clothes, and medicine. In
one orphanage the women cut the children’s hair. Other women are ministering in
prisons and nursing or old-folks homes.
Still others are trying to get the Bible taught in schools again. They
are also active in stop smoking programs, prayer groups, Bible study, and
evangelism.
In the Siberian Union some
people can only be reached by e-mail or phone, not by personal contact, because
of distance and expense. Women’s
Ministries there has made a point of noticing and involving women who are not
active in a ministry. This, of course,
is one of the primary goals of Women’s Ministries.
One of the groups ESD is
focusing on ministering to is women with Muslim husbands. In the
Evelyn Nagle
South American Division
Territory:
Women
in the South American Division live and breathe evangelism. Austral
In
the Bolivia Union, women are being trained to give Bible studies and work in
missionary pairs, small groups, public evangelism, intercessory prayer groups,
and reception teams.
Chile
Union prepared, motivated, and trained women to preach in 300 preaching
centers.
Ecuador
Union has prepared a video to motivate and train the women for evangelistic
preaching.
Peru
Union’s “I Am One of the 100,000 Gideon-Disciples” and “I Am One of the 300,000
Gideon-Intercessors” programs are involving women in Bible studies and prayer.
A reception ministry effort trains those ministering to people wanting to know
more about the church.
East
Brazil Union’s women have each been motivated to make lists of five individuals
for whom they will pray and work to bring to Christ.
South
Brazil Union has begun intercessory prayer groups. They have a goal of
baptizing 2,500. Women participate in small groups, missionary pairs,
evangelistic teas, literacy classes, etc.
Southern Asia-Pacific Division
Territory: Bangladesh,
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,
Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and
islands of the Pacific, namely the United States territories of Guam and Wake
Island, Commonwealth f the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of
Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau;
comprising the Central Philippine, East Indonesia, and South Philippine Union
Conferences, the Bangladesh, Myanmar, North Philippine, Southeast Asia, and
West Indonesia Union Missions, the Guam-Micronesia Mission, and the Sri Lanka
Mission of Seventh-day Adventists.
The second Northern and
Southern Asia-Pacific Divisions Women’s Convention became a reality
Dr. Jairyong
Lee, NSD president, wrote in his message for the women, “When they [women]
stand at the front of the spiritual battlefield, they will burst like dynamite
and destroy the evil forces that have captivated millions of people for many
years.” Pastor Alberto Gulfan, SSD president,
encouraged, “… be just what you are. You may be little recognized by your local
congregations and even by the leadership of the Church in the upper
organization, but remember, God through His recording angels is keeping records
of your wonderful accomplishments for Him.”
Women in SSD are involved
in evangelism in all its manifestations, in literacy, in abuse prevention,
including a women’s shelter in the
Women’s Ministries Emphasis Day 2005
W
Resource
Packet
Living While Waiting
(for
Jesus to Come)
2005
Written
by Dulce Ferguson
South
Pacific Division
CONTENTS
Introduction
Program
Outline
(This is a suggested guideline for your worship
program.)
Scripture
(It
is helpful to read this before the sermon to set the scene. Four people can be used for this reading.)
Children’s
Story
(You may choose a story to
fit in with the theme of living in honesty and integrity and the importance of
telling and living the truth.)
Sermon
(The presentation can be made by one person or
could be divided into three parts using three different people.)
Dear Sister in Christ,
I
was blessed to have been born into an Adventist Christian home. My mother was a full-time homemaker and my
father worked in the church publishing house in
Trusting
childhood memories have undergone numerous reality checks with a realisation
that Jesus has delayed His coming. Sadly,
many of my friends have given up the wait and have ceased to attend church,
while others have been touched by God’s spirit and are returning. Praise the Lord!
The
courage to remain faithful to Jesus despite the allurements of this world is a
huge challenge to followers of Christ in our secular society. The temptations that Satan places before us
to lead us away from Jesus have been very successful.
As
Christian women we hold a great responsibility to model well the high calling
God has placed before us. We model this
in our homes, our churches; communities, and places of employment. Daily we must seek God’s guidance to live
life to the full in His way and in His will.
With
our God-given abilities for nurture we can do much to create an atmosphere of
God’s love and acceptance to all people.
Are we as church members doing all we can to create a place where
Fellowship is warm? A place where the
wanderer feels they can return and be accepted?
I
trust that this presentation will remind us all of how Jesus would have us live
as we wait and work for His return. May
He pour His Spirit upon us that we may be enthusiastic about sharing His love
and preparing for His soon coming.
Sincerely,
Dulce Ferguson
—----------------------
Dulce Ferguson is the
Administrative Assistant to the Greater Sydney Conference president and
Ministerial Association secretary and the Women’s Ministries Coordinator. She has a passion for her local church and
when she finds the time she enjoys dressmaking, handcrafts, and gardening. She is married to a supportive and gentle carpenter
who enjoys music, building, and flying model aircraft.
LIVING WHILE WAITING - FOR JESUS TO
COME
Suggested
Worship Outline
Praise and Worship Choose some young women to lead in singing songs
#337 Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal “Redeemed”
#341 Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal “To God Be the Glory”
#327 Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal “I’d Rather Have Jesus Than Silver
or Gold”
Welcome
Opening Song #15 Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal “My Maker and My King”
Congregational Please keep in mind the special
needs of women in the
Prayer highlighted church division, your local
congregation, and Women’s Ministries in
general.
Offering Introduction to offering as per your
Conference/Mission offering schedule
Offertory and Prayer
Children’s Story OR Choose
with theme in mind
Testimony OR Choose a woman who has remained
faith to God through hardship, who is willing to share her journey.
Honor a Women Honor a woman OR women who have
given special service to the church or community by exhibiting the virtues of
Romans 12:9
Hymn or Special Music Choose with theme in mind – special item or
#325 Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken”
Scripture Reading Esther 1-2:1
(use
four people – reading and instructions
following)
Sermon “The Vanishing Queen”
Closing Hymn #309 Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal “All to Jesus I Surrender”
Closing Prayer
SCRIPTURE
The sermon is based on the Scriptural record of Queen
Vashti. The
reading below is pure Scripture (excluding only the names of Xerxes officials
as they are very difficult to pronounce).
This can be read by four people:
Narrator Woman
King Xerxes Man
Memucan Man
Queen Vashti Teenage girl
To create a visual effect each
person can wear head gear. Narrator (hat
of your local culture); King Xerxes (crown made of gold card encrusted with
cheap imitation jewels or a crown worn by country leader in your culture); Memucan
(create a lesser-style hat of nobility than the king’s crown); Queen Vashti (a cheap princess’ tiara or gold crown similar to
the King’s).
ESTHER 1-2:1
1 Woman Narrator
2 Girl/Woman – Queen Vashti
3 Memucan
4 Kings Xerxes
WOMAN NARRATOR
This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes
who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from
4 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom
and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were
over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of
the king's palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were
in the citadel of
GIRL – QUEEN VASHTI
9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the
women in the royal
10 On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from
wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him….11 to bring
before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in
order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to
look at. 12 But when the attendants delivered the king's command,
Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became
furious and burned with anger.
WOMAN NARRATOR
13 Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters
of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times 14
and were closest to the king- one of whom was Memucan, the
seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were
highest in the kingdom.
KING XERXES
15 "According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?" he asked. "She has not obeyed the
command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her."
MEMUCAN
16 Then Memucan replied in the presence of
the king and the nobles, "Queen Vashti has done
wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the
peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. 17 For the queen's
conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their
husbands and say, 'King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti
to be brought before him, but she would not come.' 18 This very day
the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen's
conduct will respond to all the king's nobles in the same way. There will be no
end of disrespect and discord.
19 "Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal
decree and let it be written in the laws of
WOMAN NARRATOR
21 The king and his nobles were pleased
with this advice, so the king did as Memucan
proposed. 22 He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each
province in its own script and to each people in its own language, proclaiming
in each people's tongue that every man should be ruler over his own household.
QUEEN VASHTI
2:1
Later
when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti
and what she had done and what he had decreed about her.
SERMON
THE VANISHING QUEEN
Note to Presenter:
You can choose Introduction #1 or #2, relating this as the author’s experience,
or you may personalize your introduction with recollections of your own
thoughts.)
MODEL OF INTRODUCTION #1
About four years
ago my husband, Graham,
and I joined with his family in an historical tour of the
northern dairy farming
I found some that
people had written about themselves. This epitaph found in a
“I told you I was
sick.”
John Penny wrote
his own epitaph
“Reader if cash
thou art in want of any
Dig 4 feet
And thou wilt find
a Penny.”
Note to
translator: change “penny” to the name of a small coin known in your language)
A widow in a
“Sacred
to the memory of John Barnes who died
His comely young
widow, aged 23, has many qualifications of a good wife, and yearns to be
comforted.”
A lawyer’s epitaph
in
“Sir John Strange
Here lies an honest
lawyer, and that is Strange.”
Note to translator: Translate the
name “strange” into the local equivalent)
In Ribbesford
“To the memory of
Anna Wallace
The children of
Old clerk Wallace
wanted a wife and the Devil sent him Anna.”
On a headstone in
“Here lies Johnny
Yeast
Pardon me for not
rising.”
Note
to translator: Translate the name “yeast” into the local equivalent)
And in
“Ann Mann
Here lies Ann Mann
Who lived an old maid
But died and old
Mann
Note to translator: Translate the
name “Mann” into the local equivalent)
End #1
MODEL OF INTRODUCTION #2
(You may be able to
personalize your introduction with recollections of your own thoughts.)
Recently it was my
sad privilege to attend the funeral of two women in as many weeks. Sue was 42 years old. The daughter of missionary parents in Papua
New
Eileen was 92 years
old, the mother of a work colleague.
Again we were fascinated by the pictorial record of her life. We recalled her grief at losing her own
daughter, leaving her to become “mother” to three very young children. Those grandchildren were present with
children of their own. It was a sad day, but her life had been long and rich
and her family gathered together to give thanks for a wonderful mother,
grandmother, and great grandmother.
Precious memories of a life lived well in Jesus.
As I sat in the
church on those two occasions I pondered what might be said about me at my
funeral. Would I be remembered for acts
of love and kindness and generosity?
Would I be remembered for my faith in times of trial?
They were sobering
thoughts.
End #2
(You may be able to
personalise your introduction with recollections of
your own thoughts.)
Overview of Scripture passage from Esther
(suggest that people follow this passage in their Bibles while you present this
next section)
Somewhere in the
ancient
We know she was
stunningly beautiful. Probably
very young. She held grace and
poise–was deep of thought and courageous–but perhaps we know her best as a
woman who disobeyed her husband’s request.
We know a lot more
about her successor, Queen Esther, and based on that information we can have
some insight into the customs of her day.
Vashti was chosen from the young women,
possibly teenagers of the
Plucked from
obscurity, the young queen Vashti lived in absolute
luxury in the palace where she had everything a Persian teenage girl could
dream of. That is, until you ponder her
situation. While she was the most
powerful woman in the
Her husband Xerxes, was a proud and impulsive man. His successes had gone to his head. His harem was large. The virgins chosen for this dubious honour lived in a separate building to the palace. Their sole purpose was to serve the king and
to await his call for sexual pleasure.
They were guarded and cared for by the king’s eunuchs. These beauties of the
I can’t help but
wonder what these young women did all day.
Virtual prisoners of the king, they had no opportunity to make homes of
their own. I guess each girl hoped that
she could bear a child to the king; for no doubt that would bring her favour and she would have a child to love and care
for. We see this culture better today through
the Muslim religion. Although it began over a thousand years
after Vasti’s time; and so we can have some
appreciation for the fact that these beautiful young teenage girls became
possessions of the palace.
There is so much we
don’t know, but so much we can imagine.
But this we do know
-
In the third year
of his reign Xerxes decided to call his nobles and officials together for a
banquet. This was to be a show of
strength and power and a call to war, as Xerxes planned to overtake
At the end of the
180 days, in the final week, Xerxes threw a party that lasted 7 days. It was held in the winter palace at
Each guest was
allowed to drink as much as he liked.
At the same time
Queen Vashti was hostess to a party for the women in
another part of the palace and, as the week drew to a close, Vashti was requested to appear at the king’s party in order
that the king could display yet another possession – his beautiful queen–in her
royal crown-for she was lovely to look at.
Notice Scripture only mentions her crown and not her gown!
Jewish tradition
ventures that this request came to Vashti because of
an argument among the men at the feast as to which country had the most
beautiful women. Xerxes decided to
settle the issue by putting his wife on public display.
The men were drunk
and Vashti said “no!”
She had no intention of parading herself like a prized cow in front of a
herd of drunken men.
Now it was against
Persian custom for a woman to appear before a public gathering of males—which
is still a custom in the Muslim world today.
It is also said that she may have been pregnant at the time and did not
wish to parade in that state—but whatever may have influenced her decision she
chose a dangerous path. She knew that
defying the king could bring down his wrath, but she chose to respect herself
and not to degrade her womanhood by bringing gratification to this drunken
mob. I think she must have had a good
idea of the reaction she would have received if she had gone into that banquet
hall.
Xerxes was
humiliated by her response and burned with anger. (Verses 12 –18)
Xerxes consulted
his lawyers – and followed their advice.
Vashti was to be banished
from the presence of the king; she would be de-throned,
her title stripped. Within moments she
was banished by Xerxes’ irrevocable decree and could never come into the
presence of the king again.
Xerxes request was
unreasonable and wrong, but history’s profile of the man shows him to be an
unreasonable and foolish man in many cases.
Once, we are told, he executed the builders of a bridge because an ocean
storm destroyed it; then he commanded that the sea be whipped and chained to
punish the sea! He was a man so
estranged from his Creator that he thought he could control creation.
But, it seems that
after Xerxes had sobered down he came to his senses and remembered his
beautiful queen. I suspect that he was
sorry he had taken Memucan’s advice. His courtiers must have sensed his depression
because their answer to his bad decision was just to begin searching for
another beautiful young virgin and Esther enters the scene.
And Vashti vanishes back into obscurity and Scripture never
mentions her again. But scripture does
record her brief years as queen and therein lies a lesson for me–
Vashti a woman of courage
who was prepared to give up everything in honor of her own personal principles. I don’t know if she had heard about the God
of Abraham and
the value He places on the human soul—it is possible that she may have learned
something of Him through the many Hebrew captives throughout
Courage and Integrity – two words I could
place in my epitaph. And in today’s
world it takes courage to practice integrity.
The world is
desperately in need of women and men of courage and integrity. Integrity takes time to develop. Integrity comes when you keep doing what you
know you are supposed to do, whether anyone is watching or not. That kind of discipline brings inner
affirmation. The truth always sets us
free. A free conscience is inner peace,
undisturbed sleep at night, a reason to hold our heads high, to laugh often,
and to be able to accept ourselves. When
you are consistent in living in truth, it will have an impact in producing a
godly character that the Lord will approve of and others will recognise and trust.
As Seventh-day
Adventist Christians does the world see us as being in the world but not of the
world? Are we seen as people of courage and integrity? Are we allowing God to
refine us or are we being molded by the world and its seductive influences?
My young friends,
young women and young men, listen up! God wants you to have fun, but not at the
expense of your soul or your safety. He
has big plans for you. Don’t do anything
that will rob you of inner peace and undisturbed sleep at night. Keep yourselves pure—ask God to help you make
the right choices to spare you the pain of living with the consequences of bad
decisions. But listen again, God is
always there waiting to forgive you. He will never give up on you!
Now back to my tomb
stone –
I would like to be
remembered for the qualities in Romans 12:9-21 (READ)
That’s how He wants
us to live while we wait for His coming!
I would also like
to be remembered for the qualities in 1 Corinthians 1:4 (READ)
I would love to be
remembered as a woman of grace, not as the world sees grace, but being filled
with God’s grace. Doing His bidding;
speaking out for Him. Living
His will.
I would like to be
remembered for the qualities on Galatians
The world is full
of enticements. Daily we are confronted
with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. The only way to escape these destructive
influences is to ask God to help crucify our interest in them, just as Paul
did.
We can have these
qualities in our lives today as we daily seek the presence of Jesus; as we
allow Him to remove from us the ragged clothes of sin and replace them with the
beauty of the garments of His righteousness.
Take time each day
to examine your heart. Ask the Lord to
show you the areas where you lack integrity.
Then ask God to give you a healthy fear of Him, for
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Proverbs
I would like to
believe that Xerxes was humbled by the decision of Vashti
to honour her own integrity—for integrity is truth
and the ability to live in it.
Not for one moment
denying the influence of the Holy Spirit on Xerxes’ heart when Esther entered
his throne room unannounced, but Xerxes may have learned a great lesson from
the exile of Vashti and not wanted to repeat this
mistake for his heart was receptive to Esther’s plea for God’s people.
I like stories that
have happy endings and it would be nice if Vashti’s
story had ended with perhaps a restoration to the palace or a mention that she
became a Mother Teresa or a
Princess Diana as she worked for the needy of the world. Instead her story tells us that this world
does not always honour integrity—but heaven does—and
let us never lose sight of that ultimate ending to the story of each human being.
As we daily choose
to walk the path of integrity let the words of Hebrews 12:1-2 cheer us along:
“Therefore, since
we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything
that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfector of our faith.”
Let us be women and
men of courage, whose faith in Jesus Christ can give us the will and
determination to refuse the moments of worldly glory in preference to living in
a glorious world.
We will be
remembered as we are known, so let us be known now as we would like to be
remembered—people of integrity and courage.
CONCLUSION #1
At the christening
for their newborn a young wife told the pastor, "My husband wants to name
him after his dad and I want to name him after mine."
The pastor said,
"What's your dad's name?"
"Joseph,"
she replied.
"What's your
husband's father's name?" he asked.