Columbia Union Constituency Overwhelmingly Approves Ordination Without Regard to Gender

July 29, 2012

In a specially called session of the Columbia Union Conference Constituency, delegates from its eight conferences voted overwhelmingly to approve a recommendation from the union executive committee authorizing ordination without regard to gender. The historic vote was 209 in favor and 51 opposed, with nine abstentions—a ratio of 4 to 1.

The approved motion states:

“That the Columbia Union Conference authorize ordination to the gospel ministry without regard to gender.”

This means that the union will no longer deny requests from conferences to ordain proven female ministers to the gospel ministry.

“There was a good spirit and healthy discussion, all bathed in prayer,” says Dave Weigley, union president. “We remain part of, united with, and fully committed to the mission of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church.”

The four-hour meeting was streamed live and will be available shortly at www.columbiaunion.org/2012specialconstituency. A news story and photos will be published at www.columbiaunion.org and in the August Visitor.

About the Columbia Union Conference

The Columbia Union Conference is comprised of 135,000 members who worship in more than 700 churches in the eight local conferences located in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Its members minister through 90 elementary and secondary schools, a university, a medical college, two healthcare networks and numerous community-focused ministries.

Pictured above: "I'm with you, Constituents. We are part of the mission to preach the good news. I'm here today to say that I want to be part of the revival that is taking place in our church. It will not be an easy road. We'll work together, but we are part of the worldwide church," said Dave Weigley, president of the Columbia Union Conference.

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North German Union Conference Constituency Session Votes to Ordain Women

09.05.2012:

Berne, May 9, 2012. [CD-EUDnew]. What happened in Germany during the North German Union Constituency Session last April 23, will doubtlessly push the Seventh-day Adventist Headquarters to consider reopening the discussion on women’s ordination.

During the session, an individual's motion to ordain women passed through the administrative levels in order to qualify for the agenda. Opening the discussion, the debate animated the floor, and more than 40 interventions rose up to participate in the discussion. There was not one speaker on the microphone who spoke against the ordination of women. Some obviously tended towards rating global unity over equality as everyone knew a positive vote would lead to a clash with the General Conference's Working Policy. Finally, after all the interventions, the delegates voted (160 to 47 votes taken electronically for the first time) ‘… to ordain female pastors in the North German Union [in the same way] as their male colleagues.’
What drove this Constituency session to take such a decision despite the position of the World Adventist Church, after freezing the discussion for the past 10 years?

Pastor Klaus van Treeck, Union Conference president, said: “We didn’t want to open the way or to encourage others to oppose the guidelines of the World Church or to join us in civil disobedience. We discussed the matter in the context of our culture and ask the World Church to understand our situation and decision. We are respectful towards our brothers and sisters in any area of our World Church. We feel deeply associated with them in the love of Jesus and in the unity and mission of the church.” In Germany both the law and social values strongly condemn discrimination against women in the selection of leaders in any organization, including the church.

How to deal with this issue confronting guidelines and cultural exigencies?
According to this moral background, the delegates wanted to express to the worldwide Adventist Church leadership that the issue of the equality of female and male pastors is no more an option, and invite them not to consider this vote as an act of disloyalty towards the World Church. They want to launch a signal that they are tired of waiting for a solution for such a sensitive question. They hope to have made a contribution so that in 2015, in San Antonio (USA), a regionally different regulation will be approved giving end to an unbiblical and discriminatory estimation of women’s ordination. There are no theological, but only cultural arguments that speak against it.

The most recent support for this pioneering process was given by the former president of the World Church Council, Dr Jan Paulsen, when he addressed the audience of the Spring Session of the General Conference in April 17, 2012, (available in ANN) saying : “The Spirit is the minister of this unity among Christ’s followers (Eph. 4: 3). It is appropriate that we should remind ourselves that while uniformity is no Biblical requirement, unity is!
“Our unity as a global family is these days being tested with respect to the role of women in ministry and leadership in our church. Some insist that those who advocate the ordination of women in our church will split the church. Maybe. The other side answers that those who deny women ordination will be the ones who split this church. Maybe. If the church cannot find a way forward in this matter without compromising the unity God wants us to hold and preserve, we shall all have to answer for how we contributed or failed to contribute to overcome our impasse, and I suspect that those who said “No” will be held as responsible in the eyes of God as those who said “Yes”. Make no mistake about it: God’s love for his people, whom he wants to remain united, is greater than we can understand.

“If there were clear inspired mandates, in the Scriptures or in the Writings of Ellen White, giving us directions in this matter (women’s ordination), we would not be having this discussion as a global church. We have in the past concluded, through the work of several commissions and reported back to this council, that we find no such mandate on which there is broad agreement” Dr. Paulsen concluded.

According to this evidence, the delegates voted to charge the union executive committee with implementing additional study of the topic of ordination, including research to be conducted by Friedensau University, the Adventist higher education institution in Germany. The findings from this study are to be presented to the Euro-Africa Division and the General Conference.


During the session, there was a motion to amend the Union Conference constitution to delete the language that requires that the president and secretary be ordained ministers. This motion was not passed by the require two-third majority.
 
The North German Union Conference covers 11 states in the northern region of the German Federal Republic, including Berlin and other major urban areas. It is made up of four local conferences with a total of about 20,000 church members among a population of more than 47 million. There are 346 local churches and 149 ministers, including two women.

The EUD Administrative Committee in its last session reflected on the vote, and has made a recommendation to the Executive Committee that will be published after its meeting later this month.

By: CD-EUDnews. Picture CD-EUD

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Drunken gang of girls in subway stab attack: cops

JESSICA SIMEONE, BETH DEFALCO and ANTONIO ANTENUCCI

Last Updated: 12:54 AM, July 30, 2012
Posted: 3:25 PM, July 29, 2012





G.N.MILLER/NEW YORK POST
CUFFED: Police detain some of the women allegedly involved in an attack on a straphanger.


A wolf pack of drunken young women “acting stupid” on a downtown No. 6 train in Manhattan stabbed a 63-year-old man early today — for having had the nerve to ask them to pipe down, police said.

The man was on his way to work at about 6:15 a.m. when he was attacked as the train entered the East 23rd Street station, a law-enforcement source told The Post.

“The eight females were acting stupid. He just told them, ‘Relax. Calm down,’ ” another source said.

Instead, one stabbed him in the left shoulder. He was treated at Bellevue Hospital.

The women were arrested as they exited the 23rd Street subway station near Gramercy Park. Seven of them, ages 17 to 20, were charged with gang assault, disorderly conduct, rioting, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, and felony assault. A 15-year-old girl was not charged. Cops added that they recovered a knife.

A city bus driver who witnessed their arrest said the women, beers in hand, were yelling, “We didn’t do anything!” as they were being cuffed.

The suspects were identified as Shanice Brown, 20, Starmeik Driggins, 19, Kimberly Molina, 20 and Sheyla Figueroa, 18, all from Brooklyn; Michelle Rodriguez, 19, from the Bronx; and Martha Bermudez, 17, and Sha-fteva Burdos, 17, from Queens.

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Seventh Day Adventist Church hosts spiritual retreat

Inspirational speaker Brenda Walsh was the main speaker at a spiritual retreat held April 28, at St. John’s Lutheran Church and hosted by the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Hot Springs.
Contributed

May 08, 2012 3:30 am

HOT SPRINGS - Nearly 100 ladies gathered at the St. John’s Lutheran Church meeting room on Saturday, April 28, for a spiritual retreat entitled “Passionate Prayer” and hosted by the Hot Springs Seventh Day Adventist Women’s Ministry program.

Brenda Walsh of 3ABN television was the highlight speaker for the day and presented her program with many inspirational stories in intermittent segments throughout the day.

The resulting, amazing stories were the mainstay of her presentation to the guests. She also relayed the subject of prayer and how it could help each attendee in their daily lives no matter how small or intricate the situation might be. Her theme “Pray About Everything” was another interesting part of her presentation.

The program began at 8:30 a.m. with registration. Two musical selections were presented by Becca Rittberger and Leyla Frie. Joanne O’Hare provided musical interludes on the piano to highlight the day.

Not wanting to leave out the men, a vespers service was held in the evening and began with an informal pot luck dinner and more inspirational stories and information given by Brenda Walsh.

The evening was rounded out with a book sale and book signing by Ms. Walsh.

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Secret Service needs more women in its ranks

By Joe Davidson, Published: April 24


Maybe the Secret Service has too much testosterone.

Would more female agents have made the sex scandal involving special agents and Colombian prostitutes less likely?

No one can answer that with any certainty, but the scandal does raise the issue of gender diversity among those who are willing to die for the president. There is very little diversity among them — about 90 percent of Secret Service agents are men.

The probability of the scandal happening “would have been reduced significantly” if there were more women on the Cartagena detail, said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.).

Greater gender diversity can set a different tone in “recreational liberties,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.)

Ironically, the first agent to investigate the scandal was a woman. Paula Reid, the special agent in charge of the Miami office who was in Cartagena at the time, ordered the offending personnel home.

Maloney cited a former agent quoted in Sunday’s Washington Post who said: “If every boss was Paula Reid, the Secret Service would never have a problem. It would be a lot more boring, but never a problem.”

Barbara Riggs was the agency’s highest-ranking female, deputy director, until her retirement in 2006 after 31 years of service. She said there’s no way to know whether more women in Cartagena would have made a difference, adding the question “does a disservice to men who serve honorably.”

When she joined the agency, women carrying guns was still a novel idea. The first woman in what is now the agency’s Uniformed Division was hired in 1970. The first five female special agents were sworn in the next year.

Of course, women also can act like “knuckleheads” — President Obama’s word. But there aren’t many of them to act good, bad or in any other way as agents in a force that still looks like a fraternity, a brotherhood, a good ol’ boys club.

It’s a status the agency says it wants to shake.

Diversity “is a continued agency priority that is critical to our success,” says its Web site, which also promotes “a comprehensive, proactive, model Equal Opportunity Program that is integrated into the agency’s mission.”

The agency runs the expected recruitment and diversity routes, but it doesn’t have many women to show for it.

Edwin M. Donovan, a special agent and spokesman for the agency, said its recruitment division targets pools of candidates in an effort to better diversify its workforce. Agency officials have engaged an outside recruitment service to find female applicants, and recruiters visit women’s colleges and participate in dozens of career fairs that focus on women.

Of those employed, seven of 45 special agents in charge of field offices are women, as are four deputy assistant directors out of 20. The chief of staff is a woman. About 25 percent of the whole workforce is female.

Those stats aren’t good, but at least they are a little better than the 11 percent women that Donovan said is the case with special agents.

So why is its record so bad?

Riggs cites the tremendous toll the job takes on personal lives.

“Being a special agent in the Secret Service, it’s not just a job, it’s not just a career,” she said. “It’s a lifestyle.”

The protection mission separates it even from other high-stress law-enforcement gigs.

“That requires people to be away from home for a significant amount of time,” she added. “There are some people who don’t want to make that commitment.” Particularly for women who are primary caregivers, “that’s a difficult position to be in.”

The 11 percent is a difficult position for the agency to be in.

“That doesn’t reflect America, and once you look at the overlay of race. . . . The Secret Service still has some work to do,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

He recalled a visit to the agency training facility in Laurel where “there was not a single African American in the class, maybe two Hispanics and a few women. . . . It was so shocking . . . virtually devoid of diversity, whether it was gender or race.”

Black agents filed a racial bias lawsuit against the agency in 2000. It’s still active litigation.

Riggs said the percentage of female agents steadily increased when she was on the job. But then, “it hit that 11 or 12 percent and just plateaued.”

That plateau is not a great place to be.

“They need to be aggressive in their outreach,” Jackson Lee said. “They need to do more.”


Previous columns by Joe Davidson are available at wapo.st/JoeDavidson. Follow the Federal Diary on Twitter: @JoeDavidsonWP


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Teaching from House to House

April 6

I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house. Acts 20:20.


Among the members of our churches there should be more house-to-house labor in giving Bible readings and distributing literature.... As we sow beside all waters we shall realize that “he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”

Christ’s example must be followed by those who claim to be His children. Relieve the physical necessities of your fellow men, and their gratitude will break down the barriers and enable you to reach their hearts.... Women as well as men can engage in the work.... They can do in families a work that men cannot do, a work that reaches the inner life. They can come close to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach. Their work is needed. Discreet and humble women can do a good work in explaining the truth to the people in their homes. The word of God thus explained will do its leavening work, and ... whole families will be converted....

In the home circle, at your neighbor’s fireside, at the bedside of the sick, in a quiet way you may read the Scriptures and speak a word for Jesus and the truth. Precious seed may thus be sown that will spring up and bring forth fruit....

There is missionary work to be done in many unpromising places. The missionary spirit needs to take hold of our souls, inspiring us to reach classes for whom we had not planned to labor and in ways and places that we had no idea of working. The Lord has His plan for the sowing of the gospel seed. In sowing according to His will, we shall so multiply the seed that His word may reach thousands who have never heard the truth.

Thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand angels are waiting to co-operate with members of our churches in communicating the light that God has generously given, that a people may be prepared for the coming of Christ.

Our sisters, the youth, the middle-aged, and those of advanced years, may act a part in the closing work for this time; and in doing this as they have opportunity, they will obtain an experience of the highest value to themselves. In forgetfulness of self, they will grow in grace.

Maranatha, p.104.

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Church offers drive-thru for Ash Wednesday

'It’s a drive-thru,' Ohio pastor says, 'Not a drive-by'

CINCINNATI — An Ohio church is offering a drive-thru Ash Wednesday blessing for parishioners who might be pressed for time.

The Rev. Patricia Anderson Cook of Mt. Healthy United Methodist Church in suburban Cincinnati plans to provide the service for people of all faiths and services beginning around 5 p.m. in the church's parking lot.

“Some people are very busy, and some people get a little intimidated walking into a church, this is for them," Cook told the Cincinnati Inquirer.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Christian season of Lent, which concludes after 40 days with the celebration of Easter.

In addition to ashes, Cook will provide a church brochure and a Lenten booklet.

“It’s a drive-thru,” she said. “Not a drive-by.”

The church is also offering a more traditional Ash Wednesday service inside at 7 p.m.


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Ash Wednesday: Episcopalians Take 'Ashes To Go' To The Streets

First Posted: 02/21/2012 12:33 pm Updated: 02/21/2012 12:33 pm

By Piet Levy

Religion News Service

(RNS) Five years ago, the Rev. Teresa K.M. Danieley had an epiphany of sorts. If people can grab breakfast on the go or pay a bill from their cell phone, she thought, why shouldn't they be able to get their ashes in a flash?

That's why, on Ash Wednesday 2007, Danieley planted herself in full priestly regalia at a busy intersection in St. Louis, smudging the sign of the cross on the foreheads of bicyclists, drivers and bus passengers.

This year, at least 49 Episcopal parishes across 12 states will offer ashes to passersby at train stations, bus stops and college campuses on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22) as Danieley's "Ashes to Go" concept spreads nationwide.

"We live in a time where we can't just sit back and wait for people to come to us," said Bishop Stacy F. Sauls, chief operating officer for the New York-based Episcopal Church. "We have to meet people where they actually are."

Danieley, the rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in St. Louis, said the idea was born in a Bible study discussion in late 2006 or early 2007. That first year, she offered a brief Ash Wednesday liturgy to about 75 or 100 people who crossed her path.

"It started sort of half-jokingly, but it became something pretty profound," Danieley said. "It's fulfilling a spiritual need but also a pragmatic need. It's showing flexibility in an institution often seen as very inflexible."


For at least some people, it's working. Kathleen Dimmich, a 26-year-old real estate agent, became an active St. John's parishioner after getting her ashes from Danieley in 2009.

"I had been in St. Louis for maybe a month and hadn't found a church yet," Dimmich said. The mobile Ash Wednesday program showed that St. John's "was obviously an active parish in my neighborhood, which was important to me."

That very same day that Dimmich first experienced Ashes to Go, the Rev. Emily A. Mellott held a 7 a.m. Ash Wednesday service at Calvary Episcopal Church in Lombard, Ill. Only three people showed up.

In 2010, Mellott decided to give her friend Danieley's idea a try and offered Ash Wednesday ashes during the morning rush hour. Within a year, she had 25 area churches participating.

"In my congregation, a lot of folks can't get to church, not just on a Wednesday but on a Sunday," Mellott said. "But there's a lot of people who really want to be able to claim the symbols of their faith and that relationship with God."

Last year, the Episcopal Church Foundation asked Mellott to write an Ashes to Go resource guide. It generated so much interest that Mellott created AshesToGo.org to detail churches' activities. In Dayton, Ohio, Christ Episcopal Church will host an ecumenical effort with Baptist, United Methodist and Presbyterian ministers; in College Station, Texas, St. Thomas Episcopal Church is offering tacos with the ashes.

While the program may never gain churchwide approval, it has the support of top church leaders like Sauls -- especially as active membership in the Episcopal Church has dropped 11 percent in the past five years.

"It's a really creative idea for how to crack the door open and engage people in a small way in their spiritual life this time of year," Sauls said.

Still, supporters acknowledge that convenience comes with compromises. Sauls said Ashes to Go misses the "full life of the community" experienced in a traditional church setting.

And within the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, where Ashes to Go is most popular, only about 20 to 25 percent of churches are participating, Mellott said. Some have declined for logistical reasons, while other leaders feel it's too lighthearted a concept for the start of the church's most solemn season of the year.

But Danieley rejects any notion that Ashes to Go is cheap grace.

"We can't pretend that the way we did things 50 years ago is what we should be doing today," she said. "When a church is seen as inflexible, it's seen as not in touch. What is more important: that someone participates in a meaningful liturgy or that they do it in a particular space?"

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Woman Pastor "Set Aside" in Australia

6 December 2011

Jared Wright

 

 

 

On a "High Sabbath" celebration in Melbourne, gender disparity in Adventism reached a low point.

On November 12, 2011, the Dallas Brooks Centre was packed with 2,500 Adventists who wanted to hear from General Conference president, Pastor Ted Wilson (“pastor” is the preferred title for church leaders in Australia). In addition to the large live audience, an estimated 800 additional groups tuned in to watch it online. The all-day program marked the first time many in Australia heard Wilson speak. The day’s events included preaching, orchestral music, a picnic lunch and a commissioning and ordination ceremony for three Adventist ministers. The day began with high expectations, but ended in a way that no one anticipated or wanted.

Ted Wilson, who was on a three-week trip through the South Pacific, preached Sabbath morning to the full house.

During the afternoon program, denominational leaders formally welcomed three individuals into Gospel ministry through commissioning and ordination: Danijela Trajkov, a pastor and director for the Victorian Conference Women’s Ministries Department; Cristian Copaceanu, a graduate of Avondale College and pastor in the Victorian Conference since 2006; and Iutini Rimoni, a pastor who is establishing a church plant in the northern suburb of Epping.

Along with her husband Nikola, Danijela Trajkov currently pastors five country churches in addition to serving in Women’s Ministries. A native of Croatia, she felt a calling to ministry as early as six years old. At that time, atheistic communist countries had six-day working weeks, with Sundays being a ‘day for rest.'

She further explained to Spectrum that,

Because none of his children attended school on Saturday, my father’s salary was penalized for each absence. We were bullied and abused by students and teachers alike, and I felt I had no rights – my only hope was Jesus, who loved me so much, and strengthened my faith more and more each day. My parents and I prayed for my education to continue, and a miracle happened the year I finished Primary: In that strongly communist country, God opened a door for the Church to operate an Adventist high school, and later the Theology faculty allowed girls.

In 1977, Danijela received a theology degree, and after a two-year internship, began a life of ministry that has now spanned more than three decades. She has also completed a Master of Ministry degree.

Now, on this Sabbath in Australia, she was to be commissioned (as is Seventh-day Adventist policy for women ministers) on the celebratory High Sabbath alongside her two younger male colleagues. In the Victorian Conference, commissioning is generally conducted in the same manner as is ordination--with a charge to the candidate, the laying on of hands, and a prayer of dedication and blessing. As an honored High Sabbath celebration guest, Ted Wilson was invited to offer the prayer of commissioning for Danijela Trajkov and of ordination for Cristian Copaceanu and Iutini Rimoni.

Moments before the program began, Wilson, citing a desire not to be seen as making a statement on women ministers and stating his discomfort with Danijela receiving the charge or being included in the prayer of ordination, declined to participate in the commissioning.

When the time came, Carole Ferch-Johnson, associate ministerial secretary of the Australian Union Conference, shared prepared remarks about the significance of commissioning and the biblical precedent for commissioning women. Victorian Conference secretary Darren Croft offered the prayer of commissioning as ministerial secretary Rob Steed together with Nikola Trajkov gathered around for the laying on of hands. After the prayer of commissioning, the plan was that Danijela and her husband would exit the platform and the two ordination candidates and their wives would enter the platform with Ted Wilson. However, a crowded stage made exiting impossible and the ordination candidates had already come onto the platform. So conference officials suggested that Danijela stay on stage as her male colleagues joined her.

Ted Wilson also came on to offer the prayer for them. Victorian Conference President G. Wayne Stanley read the charge to the two men, and then President Wilson noted that it was now time for the prayer of ordination and invited the two men to kneel. He neither looked at nor acknowledged Danijela, though she was standing right next to the ordinands. Then, in a turn simultaneously awkward and gracious, Danijela joined those laying hands on the two being ordained.

In response to a request for comment, Orville Parchment, assistant to President Ted Wilson, sent this statement:

It was Elder Wilson's understanding that the program for the ordination and commissioning services would be divided into two distinct sections with the commissioning service happening first and the ordination happening second. Elder Wilson joined the podium after the commissioning in order to participate in the ordination. Although pastor Trajkov continued to stand at the side of the other two candidates, Pastor Wilson’s remarks were prepared with the service of ordination in mind.

It became obvious to many in the audience that although Wilson intended to avoid making a statement on women ministers, he inadvertently made a strong statement by ignoring the woman and by directing his prayer only to the men.

While much was made of Wilson’s visit to Victoria and the High Sabbath celebration in general, nearly nothing was mentioned of the ordaining and commissioning in church media. The Record, the “Official News Magazine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church,” recorded snippets of Wilson’s remarks and provided comments on the Institute of Worship’s orchestra performance, but failed to report on the ordained and commissioned pastors at all. Unlike the practices of other Adventist media, The Record also refused to give permission to Spectrum to publish photos that its new editor took that day. The screen shot illustrating this article comes from the newsletter of the Victorian Conference, IntraVic, which did include a full page in its November issue providing biographical material on the three ministers, along with a short paragraph stating that Wilson was present. See the November issue (pdf download) of the IntraVic newsletter.

Numerous people approached Danijela afterward to share congratulations. Some asked why she seemed to be singled out. Too embarrassed to convey what really happened, she suggested that it might have to do with her age, or simply “ladies first.”

In the weeks that have elapsed since the event, she has received many letters of support, thanks and encouragement. One female correspondent from a former-Yugoslav church was deeply impressed by her genuineness of character. “I am so glad you are now ordained, as you deserve it,” the letter said with poignant inaccuracy.

Asked by Spectrum to share her reflections on the event, Danijela Trajkov responded with these comments, which we share unedited with her permission:

I praise God that I didn’t know nothing about changing the plan. I just allowed Holy Spirit to lead my thoughts toward Heaven, and I feel so humble before God when they prayed over me. But when they invited two young men up, and Pr Ted stand before them, asking their wives (with not very kind voice) to step back, I noticed that something is wrong. Then I felt humiliated, not worthy for his prayer. Why? Because God created me a woman. I have strong call for ministry from my childhood, and all my life I worked for my Lord – being not accepted, humiliated, even rejected as a woman; being told that I will never be pastor because I am a woman. So I learned through this journey how to rely on Jesus, the one who called me in ministry, and how to be strong in faith. I was ordained by Him long time ago, and nobody can deny it. I am so glad that Administrators in Victoria Conference recognised my call and acknowledged it. I am proud that I am SDA Minister woman to serve in the church and community where God sent me together with my husband ordained minister. He is my big support, and my son and daughter as well, who serve at the moment in mission field. My name is Danijela – it means “God has judged”, and He will one day. Until then my strength is in Him who will never let me down in a crisis.

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Relic to promote motherhood in Russia

Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish on Nov 12, 2011

A sacred relic, believed by some Orthodox Christians to be the belt of the Virgin Mary, is drawing thousands of Russian pilgrims in search of a cure for a myriad of ailments including infertility. But the treasure -- a 2,000 year old cincture woven from camel fur - is also having political resonance.Russian leaders have called the country's shrinking population a matter of national security and now the influential Orthodox church has joined the fight.It wants to take the relic to pregnancy centres to discourage women from having abortions and save mother Russia by promoting motherhood.Al Jazeera's Neave Barker reports from Samara.

Founder of the "baby hatch hospital" honored with Medal of Merit

Founder of the "baby hatch hospital" honored with Medal of Merit

18.11.2011:

Berlin, 09.11.2011 [APD-CH]. Gabriele Stangl, pastor of the Waldfriede Adventist hospital in Berlin-Zehlendorf, received the Medal of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (awarded by the Federal President Christian Wulff) from the mayor of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district, Norbert Kopp, in Berlin. The district office justified the award in a press release, as follows: "Mrs. Stangl advocates for women suffering psychosocial distress and for their babies in an impressive way: she started the 'baby hatch project' in the Waldfriede hospital in Berlin-Zehlendorf in 2000." Thus, desperate mothers can anonymously leave their babies in that baby hatch.

Gabriele was born in 1961 in Braunau am Inn, Austria. She studied theology and education at the Austrian Seventh-day Adventist Bogenhofen theological seminary. She also taught Hebrew, Old Testament subjects and German language for foreigners there, before starting to work as chaplain at the Wittelsbach Adventist nursing home, in the upper Bavarian Bad Aibling. She has been chaplain at the Waldfriede Hospital in Berlin since 1996. Three years ago, the "Association of Adventist Women", a private lay organization in Seattle, Washington State, named Gabriele Stangl "Woman of the Year 2008".

Bernd Quoss, managing director of the Waldfriede hospital, praised the "hard work structure" of the "baby hatch" founded by Pastor Stangl, who has now gained public recognition through this award. He stressed that the chaplain had done this work almost exclusively in her spare time and that she had had to struggle with a great deal of opposition.

The "cradle", as the "baby hatch" is called at Waldfriede hospital, is a green box. It is secluded at the rear of the clinic’s building A and is accessible by a single entrance which is not video-monitored. If a mother opens the hatch and puts her newborn in the baby hatch, sensors trigger a delayed alarm from the continuously manned gatehouse so that the mother has enough time to leave the area undetected, reported Stangl. The baby will be immediately brought to the nursery and placed under medical care. The hospital informs the youth office, which hands care over to a specially trained foster family. The mother can take back her child during the following eight weeks. If she doesn't do so, the baby is put up for adoption.

Pastor Stangl developed the idea of the baby hatch during her work as a hospital chaplain. "An 80-year-old woman spoke only on her deathbed about the killing of her child. A pregnant woman had to be sent away by the hospital because she was not ready to reveal her identity. When I heard that in Hamburg a baby hatch had been set up, I had the idea that a hospital is best suited for such a thing. I've found support not only in our clinic, but also among competent authorities", said Stangl.

About 20 newborns have been laid in the "baby cradle" over the last ten years and some 110 women have given birth anonymously in the hospital. "But 95 percent of the women who gave birth anonymously with us eventually found the courage to give up their anonymity after intensive psychological support", said Pastor Stangl. Sometimes, after a few months, mothers showed up to report that their children had been placed in the "cradle". One out of three women finally keeps the baby. But most of the other women who give their babies up for adoption want their children to find out later who their mother is. The average age of these women is between 27 and 34. "Each of these women is terrified for various reasons that her pregnancy might become known", said the hospital chaplain.

By: APD-CH

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P.S. An Adventist Woman pastor wearing a necklace??? The New Theology is here!

Lorna Linda Victoria Church Ordains Woman Pastor

Adventist Today January-February 1996, page 19:

Sheryll Prinz-McMillan, pastor of the Victoria Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loma Linda, was ordained to the gospel ministry in her church on Sabbath, December 2. Jerry Davis, director of chaplaincy at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, delivered the sermon, reminding the ordinand that she is a needed flute in a band of loud trombones. Fritz Guy, professor of theology at La Sierra University, played a key role in organizing this ordination, and he offered the ordination prayer.

Prinz-McMillan responded to her ordination by inviting all to live by the Spirit in lifting one another up for the common task of ministry.

"In a sense this ordination is more significant than those at Sligo and La Sierra in that it represents a small, predominantly working class church choosing to ordain its woman pastor," commented La Sierra University church historian Paul Landa. The sanctuary, which seats only 125 comfortably, had twice that number in attendance, with little standing room. The three women ministers recently ordained at the Sligo Church in Maryland were present, as well as many visitors and some 25 ordained ministers who joined in the laying-on-of-hands in ordination.

According to Steve Daily, chaplain at La Sierra, these two local ordination services on December 2, at La Sierra and at the Victoria church, have been in the planning stages for several months, and were not intended to defy the world church. Rather, like the Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church ordination which preceded them, they were meant to recognize the calls to ministry received by the women who were ordained until those calls are acknowledged by the world church.

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Forest Lake Church

Staff


Pastoral Staff


Geoff Patterson - Senior Pastor

Roger Anderson - Church Administrator

Evan Chesney - Minister of Music

Delwin Finch - Pastor for Web Ministries

Sanford Graves - Psy. D. - Counseling Ministries

Dany Hernandez - Pastor for Collegiate and Young Adult Ministries

Patty Hofer - Pastor for Worship and Media Ministries

Floyd Powell/Harold Howard - Pastors for Seniors and Visitation

Barbara McCoy - Pastor for Children and Women's Ministries

Mark Reams - Pastor for Youth Ministries

Sabine Vatel - Pastor for Discipleship

Auxiliary Associate Pastors


Marion Kidder - Pastoral Care

Michael Lay - Pastoral Care

Tracey Mastrapa - Family Ministries

Administrative Staff


Lisa Butler

Debbie Pinto

Kirk Campbell

Joyce Mansell


http://www.forestlakechurch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=23&Itemid=82


P.S. -----The Forest Lake Church, Apopka, Florida

Security and Prevention Fair

[Video]Security and Health Fair

Friday, 26 August 2011 00:21

On August 21 the Women's Ministry of the Vienna Spanish SDA Church District (Herndon, Centreville) organized a Security and Prevention Fair, in partnership with INOVA Health System, Congregational Health Partnership, Fairfax County Firefighters and the Vienna Battalion Pathfinder Club.

Hispanic Women's Ministry Health Fairs from Potomac Conference on Vimeo.

The Pathfinder Club distributed fliers around the community surrounding the church premises days before de activity. During the event they were also in charge of security, they performed a skit and had a marching exhibition to familiarize the community with their activities. We are very grateful for the commitment that each pathfinder showed during the fair and for their Director Zulamir Torres.

The theme of the fair Security and Prevention, had to do with ways to prevent daily situations that could produce physical or material harm.
INOVA Health System, through Mrs. Maria Schaart (Program Manager), gave a seminar addressing health prevention issues that could affect families. Her department also gave away swaddle blankets that prevent sudden death of babies.
Wylen Lien Fairfax County Firefighters representative gave a seminar on home prevention issues and with her team played with children and gave away presents.

The children were very thankful to Amerigroup who put a moon bounce for them to play. Their team also shared insights of the best ways to secure health insurance for those that have low income.
Mariela Diaz of Advanced Ophthalmology, provided important information in how to take proper care of the eyes and also registered people for free health exams that will be provided in the Health Fair that the Women's Ministry is organizing on September 18 from 2 to 6 p.m.

The Women's Ministry is actively working in and outside the church so that the community may get to know the gospel through the activities the church offers. For that purpose they meet on a monthly basis to study the Bible, pray and share experiences through a program called "MUCH CLOSER TO HIM".

Story By: Ana Maria Benzaquen

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Women's Ordination Debate Heats Up In Bermuda

On 26 February 2011 in Bermuda, the very first woman elder was ordained at Restoration SDA Church. This act now paves the way for the ordination of the first woman pastor in the region. It has also sparked a great debate in the membership of the church. Many individuals are searching their Bibles to see what it has to say on the subject and taking sides on which side of the argument they ascribe to. With all that is going on, we have found it necessary to assist CRCB members in understanding why arguments are being made against women's ordination. Therefore, please read the whole book, Searching the Scriptures by Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, now available here. If you do not have time to read it in its entirety, please read chapter 5. Thanks!


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Jennifer Deans ordained/commissioned at Vienna SDA church

Tuesday, 26 July 2011 18:36

On a very warm Sabbath afternoon July 23, 2011, Jennifer Deans' family, friends and church members joined together to celebrate a milestone in the life of this young pastor. A number of Jennifer's friends and family took part in ordination/commisioning program, sharing their thoughts, reading from Bible and singing several songs.

Gary Genser, senior pastor of the Vienna church, opened the program. "It was clearly one of the most spiritually-moving ordination/commissioning services I've ever attended," Genser said. "The depth of the sermon, the holiness and conviction of the prayers, the sincerity and beauty of the music and the testimony of the other presenters, really touched the congregation – the joy and affirmation of Pastor Dean's ministry was clearly visible."

As the Youth/Associate pastor of the Vienna Church, Jennifer was honored to be the latest woman within the Potomac Conference to be ordained/commissioned to serve as a pastor within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. "It was such an honor to see the support from my family, friends and the conference – it was a wonderful reminder of who we serve."

Bill Miller, president of the Potomac Conference, had the privilege of giving the ordination/commissioning homily. Drawing on the lessons of Luke 4, Miller encouraged Jennifer to always remember that God chooses those He needs to preach the Word, and as such, it's critical that she spend quality time with God as one of His chosen. "As I reflect on the program, I was touched by the outpouring of support the Vienna Church showered on Jennifer. Being called to serve is very humbling, and also very rewarding. We know that Jennifer will touch many lives throughout her ministry, and we're proud to have her serving here in the Potomac Conference."

At the conclusion of the ceremony, all the ordained ministers who were in the congregation were invited to come up and lay hands on Jennifer and her husband, Kevin. When asked what she would want people to remember from this event, Jennifer responded, "Just because pastors are called and publicly recognized, people shouldn't minimize their individual roles within evangelism. Jesus is calling every one of us to be his witnesses, and we need to live in that calling every day."

Story by Dan Jensen; Photos by David Hittle

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Women march for change

Equality, education, better life goals of International Women's Day
Agence France-Presse

An anti-Gbagbo protester cries during a demonstration Tuesday in the Ivory Coast, where a disputed presidential election has sparked gun battles, including one that resulted in the deaths of seven women.Photograph by: Thierry Gouegnon, Reuters, Agence France-PresseWomen worldwide took to the streets Tuesday to mark the 100th International Women's Day, with protests against honour killings, the objectification of women in Italy and the shooting of seven women in Ivory Coast.

Drawing inspiration from the boardrooms of Finland and the toppling of autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, demonstrators staked their claim for equality, education and a better life.

A month before Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi goes on trial over allegations he paid an underage prostitute for sex, hundreds of women rallied in Rome. "Here women have sex with someone powerful to get into parliament. Women are treated like objects. I'm ashamed to have a prime minister like Berlusconi," said protester Irene D'Onfronio, 62.

In Turkey, women chanted "Don't turn our wedding dresses into shrouds" as they marched against honour killings, the murder of women by male family members because the women are deemed to have brought shame on their families.

Hundreds of women demonstrated in Ivory Coast, meanwhile, to condemn the killing of seven women at a rally last week demanding that strongman Laurent Gbagbo quit the presidency after losing elections.

In Guatemala, where nearly 700 women were killed in 2010, the head of a commission on "femicide" called for a specific statute on the killing of women.

Palestinian women took to the streets of Gaza to call for an end to the Israeli occupation. In the West Bank town of Beit Ummar, dozens of women blocked a major road for half an hour to protest Israeli roadblocks.

The European Union used the occasion to hail women's "crucial role in bringing about change in northern Africa."

"Amidst violence, women have joined the struggle for change," said the two female vice-presidents of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton and Viviane Reding. "Women must be at the heart of the discussions over the future order."

Whether in T-shirts and jeans or robes and veils, tens of thousands of women have recently made their voices heard on the streets from Tunis to Cairo and from Manama to Sanaa to demand reform in a region long ruled by autocracies.

Many around the world focused on gender equality, which OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria called "a moral imperative as well as an economic necessity."

"As we confront the scars of the financial crisis and search for new sources of growth, we cannot waste women's economic contributions," he said.

Visiting Finland, whose political leadership is top-heavy with women, U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden echoed the call, saying education of girls was the key to future global stability.

"The single most significant thing we can do in the 21st century to improve the prospect of peace and security is to educate more women," Biden said as he stood alongside Finnish President Tarja Halonen.

Biden praised gender equality in Finland, where the president, prime minister and opposition leader are all women.

In Greece, where the economic crisis has thrown disproportionately more women out of work, feminists staged a flash mob dubbed "Three Minutes Without Women" in a central square of Athens.

In Norway, the first country in the world to force large companies to gender balance their boardrooms, officials said the quotas should be extended to more companies.

The feminization of boardrooms "is going much too slowly," Trade and Industry Minister Trond Giske said.

A Moroccan human rights group called for the kingdom to enscribe gender equality in the constitution.

A leading rights activist in Morocco, where laws protecting girls from forced marriages are poorly enforced, blamed entrenched mindsets. In 2004, the minimum age of marriage for women was raised to 18 from 15, unless a judge grants special permission. Still, about 42,000 requests to marry minors were made in 2009, mostly in rural areas.

Cambodian women were unable to mark the day publicly as authorities banned a rally amid growing concern about a crackdown on freedom of expression in the country.

WOMEN'S DAY

HISTORY

International Women's Day was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19, 1911. More than one million women and men attended rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, hold public office and end discrimination.

HEALTH

On average, women live six to eight ? ? years longer than men globally.

In 2007, women's life expectancy ? ? at birth was more than 80 years in 35 countries, but only 54 years in the WHO African Region.

Girls are far more likely than boys ? ? to suffer sexual abuse.

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EDUCATION

The ratio of girls' to boys' enrolment ? ? has steadily improved, reaching 97 girls per 100 boys at primary level, 96 girls per 100 boys at secondary level and 108 women per 100 men at tertiary level in 2008.

Women are nearly two-thirds of the ? ? world's 759 million illiterate adults.

Access to university-level ? ? education remains highly unequal, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. In these regions, only 67 and 76 girls per 100 boys, respectively, are enrolled in tertiary education.

On average, across 121 countries ? ? with available data, women account for 29 per cent of researchers, and only 15 per cent of countries have achieved gender parity.

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POLITICAL PARITY

Between 1995 and 2010, the share ? ? of women in parliament, on a global level, increased from 11 per cent to 19 per cent a gain of 73 per cent, but far short of gender parity.

Progress in women's ? ? representation in executive branches of government is even slower. In 2010, just nine of 151 elected heads of state and 11 of 192 heads of government were women. Globally, women held only 16 per cent of ministerial posts.

Reuters

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What Does The Bible Teach About A Woman's Role In The Church, Home and Government?

General Conference SDA - Inter-American Division
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Commissioning Ceremony
Martinique, Nov. 6, 2010 [Photo: Libna Stevens]

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Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
1996 David L. Brown


In 1963 Betty Freidan s book, The Feminine Mystique, was published and it popped the lid off "Pandoras Box" releasing the Womans Liberation Movement. American culture has not been the same since. Womans lib has touched every facet of American culture and now it is increasingly coming into the evangelical and fundamental church.

This past year my aunt Mildred died. She was one of the almost 4,000 ordained and licensed women in the Assemblies of God.

I was brought up in the United Methodist Church. I remember on more than one occasion having a woman preacher in the pulpit. In fact, there are 4,743 women "clergy" in the ranks of the United Methodists today. One of them pastors the Methodist church in this town.

Our family briefly vacationed in Florida this past winter. We stayed with a retired Christian friend. I had been the assistant pastor of this womans husband back in the early 70s. We attended church with her the Sunday we were there. It was a Southern Baptist Church. I was shocked when a woman got up and preached the sermon. Upon doing some research I find that there are about 1000 ordained Southern Baptist women clergy despite a 1984 Convention resolution stating that the Scripture "excludes women from pastoral leadership." In a September 1993 meeting of the SBC Executive Committee, a measure to expel congregations for ordaining women was rejected unanimously.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has 2,419 female leaders. In 1979 the United Presbyterian Church, forerunner of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., adopted a resolution REQUIRING the congregations to elect women elders. This politically correct denomination also voted to ban the ordination of any man who opposed women clergy and gave such men 10 years to change their minds or get out (EP News Service, June 21, 1980).

The United Church of Christ has 1,803 female leaders while the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has 1,358 ordained women.

The Episcopal Church in the United States, which approved women's ordination in 1976, has more than 1,000. The Episcopalians ordained the first Anglican female bishop in 1989. The General Synod of the "mother church" in England endorsed the concept of female priests in 1993. In 1991 Queen Elizabeth paved the way for female priests by appointing a woman as one of her royal chaplains in Scotland.

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, though more conservative than other Lutheran bodies, is beginning to allow women to preach in regular worship services. A survey showed that about 1,000 LCMS clergymen maintain that the Bible is not opposed to the ordination of women (Christian News, Feb. 13, 1989).

The focus of this study is going to be, What Does The Bible Teach About A Womans Role In The Church? If you read the April 8, 96 issue of Christianity Today you might be convinced woman preachers are OK. Is that true?

I think a good place to begin is to point out the fact that...

THE LORD LOVES WOMEN AS MUCH AS HE DOES MEN

Linda and I recently attended a biblical counseling seminar. One of the topics that Dr. Ed Bulkley was addressing was the biblical chain of command and how it related to men and women. He shared a little statement that may be helpful to you, it was to me -- In soul men and women are equal (Gal. 3:28). In role & function there are differences (Eph 5:23; 1 Tim 2:12).

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

This verse points out the fact that the spiritual standing of every human being regardless of nationality, class or gender is the same. I like the way one author put it, "the ground is level at the cross. Women matter as much as men..." That is true when our spiritual standing is in focus! And that is clear to see from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and the apostles.

Jesus taught woman and was ministered to by them --
Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Jesus was supported financially by women --
Luke 8:3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

Women were among the first to be saved --
Acts 16:13-15 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. 14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

Lydia was one of the first European converts to Christ.

I refer you back to an earlier quote -- "the ground is level at the cross." There is no difference in the spiritual standing between men and woman. A Christian woman has as much access to God as a man does. God cares about his children regardless of their nationality, race or gender.

THE ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN ARE DIFFERENT

Though the spiritual standing of men and women are the same before God, he has ordained that men assume the leadership role in the church and home and that women assume the support role. From the dawn of creation men and women were created for different roles, that is clear. Gen 2:18 & 20-24 show that God created Eve from Adam to be his "help meet" (helper or aid).

Genesis 2:21-24 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Note that the support role of women was established before the fall. (See 1 Cor. 11:7-9 for further support). The role of a wife is to support her husband, to make him successful.

Now, if man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and love; if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness. But both Eve and Adam sinned. Turn to --

Genesis 3:16-17 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened (obeyed) unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

The first role reversal in the marital relationship came when Eve submitted to the serpent and not God or her husband and when Adam obeyed Eve and not God. As a result God said that the husband would rule over his wife and she was to submit to his headship. The word rule means to govern or to have dominion.

Now, perhaps you are wondering what does this have to do with the church and the womans role in the church.

A WOMANS ROLE IN THE CHURCH

To answer that question we need to look at -- 1 Timothy 2:11-14 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not (do not allow) a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

These verses do not leave much to the imagination. First, a woman could and should be a learner. But she is not to teacher or preach the Word to men. That would obviously preclude a woman from being a pastor or deacon. Titus 2:4 clarifies that a woman can teach women and children.

I will conclude todays message by turning your attention to 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Let your women keep silence (to hold their peace) in the churches: for it is not permitted (given liberty) unto them to speak (preach, speak); but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Biblically, a woman can neither be a pastor or deacon in the church. Neither is she to teach the Word to men. Having said that, I want to make it clear that woman are important to the church and do important things. Their ministry is to revolve around support, service and ministry to woman and children.

The woman who fulfills the role God established for her is not inferior but is a Godly woman.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MEN FAIL TO LEAD?

God has established in His Word that men are to be the leaders in the home, church and society. The Biblical role of women is a support role. But what happens when men fail to fulfill their leadership obligation? There is a very sobering passage of scripture that answers this question, Isaiah 3:1-12. There are two verses in this passage that I want to look at -- Verses 4 & 12 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

These verses indicate that when men fail to lead as they should then women and children will fill the vacuum. When that happens the results are disastrous. God sends judgment when he is disobeyed. There are several biblical examples to support this. Queen Jezebel is one example (1 Kings 18, 19 & 21) of a woman who usurped her husbands authority. She persecuted the prophets of God and put a price on Elijahs head. As for child oppressors, consider for a moment the rule of Manasseh. He was installed as king at age 12. His reign was long and wicked (696-642 B.C.) and the Lord blames him for the downfall of Judah (2 Kings 21:10-16).

I want to make it clear. Gods perfect will is for men to lead in government, in the home and in the church. It is Gods perfect will for women to assume the support roles in the home, church and perhaps the government not the leadership roles. When men are strong and obedient to Gods commands, there is not a serious problem with what the women, particularly when the women are obedient to Gods will. But when men are weak, lazy or cowardly, there are going to be problems. When men are not obeying God and not being spiritually what they are supposed to be, God responds in judgment by allowing a role reversal to take place, that is dominant women and oppressive children.

Thats why there are major problems in homes, churches and government in our day. Thats why the youth crime rate is going ballistic. Thats why women are "wearing the pants" in the family and the church. Thats why more women are being elected to public office.

How Do You Explain Deborah?
Perhaps there are those who are wondering, "If you really believe that men are to be in the leadership roles and women in the support roles, then how do you explain Deborah (Judges 4:4-5)? Why did God make Deborah a judge in Israel?" The answer is not difficult. God's perfect will is for men to lead, but when men will not assume their responsibilities, God uses women. The men in Deborah's day were weak and chicken-hearted. Barak, the captain of the armies of Israel, proves this to be true. He refused to go into battle unless Deborah went with him. Deborah had to remind him that God had said it is time to fight. Deborah had to encourage and challenge him to go. Deborah had to go with him!

"And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go" Judges 4:8

Deborah clearly realized that this was neither right nor natural for her to have the leadership position. She even tells Barak it would result in shame upon his name. "And she said, I will surely go with thee; notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; FOR THE LORD SHALL SELL SISERA INTO THE HAND OF A WOMAN..." Judges 4:9.

Obviously it was a period in Israel's history during which God could find no man to do His will, so He used a brave, willing woman.

The root problem in Deborah's day was spiritual apostasy. Where there is spiritual apostasy in a nation, a church, or a home, God sends his judgment by rendering the men powerless against their enemies. He removes discernment and true wisdom from their thinking.

This is exactly what is happening in our nation today. We are under Gods judgment because our leaders are weak and godless. Thats why parents cannot control our little children, and women are in places of leadership where they should not be. It is God's judgment because of the apostate condition of professing Christendom. Just as Israel in Deborah's day was in bondage to their enemies because of their apostasy so America is walking down that same path. Men, we need to get back to the Biblical chain of command --

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Men, we need to be the kind but firm leaders in our homes and churches that God has ordained in His Word. Colossians 3:19 gives husbands an important command -- In doing a word study of the phrase be not bitter I found the idea is, dont treat your wife harshly which makes her bitter. Thats good advice.

HOW CAN WOMEN SERVE CHRIST & HIS CHURCH?

While it is clear that women are not to be preachers, deacons, teachers or spiritual leaders because that would place them in a leadership role over men (1 Tim 2:11-14 & 1 Cor 14:34-35) there are other things that women can and should do.

Women can teach & evangelize other women
Titus 2:3-5 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Mature Christian women are to disciple the younger woman teaching them to exercise self-control (be sober), to be affectionate to their own husbands, to be fond of their children, to be self-restrained in their passions and desires (discreet), modest and focused sexually only on her own husband (chaste), domestic, a stayer at home, upright in character (good), and obedient to her husband.

Further, women can and should minister the word to other women as well. Turn to Acts 21:8-11. In this passage we will see that Philip the evangelist had 4 unmarried daughters that ministered the word of God. Some point to this passage as evidence that women can be preachers, but the context shows differently. Paul and his helpers stayed with Philip and his family. But when God wanted to reveal something to Paul prophetically, he did not use any of Philips daughters. He used a male prophet from another city named Agabus. This shows us that the girls ministry must have been with among other women. Lets read the passage.

And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. 10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

Women can assist and serve in the church in a variety of areas
Romans 16:1-2 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

The word translated servant is the Greek word diakonos (dee-ak'-on-os). It literally means to run on errands; an attendant, a waiter at table or in other serving duties. The word in the masculine gender is diakoneo(s) (dee-ak-on-eh'-o) appears in the New Testament about 68 times and is translated serve, minister, administer every time but 5. Five times the word refers to the office of a deacon that can only be held by men (1 Tim 3:8-13; Acts 6:1-7). I bring this up because there are some who try to say that Phebe held the office of a deacon. She did not. She was a servant, a helper around the church and she succoured (assisted, helped or was hospitable) to many, including Paul.

Turn to 1 Timothy 5:9-10 Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work.

You might wonder why I have turned you to this passage. This passage gives the qualifications for widows that were considered worthy of regular support by the local church. She was to have a history of good works, been a faithful mother, been hospitable to strangers, been willing to serve fellow Christians in menial ways, as well as help those who are in distress. In short, she has a history of diligent labor for the Lord.

Acts 9:36-39 gives us the example of this kind of woman. Her name was Tabitha or Dorcas. She had made clothes for many of the believers. May the Lord raise up many Godly women like Dorcas in this church. Women with a servants heart.

Women can share the gospel in a private context
Priscilla and Aquila shared the Gospel with Apollos privately. It was a team effort but it is clear from the passage that she took part (Acts 18:26). I believe the Bible allows women can share the gospel in a non-public context with a man if the opportunity presents itself as long as 1) it is done with the husbands permission 2) it is done discreetly and 3) as long as she avoids the appearance of evil.

Further, women can be involved in support roles in church or missionary work. Philippians 4:2-4 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

I will conclude by saying I praise the Lord for all the women who follow the Biblical model. May God increase your number. Likewise I praise the Lord for men who are striving to be what they should be spiritually. We need you. We need MORE of you.

E-mail: FirstBaptistChurchOC@gmail.com
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