Passionate, persuasive, diminutive, dynamic. All of these describe Kim Gangte.  And so does member of the Indian Parliament. And Seventh-day Adventist woman.

A graduate of Spicer Memorial College, Kim Gangte holds a masters degree from Pune University. Now a university professor, social worker and human rights activist from Manipur state, India, she was elected to the Indian Parliament in 1998. It wasn't an easy victory.

I met Kim when I was in Delhi in March of this year. In fact, half the reason I went to Delhi was just to meet her. I had heard such interesting things about her. In spite of the fact that she had spent the day in financial committee hearings, she graciously agreed to meet me for an interview in a hotel near Parliament.

When she walked into the large lobby I was impressed by how small she seemed, but how she moved with purpose. She was dressed in a western style blouse and blazer and a lovely long hand-woven blue skirt made in her home state.

I was also immediately struck by how naturally, but sincerely, she made it plain that where she is and how she got there are entirely the result of God's leading and working.  I asked her how she came to be a human rights activist. I expected some pivotal adult story of injustice; instead, she talked of her farmer parents and the loving Christian atmosphere in which she was raised. She said she was a child who could not stand to see any creature suffer.

And there has been a lot of suffering in India's northeast. Far removed from the seat of government, it has seen years of fighting between insurgents and government soldiers. And who loses? The women and children. As she spoke out about the resulting conditions, women mobilized to support her. But when she wanted to run for Parliament, no one except the Communist Party of India would back her. And even they did not expect her to win.

She told about how armed men tried to intimidate the women and keep them away from the polls but the women would not be deterred and God intervened. I asked about the Communists backing a Christian and she admitted it sounds strange, "But in India," she explained, "unlike some other places in the world, the Communists are the ones speaking out on behalf of women and religious minorities."

Kim would like to be able to do much more for the women of her state but as she points out, just because she is a member of Parliament, she does not yield much clout. Women need relief from the fighting, opportunities for employment and education, and better protections and rights. Kim would like to be able to show the government that her church is leading the way in meeting the needs of the destitute and she challenges the church to do better.

"I'm tired," she sighs. "There is so much to do and I can't do it by my self. I am asking God to send help. I spoke about it on the floor of Parliament. I cried for my people. The men were awed and the other women of Parliament had tears too. I'm asking God for help."

by Ardis Stenbakken

IDEAS YOU CAN USE:

Hard to Find Time for A Bible Study Group?

The women in Lansing, Michigan, have found a unique way of timing their Women's Ministries Bible study group: They meet for a pot luck lunch on Wednesdays. This sort of plan could be of help to both working women and stay-at-home women. And eliminate another night out. Good idea, ladies. This group is including non-church members in their group. An even better idea!

TED Prayer Guide:  Women's Ministries

In the Trans-European newsletter, they always include a prayer emphasis. The following was listed as the emphasis last week. We thought it was well written and timely. -Ed.

ST ALBANS, ENGLAND - [ANR] There is no doubt that women are in the majority in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Nonetheless, the Church is mostly run by men! With some exceptions, the number of men far exceeds that of women on church boards, conference and union committees and institutional leadership teams. In recent years considerable progress has been made, but full gender equality is often still theory rather than practice.

The Department of Women's Ministries, however, has not primarily been established to solve that problem. The creation of the department is a response to the many specific needs that the women in the church face and which have seldom been adequately met.

Women have different spiritual needs from men. They need opportunities to be together, fellowship together and pray together. They need a forum where they can discuss problems that women face in today's society.

Unfortunately, many women face personal problems which they should not have to face. They often suffer sexual harassment, at times even within the Church. Many suffer abuse - either emotional, verbal or even physical.  Research has shown that abuse by Christian husbands, who are sometimes leaders in the church, is not as rare as we would like to think. These are some of the problems the women's ministries department seeks to address.

The issues for the Department of Women's Ministries vary from culture to culture. The needs in Pakistan are different from those in Sweden, and the special challenges women face in Latvia are not the same as those in Britain or the Sudan. But, whatever the culture, these issues must be identified and the needs must be ministered to.

Please pray:

*  for the women leaders in the Church in general, and in the department for Women's Ministries in particular.

*  for the leadership in the Church that they may keep full gender equality in the institutions of the Church and in the leadership structure of the Church high on their agenda.

*  for the women in our Church who are victims of abuse by their partners.

*  for the many women who struggle to remain faithful to their faith in spite of opposition from those nearest to them.

[Birthe Kendel, TED Women's Ministries director/ANR 114]