Racial Equity & Women's Intercultural Ministries - Spring Has Sprung

A Message from RE&WIM's Director:

Spring has definitely sprung around the denomination. There is much activity buzzing — from those standing for nominations to those graduating from institutions of higher learning to those preparing for our 226th General Assembly to those trying to discern how to navigate a new season of a bustling, warm wealth of parish activity. In many ways, it feels like the church is very much alive and well. In times like these, I often think about how we can focus our attention in a divided way between the excitement and possibilities of what can be and the realities of what some of us are facing.

Rev. Shanea D. Leonard

I say this because I was empowered this spring by the joy of the newness felt in the investiture of Dr. Yolanda Page as the new president of Stillman College and the excitement as I joined the Rev. Moongil Cho and our Korean siblings at the National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches gathering in South Korea. Oh, the possibilities of what the Lord is up to in both convenings amaze me and remind me that the joy of the Lord swirls around our denomination in so many ways. I also have energy around the power of the Indigenous siblings who gathered with the Rev. Irv Porter and the World Communion of Reformed Churches last week and the intersectional conversations being led by Samantha Davis from our ministry area in Panama this spring in partnership with Self-Development of People. Yes, there are many ways that God is at work in the life of the church and this denomination.

However, there is still work to be done. While there is much to celebrate, there are many who may also see much to continue to pray for as communities of marginalized siblings still struggle. In particular, this spring, my attention has been directed toward the concerns of many of the women in our denomination who still face equity issues in pay, opportunities and their reproductive health care. As we uplift and celebrate the gifts of women at the General Assembly, we cannot negate the dichotomy that some feel there is a persistent erasure happening to the inalienable rights of the same group within this country in which we live. And while some may say there is a separation of both country and faith, there can be no separation of care and concern for what is truly justice for one and all.

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Woman of Faith Awards

We are so excited to announce the three women nominated for this year's Women of Faith Awards. Look out for the announcement coming soon. If you are joining us in Salt Lake City for the 226th General Assembly, please come to the awards breakfast on July 2nd.

Thursdays in Black We want to take a moment to recognize the movement Thursdays in Black. Sponsored by the World Council of Churches, Thursdays in Black is to create a world without rape and gender-based violence. In particular, the most affected are Black, Brown and Indigenous women.   We continue to uplift that every day a Black & Brown woman and girl goes missing and/murdered. We recognize that they deserve our attention. We call forth their memory and their spirit is not forgotten. Furthermore, we demand justice for these souls....we fight on. We press on. We lift them.   In connection with our partners, Presbyterian Women, RE&WIM stand for our Indigenous, Black, Latine, Asian, Hispanic, Brown, and Disenfranchised missing & murdered until all are found and come home..   Wear black on Thursdays. Wear a pin to declare you are part of the global movement resisting attitudes and practices that permit rape and violence. Show your respect for women who are resilient in the face of injustice and violence. Encourage others to join you. Often black has been used with negative racial connotations. In this campaign Black is used as a color of resistance and resilience.   Share your Thursdays in Black photos on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, using hashtags #ThursdaysinBlack and #WCC and follow REWIM on Facebook here.

Spreading the Vision of Matthew 25 across the Church

Matthew 25 is a living translation of Jesus Christ — strengthening relationships, transforming your church, and bringing alive your commitment to those who are marginalized or in need in your community and the world around us. Make no mistake, Jesus is calling us to perform ordinary acts of compassion in daily life. But we have also been called to consider the factors that led to these conditions, to confront the causes of inequality, to confess the sin of greed and to correct the problem of poverty — whether in our own nation and neighborhood, or around the world.

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