Women’s Ministries Director visits Badalona, Spain

From Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3, 2023, the church of Badalona commemorated the day against violence against women, and claimed the right of women to live in a society free of violence. Our churches must be spaces free of gender violence and safe places for everyone, including children. In addition, we enjoyed a fellowship meal and an interesting School for Parents. All this, accompanied by the director of the Women's Ministries of the Spanish Union of Seventh-day Adventists, Mercedes Martinez.
Friday: Abigaíl, an example of leadership through service
The Badalona Women's Ministries group was honored to host Women’s Ministries Director Mercedes Martinez on Friday, December 1. More than 40 women gathered, both in person and via Zoom, to participate in an enriching event that explored the power of servant-based leadership, inspired by the life of Abigaíl.
Sabbath: EnditNow
End violence and abuse. On Sabbath, Mercedes Martinez revealed with hard data the situation of society in this matter, and added that our church is not exempt from abusive behavior, from the lowest to the highest level. For this reason, the director added, the church is providing its congregations with protocols and tools for prevention and informing, to mitigate, eradicate such behavior and restore any person who may be experiencing this delicate situation.
Society often applies double standards, and in its criteria wants to be impartial in these issues, but for us as Christians to be on the side of the victim is not an alternative, it is the only option we have! It is what Jesus would do.
The director of the Women's Ministries at the national level made available to the church a series of very valuable tools and protocols for action to have safer churches, which are an oasis of care and protection for our women and children, as well as any person in a situation of vulnerability and risk.
The first thing is not to hide issues. We have to face it, even if it hurts, because there are "wolves in sheep's clothing" not only in society, but also in our church, and the Bible is clear about this type of persons.
Guidance
The second thing is to put into operation Women's Ministries in the local church, with the addition of counselors in gender violence. This is a person who facilitates and helps, in a real and effective way, the victims to support them materially, psychologically and spiritually, and also through the official mechanisms of the Spanish State.
In this sense, the church of Badalona is already taking steps, and there are already 7 sisters who want to devote themselves to this service.
The goal is that each of the 110 churches and more than 50 groups that make up the Spanish Union, activate their Women's Ministry. There is a mission to fulfill in this area. It is an ideal place to address the spiritual, emotional, physical and social needs of women of any age in the church, encouraging them to enhance their potential for participation in the mission of the church.
Already in 1898 the Adventist Church founded a ministry for women, demonstrating that the church already had an advanced vision of how to care for, love and support this important and significant group in the church. The world we live in today is not God's original plan. It is a world at spiritual war, with lots of victims.
The message of redemption and forgiveness brought by Mercedes Martinez was inspired by the Holy Spirit. She said, "No matter where you are, what your past is, keep going, move forward; Jesus has always loved you, and He will heal you whatever wound or circumstance you have lived through, Let go of your burden! Jesus wants to carry it for you!"
School for parents
The Badalona Women's Ministry held a workshop (discussion and video - forum) to address and analyze a case of sexual abuse in an adolescent girl and thus alert the parents of the church to prevent and act in a timely and assertive manner in such cases. We were accompanied, once again, by Mercedes Martinez, a woman with extensive experience and trajectory in dealing with these issues.
The idea of this work session, which was attended by 30 people, was to raise the level of attention in our church and in our departments to protect our children, as well as to provide parents with practical tools to address these issues with their children from very early stages of their development. Martinez warned that if we avoid talking about these issues in the family, others will do it for us and it will most likely not be with the Christian approach or with the appropriate height and responsibility. The director added that in society and in schools, sexuality is talked about from the biological point of view, but there is an unaddressed void, which is the psycho-social, mental health and spiritual development aspect that should also be involved and that, if ignored, leaves deep scars. That is why homes and the church have a lot to say, to educate our children and youth in the best possible way.
Sunday: day of reflection and orientation
More than 20 women attended the morning meeting on Sunday, shared breakfast and talked about the main current issues that impact the life of the church. Mercedes Martinez was the facilitator of the activity, with vast experience in the area, and knowledgeable about the reality of our churches in Spain and expert motivator of women who want to serve Christ. The attendees talked, shared, reflected, and evaluated positions to assume the tasks that the Lord has entrusted to them in favor of the most needy.
She appealed to the women present not to allow anything to separate or divide them, that the love of Christ be sufficient to heal any wound and that they resolve to walk together, supporting each other. Before concluding the session, they established strategic action vectors to advance the mission, and committed to equipping themselves with tools and knowledge to be more effective. At the same time, they recognized that the Holy Spirit can use them, but first they must raise their level of unity and sisterhood to pray and access the divine promises. The dynamic experienced and the results were evident, sincere prayers, reconciliations, forgiveness and expressions of affection and love, was the common denominator at the end of the day.
According to a report by: Amenothep Zambrano, communications officer and correspondent for revista.adventista.es at the Badalona Adventist Church.
revista.adventista.es/enditnow-comida-fraterna-y-escuela-de-padres-en-badalona/