Gender & the Church

In July of last year, General Convention approved a triennium budget in which the funding for a women’s ministry desk at the Episcopal Church Center had been zeroed out. It was clear from the pain with which the decision was made and the unrest it created, that the church’s decision was not made on account of women’s ministries being either unimportant or unnecessary within the church. The decision has, however, left a great many questions to be answered and problems to be solved regarding leadership, organization, and advocacy. Gender disparity persists in church structures and in the world in which we live. As long as that is true, the church will be called to specific and intentional ministry to, for, and by women.

Last month, the office for Young Adult and Campus Ministries facilitated the participation of nine young women and two young men in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), a global gathering of NGO’s, faith groups, and state representatives to address questions of women’s rights and gender justice on the international level. (read more about their experience here)

This issue of Broadcast reflects the UNCSW’s call to action on a local level as experienced by seven of our delegates. Each offers her own reflection of what it meant to be part of the UN CSW and how we as people of faith and specifically as young adults and young adult communities, on campus and off, might engage with the larger questions raised at the UN CSW.  We invite you to consider these calls to action and how you might help to assist young adults in filling the need for leadership, organization and advocacy on behalf of and as part of the continuing work of women’s ministries in the Episcopal Church.

Paz y fuego,

Douglas and Jason

Women and Leadership
Hanna Soyoung Kang-Brown, Diocese of Los Angeles

In the Episcopal Church, ordained women are welcome and celebrated, the most symbolic evidence being the elected presence of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.  As a member of the Episcopal Young Adult Delegation (EYAD) to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, I had the privilege of being part of a meeting with the Presiding Bishop on the concerns and questions of young adults in our communities... >>>

Beijing Circles
Karen Longenecker, Diocese of San Diego

The Beijing Platform for Action includes 12 tenants that detail the issues that still need to be addressed for the advancement of women around the world. One of the biggest challenges of the Platform is making it relevant to each of us, in our local communities and in our local and familiar relationships with each other.  In order to make these issues relevant and real, the Beijing Circles movement was created... >>>

Men Sharing Responsisbility
P'tricia Egbert, Diocese of Kentucky

Upon arrival at the Commission on the status of women, I could tell right away that our delegation was different. Clearly, we were younger then most, but more strikingly, our delegation was made up of woman and men. Through our preparation for our time together at the United Nations, our delegation spent a lot of time growing as a group by learning about each other and by learning about the Beijing Platform... >>>

Reaching Agreements, Making Commitments
Alexandra Connors, Diocese of West Missouri

Have you ever thought about what human’s rights are?  Or about who gets to define those rights?  Thinking about questions such as these can open the floodgates to more pressing questions and deeper emotions... >>>

Shared Stories
Jasmine Bostock, Diocese of Hawaii

I am a young, native hawaiian woman, and I often thought my world would not get bigger than Hawaii. I bear witness to so many other young Hawaiians who don’t get off the rock, who are unaware of the larger world... >>>