Femailing October 2020

Femailings Oct 2020

 

October 2020 Download

Our theme, “It’s the end of the world as we know it” invites us into a process of  reflection and action as we cope with mounting layers of acute grief and deferred loss,  then rise up as we seek to engage and celebrate community in new and meaningful  ways. 

Without a doubt, many would agree 2020 has been a challenging and stressful  year. Living with a pandemic in our midst has brought changes to familiar and ordinary  activities such as grocery shopping, educating our children, meeting friends in  restaurants, attending in person worship and visiting our friends and loved ones,  whether they be in hospitals, nursing homes or our neighborhood. It’s also been a  year of change within the Church of the Brethren. Annual Conference did not meet.  Many church camp were closed or had reduced programming. Several congregations  across the denomination have chosen to “break” with us and form a new corporation,  Covenant Brethren Church. District conferences are being held virtually. 

Through it all, Mary Scott-Boria invites us to pray for the heaviness of the past  four years and celebrate our kinship and inclusion in the beloved community as  together we work for racial equality, justice and the things that make for peace. Ruth Nalliah shares her dream for a more inclusive and authentic church. Laura Hammonds  shares affirmation of her faith through poetry and prose. Check out the QR code on  page six which links to her poem on the Womaen’s Caucus website.    

 Christy Waltersdorff’s Pentecost Sunday sermon reminds us of the importance  of breath, and helps us reflect on the trauma of George Floyd’s death and asks the  provocative question, “So when did the Church stop breathing?”  

The Womaen’s Caucus steering committee invites us to grieve our losses, and  then take action to create a new way of being the Beloved Community. Two newly  formed partnerships are providing tools and training to help us move forward:     Caucus Podcasts continues the conversation on Speaking Truth to Power  through our partnership with Messenger Radio; and Womaen’s Caucus and On Earth Peace are working together to challenge  sexism and racism in the Church of the Brethren. Matt Guynn and other facilitators will  lead a webinar on nonviolence, the social dynamics of nonviolence and briefly  introduce the 6 principles and 6 steps of Kingian Nonviolence. A link is provided to  register for the upcoming event on November 10th. Anna Lisa Gross reminds us  “birthing” involves “breathing” and “pushing” and it is our hope these two resources  aid us in creating positive change in the Church of the Brethren. 

The Steering Committee wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas  and a Blessed New Year. Stay healthy! Be well, and one last thing, VOTE!