Recently I was asked, “What plans do you have in place to build the organization?”
I’m not asked this question every day, so I started thinking about it. How can we intentionally become a place that welcomes all women?
I believe we can if we reach outside of our local communities to women who are searching for a community where they can grow in faith, affirm their gifts, support each other, engage in ministry and action and promote healing and wholeness. Getting involved with our organization requires a commitment to the mission and purpose statement.
[bctt tweet=”Sharing our faith stories and reaching out is a place to start as we welcome women.” username=”womenoftheelca”]
I love to receive phone calls from women who are interested in starting a Women of the ELCA group and who want resources to share as they begin organizing. I also enjoy receiving phone calls from women planning their gatherings, retreats and synodical conventions and asking for advice.
I can hear their excitement as they describe how they use our resources to serve and to make a difference in the lives of women.
This summer, our organization will celebrate its 30-year anniversary and its Tenth Triennial Gathering in Minneapolis, July 13-16, under the theme All Anew. To get in the spirit of the gathering, we’ve provided you with resources: five coloring devotionals, free and downloadable.
They were designed to deepen your understanding of the gathering’s All Anew theme and accompanying Scripture verses. They can be used in a congregational setting, at a synodical event or in the quiet of your home, even by women who are unable to attend the gathering
Sharing our faith stories, resources and reaching out to all women is a place to start as we become intentional about growing the organization together.
How will you welcome women into the organization?
Eva James Yeo is director for membership for Women of the ELCA.
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Photo: Karen Herrmann (left), Plainfield, IL, Theodore Street Lutheran; Karen Stapelton, Shorewood, IL and Linda Miller, Rockford, IL, Our Saviour’s Lutheran, chat beneath the welcome sign at the Ninth Triennial Gathering in Charlotte, N.C., in 2014