Every Woman Is Empowered with God's Gifts for Ministry

Just days before coronavirus restrictions are activated, "Faithful in Service" Women's Ministries conference inspires 80 women to serve faithfully where needed during their next two crises.

Trans-European Division (TED)

[Croatia] From the churches of Croatia and Slovenia they came. Because of the distance, women of Albania could not join their sisters in Zagreb, Croatia for the “Faithful in Service” training conference held by Adriatic Union Conference Women’s Ministries.

Pastor Drago Mojzeš, president of the Adriatic Union Conference, spoke to the 80 women in attendance, stating that according to statistics for the Adventist Church in Croatia, about 60% of church membership is women—women whose responsibility it is to reach the women around them.

The seminar’s training goal was to inspire, encourage, equip, and challenge our sisters to serve in the church using their gifts—each one doing something for Jesus.

Emphasis was given to Nurture, Empower and Outreach, demonstrating the way Women’s Ministries is doing ministry and reaching out in the local churches and communities. Raquel Arrais, associate director of Women’s Ministries for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, conducted the training.

“Raquel Arrais challenged the Church [in her Sabbath sermon] to answer the call from Hebrews 4:15-16 to approach the throne of grace with confidence,” reports Svjetlana Veble, the executive secretary for Adriatic Union Conference and director of Women’s Ministries department.

“We were filled spiritually by an inspired Sabbath sermon,” Veble continues. “We are confident that the Lord listens and encourages us for the work He intends for us.”

“We learned that ANY WOMAN can reach Christ’s "lost" in any environment because the Lord calls us to do this," Veble emphasizes. "He blesses us. He equips us with necessary knowledge and ability. He goes with us. This changes us.”

“We committed to use our gifts NOW. And everyone has a gift. That is why,” Veble points out, “we urge all sisters and brothers of the Church to support us and join us. Moreover, such efforts were also supported by the General Conference, the Trans-European Division, and the Adriatic Union Conference.”

The training conference of March 8 was organized by Svjetlana Veble who thought about every detail to make this day special for every woman who came from far and near.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Croatia, Slovenia, and Albania is administratively organized as the Adriatic Union Conference. A weekend training conference was scheduled in Albania with Arrais a few days later to include these sisters.

After this article was written, two catastrophes occurred in Zagreb in March. A few days after the conference, Croatia closed borders, schools, colleges, and churches. Cities were quarantined or isolated because of the coronavirus. We are thankful that our sisters from Slovenia and our guest speaker, Raquel Arrais, left the country just ahead of border closings. Less than two weeks later, Zagreb, our capital city with a population of one million, suffered a strong earthquake, March 22, with great consequences.

This conference, "Faithful in Service," with its inspiration and call to service, helped our sisters carry on in the midst of hardships that came so soon afterward. They remain faithful with a great desire to help in church and community because when fitted with God’s gifts women can do it!

Contributed by Svjetlana Veble, director of Women’s Ministries for Adriatic Union Conference

Published in Mosaic newsletter, 2020 Q3, summer issue

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“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”