Adventist Women's Center : Butler, Joy

Joy Butler, Director of Women’s Ministries and Coordinator of Prayer Ministries, South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist church, was born in beautiful New Zealand in 1948, educated at Palmerston North Girls School, Longburn College, NZ and Avondale College, Australia.

A most outstanding grandmother, who was full of the joy of the Lord and a leader in the Salvation Army, had a profound influence on Joy’s life. Married to Bob Butler, Manager of the Adventist Retirement Villages in Sydney, NSW they have three adult children. Marlon, Project Manager for ADRA, Malawi, Africa; Emma, illustrator and writer in Sydney and Ryan a raft guide and student at university in Australia.

Joy considers herself to be an international person and has worked, as a single woman and missionary wife in the roles of secretary, teacher and leader in many locations both within and outside Australasia. These include Melbourne, Sydney, Papua New Guinea, Tasmania, Western Samoa, New Zealand and Africa. Joy and her family worked for 12 years in Zimbabwe, Africa where she was involved as a Bible Instructor, church elder/secretary, Meals on Wheels director, piano teacher, vegetarian cooking instructor and mother to three busy children. She also has an ongoing relationship with an abandoned African child, named Taurai. In 1994 Joy became a Chaplain at the Sydney Adventist Hospital before becoming the Director of Women’s Ministries for the Greater Sydney Conference, Australia in 1997. In 2001 she became the Director for Women’s Ministries in the South Pacific Division.

Joy has a major concern for the poor and hurting women of the world, especially in the developing and war torn countries. She helps to raise funds for the ADRA Thailand Keep Girls Safe Project which she and her son helped to set up. This helps young girls avoid prostitution, sex slavery and abuse. She is also the Christian Outreach Superintendent for the World Woman’s Christian Temperance Union as of April, 2004.

Joy feels extremely blessed to have lived in and enjoyed such diverse places and cultures. She continues to travel extensively and praises God for the freedom she enjoys in Australia at the present time. She has had personal major health issues to deal with as well as the loss of close family members but she enjoys a close walk with God, who is her constant friend and support.

When relaxing she enjoys – bush walking, canoeing, reading (including history and theology), ministering to older people, playing the piano and listening to classical music. Her greatest desire is to encourage women to have a close walk with Jesus and to use their God-given gifts to spread His love to their own families and to the communities in which they live. She endeavours to help women look beyond their immediate environment to the bigger issues of the global village we now live in. She lives and serves enthusiastically and with passion to bring honour and glory to God. (April 2006)