Nusantara Women’s Day - For Such a Time as This

March 6, 2021 was a special day because we held “Nusantara Women’s Day” to celebrate International Women’s Day which falls on every March 8. The event, which carried the theme “For Such A Time As This,” inspired by the book of Esther, was held virtually through Zoom and was open to the public.

Information about this event organized by GKDI Women Ministry had been shared well in advance before it took place through the Instagram account @women.gkdi. In it, there were many inspiring stories from women who were fighting against bitterness, despair, heartache as they went through difficult times with God.

This event was divided into 2 sessions:

• Session 1: 3:00-5:00 PM WIB
• Session 2: 6:00-8:00 PM WIB

Session 1 was intended only for participants from Indonesia, while in Session 2, women from ICOC (International Church of Christ) congregations in the SEA (South East Asia) Region could join, because the event was conducted in English with Indonesian subtitles. This event took place in 7 different Zoom rooms with the number of participants reaching nearly 3,000 people.

Before this event took place, the congregation was asked to read the book of Esther so they could relate more to the lessons that would be shared on the day of the event. They also fasted together on February 6 and March 6 for the success of this Nusantara Women’s Day event.

Session 1

This first session opened with a teaser video about the condition and struggles of women today, followed by the guidelines that Zoom participants needed to follow. The women were also shown a video about Esther. Esther’s story was discussed thoroughly in 5 chapters divided into 2 sessions and shared by Women Ministry Leaders, both from Indonesia and abroad.

Chapter 1: It’s not Coincidence, it’s God’s Plan by: Vania Salim Chapter 2: Fear Not, by: Suliana Alin Chapter 3: She Never Walks Alone by: Budiarti Silalahi

Through these sharings, the women were reminded to see that there is God’s plan in every struggle that happens in our lives. We were also reminded not to be afraid and to trust that we never walk alone. After each chapter was finished, there was sharing from extraordinary women about their journey through their struggles with God related to the theme of each chapter.

There was supposed to be a breakout room where the women could fellowship, share with one another, and pray together about their current struggles. However, because the breakout room feature was not possible due to the large number of participants in one Zoom room, the participants prayed together led by the MC.

Session 2

In this second session, women from Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia joined together with participants from Indonesia.

Like the first session, this event also opened with a video that revealed the condition of the heart and the struggles of women. The event was opened by Vania Salim, as the South East Asia Women Ministry Leader. Videos about Esther were also shown, and from those videos, we could better understand Esther’s struggles and what was in her heart.

In this event, the women could sing together led by Mikhaela Nowella and Regina Ivanova, finalists of Indonesian Idol, together with the GKDI Song Ministry team.

In Session 2, the devotional sharing was continued by women leaders from overseas, namely:

Chapter 4: God’s Providence by Angelia Phua Hee (Singapore). Life testimony by Fyonn Chin (Malaysia) Chapter 5: In The End, God’s Win by Jesse Tohme (Lebanon)

The lessons reminded every woman present to see that God’s hand is with us in everything that happens in our lives. In addition, we also need to keep praying, because prayer is powerful and gives us strength to face every challenge in life. The women were encouraged to offer themselves to be used in God’s plan, so that we can experience His presence firsthand.

Nusantara Women’s Day also featured performances from extraordinary women, such as Ivana, a pianist, and Joy Tobing, an Indonesian Idol finalist. On this occasion as well, the new logo and new identity of the women’s ministry were officially launched.

This event closed with a praise song from Song Ministry titled, “Say Yes”. The participants who attended were invited to sing together with great joy.

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At 7:40 PM, the series of Nusantara Women’s Day events came to an end. The participants who came were very enthusiastic and encouraged by every lesson and sharing that was given. This could be seen from their status updates on social media related to this event.

We hope the impact of this event does not stop here. They can become courageous women, strong, with an ever-deepening faith, growing more trusting in the power of prayer and fasting, and willing to be used by God, like Esther. From this event as well, we hope more and more women will want to know God deeply and be willing to become His disciples. Amen. Glory be to God alone.

If you would like to watch the replay of this event again, please access the following links:

Session 1: http://bit.ly/GKDI-WDN-part1 Session 2: http://bit.ly/GKDI-WDN-part2

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