Empower.

"Catch the Vision, Join the Race," theme perfect fits the first women's ministries congress

Eastern Sahel Union Mission women's ministries congress includes a baptism at the end of evangelistic meetings and graduation for leadership certification training.

West-Central Africa Division (WAD)

[Burkina Faso] Just these numerals, 9-8-7-5, are needed to describe the women’s ministries (WM) congress held in Burkina Faso, August 7-13, 2018.

• Nine for the 9 precious souls baptized to the glory of God at the end of the women’s evangelistic series held concurrently with the week-long congress.
• Eight for the 8 women’s ministries directors graduating from WM leadership training and receiving Andrews University Distance Learning Center’s continuing education units’ certificates.
• Seven for the 7 elderly women who were specially recognized and decorated symbolizing the care and respect to be given to women who may not be able to participate in all the women's ministries programs and activities due to aging.
• Five for the 5 countries comprising the territory of the Eastern Sahel Union Mission: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, and Togo.

The congress theme, “Catch the Vision, Join the Race,” invited 400 women to learn (vision), fellowship (join), and prepare for mission (race). The objective of the congress was to encourage women to harness all effort together as one body in order to run the spiritual race that has been set before us as Christians. It also demonstrated mission and unity through an evangelistic series with Seventh-day Adventist women working together for organizing, preaching, teaching, participating in, and preparing candidates for baptism.

The desire was immediately aroused in many women to enroll in leadership certification courses after seeing the beautiful ceremony for their women's ministries directors who earned leadership certification. Heather-Dawn Small, director of women's ministries for the General Conference, and Omobonike Sessou, the women's ministries director for West-Central Africa Division, officiated the ceremony.

Tabitha Kra, women’s ministries director for the Eastern Sahel Union Mission, organized the women's ministries union congress, the first since the reorganization of the former Sahel Union Mission in 2013 and the subsequent creation of the Eastern Sahel Union Mission.

Contributed by Omobonike Adeola Sessou, women's ministries director for West-Central Africa Division

Published in Mosaic newsletter, 2018 Q4, Fall issue