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National President of Women’s Ministries speaks on the role of women in The Salvation Army.
In honor of National Women’s History Month in March, Commissioner Eva D. Gaither shared thoughts on the role of women in the Army. Following are some highlights of the interview:
Q. How have women impacted the course and success of the Army?
A. [Since] the moment the Mother of The Salvation Army, Catherine Booth, asked her husband William if she could “have a word,” women in this movement have had a strong voice and presence in the continuing growth and expanding of the global Salvation Army.
Q. What are your duties as the National President of Women’s Ministries?
A. I serve as a member of several internal boards and councils at National Headquarters. This gives me the privilege of impacting and influencing policy and decision. I am a member of the Commissioners’ Conference, the national policy-making body for the Army in the USA. I serve as Chair of the Women’s Commission, whose membership consists of the four territorial presidents and territorial secretaries of Women’s Ministries. I am also a representative of NHQ on the National Advisory Board. Beyond all of my formal leadership responsibilities, it is my desire to encourage others who share the work of this ministry.
Q. Would you briefly describe some of the programs and aims of Women’s Ministries?
A. The objectives of Women’s Ministries are summarized in The Salvation Army Year Book as:
To bring women into a knowledge of Jesus Christ, encourage their full potential in influencing family, friends and community; equip them for growth in personal understanding and life skills; and address issues which affect women and their families in the world.
Q. What is your vision for Women’s Ministries?
A. Having had the privilege of observing women working on behalf of the mission of the Army, I have an even stronger belief in the power possessed by Christian women especially to change the world. My personal mission is to encourage and enable women to become all that they can be through Christ.
Read the full interview at the Army’s national website, www.salvationarmyusa.org, under “Home.”
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