The Gathering, A Womanist Church. Irie Lynne Session

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ and lost,” and being “intentional” in ministry to the “marginalized, oppressed, and downtrodden.” The Gathering examines texts to “do the deeper work of seeing the healing, restorative justice, and liberation in the Scriptures.” The Gathering addresses social justice “in a way that raises prophetic voices and issues a rallying cry, speaking truth to power.” The Gathering is a community where people of all genders and races work “together to dismantle the systemic structures that seek to oppress people.”19 The Scriptural foundation for The Gathering is Luke 4:18–19: “The Spirit . . . has anointed me to bring good news to the poor . . . to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”

      The Gathering welcomes all people. The Gathering demonstrates that a womanist church is not just for women and not just for African Americans, but that a womanist church is for all people—all genders and races and cultures and experiences. This inclusive welcome begins each worship service: “Welcome to The Gathering, A Womanist Church, a community whose faith in Jesus compels us to create worship experiences that address social injustice through womanist preaching and action, to cultivate a healing, learning, and growing community for people who are churched, unchurched, dechurched, hurt by church, and even those who are sick of church. Welcome to The Gathering, followers of Jesus who believe our ministry priorities of pursuing racial equity, LGBTQIA+ equality and dismantling patriarchy, misogyny, and sexism (PMS) are both political and biblical. Welcome to The Gathering, a spiritual community where all are welcome. Really.”

      Through an egalitarian organization structure, The Gathering also defines and models a womanist church. Co-pastors, ministry staff members, and ministry partners share in preaching, creating liturgies, worship leadership, pastoral care, and administration.

The Gathering’s co-pastors and staff are womanists, who model a womanist church through their ministries. Their experiences as Black women inform their sermons, music, and other parts of the liturgy. Co-pastors Rev. Dr. Irie Lynne Session and Rev. Kamilah Hall Sharp employ womanist biblical hermeneutics in their preaching and draw from their stories and from the stories of other Black women. In some worship services the co-pastors do what they call “tag-team preaching,” both delivering short sermons, emphasizing their equal partnership. Rev. Dr. Irie defines a womanist as a “Black woman who is progressive in her theology, courageous in her social justice advocacy and activism, fierce in her love of self and others, and actively engaged in work that contributes to the survival and wholeness of all people, Black communities in particular.” Rev. Kamilah describes a womanist as caring “about people and about community” and looking “for ways to make the world better by using the experiences of Black women as a starting point.”20 Rev. Winner Laws, minister of congregational care and spiritual support, says that as a womanist, she is “committed to sharing narratives of Black women’s experiences to empower all people spiritually and to be a voice for those on the margins to find their place in the creation story.” Faith Manning, minister of music, asserts that womanism “is the liberation of Black women,” and that “when we liberate Black women we liberate the world.”21

Ministry partners join to embody The Gathering as a womanist church. In worship services, ministry partners participate in many ways, such as leading Communion meditations and prayers, singing in a choir, writing and leading litanies, greeting people, making announcements, and assisting with technology for livestreaming the services online. Ministry partners also share in the administrative work of The Gathering, and in planning and implementing ministry projects. Based on the belief that partnership in ministry creates “a sense of belonging, deeper connection, and vibrancy” in a faith community, The Gathering invites people to be ministry partners, instead of “members.” Ministry partners use their gifts to help “fulfill the God-given vision” of The Gathering. They use their voices, networks, platforms, and voting voices to partner in addressing the social justice priorities of The Gathering—racial equity, LGBTQIA+ equality, and dismantling PMS (patriarchy, misogyny, and sexism). Ministry partners are consistent in participating in worship celebrations in person and/or online, consistent in financial support of The Gathering, and consistent in sharing their “God-given talents with The Gathering.”22

The Gathering also models a womanist church through social justice priorities of racial equity, LGBTQIA+ equality, and dismantling PMS (patriarchy, misogyny, and sexism). The Gathering creates “worship experiences that address social justice issues through womanist preaching and action.” Other missional priorities of The Gathering are to “be an authentic and compelling faith community for people who feel a disconnect with the institutional church; be a healing, learning, and growing fellowship for persons marginalized in society; dismantle patriarchy one womanist sermon at a time; discover together how the ministry of Christ calls us to welcome all, really.”23

      In addition, The Gathering defines a womanist church through the innovative time in each worship service called “Talk Back to the Text.” This womanist practice values all voices. After each sermon, people in the congregation have an opportunity to make a comment or ask a question about the text and the sermon. The preacher or preachers, if they have preached “tag-team” sermons, will then respond and give opportunity for others to respond. This practice includes not only people attending The Gathering in person, but also those attending online. People in the online congregation can send their comments and questions. This inclusive, egalitarian practice gives everyone an opportunity to participate. A person does not have to be a ministry partner or regular in attendance to make comments and ask questions. “Talk Back to the Text” is open even to first-time visitors. A womanist church includes and values everyone, contributing to the wholeness of all.

      Womanism and womanist theology have brought transformation to academic institutions, churches, individuals, and society. A womanist church expands this transformation through the power of community and ritual experience. A womanist church community practices and embodies womanism and womanist theology. Worship services in a womanist church convert our imaginations as well as intellects. Through the power of womanist liturgies, womanist theology takes root in our hearts and souls. Our actions also change as the creative, liberating rituals permeate our whole beings. A womanist church has great power to touch the heart and change the world.

      Our world stands in urgent need of the transformation a womanist church brings. Although The Gathering is the only womanist church at this time, we believe the Spirit will use The Gathering to give birth to many more womanist churches. The Gathering moves forward to fulfill our unique call to define, model, and create a womanist church.

      1. Walker, In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens, xi−xii.

      2. “Who Is the Womanist?” The Gathering, para. 2.

      3. Womanist Institute, “What Manner of Woman.”

      4. Womanist Institute, “What Manner of Woman.”

      5. Womanist Institute, “What Manner of Woman.”

      6. Womanist Institute, “What Manner of Woman.”

      7. Womanist Institute, “What Manner of Woman.”

      8. Womanist Institute, “What Manner of Woman.”

      9. Womanist Institute, “What Manner of Woman.”

СКАЧАТЬ