Kim Cape explains how ministry in a rapidly changing world like ours requires dianoia – loving God with one’s mind, loving God with the way we put things together, and loving God with the way we put our world together in the name of the Gospel.

Three Questions to Challenge – and One to Encourage – Your Answer to God’s Call - Kim Cape

Tiffany Knowlin, of the South Carolina Area of the United Methodist Church, explains how believers must be deliberate in our effort and our commitment to honor and respect difference as we work together to worship the one living God. There will be difficulties and challenges to work through, yet as we do the work of the kingdom, fear of rejection, fear of acceptance, and fear of division cannot reign.

Difference is an Asset -- Rev. Tiffany Knowlin

Quynh-Hoa Nguyen, a UMC missionary in Viet Nam, shares how patriarchal hierarchy, sociopolitical vulnerability, and an otherworldly, deterministic theology have reinforced fear and silence among the evangelical Christians in Viet Nam. She uses the Exodus story to challenge Vietnamese Christians to embrace courage and freedom, to find their voice, and to speak truth that has been silenced in the presence of power.

Finding Our Voices: Speaking Truth in a Context of Fear in Viet Nam -- Quynh-Hoa Nguyen

Rosanna C. Panizo shares how at a gathering of Peruvian Methodist women in October, she realized the Holy Spirit keeps moving beyond our imagination and perspectives. “We learned again that we, as part of the people of God, can have different and even opposite experiences of life. If we are willing to listen with the purpose of understanding each other, and not first reacting to what we are listening to, then the Holy Spirit will work in us and through us.”

Empowered to Go! -- Rosanna C. Panizo

Grace Cajiuat, of the Wisconsin Area of the United Methodist Church, shares how when we learn of and from our identities, we can better develop and practice humility, curiosity, and empathy: the three traits that can hold together our integrity in the tapestry we are trying to weave. When we take the time to discover the fibers/identities that make the yarn, we align love with truth that makes the weaving that is the “kin-dom” of God.

Identities: Fibers of a Sacred Yarn -- Grace Cajiuat

Rosemarie Wenner explains that unity doesn’t necessarily mean harmony. “If we insist on harmony, we will create an illusion and disregard the reality of those who are excluded, silenced, or forced to fit into our system. Conflict is not the opposite of unity. It is, instead, a lively expression of seeking reconciliation of interests.”

Leading in Changing Times -- Rosemarie Wenner

Kathryn Armistead, of the Tennessee Area of the United Methodist Church, makes a plea for unity and shares how disagreements within the church in recent years have overshadowed the Missio Dei: “We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will; we have broken your law; we have rebelled against your love; we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy.”

Behold! The Blessed Promise of Unity -- M. Kathryn Armistead

In the aftermath of the special General Conference in St. Louis, HiRho Y. Park shares how United Methodists need to optimize our commitment to worldwide connectionalism; localized regional culture, internal diversity; and global mobility. In a word, United Methodists need to update ourselves for life in the 21st Century. VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT

Being a Worldwide Church and Holding Balance -- HiRho Y. Park

Victoria A. Rebeck, of the Minnesota Area of the United Methodist Church, describes how clergywomen can revitalize the church while serving as elders and deacons. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit awaits. Listen now. 0:34        Breaking Ranks: Women Elders and Women Deacons in Ministry Partnership, by Victoria A. Rebeck, Minnesota Annual Conference 0:43        Scripture tells us that loving God entails loving neighbor. Piety that does not include advocacy for the marginalized and compassion for the suffering is no piety at all. “Is this not the fast I choose,” we read in Isaiah 58:6-7, “to loose the bonds of injustice, / to undo the thongs of the yoke, / to let the oppressed go free, / and to break every yoke / . . . to share your bread with the hungry, / and bring the homeless poor into your house . . . ?” The United Methodist Church’s ordering of clergy into two distinct orders, deacon and elder, represents this inseparable combination. Elders lead the people in piety: ordering the life of the church and making sure that God’s people receive sacraments. Deacons connect piety with compassion and justice for neighbors, leading God’s people into ministry outside the walls of the church. When deacons and elders collaborate, the fullness of the church’s ministry is represented and led, in the equal and united manner that is reinforced throughout Scripture. 1:51        Evolution of the Diaconate The partnership style of leadership originated in the church’s first centuries. The earliest leadership offices in the church were bishop and deacon, says James Monroe Barnett in The Diaconate: A Full and Equal Order. Bishops oversaw churches, much like pastors. Deacons led those congregations in ministry to those in need—partners in leading the people in love of God and neighbor. “To think of subordination to the bishops… is largely to forget the character of the Church of the late New Testament period,” Barnett says. However, by the end of the fourth century, the church began adopting the hierarchical forms of civic society, the Roman Empire. The diaconate was reduced to a step up in the clergy hierarchy. The days of equality among clergy and laity faded. This pattern persisted in The United Methodist Church until 1996. Denominations that did not retain some form of clergy diaconate eventually recreated it in various lay forms. In Protestant churches, it is mostly women who have retained the purpose of diakonia, rebirthing this ancient Christian office as a central expression of Christian ministry. 3:12        Even John Wesley promoted the role of deaconess, tho

Breaking Ranks: Women Elders and Women Deacons in Ministry Partnership -- Victoria A. Rebeck

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, of the Louisiana Area of the United Methodist Church, shares how an encounter with Jesus can change one’s perspective for the rest their life. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit awaits. Listen now. 0:34        And They Saw, and They Went – By Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, of the Louisiana Area of the United Methodist Church The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus walking along he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, “What are you looking for?” They said, “Rabbi, . . . where are you staying?” He replied, “Come and see.” So they went and saw.  John 1:35-39 – Common English Bible 1:14        And they went, and they saw; or is it they saw, and they went? John is standing by with two of his disciples when Jesus comes along. John says, “Look! The Lamb of God.” The two hear what John says and they follow Jesus. In two verses, they followed Jesus! They don’t ask any questions. They don’t ask, “You sure that’s him? How do you really know, John?” What follows is a domino effect; Andrew, one of the two, goes straight to his brother Simon and says, “We have found the Messiah.” He leads him right to Jesus. The next day Jesus finds Philip, and Philip follows. I wonder if he was lost? Then Philip finds Nathanael, and says, “We have found the one Moses wrote about.” Nathanael is a bit sarcastic, and that’s when we hear his famous line, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Then it’s as if Philip double-dog dares him and says, “Come and See.” See for yourself! 2:18        This calling of the disciples comes quickly. There is a lot of seeing and hearing in the Gospel of John. The writer employs all the senses, which might help us understand why seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling might be important to believing. Once a person meets Jesus—once you see, and hear and taste and smell life in Jesus—you don’t see things the same way ever again. It is risky business to enter into conversation with Jesus. Who knows where it might take you? Sometimes it takes just two words: Follow me! When we traveled to the Holy Land with the ordinands in 2013, we had a magnificent guide. He is smart, knows his Bible and his history. He also comes from a long line of olive wood carvers. Actually, they are more than just carvers, they are artists. His father and grandfather were both artists, and now he is following in their footsteps. 3:19        On the trip, I fell in love

And They Saw, and They Went -- Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey

Tracy Smith Malone, of the Northern Illinois Area of the United Methodist Church, and Barbara Dick, of the Wisconsin area, draw parallels between the development of a worldwide church and the birthing process. “We are going to be in the womb together for a long time. Are we going to be Jacob and Esau, fighting in the womb all the time?” (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT  0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:34        Shared Thoughts on a Worldwide Church, by Tracy Smith Malone and Barbara Dick. We just love the fact that the theme verse WellSprings Journal has this season is John 16:21: “When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world.” As women in leadership - clergy and laity, African American and Caucasian - we came to our hour-long Skype call as strangers. Our conversation was, at times, a call-and response of ideas and feelings, with many “Amens” and lots of laughter. We shared our stories and forged a bond of friendship as we “prophetically named” the racism and other isms that exist in the church and society and boldly proclaimed a revolution of love and reconciliation that tears down walls and holds us all in the womb of God’s love. Tracy defined “prophetically naming” as more than pointing to brokenness. It is naming existing opportunities and efforts to create environments or opportunities for vital conversations. Through vital conversations and relationship building we can have authentic conversations to name fears and anxieties and begin to work through some of the preconceived notions and myths about who people are, to really hear and learn people’s stories. Through storytelling, we learn that we have so much in common, so many of the same desires. That makes my heart have a desire to know your heart. And that’s what builds true sisterhood and brotherhood. And so, here are our shared thoughts on birthing a worldwide church: The Beloved Part 2:36        We pondered where clergywomen and laywomen can come together to share the stories that cross all those boundaries. As women in leadership, it really doesn’t matter if we’re clergy or lay. We have stories to share and important work to do together. Tracy shared that even as clergywomen attend national and international gatherings, they are often more like spectators than full participants. We agreed that we can begin to lead the way to break down those barriers between clergy and lay as women of faith. The idea of birthing a worldwide church evokes the whole realm of lait

Sharing Thoughts on a Worldwide Church -- Rev. Tracy Smith Malone and Rev. Barbara Dick

In April of 2016, United Methodist clergywomen gathered to explore the theme, “Birthing the Worldwide Church.” In this episode, Rev. Dr. HiRho Y. Park reviews the progress that’s been made and looks at the challenges that remain. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit awaits. Listen now. 0:33        "Imagine Strong and Prophetic Leadership," by HiRho Y. Park, Executive Director of Clergy Lifelong Learning & the United Methodist Church’s Cyber Campus. 0:44        Oneness is something that many United Methodists are striving to understand as a worldwide church, especially what that means in the midst of gender, racial/ethnic, cultural, economic, and theological diversity among clergy leadership in the church. United Methodist clergywomen gathered two days prior to the World Methodist Council, (WMC) August 29-31, 2016, exploring the theme: “Birthing the Worldwide Church,” and engaging women leaders of the World Methodist Council (WMC). The gathering was held at the Hilton-Americas Hotel and Conference Center in Houston, Texas. 1:26        This Global United Methodist Clergywomen Gathering encouraged UM clergywomen to learn from each other in a variety of ministry settings and locations, an opportunity to envision, articulate, and participate in leading the worldwide church as women clergy. Gathered UM clergywomen across the world discussed what excites them about future global ministry opportunities and what would be the greatest global challenges facing UM clergywomen in the future. This special gathering strengthened networks of international relationships among UM clergywomen and other Methodist leaders, and most of all, we imagined a model of being a global church as women. 2:14        Let me share with you some history of UMC clergywomen. First, we have much to celebrate. In 2006, UM clergywomen celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of full clergy rights for women in the Methodist tradition. The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry organized the celebration in Chicago, Illinois. During our gathering in 2016, we celebrated sixty years of full clergy rights for women in the Methodist tradition and twenty years of ordained deacons in United Methodism. Deacons in the United Methodist Church are ordained to a ministry of Word, Service, Compassion, and Justice whereas elders are ordained to Word, Sacrament, Order and Service. 3:04        In 1956, there were 27 Methodist clergywomen who received full clergy rights. By 2014, the number of UM clergywomen had grown to 11, 388 active and 2,525 retired clergywomen, among a total of 54,474 UM c

Imagine Strong and Prophetic Leadership -- Rev. Dr. HiRho Y. Park

Dr. Hwa-Young Chong, of the Northern Illinois Area of the United Methodist Church, shares how the incarnation of God in human flesh liberates us from all dehumanizing systems and structures of the world, so that we may freely and joyfully participate in creating our world as a more loving, compassionate, and peaceful place to be. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:32        A Liberating Incarnation: Bodies, Suffering, and the Church, by Hwa-Young Chong, Northern Illinois Area of the United Methodist Church 0:43        God in Human Flesh – The Word made flesh. How is it possible that the infinite and eternal God has found a home in the finite and temporal humanity? 0:56        At first, incarnation seems contradictory. God comes to our world as a newborn baby? God grows and changes just like one of us? God suffers and dies on the cross? How can divinity and humanity coexist? Yet incarnation powerfully tells us that, in God, the impossible is possible and the unimaginable becomes real. The good news is that the almighty God assumed human body, and by doing so, God became intimate and accessible to the human world. At the same time, God’s own embodiment challenges us to find sacredness in our bodies and to resist any abuse, violence, or injustice forced upon our bodies. 1:50        In our incarnate God, powerfulness and vulnerability become one. God enters our world as a “fellow sufferer.” Theologian Jürgen Moltmann even indicates that all the suffering in history is the suffering of God, when he writes, “There is no suffering which in this history of God is not God’s suffering; no death which has not been God’s death in the history of Golgotha.” As the one who knows the pain of tortured death, God suffers with all suffering bodies, and brings new life to our fragile world. Incarnation has a liberating message for all whose full humanity has been denied, harmed, and oppressed due to their bodily aspects. A liberating incarnation calls for a way of justice for all. 2:45        Bodies in the Bible – When it comes to understanding bodies, there seem to be conflicting messages in the Bible. On one hand, bodies are considered sacred. Both men and women were created in the image of God to reflect the sacredness in human bodies. Paul, in his letters to the Corinthians, affirms that Christians are the “temples of the living God” and human bodies are the holy vessels in which the divine Spirit dwells. Becoming one communal body in Christ brings healing and reconciliation, putting an end to hostility and enmity. The body, or soma in Greek, i

A Liberating Incarnation: Bodies, Suffering, and the Church - Dr. Hwa-Young Chong

In this episode, Stephanie Anna Hixon, of the Susquehanna Area of the United Methodist Church, focuses on reconciliation and restoration. She says how the body knows and remembers reminds us that responses to traumatic events, violence, harm, or oppression are matters not experienced solely in cognitive ways. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:32        The Body Re-Members, by Stephanie Anna Hixon, of the Susquehanna Area of the United Methodist Church 0:40        She told me that the body remembers these things: the feel of wet heat of the summer, the damp smell of murky flood waters lingering too long, the anxiety of trauma revisited, the tenderness within one’s joints and soul. How the body knows and remembers reminds us that responses to traumatic events, violence, harm, or oppression are matters not experienced solely in cognitive ways. 1:09        The Spirit of Remaining or Abiding – While we often encounter the dichotomy of spirit and flesh in biblical tradition, the Gospel of John invites us to embrace the human and divine, the essence of spirit and body through water, wine, fish, bread, the touch of wounds, the staying presence of women, the familiar voice at the tomb. John provides fertile ground for Shelly Rambo as she explores the “middle spirit,” the power of the spirit remaining and abiding in Holy Saturday, between death and life. In “Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining,” she articulates a theology that refrains from moving too quickly to a triumphant resurrection experience, but persists with the power of spirit remaining, being present with, and giving witness to death and suffering. 2:10        Ruptures, Strains, and Disembodiment – Much of the experience of the world today keeps us intensely aware of violence, conflict, ruptured eco systems, stresses, and threats to a flourishing life. Even if we are privileged to be in a place of well-being, safety, and security, we are not far from vivid reminders of human suffering and hostile relationships. Deeper understandings of the impact of trauma, oppression or violence on individuals as well as the legacy of historical harms in communities calls us to reimagine what it means to be redeemed, transformed, reconciled, and made whole. 2:57        Powerfully rooted in women’s narratives of violence, coping, faith, and healing, Stephanie Crumpton writes in “A Womanist Pastoral Theology” against Intimate and Cultural Violence: “Women’s healing from intimate violence also involves recovering themselves from cultural practices that normalize violence committed agains

The Body Re-Members - Rev. Stephanie Anna Hixon

Courtney McHill, of the Oregon-Idaho Area of the United Methodist Church, shares how many of her male clergy contemporaries were surprised to hear about some of the challenges that clergywomen still face today, and how she deals with them by remembering that God created her in God’s image, as good and whole, in female flesh. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:35        God in Flesh Is Just Like Me – By Courtney McHill, of the Oregon–Idaho Area of the United Methodist Church. 0:44        I rearranged the living room again to have just the right vibe. I got out the snacks and the couple of bottles of wine because it was my turn to host in my home. I moved that one chair again and added a few more chairs over there. I dusted all the furniture and the old fixtures. Even though we live in the parsonage just a few feet away from the church, I try to give it touches here and there to make it more comfy for people to hang out here. The group decided to switch to meet in people’s homes to add just these touches. We let down our guard more if we feel safer to do so. We agreed with one another to meet every three weeks in this kind of rotation. Lately, each of us had added snacks and beverages to make it even more comfortable and intimate. 1:30        The community of practice began when 12 of us in north and northeast Portland, Oregon vocalized a similar yearning. We, as younger clergy in mainline denominations in Portland, were seeking others with similar values, practices, and passions to create more of a foundation for one another and more of a voice in Portland. We have been figuring out a different way to be in ministry with one another in this way — a community of practice — for the past year. Gathering in homes has been the next step in answering this yearning. We are ELCA, UMC, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterians, UCC, and Episcopalian so far — half male and half female — all eager to navigate a different version of church. 2:17        This particular day, in my home, somehow the subject of gender in ministry came up. My male colleagues were incredulous that we, as youngish female clergy, were treated any differently. My female colleagues and I looked at them with skepticism. “You don’t believe we are treated any differently,” exclaimed one female colleague. The other United Methodist clergyperson and I exchanged knowing glances. 2:43        I have been in appointed ministry for 10 years. I went directly from college to seminary and into an appointment. My first appointment was as an associate pastor in a larger Oregon church in a

God in Flesh Is Just Like Me – Rev. Courtney McHill

In 1984, there were only two ordained clergywomen in the Zimbabwe Annual Conference. Today, Africa has more than 300 clergywomen. Beauty Rosebery Maenzanise, of the East Zimbabwe Area of the United Methodist Church, shares the struggles of the Rev. Anne-Grace Chingonzo, one of the first Zimbabwe clergywomen, and her struggle to gain acceptance, and how the words in a dream provided the inspiration to persevere. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:34        Come and See Harare, by Beauty Rosebery Maenzanise, of the East Zimbabwe Area of the United Methodist Church 0:42        The ministry of clergywomen in the Methodist tradition, which has a testimony of sixty years, has been focused on the North American context for decades. While the clergywomen in North America witnessed to the gospel and celebrated their sisterhood, many women who received the call in Methodism across the globe lived in their oppression, years after the approval of the ordination of women by the 1956 the General Conference. 1:09        With the growing number of clergywomen in the United States and their testimonies to the living Word of God, the fire of the Gospel caught on other parts of the globe. In Zimbabwe for example, with people like the late Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa, women with a call to ordained ministry started to have backbone. In 1984, there were only two ordained clergywomen in the Zimbabwe Annual Conference. Being one of the three clergywomen who were ordained elders in 1988 as the second group, I felt the care of a shepherd from Bishop Muzorewa. To demonstrate his opening of doors for women in this ministry, he would many times be heard during the annual Pastors’ School sessions saying: “Men, we need to remember that biblically we are leaders of the Old Testament. The women are leaders of the New Testament based on the resurrection story of Jesus (Mark 16).” This statement gave us fire within. With the support of our African bishops, now, based on 2012 statistics, Africa has more than three hundred clergywomen. 2:17        Let us hear the voice of one of the Zimbabwe clergywomen, the Rev. Anne-Grace Chingonzo, who was interviewed by the writer in 2001: 2:26        For me to want to continue as a Christian I started worshiping while I was still young. As I was in Grade Four, I started to like preaching so much. I always felt like preaching and wanting people to be saved, to know God. One of the contributing factors was that I always dreamt about preaching. Sometimes I would dream seeing someone calling me saying: “Come and see people who need the messag

Come and See Harare -- Rev. Beauty Rosebery Maenzanise

Dr. Safiyah Fosua, of the Greater New Jersey Area of the United Methodist Church, shares how a loom and a spinning wheel became God’s instruments to awaken her soul and release her creative spirit. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:34        The call of the Wheel and the Loom – By Dr. Safiyah Fosua, of the Greater New Jersey Area of the United Methodist Church 0:44        Of late, I frequently hear the call of the wheel and the loom. This year, I bought a large, Norwood, four-shaft floor loom and a Schacht, castle-style spinning wheel. The intent was to begin collecting “retirement toys” while I am still employed enough to pay for them. My rationale was to have a new craft or two to break me out of several mind-numbing routines that were threatening to swallow my soul. I did not realize that Ms. Norwood and Ladybug (as they have been named) would become God’s instruments to awaken my soul. 1:20        At the wheel, a handful of sheep’s wool begins to resemble yarn or thread. At the loom bench, an orderly tangle of threads becomes cloth. Both acts of creativity satisfy the longing of my soul to imitate the creativity of the One who created me, in ways the mundane and unimaginative tasks of ministry cannot. Like many of you, I am exhausted after working my way through the to-do pile. For me, the pile contains assignment grids, rubrics, correcting grammar, or grading papers from an assignment that I have been giving students for the last ten semesters. For you, it may be hospital calls, staff meetings, budgets, sermons, and Bible study lesson plans. All require that we be fully present, that we be Christ to those on the receiving end. However, as I am honest with myself, I recognize that so much of what we do in ministry as we know it these days does not require huge amounts of creative energy. 2:25        Yet my soul cries out to be creative, even when I am too tired to engage in the creative processes that birth poetry from the numinous cloud inside of my head onto the printed page. Even when I am dragged-out tired and bleary-eyed, however, I can spin wool into thread and sit at the loom in awe as I watch colored threads become patterned cloth. And sometimes, a bit of poetry also finds her way to my yellow note pad while the creative flood gate is barely propped open. 2:59        So then, in this call of the wheel and the loom, I experience a call to remembrance. There, I remember that I am created in the image and likeness of the One who is introduced to us in Genesis as the Creating One. I am called to remember that even the call to dis

The Call of the Wheel and the Loom -- Dr. Safiyah Fosua

Robin Starr Minthorn, of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, recounts the oppression Indigenous peoples have faced and explains why it is important to understand the past that lives within the generations of today. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT  0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:34        Oppression and Empowerment of Native Americans, by Robin Starr Minthorn of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. 0:43        At this time in our world, in our communities, there are so many situations that surround us concerning the safety of women, children, and our environment, which are all intricately connected. I am speaking as a layperson, as a Kiowa tribal member, as a Native woman, as a United Methodist who grew up in a predominantly Native American conference, where language and culture were both accepted and rejected at the same time. I will share in this space the story of my own experiences and the lived realities of Indigenous women in the church, in their communities, and in the world. I am not the representative of all, but I have lived in all of these contexts. 1:32        As a grandchild of a Native American pastor in The United Methodist Church and the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, I can say there were times in which the Native culture was told not to be honored or used along with serving the church. But you could speak your language and create songs and your own hymns. I have also seen and heard of my grandpa’s and grandma’s efforts to create a community of believers with a true sense of community, care, trust, and support. I have seen my grandmother find ways to contribute alongside her husband, while also raising children; but not having her mother to guide her. Her mother died when my grandma was two years old. My grandma went to boarding school, starting at the age of five, was able to attend public school for only a few years of her schooling, and ended up graduating from a boarding school in Lawrence, Kansas. This was partially because she did not have her mother, and partially because it was sometimes the only choice available to her. 2:38        For many Native Americans, boarding school is not a distant memory; it still haunts the generations of today. Why might you ask? Children of Native peoples who attended boarding schools two generations ago were forcefully removed (mostly) from their parents and communities, so that the federal policy of “Kill the Indian, Save the Man” could be fulfilled. This policy of General Richard Henry Pratt began in 1879, with the creation of Carlisle Boarding School, as an assimilation effort to displace children f

Oppression and Empowerment of Native Americans -- Robin Starr Minthorn

The Rev. Anita Phillips executive director of the Native American Comprehensive Plan of the United Methodist Church, shares her perspective as a Native American clergywoman on the matter of bodies, oppression, and the Gospel. She responds to the oppression visited upon indigenous people, and particularly Native American women, by proclaiming release to the captives. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT  0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings JournalPodcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:34        Release to the Captives, by the Rev. Anita Phillips executive director of the Native American Comprehensive Plan of The United Methodist Church. 0:44        Introduction -- It is my honor to share from my perspective as a Native American clergywoman on the matter of bodies, oppression, and the gospel. As I begin, it is important to lift a significant point from the perspective of Native Americans. We are not one indistinguishable group of human beings. A crucial aspect of our identity is the nations to which we belong. At present, there are 562 federally recognized tribes and nations in the United  States, and many additionally recognized by individual states. Each Native American nation has its own history, language, culture, and identity. However, there are elements one may identify that represent common core values and beliefs among Native Americans. In the context of this conversation, I will most often be speaking to these. 1:44        The Corn Mother -- “And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” This is the ultimate revelation from the Gospel of John, that human beings can know God through the life, teachings, and identity of Jesus the Christ. 2:01        The notion of the Creator (or aspects of the Creator) embodied in physical form is not unique to Western theology. The sacred figure of the Corn Mother plays a significant role in creation stories for many Native American nations. My own nations, the Cherokee and the Keetoowah, include the story of Corn Mother, also called Selu, which is the Cherokee word for corn. The details vary from tribe to tribe, but the critical elements are much the same. The focus of the story is the willing self-sacrifice of Corn Mother, who recognizes that she must die in order to bring about the birth of corn, beans, squash, and other produce of the earth to feed her children. Before she dies, she gives instruction on how to plant and raise corn. She provides the seed corn from her body, which in due course saves the people. In some stories, she instructs her children to use her blood to fertilize the fields. As I reflect on the story of Corn Mother, I discover the divine elements of self-sacrifice and unc

Release to the Captives -- Rev. Anita Phillips

In this special collaborative episode, five ordained women come together to lament, confess, celebrate, and ultimately reclaim an embodied and faithful way to move in their professional, spiritual, and personal lives. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit await. Listen now. 0:39     Lament, Gospel, Response – a collaborative effort by Nannette Banks, Isabel Docampo, Allison St. Louis, Trudy Hawkins Stringer, and Laura Tuach. 0:52     Introduction by Laura Tuach. “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” John 1:14 calls us to embrace the embodiment of God’s grace through Christ. 1:05     This article is a collaborative project. A living, breathing, and evolving endeavor by five ordained women of differing faith communities, differing bodies and stories, differing experiences of the Divine. We are five religious professionals located within the academy, training and supporting the next generation of congregational leaders. We are of Cuban descent, African American descent, Anglo descent, and African and Indian descent. We are deeply faithful women, serving our calls in academia while maintaining our connections to the Episcopal, Progressive Baptist, United Methodist, and United Church of Christ denominations. We are each embodied, fleshy, and beautifully and wonderfully made, reflecting God’s complexity, diversity, and magnificence. Over the past three years, we gathered virtually and in person for mutual professional support and to produce writing that reflects our deepest commitments and beliefs. In this article we lament, confess, celebrate, and ultimately reclaim an embodied and faithful way to move in our professional, spiritual, and personal lives. 2:25     We begin exploring the theme of this issue with lament. As an all-female community of practice, we lament our individual and collective traumas. We tell the truth about the violence inflicted on women’s bodies, bodies of those who are “othered,” and our own bodies. We lament the barrage of images and messages we cannot escape in a culture that worships consumerism and productivity and a prescribed definition of beauty. We lament this injustice and ask for forgiveness for our own complicity in systems of oppression that deny full human expression through the body. We hear the good news that the word became flesh and lived among us. We respond by creating ritual and worshiping together. In this article, we invite you to explore these words of John without divorcing them from your own body and the bodies of the women and girls you minister to. As women of all shapes, colors, sizes, and experiences, we are called to celebrate our bodies and

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