12 Mar 2017

Connections - UNCSW Blog

            Yesterday our group participated in the orientation for "Ecumenical Women at the United Nations" (www.ecumenicalwomen.org), alongside some 200 women from a variety of denominations, all here to participate in the UNCSW.
            Spending the day at the Church Centre for the UN, across from the main UN buildings. Our worship was energetic, and we celebrated the reality of powerful women working - in the bible, through history to today, and well into the future.
            We enjoyed a speech form the Director of UN Women, who invited us to consider a number of concerns to be discussed, including (among others) the definition of family, women in agriculture and technology and informal sector.
            A panel discussion on  the priority theme (women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work) invited us to consider what it means to empower women locally and globally, and to acknowledge that the world of work is changing.
            We had opportunity to meet as the ACO delegation, and shared some of our journeys, and what influences had brought us to this moment. It was a profound sharing.
            Perhaps my favourite part of the day was the connections (and re-connections). For me, despite the busy-ness of the day, our personal sharing (with lots of hugs) highlighted that we are the body of Christ - the full body of Christ - whether we saw one another yesterday or last year or more than a decade ago.
            We are here as Anglicans, as Christians, as sisters.  It's not about what divides us, what regions we come from, what our politics are, or any other arbitrary division. No matter where we have been or what we have plans to do, we are here to support one another, to build up the body of God's Holy Church, to focus on being sisters.

            We are ALL part of that! We are all called to the same work. We are the beloved of God - and by God, it is good.

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