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AUGUST 2001 God Leads in Mysterious Ways But is Always Faithful Refreshed GC Women's Ministries Resources A Statement on Abuse and Family Violence
VIEW ORIGINAL LAYOUT OF THE NEWSLETTER USING ACROBAT.PDF News from the World of Women's Ministries is published monthly by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Department of Women's Ministries for the purpose of communicating news and information about Women's Ministries. Director & Editor: Ardis Stenbakken Asst. Editor & Layout: Iris Stovall
You may contact the editor by writing: General
Conference Department of Women's Ministries Phone:
(301) 680-6608 |
GENERAL
CONFERENCE DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN'S MINISTRIES
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God Leads in Mysterious Ways But is Always Faithful When I planned my itinerary, I dreaded it in some ways because it required me to be away from home and the office for so long. But there did not seem to be any way around it. The five division Advisories came one after the other so it only made sense to go from one to the next. And yes, there was the a retreat and a congress in Germany thrown in there too. After all of that was planned also, it became necessary for me to make a quick trip to Mwanza, Tanzania, to help in the filming of the Women's Ministries discipleship video, "Growing in Jesus." The trip started off really well with an inspiring Advisory for the Southern Asia-Pacific Division held in the Philippines. All the Union directors were there except from Guam-Micronesia (a change in leadership is taking place) and Myanmar (Joy Tun, the director, was ill). Excellent reports were given, training seminars presented, and plans laid for the next five years.
Then I flew on to Seoul. There are only three unions in the Northern Asia-Pacific Division so the attendance was small, but the ladies (and men from the Korean Conferences) laid bold plans for the future, all planning to become involved in nurture and public evangelism. There was a good spirit of cooperation and a desire to make a difference.
After the 11 ˝ hour flight to Frankfurt, I enjoyed a few days at a retreat with my husband. I was charged up and ready for the next four weeks of travel. I left Frankfurt for Mwanza, Tanzania, via Johannesburg, South Africa, and Nairobi, Kenya. On the 10 hour flight to Johannesburg, I discovered that I was sick—bleeding internally, probably in my colon or stomach. After studying my options, treatments, and flights available, I flew home to Maryland. My husband cancelled the training he was scheduled to do in Romania and met me in Paris on the way home. I did not want him to do that at first but was very glad to see him because by that time I had become quite weak. Arriving in the US, we went directly from the airport to the doctor, who admitted me immediately to the hospital. After some preliminary tests, they started giving me transfusions, 7 in all. I spent three days in intensive care. There were more tests and the bleeding stopped, but we still do not know exactly what happened or why, so the doctors decreed no flying for at least three weeks. Wonderful women stepped in to take my place: Kandus Thorpe in the video, Kay Kuzma at the women's congress in Germany, and Nicolle Brise at the African Indian Ocean Division Advisory. I am so sorry that I was not able to see those of you I have already met, and to meet those of you who are new leaders, but I think there will be more opportunities and I look forward to that. I do not know why God allowed this to happen, but there is no doubt in my mind that He was with me every minute. Hundreds of people were praying for me and it has made a difference. I am recovering nicely. Not all stories turn out so well, so I know I have a responsibility to you and to Him to help the women of this Church use their God given gifts. May God be with you too as we work together to tell the world what a wonderful God we serve and that He is coming soon. We don't always understand how He is leading, but we can rest assured that He is taking care of each of us! by Ardis Stenbakken Refreshed GC Women's Ministries Resources During the past several months, Lynnetta Hamstra and Louise Driver have been editing and updating the resources available through this office. These resources have a new look, are better organized, and easier to use. The Department has also prepared a new Resource Price list. Some of the items available include:
There are also a number of items that can enhance your meetings, retreats, or other special occasions as give-aways or as gifts, or to use to raise money. Some of the new items include:
Please add 30% postage and shipping when purchasing. We accept checks, money orders, or credit cards. If you want a new Resource Price List, please contact our office. We hope you will find these resources more beneficial as you prepare and conduct your ministries. - End As we Say Farewell to Lynnetta Hamstra... If it were an ideal world, it would be possible for Lynnetta Hamstra to continue working with us full time here in Women's Ministries and also be a full-time mom. That would be ever so much nicer than having to tell her good-bye. But this is not an ideal world. Lynnetta has ministered here as my associate for three years and I will miss her greatly. But we do take comfort in the fact that she will be near by. She has agreed to continue to maintain our web site and work on other projects as time allows. Lynnetta has made a difference. She met the challenges God set before her and she now moves on to perhaps the greatest challenge in the world: motherhood. God be with you, Lynnetta. Stay in touch with us and your many friends around the world! Ardis Stenbakken
A Statement on Abuse and Family Violence Seventh-day Adventists affirm the dignity and worth of each human being and decry all forms of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and family violence. We recognize the global extent of this problem and the serious, long-term effects upon the lives of all involved. We believe that Christians must respond to abuse and family violence both within the church and in the community. We take seriously reports of abuse and violence and have highlighted these issues for discussion at this international assembly. We believe that to remain indifferent and unresponsive is to condone, perpetuate, and potentially extend such behavior. We accept our responsibility to cooperate with other professional services, to listen and care for those suffering from abuse and family violence, to highlight the injustices, and to speak out in defense of victims. We will help persons in need to identify and access the range of available professional services. When changed attitudes and behavior open possibilities for forgiveness and new beginnings, we will provide a ministry of reconciliation. We will assist families in grief over relationships that cannot be restored. We will address the spiritual questions confronting abused persons, seeking to understand the origins of abuse and family violence and developing better ways of preventing the recurring cycle. This statement was approved and voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Administrative Committee (ADCOM) and was released by the Office of the President, Robert S. Folkenberg, at the General Conference session in Utrecht, the Netherlands, June 29-July 8, 1995.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) reported that 70 percent of the world's 1.3 billion people living in poverty are women. And, despite the pledges made by governments at Beijing in 1995, the situation for women is getting worse in certain areas. For example, the number of rural women living in absolute poverty, i.e. life-threatening poverty, has risen by 50 percent over the last two decades as opposed to 30 percent for men. UNIFEM further reported that although women work two-thirds of all hours worked, they earn one-tenth of all income and own less than one-tenth of the world's property. In April, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that two-thirds of the 110 million children who are not receiving an education are girls. The UNIFEM report and a UNICEF report on domestic violence reinforced the argument that human rights are indivisible and, specifically that for women to truly enjoy the right to freedom from violence, they must be able to enjoy their rights in other spheres as well. First the UNIFEM report showed that women remain economically disadvantaged in most countries, and that their second class status makes them both vulnerable to violence and unable to escape violence. The UNICEF report addressed not only the pervasiveness of domestic violence against women and girls, but also the social, economic and health costs both to individuals who suffer the violence and to society. This correlation between gender and poverty is a problem for developed countries as well as developing countries. For example, in the U.S., women represent 57.2 percent of people living in poverty. The search of women's human rights activists for an end to impunity for gender-based violence was not limited to the domestic sphere. At meetings held at the U.N. in New York in March and June 2000, states wrapped up their negotiations on the elements of crimes, and rules of evidence and procedures for the International Criminal Court (ICC). Women's ability to seek redress for sexual violence through the ICC came under fire when a small group of states proposed that all the crimes of sexual violence enumerated in the ICC treaty be exempted if they were committed by a family member or pursuant to religious or cultural practices. The proposal was ultimately rejected, but not before it was used to undermine the reach of the court by raising the threshold required to establish crimes against humanity. —From Human Rights Watch, The Role of the International Community.
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