Presbyterian Women

Quarterly mailing for PW moderators, leadership coordinators, CCT and staff

Fourth Quarter, 2007

Share this Quarterly Mailing with your PW Coordinating Teams, post it on your congregations’ bulletin boards and use the information in your newsletters.

Download this newsletter

Contents in this issue

Alternative Gift Cards for Congo

Holiday time or ordinary time, there is no better time than now to give a gift that will help spread the promise of peace and prosperity in Congo. Donate funds to the Together in Service programs to help purchase bicycles, mattresses or palms for our Presbyterian partners in Congo, then send a card to your loved ones telling them that you have made a gift in their honor.

Each package contains five different cards featuring photos of a mission partner in Congo. Descriptions of the projects are also included. Questions? Call Cheri Harper (888) 728-7228, x5402.

Send donations for the Together in Service projects in Congo to:

PC (USA)
PW Remittance Processing
PO Box 643652
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3652

Make checks payable to Presbyterian Women, noting “palms,” “mattresses” or “bicycles” on the memo line.

2009 Churchwide Gathering Magnets

Plan now to attend the 2009 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women, July 11–15, 2009, in Louisville, Kentucky. A lovely magnet featuring the Gathering logo will help you remember to clear your calendar and break in your walking shoes.

Planning an event? Contact Carissa Herold (888) 728-7228, x5322 for magnets (limit 50) to distribute at your event — shipping charges apply. 

Gold Honorary Life Membership Pin

On the occasion of the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Presbyterian Women in 2008, the Churchwide Coordinating Team has approved a new 10K Gold Honorary Life Membership pin ($250.00). The popular silver pin will remain available for $95.00. Revenue from the Honorary Life Membership program supports the Leadership Development Grant program. Learn more about the Honorary Life Memberships and Leadership Development Grants.

News from the Churchwide Coordinating Team

Creative Ministries Offering Committee
Announcing the 2008 Birthday Offering Grant Recipients!

Lakeview Presbyterian Church Weekday School Restoration in New Orleans, Louisiana

In August of 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, a break in the 17th Street Canal brought more than eight feet of water to the day school for two and one half weeks. Everything but the outside shell of the building was destroyed. The grant from Presbyterian Women will be used to pay for part of the rebuilding of the physical building, as well as helping to re-equip the school and outdoor play areas.

The Presbyterian Church of Congo and the Presbyterian Church of Kinshasa — “Building a Strong Future for the Congo”

This project is designed to strengthen ministries in education, nutrition and technical assistance to help the people of the Congo recover from its devastating ten-year war and nurture its budding democracy. We can help build for a future where the people of Congo can live healthy, productive lives in the fullness of life in Jesus Christ.

This Birthday Offering grant will have a positive effect on at least 700,000 people, particularly children who will have a better start in life with improved nutrition and overall health status and greater opportunities to attend school. Everyone will be affected by more technical assistance for improving health care, education, development work and programs promoting the spiritual growth of the church.

Gathering Site Selection Committee
The CCT voted that the 2012 PW Churchwide Gathering will be held at The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.

Administrative Committee
On recommendation of the committee, the CCT voted to recommend incorporation of the PW organization to the 2009 Business Meeting voting representatives.

Mission Relationships Committee
Brochures for the PW Palm Project are now available from:
Presbyterian Distribution Service
(800) 524-2612
Item PWR-07-420
free

Communications Committee
The topic for the 2011–2012 Horizons Bible study is Beatitudes in Matthew and Luke: Connecting Faith to Life. The 2008 Bible Study Committee is seeking author nominations. Download a nomination form . Nominations are due by February 1, 2008 The committee is looking for a Presbyterian/Reformed woman author who specializes in New Testament and is informed about women’s issues.

The 2007–2008 Horizons Bible study, Above and Beyond: Hearing God’s Call in Jonah and Ruth by Carol Bechtel is now available in Spanish, large print and audio versions. Note cards featuring the art and a free poster are also available. The Korean version is forthcoming.

All nine supplemental resource pieces for Above and Beyond will be in five issues of Horizons, beginning with the July/August 2007 issue and ending with the March/April 2008 issue. See the Horizons Web site for the lesson schedule.

Leadership Enhancement Committee
Training Classes
Synods have been giving training classes this summer and now Presbytery Coordinating Teams are offering classes for Coordinating Teams of Presbyterian Women in the Congregations. Good reports are coming in! Women feel uplifted, inspired and eager to do more for PW.

Revitalizing PW
PW wants to be more accessible and relevant to younger women and newly retired women. To help meet this need, two task groups have been created to develop programs and resources that meet the age-specific needs of these two groups of women.

Bylaws
If your PW organization’s bylaws have not been updated yet, now is the time to do it.
Updated sample bylaws may be found in the new PW Manual — section 4-7. The manual may be ordered through:
Presbyterian Distribution Service
(800) 524-2612
Item PWR-07-101
$6.00 plus shipping

Invitation to PW
Letters started going out in October 2008 to 4,063 churches without a Presbyterian Women’s (PW) organization, asking them consider starting a PW group. Our prayers are that the Holy Spirit will lead those women to become a part of PW and participate in our programs at all levels. Just think how much more work PW could do for mission, justice and peace, in leadership and outreach if these sisters joined with us!

We express our sincere appreciation to Synod and Presbytery Moderators, and to Cluster Leaders for their tremendous help and loving support of this work. We ask your prayers for this important work for our Lord through PW.

Justice and Peace Committee
A statement of support for the United Nations has been prepared, and PW continues to develop a relationship with the UN Commission on the Status of Women as a nongovernmental organization.

PW’s emphasis on just immigration will continue through identifying detention centers and exploring ways to support women incarcerated in them.

The Justice and Peace Committee is studying Nestle’s relations with West African farmers growing cocoa and Nestle’s cocoa farming practices.

PW’s concerns for the environment include considering purchasing carbon offsets as the last two General Assemblies have done.

The committee plans to continue our correspondence with the manufacturers of feminine hygiene products, requesting that they print the Domestic Abuse Hotline telephone number on product boxes.

Want more information about Justice and Peace issues? Visit these Web sites:

Immigration issues
Detention Watch Network
A coalition of organizations and individuals who are educating others about immigration detention policies and advocating for justice for immigrants.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Immigration Issues

Trafficking in women and children
Eldis
A clearinghouse for development, policy, practice and research information; offers subject guides and country guides

Cocoa farming practices
Labor Rights
International Labor Rights Forum — an advocacy organization that lobbies for fair treatment of workers throughout the world

World Cocoa Foundation
An organization that develops and manages programs to support cocoa farmers

History Committee
The History Committee is making plans for the celebration of PW’s 20th anniversary in 2008 and at the 2009 Gathering. The January/February 2008 issue of Horizons will be devoted to the anniversary and will include a poster for PW groups to use in publicizing their anniversary events.

The new History Exhibit Kit has been field-tested and is available for purchase by PW groups wishing to create their own Amazing Heritage history display. This kit contains a CD with the PW Timeline, printable posters, and PowerPoint presentations, as well as the 200 Years of Presbyterian Women video.

Blessings without Boundaries
Attention all moderators, treasurers and/or Celebration Giving Representatives, have you received your Mission Pledge packet? If not, download the packet.

Seminar on Sex Trafficking of Children

You are invited to participate in this seminar presented by the Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee of the PC(USA). MRTI’s current work includes promoting responsible corporate behavior related to the trafficking of children for sex tourism and prostitution.

“Over one million children are trafficked across the globe each year for sexual purposes. It is estimated that ten million around the world are subject to sexual exploitation.”
— End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT)

The MRTI seminar will include:

• Worship
• Keynote speech by Carol Smolenski, executive director of ECPAT*
• Biblical reflection and response by Rev. Ann Hayman
  Panel discussion
• Industry initiatives
• Update by L.A. Commission on the Status of Women
• Authentic voice of trafficking survivor
• Church initiatives
• Action discussion for presbyteries, congregations, and PW groups
  

*End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT)

When: Saturday, November 10
Where: Covenant Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles
Time: 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Cost: $7.00 for lunch
RSVP: Rev. Adele Langworthy
(562) 437-0958 x25 or email

Help a Young Woman You Know Connect with the Church!

Tell her about the National Network of Presbyterian College Women (NNPCW)! NNPCW is a network of young women (18–25) who are connected by a shared belief in God, seeking to understand what it means to claim a Christian faith that empowers women.

NNPCW provides leadership development, resources, and opportunities to network with other young women and the larger church. Learn more about NNPCW, including how to join!

For more information, contact Noelle Tennis Gulden, (888) 728-7228, x5848

Confessions of a Recovering Racist

By Churchwide Coordinating Team member, Roberta Mansfield

Am I admitting to being a racist? Surely no Christian person in the twenty-first century could be racist. Or could she? The reason I titled my article as I did is that I really believe that no one who was raised in the twentieth century can be completely free of racism. For most of that century, American society was most definitely racist. “Racism is imbedded in the very structure of our society …” is how the 2000 PW business meeting put it.

I promised you confessions, so here’s one. A few years ago I was substituting on the third grade level. It was a class I hadn’t seen before, and I struggled to remember the children’s names. At the end of the day, I looked at one girl and called her by what I thought was her name. From the other side of the room, another girl answered. These girls were not alike in any way but one. The only thing these girls had in common was that they were both African-American. I had categorized them as I had been taught to do throughout my life. I hope the girls didn’t realize why I had mixed them up. I was appalled when I realized what I had done and why.

I have spoken to women who experience racism every day. Surely that could never be a problem with PW. Right? Here is something that I have observed on several occasions. In groups that include women of color and white women — the white women talk more. They’re more forward; they don’t hesitate to speak. If a woman of color puts up her hand to ask a question or make a comment, she may never get acknowledged, because more aggressive white women don’t bother with raising their hands. They just speak up, one after the other. It’s similar to what happens in a group of both women and men. The men tend to talk more, for similar reasons. Does that mean the white women I observed were racist? No, but we have to be intentional about watching out for (and correcting) situations like I described, and other situations that (although unintentional) are racist.

Every time I go to a Churchwide Coordinating Team (CCT/PW) meeting we all receive anti-racism training. We have seen several films, discussed them and done several exercises to raise our awareness of the subtle (and not so subtle) ways that racism still affects our everyday lives. During each session I have learned something new to help me in my recovery. The reason that this anti-racism training is conducted is that combating racism is a mandate from the churchwide business meeting of PW, going back to 1997, and reaffirmed at each business meeting since.

I emailed one of the anti-racism trainers from my area and discovered that she was used very little. Some presbytery PWs have never had anti-racism training. Is yours one of them? Then tell the Coordinating Team of your PWP that you would like to have anti-racism training. (In some cases, they’re afraid you would stay away.) At the PW web site, you can click on Justice and Peace, and you will find a lot of information about anti-racism training. Let’s become the beloved community that God always intended us to be. Anti-racism training is the first step.

What can you do?
Include anti-racism training in your PW’s plans for the year.

Contact Teresa Sauceda if you need help finding an anti-racism trainer.

Organize a racial ethnic dialog in your presbytery. Contact Unzu Lee for information.

Encourage and support racial/ethnic PW groups and churches to become more involved in nominating women for your coordinating team.

Use the PW DVD resource, “Becoming the Beloved Community – People of Faith Working Together to Eradicate Racism” – A Study Guide for Presbyterian Women. Available from:
Presbyterian Distribution Service
(800) 524-2612
Item PWR-06-120
$20.00 plus shipping

2008 Celebrate the Gifts of Women

Focusing on the theme, “Celebrating the Young Women Within …,” the 2008 Celebrate the Gifts of Women liturgy recognizes young women within our Church, as well as the “inner young woman” dwelling inside gracefully-aging women, who have within them the divine spark of vitality. We welcome young and old to gather, intergenerationally, into the community of faithful women, who provide leadership and service.

The Celebrate the Gifts of Women resource is available each year in the November/December issue of Horizons to help you plan your celebration, providing:

An order of worship, including prayers
Suggested hymns, scripture, and sermon emphasis
Program suggestions for observing this special occasion

Recommended resources

Order copies from Presbyterian Distribution Service, (800) 524-2612; available after November 1, 2007; item 27538-07-001; free.

What a Great Idea!

Every September, PW of Harundale Presbyterian Church in Glen Burnie, Md., has a Join-a-Circle Month.

Throughout the month PW provides all the liturgists, greeters, ushers and elders for worship. Special “Minutes for PW” are given to spread the word of what PW is currently doing for missions, Bible Studies, gatherings and where to go for any additional information.

All PW members wear tags indicating their name and circle. Women who are not members of PW are invited to visit circles and come to the Fall Gathering to learn more!

Submitted by Kaywin Bryant, Baltimore Presbytery

Widening the Circle Fund

In 2000, Presbyterian Women established a permanently restricted endowment fund called Widening the Circle Fund for the purpose of ensuring and enhancing financial resources for emerging programs that are vital to women in the church. This fund is an excellent opportunity for memorial and honoraria giving to support the work of Women’s Ministries. An envelope is included in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Horizons for your use. Learn more about the program, including how you can donate without the envelope.
                       
You may be eligible for a tax break by investing in this fund. If you are 70 and 1/2 and have traditional and/or Roth IRAs requiring mandatory distributions, the IRA Charitable Rollover Provision of The Pension Protection Act of 2006 will allow distributions up to $100,000. These may be made in 2006 and 2007 and may be excluded from gross income that would normally be taxable, as long as the gift is made directly to a public charity, such as Widening the Circle Fund.

Consult your financial or tax advisor. Contributions should be sent to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation, Widening the Circle Fund, Account# 51058979, P.O.B.406863, Atlanta, GA 30384-6863

New Promotional Materials

Horizons representatives now have three new promotional materials available for promoting the magazine!

A bright yellow Horizons subscription brochure should convince reluctant PWs to make the move to sign up to receive six issues plus one award-winning Bible study of the magazine and Bible study for Presbyterian Women, Horizons.

“Time for a new holiday tradition!” postcard promotes Charlotte Johnstone’s book, Annie, the Kitchen Queen and Other Dispatches from Forbearance Presbyterian Church, as a perfect Christmas gift for friends, family, and other worn-out holiday planners and shoppers who need a happy break.

And “7 Great Reasons to subscribe to Horizons” postcard nicely summarizes the top seven reasons to subscribe. Horizons reps, take note!

Items may be ordered through Presbyterian Distribution Service, (800) 524-2612 or through Winner Jung Ju, (888) 728-7228, x 5389

Horizons Bible Study

In nine lessons of the 2008–2009 Horizons Bible study, Dale Lindsay Morgan highlights Jesus’ message of jubilee that calls for the reversal of the social order: the poor will be rich; the rich will be poor. Suggestions for leaders, definitions, bibliography and additional resources are provided to deepen the Bible study experience. Extra Bible study helps can be found only in Horizons magazine (that is why now is a great time to subscribe or renew your Horizons magazine subscription!). Check the Horizons Web site often for more up-to-date information.

2008–2009 Bible Study Supplements Available March 15, 2008

Journey to Jerusalem: A Personal Journal

The Gospel of Luke tells of Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem. This companion piece, also written by Dale Lindsay Morgan, provides a journal to chronicle one’s personal journey with Jesus. The journalist may make one entry a week for the 40 weeks of the Bible study, or one entry a day for a 40-day season such as Lent. It can be used in a writing group, a prayer group or in prayerful solitude.

Eyewitness News: Transcripts of Live Interviews with Those Who Saw Jesus

Dale Lindsay Morgan (aka The Gathering Woman) has obtained and compiled transcripts of interviews with those in ancient Galilee and Judea who were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ healings, teachings, and miracles. Though Eyewitness News is fictional, the interactive resource provides important and often humorous insights into the New Testament world of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

PW eMinistry Classes Coming!

Have you ever wished you could exchange ideas with other Presbyterian Women around the country live — without leaving home? Well, now there’s a way! Beginning this November, Presbyterian Women will offer teleclasses through the eMinistry Network.

What is eMinistry?

The Churchwide Coodinating Team of PW voted in March to enter into a pilot project to offer live, low-cost training to Presbyterian Women around the country though eMinistry. Don’t like computers? No problem! eMinistry is low-tech — classes are conducted over the telephone. It is low-cost — most classes are between $12 and $15 an hour. It is personal. The class size is limited to 10–12 people, which allows everyone a chance to speak and ask questions. And it’s convenient — no travel, no need to get dressed up!

Taking a class through eMinistry couldn’t be simpler. Sitting in the comfort of your home, you dial the number to get in the class, press in your ID number and spend the next hour listening, sharing, and asking questions with the class leader and other Presbyterian women from around the country. To encourage communication, classes are kept small.

Last year, I took two classes from my favorite writer, Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, an Episcopal priest from New Jersey, and they were great. There were only 10 of us in each class, and we were able to ask questions of Barbara, get requested advice and pray with her. The telephone format makes for a more intimate setting than a conference, workshop or Gathering.

—Patricia Longfellow, PW Program Assistant

The first PW eMinistry teleclass will help answer the question, “How do we get younger women involved in PW?”Kathy Randall, former CCT member, will explain how her congregation in New Orleans has been wildly successful in attracting young women to their PW and will offer practical advice for others. This class will be held Thursday, November 15, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. All synod and presbytery moderators will receive an email with cost and registration information. Watch for it!

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