Caribbean Women's Bible Study attracts UN interest

["Daphne Martin_Gnanadason" <Daphne.Martin_Gnanadason@wcrc.ch>]

>World Communion of Reformed Churches  
>News Release 
>24 February 2011

CaribbeanWomen's Bible Study attracts UN interest

A Caribbean workshop on how reading the Bible can contribute significantly to 
ending male violence against women has caught the attention of the United 
Nations agency responsible for women's programmes. 

Toni-Ann Brodber, a representative from UN Women who attended a recent workshop 
in Grenada to test new models for Bible study, noted the critical contribution 
of faith-based communities in eradicating violence against women and expressed 
interest in supporting a campaign for action against violence that is connected 
to the Bible study project. 

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) and the Presbyterian Church in 
Grenada, in collaboration with the Caribbean and North America Council for 
Mission (CANACOM), hosted the Caribbean Women's Bible Study Workshop in late 
January. Approximately 25 persons attended the workshop. Participants included 
Bible study leaders and writers, pastors, lay adults and young people both from 
the region and from Caribbean communities in other countries.

The project is made up of three components and processes: a Bible Study 
workshop; a violence against women campaign; and a Bible study book. The book 
will include stories of women, study guide, reflection on emerging Caribbean 
"hermeneutics" (interpretation of texts), liturgies, violence against women 
campaign resources, short poems, and prayers. 

Workshop coordinator, Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, says: "The prevalence of 
violence against women, economic hardship, climate change, political 
instability and leadership crisis call forth a prophetic movement of people led 
significantly by women." 

Sheerattan-Bisnauth, who heads WCRC's Justice Office, notes: "Women have played 
an important role in survival of people and finding ways to resist injustices, 
bringing healing, providing food, shelter, hospitality, comfort, and avenues 
for peace and reconciliation. They have acquired survival skills in the face of 
poverty, violence, and social and political unrest."  

Marie-Claude Julsaint of the YWCA says the project "will be very useful" for 
exploring "a theological approach to issues of sexual and reproductive health 
and rights, [and] HIV and violence against women".

The Bible study book is to be published in April 2011 and will be available 
through the WCRC website www.wcrc.ch ( http://www.wcrc.ch/ ). 

WCRC was created in June 2010 through a merger of the World Alliance of 
Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC). Its 230 
member churches representing 80 million Christians are active worldwide in 
initiatives supporting economic, climate and gender justice, mission, and 
cooperation among Christians of different traditions.

>Media Contact: 
>Kristine Greenaway
>Executive Secretary, Communications
>World Communion of Reformed Churches
>PO Box2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
>tel. +41 22 791 6243; fax +41 22 791 6505
>dma@wcrc.ch; www.wcrc.ch ( http://www.wcrc.ch/ )