Network Notes

A Blog of Her Own

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:52:00 -0400

NNPCW's blog has a new look, a new name, and a new location!

"Network Notes" is now "A Blog of Her Own."

Come visit us, and let us know what you think!

Network Notes archives will continue to be available on this site.

Internship Opportunities in Geneva, Switzerland

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Thu, 2 Oct 2008 11:30:00 -0400

The World Student Christian Federation, a global federation of student Christian groups, is offering two year-long internships based in Geneva, Switzerland.

One of the interships will focus on WSCF's work on human rights and solidarity, and the other will focus on communications.

Applications are due at the end of this month. The internships run from Feb 2009-Jan 2010. The starting date is negotiable.

Please email noelle.gulden@pcusa.org for a copy of the full job description and job application.

You can visit WSCF's website for more information about the organization.

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:05:00 -0400

October is domestic violence awareness month.

Each year the Presbyterians Against Domestic Violence Network (PADVN) provides a packet to assist congregations and communities in ministering to individuals and families afftected by domestic violence.

This year's packet focuses on elder abuse, but you can find materials related to other forms of domestic violence here.

I encourage you to check out these resources and lead a worship service or domestic violence awareness event at your church, on your campus, or at your campus ministry.

Unfortunately, domestic violence affects every community of faith. The congregation where I worship was recently confronted with this brutal fact when one of our members was shot and killed by her husband. The resources offered by PADVN have been helpful to our faith community as we deal with the aftermath of this tragedy and as we seek to prevent such violence from occuring again. It is my prayer that they will be helpful to you as well.

Let us know what you do this coming month to help raise awareness about domestic violence.

How Then Shall We Vote?

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:59:00 -0400

As each of us discerns how we are going to vote in this and subsequent elections, I would like to point you to several wonderful resources produced by the Presbyterian Church (USA).

1. Presbyterian Social Witness Policy Compilation:
Throughout the history of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and its predecessor denominations, the General Assemblies have adopted numerous social witness policies that help the church to discern faithful acts of public witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

All of these policies have been brought together in an online guide arranged by topic. (I suggest that you view the guide in Java by clicking the tab that says “Java” just beneath the PC(USA) logo.)

As you examine what the candidates have to say about such issues as war, public education, reproductive rights, immigration, and the economy (to name a few), you can use the compilation to see what our church’s social witness policies have to say about these same issues.

This resource is produced by the General Assembly Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, and is updated annually. (Please note that the current copy online does not yet include policies adopted by the 218th General Assembly, which met this past June.)

2. “Christian and Citizen” Booklet:
The “Christian and Citizen” Booklet identifies some of the main policy issues that will be highlighted in this current election campaign, and gives the reader a sample of General Assembly statements that relate to these specific public policy issues.

The booklet also includes an theological introduction that outlines the challenging call we have as Christians to engage in political life.

This resource is produced by the PC(USA) Washington Office, and it does include policies adopted by the 218th General Assembly.

3. PC(USA) Washington Office Election Year Resource List:
The PC(USA) Washington Office website provides an extensive resource list every election year.

It includes voter registration information, worship resources, a study guide on Christians and Government, and several “how to” guides.

Many blessings as we each discern God’s call to engage in the public witness of the gospel this election season!

Reframing the Conversation

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:22:00 -0400

A good conversation was begun over the weekend about the current presidential race, but as some of my postings and comments were perceived as supporting one party over the other, I want to reframe the conversation. Therefore, I have removed my last two posts. Please check back this week for new posts and a new conversation about the issues surrounding this race.

Blessings,
Noelle

NNPCW rocks my world

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Tue, 2 Sep 2008 14:49:00 -0400

a reflection on NNPCW's annual event by abigail king kaiser

the national network of presbyterian college women just might be the most fabulous part of PCUSA. though no longer a "college woman"(i am a student...) i always wanted to go to a nnpcw leadership event and never could make it while i was in college. but here i am in the same city as their annual leadership event, so i signed up and today i went.

"no one can give you the work you must do... your soul must call forth the work."rev. dr. katie cannon's keynote this morning took my breath away. she taught me a lot about myself. she challenged us to listen to our pleasure... something difficult for me. i think life should be hard, and that if i am not stressed and stretched, i am not working hard enough. i tend to think that if i am not hurting in some way, i am not contributing to the world. rev. dr. cannon reminded me that what we love, what gives us joys, what connects us with the divine is the imago dei in us... and to step on that or to allow others to step on that is a sin.

it is important to remember those folk who got me where i am... there are a long list of them... but it is also important to be able to see the contributions i make to others. these days i find myself apologizing to others (perhaps for no reason, or before the fact, or just in case) and calling myself/thinking of myself as just a minion--a tiny, replaceable cog in a big machine. maybe this is true, maybe it is not. but i, of all people, should not be giving myself a hard time. i am my biggest obstacle most often, and rev. dr. cannon showed me that... something important to remember as i embark on new journeys as a "pastoral assistant" and "local assistant to the moderator" (i promise to try to stop calling myself a minion and thinking of myself that way. big sin.)

and after this bit of church (it was a sacred time and place) i lead a workshop. there... i claimed my authority. i lead a workshop and had a blast! six fabulous women joined me and we played with art, talking through how the arts can contribute to our faith lives and social change. we did a visual lectio divina of micah 6:6-8, in two languages. i learned from each of the women about who God calls us to be. the beautiful images they created are still swirling in my head. i was worried i wouldn't be able to fill up an hour and a half (and yes found myself apologizing to these ladies before we had even done anything) and couldn't believe how quickly the time went. i hope they had as much fun as i did. and i hope that i am blessed enough to continue to work with some of these women in the church in the future.

so in closing, i heart nnpcw and you should too.

"What You Don't Know Can't Hurt You." Really?

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:30:00 -0400

Here's something I didn't know until about five minutes ago: there is more than one type of breast cancer, and the most aggressive type is undetectable by self-examination or mammogram. It is called Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

My younger sister sent me a youtube video about IBC, which was the first time I had ever heard of it. Please watch the video.

Here are some of the major symptoms of IBC, according to the IBC Research Foundation:

Swelling, usually sudden, sometimes a cup size in a few days
Itching
Pink, red, or dark colored area (called erythema) sometimes with texture similar to the skin of an orange (called peau d’orange)
Ridges and thickened areas of the skin
Nipple retraction
Nipple discharge, may or may not be bloody
Breast is warm to the touch
Breast pain (from a constant ache to stabbing pains)
Change in color and texture of the areola

As I've been writing this, I've had the TV on in the background, and I've already heard several commercials about weight loss, feminine odor, and cosmetics--all targeted to women. It's this overabundance of useless information, and the dearth of life-saving information about women's health and overall wellbeing, that reminds me of why women's movements are absolutely crucial.

"What you don't know can't hurt you." So the saying goes, but I choose to disagree. I hope you will, too.

Please educate yourself, spread the word, and keeping working for a more just and loving world.

The Perils of Being a Perfectionist in an Imperfect Church

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:58:00 -0400

For those of you who have never met me, I am a perfectionist.

For those of you who have met me, could that be more obvious?

You've heard the saying, "Don't let the good be the enemy of the great," right? Well my problem is letting the great (or perfect) become the enemy of the good (or imperfect).

My husband/partner, John, and I have recently begun a nightly discipline of reading scripture together, beginning in the book of Acts. We are practicing the ancient discipline of lectio divina, or holy reading, a contemplative reading of scripture that seeks connection with God.

Being the Bible nerd that I am (once upon a time I wanted to teach Old Testament; still do some days), I tend toward analyzation of the text rather than spiritual contemplation. Last night we read Acts 2:37-47. This passage, which talks about the very beginnings of the early church, totally facsinates me. When it was my turn to reflect on the passage, I couldn't stop talking. Of course, most of what I had to say wasn't very contemplative, but focused instead on asking questions about what it means to be church.

In my refecting, I realized that I have let the idea of a great and/or perfect church become an enemy of a good and imperfect church. I realized that I am looking for a very clear-cut answer of what it means to be "true" church--I'm looking for an instruction book of sorts. In some ways that's what I've grown up thinking the books of Acts was meant to be.

We're not there yet, but not too long and we will hit the part in the book of Acts where the disciples themselves start to develop different ideas about what it means to be church. From the very beginning of our story, the church has been trying to figure out what it means to be church. And the struggle continues: we saw that a few short weeks ago at GA. There is no clear cut answer. We have guides, such as the Bible and the Holy Spirit, but we will continue to disagree about what we think these guides are saying to us, just as the disciples did. And I'm learning that that's okay. There is no perfect church, not at least on this side of eternity. What we have is a little chaotic, and more than a little imperfect, but it is still church.

And the best way to continue figuring out how to be a faithful (not a perfect!) church is to get in and join the story. I'm still often tempted to step back and analyze from a distance, in hopes of finding a clean and effective model for the perfect church, but I'm actively resisting that tempatation. I'm just going to jump in and start messing up with the best of them...

noelle

Kids or Career? Do We Have to Choose?

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:24:00 -0400

"My feminism doesn't extinguish my burning desire to one day bear and mother my own children. It just makes my commitment to changing the world, so that both my partner and I can be whole while parenting, all the more urgent." --Courtney E. Martin

Every once in a while I come across an article that speaks deeply into what I feel and names for me realities that I have been struggling to articulate. Here is one of them:

Alice and Rebecca Walker Clash: Do Feminist Mothers Have to Choose Between Dreams and Diapers? by Courtney E. Martin

I would love to hear if this article strikes a chord with anyone else!

Blessings,
Noelle

Where Two or Three are Gathered

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:19:00 -0400

This past weekend my husband, son and I drove to Flat Rock, NC for the wedding of one of our best friends from seminary. Several other of our seminary friends made the journey, some from nearby and others from such faraway places as Rochester and San Francisco.

These friends were some of the women I was closest to during my time at Princeton. We all lived in the same dorm (Hodge Hall), and we met every Friday afternoon to talk about our joys and our struggles from the week in a time known as "Wine and Whine."

Being with these women again reminded me of the importance of creating circles of trust, and particularly of the importance of creating circles of trust made up of women. We gathered together over wine after the reception had ended and shared with each other the current joys and struggles of our lives. What a blessing it was to share in each other's happines as well as to bear one another's burdens!

Do you have a circle of trust on your campus, in your congregation, or somewhere else? If so, please share with us about it. If not, think about starting one (NNPCW has resources that can help get you started).

I'm thinking about starting something here in Louisville with a couple of the women I know best. It's in such gatherings as these that I most fully experience the life-giving power of God's Spirit. I wish that for all of you, too.

Try Fitting This on a Hallmark Card

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Fri, 9 May 2008 13:59:00 -0400

The Mother's Day Proclamation
by Julia Ward Howe

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts,
Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:
"We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of the devastated
Earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And at the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

One of the earliest calls to celebrate Mother's Day, this proclamation was written in 1870.

Please Call Me Ms. Gulden

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Mon, 5 May 2008 13:16:00 -0400

A free t-shirt to the reader who guesses where I was when I heard the following this past weekend (from two separate men):

Man #1: "Hello, beautiful."

Man #2: "How do you keep your cute little figure? You must work hard at it."

Any guesses?

A bar? A party? A dance club?

Correct answer: Church.

That's right. Church. My church. Where my husband serves as pastor.

The first line was technically delivered after the service was over, as I was walking to get in line for the potluck being held that day. The second line was delivered right smack in the middle of worship, as I was walking up to the communion table. It came from the man I had been sitting next to all service, a man who was now standing behind me as we filed into line.

I didn't know how to respond to either of these comments. It's not that I didn't know how they made me feel: they both made me uncomfortable, and the second comment in particular made me feel quite vulnerable. (What part of my "cute little figure" was he looking at as he decided to pose his question to me?)

Had I been at work or in public, I probably would have responded with a polite yet firm "Please call me Ms. Gulden" to the first comment or "That's an inappropriate question" to the second. But instead I offerered only an annoyed sigh.

Why is that? Why didn't I know how to repond to these comments in my own church? Why do I think I would have reponded differently in a different context?

I seem to have a similarly difficult time standing up to such comments (directed either at me or at others) when they originate from members of my family or my husband's family. Again, why is that?

I talked with my husband after church about these two incidents, and he and I agreed that we both need to address such comments head-on when we hear them. I, as a woman, need to continue to learn how to assert myself and demand basic respect from others. He, as a man, needs to talk to other men and help them to understand why such comments are harmful and unacceptable.

But it needs to move beyond that. The church as a whole needs to remember that sexim and racism and other forms of discrimination are real. And they are alive and well in the church. We need to continue to struggle with how to rid our communities of these sins so that we can truly become the community that God created us to be: the beloved community, a community of justice and wholeness and peace--shalom.

Gate A-4 (poem)

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:56:00 -0400

by Naomi Shihab Nye

Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet, essayist, and novelist. This poem was published in Peacework Magazine, Issue 382 - February 2008

Wandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal, after learning my flight had been detained four hours, I heard an announcement: "If anyone in the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic, please come to the gate immediately." Well -- one pauses these days. Gate A-4 was my own gate. I went there. An older woman in full traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly. "Help," said the Flight Service Person. "Talk to her. What is her problem? We told her the flight was going to be late and she did this." I stooped to put my arm around the woman and spoke to her haltingly. "Shu dow-a, Shu-bid-uck Habibti? Stani schway, Min fadlick, Shu-bit-se-wee?" The minute she heard any words she knew, however poorly used, she stopped crying. She thought the flight had been cancelled entirely. She needed to be in El Paso for major medical treatment the next day. I said, "You're fine, you'll get there, who is picking you up? Let's call him." We called her son and I spoke with him in English. I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and would ride next to her -- Southwest.

She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for fun. Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and found out of course they had ten shared friends. Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian poets I know and let them chat with her? This all took up about two hours. She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life, patting my knee, answering questions. She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies -- little powdered sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts -- out of her bag -- and was offering them to all the women at the gate. To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the mom from California, the lovely woman from Laredo -- we were all covered with the same powdered sugar. And smiling. There is no better cookie. And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers and two little girls from our flight ran around serving us all apple juice and they were covered with powdered sugar too. And I noticed my new best friend -- by now we were holding hands -- had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing, with green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere. And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought, this is the world I want to live in. The shared world. Not a single person in this gate -- once the crying of confusion stopped -- seemed apprehensive about any other person. They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too. This can still happen anywhere. Not everything is lost.

thirtysomething

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:34:00 -0400

I don't know how to be thirtysomething.

Caught between my twenties and my forties--between young adulthood and, well, just plain adulthood--I'm perplexed.

I think part of the reason for my confusion is that I am a church-going Christian, and I also happen to work for the church. And, as we all know, it's the thirtysomethings that are largely missing from the church. So the two places where I spend most of my time are virtually thirtysomethingless.

All you twentysomethings: am I romanticizing the decade I most recently left behind? Did I really know how to be twentysomething? Do you feel like you know how to fare this phase? I think having spent most of my twenties in school surrounded by other twentysomethings gave me a pretty good clue about what it meant to be twentysomething. And I'm sure it didn't hurt that most of the older adults in my life during that stage were used to working with twentysomethings.

But now I find myself in a strange no-woman's-land of missing thirtysomethings. There are a few of us around the church, but we're not quite as visible as the twentysomethings. And the older adults I'm encountering now don't seem to know quite what to do with the few of us that are here.

I love the intergenerational reality that is the mainline church. But I miss having space to be with other people my age. Most of the thirtysomethings I know are friends from other walks of life. We are figuring out together what it means to be thirty. But I find myself longing for a mentor, for a woman who's just a few more years into this decade than I am to take me by the hand and tell me that this uncertainly that I feel is normal. To assure me that I will eventually come to know what it is that I want to do with my life. To agree with me that the myth of the working supermother is both out-of-reach and dangerous. To challenge me to resist settling down if that means getting so tied to material things that I betray the truly important things.

Where are my fellow thirtysomethings? What does it mean to be thirtysomething? Have you figured it out? Who showed you the way?

I'm Back!

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:50:00 -0400

Wow. That was a long--and unintentional--hiatus.

For some reason I've been blocked from accessing blogspot from my computer here at work. For several weeks. Access was finally restored again this afternoon.

So here I am, with a LOT on my mind. I'm ready to blog again. So stay tuned...

It's good to be back.

Tag, I'm It! (PresbyMEME5)

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:43:00 -0400

Have you ever heard of a meme?

According to Bruce Reyes-Chow, one of the candidates for Moderator of the General Assembly, a meme is

"a list of questions that is passed along from blogger to blogger in order to learn things about people, increase traffic and be annoying to those who never do memes. Think chain letter for blogs, but without any horrible ramifications if you stop it."

Bruce recently started a Presbyterian Church (USA)-specific meme. John of Shuck and Jive tagged me; he was tagged by Drew of Notes from Off-Center.

Here are the rules, as set forth by Bruce:
- In about 25 words each, answer the following five questions;
- Tag five presbyterian bloggers and send them a note to let them know they were tagged;
- Be sure to link or send a trackback to this post.

So here we go. PresbyMEME 5:

What is your earliest memory of being distinctly Presbyterian?

I was baptized in the Ukranian Orthodox Church, received first communion and got confirmed in the Lutheran Church (ELCA), spent ten years in a non-denominational church, went to seminary at Princeton, and then married a PC(USA) minister and joined a PC(USA) congregation. I don't know that I am "distinctly" Presbyterian. Should I be?

On what issue/question should the PC(USA) spend LESS energy and time?

I think we need to spend less time focusing on all of those things of which we're so afraid (losing members, scarcity, "the other," etc.) and focus instead on casting out our fear.

On what issue/question should the PC(USA) spend MORE energy and time?

Young adults. Need I say more?

If you could have the PC(USA) focus on one passage of scripture for a entire year, what would it be?

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all our mind and with all your strength.... Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)

If the PC(USA) were an animal what would it be and why?

A sheep. Maybe a stray one.

Extra Credit: Jesus shows up at General Assembly this year, what does he say to the Presbyterian Church (USA)?

So this is what you all have been doing for the last 2,000 years!

I tagged Mark Koenig and Amanda Craft (Swords into Plowshares), Lee Hinson-Hasty (A More Expansive View), Irene Pak (Me, Myself and Irene), Andrew Kang Bartlett (Food and Faith), and Jud Hendrix. (IWonder).

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Wed, 5 Mar 2008 11:20:00 -0500

Sumbitted by Hillary Mohaupt

One of the remarkable things about the Internet is that you can type nearly anything into a search engine and find whatever your heart desires. In the rise and fall of the last few weeks—experiencing the loss of my grandmother, getting my first acceptance letters for graduate schools, struggling with the snobbish side of Macalester’s culture, celebrating with a friend as she comes to know herself a little better by embracing the sexuality with which she has wrestled—I have been drawn back to a sentence I found years ago.

Sometime during my first year at Mac, I encountered the gentle reminder, “Life is once, twice and yet again.” I taped it on my computer monitor and it has hung there patiently, waiting for me to find it again this week. When I did find it, I wanted to contextualize it. So I turned to Google for help. The first few searches came up fruitless, and I was closer to distress than to annoyance. Here was a line that was speaking to my experience and I couldn’t even remember who wrote it!

But tonight, Google came through. Naly Yang’s poem, “In Remembrance,” appeared in Bamboo Among the Oaks: Contemporary Writing by Hmong Americans in 2002, and my sentence drew the poem to a close. As I wrap up my time at Macalester and in NNPCW, anything “in remembrance” seems particularly apt. As we remember, we re-experience and re-interpret.
There is hope in Naly Yang’s brief reminder. We can remember and re-interpret and even re-live what we have known, or, better, we can move on to something completely new and, dare I say, refreshing. We can renew our spirits and replenish our hearts. We are given the promise of unending love, which can transform us beyond our own experiences. God’s love in the world recalls what even Google can’t adequate convey: the darker moments will be brightened by friendships and adventures, and exuberant joy will be tempered by the call of the world to dig down deep to engage the world in hard work and complicated questions. We remember and we continue to live. In a sentence, “life is once, twice and yet again.”

Hillary is a senior at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. She is currently a member of NNPCW's Coordinating Committee, but sadly, her term ends this year. We will miss her dearly.

When African-American history is just known as history

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:58:00 -0500

A message to the PC(USA) from the vice-moderator

by Elder Robert E. Wilson
PC(USA) General Assembly vice-moderator

Do we need Black History Month? Yes.

But we need to get back to the original intent of the celebration.

Black History Month began as a yearlong study and discussion of African-American history, with the month of
February as the kickoff. Many say Black History Month is necessary until textbooks more completely and accurately portray the contributions Blacks have made.

We need to make sure books and curricula are upgraded so that schools and churches can teach Black History the whole year, rather than one month. Black students, as well as Asians, Native American, Hispanic/Latino and White students need to know more about African American culture than just the history associated with slave owners.

The main thing they need to know is about the people who were willing to make that ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

Did you know, for example, that in 1801 the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church appointed John Chavis (ca. 1763−1838) as the first Presbyterian missionary to African-American slaves? A free Black, Chavis preached to slaves and mixed audiences. He served as a missionary, teacher, and minister in Virginia from 1801−1807 and in North Carolina from 1807−1832.

We yearn for the time when African-American History is just known as history.

The PC(USA) professes that racism in all its forms is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ? It also acknowledges that racism is a reality in both church and society. The church is committed to spiritually confronting the ideology of racism and racial oppression and working to overcome racism with prayer, discernment and worship-based action.

Last month, on Race Relations Sunday, we affirmed that Jesus calls us to love in a world of challenges. God makes us live together. We are not made for separation; we are made for each other. We are not made for individuality; we are made for community. We are not made for division; we are made for love.

Unfortunately, every day we confess our complicity in creating and maintaining love of race throughout life,
including within the church. At the same time, though, we celebrate God’s vision of life together. We commit to confronting the love of race, and we renew our intention to live according to God’s vision. And, ultimately, it is God’s vision that will come to fruition.

It is time to join in God’s vision. Are you ready? Is your church ready?

This story may also be seen here:
http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08133.htm

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:02:00 -0500

submitted by Hailee Barnes

Does something have to be fact to be true? Can something be true in my life and faith without
being fact?

These questions were raised in my campus group this Sunday as we are following a series titled “Living the Questions.” Last night’s discussion was based on the topic of “Thinking Theologically.”

We were asked the questions: What is the character of your God? How does your church worship God in a way that fits with God’s character? And a few other questions that I cannot remember. There was a good discussion, but there were so many questions and thoughts presented that it was hard to leave and turn off those wheels long enough to get some homework done.

I feel a little too overwhelmed by the questions right now to discuss them so I am going to leave it at that and see if maybe these questions lead you anywhere or spark more questions.

Hailee is a student at the University of Montana in Missoula, MT. She is the incoming co-moderator of NNPCW's Coordinating Committee.

Love is All You Need

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Mon, 4 Feb 2008 09:45:00 -0500

by Jennifer Ross

For me, my faith and service work have always been inextricably connected. I believe serving others is my call as a Christian. We are told over and over again throughout the Bible to build community with others, to serve others. This summer, I will be traveling to Tanzania, Africa to build community with my brothers and sisters in Christ, teaching English to the Maasai people. This trip has been on my mind a lot lately and I mention it as a segue into a more general musing about why I think service is important.

I try to live my life by the Gospel lessons. Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins and commanded us to love our God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. In this globalized world, I think we often forget the love our neighbors as ourselves part. Jesus did not mean, love your friends and family, love the people who think and act like you, love those of a similar economic status, love those who have received the same amount of education as you or love yourself alone. No, Jesus tells us to love everyone. Everyone. The homeless, the working poor, the Republicans, the Democrats, the drug addicts, those in prison, anyone who is oppressed or an outcast of society in addition to the people that society deems easy to love.

Jesus lays it all out there for us, tells and shows us what we are supposed to do; all we have to do is follow it. Jesus ate with the tax collector, talked with the Samaritan woman, healed the lepers—defied social norms! How radical! Jesus shows us and now we have got to go out and do the same. That is what life is about for me. Serving, being in community with all of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Think about it, the most radical thing we can do, is to choose to love each other.

And so that is what I am going to do. I am going to make community with, to love, my brothers and sisters in Africa, in the hopes of doing something to lighten their load, sharing their burden and they in turn will share mine. That is the great thing about community—sharing. If I am open to it, their hopes, fears, burdens will become my hopes and fears and burden and my hopes, fears and burdens will become their hopes and fears and burdens. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is human beings’ capacity to love. In the face of the worst possible trial or tribulation, we never loose our ability to love.

Love is all you need.

I realize how silly and idealistic it seems, how one could say, "oh you young college student, you. You don't know the ways of the world!" But think about it! What can love not do? Love can bring food and water to those who don't have any, love can stop fighting, love can teach children how to read. Love can do all of these things because Love died on a cross to save us. When we love each other, we are realizing and affirming one another's humanity.

So go out in the world today and love someone. Because, as the old hymn says, “they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love…”

Jennifer is a senior at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. She is also on NNPCW's Coordinating Committee.

Continuing the legacy of bold women

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:31:00 -0500

Biblical women and modern-day mentors gave me courage to visualize my ministry

by Irene Pak

"She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” (John 11:27)

Many of us are familiar with Jesus’ powerful words, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). What we usually don’t hear or remember is the question following that statement and the response.

Jesus then asks, “Do you believe this?” He is talking to Martha, a woman, and she responds with a profound articulate theological answer. “Yes, Lord, I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

When I took the time to really listen to that response, I was surprised for a couple of reasons. I was surprised because throughout the gospels none of Jesus’ twelve disciples could articulate who Jesus was like Martha was able to do. They usually didn’t get it, or get him. They were the ones that asked questions of clarification and were told stories in parables. So, it surprised me to hear such a strong statement of understanding from a woman.

Then again, when I think about the women in the gospels, I notice a pattern. Women on the margins, women who are outcasts, the “other,” are the ones who dare to ask for healing and trust it will happen. They are the ones touching the cloak, wiping Jesus’ feet with perfume and hair, making bold faith statements, asking about living water, and making articulate claims as to who Jesus is as Savior.

Why is it then, even with these stories in my mind, I am surprised when a woman in the Bible or even in the present day can make strong statements of understanding and faith? Why is it that when I envision a “pastor” the first image that appears is an older white male?

As a young adult woman of color and candidate for ordination, these realizations bother me. It was what deterred me from responding to the calling I felt to ministry at a young age. Pastors were older, men, usually white, and “really holy.” I was none of those things and shoved the Spirit’s calling aside. I had never even seen or met an Asian American female pastor until I went to seminary years later!

Praise God for an older white male pastor who when I finally “gave in” to God’s calling gave me opportunities to lead, experience and share my faith and begin to articulate my understanding to God’s people. I am incredibly thankful for him and for the nurture and mentorship he provided me during those formative years.

It wasn’t, however, until I met other women and other women who looked like me in different forms of ministry that I began to fully enter into and feel empowered to do the work God was calling me to do.

In the recent celebration of 50 years of ordination of women as ministers of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), my heart was grateful for all of the women who have paved the way for me so that I have the privilege to follow my own call. And yet, we all know that the line of strong women of faith traces its roots to biblical times. It’s amazing to know that I am a continuing part of that legacy.

When Martha responds, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world,” she affirms her belief in Jesus and who he is and springs forth life into his prior statement. This is the One who broke boundaries and dared to reach out, eat with, heal and touch those considered on the margins, including women. This is the One who she boldly affirms and puts her trust in.

As I dare to join the circle of women who have courageously walked in faith, I pray for a day when we automatically envision women and men of all races, ethnicities, age and abilities as leaders of the church. I am excited to be part of that vision.

Irene Pak is a young adult intern serving in the ministry of Racial Justice and Advocacy. A graduate of McCormick Theological Seminary, she is a candidate for ordination in the Presbytery of Utah.

Prophetic Words, Uncomfortable Words

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:07:00 -0500

“Too much of the white church is timid and ineffectual, and some of it is shrill in its defense of bigotry and prejudice. In most communities, the spirit of status quo is endorsed by the churches.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr

These words, spoken in 1965, make me uncomfortable. These words, spoken almost 43 years ago, make me uncomfortable because these words are as true today as they were then.

Such are the words of true prophets: they stand for decades—even millennia—and as long as they stand they continue to afflict those who have ears to hear. When I hear these prophetic words, I am afflicted because not only do I know that they are true, but I know that they implicate me. I know that King is talking about my Church, about my actions, about me.

Toward the end of his life, King grew more and more disenchanted—angry, even—with moderate and liberal whites in America, and especially with the white church. In the same interview in which King spoke the words in the above quote, he shared that his personal disillusionment with the white church began when the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South did not prove to be the strong allies he expected them to be during the Montgomery bus boycott.

The white church (and the majority of whites in America, really) only continued to disappoint King as his prophetic ministry continued through to its untimely end in 1968, when King was murdered. I am ashamed to imagine what he would say of us (and to us) today.

As a young white woman living in the United States, I benefit from the status quo. The status quo upholds white privilege, which not only makes it difficult for white persons to recognize and understand racism (“a fish doesn't know water,” as the saying goes), but also to move toward dismantling racism once we do begin to understand what racism is, why it is a sin, and why it is so destructive. For racism requires those of us who benefit from its oppressive structure to relinquish the ill-gotten privilege we receive from that structure. And let’s be honest: power and privilege are hard to let go.

But power and privilege hold nothing to God’s vision of shalom, of wholeness, justice and righteousness, and peace. And it is for nothing less than shalom—life abundant—that we are called to follow Christ. We cannot faithfully follow Christ’s call and still hold on to the sins of oppressive power and privilege. In order to follow Christ, we must seek a different sort of power, a God-given power that is shared by all, and this will require a giving up of power currently held by some so that it can indeed be shared with those from whom it has so long been withheld.
May God continue to provide us with prophetic voices in our midst to call us to God’s shalom. And may God give us the strength to answer that call.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (II Timothy 1:7, NIV).

For information on how to combat racism, please visit the Web site of Racial Justice and Advocacy, a ministry of the General Assembly Council.

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:49:00 -0500

by Rachael Whaley

Good afternoon, fellow feminists! I write to you on a rather blustery day in East Tennessee, and I am glad that winter weather has finally returned, although I did enjoy the few 70-degree days last week.

I am taking an Ethics course during this January mini-term, a three-week course that meets for 3 hours everyday (think summer school, except without the pool waiting for you in the afternoon). I have been pondering several concepts this week, such as what makes an act good? Or ethical, moral, etc. My assigned reading for today discussed virtue ethics, which asks what humanity ought to be rather than what we ought to do. (If this sounds a little mundane, I apologize for reviewing for my exam tomorrow while simultaneously writing this blog). The part of my reading which caught my attention was a section entitled, “Masculine and Feminine Virtues.” The following quotation is a portion of that section:

The context for women’s moral decision making is said to be one of relatedness…They are partial to their particular loved ones and think that one’s moral responsibility is first of all to these persons…Women stress the concrete experiences of this or that event and are concerned about the real harm that might befall a particular person or persons…Men are more inclined to talk in terms of fairness and justice and rights. They ask about the overall effects of some action and whether the good effects, when all considered, outweigh the bad. It is as though they think moral decisions ought to be made impersonally or from some unbiased and detached point of view.

The text also includes a table that lists contrasting virtues that fall in either masculine or feminine columns, such as men value reason while women value feeling, and women are partial while men are impartial. The logical inconsistencies not withstanding, I was appalled to find such blatant sexism in a textbook written in 2007.

I took a course during my sophomore year in Western Civilizations covering the Early Modern Period to the present, and anyone who has studied this time period knows that a large portion of the class was dedicated to colonialism. This particular course focused on British India in the 19th and 20th centuries. One particular lecture focused on the supposed justification for colonization, and the professor began to write a table on the chalkboard with opposing attributes that the British applied to themselves, the colonizers; and to the Indians, those being colonized. These attributes were lies the British told themselves in order to justify exerting power on another nation. This table looked something like this:
British--Indian
Masculine--Feminine
Rational--Irrational
Universal--Concrete
Strong--Weak

Look familiar? After reading the appalling list in the textbook I could not help but dwell on the uncanny resemblance to that colonization table. The idea that all women and all men think in certain ways is extremely problematic, but it is not the crux of the issue. The virtues associated with femininity in the first case and with the colonized Indians in the second case are commonly known as inferior virtues. In the post-Enlightenment West, impartiality, rationality, and universality are believed to be superior virtues of superior minds, and by applying these virtues to men (or to a colonial power) they are implying that they are superior beings.

I end this blog asking you to ponder one question: Is there such a thing as the female moral/ethical perspective? And if so, does it only apply to women? Is it superior or inferior? Do you think your gender has any affect on your ethical decision-making?

Rachael is a member of NNPCW's Coordinating Committee and a senior at Maryville College in Maryville, TN.

A Church to Call "Home

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Mon, 7 Jan 2008 18:03:00 -0500

by Maisha Johnson

For a while now, I've been without a church to call my own "home" church. There's no real reason for this, and I'm sure it's not uncommon for college students, busy and away from home, to go for a while without a home church. Recently I've been feeling the desire to find a church of my own. I can feel in my heart that somewhere in this city I live in is a faith community of love and joy, where I can feel comfortable and spiritually grounded.

So far, my search has been a promising one. But I have to admit, the optimism and hope that I've been feeling while looking for a church is somewhat new to me. In the past, I would step into a new church with trembling hands and an anxious heart. I'd sit in the back and stay quiet, reluctant to reveal too much about myself for fear of being judged. I'd pray, I'd sing, I'd prepare myself for the inevitable possibility that something would be said to make me feel offended, misjudged, out of place, or like I was doomed for the fiery pits of hell. And in the end, I would simply accept that this was church, and if I wished to express my devotion to God by attending church, this is what I would have to deal with.

I found my first PC(USA) home church by fleeing from one such experience into the sanctuary of United University Church in Los Angeles, where I felt nothing but welcomed and loved by a congregation that didn't even know me. I was surprised and relieved to discover that my previous experiences were not what make up the universal experience of "church." Since then, my search for a home church has changed. It begins, I'll admit, with the Internet. It ends, usually, with a feeling of comfort as I mingle with people who love each other and show that they would gladly extend their love to me. It turns out there are churches where feminism is not condemned, where all people are seen as equal, and where the focus is not moral judgment but compassion and social justice. These are the kinds of churches that I am looking for.

This past Sunday I continued my search. I wanted to attend church to mark the loss of a friend. It's times like these when I feel something missing without a home church, and the old feelings of anxiety began to creep in. I needed warmth, love, friends and family, and instead I would be spending my Sunday surrounded by strangers.

Oddly enough, I hardly noticed the difference. I was visiting a Presbyterian church with a small, close-knit congregation that welcomed me as one of their own. I didn't tell anyone why I was there, but when the time came to say prayers aloud I silently offered prayers for my friend and I felt that somehow I was heard. I even ran into a friend and member of NNPCW, Heather Grantham. I watched as the congregation said a heartfelt good-bye to one of their friends and staff members, and warmly welcomed Heather in her place. I felt that it was a place I could potentially call home.

If we want to follow Jesus' example we must pay attention to how he treated outsiders. I am grateful for everyone who has done as Jesus would, reaching out a hand when I felt alone and making me feel loved.

What do you look for in a home church? What do you love most about your church?

Maisha is an NNPCW Coordinating Committee member. She attends San Francisco State.

in anticipation...

KARice@ctr.pcusa.org (NNPCW, PC(USA)) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:15:00 -0500

I love Advent. I love the hopeful anticipation of the season, the expectant waiting for Immanuel, God-with-us, to finally arrive.

Faith, for me, has always been a bit of a struggle. My creed echoes the words of the man who brought his son to Jesus for healing: "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).

Advent reminds me that struggle and darkness are integral in this journey of faith. Advent reminds me that we live in the painful in-between of God-with-us and God-yet-to-come ("thy kingdom come, thy will be done"). I find comfort in Advent, in the willingness of God's people to dwell in this place of in-between while still holding on to hope. I feel at home here.

What does Advent mean to you?