BY MELINDA JAMIESON, reporting for the Adventist Review, and STEPHEN CHAVEZ, managing editor

his year's session in St. Louis is a time that marks a major milestone for the General Conference Women's Ministries Department, formed 15 years ago at the 1990 GC session in Indianapolis. Since that time more than 600,000 individuals have become Seventh-day Adventists as a direct result of women's service and outreach activities worldwide.

"The most common misconception about Women's Ministries," says Heather-Dawn Small, director of the department, "is that we are all about retreats and tea parties. Women's Ministries is about women working to promote the ministry of the church."

In the past 14 years more than $400,000 has been awarded in scholarships, mostly to women in developing countries who are seeking to improve their educational and economic conditions. A major source of scholarship funding is a women's devotional book, prepared by the Women's Ministries Department and compiled from submissions prepared by women around the world. According to Small, scholarships are granted with the expectation that the resulting educational experience will enhance women's effectiveness in ministering to their local churches and communities. In most developing countries as little as US$300 can fund an entire semester of college or university education.

In addition to providing materials and moral support for women involved in serving their communities, the Women's Ministries Department serves as an advocacy group for global issues that directly affect women and children: illiteracy; poverty; and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The department represents the church on the United Nations' Committee on the Status of Women, and works with other nongovernmental organizations to help relieve some of the greatest examples of global human suffering.

"Every woman has a ministry," maintains Small. "Our purpose is to help them develop a passion for ministry."

For more information about the activities of the Women's Ministries Department, visit www.wm.gc.adventist.org.