Full PW Report

Presbyterian Women Gathering Report

Louisville, KY

August 2 – 5, 2018

I was so excited about being asked to attend the Presbyterian Women Churchwide Gathering I didn’t take the time to think about all that comes with traveling.  At the last minute, I wanted to back out but how could I pass up an amazing opportunity to travel to Louisville aka PCUSA Headquarters. I’m a Proud Presbyterian so for me this was like going to the White House. As we all know, the Lord will provide a way which is exactly what He didfrom beginning to end  The gathering’s theme was “Arise, Shine and Be Bold”. I do believe that every attendant felt BOLD by the end. The work of the PW in the PCUSA stretches far and wide around the world.

My first night we had a Kentucky themed dinner excluding the Bourbon. I heard the biscuits were “to die for”. Our first plenary was opened by Steve Buttlemen, official bugler of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. We had a short PW history lesson by Rhashell Hunter that I enjoyed. I learned how the women of the church always asked politely about starting missions in the church but were always denied by the men so they just did it anyway. Sounds about accurate.

My first day of workshops were awesome.  Let’s Be Bold touched on the topics of what PW do, the purpose, and making sure we are communicating our story. PW is a corporation within the PCUSA which means we are our own boss. PW is a non-governmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations. Limited organizations hold this very important and prominent status within the UN, making global decisions on many different levels. PW has started many programs such as the Birthday Offering, Thank Offering and Annual Fund. The Thank Offering which provided funds for my attendance, is one of the biggest funds and has dispersed over $60 million in grants since 1988. Pledging to these funds is the soil that makes everything grow. I came away from this workshop without a doubt “Presbyterian Women are the BOMB”.

Gratitude Can Lead to Compassion highlighted on why compassion should be a verb in your life. Letting compassion motivate you to act on the empathy in you that leads you to reach out and touch another person. This workshop challenged us to think about, how are we showing what we’re grateful for. What am I doing for someone else because I’m grateful for what God has done for me. I took this class because I like the meaning of compassion: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. I’m always challenging others to be more compassionate to me, to people, to people’s quiet story. You never know what someone is going through. Now I can use this word to show it has no limits, noun and verb.

Telling Your Story of Singlehood: I chose this workshop because I am single and it seems like it’s been forever. We started out with all the so-called encouragement we may get from friends and family. You know, it’s not your time; the right one just hasn’t come along yet; men are intimidated by you, blah blah blah. Marriage is not the ultimate, I am not less than and my narrative is not based on those old clichés. I realized this workshop is about being comfortable in singlehood. Taking steps to get where you need to be to be content with where you are in life. There maybe similar reason why we are single but everyone’s story is different. One small comparison doesn’t make it the same as someone else’s. We were asked to focus on three components.

1. Meaning Making

I embrace my story with all of its beauty and broken pieces. There

is joy, grace and gifts in my single life.

2. Mourning

I mourn what I identify as losses, dashed expectations and

deferred hopes. God holds my tears, anger, shame, guilt, doubts.

I make space to complete this work.

3. Moving Forward

I make peace with what I cannot control. I live this one God gifted

and graced life with presence, purpose and passion.

As a model, I chose to share my struggle. I learned I’m at the moving forward process. I need to forgive myself and make peace with the decision I made. Which was a good decision, but I lost My Love. This workshop was the one I liked most. There was so much sharing and connecting by strangers. I felt so much love and COMPASSION in that room. I got to be heard; not brushed off or judged and it was amazing.

I was totally exhausted after the first day of workshops but that what happens when you WORK.

The View From Here I chose this workshop to hear our Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson speak. It could have been about anything. He is someone I consider Presbyterian Celebrity. His main point was how our Church is changing. We deal with a wide range of change such as social and justice issues, keeping youth in and interested in church, immigration issuses, declining membership just to name a few. He stressed we as disciples need to do more work. People choose churches based on connections to community, people and if service get out in an hour. Connecting with a visitor after church service in hope that visitor will be inclined to come back. Ask them for contact information to send a thank you or to invite them to lunch or dinner. Be radical in your hospitality. Rev. Nelson also a church that pick certain youth to tweet during church service. These youth have to be of good character. They are tweeting to their friends the word of God, and just maybe their friends will come and maybe their friends will get their parents to come.  

Disrupting Racism was a class I chose because I think racism is alive in our presbytery and my church community. It’s sad to me because I feel it’s a topic no one wants to address. I never heard the term “Christian racism” but it’s very real; I’ve seen it and we’ve all probably been a victim of it. Christian racism is treating other denominations less than, other congregations less than. There is also the term “Honorary White”. Those are people who aren’t recognized as “of color”. Someone who is so well known or well loved their race is overlooked. We were asked to:

• Confront White Privilege
• Expose Colorism
• Decenter Whiteness

We still have a lot of work that needs to be done in this area. Most importantly we were asked to simply identify people the way we would like to be identified. Your identity in Christ can help erase injustice. Be active and be aware. What is antiracism to you and act on it.

The best part about the gathering was the connections. Saturday morning, I ran into a group of ladies wearing green. One lady said, “I’m glad I got the memo about the color of the day”. I wasn’t dressed so I was thinking, “cool, I got a green shirt, I can look the part too”. Come to find out that was the color set aside for the SC group that came on the bus from Charleston. I kept seeing the same people over and over but didn’t see anyone I know. Finally, right after breakfast a familiar face. Then in my last workshop, two more faces. It was great meeting up with them for the one workshop that had us all a little lost. I came away from this gathering with connections from Albuquerque, Phoenix, Raleigh, Charlotte and of course, Orangeburg, SC. I got to meet Denise Anderson, co-moderator to the 222nd General Assembly.  I also met the wife of Byron Wade, Regina Fleming Wade. I follow there Facebook page. I love the work I see with the you in their congregation. Mrs. Wade is a force of her own so Rev. Wade has an awesome partner. We had a wonderful conversation after the Reimagining Leadership workshop.

What I meant by God being with me from beginning to end was an incident that happened in Tennessee. We pulled off the interstate to gas up for our last four hours. I swiped my card and it was declined. I didn’t think I was low on funds, but I tried my card several times with the same result. I’m not good at asking people for anything. My friend who drove me to Kentucky has no care at all. With no hesitation, she asked a lady if she had a few dollars to spare for gas. The lady gave a defeated look and said, “I was just in your situation”. She said, “I prayed 7-7-7.”  I asked her what that meant. She told me to pray the Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 23 and my favorite scripture seven times each and watch how God moves. She said that’s what she did, and a guy gave her $100 for gas. She gave us $18 which was enough to get us home. She was a mobile mission worker. Driving from town to town just to help anyone in need. By the way, Monday morning I used my card with no problem. Now, I have used her method of prayer before bed.

I would like to thank the Presbyterian Woman for selecting me to attend the PW Gathering and providing funds towards my attendance. Thank you for getting younger women to be more involved with the PW mission. It felt so wonderful to be thought of. I also want to thank the Education & Nurture Ministry for providing the registration funds. This was a great learning experience. As the theme says, it’s time to ARISE and SHINE and I am ready for the task. I look forward to being more involved with PW at all levels and events. Presbyterian Women praises are being sung for the work they do. I’d like to lend my gifts, talents and time to the soil that makes PW grow. I truly feel honored that I was asked to represent New Harmony Presbytery. Thank you, thank you so much.