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The rise of women in the pulpit

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The boundary breakers When the Northern Presbyterian Church (United Presbyterian Church in the United States of American) ordained Margaret Towner in 1956, Life Magazine ran a five-page photo spread on the historic event. The ceremony, held at The First Presbyterian Church Syracuse in New York, was reported and broadcasted over national media. Reverend Towner’s ordination was about women, not about one woman. It was a watershed moment for women’s equality, for dismantling gender power structures within the church and for ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church. It took 36 years from the time the first overture to ordain women as elders and as ministers of the Word went before the General Assembly in 1920. It was the same year women were granted the right to vote in the United States. Towner invited the pastoral staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Allentown in Pennsylvania, where she was called as a minister, to participate in her ordination so that they … [Read more...]

Tagged With: women in ministry

Ministry interrupted

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Women get interrupted more frequently than men. Studies reveal this, but I didn’t need research to confirm this truth — my own experience offers enough evidence. Even the most powerful women are interrupted more than their male counterparts. An article in Aeon magazine, “How men continue to interrupt even the most powerful women,” details findings from a survey of the Supreme Court justices. The authors report, “There are few more powerful positions than being a Supreme Court justice, yet the female justices are just like other women: talked over by their male colleagues.” They go on to note that these interruptions have real consequences. “Scholars have shown that oral arguments shape case outcomes, so any systematic interference with the female justices’ ability to fully participate will limit their substantive power on the court.” Speaking and being heard matter. Words equal influence. Habitually silencing diverse voices limits vision, imagination and possibilities on the Supreme … [Read more...]

Tagged With: women in ministry

Women in ministry — October 7, 2019

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Jesus called women to share in his ministry when he walked the earth and he still does today. Nonetheless, the role of women in the church has been debated and contested — and continues to evolve. This issue of the Outlook offers a snapshot of women in Presbyterian ministry past and present. Click here to read the issue in the Uberflip reader. The rise of women in the pulpit Margaret Towner was ordained in 1956 — 36 years after the first overture to ordain women went before General Assembly. Sherry Blackman recounts the history of women’s ordination. Women in ministry through the lens of former co-moderators Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston share their experience of gifted women leading throughout the Presbyterian Church. The place and status of women In 1953, Hugh Kerr wrote this Reformed theological discussion of women in ministry for the Outlook. Responses to domestic violence  Katrina Pekich-Bundy calls the church be active against sexual abuse and domestic violence. … [Read more...]

Tagged With: women in ministry

What’s right about Presbyterian Youth Triennium?

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During #PYT2019, art was right! Everywhere I looked, I saw places where youth and adults could draw, paint, decorate and write what was on their heart. Every day, new prompts appeared in the Stewart Center at Purdue University asking, “What makes your heart sing?” or inviting youth to complete the sentence “Jesus sought me when …” On Memorial Mall, chalk art blossomed, keeping pace with the coneflowers outside our dorm. For a conference with the theme “Here’s My Heart” (taken from the venerable hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”), it was a perfect way for participants to pray to God and share the creative energy of the divine. This invitation to creativity demonstrated how “Triennium was an amazing way to grow in faith with my delegation and become closer with my youth group,” according to Sarah Walker, a youth from the Central Florida Presbytery delegation. — Jody Mask, Central Florida Presbytery delegation leader to Presbyterian Youth Triennium Read more of Jody’s … [Read more...]

New Board of Pensions educational offerings go “deep and wide” for wholeness

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“We call people to varied forms of service and covenant to support them so they may devote their best gifts and energies to the work of God’s kingdom.” — A Theology of Benefits Michele Ward, associate pastor at Brown Memorial Park Avenue Church in Baltimore, is a big believer in holistic well-being, especially after diving into the wholeness education offered by The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). “It blows my mind that I can be a pastor and have this sort of support,” she said after hearing from a colleague that one in three pastors is at risk of burnout. “By engaging with Board University learning opportunities from early on in my ministry, I have hope that I won’t be another statistic. The learning provided gives me the opportunity for ongoing self-reflection and keeps me healthy in all areas.” Board University, the Board of Pensions’ suite of educational offerings, develops all dimensions of wholeness: spiritual, health, financial and vocational. It … [Read more...]

Tagged With: wellness

Meet the secretary of the Presbyterian Outlook board: John Wurster

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John is not only our board secretary, he also serves on the development committee and occasionally writes “Looking into the lectionary” reflections when our editor is taking a break. John has been pastor of St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston since 2012. Ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 1991, John has also served congregations in suburban Philadelphia, northwest Ohio and Kerrville, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude from Trinity University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa; a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary; and a Doctor of Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In 2019, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Austin College. John has published books of sermons and articles on liturgical practice. He has also contributed worship materials to various denominational resources. He has written several essays for the new multi-volume biblical … [Read more...]

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