Women's Ministries really began in the Eastern Africa Division in October, 1997. Before that, one of the Division departmental men carried Women's Ministries in addition to his other assignments.   Although far from ideal, he attended part of the WM Advisory held at the General Conference in 1996 and he was instrumental in having Women's Ministries part of the Division-wide congress that was held in Malawi last August.

But things really started to happen when Priscilla Handia was elected as director. Previous to her assignment with Womens Ministries, she served as a publishing director and is well respected throughout the Division. Some of the things that have happened in recent months:

East Africa Union: Innovative things have been happening in connection with work for the Maasai women in Kenya. In February a group of women from the Dakota Conference, USA, built a Her Training Centre; the project was led by Jan Meharry, who had worked in Kenya previously. The American women worked hand in hand with the Kenyans and volunteers from South Africa and Zambia.

The center will be used for teaching literacy classes using the Bible, sewing lessons, health and personal hygiene.

On Sabbath, the training center and a land cruiser were dedicated to the Lord. Priscilla Handia preached about the bonds of friendship between Adventist sisters. The Maasai Chief expressed his sincere gratitude for the generosity of the teams. He also remarked that the church and training center land, a former hunting ground for lions, would now be used to worship God.

Ann Wham, WM Director of the Dakota Conference, presented gifts, including a Maasai language Steps to Christ. Before the dedication, Wham also conducted four days of Women's Ministries training in Nairobi for over 50 women.

A young woman in EAD who is not waiting until she grows up to use her gifts--she is leading an action song at an EAD WM director's training session.	Lynnetta Hamstra, GCWM Associate Director, congratulating Winnie Munetsi, and EAD scholarship recipient.
	Three of the WM directors who attended an EAD leadership training in Malawi last Fall.

Ethiopia: Priscilla Handia conducted Women's Ministries seminars in the Ethiopian Union in Akaki, Chumale and Awassa. The emphasis was on "How to Begin Women's Ministries in the Local Church."

Zambia: Two days of training were also held in Lusaka. The training was organized by the Central Zambia Conference Director, Mrs. Jessie Kalaluka and conducted by Agnes Chirwa, WM Director of the Union, and Priscilla Handia. Topics included the biblical and historical origins of Women's Ministries, WM goals, objectives, and implementation and program ideas, with special emphasis on small group ministries. Over 70 members and pastors attended.

Statistics: Although Women's Ministries has been organized a relatively short time in EAD, last year the women held 442 retreats or congresses; 32,779 Adventist women and 1,242 non-Adventist women attended. During the year, 809 members were reclaimed and there were 1,788 baptisms. The women held 352 training seminars, 203 evangelistic meetings and 491 other meetings during the year.

There has been confusion between Dorcas and Women's Ministries in this division, as well as opposition that seems to be coming from some independent groups, but the misunderstandings are being worked out and the women continue to be active. 

Prayer Basket Idea

When a prayer basket idea was presented at the Ministries Convention in San Diego, California in January, everyone loved the idea. You may have heard of it already, but if not, here it is:

Have a coordinator place the name of every female in your church in a basket. This includes shut-ins, teens and young adults away at school, those no longer attending everybody. Place it where the women of the church have ready access to it. Explain the program to them. Then each Sabbath, those who wish to participate take one or more names from the basket. During that week she is to do something for the woman named: call her and pray for her, drop her a note, take her to lunch, anything she would like. When the basket is empty you know that every woman in your church has had a friendly contact. Then you start over. I can just imagine the joy a program like this would generate!

Avoiding Gender Bias When Writing

Writing gender-neutral, grammatically correct documents is a challenge. Common mistake: using plural pronouns in place of singular, gender-specific nouns.

Example: "Each employee should sign their own time sheet daily." This usage is never acceptable. Try these alternatives.

•  Substitute articles (a, an or the) or other modifiers for gender-specific pronouns. "Each employee should sign a personal time sheet daily."

• Rewrite the sentence with general plural pronouns and change the rest of the sentence to match. "All employees should sign their own time sheets daily."

• Alternate feminine and masculine gender-specific pronouns in long documents. Use she/her/hers in one section of the report and he/his in the next.

• Use a second-person perspective. "Please sign your own time sheet every day."

Source: The New York Public Library Business Desk Reference. Published by John Wiley & Sons, 800-225-5945.

Test Yourself :

Discover Your Learning Style

Your answer to the following questions can help you determine your preferred learning style. And knowing that can help you pick the best method to develop the skills you need to get ahead.  The question:

The new computer you ordered has just arrived. After you remove it from its shipping carton, what do you do?

A. I set it up, plug it in and start "playing."

B. I think about how I've used a computer before and what this one might do if I press certain keys.

C. Before I do anything, I read the manuals and other printed materials that came with the computer.

D. I talk to someone I consider knowledgeable about practical uses for the computer, and I focus on setting it up specifically for those purposes.

Analysis: A. Researchers have labeled you an activist you prefer to learn by doing. B.You're a reflector someone who likes to think about and learn from your experiences. C.You prefer to understand the theory of how something works by reading or researching. Thus, you're called a theorist. D. As a pragmatist, you want to know what something can do for you its practical application.

Source: Communication Briefings. The Accidental Manager: Surviving the Transition from Professional to Manager, by Sheila Udall and Jean M. Hiltrop, Prentice Ha., 240 Frisch Court, Paramus, NJ 07652.