By Shirley Thomas

A MASS gathering of 123 female Caribbean Salvationists, drawn from 11 regional countries, recently met in Barbados for The Salvation Army’s first ever Women’s Leadership Conference .Held under the theme “Beauty for Brokenness”, the conference held at Almond Court Hotel in Speights Town from July 11 to15, gave insight into the horrors of human trafficking, among other things.

It brought together a band of keenly enthusiastic women from nine regional countries. The countries represented were Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts, St Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Suriname.

Joining them was a 24-member delegation from the Guyana Division of the Salvation Army, under the command of Divisional Director of Women’s Ministries, (DDWM) Major Carolinda Cumberbatch.

The event was organised by a group of ‘hard working women’ from The Army’s Territorial Headquarters in Jamaica, said Major Cumberbatch, who identified them as Commissioner Eva Marseille; Lieutenant Colonel Verona Haughton and Major Hazel Griffin.

They were supported by the Women’s Ministry team in Barbados, namely Major Marie Theodore; Major Marcia Morris, as well as the other officers and Women of the Barbados Division.

Special guest was Colonel Janet Munn, who is the Training Principal of The Salvation Army’s Training College in New York.

Meanwhile, Special Guest Speaker was Jennifer J Johnson, Chair of the Barbados Evangelical Association Women’s Commission and Chair of Evangelical Association of the Caribbean Women’s Commission.

Major Cumberbatch said that the focus of the conference was on justice for the vulnerable in society with special emphasis on women and girls.
“We spent time looking in the Bible to see how the vulnerable women got justice and help us to open our eyes to the injustices in this world and how we can be a part of the solution.”

The DCWM said that one of the main characters looked at was the “Persistent Widow” whose story is recorded in Luke 18:1-8. She was a vulnerable person no one to speak up for her.

She faced an unjust judge who feared neither God nor man but she was persistent in seeking justice. In the end, the judge gave in and she received her justice.

“It reminds us that in today’s world things are similar, but if we are persistent, we would get the victory,” she concluded.

Major Cumberbatch remarked that Jennifer Johnson, who is the Caribbean Region Representative on the World Evangelical Association Women’s Committee and a member of the World Evangelical Alliance Global Human Trafficking Task force, spoke to the conference “… out of her wealth of knowledge on human trafficking and domestic violence. We were reminded as the church (Body of Christ) we cannot be silent on these issues. It is not just happening in the world but it is happening in our churches as well.”

Evidently heartened and inspired, Major Cumberbatch concluded: “We left the conference more informed and changed persons. We not only listened to the lectures but we participated in the Bible studies with a view to looking at what we can do to be a part of addressing these issues. We had times of praise and worship, praying and covering each other. One of the highlights was taking some old clothing and making them into new garments which were then model in a fashion show. We were reminded through this exercise that God can take the broken people and things around us and make something Beautiful.”