Recently, Tabita Falconi and Alejandra Vega—wives of Oregon Conference Hispanic pastors—were appointed as leaders of the Latino-Hispanic Women’s Ministry. As they reflected on their primary objective in this role, they envisioned every woman who feels called to do so, preaching from the pulpits of our Spanish Seventh-day Adventist churches!

From that vision came the plan to train any interested woman in how to prepare a message or sermon, while also seeking the support of pastors and church elders to provide opportunities for them to practice and share the message God places on their hearts as they study His Word. As a result, 130 women registered for preaching classes held every Sunday throughout the month of March, conducted via Zoom.

Pastor Felix Toribio, who recently earned his Doctor of Ministry degree with an emphasis in preaching, led these sessions week after week. He not only trained these future preachers but also empowered them, encouraging them to use their gifts in response to God’s calling. An important part of this process included offering a balanced explanation of what the Bible truly teaches regarding whether women may speak in congregations.

Now that the training has concluded, these future preachers will begin preparing their own messages and applying what they have learned. Those who complete the training and put it into practice will receive a certificate recognizing them as official preachers in Hispanic churches.

This recognition will take place in September during the Oregon Conference Latino-Hispanic Women’s Retreat, which brings together more than 300 women.

We will share the final outcomes of this wonderful initiative this fall.