On October 24, 2026, the Association of Adventist Women will present the Women of the Year Awards at the Loma Linda University Church in Southern California. During the vespers program, General Conference (GC) Associate Ministerial Director Crystal Ward will provide inspirational updates on Adventist women in ministry globally. Ward is the first woman to serve as GC Associate Ministerial Director. Following vespers, the Women of the Year Awards Banquet will take place in the church’s fellowship hall.
This year’s awards will be presented to 101-year-old LLU Medical Center Chaplain and Pastor Dorothy Womack, pioneering pastor and recent LLUC children’s ministry Pastor Norma Osborn, Nicaraguan pastor Delia Adonia, recent South Africa-Indian Ocean Division women’s ministry volunteer director Caroline Chola, and Champion of Justice awardee, NAD President Alexander Bryant.
Caroline Chola completed her role as Women's and Children's Ministries Director of Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division in 2021. She served in the same roles at both the union and conference level in her native Zambia. She was nominated by several women ministers who appreciated her support and encouragement during the pandemic. Her passion is to see other people reach their potential. She loves gardening and singing. She is, however, still actively involved in God's vineyard as she serves as a volunteer in the In Discipleship Ministry. She is currently president of In Discipleship Zambia.
Norma Osborn has devoted her life to Christian education, pastoral ministry, and nurturing the faith of children, families, and congregations. Norma spent her early childhood in Beirut, Lebanon, as the daughter of missionary parents. She was educated in England, Washington Adventist University, and the University of Maryland. She was called to pastoral ministry in 1987 at Sligo Church, in Takoma Park, Maryland. She was one of the first three women “ordained” into pastoral ministry on September 23, 1995, at Sligo Church, Maryland. Norma went on to work in church planting, then to serve on the pastoral team at Pacific Union College Church. She is passionate about children’s ministry and Christian education.
Delia Adonia was at the center of two remarkable trends in the Inter-American Division: the very successful Women's Ministries-led evangelism and women as pastors. She was the first woman to graduate from the ministry at the Adventist University of Central America in 1977. Shortly after, she and her pastor husband became missionaries in Nicaragua. She led the first Women's Ministries Department in the Central American Union. There she created a woman-led evangelism template that, despite war and poverty, brought thousands into the church. She was also the sole pastor at the La Tierra Prometida church in Managua and raised 13 children.
Dorothy Womack was the first woman chaplain of Loma Linda University Medical Center. In 1975 she was hired to do chaplaincy and Bible work, which included following up on patients in their homes after discharge. While she received much encouragement for her work as chaplain, this was a time in Adventist church history when there was opposition to women in ministry. Even though she personally felt strong resistance in her work as a chaplain, she remained committed to God’s call throughout her life. When confronted with workplace challenges, she demonstrated moral courage, standing firm in her ministry and in the calling she believed God had entrusted to her. After Womack left chaplaincy, for two years she served as interest coordinator and Bible counselor with the Voice of Prophecy. She found ministry opportunities with the Quiet Hour radio program, organizing volunteers to answer the phone line for prayer, Bible counseling, and book offers. In 1995 Womack began pastoral ministry in the Yucaipa church. During her cooperation with Douglas Elsey, the congregation grew from 150 to over 400, largely because of her ministry. In Elsey’s words, “I have worked with a lot of great pastors, but Dorothy was the best.”
As assistant pastor in the Yucaipa church, she began a seniors’ ministry with newsletters, movie nights, potlucks, and regular outings to places of interest. She organized a team to carry on with the ministry as she moved to the next ministry; in that way, all the ministries she began continued and thrived. Womack, now in assisted living, demonstrates that her zeal for ministry is a lifelong commitment, anchored in the conviction of God’s call on her life. [1]
The Association of Adventist Women (AAW) aspires to meet the unique needs of Adventist women in all areas of endeavor. Founded in 1982, it is the oldest, continuously operating organization of Adventist women.
[1] Read the whole article on Womack: https://www.adventistfaith.com/news/she-did-not-quit/