International Women’s Day usually heralds activities which encourage a conversation about the integral thread of women in the fabric of society. At the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Department of Women’s Ministries has been promoting International Women’s Day, since 1990, as an opportunity to strengthen the spiritual bonds of women who pray for and with each other.
On St. Thomas, members and friends of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church met on Sunday, March 8, 2020, at the popular Magen’s Bay Beach to pray, sing and fellowship. This annual event was organized by the SDA Women’s Ministries Council to celebrate and empower individuals in their quest for victorious and fulfilled lives, as well as to meet the needs of women through prayer.
The St. Thomas Council Coordinator, Sister Henry, shared, “We want women to know how to live virtuously in an unvirtuous world. Amidst all that they are going through, we need to reaffirm to the women that God still expects them to accept His will. As a people, they are on a stormy voyage of life, which would take them through depths of trials, loss and emotional pain. It’s good to know that God is there for us to lean on. Many are facing the daily struggles of life and the only thing that they can hold on to is prayer. This year, we had to lead them into knowing how to unlock God’s storehouse of power. It is when men and women begin ‘to call upon the name of the LORD’ (Genesis 4: 26, NKJV) that they find the LORD. We are told that God hears our prayers even when we don’t know how to pray. What a promise that is!”
Several resident pastors supported the ministry venture and Pastor Glendon Cross, who leads the City and Maranatha SDA Churches, commented, “International Women’s Day is celebrated in a variety of ways around the Conference but, this year, the St. Thomas Council decided to use Sunday morning [for the] session because of scheduling.”
Several presenters, including the wives of the resident pastors, creatively employed the theme, How to Unlock God’s Storehouse of Power. They discussed key Biblical themes such as faith, generosity, sincerity and forgiveness. Through the principles of intercessory prayer, women were encouraged to pray with faith in God’s promises, as well as to draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. Women were further urged to pray with perseverance as a test of faith. Presenters reminded attendees that faith produces endurance, and the longer they exercised faith, the more they would be able to persevere in prayer.
Mrs. Linda Ambrose, the Women’s Ministries Director of the North Caribbean Conference, praised the women for their tireless and selfless efforts at keeping the ministry together, while thanking God for the opportunity to celebrate another International Women’s Day. She advised women not to entertain any fear or worry in interceding, as the Lord is always present with them.
Before concluding the well-spent morning with a tasty breakfast, Sister Henry concluded, “God has given specific promises regarding intercessory prayer, as people go through the details of any life-storm, that He will prove Himself faithful and we will always be able, no matter our lot, to confidently and constantly proclaim, it shall be well and it is well, even now, with my soul.”