GATHERING THE FRAGMENTS

Transcription

1 ocare V a voice for women in baptist life VOLUME 10, NO. 1, SPRING 2016 IN THIS ISSUE GATHERING THE FRAGMENTS 2 You Are Invited Celebrate and Worship with Baptist Women in Ministry 3 Baptist Women in Ministry News FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA 4-5 BWIM Supporters, The Imposter Syndrome WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016 WORSHIP at 10 a.m. LUNCH at 11:15 a.m. Lunch Tickets are $22 and will be available on the BWIM website on March 15. Be watching the BWIM Facebook Page and the BWIM E-newsletter for more details. 7 Claiming Our Equality by Pam Durso 8 A Church that Gives P. O. BOX ATLANTA, GA FOLLOW BWIM ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM & TWITTER. EMILY HULL McGEE Our Preacher OUR VISION OSSIE X. McKINNEY Our Worship Leader Baptist Women in Ministry will be a catalyst in Baptist life, drawing together women and men, in partnership with God, to illuminate, advocate, and nurture the gifts and graces of women.

2 YOU ARE INVITED TO BWIM s ANNUAL GATHERING BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY LEADERSHIP TEAM Mary Alice Birdwhistell Lynn Brinkley Taryn Deaton Daniel Glaze Julie Long Carol McEntyre Tambi Swiney Tonya Vickery EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Pam Durso pamdurso@bwim.info EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Ashley Robinson ashleyrobinson@bwim.info INTERN Kevin Pranoto kevinpranoto@bwim.info Come join us in June in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for worship, fellowship, and good food! Our worship theme this year is GATHERING THE FRAGMENTS. As ministers and as followers of Christ, we often feel scattered or broken. We struggle to piece together our job or jobs with multiple other commitments; we seek to balance our ministries and our family responsibilities; and we feel weighed down by disappointments and isolated by painful words. As churches, our congregations seem all too often fractured and torn by old controversies or new disagreements. And we all daily live with the overwhelming reminders of the brokenness of our world. Amidst all the chaos and fragmentation, we turn to God s promise of unity and peace: in the fullness of time, God will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. (Eph. 1:10) WORSHIP Worship begins at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, June 22, at First Baptist Church, 501 West Fifth Street, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and will be led by Emily Hull McGee and Ossie X. McKinney. Emily is pastor of First Baptist, Winston-Salem, and Ossie serves as minister of music at Faith Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. LUNCH Lunch will be served following worship. Tickets for lunch are $22 and will be available on March 15 on the BWIM website More details to come soon. First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem WORKSHOP During the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship s General Assembly, join Pam Durso on Friday, June 24 at 2:45 p.m., for a discussion of The State of Women in Baptist Life, The report will include information and analysis with regard to ordinations, theological education, and pastoral leadership, will highlight the recent gains in pastoral leadership roles, and will identify continuing places of difficulties and challenge for women as they search for and serve in ministry positions. A second workshop held on Thursday, June 23 at 1:30 p.m., Gender and Ministry in Baptist Life: A Conversation about Fifty Years of Change, will highlight themes from Eileen Campbell-Reed s new book, An Anatomy of a Schism. A panel discussion moderated by Pam Durso will feature Eileen Campbell-Reed, Bill Leonard, Molly T. Marshall, and Emily Hull McGee. 2

3 THE BWIM WEBSITE The BWIM website is packed full of resources, including information about Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching, the Addie Davis Awards, and our monthly conversation recordings and transcripts. On the resource page, you will find maternity leave policies, ordination and installation service resources, placement and personnel helps, state and regional BWIM contact information, and a list of helpful books and articles. THE BWIM BLOG Baptist Women in Ministry welcomes you to read, enjoy, and share our blog. On Mondays, the BWIM blog features a Monday devotion written by our friend, Nikki Finkelstein- Blair. We are excited to hear from her each week and learn with her. Nikki s devotions are based on lectionary texts and the church calendar. So for those of you who are in lectionary-using churches, be sure to read our Monday devotion as you prepare for worship. On Wednesdays, the blog presents the writing of our friends and readers. We have gathered a beautiful collection of writings from women across the United States, who share stories about ministry and family relationships, responsibilities, and real life challenges. On Fridays, BWIM introduces an amazing minister in a series titled THIS IS WHAT A MINISTER LOOKS LIKE. Over the next year, you will meet fifty-two women who serve across the nation and in other parts of the world. They are living out their callings in a beautiful ways, filling a variety of ministry roles. BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY NEWS NEWS TO CELEBRATE We invite you to celebrate with Baptist Women in Ministry the successes and progress of This past year we have sensed a new spirit among Baptists as more and more churches called women pastors. BWIM is delighted to have contributed to the cultural change that is taking place. Churches have also called women to serve in a whole host of other ministry roles, and we celebrate the increase of opportunities. DAYS OF DISCERNMENT FOR COLLEGE WOMEN BWIM is now hosting Day of Discernment events for college women. These events create intentional space for college women to reflect on and discern their God-given calling. Themes for the day s conversations come from Five Hundred Miles: Reflections on Pilgrimage and Calling by Lauren Brewer Bass. Two Day of Discernment events have been have been held in Texas and North Carolina, and a Georgia event is on the 2016 calendar. STATE OF WOMEN IN BAPTIST LIFE, 2015 In the past fifteen years, the BWIM Leadership Team commissioned, published, and distributed four State of Women in Baptist Life reports in 2005, 2006, 2007, and Each report had a unique focus of research and included statistical information related to Baptist women s roles in ministry and leadership. Since 2010, many changes have taken place, and in September 2015, the Leadership Team requested that another report be produced. Pam Durso and Kevin Pranoto, the BWIM intern, are gathering information and completing the research. The report will be released on June 22, 2016 at the BWIM annual gathering in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 3

4 WITH MUCH THANKS TO BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY SUPPORTERS, 2015 INDIVIDUALS Monthly Givers Alyssa Aldape Courtney Allen Missy Ward Angalla Jessica Asbell Catherine Bahn Lauren and David Bass Irene Bennett Mary Alice Birdwhistell Lynn Brinkley Katrina Brooks Tiffany Brown Gary Burton Paul and Suryani Capps Becky Caswell-Speight and Josh Speight John Chowning Ruth Clowater Yvonne Harold Merianna Harrelson Kristen Harris-Bridwell Ircel Harrison Tracy Hartman Claire Helton Jenny Hodge Karlan Holik Emily Holladay Jane Hull Becky Brooks Jackson Barry and LeAnn Johns Libby Johnson Linda Jones Carrie Juarez Ruth Perkins Lee Amy Lin Julie Long Rebecca Mathis Tambi Swiney David Tew Jeffrey and Tonya Vickery Will Ward Rhonda Walton Donald Williford Ashton Wells Annual Givers Nancy Ammerman Robin Bolen Anderson Mary Little Apicella Patricia Ayers Judith Bledsoe Bailey Emily Ball Libby Bellinger Carolyn Blevins Hughe Dell Broadway Caralie Nelson Brown Jo Ferguson Jaime Fitzgerald Jerry Gentry JD Granade Beverly Greer Bill Gunter Eddie and Judy Hare Genie Hargrove William Craig Henry Linda Hill Dan Hobbs Wyndee Holbrook Dalen and Shari Jackson Craig Janney Annell Johnson Barry Jones Frances and Joseph Jones Allie Kilpatrick Cheryl Kimble Jeni Cook Furr Emily Hull McGee Ann and Kent Brown Joe Laguardia Mary Jo Dailey Ossie McKinney Charles and Diane Bugg Laura Levens Taryn Deaton Kristen Muse Susan Cauley Linda Lewis Paula Dempsey Kevin Pranoto Mary and Phil Christopher Leslie Limbaugh Ellen DiGiosia Melody Pryor Reba Cobb Deborah Loftis Rebecca Dixon Stacy Pyle Allyson and Matt Cook Jewel London Pam Durso Stephanie Riley Dolores and Melvin Cooper Angela Lowe Charlotte Epley Charity Roberson Cherilyn Crowe Nora Lozano Pam Foster Ashley Robinson Jim and Susan Crumpler Joan and Terry Maples Penny Gammill Julie Sadler Leah Grundset Davis Molly T. Marshall Daniel Glaze Robin Sandbothe Ronald Davis Adell and Jerry Martin Christy McMillin-Goodwin Ellen Sechrest Amelia and Paul Debusman Gloria and Phil Martin Sarah Greenfield Tamara Smathers Deneise Dillon Susan and Tom Martin Erin and Jake Hall Maria Stinnett Betty Ditto Carolyn Mathis Martha Kate Hall Meredith and James Stone Greg Earwood Rebecca Husband Maynard 4

5 Carol McEntyre Geneva Metzger Veronice Miles Helen Moore-Montgomery Katie Morgan David and Sarah Murray Roger and Suzii Paynter Julie Pennington-Russell Megan Pike Amber Pillsbury Roger Pittard Bill and Ruth Pitts LeDayne Polaski Morgan Ponder Aurelia Pratt Bo Prosser Jo Ann Sharkey Reinowski Brittany Riddle F. Gayle Roberts Dan and Robin Robinson Lorita and Mac Robinson Royce Rose Anthony Mark Roza Ro Ruffin Kenda Russell Ray Schooler Stephanie Moody Shaffer Rachel Gunter Shapard Layne Smith Tammy Snyder Julie Sorrels Dennis Staley Clarissa Strickland Ellen and Robert Strickland Lydia Tate Benjamin Van Fleet Patricia Villerial Naomi Walker Teresa Gunter White Mark and Rebecca Wiggs Winnie Williams Jean Willingham Laura Willis Ann and David Wilson Barbara and Wade Wood Joyce Cope Wyatt Ouida Wyatt Brett and Carol Younger CHURCHES Monthly Givers Grace Baptist Church, Richmond, VA Lamberth Memorial Baptist Church, Roxboro, NC Northminster Baptist Church, Jackson, MS Annual Givers Beulah Baptist Church, Deveraux, GA Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville, KY Calvary Baptist Church, Asheville, NC Calvary Baptist Church, Waco, TX Central Baptist Church, Newnan, GA Cornerstone Church, Snellville, GA First Baptist Church, Ahoskie, NC First Baptist Church, Austin, TX First Baptist Church, Columbia, MO First Baptist Church, Dalton, GA First Baptist Church, Gretna, VA First Baptist Church, Mocksville, NC First Baptist Church, Plymouth, NC Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, Cary, NC Hayes Barton Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC Immanuel Baptist Church, Nashville, TN Meadow Heights Baptist Church, Collinsville, IL Millbrook Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC Northside Baptist Church, Clinton, MS Pintlala Baptist Church, Pintlala, AL Second Baptist Church, Liberty, MO Wake Forest Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NC Watts Street Baptist Church, Durham, NC Willow Meadows Baptist Church, Houston, TX Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, TX ORGANIZATIONS Monthly Givers Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Smyth & Helwys Publishers Annual Givers Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Foundation Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina Seminaries Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Baylor University s Truett Seminary Campbell University Divinity School Central Baptist Theological Seminary Duke University Divinity School Hardin-Simmons University s Logsdon Seminary Mercer University s McAfee School of Theology Wake Forest University Divinity School Gifts Made in Honor or Memory Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in honor of Reba Cobb James Crumpler, Jr. in memory of Carolyn Crumpler Jaime Fitzgerald in honor of Carol Ann Hoard Molly T. Marshall in honor of Laura Willis Katie Morgan in honor of Rebecca Morgan Donald Williford in honor of Pam Williford Barbara and Wade Wood in honor of Jessica Asbell 5

6 THE IMPOSTER SYNDROME by Alyssa Aldape Day 121: Still ordained. They haven t figured out that I m internally freaking out. I was ordained four months ago. I wore my most woman-preacher-power blazer and sensible flats. We sang my favorite hymns; mentors gave me advice; grandparents read scripture; and I cried. A lot. Four months later I still cannot believe that my ordination happened. I keep thinking that someone is going to hear me tell a bad joke or get Peter and Paul confused and revoke my ordination certificate. This feeling that I snuck into the party without being invited has been with me since college. I used to wonder if one day a professor was going to confiscate my student ID and say I d been caught. In seminary, I knew the day would come when what I thought was a good sermon was actually inspirational poster quotes strung together for thirteen pages. Those things never happened, but... I imagine myself walking through life with Groucho Marx glasses on my face, hoping no one calls my bluff. There is a term for this: Imposter Syndrome, which describes people who are unable to internalize their accomplishments despite their competence. They think that luck or perfect timing helped them get a job or finish a project. I have struggled with Imposter Syndrome for a long time, and I m pretty sure I am not alone. I like to think that the disciples had the same feeling. Maybe they counted the days until Jesus would finally discover that they had no idea what they were doing. But the good news is that Jesus knew who he was getting when he invited them to be his disciples. And he accepted who they were and knew they were capable of much more with him. This is why I love the story in John 21 so much. Jesus three questions to Peter about his love for him counter Peter s three denials of Jesus, and that story tells me that Jesus also is constantly redeeming us and giving us the power we need to step out of the shadow of self-doubt. I think the Imposter Syndrome is also why Jesus had twelve disciples instead of just one or two. He knew they would need partners on the journey who would understand their struggles and who would stand with them in times of in doubt and would provide assurance. Alyssa Aldape When imposter feelings start to creep up on me unannounced, I think of the sea of people in the chapel on the day of my ordination, the ones who prayed over me and reminded me of God s gracious love through community. I remember the whispered words of encouragement that people spoke over me as they passed by the kneeling bench. I did not feel like an imposter that day in October. Ordination does not make us holier or make us better than the people who affirm us. Ordination instead is a witness of the Holy Spirit s work in the lives of both the minister and the village who brought them up and shaped their story. Ordination is a reminder that God sees beyond our Groucho Marx glasses and knows we are good enough. (Hey, that phrase would be neat on a poster!) Alyssa Aldape is interim minister of community ministry and missions at First Baptist Church, Dalton, Georgia. She was ordained by Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta on October 24,

7 CLAIMING OUR EQUALITY by Pam Durso On January 12, 2016, the Religious News Service published an article titled: Gender Pam Durso pay gap among clergy worse than national average. 1 Yes, you read it right: The gender pay gap among clergy IS WORSE than the national average! Last year, for the first time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics collected information about clergy pay, and the data revealed that clergywomen clergy earn 76 cents for every dollar earned by clergymen. Meanwhile the national pay gap for women as a whole is shrinking. The national average pay for women is now 83 cents on the dollar, which is considerably better than it was ten or twelve years ago. But for clergywomen 76 cents! Women ministers are paid significantly less than male ministers, and the story of pay inequity is even more bleak for women of color in ministry. Too many black women ministers serve churches, work long hours, and are at the beck and call of their pastors, and while they may be given ministry titles, many of them receive no compensation at all. Nothing. And many Latina ministers, who in the past few decades have been busy founding churches, preaching, and teaching, receive little to no pay, but a good number of them are not even recognized as ministers. Their calling and gifts are not valued in their culture. Given the financial inequities that clergywomen encounter, is it even possible to imagine that there be full equality in our churches? To make that a reality will be costly. It will require something of us each of us. I am convinced that for there to be full equality in the churches, Christian men, especially leaders, pastors, and professors must become advocates of equality. But more than lip service is needed. For equality to happen, male leaders will need to step back, to take the second chair, to sacrifice their positions of power and influence so that gifted and called women can move forward. And Christian women, especially women called to ministry, need to step forward. We need to move into those places of leadership. We need to take a place at the table. Full equality in our churches will require sacrifice. It means that some men might have to sacrifice financial security by advocating for a woman to serve in that ministry role rather than themselves. It means that some men will have to sacrifice ego security by turning down board appointments or commitment assignments and asking that a young woman be appointed in their place. It means that some male pastors will have to step down from their pulpits on a regular basis so that women new to preaching have opportunities to try on their preaching skills. It means that male pastors and leaders need to advocate for equitable salaries and benefits for the women on their staffs even if it might mean taking a pay cut to help make that happen. Full equality in our churches will require sacrifice for women as well. Women must do the hard work of advocacy, and advocate for themselves and for each other and call on churches to be just with salaries and benefits. It means that women will need to be prophetic in their calls for equality even if it costs them a ministry position or a paycheck. Equality requires some to step down and some to step up, but it demands that we all must speak up and speak out. To claim our full equality as women AND men, we must all work together to make it a reality in our churches. Pam Durso is the executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, Atlanta, Georgia. 1 Tobin Grant, Gender pay gap among clergy worse than national average A first look at the new national data, Religious News Service, January 12, 2016, religionnews.com/2016/01/12/gender-pay-gap-among-clergy-worse-than-nationalaverage-a-first-look-at-the-new-national-data/#sthash.qenpbhsl.dpuf 7

8 BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY P. O. Box Atlanta, GA Address Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 11 Athens, GA A CHURCH THAT GIVES LAMBERTH MEMORIAL BAPTIST CHURCH, ROXBORO, NORTH CAROLINA Located about thirty minutes north of Durham, North Carolina in Person County, the town of Roxboro has twentyfive Baptist churches for its population of just over 8,000. One of those churches has a significant part in the work of Baptist Women in Ministry. In August 2013, Lamberth Memorial Baptist Church signed on to be a monthly BWIM contributor. The congregation has a strong history of affirming the gifts and leadership of women, and when members heard about BWIM s work, they voted to add a line in their budget to support the organization. The church s affirmation of women ministers began in the 1990s, during the pastorate of Jim McCoy, and in 1992, the congregation ordained Lorene Eggleston, the church s first woman deacon. Lorene s support of people in all the moments of life serves as an inspiration to all who follow her. During that decade, the church also invited women to preach and share the gospel message from its pulpit. When McCoy left to serve another church, Lamberth Memorial called Gerald Thompson, and he continued to lead the congregation in recognizing and supporting women called to ministry. A long-time advocate for women ministers, Gerald has been a minister and mentor for Julie Long, associate pastor and minister of children and families at First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon, Georgia. During her teenage and college years, Gerald was the associate pastor at her home church, First Baptist Church, Fitzgerald, Georgia. During college when Julie returned to Fitzgerald and served as summer children s minister, Gerald helped her learn and grow as a minister. In January 2005, Julie was ordained by First Baptist, Fitzgerald, and she asked Gerald to preach her ordination sermon. To this day, she remembers his wisdom and still calls on him for advice. Baptist Women in Ministry gives thanks for Lamberth Memorial Baptist Church and its pastor, Gerald Thompson. Their support and ongoing contribution makes possible BWIM s work of advocating, connecting, and networking. You too can be a supporter. Give online at info or send in a contribution to Baptist Women in Ministry, P.O. Box , Atlanta, GA Lorene Eggleston