Valiant Women in a Violent World
On a Thursday in late June I stood aboard a public bus traveling through the German countryside as I tried to keep both my excitement and my wheeled suitcase from getting out of control. I eagerly awaited our arrival in Herrnhut, a place that I had read about but had only imagined visiting. I was about to call this beautiful village home for seven days. Soon I would join just over 50 Moravian women from around the world to worship, learn, work, and share stories about our lives and our faith. We celebrated our common heritage in Christ and thought about what it means to be Christians in a world filled with violence, particularly violence against women.
Attendees from North America were: JoEllen LaPrade and Erna Kiessling, delegates from the Northern Province, Kelly Moore and Heather Vacek, delegates from the Southern Province, Board of World Mission presenter Kim Bartholomew, Consultation planning team members Mallie Graham and Tamra Thomas, Bishops Blair Couch and Kay Ward, and Southern Province observers E. Artis Weber and Betty Hobbs. Annie Cleveland and Mary Gregory represented the Alaska Province as delegates.
We gathered with Moravian sisters from Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Herrnhut was a poignant location in which to assemble, and those Moravian sisters were a strong and empowering group of which to be a part.
During the week of the conference our days were filled with study, presentations, tours of Moravian sites, and lively fellowship. In keeping with the Consultation’s theme of Valiant Women in a Violent World, our Bible studies, led by Bishop Beth Torkington of the United Kingdom, focused on the Old Testament accounts of Hagar and her struggles fighting for life and provision. Small, diverse groups then convened to explore the joys and sorrows of other valiant biblical women including Leah, Miriam, Hannah, Mary Magdalene, Dorcas, Rahab, Anna, Abigail, and Priscilla. We discussed the role of prayer, the nature of survival, the strength of women, and the role of mentoring. These studies added texture to our understanding of the experience of violence faced by women and offered a reminder of God’s presence and care in the face of violence.
Informational presentations provided further background and motivation for action. Unity President, Angelene Swart, offered insight on spirituality in the face of violence and supplied what became our comprehensive working definition of violence against women. Sister Nelleen Murdock, an attorney living in Antigua, offered international legal perspectives on the violence faced by women. Sister Kim Bartholomew shared statistics about illness and diseases such as HIV/AIDS that affect the lives of women. Sister Bartholomew also highlighted the work of the Board of World Mission in encouraging Moravians in North America to be in accompaniment with women and men in partner provinces. Rauda Marouf, general director of the Star Mountain Rehabilitation center in Palestine relayed both the important work of the Star Mountain undertaking and the harsh realities of living in a war zone. Bosilka Schadlich, a partner in ministry with the Moravian congregations in Germany, told harrowing tales of female refugees of the war in Bosnia. Sister Vani Pradhan, currently a student at Moravian Theological Seminary, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, made the group aware of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit within the rapidly growing Moravian church in Nepal. Alongside our study, these presentations — and stories from each Province — provided a vivid account of the pervasiveness and horror of violence against women.
Together we lamented that women around the world live amidst violence, regardless of age, race, or economic situation.
In addressing the realities of violence, these studies and presentations prepared the group to generate recommendations to raise awareness of violence and to begin to remedy injustice. The group’s recommendations took two forms: formal resolutions that will be taken to Unity Synod in 2009 and proposals for action in each of the Unity’s provinces. Both the resolutions and the proposals concentrated on communication, education, and advocacy.
“Because we all suffer when women anywhere experience physical, emotional, psychological, and cultural violence, human trafficking, sex tourism, xenophobia, and negative media portrayals; We advocate for women who suffer because Christ our Lord did so and called us to do the same. Advocacy enables us to alleviate pain, to support each other, to make resources available, and to speak for those who cannot due to fear and intimidation…”
Thus begin the recommendations for provincial boards and local congregations outlined by the Third Moravian Women’s Consultation. The shared hope of the women who attended the Consultation is that the Moravian women and men around the world will play a role in addressing these issues and in bringing the hope of God’s loving care to women in need.
Moravians around the globe share common faith origins and strong bonds, even if we live and worship in vastly different places. Around the Moravian seal are the familiar words, “Our Lamb Has Conquered, Let us Follow Him.” In Herrnhut we heard those words spoken in English, in German, in Swahili, in Spanish, in Yupik, and in other native tongues. Those same words voiced in many different languages were a reminder of God’s abundant love and amazing grace. Opening and closing sermons by bishops Blair Couch and Kay Ward emphasized these realities.
The Consultation’s delegates, planning committee, and observers will share more about our time and work in Herrnhut in the coming weeks and months in our Provinces. We welcome the chance to answer questions and to hear the experiences of individuals and congregations. We were forever changed by our time together in Herrnhut and pray that the Consultation’s efforts are far reaching and long lasting.
