Why a conference about woman's rights? UNCSW62 blog 3

            Sunday our delegation attended the NGO CSW Consultation Day.  It offers the opportunity to connect with other NGO participants and delegations, hear from speakers, be inspired by stories of successes in the movement to gender equality, and learn some of the areas in which there is still a long way to go.

            One of the presenters indicated that in a recent conversation with a business-successful gentleman, he asked why she was interested in women's rights. It's the same question I've received from a number of people when I tell them that I am attending UNCSW.

            The sad reality is that gender equality does not (yet) exist.

            The good reality is that there in every place, many people are working to address this.

            Yet, the challenge remains: gender inequality impacts every aspect of life.           For women and girls, the intersectionality of challenges is staggering - and even more so for those living in rural contexts. The issues include socio-economic class, gender, geographic location, incidence of domestic violence, deprivation, education, political engagement, access to health care, etc. For those with disability or non-accepted sexual orientation, the challenges increase.

            The statistics are astonishing, the disproportionality undeniable. And so we often wonder what we can do, to have a real impact. UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka inspired us to work together to make the issues visible. Just one example was to recognise the 400 million women farm workers, who often endure terrible conditions. "They feed us, but we don't see them."

            Another speaker shared her experience in post-secondary education, were a professor refused to acknowledge women in the class, instead referring to "non-men" in the room.

            A film director highlighted that globally, 70% of those living below the poverty line are women; and that 2/3 of the world's illiterate adults are women.

            We need to see these women, to acknowledge the systemic and systematic realities that prevent their full inclusion as contributing members of society. It's a simple matter of dignity and rights.

            If we do not see them, however, if we choose to remain blind, this normalises the inequality - and that is not okay.  

            And so we gather. We gather to have our voices heard, to learn from one another, to lift one another up even as we ourselves are climbing. We gather to fight the normalisation of bad behaviour that would deny any child of God their status as beloved. We gather as a standard-setting space, to set new goals, because simply maintaining the status quo is not good enough.

            And so we gather. We fight for equality. We choose to see the beautiful women and girls that are gifts of our creator; we celebrate what they offer to the world. And we will continue to gather, and fight, and support, and uphold: until that wonderful day when we see gender equality as the new normal.

            

Say What? UNCSW62 blog 2

            Saturday we started our orientation. Women of faith gathered together at the Church Centre for the United Nations, where the Ecumenical Women Coalition led a day of sharing, learning, and worship. We sang, we praised, we danced, we prayed! As the Canadian Anglican member of Ecumenical Women, and a member of the worship team, I admit my bias when I say that today was GREAT!

            Our focus for the time of worship rests in the theme "HerStory, in Her Own Voice." We are committed to hearing the stories of women of the bible, in their own voice. Today we journeyed from Miriam's tambourine-accompanied Song of freedom, through Hannah crying through her song of desperation, and concluded with the pregnant Mary's exuberant song magnifying the Lord.

            What these women say has profound meaning, throughout the ages. And they choose their words carefully: they know that what they say and how they say it, conveys the message of their values and their intentions.

            What we say needs to be just as intentional. As the chaplain reminded us today, worship is a place where advocacy begins. When we are speaking, we need to be aware of the power of our voices, and the message we are conveying. Our message, as Christians, should be grounded in theology, ethics, and scripture: if it is not, then we fall into the trend of secularisation by refusing to use the very language that informs and supports our faith perspective.

            We are privileged to know that we have a voice - individually and collectively. We have the opportunity to use our voices as part of our work for justice and peace. We have the story of our Holy Creator to reinforce our message.

            So what is YOUR story? What is YOUR voice?  And how are you telling that story? The question applies to us all; how do we witness to the glory of God. The question also applies to our parishes, our communities. As a church, we have the forum and history of providing a strong message. One hopes that the message of today's church (in every format - whether a Sunday sermon or a Women's Group meeting) will indicate that what we are doing with our voice is faith-filled and empowering. Say what you will, recognising that not every voice will be loudly heard, but that every voice can bless and help build the kingdom of God.

New York City - UNCSW62 blog 1

            Last year at this time, I began a new way to engage in the work of gender justice. There is an annual Anglican Communion Delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), and I was the appointed Canadian representative.

            It is an honour to be appointed again to represent the Anglican Church of Canada in this way; to listen and learn, engage and advocate, network and collaborate. This past year I have been privileged to speak about the CSW in a large variety of venues and formats, highlighting the work of those dedicated to achieving Gender Equality, the 5th Sustainable Development Goal.

            The Anglican Communion Delegation comprises 20 women from around the world, who commit to tae in as much as we can, so that we might return to our homes empowered and inspired to take firm actions in our home contexts. It is  truly a gift of the Communion; we are one of the most diverse invited delegations represented.

            This year's priority theme addresses challenges to woman and girls in rural contexts; we are also reviewing issues of media, communications, and information technology. I will attend discussions and panels on matters of climate change, food security, transportation, access to education and health care, and many others.

            Throughout the year, and particularly throughout CSW, women of faith intentionally connect to develop strong networks: we pray together and collaborate on ways of working through the Ecumenical Women Coalition. We participate in discussions with our national UN Missions, with regional caucuses, at round tables; we hold high the faith which permeates every aspect of our lives, and which calls us to live our ministry as equals.

            So I have arrived in New York, and the adventure continues. It is a privilege and honour to be here; it is a responsibility to be engaged here so as to bring home new ideas, new learnings, new possibilities for ways in which we, the church, might strive toward gender justice.

            Wherever we are, we are God's people: made in God's image, in God's world, equal and beloved in God's eyes. I pray our efforts will respect and uphold that sacred truth.

A Community of Heart and Justice

           Each year, around International Women's Day (March 8), the United Nations holds its annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York City. CSW is "instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women."[1]

            In addition to the commission's diplomatic members, invited delegations and interested individuals gather in parallel and side events, with focus on a priority and review theme. There is much emphasis on learning, networking, advocacy, and collaboration.

            The Anglican Communion is one of the accredited non-governmental organisations invited to send a delegation of up to 20 persons. It was a privilege and honour to represent the Anglican Church of Canada as part of this delegation in 2017. I attended numerous panels and events whose predominant themes included climate change, human exploitation and trafficking, indigenous rights, migration, and humanitarian zones. The intersectionality of these issues with each other and within the framework of women's rights is undeniable.

            In addition to the learning and advocacy opportunities, being a part of an international Anglican delegation was profound. More than a delegation, we became a community; our experience exemplifies the present and future strength of the Anglican Communion, living the truth of being one in the body of Christ. The sisterhood, solidarity, and hope from our 2 intense weeks together in New York continues via technology; regular communications include prayers and celebrations of our home churches. We are empowered, called to action, supported in prayer, and living in hope.

            So this week I am preparing to return to the UN: our beloved Primate has again entrusted to me the honour of representing the Canadian Church. With a priority theme on rural women and girls, and a review theme of media and technology, the discussions promise to be informative and important as we strive to meet the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

            My hopes for this year are high: that worship with other women of faith (through Ecumenical Women) will be spirit-led; that the sessions will be enlightening and inspiring, bolstering ministries already begun and those waiting to commence; that the friends I will meet in this year's delegation will have as positive an experience as I have had; and that the glory of the Lord will shine through all we will do and become.

            So I ask your prayers for our delegation: for traveling mercies, for confidence in the Spirit to lead us, for alliances and friendships to be formed, for finding the face of Jesus in all we encounter, for the work we do to build up the whole people of God, and thanksgivings for the gospel call to seek justice through community.

The 2017 Anglican Delegation issued the following statement to the Anglican Consultative Council,: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/289039/csw61-anglican-delegation-statement-to-acc.pdf

             

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[1] http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw

Community: the Body of Christ

"Connections"
Some rights reserved (CC BY 2.0) by John Fowler
Sourced from Flickr

            Part of being community is acknowledging that we are part of the whole. Just as community is never made of one entity, we are never intended to be individually the whole corpus of the church.

            A colleague's induction sermon recently reminded the congregation that the church needs all of us; we all have a part to play in being the body of Christ. The body is meant to be built, and continually go through phases of growth and healing; the church is never just one person or one ministry or one time. None of us can be all things to all people, and still be authentic in our ministry. Nor should we try to be all things to all people, or consider our ministries more important than someone else's. 

            Like the biological body, how we connect to one another, in times of strength and in times of weakness, is important. We must be vulnerable to one another: "Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection." (Brené Brown)  It takes times of sharing leadership, of handing ministries to new members, of trying new things, of evaluating existing traditions, of mentoring and encouraging and supporting one another, of celebrating new gifts and skills as they are offered and discerned, of accepting the inevitability of change. 

            The body of Christ, like any other body, is in constant change. Changes in people, changes in ministries, changes in neighbourhoods, changes in finances, changes in opportunities. As community, as the body, we are called to do our best to adapt in the healthiest possible way.

            In the parish I serve, we witnessed an inspiring example of the healing of the body, as a demonstration of the health of the community. Last summer, one of our beloved was in an accident that left her with 2 broken legs. As her body struggled to heal, the body of Christ supported that health: through prayers, visits, gifts, transportation, shopping assistance - whatever it took.  We all celebrated as she continued to make - and meet - physical goals striving towards full restoration of health.

            We were shocked when, last month, she died unexpectedly. It was a part of our community, our body, torn from us.  Yet through our grief, we continued to minister to and with one another, supporting and encouraging and praying.  We knew that we had to continue being the body of Christ, and used her inspiration towards healing as a community.

            In community, as community, we are the body: we together grieve our losses, we together celebrate new life, we together mend when we are broken, we together strive towards health and wholeness. The body in all its complexities orients itself towards full health in the present: it does not live in the past, nor does it fret for the future. The body of Christ is our body, breaking and healing, giving and receiving, supporting and being supported; of being in vulnerable communion with God and one another.