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What's going on in your church?
Shared stories
about the leadership of women
From American
Baptist Women's Ministries
 The
women's ministries of American Baptist Churches USA celebrate a rich
heritage dedicated to ministry and mission. While American Baptist Women's
Ministries organized only 55 years ago, the roots of our ministry reach back
the early 19th century and intertwine with the histories of our ecumenical
sisters when church women gathered in homes to advocate for issues of
importance to women and support missions.
In 2001, the American
Baptist Historical Society published a historical journal highlighting the
history of American Baptist Women's Ministries.
A fascinating collection of
historical narratives about women working together in mission societies,
guilds, and circles, the journal is available for $5 plus postage. To order,
email info@abwministries.org and reference the American Baptist Quarterly Vol XX No. 3.
Our ministries, resources,
and events today are designed to empower women and girls to worship God,
grow spiritually, develop their spiritual gifts, care for one another, and
reach out to others.
Women share their
journeys with God as "herstories," a popular feature that inspires
readers of Vital Woman Magazine [www.abwministries.org/magazine],
a publication of AB Women's Ministries.
Our Women of the Word
Bible study series [http://www.abwministries.org/store/product.cfm?pID=128]
draws women in the congregation together to consider the scriptures related
to topical studies. The three volumes of the series, each of which includes
six Bible studies, were written by Joyce Anderson-Reed, a missionary in
Mexico.
We affirm that God
calls women to claim and use their gifts with confidence and competence. We
offer resources for an indepth leadership development experience called
"Real Women, Real Leaders: Dynamic Leadership for Women's Ministries." [http://www.abwministries.org/store/product.cfm?pID=129]
Leadership workshops
and spiritual development are primary to our annual national events for
women [www.abwministries.org/upcoming_events]
at beautiful Green Lake Conference Center in Wisconsin. We also sponsor
Mission Encounters as well as annual events for girls.
AB Women's Ministries is
affiliated with Church Women United and the Women's Department of Baptist
World Alliance.
For more information,
visit our website at
www.abwministries.org
National President Lois Chiles
Executive Director Virginia Holmstrom
General
Commission on the Status and Role of Women
United Methodist Church
 Celebrate
the 50th Anniversary of Clergy Rights for Women and Honor a Leader
March is Women's History
Month and a good time to send your words of encouragement and thanks to
the women who lead in The United Methodist Church.
This month, take time to
write a note to a woman who inspired you in your faith journey. Perhaps a
teacher, a youth counselor or your pastor. Maybe your aunt, sister, mother
or grandmother paid a significant role in your formation.
The staff at GCSRW suggest
you send a note to these great women in your life and to the women who
continue to lead our denomination.
For a complete list of
women who have led the church in the office of bishop,
click here.
Other GCSRW links for
bulletin inserts and worship materials:
http://www.gcsrw.org/tools/AnniversaryInserts.htm
http://www.gcsrw.org/tools/womenhistorybulletins.htm
http://www.gcsrw.org/inclusive/GeneralConference2004/returningtothewell.htm
 From
Presbyterian Women's Ministries:
Did you know
...
There were 149.1 million females in the United States
as of July 1, 2004. That exceeds the number of males (144.5 million). Males
outnumber females in every five-year-age group through the 35 to 39 age
group. Starting with the 40 to 44 age group, women outnumber men. At 85 and
over, there are more than twice as many women as men.
There were 212,000 active duty women in the military
in 2004. Of that total, 35,100 women are officers and 177,000 are enlisted.
The median annual earnings of women ages 15 and older
who work full time, year-round is $31,223. After adjusting for inflation,
earnings for these women declined by 1 percent between 2003 and 2004.
26 percent of women have obtained a bachelor's
degree. This rate has increased nearly 7 percentage points in the past
decade.
Women, who worked full time, year-round, earned 76
cents for every $1 their male counterparts earned. This amount is down from
77 cents for every dollar in 2002.
Twenty-six percent of women ages 25 and over attained
a bachelor's degree or higher in 2004, this is up nearly 7 percentage points
from a decade earlier. Eighty-five percent of young women and 84 percent of
young men 25 and older had completed high school in 2004. The last year
young women and men had equal rates of high school and college attainment
was 1995.
For more, see
www.pcusa.org/women/historymonth.htm
 From
Phoebe Griswold's address to the United Nations Commission on the Status of
Women forum: I'd like to issue this challenge to both men and women. I think
this is both a challenge and a way forward. What would happen if both men
and women were to look around the decision-making tables of councils that
represent both men and women and see if the table is 50/50? I would like to
challenge men to fill just one half of the table and then to look for women
to fill the other half and I'd like to challenge women to prepare
themselves, their sisters, their girls, to move into leadership roles
through education in schools, theological institutions and other places of
learning. Women should be at these tables as these are the places where
policy and funds are allocated. I would like to challenge women to think
about how to strategize to get to these tables, to train and prepare women
for leadership and particularly at all levels of our church.
For more, see
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/uncsw.htm
This link provides access
to a book the Institute for Women's Policy Research published in June 2005,
The Ties That Bind: Women’s Public
Vision for Politics, Religion, and Civil Society:
http://www.iwpr.org/Politics_Religion_PublicVision/pubs.htm
This
link provides access to a webchat on religion and feminism:
http://www.movingideas.org/chat/Women_Policy/Women_Policy.php
An
important article on conservative attacks on women in the mainline
Protestant churches:
http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/Faith_Feminism.pdf
A link to IWPR's
work on religion, women,
and politics:
http://www.iwpr.org/Politics_Religion_PublicVision/index.htm
 Women's
ministry in the national setting of the United Church of Christ celebrates
women in all their diversity. We cherish and work to be advocates on behalf
of all women, lay and clergy, the young and the not as young!
We see our
task as a sharing one: sharing the incredible strengths and resources found
in United Church of Christ women so that we may better be about carrying out
God's ministry and mission in the world. Go
here to read the UCC
Women's Page.
Let us together, women and men, young and old, give thanks for the call of
Christ to follow him into a broken world to lead the church into making all
things new.
Go
here to experience a Presbyterian worship service celebrating the role
of women in the church.
 As United
Methodist women celebrate their 50th anniversary of ministry, United
Methodist News Service takes a look at women's achievements and continued
challenges:
United
Methodist women: A 50th
anniversary is a time for celebration, and United Methodists around the
world are doing just that this year as they mark the jubilee of full clergy
rights for women.
Such a milestone is also a cause for reflection, and for many women leaders,
the analysis is sobering. While women - lay and clergy alike - have moved
from marginal support roles in the church to positions of leadership, they
still find themselves confronting limited opportunities and problems being
accepted.
More.
| We'd like to provide
articles and links that will share what the indispensable women in your congregation or
organization are doing. Please send your
URL's, links and blogs here. |
Return to Women's History page.
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