The women’s ministry had a robust schedule of activities and rich international fellowship at the San Diego delegates’ meetings from October 7-11.
The Women’s Service Team is made up of 15 women from the leaders of our 33 Regional Church families, Elders, and Teachers, who choose to volunteer their time to serve the global women’s ministry (see list below). We aim to support the existing global leadership structure by fulfilling our mission statement: to help inspire and train women servant leaders around the world to grow spiritually, connect, and advance the gospel in a powerful way.
The Women’s Service Team plans to invite women leaders from all continents and diverse demographic groups to serve on Women’s Task Forces, in order to better meet the specific needs of sisters in all our churches.
Last week we announced that #InHisImage will be our suggested theme for March 8th, International Women’s Day 2020. Our hope for this day is that women’s ministries across the world will take the opportunity to unite in a day of prayer and fasting. Each women’s ministry will consider how to act” In His Image” and take steps of faith that will strengthen, encourage and reach more women for Christ this year.
At the San Diego delegates meetings, the Women’s Service Team announced a new online service to women’s ministries around the world: a series of worldwide women’s webinars. Each hour-long webinar will focus on a particular theme and will often feature guest speakers. The times, location, and instructions for logging on to the webinar are published on a brand-new Facebook page: WomenToday.net. (That’s WomenToday.net on Facebook, with no space between the words – important to note, or you will have trouble finding it.) A recording will be made of the event and posted on YouTube as an online resource which can be distributed afterward. The first will be held on December 6/7, 2019, and four such webinars have been scheduled for 2020.
The Women’s Service Team is forming a Task Force to improve the visibility of ICOC women online and the availability of women’s resources. www.womentoday.net will be connected to Disciples Today and will be the place where women can go in one click to find ICOC women’s articles and materials easily.
The WST does not see itself as the body which will answer questions about the public role of women in our churches at this time. We agree fully with the request of our leadership to wait for the publication of the biblical paper now in progress by the Teachers Service Team and look forward to each local leadership and congregation continuing to strengthen and develop its women’s ministry to the glory of God. We believe that every sister, young or aged, whether married or single, of any race, from any place, is destined by God to play a crucial role in his story and in ours.
The Women’s Service Team: Silvia Mendez, San Diego; Sharon Gauthier, Chicago; Rolayo Ogbonnaya, Lagos; Viki Auki, Nairobi; Sirikit Umaguing, Colorado Springs; Griselda Lua, Los Angeles; Tess Fontenot, Sydney; Gillianne Brisebois, Hamilton Ontario; Vania Salim, Jakarta; Tammy Fleming, Kyiv; Marci Arneson, Chicago; Diane Brown, Nashville; Toli Beruah, New Delhi; Michelle Cameron, Perth; Sarai Serra, Buenos Aires.
