I (Julie Clawson) posted my initial thoughts here

Christina Whitehouse-Suggs wrote on Drunk on the Wine of New Love

Danielle Shoyer gave a recap

Imago’s blog posted some reflections

Tony Jones looked back at the event.

Seth Donovan talked about starting in a new place.

Pam Heatley compared C21 to a tropical vacation

Shula at Sensuous Wife blogs her reaction to the event.

Rachel Swan posted a few thoughts

Jules, The Wonderer, posted her first reflections

Don Heatley has created an amazing highlight video from the event that really helps capture some of the themes that emerged there.

And for some fantastic pictures from the event, visit Courtney Perry’s Christianity 21 photostream (the picture here is hers) or Jay Bakker’s flickr.

and if you want to witness for yourself the amazing live sketching Paul Soupiset did at the event, watch them here, here, here and here

Oh, and I’m super excited about the new publishing house, Sparkhouse, which launched recently. They created a video at C21 about sparking new life into the church.

This was a significant event that I believe will shape the future of such conversations in the church. I look forward to seeing where it leads.

there’s nothing like writing a wrap up of an event 3 months after it happened! that’s what sometimes happens in my crazy life, but i didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share a bit of what i gleaned from a great time together at convergence 2009 (http://womensconvergence.com/) , a gathering of women leaders in portland in february, so that women who weren’t able to be there could catch a bit of what was shared.

on saturday there was a panel discussion that included a variety of voices that the participants chose with questions that they had written down earlier in the day. i had the privilege of being part of the panel & some of the thoughts from that segment are the tangible ones that might encourage other women leaders on their journeys.

here are a few highlights of statements & thoughts shared by the panelists (sorry, i didn’t keep track of who said what) that i wrote down afterward & have been reflecting on in different ways for the the past few months:

• “know our limitations” – this a big one for so many of us. many of us struggle with wanting to be all
things for all people. and because so many are capable and have incredible gifts, it is quite possible to give more than we probably should. it is important to cultivate a clear sense of what we can and can’t do, recognizing that some that we serve & love will not understand. it’s not our job to make others see; it is our job to create balance in our lives as best we can; that will most certainly mean acknowledging & recognizing our limits.

• “cultivate friendships with other women leaders so we can learn from each other.” i always hesitate to use the word mentor here because i know many of us (especially in the evangelical tradition where there aren’t as many women pastors in general) have been in leadership a long time without any true “mentors” that have invested specific time and energy in cultivating our gifts and supporting us on the journey. of course, many women have had these kinds of relationships, and i am glad some have received that support. for me, i think the most encouraging part of the past few years has been intentionally cultivating relationships with other women pastors/leaders/writers/pot-stirrers and really sharing life & experiences together. it has made a world of difference. one thing many of us have shared in different ways is how frustrated we’ve been in the spirit of competitiveness that often exists among women. i am not sure what that’s all about (i am guessing insecurity?) but i think that we need to really notice what kind of vibe we are putting off and be more confident in our roles, who we are, and love each other more intentionally. we are all busy, but making time for these kinds of challenging & encouraging relationships is so important.

• “make room for other women & voices as much as we can.” we have a responsibility to each other. the only way to keep hearing from a variety of different voices, no matter what that looks like, is for people with power to give it away. whoever has the microphone, the floor, the leadership usually has some form of power. the more we pass that microphone we have to our other sisters, encourage them to step up & use their voices, the better. and because we know what it might feel to be marginalized, we can use our leadership to include as many other new voices as possible—across gender, race, socioeconomics, and all kinds of other lines.

• “be who we are; don’t try to be something we’re not.” each of us is unique and bring different gifts and combinations of personalities and strengths and weaknesses to the table. we are supposed to be “us”, not who we think other want us to be or what we think we are supposed to be because of what kind of authors, speakers, whoever we see. it’s true, many of us will not make a ton of money or get some crazy book deal or a whole lot of other things, but hopefully we will honor who God made us to be and live as integrated and whole and honest as possible.

• “learn to be friends with men.” the question came up about our sexuality & how it can be a limitation if we are not in touch with it. there’s no doubt that much healing and restoration must happen between genders to learn to live and work and be together as equals, taking sex & power out of the equation. we have a responsibility as leaders to work on this, to change unhealthy patterns, to become more free in our ability to engage with men as friends, co-laborers, equals.

• “take good care of ourselves.” ah, self care. the demands of ministry, family, kids, work, and all of the other pulls on us can really take its toll. we all want to last. we want to live out who God created us to be. we don’t want to burn out. we want to take good care of our families. we want to live a balanced life that includes a lot of other things other than just leading. in order to do this, we need to work on taking care of ourselves emotionally, physically, spiritually.

• “accept the reality of injustice but do everything we can to fight against it.” the reality is that injustice against women in the church in many denominations is present. it’s real, it’s not going away anytime soon. living with this injustice is sometimes so hard; it can make us want to give up and throw in the towel or stop fighting for change. part of our roles as women in leadership is to live in the tension of what is and what could be and be bridge builders, risk takers, path pavers toward healing of injustice on behalf of the women who will come behind us. our daughters need us. our sisters need us. we may not see all of the fruit of our labors, but the work we are doing now plant seeds has the potential to grow incredible fruit in the future. let’s keep our eyes on them & not give up.
there were many other things shared in our time together, but these are the ones who have lingered. no doubt, there was incredible wisdom in the room. these tiny highlights won’t give it justice, but hopefully a little of what happened there is spread across the miles to encourage others, too.

kathy escobar co-pastors the refuge (www.therefugeonline.org), an eclectic faith community in north denver dedicated to those on the margins. she also is the cultivator of voca femina (www.vocafemina.com), new site for women to use their voices through art, writing, photography, and other mediums.

Christianity 21: Faith in the 21st Century

21 Voices
21 Ideas
21 Minutes Each

We live in a time of epochal change.

Many find this change exciting; for others, it’s a challenge. Call it globalization, pluralization, or postmodernism, this change affects our economy, politics, government, and education—all of society. And, of course, our faith and our churches are not immune to change.

So we have gathered 21 of the most important voices for the future of Christianity—21 voices for the 21st century—to speak into our future as people of faith in this age. They represent a diverse array of backgrounds, interests, and passions, and they will provide a wide range of innovative and challenging presentations.

Christianity21 is less a conference and more a happening, an event—a gathering of voices and ideas that will shape the future of our faith. And to the 21 voices, we want you to add your voice, whether you’re a seeker or skeptic, leader or layperson, disciple or doubter.

We hope you consider joining your voice to ours at Christianity21.

Friday, October 9 – Sunday, October 11
Colonial Church of Edina
6200 Colonial Way
Minneapolis, MN 55436
$195

I am really excited about this event. I’ll can’t wait to hear from these presenters, and I get to join them as I will be speaking on “seeking justice in the everyday.” A number of emerging women leaders will be speaking at this event – many who have been part of the community of this blog. For a full list of presenters click here.

I think this will be a gathering where we can really dig deep and explore where faith is headed in the 21st century. We can’t ignore that changes are happening around us, and I appreciate the opportunity to think out loud with others about what this all means. So stick it on your calenders and plan on join us in October!

Student Paper Competition

Three students will be selected to present their research papers at Christians for Biblical Equality’s weekend conference on gender and culture in St. Louis, MO. Presentations are scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 4:10-5:10pm. All papers may also be considered for publication in one of CBE’s journals.

Submission Guidelines
x Papers must address an aspect of gender and culture (the theme of the conference) or gender and justice (CBE’s mission).
x Papers previously written for a class that address one of the themes above are acceptable for
submission.
x Please limit length of submissions to 20 pages. A minimum of 4 pages is suggested.
x Submissions should be double-spaced, in 12-point font, and pages numbered.
x Submissions should also include a cover letter with contact information (name, mailing address,
telephone number, and email address), name of the institution attending, area of study, year in
school, and the total number of pages.
x Submission Deadline is May 1, 2009 at 12:00pm CST. Email rfinsaas@cbeinternational.org with
your paper as an attachment, and type “Student Submission” in the subject line. Final decisions
regarding submissions will be emailed May 22, 2009. CBE appreciates every submission.

If Selected
Students selected to present will be awarded a scholarship to attend the conference, which covers the cost of conference registration. Two meals, a continental breakfast, and three coffee breaks are included with conference registration. CBE is unable to provide students with funds for travel and accommodations; although CBE may assist students in finding host families or roommates to cut the cost of accommodations.

Students who are not selected may register for the conference online at www.cbeinternational.org, or apply for a conference scholarship to have their registration fee partially or fully waived.

Need topic ideas?
x The conference on gender and culture addresses gender as it relates to Scripture, church, society, and government. You may consider one of these four categories to focus on.
x For information about gender and justice, visit www.cbeinternational.org and read more about CBE’s
mission or the free articles available on its website.

Submission Deadline • May 1, 2009 • 12:00pm CST

In some ways, it doesn’t get any more God-forsaken than suburban America. This “Missional In Suburbia” seminar will take a look at two important topics: Suburbia and the Church. For some people, there is a sentiment that its impossible to really be the church in the ‘burbs. But for others, we believe that this is the place that God has called us. If we are going to stay, we need to ask what it means to “be the church” in a culture that is defined by comfort, consumerism, isolation, wealth, strip malls and hidden poverty.

This one-day seminar will focus on the development and culture of suburbia and the opportunities and challenges that this context presents the Church. We are honored to have Al Hsu, author of The Suburban Christian, lead the discussion along with some other local pastors and thinkers.

This one-day conference is open to all and will be helpful for pastors, lay leaders, and members of congregations. Our goal is to have some substantial discussion around practical issues that relate to the everyday practice of the Church and the Christian life.

Event Details:

* Location: The Well (Feasterville, PA)

* Cost: $25 (includes lunch)

* Dates: August 9, 2008 (On Friday night, August 8, there is an optional “open house”/”meet and greet.”)

* In Partnership With: Philly Emergent cohort, Ecclessia Network, and C4ML at Biblical Seminary

Register online now at: church.thewellpa.com

join us for an evening by the fire…an informal gathering for those in the denver, colorado springs, fort collins, boulder area. our agenda is relaxed with the goal to continue building relationships and support

saturday, june 21, 2008 at 6:00 pm
appetizers, desserts & conversation

at the home of kathy escobar
for directions and additional information, please rsvp to:
kathy@therefugeonline.org or
amy borjas at eaborjas@comcast.net

this invitation is open to anyone interested in coming so feel free to pass the word to any women you know who might want to come. everyone is welcome!

if you are able or willing, please bring a dessert or appetizer to share.

Anyway, we gave an open invitation to whoever wanted to attend an Emerging Women lunch at the Gathering. Men and Women both (or as it has come to be phrased at these things, “Emerging Women and men who like them”). We had a good sized group show up for a spread of cheeses and organic soup and salad (thank you Sarah Sayles for helping prep). I gave a very basic introduction to the types of activities Emerging Women is involved in and then we opened it up for people to share their stories. The storytelling took up most of our time, but I found it to be a very blessed and supportive time. There was a wide diversity of women present who have come to this emerging conversation from a variety of backgrounds. After sharing our experiences as women in the EC we spent a (very) short amount of time discussing the lack of visible women in leadership in the emerging church.

There were a few highlights in the conversation that stood out to me that I want to mention here -

One woman spoke on how she wished God was more like her father. Unlike the women who try to get away from the Father image of God, she is seeking to understand God in that way. Her own father encouraged her and told her that she could do/be anything. But it was God (or the church’s representation of God) that seemed to be restricting her. She wants to see God in the encouraging and supportive role her own father played in her life.

One woman mentioned that for this emerging conversation to be balanced (have equal representation of men and women’s voices) everyone needs to be willing to give up something. Be it ego, power, ease – if we care about balance we have to work for it.

Some women brought up that in the emerging church we shouldn’t be having to work for equal representation and respect for women. We should just already have it if we are truly a representation of the body of Christ. That sparked a discussion on the way things are verses the way things should be. A couple of women who work with victims of domestic violence brought up that there shouldn’t be violence against women, but there is. They are not just going to wait around for the way things should be to just happen because of their inherent rightness. No, they are going to fight to bring justice and make things right. The same goes for being proactive in demanding women have a voice.

And I want to thank Jeff for his portrayal of the unenlightened vs enlightened emergent male. According to his division, the unenlightened emergent male sees that there are so many issues to deal with and hurdles to overcome in moving this emerging conversation forward, so he brushes women aside as an unimportant issue in light of the bigger picture. But the enlightened emergent male will continue this whole revolution by doing his part in helping bringing women alongside as an equal and powerful voice in helping make things happen.

This past weekend we held the first ever Midwest Emergent Gathering. Basically a few of us who help lead Emergent Cohorts wanted to put on a regional gathering. We invited all the Midwest cohorts and anyone else who was interested and dove into putting on a conference. It was a ton of work, but in the end turned out to be a great experience. We had a fantastic group of people show up and heard from some dynamic speakers. Our keynote speakers included Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Denise Van Eck, Nanette Sawyer, Alise Barrymore, James King and Spencer Burke. If you are interested in hearing what they had to say, the main session talks (and a few others) are all available for download at the Midwest Emergent Gathering Website. And if you are interested, a summary of the whole event has been posted at the conference blog.

It was great to see some of the women who interact on this blog at the conference. We held an informal Emerging Women lunch that was basically a time to share experiences and dream about what we as women would like to see happening in the church. A fairly diverse group of women and men attended to discuss the “role” of women in the emerging church (a problematic concept if there ever was one). One father attended who had become disillusioned with his faith as he watched his daughters leave the faith because of how the church treats women. Other women who come from mainline denominations said they have never had any issues as a woman in the church. Other women there were tired, very tired, of struggling to be accepted at all. There were women there who see no need for a separate “women’s group” and others who are desperate for other women they can relate to. Needless to say, we had some rich conversation.

Some of the women shared how they were surprised at how male dominated the conference was. While we had tried to give equal speaking and workshop opportunities to women and men, most of the upfront voices were still male and all of the God talk was male gendered. For women especially from mainline backgrounds, it was a bit shocking to see such an imbalance. It made me realize that even when we deliberately planned for more gender equality, the male voice still dominated. No wonder it has been hard for women to see themselves represented in the emerging church. What will it take for women to be fully recognized and seen as a vital (and needed) presence in this conversation?

Another topic of conversation at the lunch involved the lack of resources (or information about such resources) for emerging women. There are women out there writing books, teaching theology, and giving brilliant talks. They just aren’t well known. We discussed some of the reasons why this is the case. Some suggested the mommy factor. Women who have the ability to teach, speak, or write often are never blessed with the time to do so because of family obligations (the men seem to have no problems on the other hand.) Also if women do get books out there, they rarely get the same level of promotion and press as books by they male colleagues do. Hence fewer women know that those resources are out there. And often those resources are coming from mainline and not evangelical publishers, making it difficult for many evangelical (or post-evangelicals) to even know they exist. So as a group we discussed the need to not only encourage and empower women to use their voices, but to also start grassroots movements to promote women whose voices are already out there. To let others know what books have influenced you or given you hope. To let the world know when there is a new book published. That could involve sharing with friends, making a point to blog a review about a book (or even just provide a link), or something as simple as creating lists on Amazon or adding a book to your Facebook or Librarything bookshelf. Grassroots means that women get behind other women to help let their collective voices be heard. What are other ideas people here have?

To help with that sharing of information, we highlighted a few of the books women who were at the lunch had written. I wanted to share those here as well. Many of you may have already read Ivy Beckwith’s Postmodern Children’s Ministry. I found it to be a fantastic introduction to postmodernism and a great help for reimagining children’s ministry. We also highlighted upcoming books from Beth Booram (The Wide Open Spaces of God, Sept. 2007) and Nanette Sawyer (Hospitality the Sacred Art, Oct. 2007). I look forward to reading those and hope to post more about them in the future.

In all, I thought the conversation was helpful. It pushed us to think about the effects the roles the church (even emerging churches) have given to women (and we have accepted) have on people’s faith and desire to be involved. I realized that we need to always be aware of whether or not all people feel welcomed and included. I saw also the need to be doing whatever we can to help women find, use, and promote their voice. And that doing so does not necessarily have to involve fighting for equality (although that is often also needed), but engaging in love and hospitality. It means encouraging and supporting each other – be that by reading each other’s books and blogs, by giving moral support, or watching a friend’s kids so she has a quiet moment to write.

So thank you to all who attended for a good conversation.

Elsie also writes – “The centering prayer website recommended in the presentation is www.centeringprayer.com. The text of the most popular book on centering prayer, Open Heart, Open Mind by Thomas Keating, is available at www.centeringprayer.com/OpenHeart/index.htm – note, this link isn’t directly accessible through the main website so be sure to bookmark it.”