Empower.
Leadership training begins by publishing a book
This leadership training manual is reviving the ministry of women in each congregation of the country.
Euro-Asia Division (ESD)
Irins Begas, Women’s Ministries director for the Ukrainian Union Conference, leads a team of ten conference leaders who responded to the Lord’s call to serve women surrounding them in the 25 regions of Ukraine. The population of the country is 42,386,400, while 46,567 Seventh-day Adventist Church members fellowship together in 816 churches and 237 groups.
[Ukraine] We united in a special prayer about Women’s Ministries (WM) in our country were so many people are waiting in this huge territory to discover the gospel and give their hearts to Jesus. Leading different meetings and events, we see a great need for women who would be called by the Holy Spirit to be prepared and trained in skills to accomplish ministry in leadership positions in each local congregation.
At one of the advisory meetings, our team looked for possible ways to solve the issue. Again, sincere prayers were lifted up that the Lord would revive the ministry for women in each congregation of our Union. Looking through the resources of the world church, we looked at the General Conference WM Leadership Certification training program with new eyes. While studying these materials together, we saw a wonderful program created with the effort of many women who consecrated their time and ability to this project. For us, it was the answer! We determined to pull together the levels and topics of WM Leadership training into a single book which could be used by every leader in each congregation of the country.
The idea was supported by the leadership of the Ukrainian Union Conference who gave us their blessing to begin the project. In addition, the Lord accomplished this work with miracles and wonderful experiences. He took care that people would be found who have experience in publishing ministry. They helped us in materials processing, design, and pre-press work. The Lord prepared the publishing house director’s heart. He appreciated our desire to serve women and decided that we needed a high-quality product at the lowest possible price so that even the smallest congregation could receive the leadership manual and train women for ministry. We lifted our praises to God as we watched His hand at work throughout the project.
Training began in each conference at a field school for Women’s Ministries leaders. For each topic covered in the seminars and lectures, tests were prepared to help women consolidate studied theory with practical ministry. Since this program contains 33 topics, the new leaders’ training will continue at additional field school meetings throughout the following two years as well as through independent study.
Our WM department continues praying that the Lord will lead us in the way we should go, that God will bless in a special way our team of Women’s Ministries leaders in Ukraine, that the Holy Spirit will teach, fill with wisdom and love every woman who studies the leadership book.
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.”
—Isaiah 48:17, NKJV
Contributed by Irins Begas, Women’s Ministries director for Ukrainian Union Conference
Published in Mosaic newsletter, Summer 2018
