Shepherdess International News

Shepherdess International News

Journal news from around the world.

By the Journal staff and various contributors. 

 

Euro-Asia Division

* North Caucasus Conference: On July 7, 70 pastors' wives held a two-day meeting in Maikop. Their main topic was inter­relationships in the family and in the church.

* Central Conference: On July 6-8 the shepherdesses met in Poldolsk. Mary Kulakova, conference coordinator, spoke especially to the young wives. Lydia Stolyar, Union coordinator, spoke on financial stability in the pastor's home.

West Conference: For a week in July, all the pastors and their families met at a sanitarium and listened to presentations on various topics.

* Belarus Conference: Raisa Ostrovskaya, the president's wife of Belarus Conference, spoke on the subject of love. Her sermons were well received, and it is planned that they will be published in the Euro-Asia Division Pastors' Wives Journal.

Inter-American Division

* Cayman Islands Mission: (Editor's note: See PDF for pictures)

* Costa Rica: (Editor's note: See PDF for pictures)

* Venezuela-Antilles Union: (Editor's note: See PDF for pictures)

North American Division

* Arizona Conference hosted a shepherdess breakfast at the stately old Hassayarnpa Hotel in downtown Prescott. The pomp and ceremony of a by-gone age was evidenced by the service, greetings, and celebrity photos that adorned the walls. The antique treasures and objects of art were of keen interest to the pastors' wives who are collectors! The women enjoyed a warm atmosphere of fellowship and great food!

* Dakota Conference: (Editor's note: See PDF for pictures)

 

* Texas Conference: (Editor's note: See PDF for pictures)

 

South American Division

(Editor's note: See PDF for pictures)

 

Southern Asia Division

* North Tamil Conference: Mrs. Chandra William George, at Mallavadi, conducted evangelistic meetings with the help of her husband. Praise to the Lord that 119 souls were baptized.

Nearly 30 shepherdesses attended a two-day shepherdess seminar conducted, June 10 and 11, at Neyveli. Hepzibah Kore led out, and topics included the fishbowl syndrome, spiritual fitness, expectations of the shepherdess, the role of the shepherdess in husband's ministry, nutrition, and healthful living. Leah Simon is the new Shepherdess Coordinator.

* South Kerala Section: A two-day shepherdess seminar was conducted in May at Kawdiar, Thiruvananthapuram. Hepzibah Kore, South India Union Shepherdess Coordinator, led out in the program. The seminar was inaugurated by Pastor P. K. Matthew and the Section President. In his message, he stressed the fact that each shepherdess is not only a light of the house but also the light of the church. The highlight of the seminar was the witnessing section.

* Bidar Region: Thangamma Sukumar headed an adult literacy program. Thus far, the pastors' wives in Bidar have won 53 souls for the Lord.

* South Tamil Conference: Jasmine Paul Edison, Kanthamani Sigamani, Victoria Jeeva, and Packiathai, who is retired, are giving Bible studies in homes. Thus far two souls have been baptized.

Huldah Paulasir conducts a Branch Sabbath School with Vasantha Rajkumar in her home. Nearly 45 Orthodox Hindu children attend. They have memorized the Ten Commandments and Psalms 91. They bring special prayer requests, and they have been answered. They strongly believe in prayer and come to the house to pray before they go to examinations.

A two-day shepherdess seminar was conducted June 23 and 24 at Dindugal. Frances Campbell, Southern Asia Division Shepherdess Director; Hepzibah Kore, Southern India Union Shepherdess Coordinator; and Jean Sundaram, South Tamil Conference Shepherdess Coordinator, gave valuable instruction. The fishbowl syndrome, physical fitness, and food and nutrition, were some of the items discussed. The highlight of the program was a carrot cake and patties demonstration given by Frances Campbell.

Mary Barnabas spread the love of Jesus to two souls who lived in Kumbakonam, and they were baptized at their local church.

Kamalam Monickam, a retired Bible worker, shares a heartening story about the day she visited a church member who lived near the railway station. As she came out of the house, she saw an old lady standing in front. She greeted her and discovered that she was the grandmother of a pupil studying at the school. The ten-year-old is crippled. Right there on the road she told her about God and His healing power. She also invited her to church. The next week she was in church, and Kamalam invited her back. She began attending regularly. She was soon baptized. Kamalam believes that very soon other members of the family will also become Christians. Praise God!

* Goa-West Karnataka Region: Shepherdesses Sampooranam Pitchai and Venmathi Stephenraj, gathered children in Panjim, Goa, and taught them songs and stories. As a result, five adults were baptized and ten more are to be baptized soon.

Mala Martin is an active pastor's wife at Gataprabba; for the last three years, she has conducted a Vacation Bible School for Hindu and Muslim children in the area. Now the group has grown so that the children's programs are regularly conducted in the. church.

Roopa Louis spends time visiting people in other communities and praying with them. Most are Hindus. God has performed miracles for some of the families. A child in the village chairman's house was unable to walk because of a prolonged illness. Roopa and her husband continuously visited them and prayed for the child and the family, and the boy began to recover. As a result, the mother and grandmother are now studying the Bible with great interest. This may open the way for other communities to learn more about Jesus.

Hepzibah Kore and her husband conducted evangelistic meetings in Jallahalli, Bangalore. Nearly 100 children attended.

* South Karnataka Section conducted a seminar for the pastors' wives, July 26 and 27, at Lowry Memorial Junior College. It was the first meeting of this kind. The Sabbath services were conducted by the 48 pastors' wives in attendance.

Southern Asia-Pacific Division

* Central and South Philippine Unions: Over 1,700 pastors and their wives attended the World Ministers Council at Mountain View College. Mrs. Netty Rantung, Division Shepherdess Coordinator, hosted the meetings. Glenda Catane, Central Philippines Union Shepherdess Coordinator, and Pleny Camagay, South Philippine Union Shepherdess Coordinator, were responsible for the programming. Music and testimonies highlighted the events. Local conference choirs shared their magnificent voices to the blessing of all who attended. Guest speakers included Dr. Virginia Smith, Children's Ministries Director of the General Conference; Evelyn Omana, Inter-American Division Shepherdess Coordinator; Jeanine Preast, from the Washington Conference in the North American Division; and Sharon Cress, from the General Conference. A Sabbath highlight was the baptism of 12 people who had given their hearts to Jesus during the evangelistic meetings of Mrs. Ruth Aguilar, from the North Mindinao Conference.

* Guam-Micronesia Conference: The first Shep­herdess meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel from July 29-August 2. All but two of the pastors' wives attended (one just gave birth and the other had a sick husband!). Presenters included Margarida Sarli, Barbara Folkenberg, Joyce Neergaard, and Netty Rantung. The fellow­ship was tremendous because the territory is vast and the women don't see each other very often. Those from the remote islands especially enjoyed the together­ness. Mrs. Folkenberg's stories of "Answers to Prayers" helped the women cope with loneliness and fear. Joyce Neergaard presented health messages. There was good dialog and discussion on these issues since in the remote islands it is hard to obtain the right kind of food. Parting was the saddest part, but the women vowed to meet again, if not on this earth, then in heaven where the Lord will say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Southern Africa Union

* Southern Conference held a Shepherdess Retreat in July and 20 pastors' wives attended.

Pastor Zeeman, the Ministerial Secretary, met with pastors' wives from the Bloemfontein area.

Beautiful Wakaba reports that in the last few months they have laid four shepherdesses to rest from three different conferences. Mrs. Thabile Degracia was killed in a traffic accident, Mrs. Girlie Nozizwe Peter, Mrs. Esme Johanna, and Mrs. Nomasabatha Leonora Fosi, also passed away. They will have a short rest until Jesus comes to reunite them with their families.

Southern Asia-Pacific Division

* South Bangladesh Mission:

Dorothy Biswas, Shepherdess Corodinator, reports on some activities:  Editor's Note: See PDF for pictures