Audrey deCoursey, Jan Eller, Carla Kilgore, Lucy Loomis, and Deb Peterson gathered in Fort Wayne, Ind., March 24-26 as the Steering Committee for Womaen’s Caucus. They worshiped, sang, and prayed together, and worked on the business of women’s concerns in the Church of the Brethren. Members of Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren hosted the committee members.
During three days of meeting, the steering committee celebrated the positive comments they had received regarding the last issue of the Womaen’s Caucus newsletter, Femailings, which was on family planning, and planned future issues of Femailings.
Meeting time also included planning for several activities at the 2006 Annual Conference: a luncheon with Mary Cline Detrick, pastor of Daleville (Va.) Church of the Brethren, as speaker; participation in an insight session on domestic violence sponsored by On Earth Peace; hosting a booth in the exhibit hall; and supporting a hospitality center sponsored by Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Interests with Voices for an Open Spirit.
In addition to this practical work, steering committee members discussed how the role of women in the church has been changing, and held a carry-in dinner and discussion time with Womaen’s Caucus supporters from six congregations in the region. The discussion included how people can be supportive of women in the set-apart ministries, as well as supportive of all women in the Church of the Brethren.