Women's Ministries

Women's ministries is committed to encouraging, challenging, equipping, and nurturing Seventh-day Adventist women as they endeavor to know Jesus Christ personally and seek to make Him known to others.

Select one of the following to learn more about our...
Mission, Vision, & Objectives
Ministries & Activities
Facts & Figures
Union Staff
Events
Future Plans
Conference Contacts

Our Mission:
To model Jesus to all women through meaningful relationships and significant ministries

Our Vision:
To invite women to follow Jesus Christ
Areas of focus include evangelism, leadership, mentoring, reclamation, and discipleship.

Our Objectives:
1. Foster spiritual growth and renewal among women
2. Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Friendship and Public evangelism
3. Train and equip women for service in the church and in the community
4. Reclaim individuals who no longer attend church
5. Disciple and mentor followers of Jesus

The objectives for the department are achieved as women engage in and support the following ministries and activities:

Friendship Evangelism
Friends are being made and individuals are being won for God's kingdom, as women are intentional about the ministries of kindness, prayer, mentoring, and nurturing.

Public Evangelism
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, women in the Southern Union are engaged in conducting public evangelistic meetings in the territory of the Southern Union and in other parts of the world with outstanding results.

Evangelistic, outreach, and reclamation endeavors by women of the Southern Union during 2005 resulted in a total 1,072 individuals being baptized into the family of God. There were 25 women from the Southeastern Conference who traveled to Africa, and one woman from the Gulf States Conference who traveled to the Philippines, to conduct public evangelistic meetings. Programs of reclamation such as Heart Call and other friendship ministries resulted in 37 individuals reuniting with the family of God.

Spiritual Growth and Renewal
Women in the Southern Union and their friends are spiritually renewed and refreshed as they attend and experience highly charged spiritual retreats, week of prayer sessions, prayer partners, prayer breakfasts, seminars, Bible studies, and numerous other small group ministries.

Mentoring
Mentoring of young girls and women is a focus of the women's ministries in the Southern Union. Each conference has established programs for reaching the young girls and young adults through specific mentoring program and girls' clubs.

Facts & Figures
Training is essential to significant ministry and successful leadership in 2005:
- 114 Training Seminars were conducted by women's ministries in the Southern Union.
- Conference women's ministries directors completed the General Conference leadership program, levels one and two.

Attendance at the meetings, events and activities identified above was as follows:
- 67,169 women attended WM events in 2005.

Meet the Southern Union Women's Ministries Staff
Laura Smith is the director of women's ministries for the Southern Union. Her commitment to ministry for women began formally in 1988 when she accepted the position of women's commissioner to represent the South Central Conference. Her work on the commission earned her the distinction of being the first women's ministries director for the South Central Conference, a position that she held until she began her work with the Southern Union. Laura is a servant leader who possesses a growing faith in God and a heart for ministry to women.
Proverbs 3:4,5

Cheryl Retzer is the advisor for women's ministries and the Shepherdess director for the Southern Union. She has served the church in children's evangelism and as a conference clerk. She has also worked as an RN in labor and delivery since 1993. Caring for women is her profession and her calling. Telling them about Jesus is her desire.

Barbara Pierce has been employed by the Southern Union as an administrative assistant to the president and secretary since 1985. She is also secretary for women's ministries. Barbara has prior experience in the areas of trust services, publishing, and education.

Special Women's Ministries Events
Women in the Southern Union are spiritually renewed and blessed as they join sisters through out the world church in observance of the following annual General Conference Women's Ministries designated special Sabbaths. Resource materials are available. Request them from your conference Women's Ministries director.

The first Sabbath in March
International Women's Day of Prayer is a special day of prayer for women to strengthen their spiritual bonds as they pray for and with one another.

The second Sabbath in June
NAD Women's Ministries Emphasis Day is designed to recognize the function of Women's Ministries in the church, in the home and in the community.

The second Sabbath in July
Women's Ministries Offering Day is designed so that funds are collected at the local church to support evangelism and leadership training of women's ministries leaders.

The fourth Sabbath in August
Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day focuses on eliminating abuse in all its forms.

2006 Projected Plans for Women's Ministries
- Inviting individuals to follow Jesus continues to be the focus of the Southern Union.
- A team of three women from each conference of the Southern Union will continue conducting and training other women on how to plan and conduct evangelistic meetings.
- Public evangelistic meetings will be conducted by women.
- Small groups and Bible studies will be conducted.
- Women's retreats and teen/young girls retreats are planned.
- Leadership training and certification of women's ministries leaders will continue in each conference.
- Heart Call will continue the emphasis on reclamation/ friendship evangelism.

Conference Women's Ministries Directors
Debbie Rapp, Carolina Conference
Sheryal Vandenberghe, Florida Conference
Mary Jo Dubs, Georgia-Cumberland Conference
Janice Shipbaugh, Gulf States Conference
Gail McKenzie, Kentucky-Tennessee Conference
Sylvia Wilson, South Atlantic Conference
Shirley Scott, South Central Conference
Nicolle Brise', Southeastern Conference