“Learn, Pray, Join: Undoing Patriarchy” draws attention to the ways the current systems in our world and churches create spaces that perpetuate patriarchal norms and do harm to those who fall outside of those norms. This initiative provides tools and resources to help MC USA church communities work toward a more equitable world, in which everyone is treated with the care and respect they deserve, regardless of gender.

#LearnPrayJoin is a series of initiatives where Mennonite Church USA encourages people and congregations to “Learn, Pray, Join” together for a specific topic.

Learn

Webinars:  

  • March 20, 2:00 pm – Women in Leadership Steering Committee members Shannon Dycus, Abby Endashaw, Sue Park-Hur
  • April 24, 2:00 pm – Joanne Gallardo, Sarah Bixler (Registration coming soon, subscribe to PeaceMail to stay up to date.)

Resources

  • MC USA Women in Leadership introduces dismantling patriarchy curriculum | Mennonite Church USA. The Women in Leadership ministry of Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) has released a Bible-based curriculum that explores the roots of patriarchy, which is described as a social structure in which men hold power over others. Entitled “Laboring Toward Wholeness: A Training on Dismantling Patriarchy,” the curriculum addresses the history and impact of systemic patriarchy — and looks at how God calls followers to respond through an intersectional lens. See the curriculum here.  
  • Women in Leadership | Mennonite Church USA, Women in Leadership (WiL) works to dismantle patriarchal systems in Mennonite Church USA by empowering women to live out the call of God on their lives, increase their capacities, and contribute their wisdom in congregations, area conferences, agencies and institutions. It creates space for resources, conversation and action for all women in our churches who are in leadership.

Blogs

Uncertainty in fears calls us to compassion

Uncertainty in fears calls us to compassion

Abby Endashaw shares how our uncertainty because of the many fears we face today can be quelled by offering ourselves compassion, as an.. Read More →
Using our power to create spaces for healing and community care

Using our power to create spaces for healing and community care

Pastor Katerina Gea shares about the Community Care and Trauma Healing gatherings her church has been hosting to support Palestinian solidarity.  Katerina Gea.. Read More →
Family reunion we long for

Family reunion we long for

During the Korean War, Sue Park-Hur’s Aunt Hwasil was separated from her mother and brothers. After 40 years, Aunt Hwasil was finally able.. Read More →
More Blogs

Pray

A prayer for women

God of Eve, Wombed One,
We are your daughters who bear life within us. 
Breathe holiness into our emerging dreams, we pray.
We are your daughters who labor for justice. 
Midwife us until your kin-dom is delivered.
We are your daughters who are bound one to another across time and space. 
Knit us together into one faith-full, fortified body. 

 

God of Hagar, Seeing One,
We, your daughters, have suffered abuse. 
Heal the fresh and ancient wounds of our bodies, minds, and spirits.
We, your daughters, have been shackled by patriarchy. 
Liberate us to offer our gifts freely and fully.
We, your daughters, have not always understood that we, too, are created in your image. 
Restore our sense of worth, and teach us to love ourselves. 

 

God of Shiphrah and Puah, Courageous One, 
We are your daughters, defiers of empire. 
Grant us stubborn commitment to Life even as systems of death loom large.
We are your daughters, longing for a world transformed. 
Show us the path of creative resistance.
We are your daughters, crying for peace. 
Let our voices swell in one world-encompassing song of shalom.
God of Mary, Proclaimer of Jubilee,
We, your daughters, groan at the world’s inequities.
We pray that you will topple the powerful and lift the lowly.
We, your daughters, lament Earth’s plundering through extraction and exploitation. 
Empower us to embody mutuality, honoring ourselves as we honor others.
We, your daughters, seek the well-being of our children and grandchildren. 
May your fathomless mercy abound to all generations. 

 

Mother God, Nurturing One,
We are your daughters who grow weary. 
Slow us down; remind us to rest.
We are your daughters who long for your embrace.
Hold us to your breast until our hearts beat with yours.
We are your daughters who hold immense grief and profound joy.
Let our tears flow and our laughter abound.
May we, your beloved daughters, brim over with the Love that holds and heals us all. 

 

Amen. 

—

By Karla Stoltzfus Detwiler 

Join