Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC) Holds Summer Meeting

ACWC held its summer meeting, July 16-18, 2009, in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) national offices.  

Items of interest included:

• Response to a series of questions presented by the Advocacy and Advisory Committee Review Committee (called for by the 218th General Assembly) regarding ACWC and its relationship with both the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns and the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy. Two members of the Review Committee were present to conduct the discussion. The Review Committee’s report and recommendations are to be reported to the 219th General Assembly (2010).
• Input for two of the three work groups from the Rev. Dr. Johanna Bos, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Lee Hinson-Hasty, coordinator, Theological Education, PC(USA) (Theologies work group), Martha Bettis Gee, associate, Child Advocacy, PC(USA) (Health, Sexuality and Faith work group).
• Gradye Parsons, stated clerk, Marissa Castellanos, project manager, Kentucky Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking, Pat Hendrix, Sexual Misconduct Ombudsperson, PC(USA), and Valerie Small, manager, General Assembly Nominations, PC(USA), led discussions regarding their particular responsibilities to the church and for the beginning of preparation for General Assembly in 2010.
• Curtis Kearns, executive administrator, General Assembly Mission Council, PC(USA), was present Saturday for a beginning discussion on staff requirements for ACWC into the future and the discussion with the Review Committee.

The committee said farewell and expressed its appreciation for their service to Louise Davidson, outgoing vice moderator for Justice and Peace, Presbyterian Women, and to Rebecca Tollefson, National Association of Presbyterian Clergywomen.

New liaisons were welcomed: Laura Polk, Racial Ethnic and Young Women Together, Erica Harley, National Association of Presbyterian Clergywomen, and Chris Wolfe, newly installed vice moderator for Justice and Peace, Presbyterian Women.

The committee meets again in late October.