Hardie Frankel, Synod PW Representative, St. Andrew Presbytery
“Do Everything in Love -1 Corinthians 16:14” was the theme for the 2024 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women that was held August 8-11 in St. Louis, Missouri this year. I haven’t heard the final count of those in attendance, but the planning team prepared for 1300 participants. In true Presbyterian fashion, each day was begun with worship and concluded with worship.
We got to hear messages from Diane Moffett, Presbyterian Mission Agency President and Executive Director; Cindy Kohlmann, Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly; Elona Street-Stewart, Co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly; and CeCe Armstrong, Co-Moderator of the 226th General Assembly. Having these individuals participate reminds us all that as a denomination we are a connectional body. The issues that the greater church is facing were shared and many are the same that Presbyterian Women are working on, too, because we are all looking toward ways to build up the body of Christ and to share the gospel message. Several of our Mission Co-Workers and the recipients of PW Birthday and Thank Offerings provided updates from their ministries. In one of the plenary sessions, a video was shared so that we could see the actual improvements over several years in the Congo. These messages provided a lot of encouragement and hope.
The Annual Business meeting was conducted the evening of August 7 and the morning of August 8. We followed the same procedures that the greater church follows during General Assembly. I am thankful that our Presbytery Executive, Greg Goodwiller, has trained us to follow the same procedures during our Presbytery meetings. This consistency in conducting business reminds us that we are one body. Presbyterian Women will continue to work to identify ways to encourage faith formation for the women in the pews and to address other issues that impact all women.
I did get to attend some educational workshops. The sessions on how to set boundaries in the church and how to relate to the younger generations with love, as well as, the USA Mission Experience panel discussion challenged me to consider how the church presents itself to others. The workshop led by Freelance Writer, Translator, and Chaplain; Magdalena Garcia spoke gently to my heart. She had the group listen as participants read Mark 1:29-33 from 3 different translations. Then participants were asked to write something in response. It was amazing that there were prayers, meditations, and even a Call to Worship created all within just 5 minutes. Each workshop offered quite a bit of information.
At the Synod luncheon, Kirsten King, Synod of Living Waters PW Moderator provided an update on the important work taking place regarding the Status of Women at the United Nations. It is amazing to me that Presbyterian Women have a seat at the table in the UN. I am very thankful to know that there is a Christian influence at that level of the government.
As you can tell, the PW Triennial Gathering was jam packed with lots of information and things to do. I am only sharing some of the highlights! This is definitely a benefit of our denomination. It offers women a voice; it helps us to grow as individuals; and it encourages us to remain aware of how God is active among His people. Please consider getting involved at some level with Presbyterian Women.