News ¢ Mrs Ryna Raaj is a member of Tamil Methodist Church Short Street / Photos courtesy of ETAC WSCS
Zoom screenshot from the online ETAC WSCS Young Women Forum
ETAC WSCS Young Women Forum 2021
T
he ETAC WSCS Young Women Forum was held on 27 Feb 2021 via Zoom. It was attended by women between the ages of 26 and 35 from the various ETAC churches and facilitated by women who have been serving in WSCS ministries over the years. The objectives of the session were two-fold. Mrs Kalaimathi Nagulan, President of ETAC WSCS, elaborated: “Firstly, to network with young women and hear their opinions on church and women ministry. Secondly, to share and raise their awareness about the ministries of the WSCS and areas they could potentially be involved in.” In planning the event, five young women worked with members of ETAC WSCS to craft the programme, conduct ice-breakers, register participants and serve as cofacilitators. These roles served to give these young women an opportunity to work with the WSCS and to spur them to join future programmes. The session began with a series of ice-breakers for the women to get to know each other. This was followed by Mrs Tamilkodi Arthur sharing a brief history of the WSCS, particularly its roots in and heart for serving the community and church. Mrs Kalaimathi Nagulan shared that the current membership of women in the ETAC WSCS stands at 44
per cent of the overall ETAC membership. There is thus much potential for more women to come on board WSCS to serve. Over the years, WSCS women have been serving faithfully through four pillars of ministry: Discipleship & Nurture; Witness & Evangelism; Outreach & Social Concerns;, and Missions. The Young Women Forum was also a platform for sharing by Miss Darshana Daniel (Tamil Methodist Church, Short Street) and Miss Deborah David (Seletar Tamil Methodist Church) about their experience at the Asian Young Women Leadership Development Programme. The session then moved into breakout rooms with WSCS ladies as facilitators. Facilitators led a discussion on how WSCS can remain relevant to young women at various stages of life. There was recognition that women today juggle various commitments at work, home and church. The young women raised the need for the WSCS to cater to various groups of women including singles, newly-weds and young mothers. The groups expressed a common goal on how the community can grow and serve in Christ through regular bible study, prayer and sharing of testimonies. Many also expressed interest in the ministries of the WSCS. It is hoped that in this process of building bridges that more women will come to know Christ and make Him known.
METHODIST MESSAGE April 2021
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