Thursday, July 30, 2015

Beautiful Servants become Women with Wings...



What happens when nearly 20 women get together with the intention of taking time to be in the presence of God and support one another’s faith journey? Prayer happens. Laughter happens. Learning happens. Sharing happens. Visioning happens. God is present. 


That was the result of the “Beautiful Servant, Beautiful Savior Retreat” at Good Shepherd Church in Silver City on July 24-25. God was present in our worship and sharing, in our music and in our taking time to rest and refresh. God was present as we took the time to encourage and support each other on our journey, rather like birds in migration who take turns leading the flock.

During the Embodied Prayer at the retreat, led by Shirin McArthur of Good Shepherd, participants danced to A River of Birds by Libana. The words of this song are a vision for what we hope to become as women of faith…”[a Diocese] of Women with Wings”.

Part of being ‘Women with Wings’ is helping other women. Susan Hutchins, of Borderlands Ministries, shared an exciting idea with women at the Beautiful Servant, Beautiful Savior Retreat. Women of the Diocese are invited to start a Sister-to-Sister pen pal relationship with women who are part of the Coopertivas in Palomas and Anapura Mexico. Participants at the retreat filled 18 gift bags with toiletries, cards, and jewelry gifts for these women and agreed to correspond with women south of the border. If you want to join this new partnership, contact Susan Hutchins. You can view her powerful presentation on YouTube
Other events included an overview of the Saint John's Bible by the Very Rev. Mark Goodman, Dean of the Cathedral. Anyone interested in seeing this incredible 7 volume replication of the first fully hand-calligraphied and illuminated Bible since the Middle Ages, is invited to stop by the Cathedral. Four of the volumes were available for women at the retreat and the congregation of Good Shepherd. 


We started our retreat with Laughter Yoga-a great and relaxing way to get to know each other. Later on, Betsy Bayne led the group in singing favorite hymns and explaining the history of the music as the premiere presentation of her ministry "Tuneful Truth". There's nothing like music to bring a group together in worship and relaxation. Betsy is delighted to travel around the diocese to offer this to congregations and groups who want to learn more about their favorite hymns. 
Participants also had an interesting presentation of the history of Good Shepherd in Silver City. As one of the first churches in the area, it has a long history and women played a major part in keeping the parish going.over the years!


The Diocesan Women’s Council will be having a planning retreat on September 12. If you have ideas for activities, speakers, themes, etc., please contact Cindy so we can continue to build a women’s ministry based on what  the Women of the Rio Grande want. Make plans to come to our Fourth Annual Bosque Retreat on November 6-7, led this year by Katrine Stewart