The Perfect Word

            This day was a full day of writing and wordsmithing. And more wordsmithing. And then some more! The Anglican Communion Delegation prepared its statement for the Anglican Consultative Council.

            Anyone familiar with group projects knows that this is not always the easiest, but that sometimes when the Spirit wills it, the words simply flow.

Our experience today was of the latter variety. We had asked for input form all of the delegates, on learnings and experiences and take-home messages.

            The words flowed. Our document brought together a summary of who we are as a group, a section specifically focusing on the youth voice, a synopsis of our learnings in the three main areas, our learnings from the experience, and our hopes for what we would like the Anglican Consultative Council to think about or do as a result.

            It is, we believe, a good document; but it took a lot for us to find the perfect words to convey our message. We were aware that we were speaking with many voices, in several languages, from varied cultural backgrounds. We were blessed with a great group of people who made every effort to collaborate.

            We were also aware that as we were writing our statement, negotiations continue for the Agreed Conclusions Document, which will articulate the formal outcomes and decisions from the proceedings of the past 2 weeks. While our ACC statement is substantial enough, the Agreed Conclusions will be life-changing for countless women who are experiencing and working for gender justice.

            The words matter. The right words matter. Taking the time to find the perfect words is time well spent.

            And we began the process of finding the perfect words to say our farewells to one another: after nearly 2 intense weeks of living as a cohesive group, our group has started to head home, one sister at a time.

            So we focus on finding the perfect word to convey our hope for equality, our commitment to justice, our passion for empowerment. We find the perfect words to say we are better for having met one another, that we intend to stay in touch, and that we are sisters in the Spirit forever.

            We found those words: "Peace and love, sister. Blessings on your journey."

            May we all be sent forth into the world, into our ministries, with such perfect words.