\u00a0The Navigators<\/i><\/p>\n
Beloved Navigator Helene Ashker passed away May 30, 2010, in Dallas after 50 years on staff. Jerry White, The Navigators\u2019 international president emeritus, describes Helene as a \u201cpioneer among women in The Navigators. She was a constant defender of women in our work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helene was born August 12, 1929, in Fall River, Massachusetts. She graduated high school in St. Petersburg, Florida, and returned north to attend Brooklyn College while working in the advertising department of the New York Daily News<\/em>. While living in New York, she was active in Jack Wyrtzen\u2019s Word of Life rallies.<\/p>\n Helene joined The Navigators in 1960 and through the years served in Pasadena, Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, Seattle, and Denver. In the 1970s she led the women\u2019s ministry in Colorado Springs and became the women\u2019s representative for The Navigators\u2019 Western Region.<\/p>\n \u201c[My wife] Mary and I first got to know her in the \u201960s,\u201d Jerry says. \u201cI counted her as one of the most valuable and insightful members of my regional leadership teams for 10 years. She became not just a co-worker, but also one of our dearest and closest friends. She would speak truth as well as encouragement to me.<\/p>\n \u201cHelene steadfastly pursued God in our midst with her two greatest passions\u2014evangelism and in-depth training of staff women,\u201d Jerry adds.<\/p>\n Helene was known for constantly sharing her faith with those she encountered, from prominent businesswomen to prison inmates. An example of her natural way of talking to people about Jesus<\/a> is illustrated in a 2006 article on The Navigators\u2019 website. She wrote two evangelistic Bible studies for NavPress, Jesus Cares for Women<\/em>, published in 1987, and Jesus Changes Women<\/em>, published in 1998. She also published numerous other Bible studies and articles.<\/p>\n During the 1990s she traveled internationally, frequently speaking on discipleship and leadership.<\/p>\n Navigator Metro Ministry staffer Fred Wevodau says, \u201cHelene was such a refreshing lover of Jesus with a heart for the Gospel that challenged us all.\u201d<\/p>\n