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Cold
Hands, Warm Hearts
WM Leadership Training
weekend in Staverton Park, England |
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My
February itinerary in the Trans-European Division with the WM
director Anne-May Wollan was one I will not forget for a long
time. The weather in Europe and England was bitingly cold, and
at times I gave up on ever feeling warm again, but our hearts
were warmed by the response of the women to our visit and the
time we spent with them. |
The trip began
with a weekend of Leadership Certification training in Staverton
Park, England. Heather Haworth, British Union Conference (BUC) WM
director, who is also responsible for Children’s Ministries
and Family Ministries, planned this training weekend for church
directors of all three departments. About 45 WM church coordinators
attended the leadership segment and were happy that this new material
on leadership is now available.
| From
England, Wollan and I traveled to Latvia in the Baltic Union
(comprised of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia). It was mid-winter
and the temperatures were below 0o Celsius, but the reception
by the union president Valdis Zilgalvis and his wife Ruta, WM
director for that union, was warm and cheery. Our membership
in this union is 7,000, with a total population of 7 ½
million. |
|
L to R : Anne-May, Ruta
and Heather-Dawn |
We met with
about 80 pastors, their wives, and the WM directors from the churches
in Latvia for an entire day of Leadership Certification training.
The material was well received and the feeling was that this certification
program has come at the right time in the growth of WM in that union.
Our final stop
was at a WM weekend in Naerum, Denmark. The attendance was encouraging
especially at the Friday night service, when some 34 members braved
the cold to come to the opening service where Wollan preached an
inspiring sermon on our uniqueness to God.
On Sabbath the
ladies presented Sabbath School and I preached for the church service
on keeping our joy in spite of life’s challenges. In the afternoon
we presented two seminars on self-esteem and sharing our joy. We
were blessed by the response of the church members to our time spent
with them. The work in Denmark is very challenging with a population
of 5 ½ million and a church membership of 2,800. WM is new
in Denmark.
Please pray
for our sisters and members in these countries where ministry is
very difficult and church growth very slow.
by Heather-Dawn
Small
Associate Director, G.C. Women’s Ministries
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to headlines)
| Southern
Asia Division
| Poverty
is rampant and work opportunities are limited for women
in India. For this reason, the WM decided to try some
small enterprise projects and small loans. Each union
who came up with a proposal was given US$100, or about
4800 rupees. Reports of the projects are beginning to
come in. |
|
 |
About the time the program began, the director for Northeast
India Union, Mrs. Colney, died; but the Union reports
that they have already bought goats in two places for
a goat bank. In a goat bank, a person is given a pregnant
female. |
 |
|
When another female goat is born it is returned to the
bank to give to someone else. Sometimes an additional
payment is also required as income from the first goat
is generated. In the South India Union money was given
to the North Tamil Conference to start a goat bank among
the gypsies. WM has also started a literacy program for
them. |
In
the Goa-Karnataka Field, sewing machines were given to two
women. They are now earning money and will pay back the union
so more sewing machines can be purchased.
 |
|
 |
| One
lady in the Kerala Field has started a weaving industry.
Five women are working with her making bamboo baskets,
sifts, coconut shell ladles, etc. She now has a good income
and is repaying Rs. 200.00 monthly. |
A candle
making industry was inaugurated in Tilawni, Maharashtra Section,
in December with Rs. 15,000. Six women are involved. They
hope to enlarge this project as there is a great demand for
candles.
Hepzibah
Kore, WM director, SUD
Euro-Africa Division
The Leadership
Certification Training program is going well in the Euro-Africa
Division (EUD). The WM director for that division, Noelle
Vitry, has just returned from Spain where she met with 50
of the WM church directors and presented the new leadership
course and a seminar on abuse. The women were very interested
in the material and suggested that it could be placed on the
internet or used in correspondence format. Before her trip
to Spain, Vitry was in Hanover, Germany, where she presented
the topic of abuse to the entire church and did a seminar
from the leadership course in the afternoon.
Noelle
Vitry, WM Director, EUD
Southern
Asia-Pacific Division
Update
on “Sisters of the Heart
As previously reported (in our March issue) the North Philippine
Union Mission (NPUC) WM launched their “Sisters of the
Heart” program last November. The program aims to foster
fellowship between SDA and non-SDA professional women, minister
to their needs, and lead them to a wholistic lifestyle. A
banquet was held on the evening of November 17. Seventy non-SDA
women were invited and they came and built friendships with
one another. Dr. Linda Koh, WM director for Southern Asia-Pacific
Division (SSD) presented a message on Christian Working Women.
As a follow
up to the banquet a series of Bible studies were held from
January 26 - March 1 this year. Small group evangelism meetings
were held for four consecutive Sundays from February 23 to
March 1. Dr. Linda Koh was the main speaker and her interesting
presentations were a combination of testimonials and doctrinal
issues. On Sabbath, March 1, twenty-six women were baptized
as a result. The response has excited and motivated some of
our other leaders to start organizing “Sisters of the
Heart” groups in their own areas.
Ellen
V. Roque, WM Director, NPUC
|
(back
to headlines)
Someone
You Know Deserves a Woman of the Year Award!
The Association
of Adventist Women is soliciting nominations for its 2003 Women
of the Year awards that will be presented at the annual AAW convention
to be held in Loma Linda, California, October 16-19, 2003.
“Too often
the enormous contributions of Seventh-day Adventist women are overlooked,”
says Toini Harrison, coordinator of the Women of the Year program.
“These prestigious awards are designed to recognize the broad
spectrum of accomplishments of Adventist women around the world.”
Nominees should
be Seventh-day Adventist women who have made outstanding and unique
contributions to home, community, and/or professional life. The
deadline for submitting nominations is May 20.
Should you wish
to nominate someone, please request a nomination form. Write or
call: Toini Harrison, Women of the Year Coordinator, Association
of Adventist Women, 24414 University Avenue, #167, Loma Linda, CA
92354. 909 799-5448; e-mail: kaynelson@earthlink.net
(back
to headlines)
KEEPERS
PAGE - Just for You
For Women by Women
Letters from
friends about
Bouquets of Hope:
|
Last
Christmas I sent Women’s Ministries devotional books
to several different non-Adventist ladies I have done prayer
requests for through Bibleinfo.com. Today I had a note from
one of them, ... mother of 6 children, telling me how much
she loves the book. She can hardly wait to read it each morning,
and each of her 6 children gather right around her before
they leave for school and make sure she reads the story for
the day to them. The children range in age from 6 to 18. She
is raising them by herself, and I was just very pleased to
hear that from her. Thanks for “listening.”
One
of your contributors,
Anna
May Radke Waters
|
|
I
was thrilled to receive my copy of the 2003 Women’s
Ministries devotional. It is beautiful. I know it will touch
many hearts. Following are three more stories for submission….Keep
up the marvelous work.
Clarissa
Marshall
Bouquets
of Hope is lovely…thank you for all the dedicated work
you put into your service for Him. You’re a blessing.
Joy in Jesus!
Betty
Kossick
|
Letters
about previous WM devotional books...
|
May
God continue to bless you as many are being blessed by the
work you are doing.
Dolores Smith
I
DO enjoy your books! They give hope to us all during each
year.
Rosemary
Baker
I
have been blessed often....My prayer is that this medium will
continue to spread the good news of Jesus and hasten His soon
return.
Abigail
Blake Parchment
I
just wanted to tell you how WE have used our daily devotional
book....Even numbered days, I read; Frank reads odd-numbered
days....we are both blessed daily. We always read the biographical
sketches first, and then the reading….Keep up the good
work.
Barbara
Wyman |
|
I
enjoy reading the devotionals... and regularly pray for your
ministry.
Birol
Christo
I
have really gained a spiritual blessing.
Charlotte
Verrett, M.D.
The
devotionals are a standard Christmas gift for my friends and
family.. ..Each year the list gets a little longer.
Marie
Seard
Thanks
for producing a gorgeous women’s devotional book...It’s
such a gift and a joy to write for these beautiful books.
Karen
Holford |
Editor’s
Note:
This is a sampling of letters received. (Only two were from
divisions other than North American Division—Christo, Southern
Asia Division, and Holford,Trans European Division). We’d
love to hear from women in every division and thank each one who
has taken time to share how the devotional books have blessed you
and others.
(back
to headlines)
Devotional
Book Project
The Women’s
Ministries devotional book, a daily devotional for women by women,
is a project of the Department of Women’s Ministries, General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The purpose is to provide
spiritual growth and to furnish funds for scholarships for women.
About
Your Contributions:
The department solicits contributions from women on a wide variety
of spiritual topics. Each must be from a personal experience of
God’s presence in the lives of women, or how those experiences
apply to women’s lives. Please, no sermons. This book will
be marketed outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church as well as
within the church; therefore, non-specific terminology should be
used so as not to offend those of any religious persuasion. We encourage
global participation, with a varied cultural and ethnic flavor.
Profits
from Royalties go to GC Women’s Ministries Scholarship Fund:
Those who contribute to this project do so agreeing that all profits
from the royalties of the devotional books will go to the General
Conference Women’s Ministries Scholarship Fund. They further
agree that they will receive no payment for any contributions submitted
or accepted for publication.
Deadline:
October 1 of each year for the book published two years later, but
submissions are accepted at any time.
How
YOU Can Help:
- Continue
to submit material for the devotional book.
- Encourage
your friends who write to submit to the devotional book.
- Share your
Devotional Book Guidelines with other women.
- Give our
website address to another woman interested in writing so she
can refer to our Devotional Book Guidelines. The address is http:wm.gc.adventist.org.
- Buy devotional
books for yourself and for family and friends, too.
- Make sure
your church is aware of the books and scholarships.
Information
taken from Devotional Book Guidelines. To obtain the Guidelines:
write us,
e-mail: womensministries@gc.adventist.org,
or download a .pdf copy from our website under: Devotional
Book Guidelines
(back
to headlines)
|
Women’s
Ministries Emphasis Day
is June 14.
The
title—
United by the Wonder of His
Unlikely Grace,
by Tamyra Horst.
You
can download a copy of the
Resource Packet from wm.gc.adventist.org
or purchase a copy from us for US$2.50 plus s/h.
|
Tanzania
Women's Memorial Fund
Goal
$50,000
Pledged: $600
Received: $25,547.67
|
Happy
moments, praise God
Difficult
moments, seek God
Quiet
moments, worship God
Painful
moments, trust God
Every
moment, thank God
|
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