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SDA
College Offers Certificate in Women's Studies
Wonderful new
things are happening at Fulton College in Fiji. A new certificate
program
has been developed that will appeal to women of varying ages. The
course is available for
women interested in advancing their potential for service. According
to a brochure on this
new course the "Certificate of Women's Christian Ministry is
intended as a training program
for ladies desiring preparation for greater service in their local
church and community."
The course will
be covered in four sessions of instruction and assessment. It was
a joint
effort of the school administration and the island education department.
Two sessions will
be offered each school year and includes up to three weeks of instruction.
At the end of the
course a student would have covered 24 credits and will be awarded
a certificate.
We are very
excited for the women in Fiji who will be able to access this course.
Hats off to
Fulton College for this bold and necessary step!
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Farewell
to Louise
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Women's
Ministries at the GC has lost a valuable member of its team.
Louise Driver worked as administrative assistant to the Associate
Director, GCWM, since 1997. She has moved on to a more challenging
work experience at the Adventist Book Center; we know she
will excel there too.
Louise
was a very outgoing and loving person who brought a ray of
sunshine to all who came in contact with her. She will be
greatly missed.
God bless
Louise and may her cup of joy be always full.
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"Bible
Studies for Busy Women" Now in Spanish!
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This series
of Bible studies designed for busy women was created by Ardis
Stenbakken and
Carole Ferch-Johnson and is now available in Spanish! The
series explores themes of salvation, prayer, spiritual growth,
relationships, self-worth, managing emotions, copingwith worry
and more. The set consists of 14 lessons designed to encourage
and facilitate women in Bible study.
We are
very happy that this Spanish version has been published. It
is available at your local ABC or through your division WM
director.
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US$4.99. Available from Pacific Press. Order online:
http://www. adventistbookcenter.com.
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Focus
on Mentoring
Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser
still; teach the righteous,
and
they will gain in learning. Prov. 9:9, NRSV
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WM of Central Luzon Conference (North Philippine Union Mission)
and South Philippine
Union organizes an annual Secret Sisters banquet where the younger
ladies get to meet
their secret mentors for the first time. Each woman is encouraged
to adopt a young lady in
college and acts as a mentor and friend to her. They call them on
the phone, invite them to
programs, etc. The young ladies attend retreats and help out in
evangelistic meetings.
Once the identities
are known, they train them to be actively involved in service for
God.
East Indonesian
Union organizes a young women's evangelistic mentoring program
whereby the experienced women of the churches meet regularly with
the young women for
planning and training them for evangelistic meetings.
Linda
Koh, WM Director
Southern Asia-Pacific Division
In
Eastern Africa Division we have embarked on training of Union and
Conference
Women's Ministries leaders about mentoring. In some of the local
churches in EAD, mature
Christian women are matched with new converts for mentoring. It
is our desire to mentor
the young women in our church as well. Our goal is that mentoring
should be an ongoing
program in our local churches.
Priscilla
Ben, WM Director
Eastern Africa Division
A
Women's Ministries monologue that focuses on mentoring is available
in the GCWM office. For a copy, e-mail womensministries@gc.adventist.org.
Ivy
Petersen, WM Director
(and creator of monologue)
South Africa Union
MENTORING
RESOURCES:
Spiritual
Mentoring of Teens, Joe White, Jim Weidmann. (www.tyndale.com)
Mentoring
Women, Stephanie Wolfe. (www.injoy.com)
Women Mentoring
Women, Vickie Kraft
Mentoring
Leaders, John Maxwell.
(www.injoy.com/monthlymentoring/club.asp?memid=39&pagevarid=56&club=m)
Mary
Maxson, WM Director
North American Division
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Division
Highlights: Eastern Africa Division
EAD is comprised
of seven unions and three attached fields. Countries include, Ethiopia,
Eritrea, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, Somalia, Djibuti, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Uganda and
Botswana. Priscilla Handia Ben is the dedicated and vibrnt WM director
in this field.
Women's Ministries
began in the Eastern Africa Division in 1996. In 2001, for the first
time
in EAD, all the unions except one elected women to serve as departmental
directors.
Although there is still apprehension about Women's Ministries in
some unions in EAD, the
women are dynamic for the Lord and are forging ahead—involved
in the ministry of Jesus
Christ, Lord and Master.
Women's Ministries
statistics of the past quinquennium in EAD are worthy of praise:19,776
people were baptized. Women conducted 2,790 retreats, and 134,170
Adventist and 14,
388 non-Adventist women attended. Women came to find support, to
grow in Jesus, and to
find better ways to be women of the Spirit. There were 1,099 training
seminars, 1,745
evangelistic meetings, and 1,665 other related meetings. These efforts
by the Adventist
women reclaimed 2,782 members. One of the statistics for which we're
grateful is that 23
EAD women were helped through the GC Women's Ministries scholarship
program.
Training
Centre: A "Her Training Center," which is a special
project for the Masai women,
was officially opened in Central Kenya Conference. The center is
used for teaching literacy
classes using the Bible as one of the textbooks, sewing lessons,
health, and personal
hygiene. A land cruiser was donated for the project by Jan Meharry,
project coordinator,
and a group of women from the North Dakota Conference, NAD.
Kajiado Project:
A group of women and a number of members of the New Life SDA Church
in Nairobi, Kenya, opened Kajiado Seventh-day Adventist Educational
Center. The driving
force for this project is sympathy for street children in Nairobi
and the Masai girl children
who have no access to education and are forced into an early marriage.
The main objective
of Kajiado project is to rehabilitate children by: providing a home
in which their basic
needs are cared for; including education, counseling, and spiritual
nurture.
There are many
challenges which women in EAD are facing; however, by the grace
of God
we hope to accomplish the following during this new quinquennium:
- Elect a women's
ministries leader in every local church.
- Ensure that
all the WM programs are evangelistically centered.
- Nurture—encourage
the women to be involved in the process of discipling.
- Establish
small group ministries.
- Address the
six focus issues for women—Illiteracy, Abuse, Risks to Health,
Mentoring and Training, Workloads and Poverty.
- Establish
training centers. We solicit your prayers.
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KEEPERS
PAGE
Just
for You! – About Your Health
TEN WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS - Wellness
Matters, 1999
Stress is our
reaction to any stimulus (physical, mental, or emotional internal
or external),
that tends to upset us. When the reactions are inappropriate, they
can lead to health problems. The diseases most often connected to
a stressful environment are heart disease, high blood pressure,
and cancer.
Ideas to help you relieve stress:
- Rise early
- reserve an hour before the family wakes to get organized for
the day.
- Share your
workload with family and co-workers.
- Take breaks
in the day—even just 10 minutes—to clear your head and
catch your
breath.
- Set aside
time to exercise.
- Don't take
on too much at once.
- Give yourself
permission to be imperfect.
- Learn to
say "no."
- Eliminate
clutter from your life.
- Relax with
some music occasionally.
- Develop a
forgiving attitude.
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WOMEN AND HEART DISEASE
Women
(in the U.S). are more likely to die from heart disease than
from breast or uterine cancer. In contast to men, they tend
to develop heart disease later in life when the production
of estrogen in their bodies decreaes due to menopause.
When symptoms
of a possible heart attack occur, some women put off seeking
treatment. Subtle symptoms like "indigestion," difficulty
breathing, shortness of breath, nausea, abdominal pain, weakness,
or nausea (and even jaw pain) may be present instead of the
expected severe chest pains. And when they do seek help, they
are less likely to get appropriate treatment because the symptoms
are so subtle.
A healthy
diet and lifestyle can help prevent heart disease in women
and men. There are numerous treatments or therapies that can
assist in preventing heart disease, but a physical examination
and a consultation with a doctor is advised before beginning
any such program.
SEVEN
STEPS TO HEALTH
Protect
yourself and your family. By knowing and acting on these Seven
Steps to Health, you can help prevent cancer:
- Choose
to be a non-smoker and avoid second-hand smoke.
- Choose
a variety of lower-fat, high fibre foods. Maintain a healthy
body weight and limit your alcohol intake.
- Protect
yourself and your family from the sun. Practice regular
skin examinations and report any changes immediately.
- Regularly
scheduled Pap tests and mammograms, according to age, are
vital. Practice monthly breast self-examination.
- See
your doctor and dentist regularly for checkups.
- Be
aware of changes in your normal state of health. If you
discover a lump or a mole that has changed, or a sore that
won't heal, check with your doctor immediately.
- At
home and at work, follow health and safety instructions
when using hazardous materials.
Consult
your local Cancer Society for more information.
Information
provided by the Canadian Cancer Society.For more information,
visit their website at www.cancer.ca
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DEPRESSION
Is
it more than the blues? If you have these symptoms, you may
be depressed. If you or someone you know experiences these
symptoms of depression, seek help immediately from a professional
counselor or physician.
- Depressed
mood on most days for most of each day. (Irritability may
be prominent in
children and adolescents.)
- Total
or very noticeable loss of pleasure most of the time.
- Significant
increase or decrease in appetite, weight, or both.
- Sleep
disorders either insomnia or excessive sleepiness nearly
every day.
- Feelings
of agitation or a sense of intense slowness.
- Loss
of energy and a daily sense of tiredness.
- Sense
of guilt and worthlessness nearly all the time.
- Inability
to concentrate occurring nearly every day.
- Recurrent
thoughts of death or suicide.
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