Intergenerational Empowerment and the Work of the Church at the 55th Commission of the Status of Women

By Honna Eichler

I am currently sitting in the PC(USA) office in the UN Church Center, peering out the window at the busy UN complex below. The streets below are vibrantly full and include many from an international community dedicated to the rights and empowerment of all women. In the moments between the dozens of competing events, secondary events and parallel events, I pause to reflect on my experience at CSW so far and how it has informed my conviction on the responsibility of church in accompanying women worldwide wide. I will focus on a theme I have quickly become aware of: empowering an intergenerational community of religious advocates.

I first became acquainted with the other Presbyterian delegates to the 55th Commission on the Status of Women through email and Facebook. I was truly blessed to find that the people I knew only as user names on a screen transformed into a community when I entered the Ecumenical Women's CSW Orientation just two short days ago. As a PC(USA) delegate, I met and heard from a Presbyterian delegate from the newly formed South Sudan (!!!) and delegates from parts of Africa, New Zealand, the Middle East, South America and Europe. We were joined with similarly minded Methodists, Lutherans and Episcopalians from around the world.

I could tell right away that this collection of Ecumenical Women was unique for two reasons. First, it was the only ecumenical event I attended (or heard about) that was intergenerational: there was a good balance of women (and a few men) of all ages. The affirmation of the empowerment of a young adult delegation was obvious and enthusiastic. Secondly, there was an emphasis on articulating one's theological conviction through advocacy in the public sphere.

As a young adult, I am thankful for the generous distribution of collective wisdom from the women here who have gone before me. Several women I have met have decades of experience with Presbyterian Women, social policy and public advocacy and have openly shared their stories, experiences and wisdom. I would say a teaching spirit exists in this space - one I have not frequently encountered. These conversations helped me realize that the church must seek to accompany and empower women at all stages of life.

Accompanying women world-wide begins locally and only then moves abroad. Locally, those within a church can seek to foster intergenerational relationships that are affirming and empowering. (This goes against the age-based segregation often common to many worship communities.) Intergenerational relationships and empowerment can occur as women seek to hear each others stories and find ways to articulate their theological convictions in the public sphere. Often this is difficult and complex work and can only be accomplished through the open sharing of resources and collective wisdom.

In the same vein, the church must listen to the stories from those outside its local context. Some of my greatest learning these past few days has come through personal stories of oppression from women around the world. In short, there is a need to become aware of the voices of women through intentional outreach and engagement. This doesn't happen absent hard work, which is often hard to come by, but it must happen in order for theology to be inspired by the relevant events of its historical context.

When there is a lack of intergenerational empowerment, relationships break down and it is harder to continue the work inspired by the dedication of those who have gone on before.

Those who have power within the church must affirm the empowerment of women at all stages. I am thankful and hopeful for the many examples I have already experienced of this empowerment while at the CSW. Through intergnerational empowerment, those within the church become aware of existing and forming oppressive structures and accompany the suffering and oppressed, and, importantly, do so in a way that is sustainable for future generations.

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Church: Edgewater Presbyterian Church
Blog: State of Formation
Twitter: @HonnaEichler
Facebook: Honna Eichler
Work: Interfaith Worker Justice

Coming Soon...The Commission on the Status of Women

The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations is preparing to welcome Presbyterian participants for theCommission on the Status of Women from February 22 through March 4. Presbyterian Women is a key partner in this event.

The Commission on the Status of Women is dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.

This year's commission will address the theme - "access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work."

Presbyterians will gather with women and men from around the world - meeting, networking, sharing stories and ideas, and building community. They will worship, learn, and advocate as the commission works on agreed conclusions - recommendations for ways the nations of the world can work to promote the equality and advancement of women.

Watch Swords into Plowshares, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations Facebook page, Presbyterian Women's Web page and Facebook pagefor stories about the Commission on the Status of Women

By Mark Koenig, Director of The Presbyterian Ministry at the UN, cross-posted from Swords into Plowshares

A Message from World Day of Prayer Chile

by Ann Ferguson

On this World Day of Prayer day, we received the message below from the World Day of Prayer International Committee (WDPIC). The women of Chile have written the material for 2011. WDP committees around the world are busy preparing the 2011 material for distribution in their countries next year. World Day of Prayer is close to the hearts of Presbyterian women. We were there at the beginning over 80 years ago and continue to be involved.

At the churchwide level Susan Jackson-Dowd, Communications Coordinator for Presbyterian Women serves as vice-chair of the World Day Prayer USA Committee. For the past 5 years, Presbyterian Women's communications staff have produced the beautiful print material women in the U.S. have used . Even more importantly, Presbyterian women across the country provide leadership for and the seats at local events.

We share this message from WDPIC with all of you. While this day of prayer may be coming do an end, women will continue to pray for each other and the world, tomorrow and every day.

March 5, 2010

Re: Earthquake in Chile, February 27, 2010

Dear Sisters in Christ,

In January we heard the cry for help from Haiti. Now hardly 6 weeks later there is a cry from Chile because an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Chile at 3:30 in the morning of February 27. Its impact extended 70 miles south to Concepción and north to Santiago, the country’s capitol, and created a tsunami that ravaged a 435-mile stretch of Chile's Pacific coast. The official death toll reached 802 on Wednesday, March 2. Those who have survived are witnesses to the trauma of the earthquake and the destruction it has brought.

As there was with Haiti, there is a WDP linkage to Chile as we turn to them for WDP in March 2011.

Now as we are being introduced to the majestic Andes Mountains and the long, long Pacific seacoast we are also witnessing that the geological forces that shaped this land are still active and able to cause immeasurable damage.

In the worship service on the theme, “How Many Loaves Have You?,” the women of WDP Chile describe times of crisis in Chile’s history and how the people of Chile found in their faith the strength to work together and to share what they had. This message has its newest expression as they cope with the consequences of the earthquake.

Fortunately through Elisabeth Delmonte, we have heard from three members of the WDP Committee of Chile:

From Trinidad Urzúa (Coordinator of the WDP preparations for 2011), who lives nearest to the epicenter:

In these moments of desolation and sadness, very slowly the help organizations are getting organized. The image of our beautiful country in this situation is causing our dismay, but the reaction of solidarity arises again, there are again soup kitchens and different activities to help overcome the pain of having lost human lives and of having to look at the desolation and destruction in the country.

We have no news yet from the sisters in Concepción, only from Santiago. The services of water and electric power have been reestablished. In small towns and villages these services don't function yet, and people sleep in tents. The pain of experiencing the earthquake and the tsunami was the impact of a moment, but now it is the matter of overcoming the consequences of this great destruction.

From Ivonne Pereira (President of Methodist Women's organization) in Santiago, the capital:

After several days of total lack of communication I'm able to access the internet and I'm writing to you to tell you about my concern and constant prayer for all Methodist women in Chile, for their families and so many compatriots who are suffering because of the recent earthquake in our country. It was so terrible and unexpected, causing death, injuries and material damage. Today I received information from our bishop Martinez Tapia who informs us: It's only since Monday that I'm able to establish some phone connections, still we know only parts of what happened in the earthquake. So far, fortunately, we have not been informed about personal losses, only damage in infrastructure in many of our churches.

Dear sisters, the help we as women will be able to give will be very important to get up and help to lift up others, but the most important thing is to remain united in prayer, so that God will give us strength to confront this situation in our country in a civilized way, in peace and with a strong spirit of solidarity. I invite you to mark the difference in all circumstances.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

And from Heidi Gruebler in Temuco:

Here in Temuco we are all right, the only things we lament is material damage, no personal injury. Some parts and façades in buildings came down; there are fissures in walls, in many cases because of construction errors. We are helping the villages on the coast which were flooded and where the houses were carried away by the waters. But the situation is slowly returning to normal, we had two days without power, and many hours without water, no mobile phones worked, but God was there listening to our prayers….

I won't be able to attend the meeting in Santiago on the 15th, because I'll travel outside Chile, but I return at the end of the month and we will celebrate WDP on April 9 in the Lutheran church in Temuco.

WDPIC encourages WDP Committees to direct their support to appropriate international agencies as well as church and ecumenical agencies to which you relate. This catastrophe can be an opportunity to be even more informed in our prayers and in our actions.

Today for the Prayer of Invocation, the words of comfort and assurance written by the women of Cameroon spoke to the people of Chile and Haiti and to all of us:

    Though the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the ocean depths,
    Though the seas roar and rage and the hills are shaken by violence,
    O God, we know that you are near….Fill all with your power and love.

On behalf of the WDPIC Executive Committee, especially Elisabeth Delmonte and Ormara Nolla, of the Latin America Region,

Sincerely,

S. Annette Poitier                                                   Eileen King
Chairperson                                                           Executive Director