The purpose of this forum is to facilitate communication and mutual support and edification among those who strive toward gender justice in Churches of Christ. If you would like to join the forum, send an e-mail (including your first and last name) from your primary address to forum@gal328.org.
Many tears of joy for Cahaba Valley and its servants...
:::posted by Vicki on 10/31/2006 11:58:00 AM
At the present time, the West Islip church has three female shepherds. Don't know about others.
--David Fritz
:::posted by Fritz on 10/31/2006 08:42:00 AM
Is this the only Church of Christ that has a woman elder? I haven't heard of any others.
:::posted by Indie on 10/30/2006 11:49:00 PM
Yay and yay!!! To Wiley's and Katie's posts.
I love these two firsts. There is hope in the air and it smells delicious.
:::posted by julie on 10/30/2006 12:49:00 AM
Every two years, the Cahaba Valley Church in Birmingham, Alabama, enters a period of discernment concerning the shepherding of the congregation. New elders, as well as those whose six-year terms are up and who have agreed to serve again, are confirmed by a two-thirds majority of the church. A few times in the past, women have consented to have their names put forward to the congregation as candidates for eldership, but each time, more than a third of the congregation has said no, many people making no secret of the fact that the women's gender was the reason. Currently serving (male) elders have twice resigned (or not renewed their term of service) in their disappointment over these events.
Until last week. Two women withstood the rigorous process for elder selection through the fall of 2006. One of them, Emily Jones Rushing, got a phone call while she was hiking in the mountains of North Carolina -- she was confirmed! Emily will soon receive the blessing and ordination of the congregation for her term as a shepherd-teacher-pastor-presbyter-overseer-servant-of-all-ELDER in her congregation.
(It's interesting that two women stood, and one was confirmed, indicating that gender alone was not the only factor guiding people's decisions to say "yes" to either female nominee. To my friend who was not confirmed: bless you for standing with Emily, and for providing this most valuable measure. It's worth more than you might have guessed.)
Please keep the congregation, all its elders, and especially Emily in your prayers as they begin this new phase of their faith journey together. My heart rejoices because I know my sister well and can testify that God has gifted her extravagantly for this work. The Cahaba Valley congregation will be blessed by her servant-leading. May God grant them every good gift of the Spirit's presence while they work through this transition time together.
peace -- Katie Hays
:::posted by Katie on 10/28/2006 08:54:00 PM
Received from Edward Fudge this evening!
(gracEmail) FAMILY NOTES 266GracEmail MinistriesOct 19, 2006
SISTER SPEAKS -- Charme Robarts of Dallas was guest preacher at Bering Drive Church of Christ in Houston, Texas on Sunday morning, October 1, 2006. This was a "first" for her and also for the congregation, in which Edward serves as an elder. In introducing Sister Robarts, Bering minister Dr. Brent Isbell had the following words:
"One of our best family prophecies comes through Joel and later the Apostle Peter, reminding us that one of the hallmarks of God's coming Kingdom is this: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.Your sons and daughters will prophesy. . . . Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.' . . . We welcome Charme Robarts today as a fellow Spirit-filled believer. Charme, we have invited you to our pulpit not to make some point or fulfill some social or political agenda, but simply because we want to be the kind of community where all faithful voices are welcomed and honored . . . ."
Grace to you and peace.
Wiley
:::posted by Wiley on 10/20/2006 01:47:00 AM
Here is the October 5 edition of Edward Fudge’s gracEmail:
I recently read a delightful and fascinating book titled Men and Women in the Church: Building Consensus on Christian Leadership (InterVarsity Press, 2003). I was attracted to the book in part because it was published by InterVarsity Press, a solid evangelical publishing house noted for its even-handed scholarship and Christian practicality. I was also drawn to this book because it was written by a woman -- Sarah Sumner, who was the first female to be awarded a Ph.D. degree in theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where she was mentored by the late Carl F.H. Henry. She later served on staff at Willow Creek Church and now teaches theology and ministry at Haggard School of Theology in Azusa, California.
I found this book delightful because…
To read Fudge’s review of the book, click here: http://www.injesus.com/index.php?module=message&task=view&MID=2B007AVK&GroupID=DA007Q4Q&label%94%94. If the link does not work properly, just copy it and paste it into your browser.
~CRH
:::posted by Christopher on 10/19/2006 09:48:00 PM
David (and others with broken links),
We're working on it - we had some technical difficulties with editing software, and then I had to get married and go on a honeymoon. :-) So we'll get this fixed shortly. I'll post a notice once everything is updated.
Chad
:::posted by Chad on 10/19/2006 10:08:00 AM
Katie,
Thanks for the update and good to hear from you From what I have read on your church's website, you must be staying busy! Hope everyone is doing well! The downloadable audio files are are great! (and thank you Fritz for the updated link).
Grace to you and peace.
Wiley
:::posted by Wiley on 10/16/2006 10:56:00 PM
Bro. Wiley,
Go to www.wichurchofchrist.org for information about the West Islip church. This is a different link than the one listed on this site, and therefore it should be changed to the one given above. Chad or Chris, could one of you help with this?
Feel free to contact the church any time. (Note that the correct spelling of Jesse's last name is "Pettengill.")
:::posted by Fritz on 10/11/2006 03:52:00 PM
The West Islip C of C hired a terrific minister just after Lance and I left there in the summer of 2005. His name is Jesse Pettingill and he works closely with his wife Shannon Lugdon, a first class minister in her own right but without the title or the paycheck. They came from a mission effort in Vermont; Jesse's pursuing his M.Div. at Harding Grad; they are people you very much want to know. peace -- Katie Hays
:::posted by Katie on 10/09/2006 02:15:00 PM
Has anyone heard if West Islip has finally hired a minister. I heard a rumor that they had but cannot find out anything.
:::posted by Wiley on 10/07/2006 11:27:00 PM
Cheri,
Most scholarships at Church of Christ institutions are for men or those who are
African-American or another race. Preference seems to be given to pulpit ministers,
and only men are given consideration.
And there in lies the real problem! My oldest daughter did find some help when she was in The Graduate School of Biblical Studies at ACU----but it was institutional. I think she eventually received about 60% in her 2nd and 3rd years of study for children's ministry. However, I have heard of men going into preaching receiving up t0 100%. Don't know if that is true or not.
I hope you are able to complete your dream!
:::posted by Wiley on 10/07/2006 11:16:00 PM
I am 36 yrs old and recently left Washington DC to return to college so that I can earn the degrees necessary to teach theology at the seminary level even though I am a woman and am in the Churches of Chirst. This is what I have wanted to do since I was 9 years old, but I never pursued my passion because I was confused about women's roles in the church until recently. I have already been told in the last few months by a couple pastors that I could teach at the seminary level, but not theology!
Right now I am attending Regions University (formerly Southern Christian University) online for a BA in Biblical studies, and then I plan on getting a Master's of Divinity from Harding Graduate School of Religion in Memphis, TN. I then want to pursue a Ph.D, but do not know where yet. But I am very interested in positioning myself to teach gender issues at a Bible college so that future ministers and church leaders can teach on this issue correctly. Getting these degrees will take quite a bit of money. Do you know of any scholarships that might apply to me? Most Church of Christ scholarships are institutional—you must be attending that particular university. I have found only one independent source for Christian/Church of Christ scholarships that could be used at the Bible college of the student's choosing. Most scholarships at Church of Christ institutions are for men or those who are African-American or another race. Preference seems to be given to pulpit ministers, and only men are given consideration. If I were a Lutheran, Methodist, or Episcopalian I could be swimming in
scholarship money because they offer both independent and institutional scholarships for women. But a woman
in the Churches of Christ pursuing higher education is very difficult. Any suggestions you have would be helpful.
Grace to you,
Cheri Williams
Columbus, Ohio
:::posted by Cheri Williams on 10/03/2006 03:11:00 PM
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