May Friendship Day, a Church Women United initiative, is most often celebrated on the first Friday of the month of May around a theme of shared concern for Christian women and their communities. The predecessor to May Friendship Day, May Fellowship Day, began in 1933 after two Christian women’s groups planned gatherings based on similar concerns: child health and children of migrant families. These groups united and over the years eventually became what we now know as Church Women United. The May celebration has been continually observed since 1933; in 1999, Church Women United changed the name from May Fellowship Day to May Friendship Day.
Up against some appalling facts — 119 Guatemalan women each day report a violent attack against them and nearly 62,000 women and girls 19 and under became pregnant during the first six months of 2018, many of them the result of rape — CEDEPCA, a longtime partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), was determined to empower girls in a new way.
International Roma Day is an opportunity for those of us who know little about the Roma (often pejoratively called “gypsies”) to learn about and celebrate their culture, history and people, moving past stereotypes and media depictions.
The annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is an all-hands-on-deck and then some event for the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.
JyungIn “Jenny” Lee was a bit incredulous.She had come to an office event with Japchae, a popular Korean stir-fry dish of glass noodles, vegetables and mushrooms, sometimes including meat. Because of the arduous process of cooking Japchae, Lee explained that it was often the last dish people signed up for at potlucks.
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations welcomed the church’s 2019 delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women by celebrating the Presbyterian Women’s new status as a non-governmental organization accredited by the UN.
World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement led by Christian women who welcome all to join in prayer and action for peace and justice. This year, World Day of Prayer is celebrated Friday, March 1. The annual worship service is created by an invited writer country. In 2018, the service was created by the World Day of Prayer Committee of Suriname. With Genesis 1:1–31 as their guiding Scripture, the women of Suriname reminded us that we are all caretakers of God’s good creation. They wrote, “What God creates is always good! In the first five days, all that is needed is made ready until humankind is created. We are created in God’s image. We are worthy just because God loves us, but the creator holds us accountable for how we care for the environment and all the beings on earth. We can’t be careless or wasteful. It is time to seriously think about what we have done to God’s creation.”
With Native American women installed as executives in such places as the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is becoming a more diverse denomination — but there’s still work to be done, said the Rev. Danelle Crawford McKinney, a Presbyterian Women board member.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) A Corporation (A Corp.) took an important step Wednesday toward achieving its mandate from the 223rd General Assembly (2018).
According to a news release issued following an executive (closed) session, the board voted unanimously to approve structural changes combining seven departments into the newly named Administrative Services Group.
