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| Leading Through Uncertain Times
Every morning, Joy Fehr, president of La Sierra University, envisions the people she serves and lifts them up to God. She asks Him to take care of them and give them wisdom and strength to do what is best. It’s a practice she started long before the COVID-19 pandemic began, but the course of 2020 has proven that we need God more now than ever. “I do think that God calls us to serve in moments of crisis,” said Fehr, who became the university’s president in July 2019. “I’ve noticed over the course of my life that with every step of the journey, shortly after I end up in a role there is a crisis and I’m called to lead. It’s happened every single time. … I don’t know what it is, but this seems to be the pattern and we’re given the strength. It comes from God. I didn’t know it was there, but we’re given the strength and the courage and the wisdom to walk through it.” |
| | “I do think that God calls us to serve in moments of crisis. ... we’re given the strength and the courage and the wisdom to walk through it.” |
| Fehr and her team have had to make tough choices about how to serve the 1,987 students currently enrolled at the university. Most of the classes are held virtually since Riverside County in California has the second-highest number of COVID cases per county in the state. However, about 300 people are on campus per day. Some care for the campus; some take or facilitate 14 specialized in-person classes. This has required leading with a focused purpose of value-based decision making and intentional communication. Fehr said as the pandemic began impacting the country she mobilized an emergency management team and sought to have representation from a wide range of people. Their first job was to articulate the values that would guide their decision making. These values focus on caring for everyone the university serves, from the students and employees to their families and the greater community. As the team makes decisions, Fehr shares their work and other updates with students, faculty, and staff. She uses the parable of the Good Samaritan as a framework. The Bible story is “really for me what it means to be a neighbor, the greatest neighbor example we can have,” Fehr said. “… This is what being a good neighbor is about. This is why we do this work because we’re living out the gospel.” |
| | — Michele Joseph, managing editor, Adventist Women Leaders newsletter |
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| | | AWL Hosts Second Friday Night Fellowship
Ednor Davison, communication director for the Atlantic Union Conference, presented the devotional during AWL's October 16 Friday Night Fellowship, which focused on praise. Women joined the Zoom call from places like Maryland, Virginia, Nebraska, and Guam.
Celeste Ryan Blyden, co-founder of AWL and the program’s facilitator, says these gatherings are designed to foster a virtual connection. “God has placed women leaders around the globe, and after a busy week of work, it was nice to worship, share, and pray together,” she said.
Davison shared her testimony of God's healing and comfort during a stressful time. "In spite of the challenges we must find it within ourselves to praise God," she said.
It is in our praise to God that we find ourselves surrounded by His presence and filled with His peace, she said.
Deborah A. Hill, a local church elder in Ohio, and author of the book The Power of Encouragement: Determinations that Define Your Destiny, was among the women gathered.
“I was truly inspired in my worship with the women in AWL as we amplified our voices in praise," Hill said. "It fed my soul and liberated my spirit. It was an amazing experience."
AWL will continue to create avenues of connection and growth in the year to come, and this will include quarterly gatherings for worship, fellowship, and prayer, Blyden says.
Stay tuned for more opportunities to fellowship with members of the AWL community. |
| | — Michele Joseph, managing editor, Adventist Women Leaders newsletter |
| | Connect With AWL and Invite a Friend |
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Then, catch up on Season 1 and 2 or listen again to your favorite episodes on what makes a good leader, finding and becoming effective mentors, "the divine gift of womanhood," and working toward your dreams. Listen on Spotify and iTunes. Please subscribe and give positive reviews and ratings to raise the podcast's visibility and encourage others to listen. Email the co-hosts Natalia López-Thismón and Natalie Boonstra at flourishthepodcast@gmail.com. Follow Flourish on Instagram.
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| | | Maxims—Words of Wisdom for Women Leaders
"In choosing men and women for His service, God does not ask whether they possess worldly wealth, learning, or eloquence. He asks, 'Do they walk in such humility that I can teach them My way? Can I put My words into their lips? Will they represent Me?'"
— Ellen White, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in Ministry of Healing, p. 37
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| | Meditations
"Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor." — Proverbs 3:13-16, NIV
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AWL's Prayer Circle
Yvonne Collins Chief Financial Officer Lake Region Conference Mokena, IL
Night Abuto Administrative Assistant East-Central Africa Division Nairobi, Kenya |
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| Visit Our Website Today
AdventistWomenLeaders.com offers resources, news, links to Flourish podcasts, newsletter archives and will promote upcoming events. Stop by the website to view new content and share the URL with friends. |
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| | AWL is a community of women affirming, encouraging and celebrating God's goodness to those He has called to lead.
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| AWL Committee: Bonita J. Shields, chair; Celeste Ryan Blyden, secretary/director; Natalie Boonstra, Brenda Dickerson, Carolyn R. Forrest, Tamyra Horst, Natalia López-Thismón and Ann Roda AWL Support Team: Michele Joseph, managing editor; Carla Conway, graphic designer; Frenita Buddy Fullwood, event coordinator |
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