On Monday this week, The Church of England Synod voted to allow women to be considered for the role of Bishop. Other churches in the Anglican Communion have had female bishops for a while. In MCC, our first female Bishop or Elder was Reverend Freda Smith. It was my great privilege to celebrate Communion with Freda and other retired Elders at our General Conference in Chicago last year. Freda was the person who went through our denominational bylaws at General Conference in 1973, line by line, proposing amendments that would allow the inclusion of women in all roles, not only men. Whilst women were active in ministry and many were ordained, our bylaws or constitution were still written as though everyone was male. Although we work hard to be an inclusive church, there are still people who struggle with women in positions of leadership and insults aimed at our female clergy, Elders and Moderator sometimes have a sexist tone to them. It is easy to be judgemental about other denominations, but we also have to be vigilant that we don’t become complacent about prejudice and discrimination in our own setting.
One of the things that has been interesting in the media coverage about events in The Church of England is the vocabulary: phrases such as “top jobs” and being “promoted” have been used. The words “vocation” and “calling” appeared much less frequently, perhaps because they are harder to describe. For women in any situation to be barred from a specific job or position because of their gender is not acceptable. What, for me, is doubly frustrating is when women are barred from answering God’s call on their lives because of their gender. As you may know, MCC as a denomination believes in “the priesthood of all believers” – that is, every single person is gifted and called to serve God and God’s people in ministry. I passionately believe this and hope that everyone in Northern Lights MCC feels that they can find their place, if they want to be active in ministry. There is so much for us all to gain, when, as we say in our Core Values “we are each doing what we are passionate about”. When someone is blocked from answering God’s call on their lives because of sexism, racism, disability dicrimination or homo/transphobia, that seems to be an affront to God, as well to the individual concerned. The battle against sexism within The Church of England will continue for a good while yet. The women who do become Bishops will be subject to intense scrutiny, well beyond that experienced by their male counterparts. However, the church as a whole will be strengthened by their presence and God’s work on earth will be enhanced. Praise God!
God bless
Cecilia
One of the things that has been interesting in the media coverage about events in The Church of England is the vocabulary: phrases such as “top jobs” and being “promoted” have been used. The words “vocation” and “calling” appeared much less frequently, perhaps because they are harder to describe. For women in any situation to be barred from a specific job or position because of their gender is not acceptable. What, for me, is doubly frustrating is when women are barred from answering God’s call on their lives because of their gender. As you may know, MCC as a denomination believes in “the priesthood of all believers” – that is, every single person is gifted and called to serve God and God’s people in ministry. I passionately believe this and hope that everyone in Northern Lights MCC feels that they can find their place, if they want to be active in ministry. There is so much for us all to gain, when, as we say in our Core Values “we are each doing what we are passionate about”. When someone is blocked from answering God’s call on their lives because of sexism, racism, disability dicrimination or homo/transphobia, that seems to be an affront to God, as well to the individual concerned. The battle against sexism within The Church of England will continue for a good while yet. The women who do become Bishops will be subject to intense scrutiny, well beyond that experienced by their male counterparts. However, the church as a whole will be strengthened by their presence and God’s work on earth will be enhanced. Praise God!
God bless
Cecilia
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