A Pastor in Italy Recognized with the Junia Award

The Association of Adventist Women has chosen Pastor Abigaela Trofin as one of this year's Junia Award recipients. Pastor Abigaela Trofin serves Adventist communities in Catania, Augusta and Lentini, Sicily.
“You must be very proud of her for her leadership in several churches in Italy,” said Nerida Taylor Bates, president of the Association, in announcing the news. Pastor Trofin was also recently called to serve as national coordinator of the Italian Union Women's Ministries (Uicca), aka Women’s Ministries Director.
“The Adventist Women's Association created the Junia Award to highlight women from every Region of the Adventist Church who are active in service to local churches, in administration or in religious education,” Bates explains. The name of the award comes from the New Testament Junia, whom the apostle Paul mentions in Romans 16:7 (NIV). In this text, Paul points to her with the words “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.”
“As was the case with Junia and many other women who led the early church,” the president concludes, “we wish to highlight the role of women in nurturing and sustaining the life of the church. This includes new and revolutionary women's assignments, and tasks that are representative and unique to their region. Our goal is to encourage other women who lead groups and assure the worldwide denomination that women have been accepted as holding up half the sky in a wide array of cultures in the Adventist Church. These women may be the exception, but they are also exceptional in carrying out the calling they have received from God. Many other women are also following the calling God has placed in their hearts through the example of the Junia Award winners.”
In Italy since 2000, Abigaela Trofin was born and raised in Romania. She holds various degrees and has already served several churches in northern Italy before coming to Sicily. She follows her clear and engaging calling despite difficulties and criticism and has found support from God, family, friends, and fellow pastors. We will return to this recognition in the coming weeks.
Visit the website to read about all of the Junia 2024 Award Recipients: www.associationofadventistwomen.com/team-3-2
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