From local concerns to national engagement, Presbyterian Women (PW), guided by the Holy Spirit, are at work, ever-mindful of PW’s purpose of strengthening the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and witnessing to the promise of God’s kingdom.
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN
Still, we plant.
Gardeners who select seeds from glossy catalogs, schoolchildren who plant tiny seeds in cups and seasoned farmers who plant acres of crops to feed thousands all share a similar dream—a dream of a future harvest. Anyone who chooses to plant and cultivate seeds (from seed to sprout to squash!) discovers miracles anew each day. A tiny seedling peeking through soil is an awe-inspiring experience.
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
This quote, attributed to Martin Luther, speaks to our call as Presbyterian Women, living with purpose and hope, in certain and uncertain days. We know that apple trees in our future are only possible because of choices we make and actions we take today.
This year has been a challenging one. As a new year of promise awaits, please remember your PW ministry through financial support.
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- Give securely online at www.presbyterianwomen.org/give. Please choose Annual Fund (or other PW ministry).
- Mail your gift to Presbyterian Women, PO Box 643652, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3652. Please indicate “Annual Fund, Year-End Gift 2020” in the notes line of the check or on a separate note.
Presbyterian Women’s Annual Fund (the Mission Pledge) makes possible every mission, program and resource of PW, including the Churchwide Gathering.
Give now to support Presbyterian Women’s witness in the world.
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN AT IMMANUEL
Presbyterian Women at Immanuel supports Women in Presbytery de Cristo, Synod of the Southwest, and the Church-wide Presbyterian Women’s organization. Our two Women’s Circles, Agape Circle and Lydia Circle, meet once a month for fellowship, study, and prayer. Throughout the year there are other gatherings including meeting with women from other churches at Presbytery de Cristo.
All women at Immanuel are members of Presbyterian Women and are encouraged to join one of our two PW Circles, Agape Circle or Lydia Circle. Meeting and event schedules will be posted in the Dove Newsletter.
CONTACTS:
Jean Nelson, Agape Circle Leader – richandjean56@yahoo.com
Kay Schmidt, Lydia Circle Leader – hkschmidt10@aol.com
Peggy Free, Treasurer – freeneazy37@gmail.com
Mail checks for Bible Study book orders to Peggy Free at:
8111 E Broadway Blvd, #410, Tucson 85710
Scroll down the page for the introduction to the current 2020-2021 Bible Study.
All Women are Encouraged to Participate
All women in PC (USA) are encouraged to participate at all levels of Presbyterian Women, to attend gatherings and subscribe to Horizons Magazine.
For a better understanding of Presbyterian Women nationally, visit the Presbyterian Women’s website at the following links:
“Standing alongside the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and our ecumenical partners,
we bring Christ’s love to the world.”
2021 Churchwide Gathering
August 5–8, 2021
St. Louis, Missouri
“Rejoice in Hope”
The Gathering will inspire, connect and equip Presbyterian Women!
PW Churchwide Purpose
Our Purpose
Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves
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- to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study,
- to support the mission of the church worldwide,
- to work for justice and peace, and
- to build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and witnesses to the promise of God’s kingdom.
“Into the Light: Finding Hope Through Prayers of Lament”
by Lynn Miller
Suggestions for Leaders by Dee Koza
The 2020–2021 PW/Horizons Bible study, Into the Light: Finding Hope Through Prayers of Lament, art and text by Lynn Miller and Suggestions for Leaders by Dee Koza, revives lament as a proper theological response to the difficult situations of our world.
One of the foundational points of the study is that, in scripture, lament usually leads to hope. After crying out to God, the one who laments remembers God. And while that doesn’t fix things in the moment—the injustice, the loss, the wrong still exist—the one who laments is strengthened to face the world and to hope.
When we lament, we move from suffering to faith. In our faith there is hope. We lament in order to hope. Recovering lament may be one of the church’s most timely gifts to the world. Explore lament with PW!
Books are available in regular and large print. The Page Number Guide will be available a little later this summer.
If you subscribe to the print edition of Horizon’s Magazine, you will receive a free copy of the annual Bible study and get free access to the digital edition. Cost: $24.95. Cost without the Bible Study: $15.00. Subscribe link: Horizon’s Magazine
Presbyterian Women Quarterly Newsletter
The third-quarter 2020 Newsletter is now available! Read messages from PW’s churchwide moderator, JyungIn Lee and PW’s vice moderator for mission relationships, Jo Ann Burrell.
This newsletter includes:
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- information about the many Bible study resources (including prerecorded webinars) that are available to support personal or group Bible study of the newest PW/Horizons Bible study, Into the Light;
- a fabric “fun”draiser that will equip the group creating 2021 Churchwide Gathering totebags;
- a statement from PW reaffirming the necessity of antiracism;
- and much more!
LINK: Third Quarter 2020 Quarterly Newsletter
LINK: Newsletter home page
Horizons Magazine
Horizons is the magazine (and Bible study) by and for Presbyterian Women. It’s the resource for helping you explore where faith and life connect. Focusing on issues of faith—from the interplay between literature and theology to violence against women—Horizons gives you insights from women around the world and inspiration to live boldly. Horizons is just for you because Horizons is about you and your sisters in faith, amazing Presbyterian Women!
November/December 2020
Power & Privilege
In an episode of The Powerpuff Girls, Princess Morbucks starts on a path of destruction just to prove she has sufficient strength and weapons to warrant being named the fourth Powerpuff Girl. The crime-fighting trio of superhero kindergarten sisters—Blossom, Butter-cup and Bubbles—keep busy mitigating Princess Morbucks’s attempts to annihilate Townsville and its people. Finally, Blossom tells Princess Morbucks, “Being a Powerpuff Girl isn’t about getting your way or having the best stuff or being popular or powerful. It’s about using your own unique abilities to help people and the world we all live in.”* Blossom’s wise words startle Princess Morbucks, who is used to buying, bullying or demanding her way into anything she wants.
In that moment, the difference between privilege and power is incredibly clear. “It’s about using your own unique abilities to help people and the world we live in.” Although none of us has to directly counter an angry toddler named “Morbucks,” we all deal with the tension between what society values and what is actually of value.
Setting aside cartoon heroines, the Bible offers numerous stories of might and prestige being upended; the under-dog emerging as a hero; the quiet person bravely following God’s unexpected command. And in each case, they break apart the understanding those around them had of God. We see faithful people who choose to put their full trust in God, finding ways to share their gifts in ways that are pleasing to God. “It’s about using your own unique abilities to help people and the world we live in.”
The contributors to this issue explore a number of these biblical stories, as well as stories from history. You’ll read about brave individuals who harnessed their power and privilege (or perhaps set it aside) in service of the well-being of others. You’ll learn about the many embodiments of power, and how you can use it in ways that honor our Creator God. And you’ll see the amazing ministries, relationship and growth made possible by the Purposeful power of Presbyterian Women.
* The Powerpuff Girls, “Stuck Up, Up, and Away,” June 25, 1999.
Within these pages you will also find the Celebrate the Gifts of Women Liturgy for 2021; Fellowship of the Least Coin recipients; and Lessons Five and Six of the Bible study resource for the 2020–2021 PW/Horizons Bible study, Into the Light: Finding Hope through Prayers of Lament by P. Lynn Miller.