Sometimes it’s good to get out and fellowship with others, not to compare, but to see what God is up to. In April, I attended the United Methodist Women Quadrennial Assembly. The theme for the assembly was “Make It Happen!” and, if I can say, Methodist women are tops at thinking grand. It wasn’t the décor or freebies. It wasn’t the workshops or that their keynote speaker was former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on what this grandness was, and then I heard it. Clinton spoke of herself as part of the organization. When I spoke with women as we waited in line (especially the line for the hotel elevators), they spoke of their personal contribution to the “special mission the UMW was called to 150 years ago.”
That’s how they speak about themselves. It was the spirit of the women gathered as one that was grand. There was a sense of purpose and power. As we waited for the Clinton plenary to begin, we made small talk with an older woman who asked to sit with us. I commented about the spirit of the women. She said, “It’s what keeps me connected, but,” she cautioned, “it can slip away so easily. What you see here now takes work. It’s all about relationships.”
This message is adapted from “One” written by Valora Starr, for the Women of the ELCA blog, on May 1, 2014.
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