Native Women’s Ministry Hosts Mental Health Training

WEWOKA, OKLA. – Native Women’s Ministry is a new addition to Native Ministries in the Oklahoma Conference. We hosted our first event on March 21-23, at Wewoka Woods Adventist Center. It was a power-packed weekend, featuring Jennifer Jill Schwirzer, who presented a “train the trainer” workshop for her anxiety and depression relief program.

On Sabbath we were blessed to have young Jasmine Martinez come from the Coalgate Seventh-day Adventist Church in her beautiful, ribbon dress to sign “The Lord’s Prayer” in the Choctaw language. We were challenged with the fact that if this little girl can get up and do what the Lord has called her to do, so can we adults. Jasmine was followed by Fred Rogers blessing us with an enlightening Sabbath sermon, titled “Were Native Americans Stressed?”

Throughout the weekend, a prayer room was open where people could take their burdens to the Lord privately, write them down and physically nail them to the cross. This was a powerful experience for all who participated.

Sunday morning, the Oklahoma Conference President James Shires presented a challenge to the audience to prayerfully consider what the Lord has called them to do and to pursue it. Suggestions were made for ministries such as adult literacy, Bible studies, abuse seminars, recovery classes and several more, emphasizing that there is a ministry for everyone. The session ended with a call to ministry, and 75 people came forward to be anointed for ministry!

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By Deborah Warden