A community of faith—Day 2, June 19
Friday, June 19 was the first full day of the Gathering with a morning plenary session, three workshops (ed ops), film screenings, a book group and an evening celebration! The morning plenary session offered the theme, "Oneness in the Community of Faith," and this belief that our faith ties us together as one shaped much of the programming and interaction throughout the day.
Actor Anita Gutschick has found her call in performing short plays on the lives of biblical women, like Elizabeth, whom she portrays here. Photo by Michael Martin.
Who am I speaking to?
By Louise Van Poll
When talking with Anita Gutschick, you might ask yourself just that question. Her mission is to bring the voices, feelings and trials of women of the Bible to life. According to her, “Biblical women reach across the generations and touch our hearts.”
Hailing from Annapolis, Maryland, Anita has been performing her Women of the Bible series for the past 20 years. Having been a stay-at-home mom, at the age of 40 she began taking acting classes and working with the community theater group.
“God put it on my heart to begin acting,” she said. Unfortunately, despite acting classes, secretarial help with the theater board and working in the theater with costumes and props, she didn’t land any theater roles for two years. Finally getting her big break, the theater became her life. In 1995, after starring in about 20 plays, she was asked to help plan entertainment for a church women’s conference. Read more.
While the Gathering had many serious moments, many participants stopped for photos with Minnie, the official Gathering moose-cot. Photo by Michael Martin.
Laughter—A healing art
By Hillary Moses Mohaupt
Thomas Willadsen amused a full room on Friday morning during his 2015 Churchwide Gathering workshop on the healing art of laughter. Thomas Willadsen, the pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and author of OMG! LOL! Faith and Laughter, spent much the session describing the difference between laughter and humor—and illustrating the role laughter plays in effective communication between people. “Senses of humor,” he said, “are like senses of smell and senses of wonder. They differ enormously.”
Using evidence from scripture and anecdotes from his life as a father and pastor, Thomas traced the idiosyncrasies of humor in the Bible. He quoted both Anne Lamott, who has said that “laughter is carbonated holiness,” and Karl Barth, who once wrote that “laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”Read more.
"Sing aloud, O daughters!"
By Kathryn Baker
The new Presbyterian hymnal, Glory to God, has been available for nearly two years. And in that time, hundreds of PC(USA) churches have started to delve into all that the rich resource has to offer. Its content includes hymns from previous denominational hymnals, such as Sing The Faith, and hymns from other denominations and from around the world. Glory to God includes 853 hymns, songs and psalms, plus several pages of service music, orders of worship and daily prayers.
All of this content was overviewed at two Gathering workshops led by Deborah Lind-Schmitz with piano accompaniment by Virginia Champlin. Deborah has an undergraduate degree in music performance, and after being ordained in 1989 began serving as a teaching elder. She currently serves The Presbyterian Church in Geneva, New York. Accompanist Virginia Champlin served as organist in that church for many years. Read more.
Melissa Bane Sevier spoke about community and diversity during the Friday morning plenary Gathering plenary session. She said, “What you bring to the metaphorical table we spread for each other is essential. Without your gift—without you—this or any other gathering where you are supposed to be is lacking.” Photo by Michael Martin.
Pass the biscuits
By Louise Van Poll
Melissa Bane Sevier will tell you she loves biscuits. She’ll also tell you that by many accounts her grandmother baked the best biscuits. But she’s not just professing a familial dedication to carbohydrates. She talks about biscuits to remind us that we are all different ingredients in one bowl, and that our different gifts unite us in the body of Christ.
Speaking to Friday’s theme of “Oneness in the Community of Faith,” Melissa said from the plenary stage, “Oneness is a beautiful word because it implies unity, but not sameness. I love large gatherings like this because they remind me how different we all are, how uniquely we’ve been created, how varied our life experiences and cultures. Read more.
Panelists discuss strategies for ending sexual violence against women and girls
By Kristena Morse
As part of a workshop/panel focused on sharing strategies for addressing sexual violence against women and girls, panelist Tony Jones commented, “We all can talk about violence against women as if it is some arbitrary thing that happens to some stranger, but what we are really talking about . . . what we need to be talking about . . . is ending men’s violence against women. What are we doing about that piece? How are we addressing that?”
Tony Jones, who is director of “Project Unity U.S.A.” in North Carolina, joined Sandi Thompson-Royer, mission co-worker with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), to discuss some of the most pressing issues the faith community faces in addressing sexual violence against women and girls, and to share proven strategies for successfully addressing this often-overlooked issue. Read more.
Katie Blume (far right) facilitates a dialogue about cultural humility, mission and identity with (from left to right) Molly DeWitt, Michelle Muñiz Vega and Ayana McCalman. Photo by Michael Martin.
Better together
By Laura Cheifetz
Better Together is the title of a book on Presbyterian mission by Sherron Kay George, and descriptive of cross-cultural relationships toward mission efforts. It’s also a theme that emerged in the “Global Partners and Young Adult Volunteers Dialogue,” during the Friday morning plenary session of the 2015 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women. PW Churchwide Coordinating Team member Katie Blume facilitated a conversation among three Gathering participants—Ayana McCalman, an attorney in Guyana and a Mission Partner through the Global Exchange; Michelle Muñiz Vega, a photojournalist and former Young Adult Volunteer in Miami; and Molly DeWitt, a Young Adult Volunteer serving in Arkansas, who also served in South Korea. Read more.
A criticial conversation on sex trading and trafficking
By Kristena Morse
In Minneapolis, Kwanzaa’s Northside Women’s Space is reaching some of the most marginalized in the community—women and children who are facing homelessness and precarious housing, poverty and unemployment and those struggling to break the chains of sexual exploitation, prostitution and sex trafficking.
“On the north side of Minneapolis, we see poverty, violence, sexual exploitation, food scarcity and hunger on a daily basis. At Northside Women’s Space, 46 percent of the women we see exchange sex less than once a week. This is important—this isn’t a way of life for these women, this is a means of survival,” noted Alika Galloway, co-pastor at Kwanzaa Community Church. Read more.
Starting with intentional breathing and gentle movement, workshop leader Sally Niles invited participants to connect with each other and more deeply with their faith. Photo by Kelly Weirich.
Let the Spirit move you
By Louise Van Poll
Take a deep breath. Breathe in slowly, deeply and then breathe out. This is the beginning of finding the lyrical spirit in each of us.
The definition of lyrical is anything having an artistically beautiful or expressive quality. This encompasses all art: drawing and painting; writing or chanting poetry; singing, playing or composing music; dance and movement. The definition of spirit is the force within a person that is believed to give the body life, energy and power. Consider the gift of the Holy Spirit.
According to Sally Niles, a music therapist, when you put them together you get a lyrical spirit, which helps you to express and live your faith through creative forms, including music, art, journaling, movement, breathing, praying and praising. Read more.
