The 2022 United Church of Christ Clergywomen’s Leadership Event, Sept. 27-29, will focus on “the intersection of race and gender and ministry.” The meeting will be in person in Decatur, Ga., with a vigorous online option as well. The Rev. Tara Barber, who staffs the event’s planning team, said there are three new things this year:
- The event will “de-center whiteness” and focus on the experiences of Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color.
- It is deliberate about inviting cis women, trans women and non-binary people.
- Online participants will get special, exclusive content.
Registration for people attending in person in Decatur, Ga., is $400, due Aug. 15. For online participants, it’s $75, with a Sept. 1 deadline. Details are here.
The event is titled, “For Such a Time As This: To Confront, Connect and Create at the Intersection of Race and Gender.” Barber, who works for Justice and Local Church Ministries in the area of ministerial support and accountability, said the theme signals what’s new. One new thing is the clear invitation to “cis and trans women as well as nonbinary people comfortable in a space that centers the experiences of women,” she said.
Another is that it’s the first “hybrid” version of the event, with both in-person and remote participation. Online attendees will have some special opportunities, said the Rev. Anissa Glaser-Bacon, also of the UCC’s Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization team, who is staffing the event with Barber. Remote participants “will have early access to community-building and content that will not be accessible to in-person attendees until after the event,” Glaser-Bacon said. They will also have access to special meetups, discussion circles and other content.
“The larger shift, however,” Barber said, “is the centering of our BIPOC clergywomen, pivoting from inclusion to intentional focus on their support needs, leadership development and increased access to ministry opportunities.”
Learn more about the event at this link.