EUD Year-End Meeting in Prague

On Sunday, November 5, 2017, the executive council of the Inter-European Division elected Dagmar Dorn to succeed Denise Hochstrasser as Women’s Ministries director for this European region of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
Denise Hochstrasser has served the Church as the Division’s Women’s Ministries Director since 2010 and has worked with much enthusiasm and energy, facilitating the work and mentoring the directors in all the Unions of the division. In her work she emphasized empowering women, making leadership training a priority as well as encouraging and empowering women to go into outreach, small group ministry and regaining missing members. The Girsl4Christ initiative and outreach to young women was also initiated during this time. Denise encouraged teamwork in each region, where the leaders work together across national boundaries where it is a possibility as far as language is concerned, as in the German-speaking countries. As gender equality has become more and more important in the discussions in the church, Denise dared to take a clear stand on this.
She has now reached retirement age. She gave notice in March 2017 that she wants to spend more time with her husband and family and enjoy retirement.
EUD leadership has been looking for the best possible successor and is now looking forward to working with Dagmar Dorn, who has been active in Women’s Ministries in the Team in German Swiss Conference for 20 years. She knows Women’s Ministries from the grass-roots level, and this is where change and ministry happens. We are very thankful that she has accepted this call.
Dagmar is a native of Nuremberg, Germany, and is a nurse and midwife BSc. At the moment she is Midwife and Deputy director of the obstetric ward in Buelach hospital (Canton of Zurich). She has served as a church elder for 7 years. Her interest in missions has led her to spend time in missionary service in Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia and other places.
The process of handing over the responsibilities will take some time and the shift will become effective some time this spring.
We are confident that God will bless Women’s Ministries through Dagmar Dorn.
Reported by Hannele Ottschofski