Africa-Indian Ocean Division
* The Mali-Mifem Chapter met for a spiritual retreat, under the direction of Sister Karame' K. Samoke', Shepherdess coordinator for the chapter. At the end of the meetings many women rededicated their lives to the Lord.
* Leola Whaley, Shepherdess Coordinator for the Division reports that pastoral wives in this division meet only once or twice a year because of the distances and travel costs involved. Three of their Unions have suffered from tribal war. Please remember to pray for the pastoral wives living in these areas.
* West Africa Union Mission—The Union shepherdesses from the Ghana fields met in Techiman, Ghana, for a five-day retreat that centered on "The Pastor's Wife in Today's World." This was the first retreat of its kind to be held in the Union. Mrs. Alice Sackey, Shepherdess coordinator for the Union and her husband, Pastor E. 0. Sackey, Union president directed the retreat. Presentations included: "Team Ministry," "The Roles and Responsibilities of the Pastor's Wife in the Church and Community," "The Pastor's Wife and Marriage and Intestate Laws," "Family Life," "The Shepherdess and Her Prayer Life," and "The Pastor's Wife and the Changing World." The 52 participants felt happy about the retreat and suggested that it be held twice yearly so more time can be given for meaningful interaction. Leola Whaley, division Shepherdess coordinator, attended the meetings.
* Sahel Union Mission—Inge Gray, Benin Mission Coordinator, writes that the pastoral wives were invited to attend the annual workers' meetings. The theme for the shepherdesses was "Reflecting the Beauty of Jesus," and they learned ways to better reflect the beauty of Jesus in the family, the church, and the community. Other topics discussed were: "The Fruits of the Spirit," "Resolution of Conflicts," "Spiritual Gifts," and "The Pastoral Family." The three-day meeting climaxed with a meal and the Lord's Supper for the pastoral couples. The Benin Chapter is the only active chapter in the Sahel Union.
* Nigeria Union Mission—The bi-annual Shepherdess seminar met in Lagos, Nigeria. The two-day seminar focused on "The Virtuous Shepherdess." Seminar directors were Mrs. R. Babalola, Shepherdess coordinator, and Pastor I. A. Ekpendu, ministerial secretary for the Union.
Euro-Africa Division
* Margarida Sarli recently went to the Portuguese Union. In the Azores she met with the pastoral wives of the islands and visited the interested people in a week of reaping evangelism in S. Miguel and Terceria. On the continent, she conducted two meetings with the pastoral wives and discussed the topic of the importance of the pastoral family in the ministry.
Euro-Asia Division
* Approximately 50 Shepherdess Coordinators from all over the vast Euro-Asia Division met for three days with Sharon Cress in Moscow. Olga Murga and Nancy Wilson, co-coordinators for the Division hosted the meetings. Coordinators received seminars on how to build self-esteem in the pastoral wives, sexual ethics for professionals and Para-professionals in ministry, and organizing their personal time priorities.
Far Eastern Division
* Central Luzon Conference pastoral wives met together during the Ministerial Retreat and had a lively discussion on "The 27 Ordeals Faced by Ministers" led by Pastor and Mrs. Mar Sique of NPUM and PUC respectively. Creative testimonies about "How to Minister to Your Husband-Minister" highlighted one of the meetings. A pajama party hosted by Shepherdess culminated with a truckload of gifts going to zany, lucky winners!
* Linda Koh has been appointed as the new Shepherdess Coordinator for the Far Eastern Division. Linda comes with a wealth of varied experiences as a pastoral wife. She succeeds Nancy Bassham who faithfully served pastoral wives so unselfishly for several years. Nancy and Steve recently moved to the United States.
Inter-American Division
* Affirming the valuable service pastoral wives give as volunteers to our church and for their consistent support to their pastor/husbands in their ministerial duties, the Inter-American Division voted, at their year-end meetings, to give their pastoral wives a most tangible resource. Beginning with the Fourth Quarter 1994 the division translated the Shepherdess International Journal into Spanish, printed it in magazine format, and mailed it to every Spanish-reading pastoral wife in the Division. Over 2,000 copies were mailed. In addition to this, the Division is sending 300 copies of the English edition to the English-reading pastoral wives. Praise the Lord for godly administrators who invest in dedicated pastoral wives. May their numbers increase!
Middle East Union
* Pauline Mastromihalis from Cyprus recently completed a new project with COS students, Using the theme of ecology, the school put on a program and distributed fact sheets on ways to recycle and protect the environment. At the end of the presentation, trees to plant, greeting cards, and book marks were sold. The proceeds went to help the Day Care Center in Assuit, Egypt.
North American Division
* Pastoral wives from the Texico Conference met together for three days of meetings with Sharon Cress during carripmeeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
* "Shepherdess Night" at the Southeastern Conference Carnpmeeting in Hawthorne, Florida, had pastoral wives presenting the entire evening program. Under the theme of "Love International," the Shepherdess Choir filled the auditorium with inspirational and heart-warming music. Sharon Cress presented the sermon about living love in the pastoral home. The nightly offering was collected by the pastoral wives to be used in their traditional scholarship fund.
* Gulf States Conference pastoral wives Shepherdess meetings during the August Ministers' Meeting featured seminars on health, money management, making dried flower craft pictures, and a special "Best Bargain/Thrift Store Fashion Show." Reports were that most of the ladies left after the "fashion show" with sore sides from laughing so hard. The women reported it was a blessing to be able to fellowship together and encourage each other. They look forward to the time when Jesus comes and we can all be together in heaven.
Southern Asia Division
*The Southern Asia Division has become, along with the Inter-America Division, one of the first to distribute a copy of the Shepherdess Internationai Journal to every English-reading pastoral wife in the Division. Margaret Nathaniel, Shepherdess coordinator for the Division, reports that approximately 1,000 copies of the Fourth Quarter 1994 issue were mailed to pastoral wives throughout the Southern Asia Division, Praise God from whom all blessings flow to pastoral wives!
Chaplaincy Services
* In Orlando, Florida, Margarida Sufi spoke to the chaplains' wives during the chaplains' workshop. About 40 attended and heard about the importance of maintaining a strong family life while performing caring ministry.
General Conference
* Fifty administrative wives met together for four days during the Annual Council session at the General Conference headquarters. Sandra Pearson presented a seminar on "The Devotional Life of the Pastoral Wife," and Merlo Bock gave a seminar on "Osteoporosis." A VIP tour of the White House and a shopping trip to Potomac Mills Outlet Mall completed the days of fellowship.