JULY 2002
Vol.1 No.7

HEADLINES

Women's Ministries in Israel

Focus on Leadership

Division Highlights: Northern Asia-Pacific Division

KEEPERS PAGE — Teens and Women's Ministries; Scholarship Program; You are Needed

Editorial

VIEW ORIGINAL LAYOUT OF THE NEWSLETTER USING ACROBAT.PDF

ABOUT WM NEWSLETTER

Women's Ministries in Israel

During May, Heather-Dawn Small, Associate Director for Women's Ministries at the General Conference visited the country of Israel. There were concerns regarding the wisdom of traveling into this country at this time but after much prayer it was decided that the women of Israel needed to be reassured that their desire to work in WM was acknowledged and supported from the GC. (Special thanks to all those who prayed for her safety on this journey.)

The challenges are great in this part of the world. The women work six days—Sunday through Friday—and their only day to do any church related work is on Sabbath, which is very packed with activities. But our women are the only ones who can reach the women in the Jewish and Muslim communities so their involvement in WM is very vital to the outreach work in this mission.

Because of their unique circumstances we brain-stormed on programs suitable for their situation, such as Heart to Heart (mentoring)—which they felt was a wonderful idea and one they could implement. They particularly liked the idea of mother/daughter retreats. No retreats have been held in that field to date.

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Focus on Leadership

As WM leaders we sometimes find ourselves in need of motivation and encouragement. We hope these quotes will inspire you as you strive to grow in leadership skills.

"Leadership is mobilizing others toward a goal shared by the leader and followers." Garry Wills

Leadership is "The exercise of one's spiritual gifts under the call of God to serve a certain group of people in achieving the goals God has given them toward the end of glorifying Christ." Leaders on Leading, George Barna, p.31

To be a leader within God's church carries a requirement of being willing to be a servant.

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." John F. Kennedy

"The final test of a leader is that [s]he leaves behind in others the conviction and the will to carry on." Walter Lippmann

"Leadership is an energy born out of strong personal convictions which motivates the leader and builds excitement in others. Such people often literally breathe life into the organization." Organizational Culture and Leadership Schein, 1996, p.61

"A leader whose personal values and aspirations are consistent, coherent, and reflected in her daily behavior is credible and inspires trust-a leader worth following into the uncertainties of change," The Human Face of Reform: Meeting the Challenge of Change Through Authentic Leadership, Evans, p.93

"The characteristics of good leadership these days tend to mirror the attributes normally found in women - on average… leaders adopting behaviors and tactics which emphasize the shift toward collaborative behavior…terms such as empowerment, open communication, trust." Transformational Leadership, Parry, 1977

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DIVISION HIGHLIGHTS : Northern Asia-Pacific Division

Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) is made up of four countries: China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia. Although NSD consists of only four countries, the territory of this division is larger than any other division. There are three unions, 10 conferences and missions and 1,764 churches with a membership of 500,285.

There are WM directors in all of the union, conferences and missions as well as 6 Adventist Women's Associations in this field. At the church level there are WM directors in 501 churches.

In 1997 the Far Eastern Division was divided into two divisions: NSD and SSD. Dr. Mary Wong was the first director of WM in NSD. Mary did a wonderful job inspiring and motivating the women of this division and much is owed to her early work. After she resigned in January 2002, Young-Ja Nam of Korea was elected to take the position as WM director for the division. She has take the role with much enthusiasm and zeal and we know that with God's continued guidance she will continue to lead the women of this division to do marvelous deeds for Him.

From 1998 to 2001, 143 WM congresses and retreats were held. There were 297 training seminars, 49 evangelistic meetings, and 397 baptisms.

This year the "Women Can Do" movement is going strong. Women in every church are being encouraged to organize WM departments and evangelistic groups by districts. The NEWSTART program has been held in all unions because many people are struggling with modern diseases.

Plans for the future include ordination of women elders, establishing at least one Adventist Association Centre before 2005, and continued training for women leaders, women evangelists, and NEWSTART experts for soul winning. In 2003 the division WM plans to have their first WM congress.

Please pray for the work in NSD. They are faced with many challenges and difficulties. But their spirit is strong and they are determined by God's grace and strength to stay on the battlefield until He returns.

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KEEPERS PAGE
Just for You! – Teens and Women's Ministries

GC WM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The GC WM scholarship program has been in effect since 1993. To date, women in all our world divisions have been recipients of this program. We are very happy, that through your assistance, we have been able to help 629 young women in achieving their goals of higher education.

They are (left to right) Anita Kesare Baburam, Premila Devi, Mrs Nimmy Syam, the principal of the Nursing School at Surat Hospital, and Somiwon Hungyo.

The monies for this program come from the profits that are made from the WM devotional. It is very important to us and our young women that you continue to purchase these devotionals, not just for yourselves but for friends, co-workers, family members and neighbors. This past January, of the 90 WM scholarships awarded to deserving young women, 19 of them went to young women in the Southern Asia Division. The following picture shows three of the young women who received scholarship awards.

We wish these and all 2002 recipients well and send our prayers to support them in their studies and plans for the future.

SOME USEFUL INFORMATION FOR YOU:

1. Who is eligible for a scholarship? Any woman who is planning to attend a Seventh-day Adventist college in the division in which she lives.
2. How may I apply? Contact your conference/mission WM director and ask for a scholarship application which is to be filled out by you and returned to your WM director in your division. The application is also available on our web site at wm.gc.adventist.org.
3. When are these scholarships awarded? They are awarded twice yearly in January and July. Therefore your application must be sent in at least two months prior to our awarding them if you are to be considered.
4. How are these scholarships distributed? The monies that come from the profits of the WM daily devotional book are equally distributed among the 12 divisions and one attached field of the General Conference. Each division is given the same amount of money and may send in as many applicants as they feel can best benefit from these awards.
5. Do I receive the money? No. The money is sent directly to the educational institute you are attending/applying and will be credited to your account.

Please feel free to email us at womensministries@gc.adventist.org with any other questions you may have.

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