Fabienne Seguin says a large part of her job as president of European Baptist Women United is encouragement.
“My main goal within our union is to encourage the national presidents and more generally the Baptist women in their Christian life and to develop deeper relationships with them,” said Seguin, who hails from France and serves with volunteers from Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Lebanon and Moldova.
European Baptist Women United, or EBWU, is the European region of Baptist World Alliance Women. Seguin calls the 52 countries that make up the EBWU, including the Middle East and the former Soviet republics, a “beautiful mosaic.” Members fall into three primary language groups — English, Russian and Arabic. said.
Seguin, former treasurer and now president of EBWU, has been involved for nine years. She also represents the Baptist women from her region at the European Baptist Federation executive committee meetings and is one of the vice presidents of BWAW.
However, attending various meetings is not her major focus.
Missions and ministry
EBWU has organized women’s conferences, camps for single mothers, conferences for widows and children’s camps.
They have supported women in the refugee camps in Syria and refugees in Ukraine and neighboring countries and work with the BWAW fighting against domestic violence.
Seguin started in ministry feeling very unqualified.
“I’m single. I’m a civil servant working as a tax inspector, and I have never studied theology,” she said. She thought that only pastors’ wives could serve this way.
Attending her first EBWU conference in 2010 in Budapest, Hungary, Seguin was extremely nervous due to her lack of fluency in English.
“But it changed my life!” she said. “I couldn’t say any word in English during those three days but the ladies I met there were so inspiring and encouraging. I was so enthusiastic when I came back home! I wanted to know them better.”
‘At home’
Traveling to the next conference, her flight was delayed, and she spent the night in the airport. Unable to sleep, she pondered what God wanted her to do next.
“Right before I left to go to the boarding gate, I answered in my heart, ‘I will go wherever You send me.’ At the end of this conference, the EBWU secretary came to me and asked if France would accept to host the next EBWU conference in 2012,” she remembered.
There she was asked to be treasurer, which led to her becoming president.
Seguin has been able to go to South Africa, the Bahamas and Alabama — all for BWAW conferences.
“I’m always surprised to go to places that I would have never visited on my own. And I always feel at home with my sisters. The same Spirit binds us together and, to me, it is so amazing. Working and serving with my sisters is so pleasant and easy,” she said.
“I meet faithful and inspiring women. We are in many ways so different and in many ways so similar. I see the high level of the creativity of God. I’m always encouraged when I meet them. With them, I can grow.”
Confidence in the Lord
Seguin said she wishes she had been less worried and more confident in the Lord.
“This world is not an easy place for women, even in Western countries,” she said. “In my ministry, I noticed how hard it is for most women to see their value and to be in the light. They prefer mostly living in the shadows and hiding their talent.
“When I started to serve as the president of EBWU in 2018, my vision was to encourage women to be where God wants them to be. I want to encourage them to enter their promised land and to face their giants because Christ has defeated them already.”
Prayer needs for EBWU include:
- That Seguin will not lose her first love.
- That she will trust the Lord and will not try to find solutions on her own.
To find out more about EBWU, go to bwawomen.org and find this region in “Continental Unions” under the “About Us” tab.
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