Women’s Ministries Turns 30 as It Honors More than 150 Years in Mission

When a 23-year-old Adventist colporteur and Bible worker from Wisconsin, United States, answered a call to Korea in the early 1900s, she may not have seen how far her impact would go. 

During the evening program on October 10 at the 2025 Annual Council of the General Conference (GC), the Women’s Ministries Department celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, highlighting the stories of women who have impacted the world through their dedication to mission and service. The program at 2025 Annual Council, themed “I Love to Tell the Story,” traced a living line from early pioneers to women serving on the front lines of mission today.

Program leaders emphasized the global impact of Adventist women across generations with an opening parade of nations featuring women in cultural attire carrying flags in the GC auditorium. 

On Friday night, October 10, women in national costumes participate during the opening prayer during the thirthieth anniversary of the General Conference Women’s Ministries Department. [Photo: Peterson Fagundes]

The History of Women’s Ministries 

Decades before the department existed, early advocate Sarepta M. I. Henry pressed for ministry with and for women and received GC support. She began to travel, provide seminars, and consistently wrote for the “Women’s Gospel Work” column in the Adventist Review.

The organized effort paused after her death. Nearly a century later the modern department emerged through an advisory in the late 1980s, the establishment of a Women’s Ministries office in October 1990, and a vote on July 4, 1995, which created the General Conference department, soon adopted across all divisions.

Today its mission is to “uphold, encourage, and challenge” Adventist women as disciples, with priorities in nurture, empower, and outreach, said Galina Stele, GC Women’s Ministries director. 

A local children’s choir sings during the thirthieth Women’s Ministries Department celebration on Friday, October 10. [Photo: Peterson Fagundes]

The Impact of Women in Mission 

The program’s storytelling widened the lens from pioneers to the present. Short profiles and testimonies highlighted women leading in education, health, publishing, and humanitarian service.

In South America, leadership training has equipped tens of thousands, alongside health promotion, breast cancer awareness, and enditnow violence-prevention mobilization. In North America, women organized prayer and practical aid during the Southern California fires that took place in 2025.

In East-Central Africa, ministry extended behind prison walls in Kenya, providing support and connection to inmates and families, while in Rwanda, seven churches were reopened because of the united efforts of local women. A Center of Influence in West Congo is teaching computer literacy and agriculture.

In Ukraine nearly 2,000 women use a Telegram community for disciple-making and encouragement.

“Across generations Adventist women have carried mission forward, crossing oceans, breaking barriers, and transforming lives with Scripture in hand and a willingness to serve,” the video report emphasized. 

Jocelyn Gayares, a medical missionary at Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital, shares her testimony. [Photo: Peterson Fagundes]

VividFaith Volunteers and Medical Mission in Nepal 

VividFaith, an Adventist ministry that connects people with mission-focused volunteer and employment opportunities worldwide, linked the anniversary to a growing pipeline of mission service.

Since 2023, more than 2,162 missionaries have accepted calls through the platform, about 60 percent of them women, most serving as volunteers in roles such as teachers, nurses, evangelists, and deans.

One missionary, Margie Mae, traced a path from the Philippines to Palau, noting how each role grounded her spiritual life and reshaped her sense of self-reliance.

“Each role has kept me grounded with God, uprooting my self-reliance and rooting me in Him,” she said. 

Jocelyn Gayares, a psychiatrist with subspecialty training in child and adolescent psychiatry, joined Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital in 2021 as part of the church’s 10/40 window mission focus. In a country of roughly 30 million people served by approximately 140 psychiatrists, she has helped expand mental-health access through clinic work, school-based caravans, and staff development at the hospital.

Legal constraints on evangelism in Nepal shape how faith is expressed in clinical settings, but practical avenues remain, Gayares shared. At the hospital, children find Christian storybooks in the pediatric play area, and the local church engages families through Sabbath programming and Adventurer Club activities.

“We simply keep serving and let everyday encounters speak,” Gayares said. 

That approach was tested during recent unrest. As protests spilled into the streets, Scheer Memorial converted space for emergency aid, food, and triage. Clinicians treated injuries from riots amid curfews and roadblocks.

“It was truly a scary time,” Gayares said. “However, I knew God was in control.” In remarks to Adventist women worldwide, she added, “Be brave and take courage, for our God is faithful and shelters us under His wings.” 

After final remarks and a prayer for Gayares and her husband, Hector, Erton Köhler, GC president, charged attendees, emphasizing the need for unity in mission.

“To finish the work, we need everybody,” he said. 

Erton Köhler, General Conference president, prays a dedication prayer for Hector and Jocelyn Gayares, missionaries to Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital, during the thirthieth celebratino of the General Conference Women’s Ministries Department. [Photo: Peterson Fagundes]

A Charge for All 

Within months of arriving in Korea, Adventist missionary Mimi Scharffenberg learned Korean, opened what is understood to be the first school for Korean women, organized Sabbath School work, translated lessons, edited the Korean Signs of the Times, and helped bring Adventist pioneer Ellen White’s The Desire of Ages into the local language.

Years later, after illness brought her back to the United States, a monument at Sahmyook University honored her as the first female Adventist missionary to Korea. She served as one thread in a record of Adventist women serving across generations worldwide, Adventist leaders say. 

Santrac Dragoslava, managing editor of the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, concluded, “Her journey inspires us to remember that the most meaningful life is one passionately devoted to God’s calling of sharing the hope of Christ with the world.” 

The original version of this story was posted on Adventist News Network.