Women of the ELCA

I have received several Christmas themed postcards, letters, and emails asking me to give a gift that is meaningful this year. Driving home from work recently, I was listening to the radio and heard of opportunities to give to public radio with its awesome programming. After arriving home that evening I thought of how Women of the ELCA has had an awesome year mobilizing women to act boldly. I started naming off ways that women are connected in community and have supported one another in the organization this year.

Our organization has

1. Supported women through grants and scholarships.

2. Provided free downloadable resources to use individually and in group settings.

3. Changed the name of our magazine to Gather to reach and connect with all women.

4. Offered a free daily faith reflection through Daily Grace, our iPhone app.

5. Provided an opportunity to name and honor Bold Women.

Can you name how you were supported and inspired by Women of the ELCA this year?

There are many ways you can support Women of the ELCA’s mission to mobilize women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. Consider giving a gift to this organization and help us to continueproviding you or a woman you love with the resources needed to grow in faith.

Eva James Yeo is the director for membership.

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There are a few things that I wish I wasn’t good at. Like grieving in December. My paternal grandmother died the December of my freshman year at college. Eleven years later my father died in December, just six months before my wedding. Last December my mother died. (I wrote about her death here.) And now this week my 29-year-old nephew Jim died.

The way I look at and experience Advent and Christmas and even death itself has changed in many ways. The colored lights and unnaturally cheery music blaring in nearly every public place is tempered by loss, the loss of those I’ve held dear. Sympathy cards received in the midst of jolly Christmas cards is a challenging reminder that death is very much a part of life. Singing Christmas carols in worship—once a cherished tradition—was almost impossible following each of my parents’ deaths. Having spent so many Christmases sitting between them, singing those same carols, I could almost hear them singing them again, and tears followed for what had been and was no more.

“A stable lamp is lighted,” a poem by American poet Richard Wilbur, has great meaning to me, especially as Christmas 2011 comes just days after my nephew’s death. It reminds me of the great love of God, who sent Jesus to this world to reconcile heaven and earth. Even as God came to us in the helpless, needy baby, God knew that baby would one day die an unloved outcast. I can’t help but cling to the knowledge that God knows a depth of loss like those of us who mourn and meets us in that loss, offering comfort and assurance through the promises of the resurrection.

For those who also mourn this Christmas, may “A stable lamp is lighted” offer some measure of solace to you

A stable-lamp is lighted

Whose glow shall wake the sky;

The stars shall bend their voices,

And every stone shall cry.

And every stone shall cry,

And straw like gold shall shine;

A barn shall harbor heaven,

A stall become a shrine.

 

This child through David’s city

Shall ride in triumph by;

The palm shall strew its branches,

And every stone shall cry.

And every stone shall cry,

Though heavy, dull, and dumb,

And lie within the roadway

To pave His kingdom come.

 

Yet He shall be forsaken,

And yielded up to die;

The sky shall groan and darken,

And every stone shall cry.

And every stone shall cry

For stony hearts of men:

God’s blood upon the spearhead,

God’s love refused again.

 

But now, as at the ending,

The low is lifted high;

The stars shall bend their voices,

And every stone shall cry.

And every stone shall cry

In praises of the child

By whose descent among us

The worlds are reconciled.

Linda Post Bushkofsky is executive director of Women of the ELCA.

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As I’ve been thinking about the Advent season, Christmas time, and this blog, I realize I’ve also spent a great deal of time preparing and thinking about the tree-probably better known as The Christmas Tree.

Its beginnings are as ancient as the 15^th and 16^th centuries in Europe. One tree could assume many rites of passage depending on the country, family wealth or religion. A decorated tree might play host to the apple, signifying the story of Adam and Eve. Tree branches were lit with candles and holders clipped to its branches. The tree top glowed with a family star decoration. Many villages hosted dances around the tree, and I can only imagine how many young couples were gazing at a decorated tree with wonder and innocence in their new married lives. Candy canes and O Tannenbaum are familiar down through the ages.

In these days we might attend a Festival of Trees. The lighting ceremony of the tree in Rockefeller Center, New York, would be grand to attend. We can purchase a “Charlie Brown tree,” a flocked tree, a pre-lit tree, a silver tree with a colored revolving wheel or an artificial tree. All of these choices are wonderful, but in my opinion, there’s always a place in my home for a real Christmas tree.

I could tell you about its many functions after I’ve finished using it to decorate my home: mulch, or firewood, or habitats for nature. But that’s never been what the tree means to me. In the home I grew up in there was a real tree in the living room. That’s the way it was and it didn’t change for years. My father brought two ornaments, blue glass deer, to that tree from his home. It was always a thrill to unwrap those deer and hang them on the tree. The tree in my parents’ home had the large bulbs on a cord that offered an almost blinding color but a beautiful glow.

My husband brought to our family the candle holders that clip on the branches which hold real candles. I put candles in them, clip them to the branches but never light them (I don’t need to test the household insurance). I’ve changed the tree decorations many times in 30 years but NEVER the tree itself. It is a real evergreen, it smells like evergreen, the branches become brittle, the ornaments droop on the branches after 5-6 weeks, the needles fall, it has been anchored to the wall and held steady with a log chain but if that’s all we ever have for memories, for family tradition, then that is enough.

One tree has given so many memories to our family. It continues to be the one tradition that our children hold dear for their own families. I weep when I think of all the gifts one tree can give to families of the past, present and for evermore. How simple, how real. What gifts adorn your tree?

Syd Brinkman is serving a second term on the churchwide executive board. She reports that she searched many years to find a gift for the tree: a cast iron tree stand so its trunk stands straight and tall!!

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As we approach the end of the year it would seem that the “hustle and bustle” and business in general would also slow down, to an end at least a bit. But with the holidays, it seems that I just get busier and busier, and I find myself not having enough time to accomplish all that I want to do. My list of things to do gets longer, and unlike Santa, I can’t seem to check things off my list fast enough let alone check them twice! When buying gifts, decorating the tree or planning a party, I find myself wanting things to be perfect. I can’t help but think, “Did I do enough?”

A few weeks ago I was fighting a cold, but I kept pushing myself, at home and at work, until my body just gave into the flu I was trying to fight. I was forced to stay home for one week. During that time of recuperation I was able to sit back and just “be.”

While I was out of the office, I was able to check my email and came across the December issue of Café with “Overdoing It for Christmas” by Angie Buckley. It could not have come at a better time. After reading it, I realized that not only can we find ourselves overdoing it when purchasing gifts, but we can also overdo it when worrying about those things that are really not as important as we make them.

Now that Christmas is around the corner and my vacation time is about to begin, I have decided not to make any lists. I will enjoy my time and just “be.” I will focus on what is really important and not worry about those things that really do not matter. Enough is enough!

When is enough really enough?  When you accept that you have done the best you can and it works for you.

Gabriela Contreras, director of meeting planning, is an inveterate maker of lists.

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I am a life-long Chicagoan who hates winter and cold weather. “How do you deal with the cold?” This is the question that I’m often asked when traveling in regions that have considerably milder winters compared to Chicago.

Generally, I define winters in Chicago to mean unpredictable travel times due to traffic jams if driving or flight cancellations if on a plane. I have had to leave home two hours earlier than usual when there was snow just to make it to work on time. But through the years I’ve learned to not get frustrated over the things that I cannot change, like the weather. My getting upset does not shorten the wait time.

Despite Christmas being in the winter, every year I look forward to it. It is my favorite holiday. There is something magical about Christmastime in Chicago. Like the song goes, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year”. Christmas carols come alive when you look out the window and see a fresh snow fall amidst the colorful lights and Christmas decorations.

I believe Christmastime is so special because it is a season of expectation; it brings out the kid in all of us. The young and the young-at-heart alike wait with anticipation for that perfect gift from Santa, the traditional family dinner or gathering or the annual Christmas programs at school or church. Both young and old can relate to the expectation of Christmas and all it has to offer.

Like the saints of old who awaited the blessed birth of Jesus Christ—God’s gift to the world—we now await his imminent return.

There is however, a blessing in the waiting. The Bible teaches us in Isaiah 40:31 that they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as an eagle. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not grow faint.

What are you waiting for?

P.S. View our Advent resources to get ideas on how to celebrate this season of waiting.

Deborah Powell is the ever patient associate executive director of Women of the ELCA.

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I have always enjoyed the Advent season. In my family, when I was growing up, we had Advent traditions that I just loved. Advent was a time to get the house ready for Christmas, of course, and since my birthday falls in the first half of Advent, I always wanted the tree to be up and decorated before my birthday. (I still feel that way!)  Perhaps putting up a tree and decorating the house for Christmas isn’t so much about Advent as about Christmas (but it is about preparing, which Advent is about, too), but my family did have other traditions, which were purely Advent in nature.

Each year we had an Advent calendar placed in the living room. It was always a nativity scene, covered with tiny numbered doors with images hidden behind them. We kids would open the doors day by day. I always had to open the second door so that in the rotation with my two brothers, I would get to open the door on the eighth day, too, which was my birthday.

Another tradition my family had was using an Advent wreath, which sat as the centerpiece to our dining room table. The overhead light had a dimmer switch, and Mom would soften the light at suppertime, and then we three children would take turns (meal by meal) lighting the candles. On Sundays, after the appropriate number of candles were lit, we would all sing the first verse of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” before praying our mealtime prayer (“Come, Lord Jesus…”) and eating.

I still love eating by Advent candlelight, and the chandelier in our dining room also has a dimmer, which we take full advantage of. My husband and I may not sing at the table like my family used to do, but I still love that hauntingly beautiful song “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” and I cherish it every time we sing it in church. My husband and I also have a homemade magnetic Advent calendar on our fridge (with cross-stitched pieces) that allows us to create a nativity scene, piece by piece, throughout the season of Advent. The fact that we made it makes it even more special to use year after year.

What are some of your most cherished Advent traditions?

Kris Brugamyer, of Dickinson, North Dakota, is currently serving a second term on the churchwide executive board of Women of the ELCA.

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A year ago this week, my sister’s mother-in-law passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Jan was in her early 60s and had three toddler grandchildren and another one on the way. She was loved and admired by a slew of friends and family. She treated everybody like they were family. Everybody was invited in and accepted without judgment. Jan and her husband, Tom, included our small family in their gatherings–even though at the time, my sister and I were not getting along. Sadly, the idea of being accepted unconditionally was strange to me. In some circumstances, I even declined her hospitality.

Jan was kind, inclusive and treated every person like he or she was special. She made me feel special. She was interested in my life and she was generous with sincere praise. She was not judgmental and she was patient. If she gossiped or made judgments, I never heard them.

I did not know her very well and I’m sure she probably didn’t know the impact she had on me.  But from Jan, I learned to be more open and to risk loving unconditionally. And sometimes to keep my natural critical nature in check.

Since her death, I have been trying to model some of things I admired about her. Often in situations I try to ask myself, “What Would Jan Do?” Usually these thoughts come up when I’m feeling insecure or impatient. Maybe my mother-in-law said yet another biting comment. Maybe a friend was insensitive. Maybe when somebody cuts me off in traffic, or somebody new comes into my social circle. What if I treated those people like Jan treated me–like family–no matter what?

“What Would Jan Do?” is my reminder for what God wants for me. I think Jan was a saint sent to teach us how to love others in real time, in real ways, as God loves us.

When holiday craziness happens or when the people we love the most hurt our feelings—how can we model ourselves after the saints in our lives? Is there somebody who models Christ’s love for you?

Elizabeth McBride is director for intergenerational programs and editor of Cafe.

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When Women of the ELCA decided this past summer to support the 1000 Day Initiative, I was excited by the possibilities. At that time I had no idea a trip to Africa would be in my future. I was part of Bread for the World’s delegation on a three country visit of the 1000 Day Initiative in Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania this past October.

I received an email yesterday. It asked, “Do you still remember the eyes in the hospital or in the village?” It came from our guide on the trip, Gaylord Thomas.

My answer to this question was:  “My God, yes, I remember those eyes! I was changed by that trip, Gaylord-I have basically been full steam ahead for justice for the first half of my adult life but working in this institution rounded out some of my edges. I feel like the edges have been reshaped and I *like* the feeling of being full steam ahead for justice again!”

I remember Juliet’s eyes! Those who found her where she was left in the trash figure she is about 3 months old now. Her eyes were one of the brightest pairs at the pediatric clinic we visited in Lusaka, Zambia. Meeting Juliet reshaped one of my edges.

Juliet has laughing eyes. I took her picture and I have looked at those eyes with wonder since I have been home. Dear, sweet Juliet with the sparkling black eyes did your mother die and leave only you behind? When you were placed in the trash can, did someone pray you would be found?

Maternal death is high in many countries in Zambia. In urban areas that rate is 590 per 100,000 (NCBI figures) and in rural areas that rate is 889 per 100,000 births (UNICEF figures), about 8 times higher than that found in an urban hospital-based study. Compare that to our rate (also unacceptable!) of 13.3 per 100,000.

U.S. aid is critical to the continued saving of mothers and children. Please, if you have not yet done so; contact your representatives and ask them to place a circle of protection around programs that feed the hungry—both domestic and internationally. To write to Congress go to: http://www.bread.org/ and then click on “Write to Congress” (along the right side). Bookmark Bread’s page on your computer so you will remember to go back to it again and again.

Let this be the first way we each live out our commitment to the 1,000 Day Initiative.

Inez Torres Davis is Women of the ELCA’s director for justice.

Editor’s note: At the Eighth Triennial Convention this past July the following resolution was presented and adopted by the delegates, calling all of us within the organization to work in support of the 1,000 Day Initiative.

Resolution 2011-2 The 1000 Days Initiative

Whereas, children who do not have proper nutrition through pregnancy to age 2 can be permanently stunted in those 1000 days, as is true in some African countries where 45% of the children are stunted, and

Whereas, crises have led to an increase in hunger and malnutrition placing children, particularly those younger than 2 years of age at special risk for diminished intellectual capacity, impaired immune function, and shorter height, and

Whereas, malnutrition is such a central issue that no fewer than three of the eight U.N. Millennium Development Goals concern improving nutrition, i.e.  eradicating hunger, improving maternal health, and reducing child mortality, and

Whereas, globally, women suffer disproportionately from hunger, disease, and poverty, especially in developing countries with the low social, economic, and political status of women contributing to high rates of food insecurity and malnutrition, with there almost always being poor access to maternal and child health care, and

Whereas, malnourished women give birth to malnourished children and are at risk of death during childbirth, and

Whereas, women as the primary caregivers to children are critical to improving children’s nutritional status with efforts to reduce extreme poverty and hunger around the world,

Whereas, Women of the ELCA has historically supported programs and advocacy initiatives for women and children living in poverty and currently has the health initiative of Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls,  therefore,

Be it resolved, that Women of the ELCA be encouraged to support The 1,000 Days initiative (www.thousanddays.org) through its synodical organizations, its congregations, and its individual participants, and

Be it further resolved, that Women of the ELCA staff provide appropriate support of this involvement with The 1,000 Days initiative with programmatic resources and education through its publications, and

Be it further resolved, that Women of the ELCA be encouraged to work with other women’s denominational organizations, Bread for the World, the Gates Foundation, and the Secretary of State’s office on The 1,000 Days initiative.

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I’ve been thinking about the aftermath of  Thanksgiving. No, not the calorie aftermath–that pound I may have added. No, I’m thinking about the crazy “black Friday” Christmas shopping aftermath. Well, they call it “black Friday,” but for many stores it began on Thursday evening. The turkey and cranberry leftovers were barely packed in the fridge when some folks headed out to their local Wal-Marts to shop the sales. Which also meant some folks also had to work that night. Then there were the many people who set their alarm clocks to wake them for the 4 a.m. sales.

How did Christmas shopping get so crazy and out of control?

It made me wonder: Who goes shopping on Thanksgiving night? Who gets up at 3 a.m., drives in the dark, searches for a parking space, and fights the crowds to buy stuff? And I do mean “fights the crowds.”

That weekend the news featured a story about a woman in Los Angeles who used pepper spray on other shoppers so she could get an xbox game console. Some 20 people were injured. In a Michigan store, women got into a fistfight over bath towels.

The Reuters News Service reported: “Videos of shopping pandemonium crowded YouTube by late Friday. One clip showed a crowd crushing and tearing apart boxes in a free-for-all for inexpensive cell phones. Another showed people flooding into a store as the gates were raised…The instant classic of the day was a video of an Arkansas melee over a $2 waffle iron. The shaky, 48-second clip shows a mass of squealing and shouting men, women and children climbing over each other, grabbing and tossing boxes…”

I guess this is what happens when you take the “Crazy Target Lady” commercials to the extreme. Those commercials have always made me cringe. Has consumerism in America become as unmoored and deranged as Crazy Target Lady? Are we that obsessed with getting more stuff?

Or is it that money is so tight these days that we will do whatever it takes to make it to the sales? Is it that the media has fostered expectations about what Christmas must entail: the perfect glittering tree surrounded by a mountain of beautiful packages? Maybe we feel intense pressure to buy more and more. And often, we end up with a mountain of credit card debt in January.

What do you think? Has shopping become a “competitive sport,” as one writer called it? Did you go out on Thanksgiving to snag deals? Did you have to work at a retail outlet that night? How was it where you were?

Kate Elliott is editor of Gather magazine.

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