Women’s and Family Ministries leaders and core team from across the East Central Philippine Union Conference gathered at the headquarters in Cebu City Friday for the launch and onboarding of the “I Will GROW” initiative.
The “I Will GROW” initiative, as Irelyn Gabin, women’s and family ministries director for the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, emphasized, serves as a localized roadmap for spiritual revival. The program challenges families and women to deepen their discipleship before stepping out into mission.
The “I Will GROW” initiative stands for “I Will Go Reach My Word,” a call to the women of the Seventh-day Church to be part of Total Member Involvement. “Women’s Ministries emphasizes that women are called to nurture our fellow women, to empower them for service, and then share what they have learned through community outreach programs,” Gabin said.
By highlighting the “home church” as the primary mission field, the program aims to strengthen family worship, nurture personal prayer, and equip leaders with practical tools to promote sustainable growth within local congregations.
The event drew more than 40 participants. Training was facilitated by Gabin and hosted by ECPUC directors Melodie Mae Inapan, women’s and children’s ministries director and Ministerial Spouse Association coordinator, and Pastor Gaudencio Buque Jr., secretary for the ministerial association and director of family ministries, chaplaincy, and Adventist Mission.
Gabin set the participants’ minds into the event’s objectives through her morning devotional’s message. She elaborated on “growing in the gift of hospitality,” using the biblical figure Lydia as a model.
She described Lydia as a woman of influence and wealth since she managed a thriving business dealing in rare purple cloth. Despite her professional success, her most striking quality was that she was a seeker of truth.
She further explained that Lydia is a powerful example of how professional success and spiritual humility can coexist to serve God’s mission. Despite being a “CEO” of her time—assertive, decisive, and industrious—she maintained a willing heart that remained open to Jesus’ teachings.
Lydia’s encounter with the truth sparked immediate obedience. This led to her own baptism and the conversion of her entire household as she used her influence to share the Gospel.
Ultimately, Lydia’s faith was evidenced by her hospitality. She did not merely offer the apostles a place to stay but earnestly invited them to make her house their home, proving that ministry begins with a generous heart.
In subsequent lectures throughout the day, Gabin discussed Adventist Family Ministries resources, special departmental days, action plans, and upcoming events for women’s and family ministries.
She also discussed the top family issues and facilitated open sharing and discussion, where the leaders expressed their ideas, shared their experiences, and raised questions about areas that weren’t clear to them.
The event’s first day concluded with a vesper service that participants described as moving and inspiring. During the worship, Inapan delivered a message contrasting the ancient walls of Jericho with the metaphorical barriers—such as fear and spiritual complacency—that modern families face in their mission.
Life, as she said, often presents us with “Jericho moments”—obstacles that appear immovable, permanent, and far too strong for our own strength to overcome. Whether these walls are financial burdens, broken relationships, or internal struggles like fear and addiction, the biblical story of Jericho provides a timeless strategy for breakthrough.
To overcome the impossible “walls” in our lives, we must shift from human effort to divine strategy. “Remember this truth: God has not lost his power. The same God who spoke to Joshua is still speaking to you today. The same God who led Israel to the promised land is the same God who is leading you to victory. So, don’t give up. Don’t lose heart. Don’t stop marching.”
As the event prepares to culminate this Saturday, the attendees remain eager and expectant, looking forward to a final day filled with transformative learning and deeper insights.