National Association of Presbyterian Clergywomen to gather at Columbia Seminary April 14-17

Churches face many challenges in the current political and economic climate, and congregations are often divided about what they are seeking in church and worship. Some congregants wish to leave the world behind when they enter the sanctuary. Others want help coping with the world. Still others want to feel affirmed in their political leanings. And many are seeking guidance on how to live faithfully in times of upheaval and stress.

It is a difficult maze to navigate, and pastors struggle to meet the very different needs of their congregants while remaining true to the Gospel. 

Image

The National Associate of Presbyterian Clergywomen is looking to help clergywomen address these issues together at its triennial conference, “Dangerous Times and Still We Rise: Love, Truth and Other Revolutionary Solutions.” The gathering will take place at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur Georgia, April 14-17.

The Rev. CeCe Armstrong, NAPC co-moderator, said, “From the earliest biblical days to the present, in times of trial, faithful women arose — clothed with strength and dignity, walking in the light of truth and love. … Revolutionary solutions flowed from their steadfast hearts as they proclaimed healing, offered prophetic words, and tended the wounded with compassion. They became bearers of hope in perilous days.”

Image

The keynote speakers are the Rev. Shannon Kershner, the senior pastor and head of staff at Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta; the Rev. Dr. Khalia J. Williams, Associate Dean of Worship and Formation at the Candler School of Theology; and Armstrong, Co-Moderator of the 226^th General Assembly (2024) and the associate pastor at St. James Presbyterian Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The Rev. Anna George Traynham, senior pastor and head of staff at Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, will lead participants in creative worship services each day. 

Workshops will be offered around pertinent themes including “Ministering After Natural and Unnatural Disasters,” and such topics as Christian nationalism, exploring the gifts of empathy and compassion through autobiography. Leaders include the Rev. Dr. Gini Norris-Lane, who served a church in Uvalde, Texas during the Robb Elementary School Shooting, who moved to Kerrville, Texas, and ministered during the July 2025 floods; the Rev. Aisha Brooks-Johnson, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta; and the Rev. Karen Fitz La Barge, pastor of North Kent Presbyterian Church in Rockford, Michigan.

Image

Other workshops include “This is My Story, This Is My Song: Exploring the Gift of Empathy and Compassion Through the Practice of Spiritual Autobiography,” taught by Brooks-Johnson; “Christian Nationalism: One Clergywoman’s Resistance” by Fitz La Barge, who founded West Michigan Clergy Action; and “Earth, Wind, and Fire — Lyrical Prophets and Revolutionary Vocalists,” led by Armstrong.

NAPC hopes the gathering will give clergywomen time to create, laugh and rest — a challenge for clergy even in the easiest of times. At a preconference workshop, participants can design their own stoles, choosing from over 1,000 fabrics, led by the Rev. Susan Barnes of Heart, Mind, and Stole.  

According to Armstrong, “All clergywomen and those who support them are invited to share in this challenging, fulfilling, and fun experience.”

For more information about the conference, go here. A description of the workshops can be found here. Registration for the conference is here.

The Rev. Elaine Connolly is a member of the Steering Committee of the National Association of Presbyterian Clergywomen. She serves the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington in Kearny, New Jersey.