Panama Baptists Elect New President
New Panama Baptist Convention President
The delegates attending the XLVII Annual Meeting of the Panama Baptist Convention unanimously elected the Rev. Francisco Medina, pastor from Colon, Panama to serve as President for the year 2007-2008. The election took place on Thursday January 25 during the Annual Meeting of the Panama Baptist Convention held January 24-26, 2007.
Historic Discussion - Women’s Ordination
An exciting challenge facing President Medina and the newly elected Executive Committee is the opening of a historic discussion in the Convention on Women in the Ordained Ministry. This issue has not received previous formal attention in the Convention. It is now a pressing reality due to my disturbing presence as the first ordained woman to pastor serve a Baptist Church in Panama.
Conflicting Views on Ordination of Women.
The Convention boasts its strong adherence to Southern Baptist Convention beliefs and practices. During the Annual Meeting, the leadership of the Association of Pastors demonstrated their strong objections to a woman pastor in their midst. It was clear however, that this was not the consensus of all the Baptist pastors and delegates present. Therefore, it is safe to say that there is no unified position on the issue of Baptist Women in the Ordained Ministry in Panama.
The new president seized the opportunity to challenge churches to begin the long overdue discussion in their congregations on women’s ordination for there to be clarifications and agreement on the issue. From all indications then 2007-2008 promises to be a year filled with new and rich opportunities for Panama Baptists to continue experiencing God’s delightful (and often-times frightening) mystery.
Peace and Love,
Marvia
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February 1st, 2007 at 9:21 am
Hey Sis.Marvia,
Are people just shocked to see you in a collar? what is the response of your congregation to your gender?
February 1st, 2007 at 5:31 pm
D,
Generally yes, people still show surprise when they see me in a collar. I wear my clerical shirt with collar mostly on hospital visits (it helps me get on the ward outside of visiting hours). I also wear a collar at Communion Services.
There are women pastors in Panama, among the Nazarenes, Church of God and similar Evangelical and Pentecostal type churches.
I am the only ordained woman serving as Pastor of a Baptist church here in Panama. That creates its own shockwaves in the Baptist community. Last week I learnt that there is one Baptist woman who is ordained as a minister among several ministers on staff in that church. She is not viewed in the same light because she is not the ‘pastor’ but one of the ‘ministers’.
My congregation has been extremely supportive of my ministry among them. We are still enjoying the ‘honeymoon period’. I am yet to encounter any resistance to my leadership and the cooperation makes for a great working relationship.
We pray it remains that way:-)
Peace,
Marvia
February 28th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
You know i took it for granted and never gave a second thought when people spoke of female pastors, like, thats not unusual. So i was very surprised to learn during this years JBU assembly that there was a time when in our own JBU you had women who were called by the same God, went through the same training as men, served in churches, but were not recognized as pastors! Now thats what i found strange (poor me, a keep forgetting how far women coming from).
And then while at assembly another thing struck me, many of the older female deacons who were serving communion where wearing white (i thought dem deh days deh ova!- ie if they wear it out of some false obligation but if its because they felt like wearing white and look good in it no prob) Immediately i recalled seeing a black and white photo in one of the St. Catherine Baptist Association Youth Arm’s - SACABAYA anniversary mags (the one that you edited Marvia) and i realized that all the women in the pic of the communion service up Snacnud, (Duncans) were wearing white! (yes a know is a black and white photo but still all da girls in da pic wore white).
When a look on things like that i have to say God know what him was doing when he saw it fit for me to be born in the late 80’s, cause mi nuh know how I’d cope back den…
Thank God for the women and men who brought us this far but we still have some way to go…
Bless
Derri
March 1st, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Dberry,
I’m groaning here, was I one of the girls in white?
You are not the only one who is shocked sometimes to see what has been happening over the last 2 decades. I know 20 years is a lifetime for some of you - to me it is like several lifetimes based on the many changes I have witnessed or actively participated in their coming into being.
In 1995 I was the 3rd Jamaican female accepted by the JBU for training in pastoral ministry. My female pastoral role-model was Rev. Marjorie Lewis. Anyone who knew Marjorie back then or now, will immediately understand why. At the time, I had not yet seen our first female pastor trained by the JBU - Rev. Doreen Winter. She was one of 3 (this included one female from Guyana).
In 2007, I lived to hear a young female minister in training publicly testify of my role in her accepting the call of God to pastoral service. I was the first female pastor she ever met, and this was 1999!! By then there were 8 of us out on the field. Today there are about 15 including 5 in training. ** Someone help me with these figures please…so many I’m confused now
We have come a long way indeed. And yet women pastors of the JBU continue to face challenges in ministry especially regarding ‘mode of dress’. The President’s admonishment at the Sunday morning worship at the National Arena was dead on on target. Women in our Jamaican Baptist congregations waste far too much time squabbling over what other women wear. The fields truly are ripe - but focused labourers are busy pointing at the bareheads (no hat!!), women in pants (what????), jewellery, make-up, and skirt hems. Need I mention the type of hairstyle and quantity of ‘tall hair’??
International Women’s Day is coming up on March 8th - I’ll save some until later…
Marvia
March 11th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Hey Marvia, on this website i usually get info and tips from when preparing to preach or do an presentation. I know a few pastors who use it. In light of reading your posts on women issues i found this one http://www.gotquestions.org/women-pastors.html read whenver u hav the time and let me know what u think
March 11th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Aaahhh Bro. D,
What a source! I have heard of gotquestions before. In fact, I think you brought it to our attention in another discussion at Jamaica Christian Youth Network. I don’t recall sharing a response to the site then.
You asked my opinion on the article “Women pastors / preachers? What does the Bible say about women in ministry?” or on the site ‘gotquestions’?
The latter first..This is not a site I would use for preparation of my sermons for anything related to Biblical Interpretation. For such matters, especially if it is something doctrinal, I would use more primary sources and more inclusive and ecumenically focused commentaries.
Now that does not mean gotquestions is not useful. However, I do use sources like gotquestions when presenting on a controversial topic in order to represent an opposing position. I doubt I would agree with a lot of other articles there as well, since our starting points are so different (read their Statement of Faith). I simply do not share some of their beliefs and neither do many of us who belong to the Jamaica Baptist Union. Go read our Beliefs, note the differences and let us discuss them here or at Jamaica Christian Youth.
By now you must have anticipated that I do not agree with the article!
It does pretend to be presenting a balanced view on the subject, but descends into the most far-fetched conclusion as a result of those said arguments that I had to laugh. Basically, I disagree with the author. I’ll show you why in a separate post.
Blessings,
Marvia
January 19th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
[...] planting this year. President Francisco Medina will undoubtedly emphasize this point. Since President Medina’s election last year, unity has been his most impassioned plea. Of course, as in other places true unity comes [...]