Note: We encourage you to utilize this video during Annual Conference gatherings and COSROW meetings. You can download different versions of this video below.
Transcript:
Dawn: The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women was created in 1972 during a pivotal point in time, where women sought equal rights, equal opportunities and greater personal freedom. 50 years later, there is still a lot of work to be done.
Becky: Every annual conference appointment season, we are contacted by Bishops and District Superintendents who need help navigating a congregation’s resistance to a woman pastor.
Juyeon: But congregational acceptance is not the only disparity in our church.
Dawn: There is a disproportioned number of women facing sexual harassment, there is a lack of representation in positions of power and we still don’t have equal pay for equal work.
Juyeon: GCSRW knows this. We exist to challenge The United Methodist Church for equal responsibility and participation of clergywomen and laywomen at all levels of the life and mission of the church.
Dawn: We do this by providing educational resources, tools for analyzing conduct and inclusivity at gatherings, leadership development trainings and guiding the church in the prevention and response to sexual misconduct.
Becky: The church has always been at the forefront of societal movements with the leadership of women. This has proven that when we come together as a whole body, we can transform the world.
Dawn: As we celebrate the last 50 years of accomplishments, we pause to remember the work of those who paved the way and recognize the hardships they had to endure so that we can continue to move ever forward on our journey. We challenge you, the members of this annual conference to join us! Join us in imagining the next 50 years. Join us in our vision of creating equal responsibility and full participation of women in The United Methodist Church. During your next break, I encourage you to talk to your annual conference COSROW to get involved and if you don’t know who your COSROW chair person is, talk to your bishop.
Video originally published on GCSRW's YouTube 06/10/2020 and shared during Annual Conference season across The United Methodist Church.
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