Called & Sent
The Church Needs More Dance Parties
Today in church, I was thinking about fear. For the most part, I think of myself as a courageous person. I don't really have phobias, in what I would call a psychological sense. I'm not afraid of heights or flying or speaking in public or mice or spiders or the dark or even crime actually. I startle easily, but I'm not sure that's the same as fear. I don't do well with blood or with having my head under water, but that's honestly more of a physical reaction than a mental fear.
And then, in a moment of deeper honesty, I realized that there is one thing that I do fear, at least, if my behavior is any indication. (I think it's probably safe to assume it is.) I don't always like to admit it, but it's a pretty safe bet that I fear losing control. (And yes, I know that control is an illusion, but a lot of the time in my life it's a pretty complete and satisfying illusion, so that's not my point at the moment. Though the startling easily thing is probably related to this somehow.)
The Jesus Review
Reviewing An Old Favorite
On the days when I feel “nobody understands” I remind myself of one of my favorite books about spiritual journeys, Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd. This book reminds me of what I loved about seminary – the imaginative and “out of the box” experiences of God. In the six years of my ordained ministry serving three different calls, I’ve had glimpses of those things.
My first call had a Caribbean liturgy and Blues liturgy as well as used expansive language for God, to some degree. In my second call, since Lent aligned with Black History month, I was able to write a midweek Lenten service lifting up the voices of African-American theologians and sing spirituals. In my current call, we have seven worship services on a weekend, as divergent as you can imagine seven worship services can be. There are parts of a service that might speak to my soul, but as a whole, in the words of Bono, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” I like the flow of Lutheran liturgy which in one sense makes me “traditional” but my college years were spent singing in a Black Gospel choir which had more “umpf” than say, oh your “traditional” Lutheran service. So, I really can’t check off which worship box might want to label me.
Divine Details
Mixing Religion and Politics
As many young clergy women begin to navigate the sometimes rough waters of the local congregation, we also realize that even rougher waters can be found in the politics and polity of our national denominations. How should a YCW handle these issues? Some of us feel strongly that we should keep our opinions private; some of us choose to affiliate with affinity groups which advocate a particular viewpoint. Not only does it seem that everyone has an opinion, it seems that everyone has an opinion on how to express that opinion.
Mihee Kim-Kort, a PCUSA pastor serving in Pennsylvania, writing back at the end of April, provides some wisdom on how young clergy women might come to understand and appreciate this process of discernment:
Holy Ghost Grab-Bag
The Young Clergy Women Project Board Updates: Because You're Not The Only One
The
Young Clergy Women Project has achieved a lot in the past twelve
months...
...Membership continues to grow, drawing from more denominations and more places.
...Fidelia's Sisters continues to publish thought-provoking pieces and is now seeking a new column editor!
...We have a new logo, pictured here, created by Suzanne Stovall Vinson, and a new slogan ("Because You're Not The Only One").
...We're now officially a 501c3 nonprofit. Any and all donations are tax-deductible.
...We have a relationship with Chalice Press to vet prospective books by young clergy women for publication.
Below the fold is more exciting information from your board!
Moms in Ministry
Review: Clergy Moms
Do not be fooled by its cover—a whimsical cartoon of a woman in full Episcopal clergy garb juggling a chalice and a baby as she walks a tightrope between her home and her church—Clergy Moms: A Survival Guide to Balancing Family and Congregations—is anything but whimsical. However, Clergy Moms is also not really a survival guide—only 21 pages are devoted to actual practical advice. In fact, Clergy Moms is not even exclusively about clergy moms, but addresses all members of kinds of clergy families--"traditional" clergy wives, male clergy spouses, and same-sex clergy families.
Christ & Creativity
Sharon Benton wrote the following note to us back in March:
I'm in the process of trying to write a sabbatical grant focused on interweaving the sacred feminine (God the Mother, Sophia, Creator) with my own creativity and intuitive ways of knowing. As I write within the parameters of the grant application proposal, I begin to realize how impossible it is to genuinely embody my sabbatical in the proposal - the proposal instructions leave no space for the creative endeavor! So I offer my grant proposal to Fidelia's Sisters - in its true form.
The Ones We Love
Above Board: Not just another meeting
A few months ago, we here at The Young Clergy Women Project decided to search for a new tagline to express our mission. Our previous one included a reference to the institution that had given us the initial grant, so with the conclusion of the grant, we needed to update our materials. It was also a chance to reinvent ourselves a little bit, to encompass both how far we'd come and where we planned to go next.
The winner, far and away, was Sarah Kinney Gaventa's suggestion of: “The Young Clergy Women Project: Because you're not the only one.” (Although a close runner-up was “Pulpits: They're not just for boys anymore.”) Everything we do, both online and in person, is structured around this mission: to remind young clergy women all over the world and in every denomination that they are not alone.
After choosing this new tagline, the full board of The Young Clergy Women Project gathered in St. Louis earlier this month. Gathering, meeting, and working together side by side were powerful symbols to each one of us that, indeed, we are not alone.
Called & Sent
The Holiest of Ground
“Then God said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ~Exodus 3:5
For many, the experience of the Divine is best described as purely unexpected. Moses was no exception. He was tending a flock, fulfilling his duty as son-in-law when out of nowhere, God appeared and transformed his entire existence. God is present in our worship, in our relationships with loved ones, and in our reading of the Bible. Yet, in those places we have learned to train our eye for divine encounter. We forget that coming face to face with the living God happens, too, in the banality of the simple things we often dread, the things that don’t seem to have anything to do with God. Washing dishes, driving children to school, even tending a flock, these are monotonous actions which seem to be a means to an end. We think in our hurry that the point is completing the task at hand, not so much the process of the task itself. And though our days are replete with such chores, we don’t bother watching for any revelation of grace in the midst of the tedium. Therefore, we are often surprised by its embrace of us.
