Southern Asia Division
* Julia James, Associate Director for Special Ministries to Pastors's Wives, reports her experience in training and working with pastors' wives in her division.
Pastor James and I joined the Southern Asia Division office staff in 1993 with a special assignment —to train the unemployed ministerial workers' wives for team ministry. We conducted Training programs for them. The subjects taught were: Bible Doctrines, Life and Teachings of Jesus, Role of a Pastor's Wife, Personal Evangelism, and Comparative Religious and Practical Activities.
The Ministerial and Personal Ministries Directors of Unions and Sections assisted us in this training program. I taught the Role of a Pastor's Wife in the home, in the church and in the community. The Bible classes were taught for ten days each year in all the sections and regions for three years.
While they were still in the training program the Division absorbed them into ministry and gave them a stipend. Now there are 300 women involved in Team Ministry. Participation in Evangelism During this training period the women were given a Bible, a song book and a baptismal manual in their own languages and were sent to their towns and villages to reach out to nonbelievers. The ready acceptance of this program is proof that Adventist women are eager to fulfill God's commission of warning the dying world of Jesus' soon return.
They actively participated in evangelistic meetings at Machilipatnam in South Andhra conducted by Pastor I. James and brought in seven souls for baptism. One couple was a freedom fighter and his wife. Another meeting was conducted at Hugely in West Andhra and 25 souls were brought to the fold by these women.
Mrs. Bharathi Thompson established four churches in Bangalore by visiting homes and praying for their needs. When the prayers were answered, people believed in the true God and accepted Jesus as their Savior. Mrs. Bharathi Thompson is now a regularized evangelist in Karnataka Section.
Like her there are many dedicated Bible Women, They are a great asset to their pastoral husbands.
Girupai John Mayavelu, a convert from a Pentecostal church, married an Adventist Minister. After attending the Bible Training she proved the seventh-day Sabbath truth from the Bible to her old Pentecostal sisters. As a result, 37 precious souls were added to our church. When we do our part, the Holy Spirit does His part.
The women are ready to carry God's word to every home where men cannot reach with the truth and prepare their families to meet Jesus when He comes the second time to take His faithful ones home.
Our pastors' wives are great instruments in reaching Hindus and Muslims. The Seventh-day Adventist Church began with sacrifice by women for Christ and it will accomplish its work by the dedication of women in the last days. The Bible Women can nurture and prepare the church for the second coming of Jesus.
In 1996 the Bible Women won 800 precious souls. In 1997 there was an increase to 1050 souls.
Thank God for such dedicated women. May God bless every active woman who spreads the gospel. Today, please remember them in your prayers.
