BWA Women’s Summit celebrates global work

BRISBANE—The Baptist World Alliance Women’s Summit celebrated the work of Baptist women around the globe and connected them to support one another with renewed sense of purpose in living the good news.

Along with BWA Women Executive Director J. Merritt Johnston and outgoing President Karen Wilson and Secretary/Treasurer Sherrie Cherdak, the women who comprise BWA Women Executive Board lead continental unions of Baptist women.

These serve voluntarily as BWA Women vice presidents and as presidents of their continental conferences.

Each regional leader reported on special projects their organizations have undertaken, as well the ongoing work of Baptist women in her continent or region.

Union leaders reported work related to ministering to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, religious persecution, literacy education for children and adults, disaster relief, ministry in areas of conflict and to internally displaced people and otherwise meeting basic human needs.

All the while, women proclaimed the good news of Jesus and sought to disciple and intentionally seek to engage young Baptist women to become Jesus-shaped leaders.

The unions and their leaders include: Verónica León Caro, Unión Femenil Bautista de América Latina; Siham Daoud, European Baptist Women United; Karlene Edwards-Warrick, Caribbean Baptist Women’s Union; Patty Lane, Baptist Women of North America; Elissa Mcpherson, Baptist Women of the Pacific; Jane Mwangi, Baptist Women’s Union of Africa; and Vernette Myint Myint San, Asia Baptist Women’s Union.

Live counter-cultural lives

Tamiko Jones, executive director of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas, challenged BWA Women to live counter-cultural lives, formed by the Holy Spirit, and do good even if it means suffering like Jesus.

Jones noted four teachings found in Romans 12 showing how to live lives on the basis of Christ.

First, Christians are to demonstrate love—not a transactional love, but a genuine love that seeks to outdo one another in showing honor.

Christians are not to wait until someone is “worthy” to show love, but rather to love one another as Christ, who died for us while we were still sinners, loved us, Jones said.

Also, Christians are to serve enthusiastically, “not as unto man, but unto the Lord Jesus,” who though he was worthy to be served, chose instead to serve.

Following Christ means that we are servants first, “as we serve in a global community, as we serve right where he has placed us,” Jones said.

Romans 12 also compels Christians to keep on praying even through the most difficult circumstances and to practice hospitality, holding each other accountable in community and giving testimony to the ways our lives never have been the same since meeting Jesus.

“Our sisters” around the globe need hope, Jones asserted, noting “we have more in common than our differences.”

“For such a time as this, we must be unified and demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to the world,” she said.

Two panels discussed the global issue of gender-based violence and sexual abuse and global Baptist women leaders.

Gender-based violence panel

French Baptist theologian Valérie Duval-Poujol began the Red Chair Project to raise awareness of domestic abuse and sexual abuse. She shared startling statistics to answer the question of “why” there is a need for global advocacy on this matter to begin panel discussion.

Duval-Poujol noted:

• Globally, 12 million girls are forced into marriage each year “which often means a sentence to domestic violence for life” she asserted.
• 6,000 girls are subject to female genital mutilation each day.
• Excluding marital rape, which were those numbers included the statistics would be even higher she pointed out, in the United States every 1.5 minutes a woman is raped.
• Worldwide, 1 in 3 teenage girls aged 16 to 19 in settled relationships has been the victim of emotional, physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of her husband or partner.
• Globally a woman or girl dies at the hand of an intimate partner or family member every 11 minutes.
• Globally, 1 in 4 women has experienced sexual violence from her intimate partner in the last 12 months.
• And in every denomination, 1 in 4 Christian women has experienced domestic violence in her current relationship.

Other panelists included Ruta Aloalii, community conversations facilitator and leader of Village Connect in Australia, and Zandile Tshabalala, general secretary of the Baptist Convention of South Africa National Women’s Department and manager of Ndawo Yahko, a women’s shelter for abused women and their children in South Africa.

Aloalii and Tshabalala discussed with Duval-Poujol and moderator Pastora Nohemy Acosta, of Honduras, their efforts to combat domestic and sexual violence in their countries.

Baylor University President Linda Livingstone participated in the second panel featuring global Baptist women leaders, which included Penetina Kogoya, who has served for 20 years as representative for Paupua Indigenous peoples in the Papuan Parliament and Melissa Lipsett, CEO of Baptist World Aid.

Introduction of new leaders

Outgoing BWA Women President Karen Wilson of Australia explained the term for the new officers beginning their terms will be shorted from 5 years to 2.5 years. Caribbean Baptist Women’s Union President Karlene Edwards-Warrick was announced as incoming president, the first Caribbean woman to hold the position.

Wilson noted the second officer now will serve under a new title as first vice president. That officer’s term also is reduced to 2.5 years but with the hope that the first vice president then would step into the role of president. Rula Abassi form Jordan was announced as the new first vice president.

BWA President Tomás Mackey of Argentina prayed a blessing over the women as they assume their new leadership roles.