Last week's post was an over view of the entire women's retreat. This week and next will give more details about what we did and discussed as we visioned an exciting future for all women in the Diocese! Those who gathered are enthusiastic about the potential for all women-young, older, working, single, moms, and career, and all ethnic demographics that are represented in the DRG. Read on to learn some of what we did.
How we are
Crazy Quilt Conversations was a time for women of the DRG to come together and vision where our ministry as women of faith could go. The retreat included some fun games, laughter, and some deep planning. After a game
of “Me too” to demonstrate how we are linked in a web, we talked about how we
like the warp and weft of fabric
Warp: the backbone of weaving
For Women in the
DRG, this is such things as Christ, faith, ministry, God, demographics
Weft: the things that build the
design
Based on ‘Varieties of Gifts’
scripture (I Corinthians 12 we discussed the positives in the life, ministry,
church, and DRG that make up the weft of us as individuals and as women of the
DRG
Ministry is not just in the church,
but rather is everything we do in our lives. This truth needs to be shared and
acknowledged because what women do M-F is just as much ministry as Altar Guild
or DOK or food pantry, etc.
We need to have focus groups with
young, Hispanic, African-American to hear what they want
Who we are-Patchwork
Each woman chose a bracelet from the basket and told why we chose “ASAP-Always
Say a Prayer” or “Jesus Loves Me” or other saying on bracelet was important to
her. Like Patchwork we come from many different places, with assorted needs and
wants. Just as the same saying means different things to different women, so
too our lives are formed in different ways, but we can all come together as one
‘quilt’.
Over the weekend notes were
jotted about things we didn’t want to forget. These are some of the things that
make us a patchwork because they are important to different women.
Same gender demographic
Spiritual Growth Retreats
Remember ‘the least of these’
Child care at events with a
purpose, not just watching movies
Affirm the wide definition of what ministry is, esp. for young
women/mothers
Look at new territories, i.e. autism, ADA, other-abled needs
Be models/mentors for younger women
Events in the ‘south’ and other far reaches of the Diocese
Network of women in, throughout, across the diocese.
Field trips to visit other churches around the diocese and meet the women
there
Hat retreat, to look at all the ‘hats’ we all wear and how to take off
some of them, maybe
We talked
about How can we come together so God can be glorified in all [that we do]
based on 1 Peter 4:10-12.
We need spiritual growth
retreats, time to be still and know God, so there needs to be provision for ways
to get/have spiritual growth opportunities.
Spiritual growth helps us learn that we are
showing God to others through our actions. We also gain understanding that we
don’t necessarily have to go far afield to find ministry opportunities to ‘the
least of these’, esp. because NM is 2nd poorest state in the nation.
(Ruby Payne was suggested as a speaker)