About Caucus

Womaen's Caucus is a network of feminist women and men who identify with the Church of the Brethren. Emboldened by our awareness of the violence and pain related to the denial of gender equality, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we engage in the prophetic task of creating church which is free from attitudes and practices of injustice.

Womaen's Caucus was founded in 1973 by a group of about 50 women from the Church of the Brethren. The first steering committee selected the name Church of the Brethren Womaen's Caucus, spelling the word Womaen to reflect the common bond between each woman and all women. Through the years, members of Caucus have energetically advocated for women's concerns and issues. Caucus has empowered women to claim a leadership role in the denomination and participate fully in the life of the church. Strong and centered, Caucus greets the future with confidence, certain of our call to bear witness to truth as we are led by the wisdom of the Spirit.

Our Mission

Womaen’s Caucus holds the following commitments:

• To provide safe spaces for women to speak the truth about their life experiences and find support, affirmation, and an opportunity for collective action.
• To name the realities of sexism, economic inequalities, racism, domestic violence, health concerns, sexual abuse, and heterosexism as they affect the lives of women and children, and to call the church to accountability around these issues.
• To increase awareness of the dynamics of power and injustice which compromise the dignity of persons or whole groups.
• To connect with other individuals and groups engaged in the work of social transformation and develop local and national networks for those interested in feminist study and practice and its relation to faith.
• To bear witness to the strengths and courage of feminist women and men within the church.
• To advocate a position on abortion that is prayerfully respectful of women as moral decision makers.
• To claim women’s authority as theologians, and offer opportunities to reflect on scripture, tradition and spirituality in light of our life experience.

Steering Committee

Jan Eller is administrator for Womaen's Caucus, a position she has held since 2003.  Her previous work for the church includes District Executive for the Oregon Washington District and Co-Director of Ministry for the General Board.  Jan lives in Portland with her husband of forty years, Doug.  She enjoys traveling and camping and going to Family Camp at Camp Myrtlewood.  Following her work with the General Board, she completed two years of culinary school here and in Italy and embarked on a second (third?) career as a personal chef.  She still cooks for an older couple several times a month although she has phased out other clients.  Jan also completed a two-year term as district moderator

Carla Kilgore is a social worker in Fort Wayne, Indiana working as the Program Director for Vincent House, which offers housing and programming for homeless families. She is active at Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in the choir, and as Board Chair. She enjoys living with her Life Partner and getting to spend 1/3 of the days of the year co-parenting her stepson. She inherited her feminism as a legacy of her family, particularly her Mom, Ev Kilgore, and her Grandma, Peggy Mason. She now claims it for herself, and busies herself trying to be one set of Christ's hands on earth, no small task!

Deb Peterson will finish her term as editor of Femailings and member of the Steering Committee in July 2008 after a four-year term. She is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren and is serving her 7th year as pastor of the Union congregation in Plymouth, IN. She came to the Church of the Brethren by choice rather than by birth. She lives in Goshen, IN with her husband, Larry and their "boys," three miniature dachshunds. She also works part-time for The Goshen News, a daily newspaper and has had a seasonal income tax preparation business for 31 years. She has a daughter and son, both married, and is blessed with eight "perfect" grandchildren.

Audrey deCoursey is a cradle Brethren, currently studying for an MDiv degree at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, with concentrations in women's studies and arts.  Her other passions include environmental activism, renters' rights, and homiletics.

Jill Kline lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she is currently working on a Master's of Public Service degree with an emphasis on Nonprofit Management at Marquette University. She plans on graduating in May 2008. As part of her fellowship she works at the Wisconsin Humane Society in the Education Department. A large part of her time there is spent educating the community about the link between animal abuse and domestic violence or other types of interpersonal violence. Before grad school Jill worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. To relax, Jill loves reading women's literature and spending time with her partner, family, friends and big puppy, Scout. She is very excited about joining the Womaen's Caucus in all of the great work they do.

Peg Yoder says she is a “Northern Indiana farm girl...who believes each of us is as God made us. I also think that ALL people deserve to be treated as children of God.” Her stance regarding these particular issues has remained unchanged throughout her life. She was born into the Church of the Brethren and her maternal grandmother even wore plain clothing! Peg also feels that education transforms people by enabling them to articulate their individual values and viewpoints. To that end, she received a baccalaureate degree from Manchester College, a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University and Ph.D. coursework from Penn State University— all in English. But Feminist Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism was her focus. Peg wishes to serve the Church through Caucus by encouraging inclusiveness and tolerance.

Read what Mary Cline Detrick, one of our Caucus founders, had to say about "Why Caucus Began - What We've Done - Where Are We Going" in this speech presented at the Caucus Luncheon at the 2006 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. (pdf file)

left to right, Jan Eller, Deb Peterson, and Carla Kilgore enjoy a Steering Committee meeting