The first woman ordained as an elder in Estonian Conference

KURESSAARE, ESTONIA. On Sabbath, February 25 pastor Tõnu Jugar, the president of Estonian Conference ordained Anu Martinson, the newly elected elder of Kuressaare church, who is the first woman ordained as an elder in Estonian Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Anu Martinson was elected as an elder of Kuressaare church in the end of year 2005. What is special in ordaining Anu, is that she is the first woman to be ordained in Adventist church in Estonia.

“Quite a few people have asked me if we did not find any more men of good standing in our church that we elected a woman?” says Ivo Käsk the pastor of Kuressaare church. “But we did not choose by gender but by the gift of God. Holy Spirit is the One who calls people and equips them with different gifts and talents needed. And Paul says in his letter to Romans that a believer with a certain gift should serve in an appropriate ministry to that gift.”

Anu has been active in church since the day one she joined the church in 1994. Namely in the same autumn she got baptised, she was elected to serve as a children Sabbath School teacher and an associate youth leader. And Anu is a sort of woman, who does not sit in a position, but acts. She has been a motivator and a ringleader in all kinds of ministries and activities ever since she joined the church.

Anu first learned about Adventist message in a course about Christian principles led by pastor Märt Pärna who also baptised Anu.

Urmas, Anu’s husband, who joined the church 3 years later than Anu, currently serves as the head-deacon of Kuressaare church. Anul and Urmas have two children, Marvin (14) and Meeri (8).

Ivo Käsk,
pastor of Kuressaare church