A purpose With a Promise
The Presbyterian Women Purpose
By Paul Detterman
 Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus
Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves
to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study, to support
the mission of the church worldwide, to work for justice and
peace, and to build an inclusive and caring community of women
that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and witnesses
to the promise of God's kingdom.
Nowhere in the church is there a more profound, inclusive
or promise-filled statement of faith than in our PW Purpose.
The words draw us to the depths of our faith and challenge us
to be about the business of belonging to God in all our work
and play.
After 21 years of ministry and an even longer sojourn as a member
of Presbyterian Woman, I have read hundreds of purpose and mission
statements. Many have been awesome and inspiring, but the only
ones that made a real difference in human lives were the ones
that were internalized. I'd like to challenge members of Presbyterian
Women to find new, creative, challenging and even risky ways
to embrace and internalize our PW Purpose.
For all but a handful of faithful women, the PW Purpose is a
collection of someone else's words, and, wonderful as they are,
they do little more than remain neatly framed on the wall. What
follows are some exercises and discussion questions with the
potential for revealing the power of our Purpose. I want to challenge
each and every Presbyterian Woman to engage in conversation and
prayer about the PW Purpose. As members of Presbyterian Women,
we ought to be excited and energized, humbled and graced by these
words, which I have to believe were inspired by God's Spirit
speaking in the listening hearts of women just like you and me.
These exercises are designed for use in your circles and Bible
study groups. There's no preparation needed, so use them now
or consider saving them for your annual retreat-to celebrate
another year together or kick off a new year of fellowship.
Exercise #1
Give each person a sheet of paper. Invite participants to draw
a circle in the center and write "Presbyterian Women"
in the circle. Around this center circle, have participants draw
a series of smaller circles and name them with the various ministries,
services, celebrations, justice issues, etcetera that describe
their experiences with Presbyterian Women. Have participants
leave one circle empty and in this circle, invite them to write
the things they dream about doing in PW. Encourage them to record
their wildest hopes and ideas. When everyone is finished, tell
participants they have created a graphic organizer, depicting
each person's thoughts and feelings about PW.
Exercise #2
Divide your group into smaller groups of two or three persons
each and ask participants to share what they created. Before
participants begin to share their hopes and dreams, pause for
a moment of prayer. Invite group members to take turns speaking
and concentrate on really listening without interrupting each
other. Nelle Morton coined the phrase "heard into speaking,"
meaning we encourage and empower each other as we genuinely listen
to the stories of joy, sadness and faithful longing which sound
deep within each of us. Remind participants that hopes and dreams
are easily shattered and to listen with compassion and without
judgment.
Exercise #3
As a whole group, talk about where participants' dreams and experiences
fit into the framework of the PW Purpose. As group members talk,
try to discern what ministries, needs, justice issues, spiritual
matters and joys define your PW. Make a large graphic organizer
with PW in the center and the four major parts of the Purpose
in smaller circles surrounding it. Add comments outside each
circle, describing what your PW is doing in each of the four
areas. Next, ask participants to add their hopes and dreams on
the large version of your organizer. Then, invite participants
who are drawn to a particular ministry to write their names in
or near that circle. Try not to allow any woman to stand alone
in her concerns and remind group members we do not need to agree
with someone to support and care about them. As a group, pray
about these hopes and dreams-they are part of the unfolding vision
of how your group is living out the PW Purpose. Finally, decide
as a group how members' hopes and dreams can be addressed in
the coming year.
For Discussion
Invite participants to read through the following questions and
answer them for themselves. Then share responses in small groups
or as a whole.
- Where do my experiences and dreams fit in the big picture
of PW?
- How much are we willing to risk to share the gospel?
- How faithful are we willing to be in our spiritual journeys?
- What are we doing that works against the PW purpose?
- Are we willing to welcome any woman, with all of her joys
and concerns, hopes and dreams? What are we willing to do to
achieve genuine hospitality?
- What are we doing that we can truly celebrate?
- How is PW using the individual talents and gifts of this
group's members to build up the body of Christ?
- What am I willing to do to make the PW Purpose alive in me?
Created by Elaine McRobbie. Elaine is a tethered interim minister
who teaches reading and writing in an inner city middle school.
A former vice-moderator for mission, Churchwide Coordinating
Team of Presbyterian Women (1994--1997), she is active in presbytery
and synod work.
Resources
This past year, our devotional exercise has been based on "Lectio
Divina," a meditative form of prayer, wonderfully described
by Marjorie J. Thompson in her book Soul Feast. Our exercise
is usually based on scripture and allows us to quiet our hearts
and enter into the presence of God as a community and as individuals.
As the exercise progresses, women share only as they are comfortable.
This has worked well for us, both in groups of 20 and in gatherings
of three or four people.
Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life
by Marjorie J. Thompson
Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995, $17.95, ISBN #0664255485
To order this or any book recommended by Horizons,
contact the Presbyterian Book & Resource Center, 100 Witherspoon
St., Louisville, KY 40202-1396; 800/411-7951; fax 502/569-8647;
pbrc@ctr.pcusa.org.
What Is a Circle?
*Presbyterian Women in the Congregation (PWC) is organized into
small groups, called circles, that meet regularly to provide
an inclusive, caring community of women. Circles are an integral
part of Presbyterian Women (PW) and members are encouraged to
use PW resources to strengthen and enrich the community of faith.
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