Our North Carolina Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW) continues to advocate for full and equal participation of women in the total life and mission of The United Methodist Church. This past year, we continued with established programming, held meaningful gatherings, supported efforts at General Conference, and led offerings at our own NC annual conference.
Each month two COSROW book clubs gather to discuss books by female authors. One group meets online and one group meets in person in Raleigh. The groups are open to all people. If interested, join our NC Conference COSROW Facebook group for more information. In addition, each month, we partner with the Center for Leadership Excellence in sending out encouragement. Encouragements are short devotional pieces to inspire clergywomen across the NC Conference connectionwritten by clergywomen. These encouragements are e-mailed to clergywomen in our NC conference.
Our NC Conference COSROW held gatherings this past year, including an online gathering with Becky Posey-Williams, Senior Director for Sexual Ethics and Advocacy from the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and Bishop Connie Shelton. This session, “Living on the Edge: Healthy Boundaries” was an informative time to be reminded of the importance of self-care. Along the lines of self-care, in conjunction with the Center for Leadership Excellence, we hosted a webinar on prayer beads and another webinar entitled “Looking Up: Acknowledging Grief, Embracing Hope.”
At General Conference, our NC Conference COSROW partnered with the Western NC Conference COSROW in coordinating volunteers for several events, shared vital information to delegates, and helped navigate Thursdays in Black and a Service of Lament. We led similar offerings at our own NC Conference. We were grateful for the response to Thursdays in Black at our annual conference on our first day of conference. COSROW monitored all annual conference plenary sessions and worship services. We shared vital information at our COSROW booth throughout conference, partnered with NC Clergywomen for a clergywomen’s luncheon, and held a Service of Lament, Confession, and Hope on Saturday morning for those affected by violence and sexual misconduct in the church. We also partnered with the Corridor Anti-Racism Team, among other conference committees, to offer a resolution continuing accountability to address the pay gap clergywomen and clergy of color have in our conference.
We give thanks for the ongoing opportunities to serve in our NC Conference as we promote the good work of COSROW. Join us on our Facebook group. Stay tuned for upcoming events. Keep up the good work of supporting our clergywomen and lay women in ministry across our connection!