Holy Sunday
By Jane Wolfinger DeFord
As I walked into the Presbyterian Church in Shillong, I wondered “What will worship be like? Will I understand the prayers or the songs? Will the glory of the Bible be revealed to me, as well as to the beautiful people gathered in this Shillong church?”
My questions were answered as I saw squirming children dressed in their Sunday best, seated with family members in pews crowded with neighbors and friends. Music lifted the congregation with “Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty” (a hymn that never fails to stir my soul).
On this special Sunday, for the first time, a woman brought the sermon. The Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) has not yet realized the leadership and ordination of women to service in the church. Yet, women of the church are essential in the life of the congregation, leading the way in mission outreach, Bible study and the nurture and teaching of children. The women with whom we were worshipping are pioneers in the PCI; they are preparing the way for the first generation of ordained women leaders, whose day is yet to come.
As an ordained teaching elder in the PC(USA), I was asked to give the sermon. Although I didn’t have much time to prepare, I knew that the people gathered for worship would hear the words of another woman too—a woman from the congregation who was acting as my interpreter.
On this Sunday afternoon, the first woman to give a message to this church was a member of this church—a woman who loves her congregation and our God. It was her clear and beautiful voice that said the words that they would hear and take home with them as the message that God had intended for them to hear.
I was so honored to assist her in this task, honored to stand beside her and honored to worship with her and her mother, aunts, sisters, friends and family of the church.
Jane traveled to India in October 2011 with Presbyterian Women’s Global Exchange.
Invite the participant from your synod to your next event to share more insights from this life-changing trip.
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