A message from Young Adult Volunteers on International Women's Day

Emma, Madalyn, and Heather, who are all originally from the US, are currently serving as Young Adult Volunteers (YAV) with United Irvine. At the halfway point of their YAV year, they are deeply engaged in the community, while also discerning their next steps in their callings. On International Women's Day they consider the relationship of the Church with women.

If you read the gospels through the lens of "how does Jesus treat marginalized people," you may forget that a massive part of that group is women. Women are not a monolith, and Jesus interacts with women from every walk of life, from wives and mothers to holy women of God to prostitutes to women consumed by demons. This makes it easy to forget that while all of these women are marginalized in different ways, their experiences would have been similar because of their identities as women. While Mary, Jesus' mother, would have had a very different life than the sex worker who anoints Jesus in Luke 7, the world would have seen them both as a threat to the established patriarchal world order by virtue of them simply being women.

The cognitive dissonance between women simultaneously being treated as a universal threat to male superiority and being treated differently based on their station and "place" in life has certainly not gone away. Especially in the church, women are considered "good" if they fill roles such as cook, carer, mother, and wife. If we don't want to fit into those boxes, oftentimes people don't know what to do with us. Fortunately for us, Jesus' specialty is subverting expectations and taking people out of the boxes that society puts us in. Organized religion is a product of humans, and can, at times, separate us from God. Because the church is created by and for humanity, it is subject to the problems of humans, including misogyny. But when we look to Jesus' treatment of women from all walks of life in the Bible, we see women's power and dignity, and it is incredible.

Being a woman in the church means subverting expectations. It means proving that godliness does not solely correlate with masculinity. And it means expanding what femininity actually looks like. I'm very proud to be a woman pursuing a theological education because I know it's not what's expected of me. It is a path that I have been called to and am forging for myself. And that makes me feel empowered. I think everyone deserves to feel empowered in their church community. And I don't believe limiting where women can serve allows for that to happen. The church is more than just a certain group of people, and I believe church leadership should reflect that.

I think being a woman in the church requires taking special care to look out for the people who make you stronger. Some people would prefer women to be soft and nice in a way that allows men to have more power. But the truth, of course, is that women are not a threat to men's power. Because we all perform at our best when we are challenged by others (iron sharpening iron). Keeping women weak is a way for some men to create their own illusion of being more powerful. But what's even more dangerous is that some women will do the same, believing that it will be easier to go along with the status quo than to challenge it. That's why promoting voices that support women is so important. Otherwise, who will envision that women can be and do more? If I feel like a man, or anyone, is treating me differently because I am a woman, then I know it's in my best interest to find the people who will uplift me instead. Fortunately, people who support women in the church are not difficult to come across. I think churches have a long way to go in actualizing what women in leadership looks like. But most people I come across at least want that to be the reality. Even though men have historically held more religious authority, the church needs to empower women to be at its best. I hope my journey will help to shape that vision in the future.

Originally from New York, I grew up in the state of Maryland just outside of Washington, DC. I recently graduated from University with majors in Religious Studies and Psychology. I was raised in the Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA) and after University, I wanted to get some practical experience. The PCUSA sponsors the Young Adult Volunteer Program which hosts volunteers in a variety of locations for a year of intentional service. I am currently serving my YAV year in Irvine, Scotland.

Growing up, my mother was the senior pastor at the churches I attended. My father was a stay-at-home dad. As a child I did not understand the gender roles my parents were defying by doing what was best for our family. When I was four years old, Jim Forbes, a well-known pastor in our area came to our church as a guest minister. After the service, mom introduced me to Rev. Jim Forbes and instead of saying hello back, I looked up at my mother and said that I didn't know men could be pastors. I had no knowledge of the exclusion women faced from speaking up in church settings, let alone being the person in the pulpit.

When I tell this story to people, many of them laugh in amazement that a child could grow up with this misunderstanding and in joy that the misunderstanding occurred. The idea that women can be pastors is still controversial and thought of as uncommon. The role of Reverend is still seen to be a "man's" job by many. My hope is that one day that people won't laugh in amazement at my story but will be confused that there was ever a time in which women weren't allowed to be pastors.

Emma: I studied Psychology and Religious Studies at the College of Wooster, which has strong Scottish ties. Growing up in Maryland with my Mom as my Pastor. I applied to YAV to experience faith in action in Scotland, take on a leadership role, and discern my vocational future in an intentional Christian community.

Madalyn: I'm from Indiana and graduated from DePauw University. I joined YAV to explore God's call for my life and to experience a different cultural perspective on church, walking with people through their journeys.

Heather: I recently graduated from Davidson College with majors in history and political science. Originally from Indianapolis, I now have roots in North Carolina. I'm interested in the role of the church in social justice, and I'm enjoying witnessing how churches can use their social capital to serve those on society's margins during my YAV year.