MARCH 2001

HEADLINES

69 Women Awarded Scholarships

Adventist Professionals' Network

Special Offer on Devotional Books

Leadership Tips Just for You

VIEW ORIGINAL LAYOUT OF THE NEWSLETTER USING ACROBAT.PDF

ABOUT WM NEWSLETTER

EDITORIAL | NEWS FROM THE WORLD. . . | ARCHIVES | ABOUT WM NEWSLETTER | HOME

69 Women Awarded Scholarships - January 2001 Report

The General Conference Women's Ministries Scholarship Committee met on January 25, 2001 for the winter scholarship review. At this review, there were 69 scholarships approved. Divisions taking part included the African-Indian Ocean, Eastern Africa, Euro-Asia, Inter-American, North American, Northern Asia-Pacific, Southern Asia, Southern Asia-Pacific, Trans-European, and Southern Africa Union Conference.

The next General Conference Women's Ministries Scholarship review will be in July. For those divisions that did not use up their 2001 scholarship monies, the deadline to get the applications in to us is July 1, 2001. Any Adventist woman attending an Adventist college at the tertiary level in her home division is eligible to apply for a scholarship. All applications must be submitted through her home division Women's Ministries director.

The GCWM Scholarship has been funded, thus far, by the revenue from the sale of the women's daily devotional books produced by this department and by personal donations from interested individuals. We want to thank those who have contributed devotional writings to the devotional books. Your stories are an inspiration to others and we encourage you to continue sharing your experiences and faith. We also want to thank those of you who purchase the devotional books as you play a large part in helping the young women in our church further their education through our scholarship program. To date, we have given 527 Women's Ministries scholarships to women from 69 countries.

(back to headlines)

Adventist Professionals' Network Seeking Listings

The growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has created a demand for qualified professionals who can support its worldwide mission with their talents and education. Many Adventists also wish to connect with colleagues in other parts of the world. It is especially important that women have access to and are available through such a network.

The General Conference has launched the Adventist Professionals' Network (APN) an electronic global registry of Adventists who hold the minimum of a master's degree or its equivalent in any field.

These listings may be used to locate consultants, volunteers for short assignments, or for candidates for positions. The information will not be released for commercial use or fund-raising.

If you have earned at least a master's degree or its equivalent (5 years of post-secondary studies) and are active in your profession, you are invited to join APN by entering the information at the APN web site: http://apn.adventist.org. For other questions, e-mail APN at 110173.1405@compuserve.com.

Women's Ministries also maintains a data bank for similar uses but it is not restricted by educational qualifications. If you would like to register for that, please e-mail or write to our office for a form.

(back to headlines)

Special Offer on Devotional Books

Every woman loves a bargain, and we have one for you!

Women's Ministries Devotional books bless many through spiritual growth, through having an opportunity to have your written material published, and through the scholarships funded through the sale of the books. For this reason we push the sale of these books as much as we can. And now the Review and Herald is offering some of these books at a very special price.

R & H did a special printing of four of the devotional books with matching journals. These sets are now available for only US$9.97 each. But, if you buy two sets, you can get a third FREE! That is three books with matching journals for only US$19.97 while supplies last.

The sets available are:

Listening Heart /journal (book #2)	A Gift of Love/journal (book #3)	Moment of Peace /journal (book #4)	Close to Home/journal (book #5)

These special sets can be used for special gifts to family and friends, as hostess gifts, for reclamation outreach to former members, for newly baptized members, for Women's Ministries committee members or to enjoy yourself!

If you have not yet purchased your copies of the 2001 devotional book, Fabric of Faith, you had better place your order quickly as they are almost entirely sold out! Contact the Adventist Book Center at 1-800-765-6955

(back to headlines)

Leadership Tips Just for You...

Change
Managing Change

Facing change, a group divides into three factions those for it, those against it and the fence sitters. Which group should you encourage?

Answer: Spend your time with those who already favor it, says Ron Koroscil and Jack D'Urso of Pitney Bowes. Reason: In their manufacturing group, the pair encouraged and supported those who favored the change. That faction then influenced the fence sitters to accept the change. When that happened, the resisters signed on because they saw that change was inevitable.

(Communication Briefings. Ideas That Work. Source: Real-World Project Management: New Approaches to Change and Uncertainty, by Mary Feeherry DeWeaver and Lori Ciprian Gillespie, Quality Resources, 902 Broadway, New York, NY 10010.)

Meetings
Manage Meeting Malcontents

Here are some methods you may want to try to handle these difficult people who try to seize control of a meeting:

Monopolizers interrupt often, ramble and repeat because they enjoy hearing themselves talk. Method: Don't argue with them, but don't hesitate to confront them. Wait for them to come up for air and interrupt them by name. Note that they've made their point and immediately invite someone else to comment on the topic. Distracters seek attention. To get it, they'll often bring up irrelevant topics that waste time. Method: Firmly halt distractors, restate the meeting purpose and ask them to answer a specific question to get them to focus on the main topic. Skeptics fault everything you or others say. Method: Have a friendly talk with skeptics before the meeting and firmly say what behavior you expect. If that fails, cut them off by repeating that you want solutions, not criticism. Then ask them to contribute. Snipers resort to stage-whispered, snide comments to challenge your authority by switching attention from you to them. Method: Shine the spotlight on them and bluntly ask them to share their comment with everyone. Most will be so embarrassed that they'll decline.

(Communication Briefings, Ideas That Work. Source: Talking with Confidence for the Painfully Shy, by Don Gabor, Crown Publishers Inc., 201 E. 50th St., New York, NY 10022.)

Problem Solving
What to Do When You Disagree

The next time you disagree with someone, keep these "is nots" in mind:

Hearing is not listening. Many workplace disputes begin or get worse because people hear what others say, but they're not really listening. The three basics of good listening: Clear your mind of distractions. Concentrate on the words. Pay careful attention to the nonverbal gestures, including voice tone. Acknowledging is not agreeing. Use acknowledgement phrases to recognize others' positions and feelings without agreeing with them. Examples: "I understand why you're upset." "If I've got this right, you believe we should...." "That's an interesting idea. Let's look at it in more depth." Acknowledging is not yielding. Once you acknowledge others' views, it's your turn to present yours. Offer constructive criticism and allow others to challenge you the way you challenged them. Possible approach: "I've listened to your views, and now I'd like you to hear what I have to say, OK? I doubt that plan will work, but here's what we can do...."

(Communication Briefings, Ideas that Work. Source: Getting Results...For the hands-On Manager, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.)

(back to headlines)

(back to headlines)

Women's Emphasis Day is June 9.

You can log on to our website: wm.gc.adventist.org and download a copy of the resource packet in MS Word,
HTML, or Acrobat. Or, you can send $2.50
to "GC Women's Ministries" and a hard
copy will be sent to you.