Division WM directors gather at the General Conference for the 2016 departmental advisory meetings.

What Women's Ministries Means to the Women They Lead

WM directors of thirteen divisions and three attached territories speak about the twenty-fifth anniversary of Women's Ministries.

Debbie Maloba

East-Central Africa Division
Women's Ministries Director

Within these precious twenty-five years, women have been equipped, valued, and had an opportunity to make great impact in the church.

Women are the majority in most part of our division, and we have noticed that when they are active, the church is active as a whole.

For a long time, in most part of the East-Central Africa Division, the culture did not easily accept or allow a woman to be involved in the ministry other than helping with cleanliness of the churches and do community service (Dorcas Society).

Gender matters hindered women from actively participating in God’s work, however, we praise our mighty God for the huge improvement that we have experienced over these twenty-five years.

Women are able to organize evangelistic meetings where we freely share our faith and participate to the development of the church by using our God-given gifts. In unity, women in the church have assisted other women in the communities through training them and shaping their life skills.

A woman does not feel limited, but empowered to do more, and to nurture believers, passionately working to revive and reform souls for our Savior.

We thank church elders, pastors, husbands, and church members for the acceptance and support that they have extended to the Women Ministries. This has been a factor to the great work done. That has greatly contributed to the spiritual growth of the women themselves

We are proud to be women of God, actively ministering in the church. Onward we move with God in our midst.

Raisa Ostrovskaya

Euro-Asia Division
Women's Ministries director

Twenty-five years of Women’s Ministries gave our sisters the possibility to feel a special love and the Lord’s care.

It also is the possibility to learn, grow spiritually, and implement our God-given talents.

In Euro-Asia Division possibilities were revealed for all to see, in a different way, how God looks at women and loves her. Twenty-five years of love.

Dear God, because I am a woman and Your daughter, I am filled with Your love and I am able to love. From my heart I wish to help those who are looking for You and who want to find the way to Jesus!

M. Dinorah Rivera

Inter-American Division
Women's Ministries director

As we celebrate twenty-five years of Women’s Ministries, there are a few words that come to mind: endurance, commitment, perseverance, creativity, and connection among others.

Interestingly enough, it also brings to mind a visual comparison coming from a story in the Bible.

Judges 4:8—Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

For me this is as plain as it can be to help us understand that God's intention has always been the inclusion of both strengths of His creation (of man and woman made “in His image”). This is our mandate because it takes both genders to reflect Jesus completely and perfectly.

Women's Ministries is the force that not only equips, nurtures, and strengthens women, but the entire church.

Women in the Inter-American Division territory are working hard for the Lord, convinced that it is our mission, our highest honor, our purpose.

Dagmar Dorn

Inter-European Division
Women's Ministries director

Women's Ministries helped to find creative ways for seeing the needs of women and reaching out into the communities.

Through the WM Leadership Certification training program, women were encouraged to try new possibilities to support and lead out in their churches. They have been encouraged to preach, give Bible studies, and lead out in small group ministries.

Women’s self-awareness has been strengthened.

Women's Ministries has given a voice to the hurting and vulnerable. Platforms against violence and abuse recovery programs have been established.

Girls4Christ (G4C) programs have been developed in some parts of the territory and are running well.

Carla Baker

North American Division
Women's Ministries director

The women of the North American Division have experienced spiritual growth, personal healing, and outreach empowerment.

They gratefully embrace new freedom through the enditnow® initiative and extensively share abuse prevention resources with community women and pastors.

They actively pursue spiritual growth for themselves and the community through women’s Bible studies, small groups, convocations, and other events, and share hope with a dying world through evangelistic meetings and personal encounters.

Purposefully reaching out to teens and young women through social media and events geared for them, they lovingly touch young lives in critical moments with truth and healing.

Lisa Clouzet

Northern Asia-Pacific Division
Women's Ministries director

It has been said that women are the heart of the church. For many, many years, women have also been the voice, hands, and feet serving families, churches, and communities in the name of Jesus.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the leadership of the church’s Women’s Ministries departments, women of all ages—all over the world—have been enabled, equipped, and encouraged to nurture, empower, and reach out to those within their areas of influence.

As we celebrate our church’s past 25 years of organized women’s ministries, may each of us continue to respond with “I Will Go.”

Individually and collectively, we are here for such a time as this.

Marli Peyerl

South American Division
Women's Ministries director

Women's Ministries in South America in these twenty-five years has been an opportunity for our sisters to develop different areas and abilities to serve more effectively in all areas of life and church.

  1. Spiritual Growth. Women grew first in their relationship with God. They learned to seek God every day and have a more intimate relationship with Him.
  2. Acting as Leaders. Today, women are leading different departments of the church, and the church recognizes the potential they have and the need for their work.
  3. Training. WM helped women to prepare themselves to work in different ministries.Today they are trained and able to coordinate projects that the church has promoted such as Breaking the Silence, Friendly Ear, and other ministries making the church better known in the community.
  4. A Voice of Hope. WM helped women to be a voice of hope in their home, church, and society.
  5. Mission. WM prepared women to fulfill the mission.

Danijela Schubert

South Pacific Division
Women's Ministries director

Women’s Ministries in the South Pacific Division has organized so many events that uplifted women in the church and addressed needs of the community, taught thousands of people how to read and write, shared material goods to help those in need, prayed, educated women to take leadership roles through training, engaged young women in pursuit of godly life, purchased land for those living on the rubbish dumps, and the list goes on.

Well done to all leaders of Women’s Ministries for their vision, courage, and perseverance.

Caroline Chola

Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division
Women's Ministries director

After twenty-five years of existence Women’s Ministries has nurtured, empowered, equipped, and addressed our needs through the six critical issues leading us to reach our potential as a daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, friends, and leaders.

Women’s Ministries means that our unique contributions to the mission of the Church are recognized, where we each can identify and share our God-given gifts to the glory of our Lord and Master.

We see ourselves leading purpose-driven lives and rediscovering ourselves through the various ministries.

As a result we are eagerly grasping the opportunities and tools given to us and finding our calling in the Great Commission which has led to increased involvement in the sharing of the gospel to the dying world.

Premila Masih

Southern Asia Division
Women's Ministries director

We women in the Southern Asia Division are our sisters' keepers.

This is what it means to us—together we hold one another's hands, to fulfill the purpose of life given as a woman in the family, in the church, in the workplace, and in the community to Nurture, Empower, and Reach out to the world! With His grace, we will finish our race successfully.

Women’s Ministries is a place where women are for women. We learn, we grow, and we change. It’s a beautiful ministry.

It’s a place to address the spiritual, emotional, physical, and social needs of women in the church and community.

This is what it means to me and the women in my territory.

Helen B. Gulfan

Southern Asia-Pacific Division
Women's Ministries director

These twenty-five years of Women’s Ministries means to us God’s love and His faithfulness to our women members of Southern Asia-Pacific Division.

God uses this department to help nurture our sisters’ relationship with Him, helps empower them, and encourage them to love and serve others for Jesus’ sake.

For fifteen of these twenty-five years, it was my privilege to lead out this department, and I still enjoy working and loving our beloved women, praising, and thanking God seeing the progress and growth of our women in God’s work and in their character.

Women Ministries in Southern Asia-Pacific Division is ever blooming after twenty-five years!

Clair Sanches-Schutte

Trans-European Division
Women's Ministries director

Women’s Ministries has gone from strength to strength here at the Trans-European Division.

God has certainly blessed us, and it shows most in our Bible Study groups, and especially the innovative ways of spreading the gospel and sharing God's love in creative ways.

Even now when we can’t be together, women have come up with ideas to reach those around them. Women are so creative

  • making masks for neighbors,
  • doing the shopping for older people living in their neighborhood,
  • studying the Bible together online,
  • holding online devotionals each week,
  • having a creative get togethers online.

This pandemic has caused us to think differently and God has opened many ways to still connect. We are thinking outside the box, and it is working. The resilience of women is amazing!

We praise God for His blessings toward women and the Women’s Ministries department here at the Trans-European Division.

Omobonike Adeola Sessou

West-Central Africa Division
Women's Ministries director

Women's Ministries have brought about a paradigm shift in the thinking and ways of life of women in the last twenty-five years in the West-Central Africa Division.

Through the activities and programs of women's ministries women have discovered their unique values and potentials that increase their own self- esteem, their positive influence in the homes and make them to become strong force for the fulfillment of the mission in the church.

Joyce Ng

Chinese Union Mission
Women's Ministries director

Women make up ninety percent of the church members in China. The majority of our women are looking for knowledge, not only for Biblical understanding, but also for knowledge in leadership skills, speaking skills, people skills. They want training in how to nurture the spiritual growth of women in their centers of influence and in how to begin successful outreach projects.

Our church leaders are so grateful for the four-level Leadership Certification curriculum produced by General Conference Women's Ministries. This training curriculum meets their needs. Twenty-one sisters will complete all four levels of Leadership Certification by Jan 13, 2021.

When we compare these twenty-one women with the large population of China, they are like a little drop of water in the big ocean. However, this small group has the vision, passion, and mission to start and maintain Women's Ministries in their own areas of influence. They want to be the spark of fire that lights up the whole field.

I would like to conclude with the words in one of the letters that Mrs. Ellen G. White sent to Mrs. Sarepta M. Irish Henry, encouraging her as the first director of women's ministry at the General Conference in 1898.

“If we can arrange . . . to have regularly organized companies intelligently instructed in regard to the part they should act as servants of the Master, our churches will have life and vitality such as have been so long needed.”

Amal Fawzy

Middle East and Northern Africa Union Mission
Women's Ministries liaison

Women Ministries means a lot to me and to all the women in Middle East and Northern Africa Union (MENA).

  • It means the light of hope in the darkness of despair.
  • It means the joy of comfort amidst the snare of injustice and lack of care.
  • It means hope in a better tomorrow in the days of uncertainty and the nights of drear.
  • It means that God really loves me and so does my church.
  • It means the assurance that God is here as well as there.

As Women Ministries departments, God speaks to us, He speaks through us, He works in us and for us so that we can work for Him, work for them—

  • those women who suffer,
  • who experience mistreatment,
  • who are in search for a better life, a life in Him,
  • Jesus who loves and cares for me, for you, and for them.

Providing scholarships and financial assistance to the women in MENA helps women.

  • It opens new doors and creates opportunities for them.
  • It provides them with a new vision and a new start in life.
  • It nurtures them and helps in their spiritual growth in Christ.

Women Ministries means the channel through which we share the good news with the women in MENA that Jesus loves them—and so does their church.

When we reach out to women through our ministry, we are reaching out to the whole family.

Cristina Sandulache

Israel Field
Women's Ministries director

Happy anniversary Women's Ministries!!

Thank God for these twenty-five amazing years in which the huge potential represented by women's talents has been used in the efforts of reaching others for Christ!

Women's wonderful gifts, their inexhaustible energy and astonishing dedication for God's work were neglected for too long!

May God nourish the leadership potential in every woman, so she might be a light and a true blessing both in her home and in her community!