Joining Together in Love by Ellen Birkett Morris

Linda Bryant Valentine was in her fourth day as executive director of the General Assembly Council when she addressed the crowd gathered for Monday’s plenary session of the 2006 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women.

She came to the position of executive director of the GAC after many years of personal and professional service to the denomination. She is an elder and served as interim executive director of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. For the past two years, Valentine has held the position of fund manager and general counsel for Opportunity International, a nonprofit organization that offers micro-loans to persons who are poor, often women, in 28 different countries.

Valentine brought a message of common mission to the Gathering, along with concrete goals and a plan of action for Presbyterian women in congregations across the United States. She began her address by praising participants for the more than 7,500 pairs of shoes and an estimated 40,000 pairs of socks that were collected for children by Gathering attendees.

She went on to discuss a culture of embrace, inspired by the example of Christ. “We need to move from a culture of factions and divisions, of us versus them, to unity of one church—one church that embraces men and women; that embraces people of all races and ages; people from big churches and small churches; from north and south; people who are rich and who are poor; people who are politically conservative and who are politically liberal; and, yes, people who hold different theological viewpoints, even on contentious issues.”

Ellen Birkett Morris is a writer and communication consultant based in Louisville, Kentucky. She is a frequent contributor to Horizons.

Photos by David Young

Shoes and Socks for the Journey

When Louisville’s community leaders and convention and tourism bureau discussed the economic impact that a gathering of more than 3,100 women can have on a community, it’s doubtful they were thinking about shoes and socks.

photo of volunteers collecting shoes and socks at the 2006 PW Gathering

In celebration of the PC(USA)’s Decade of the Child (2001–2011) and in appreciation to the community of Louisville for hosting Presbyterian Women’s Gatherings since 1997, Gathering participants were asked to bring shoes and socks, to be donated to The Salvation Army’s “Back to School” project and “Christmas Angel” program. As with any PW project, participants exceeded expectations, bringing bags, boxes and suitcases full of child-size shoes and socks. More than 7,500 pairs of shoes and an estimated 40,000 pairs of socks were collected during the five-day event. Even as the Gathering cleanup was nearly complete, another box of shoes and socks was delivered to the Kentucky International Convention Center to be added to the truckload of gifts. In addition to the shoes and socks, Presbyterian women contributed department store gift cards and $536.05 in cash.

Jim Garrett, director of Volunteer Services for The Salvation Army, and a Presbyterian minister, was thrilled with the response. He spent four days counting and collecting the contributions, then, with tears in his eyes, announced his final tally in time for Sunday evening’s plenary session. And the final count continues to grow—so much so that some of the “overage” was given to the Portland Avenue Presbyterian Church in Louisville (450 pairs of shoes and approximately 1200 pairs of socks) to distribute in their corner of Louisville, and more than 25 pairs of shoes were sent home with some of PW’s Global Partners from Brazil.

To say that Presbyterian women are generous is an understatement. Given the opportunity, they can move mountains and make a difference in a way that can only be measured by love. Thank you to all who contributed!

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Learn what Linda Valentine has to say to Presbyterian Women and what she hopes the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can become and achieve. Read the full text of this article in the September/October 2006 issue of Horizons. Shoes and Socks for the Journey article	Joining Together in Love by Ellen Birkett Morris Linda Bryant Valentine was in her fourth day as executive director of the General Assembly Council when she addressed the crowd gathered for Monday’s plenary session of the 2006 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women. She came to the position of executive director of the GAC after many years of personal and professional service to the denomination. She is an elder and served as interim executive director of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. For the past two years, Valentine has held the position of fund manager and general counsel for Opportunity International, a nonprofit organization that offers micro-loans to persons who are poor, often women, in 28 different countries. Valentine brought a message of common mission to the Gathering, along with concrete goals and a plan of action for Presbyterian women in congregations across the United States. She began her address by praising participants for the more than 7,500 pairs of shoes and an estimated 40,000 pairs of socks that were collected for children by Gathering attendees. She went on to discuss a culture of embrace, inspired by the example of Christ. “We need to move from a culture of factions and divisions, of us versus them, to unity of one church—one church that embraces men and women; that embraces people of all races and ages; people from big churches and small churches; from north and south; people who are rich and who are poor; people who are politically conservative and who are politically liberal; and, yes, people who hold different theological viewpoints, even on contentious issues.” Ellen Birkett Morris is a writer and communication consultant based in Louisville, Kentucky. She is a frequent contributor to Horizons. Photos by David Young Shoes and Socks for the Journey When Louisville’s community leaders and convention and tourism bureau discussed the economic impact that a gathering of more than 3,100 women can have on a community, it’s doubtful they were thinking about shoes and socks. In celebration of the PC(USA)’s Decade of the Child (2001–2011) and in appreciation to the community of Louisville for hosting Presbyterian Women’s Gatherings since 1997, Gathering participants were asked to bring shoes and socks, to be donated to The Salvation Army’s “Back to School” project and “Christmas Angel” program. As with any PW project, participants exceeded expectations, bringing bags, boxes and suitcases full of child-size shoes and socks. More than 7,500 pairs of shoes and an estimated 40,000 pairs of socks were collected during the five-day event. Even as the Gathering cleanup was nearly complete, another box of shoes and socks was delivered to the Kentucky International Convention Center to be added to the truckload of gifts. In addition to the shoes and socks, Presbyterian women contributed department store gift cards and $536.05 in cash. Jim Garrett, director of Volunteer Services for The Salvation Army, and a Presbyterian minister, was thrilled with the response. He spent four days counting and collecting the contributions, then, with tears in his eyes, announced his final tally in time for Sunday evening’s plenary session. And the final count continues to grow—so much so that some of the “overage” was given to the Portland Avenue Presbyterian Church in Louisville (450 pairs of shoes and approximately 1200 pairs of socks) to distribute in their corner of Louisville, and more than 25 pairs of shoes were sent home with some of PW’s Global Partners from Brazil. To say that Presbyterian women are generous is an understatement. Given the opportunity, they can move mountains and make a difference in a way that can only be measured by love. Thank you to all who contributed! Other Articles Online This Issue Gathering Scrapbook [1st page only] Out of Chaos Community in Diversity Getting to Know Our Global Partners Waking Up the World God's Word—Light for the Journey Joining Together in Love Through an Artist's Eyes Bible study resource Dispatch from Forbearance Presbyterian Church Nurturing Our Faith Supporting Mission Working for Justice and Peace Mosaic	Current Issue SEPT/OCT 2006 About This Issue Features PW Resources Departments FREE Resource Sept/Oct Index How to Use In Our Next Issue Items underlined can be seen in this Web site, all others appear in the September/October 2006 (HZN-06-240) issue of Horizons magazine. to Horizons, call 800/524-2612 or this issue ($4 plus shipping/handling)

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