News & Events

EEWC-CFT GATHERING 2010

June 18-20, 2010

You are invited to the 2010 EEWC-CFT GATHERING in Fishers, Indiana (just north of Indianapolis). Join us in celebrating Christian Feminism Today!

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Indiana Chapter Report

The Indiana Chapter Is  Alive in the Spirit – Won't You Join Us?
Retreats, workshops and performing arts events relating to Christian Feminism are just a few of the  kinds of gatherings hosted by the Indiana Chapter. Please visit the Indiana Chapter website for more information.

Conference 2008 Report: Joyfully Remembering

By Kay Nannet

It was an event in the planning for 20 months, so its arrival was anticipated with enthusiasm by those of us on the conference committee.   We had put our hearts and souls into every aspect of this conference; and as we prayed together before we left Sharon Bowes’ house to head to the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel on Thursday, June 26, we felt like expectant parents waiting to visualize our “baby” after a long gestation!   And what a beautiful baby it turned out to be!

Remembering Thursday

Thursday afternoon, people began to arrive, register, hug, laugh, talk and prepare themselves for a grand conference.  There was time to wander around downtown Indianapolis, nap, grab a treat at  Starbucks, shop, or visit and eat in the hospitality suite. That’s where most landed, enjoying great company and food.  New attendees got to meet some of the founding mothers and all got to share in the committee’s enthusiasm for a fabulous spiritual feast.

Remembering Friday

Friday morning, after a good night’s rest in our beautiful rooms and comfortable beds, we met in the conference rooms for a delicious breakfast and an inspirational business meeting led by Coordinator Georgean Johnson-Coffey, with reports from office manager Sharon Bowes, and editor Letha Dawson Scanzoni..  Letha’s report on EEWC’s website being listed Number 1 in a Google search for “best Christian feminist websites” and  further discussion about how Christian Feminism Today and our website continue to grow and expand left us all excited to be part of the organization.  It was apparent that we had great leadership, organization, and direction from our Council and office manager.

We next moved on to the first of several amazing keynotes, with Reta Finger leading us in a  discussion of “A Jesus Supper for Every Body.”  As Reta does so well, she taught us the historical importance of Christians gathering for a meal, and showed us how the purpose of communion in Christ’s name has much to do with being in community.  An interesting discussion of participants’ personal experiences in bringing community to others ensued and inspired us all to love and share more.

Fittingly, we left the plenary to join together for a meal.  At that lunch, we gathered according to regions.  This allowed many new attendees to meet others from their geographic community, and hopefully some longstanding relationships were forged here.  As an aside, the committee’s hope in planning the event was to help foster chapter formation or at least facilitate developing regional events to be held between the biennial conferences

So, after that leisurely lunch, having enjoyed great food and even more fabulous company, it was time for another plenary led  by one of our own, Alena Amato Ruggerio.. To say we were “blown away” by what we heard would be an understatement!  “Theapalooza” and an assortment of other new words and new ideas were presented in dynamic fashion and prevented anyone from having postprandial (after mealtime) drowsiness!  It is the type of talk that one can hear over and over again and continue to be mentally challenged and entertained.

When Alena’s stimulating talk ended, it was time to disperse to the workshops, which had been divided by theme into contemplative, meditative, artistic, and literary. Friday’s leaders were Philip Gulley, “Living in Harmony”; Jennifer Halteman-Shrock, “Just Eating:  Practicing our Faith at the Table”; Dorothy Gerner, “Can There Be Peace between Israel and Palestine?”; and Helen Claire Ferguson, “Drumming from the Heart with Body and Soul.”  The 100 attendees were pretty evenly dispersed among the four offerings, and all were enriched by their experiences in the workshops they had chosen.

We were all on our own for dinner Friday evening, with small groups spontaneously forming to eat at the hotel restaurants and downtown.  About 25% of the attendees met over pizza to discuss possible name changes for EEWC.  Stay tuned to CFT and the EEWC web site for updates.  I had a personally delightful dinner with my friends from church in Crawfordsville, friends from Kansas City, Indiana EEWC friends, and Phil Gulley.  We laughed more than we ate, and it was one of the highlights of the conference for me.

And then, at the evening plenary session, Phil Gulley led us in expanding our concept of community and opening our table to all in a warm and humorous manner.  The evening closed with Phil talking with individuals, signing books, and attendees enjoying refreshments and conversation. 

Remembering Saturday

Saturday, we opened the day with music and a great keynote by one of EEWC’s founding mothers, Virginia Mollenkott.  Everyone looks forward to hearing her wonderful words of wisdom and love, and this year was no exception as she challenged us to expand both our table and our definition of inclusiveness and plenty. 

Following her plenary there were again workshops divided into the four aforementioned categories. Attendees were able to explore Reverend Elder Nancy Wilson’s “Future of ‘Church,’”  Sr. Mary Baird and Janet Lundblad’s inspirational session on “Sacred Longings/Radiating Possibilities”, Sarah Forth’s scholarly presentation of “God, Gods, & Goddesses,” or join in “Dancing to the Table” led by Mary Bell.

After the workshops, we gathered together to relax and converse while we enjoyed yet another communal lunch.  Meals together as a group added a fabulous component to the conference, and of course were fitting to have with a conference titled such as this one!  There was plenty of time at the mealtime periods to relax or browse the silent auction space, or even take a short nap.

Following lunch, we were again kept awake with the mesmerizing stories and challenges in building an inclusive church by MCC moderator Nancy Wilson. 

The afternoon concluded with four more workshops:  “Learning and New Language” by Beverly Jane Phillips, “Exploring and Experiencing the Practice of Meditation” with Merri Leffel, “Healing Ourselves to Heal the World” led by Nicole Sotelo, and “Writing Mindfully: Exploring the Sacred Ordinary with Creative Writing” by Carrie Newcomer.

Before leaving for dinner, we had time to look over our “Marketplace,” prepared in the lobby outside our conference rooms, which provided  a chance for EEWC members and conference attendees to share books, crafts, jewelry and other products of their creative abilities and passions with others. What a diversely talented group we are!

Already in this retrospect, we have come to Saturday night, and once more the committee had selected a Hoosier artist to entertain and enrich us.  Carrie Newcomer is a singer, songwriter, peace activist and storyteller extraordinaire!  How fabulous it was to gather for just a time of joy, laughter and inspirational music! 

At concert’s end, Georgean made the announcement that the Silent Auction event was over and almost $2000 had been  raised for EEWC!

Remembering Sunday

The Sunday morning worship service at EEWC conferences is always amazing in its ability to engage the senses and move the Spirit, and this service was no exception.  With the opening drumming, the fabulous preaching by Nancy Wilson, the palpably moving liturgical dance to set the Communion Table, and the incredible music, it was a service to remind us once again who we serve and why we do.

Goodbyes are always difficult at the end of a conference, and for those of us on the committee who had been seeing each other regularly and e-mailing each other beyond number, it was a bittersweet moment when our “baby” was born, gave joy to all, and then grew up and left home so soon!  How rewarding it was then to see the words of praise and discussions of the conference content continue on the EEWC community electronic group mailing list!  Thank you for that wonderful gift, and hopefully the Spirit will continue to move us all to grow and love and reach out to make a Place at the Table for all of God’s Kindom.

Kay Kiehlbauch Nannet, author of this report,has been a member of EEWC since 1986, serving on the Council as the Indianapolis chapter representative and holding the office of secretary in the early 1990s. 

She is married to Tim, and they are raising their two children in west central Indiana.  Professionally, Kay works as a Nurse Practitioner in Dermatology and is also an elementary school nurse.  She and her family are active members of a Disciples of Christ Church in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Kay Nannet and Barbara Crews o-chaired the 2008 EEWC Conference in Indianapolis. Other members of the conference planning committee were Becky Bender, Sharon Bowes, Georgean Johnson-Coffey, Helen Claire Ferguson, Marg Herder, and Tina Osborn.

[Editor’s Note]   All of us in EEWC are deeply grateful for the hard work and long hours that members of  the planning committee invested to make this conference such a wonderful success!   Thank you, Kay, Barbara, Becky, Sharon, George, Helen Claire, Marg, and Tina!

You can learn about two of our former EEWC Conferences (Claremont, CA, 2004 and Charlotte, NC, 2006) in our conference archive.