Miami, Florida, United States…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
In a spirit of unity and fellowship, women throughout the entire Inter-American Division territory met for the first ever Women in Leadership Summit at the Headquarter office in Miami, Florida, Jan. 24-26. More than 160 women from institutions, publishing ministries,
missions, conferences and unions in the territory attended the event.
The Division’s Women Ministries Department sponsored the summit to cater to the women in leadership positions for continued education.
“This event was part of a strategic plan that was planned earlier in this quinquennium,” says Waveney Martinborough, Women’s Ministries director for the church in Inter-America. “We wanted to bring women leaders for training reinforcement.”
Although the original plan was to invite only the women’s ministries directors at the union level, the invitations were extended to women in all leadership positions throughout the vast territory, according to Martinborough.
The summit began with a special program and a keynote address by Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America.
In his message, Pastor Leito provided illustrations from the Bible that show there is a place for women in leadership.
“You must make a difference where you are,” Pastor Leito said. “Open ways for others to follow and mentor women not to shy away from assuming leadership in God’s cause.”
Women from the General Conference were invited to speak for seminars on a broad range of subjects the importance of planning and working your plan, dealing with challenges of women leaders, relating to gender differences, dealing with harassment in the workplace, being a good leader, and mentoring the next generation of women leaders, among others.
In between seminars and group discussions, each union leader represented was able to report on the highlights of their work in their respective territory.
For Judith Smith, Publishing Ministries director at the Caribbean Union territory, the summit was a source of strength.
“[The summit] has helped me and encouraged me to improve my skills, especially my people skills and expressing empathy in leadership as I interact with field workers,” she says. “I was particularly impressed with the seminar on sexual harassment. Literature evangelists face some of these challenges as they visit homes, so the techniques and the advice given would help me to be able to disseminate information that would help my colporteurs in dealing with customers when they visit on the field.”
More than 80% of the literature evangelists in Smith’s union territory are women.
The event was a special experience for Raiza de Ramirez, Women Ministries Director at the East Venezuela Mission.
“It was very inspiring to listen to the other women leaders throughout the territory of the division; not only their reports, but the efforts they commit in furthering the work of the Lord,” she says. “I’m sure that many of the strategies they shared I will take and implement in my mission so that we can collaborate in the advancement of the church work in our territory.”
Mrs. Ramirez adds how important the seminars will be for the more than 300 women leaders that are actively involved in women’s ministries in her territory.
The history-making event came to a close with a special message by Mrs. Martinborough as she reflected on what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, with adapted words: “Let no one put you down because you are female leaders,” she said. “Believe in yourself not with arrogance but with confidence in the Lord Jesus. Be an example in what you say in love, faith, purity and with integrity… you must live what you preach…what you say and do must match so everyone will respect you.”
She closed by challenging everyone to devote to the reading of the Word of God.
Mrs. Martinborough also announced that she is not planning to return as the department’s head after the General Conference Session in July of this year.
