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08289 April 15, 2008
A new twist on the three Rs
'Remembering, Recognition, Reconciliation' is theme of Native American PW gathering
by Jerry L. Van Marter Presbyterian News Service and Sharon Youngs Office of the General Assembly communications coordinator
TEMPE, AZ - More than 100 Presbyterian women gathered at Cook School for Christian Leadership here April 4-6 for the 2008 Native American Presbyterian Women's (PW) Gathering.
"Remembering, Recognition, Reconciliation" was the theme of the gathering, in which participants were called to remember the significance of their baptism, recognize the gifts they bring to the church and work for reconciliation in personal relationships, between nations and, most importantly, with God.
Speaking on remembering at opening worship, the Rev. Martha Sadongei, pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Phoenix and a member of the Kiowa/Tohono O'odham tribes, called on her years as an first-grade public school teacher to exhort participants to "Say it, write it." Speaking and writing about one's experiences is a much more effective way to commit them to memory than to use either tool by itself.
Referring to the exhortation to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6 to love God with all their heart, mind and strength, Sadongei said "remembering at this very deep level encourages us to remember the significance of our own baptisms."
Remembering took on special meaning for the gathering - the final national PC(USA) event to be held at Cook School for Christian Leadership (formerly Cook College and Theological School).
The property and buildings of the PC(USA)-related school will be sold later this year, with the proceeds to be administered by the newly-established Cook Foundation. The foundation hopes to continue the school by providing continuing education and conference and meeting opportunities for Native American pastors, commissioned lay pastors, lay leaders and others. .
"The majority of Native American pastors and leaders in the Presbyterian Church have come through this school at some point," said gathering participant Roxanne Burgess, a Presbyterian elder who lives in Sacramento and is a member of the Hoopa tribe.
Presbyterian elder and former PW Churchwide Coordinating Team (CCT) moderator Hazel Fuhrmeister recounted the "recognition of the gifts of racial ethnic women" early on among PW leadership, but acknowledged that "PW had not done what we needed to do to appreciate fully these incredible gifts."
Steps have been taken, she said, to ensure that current CCT members-at-large are "not just liaisons, but vital members who make a real difference to our work."
A delegation from the gathering traveled across the Valley of the Sun to be present for a portion of the Presbytery of Grand Canyon's PW Spring Gathering at First Presbyterian Church in Sun City, AZ. The group listened as the Rev. Deborah Kehle, associate pastor of the host congregation, preached on the indispensable importance of the gifts of every part of the body of Christ, from individuals to the entire denomination and beyond.
Other gathering participants participated in workshops on topics such as evangelism, spirituality, addictions, and health and wellness. Hands-on activities included beadwork, prayer bundles, journaling and quilt making, to name a few.
"There is no room in our lives for 'I can't,'" said the Rev. Norma McCabe, a Presbyterian pastor in Tuba City and Kayenta, AZ, and a member of the Navajo tribe, in two morning meditations on leadership and bars to it.
She distributed mirrors to participants, and insisted they look in them as she told them, "You are the messenger. You are the one being called."
The Rev. Josephine Dickson, a retired Presbyterian pastor living in Owyhee, NE, preached on reconciliation at the gathering's closing communion service. Dickson, a member of the Shoshone tribe, said, "Having one's marriage reconciled is important. Reconciliation between nations is also crucial. But being reconciled to God is the most important reconciliation there is."
The Rev. Sharon Youngs, communications coordinator for the Office of the General Assembly, provided music leadership. Youngs was the music leader for the 1991 and 2000 PW Churchwide Gatherings.
The Rev. Vanessa Hawkins, senior staffer in the General Assembly Council's Racial Ethnic and Women's Ministries/PW ministry area, which helped sponsor the event, brought greetings. Additional support for the gathering came from PW's Leadership Development office and the Synod of the Southwest.
In addition to Burgess, members of the planning team for the gathering were Presbyterian elders Mary Danforth, Gina Enos (Pima tribe), Janis Quinn (Seneca-Cayuga/Cherokee tribes) Eveline Steele (Choctaw tribe) and Stella Webster (Navajo tribe), and ministers Judy Wellington (Pima/Dakota tribes) and Mary Jane Miles (Nez Perce tribe). Sallie Cuaresma, a Presbyterian elder, member of the Cherokee tribe and associate for Native American Congregational Enhancement for the PC(USA), provided staff support to the planning team.
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