The
New Vision Epiphany 2007
Follow That Star!
Epiphany 2007 (PDF
268k) Issue
Clergywomen Follow That Star!
by Rebekah Simon-Peter, Executive Director, BridgeWorks
All photos by Keith English, GNTV Media Ministry, GNTVmin.com
 How does one begin to write about an event that was so powerful?
So life-changing? I refer to the International Clergywomen's
Consultation that was held in August in Chicago. Before I went,
I had no idea what to expect. Even though I had been in ministry
11 years, I had never seriously thought about going before. What
value can this have for me? I wondered. It's not a teaching
event. I won't learn anything about how to increase membership
or do evangelism or be a better pastor. But the words of my friend
Joyce rang in my ears: "You have to go! It's so good.
I always save up my continuing education funds just to go to this." And
one year at our local clergywomen's retreat, we had sung
the theme song of the Conference: "The Women Must be Gathering" by
Susan Beehler. I must admit that got my blood pumping. So, finally
convinced, I put the date in my calendar a year earlier and considered
it inviolate.
When the time came to go I headed off to Chicago with little idea
of what awaited me. I knew I would get to spend time with my old
seminary friend, Maggie, and go to some interesting workshops.
But little did I know how the Spirit would meet me there.
The first surprise happened at Midway Airport in Chicago. Who
did I run into by baggage claim but Maggie, my roommate to be.
We had originally planned to arrive on different days, and had
even taken different flights. But such was the magic of this event:
we both arrived at the same airport, on the same day, at the same
time. The Spirit was already at work.
 Then came the first event of the conference, a worship service
focused on "The Calling" in which our ministries were
affirmed. A drum introit paved the way for the first song, "The
Women Must be Gathering," There was that song again! And
gather we did. There were about 1500 of us from all over the world.
Bishops, District Superintendents, Elders, Deacons, Seminarians,
Retired Clergy. And even a few men.
 As our 14 female bishops processed in, my heart swelled with the
delicious pageantry and power of it all. I felt myself being swept
along in the flow created by these miracle-making foremothers in
the faith. Thus began the first of a half dozen pull-out-all-the-stops,
over-the-top-worship services. The Spirit was definitely at work
here. Oh, wouldn't it be great if every worship service got
to be planned years in advance?
The 50th Anniversary of Clergywomen's Full Conference Membership
was the theme of the Consultation. Luke 4:18-19, and Isaiah 61:1-4
were our scriptures for the four days: "The Spirit of the
Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me …." And
the anointing of "I Am that I Am" was so strong, in
so many ways. There was interpretive scripture recitation, drumming,
dance, singing&emdash;all of it backdrop for the Spirit to do Her
thing. Personally, I noticed it most this way: every time I opened
my mouth to sing, my heart overflowed and tears rolled down my
cheeks. I couldn't sing at all for the first few days. Instead,
I just shut my mouth and took counsel from my tears.
 But there were also other ways in which the Spirit moved: through
a variety of workshops, panel discussion with scholars, theological
reflection, testimony, art, the sharing of meals, and generous
time for connecting with friends&emdash;old and new. I so enjoyed
seeing all the women from Rocky Mountain Conference (almost two
dozen) as well as from far-flung parts of the US and world.
 The next morning, our day started with a Prayer Service for Seven
Generations. We were invited by our Native American Sisters to
recall this ancient wisdom: the effects of our decisions have far
reaching consequences. Therefore, our decisions must honor the
past seven generations and pave the way for the next seven generations.
I thought of global warming and the effects of our greenhouse gas
emissions on the planet. Will there be a habitable earth left to
pass on? A Native American Clergywomen's Choir chanted church
hymns and tribal hymns in Choctaw, Cherokee, Traditional Moskogee
and English. I was deeply moved by the service.
 Later that night we gathered again to worship. "Honoring
the Past" was our theme that night. Clergywomen from the
1st two decades of full clergy membership rights led the procession.
Liturgies of remembrance and liturgical dance filled our hearts.
The music soared, but I still couldn't sing. I could barely
speak the words of liturgy. Bishop Judith Craig preached about
the persistent widow and the unjust judge. She used the  image of
the widow knocking at the judge's door. "We have been
persistent and made it in. But who else is still knocking at the
door?" she asked us. "Who else is still waiting to
get in?" I could not help but think of gays and lesbians
who have the call of God on their lives. Meanwhile, 1500 of us
responded enthusiastically with knocking as she preached. A bloody
knuckles petition came out of this signed by many that called for
the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
persons.
We gathered Tuesday morning for a worship service called, "The
Anointing." The anointing of the Spirit was surely upon Cynthia
Hollins as she sang, "My Alabaster Box." Bishop Violet
L. Fisher preached and whooped as she drew upon the theme of the
song, "You don't know the cost of what's in my
alabaster box." The Spirit drew me into a heightened awareness
of the cost so many women have paid to preach the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. And at last I found my own voice to sing as I remembered
the cost of my own journey. I gave thanks, again and again, for
the privilege of being in attendance at the Consultation.
 Tuesday night we gathered for a Banquet in which we were addressed
by three of the women of the first class of clergy with full rights.
Although advanced in age, they preached! Unsteady of foot, but
strong in conviction, they preached! Emboldened by the years, they
preached! "What do you want to do with the power that has
been given to you? Be very intentional," one foremother in
faith counseled us.
 We gathered Wednesday morning for a worship service called, "Voicing
the Spirit." Bishop Beverly J. Shamana led us in Scripture
jamming to jazz rhythms. When she asked for volunteers, my hand
shot up and before I even had time to think, there I was up on
the stage jamming out of Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me," with other volunteers. I had a wonderful
time! Yet here's the funny thing: I didn't know that
much about jazz or even care for it that much. But that's
what this consultation was all about&emdash;being swept up in the
flow of the Spirit.
As if we could even stand any more worship, we gathered Wednesday
evening for "The Empowering." Bishop Rosemarie Wenner,
from Germany preached in a soft voice but with insightful words.
I experienced yet another dimension of the Spirit's pull
and flow.
  Thursday
morning we gathered for "The Sending." During
this Service of Holy Communion words from the final day of the
1956 General Conference were read. These words recalled the historic
vote in which women's full clergy rights were affirmed. Bishop
Minerva Carcaño preached, and preached! The Spirit was alive
and well. Hand sewn and constructed mantles of praise were given
out to each woman. I wore mine home that day: I had it draped over
my shoulders in the car, in the airport, on the plane, and then
on the long car ride home. Now it is draped over my computer chair,
and I feel the power of the Consultation draped over me every day.
The Consultation has stayed with me in other ways. Here are some
of the things I learned:
 1. I had no idea women could be so powerful. Lord, forgive me for
the sinful vision I had of women at worship: weak and ineffective.
I still carry internalized sexism about the worth and work of women.
It reminded me of the time that I, as a Jewish woman, traveled
to Israel and found myself no longer in the minority, but the majority.
What a paradigm shift that was! Likewise, at this event I found
myself no longer in the minority as a woman&emdash;apologizing for
my existence and my inconvenient call to the church&emdash;but as
a full and welcomed participant in the life and Kingdom of God.
As one of my favorite hymns affirms: "We have been sung throughout
all of history."
 2. I had no idea how blessed and privileged I am as a clergywomen
in Christ's church. So many women in other denominations
do not get to serve in this way. My heart swells at the thought
of the progressive church of which I am part, and at the justice
issues we have taken on. But this same grace that has taught my
heart to sing also teaches me that there are still others knocking
at the door: immigrant women, lesbian women, Jewish women, women
of color who cannot get appointed, or can only get appointed to
small struggling churches, or who, once appointed, are not accepted
by their congregations. Moreover, we still hang on to theologies
that do not fully include the many-tongued and many-cultured Pentecost
people of God. We have more work to do.
3. I had no idea that a mere "Consultation"&emdash;a
gathering that promised neither more members nor better preaching
nor advanced evangelism&emdash;could change my soul and my life.
A woman I had never met before had a word of prophecy for me, an
authentic word from the Lord for me. The Prophetess paved the way
for a meeting The Spiritual Director, who in 45 minutes helped
me to recognize the Sprit in a most powerful and life giving way,
leading me to explore new pathways of ministry.
 What an incredible experience the Consultation was. I am so thankful
I went. The Spirit met me there and changed my life. Now, I'm
looking around for the next date of the Clergywomen's Consultation,
so that I can get it on my calendar. Four years is not too far
ahead to plan.
Rebekah Simon-Peter, Bridgeworks
Follow That Star--To The Ends Of The
Earth!
Vineland Builds in Chile
We never dreamed when we first met Don
White that we would “follow
that Star” almost to the end of the earth -- literally.
Don first visited our church in October, 2004, while
he awaited his return trip to Chile to resume his work as
a VIM missionary
at a school in La Granja. Don attended our church,
Vineland UMC, several Sundays during that first visit and
ended up
teaching a mini-study on Galatians to our Sunday School
class for a month before leaving for Chile. Needless to say
this
man of small stature had made a huge impact on our
tiny congregation with his King James Version style of preaching
and teaching!
During that very same time, half way around the world, in
a small village in Chile, a house where the people of Carampangue
had worshiped, was being torn down due to its deteriorating
condition and with the promise that a mission team from the
U.S. would arrive in a month to begin building a new house
of worship. A promise, as it turns out, that could not or
was not kept when the mission team failed to arrive.
The next time Don had occasion to visit our small country
church in Pueblo almost a year later, he helped paint the
inside of our parsonage in preparation for its new occupants.
It was during that brief stay that God, through Don, began
planting the seeds within our congregation for a mission
trip to his adopted home of Chile. Don’s first mention
of a mission trip to this faraway land fell on deaf ears,
or so we thought. However, Don stayed in touch with several
members of our congregation via e-mails and he seldom wrote
without making some mention of a possible mission trip to
Chile. He encouraged us to seek God’s will through
prayer and always reminded us that, as Christians, it is
our call to “…go and make disciples of all nations...”
And in the small town of Carampangue, half way around the
world, the Chilean people waited patiently, prayerfully,
faithfully for God to restore to them a house of worship.
Don’s persistence and God’s Holy Spirit was
no match for us! Slowly, the light of the Star began to shine
in our hearts and overtake the darkness of our doubts and
pessimism. The idea of going to Chile to help build a church
turned from a far-fetched dream to thoughts of “Maybe
we can do this.” And finally God triumphed victorious
when we said, “Let’s do it!” By the time
we decided to follow God’s leading, we had very little
time to prepare. We had to build a team, raise $13,000.00,
organize, plan all the details, pack and be on our way in
four months! What was even worse, our original plan to go
to a rural village called Catrepulli did not materialize
so we turned to the UMVIM Coordinator for Southern Projects
in Chile for assistance on where our mission team should
go. Her answer ~~ the small town of Carampangue, for the
people there needed to build a new church! God does indeed
answer the prayers of the faithful! And God has a plan ~~
a perfect plan ~~ and we never know just how we fit into
His plan until we let go of our fears and doubts and take
the step (leap?) of faith!
With God in control and with the undying support of our
amazing congregation, six of us boarded a plane on April
21, 2006 for Chile, South America, where we began helping
the people of the Iglesia Metodista of Carampangue build
a church. Of course, building the church was only part of
God’s plan. As we worked side by side, young and old
alike, we were unable to understand each other as we tried
to communicate with words. But, as we shared laughter, as
we shared meals, as we shared translated stories, as we shared
hugs, as we shared their dream, as we shared their love of
God, a wondrous and beautiful bond was formed between these
people of Chile and we people of the U.S. God’s love
prevailed!
By following God’s star and stepping out in faith,
what seemed like an impossible dream was turned into reality
and God’s Almighty plan continued. And we are reminded
as the shepherds followed the Star when Christ was born,
so too do we follow that Star today. And even if we are separated
by thousands of miles, speak different languages, and have
different customs, we follow the same Star.
Vineland United Methodist Church
1587 Lane 30
Pueblo, CO 81006
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