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Sunday,
June 27, three amazing and energized works
of art were unveiled in the sanctuary of herchurch: PIETA which shows the body of a man who has died of
Aids held in the loving arms of friends. OUR LADY OF THE STREETS showing a Mother and her children asking for assistance.
NIGHT ARCHANGEL in the feminist tradition.
All three works are on loan to herchurch by the artist Sybil
Erden who works in the visionary-social-surrealist tradition. Sybil will be present for the Sunday 10:30
Celebration on June 27.
Artist’s Statement
I have been painting professionally for almost
forty years. I began painting around the age of 8, studied at the Brooklyn Museum of Art (NYC), High School of Music and Art
(NYC), culminating at The San Francisco Art Institute. I began serious work in the studio upon leaving school in 1973.
Until the late 1990’s
I showed extensively throughout the Western US, but in my mid-forties took an almost fifteen year hiatus as a professional
painter and began what would become the US’s largest and most highly respected exotic bird life-care facility; The Oasis
Sanctuary. Earlier this year I stepped down as Executive Director of the sanctuary, remaining on as the President of the Board.
This has allowed me to move back into the studio and get back to my first love and calling: painting.
Currently I am
working on a self-portrait entitled “Portrait of the Artist at 60.” I have plans in place for my next piece as
well….but I am not sure how this hiatus and the accompanying changes I have gone through as a human being will ultimately
change the style and message of my work. Currently, with the help of friends in California, I am seeking placement options
for several of my pieces including “Pieta; Lamentum et Compassum” (The Pieta of Sorrow and Compassion) which has
been reproduced internationally in the past in order to raise funds for AIDS organizations. My work has always had both a
spiritual and a social statement. This, no doubt, will remain….
DIVINE CHOCOLATE makes a difference
by Erin Gorman
Researchers have found that American women appear to crave chocolate more than women elsewhere in the world. (I’d like to meet those other women; perhaps they just haven’t
had Divine Chocolate yet.) But for women cocoa farmers in Ghana, chocolate is much more than a
craving. For the women of Kuapa Kokoo, a fair-trade farmers’ cooperative and part owner of Divine Chocolate, chocolate
is the way to a bright future.
Fair trade means that farmers are paid a fair price for their crops and
receive premiums to invest in their communities. An equally important part of Kuapa Kokoo’s commitment to fair trade
is the advancement of democracy to empower farmers in the local and global markets.
Democracy makes it possible for the farmers of Kuapa (45,000 members in
1,200 villages) to discuss how to improve their communities in ways that benefit the greatest number of people. In a world
where cocoa farmers are exposed to the vagaries of a market beyond their control, farmers value the ability to speak up for
themselves, say what is on their minds, and set the chart for their own futures. Democracy also requires that both men and
women take part.
Cecilia Appianim is a cocoa farmer from the village of Asemtem in the Central Region of
Ghana. She is also a member of the national executive council for Kuapa Kokoo, and she visited the United States recently to help promote Divine. She explained the importance of
women taking part in this way:
“Fair trade has helped us a lot. Because of fair trade, women can
come out boldly and take part in every event. Before, it was not like that. Before, we would stay at home and watch the men.
And we would work with our husbands and they would take the money, put it in their pockets, and when it came time to buy food
or pay school fees they would say the money is gone.
But Kuapa has opened our eyes to see that everything should be 50-50.
So if a man has one vote, a woman has one as well. If the men come together to make a decision, then the women are there to
take part as well. So now we are empowered, and the men, they cannot cheat us again.
Also because of fair trade, we have many projects for women. We make soap,
t-shirts, batik. We grow other foodstuffs and sell in the market and then put some money into the credit union for hardship
times or to pay our children's school fees.”
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and we hope that you will celebrate
with Divine Chocolate. Women’s History Month follows in March. So, women, as if we need a reason to eat more chocolate,
think of Divine as more than a way to satisfy your cravings. Your support is a contribution to democracy and the empowerment
of women around the world.
Divine
Chocolate is co-owned by the farmers of Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana.
Lutheran World Relief is an investor in Divine and enthusiastically supports the sale of Divine Chocolate through the LWR Chocolate Project. You can purchase Divine Chocolate through www.LWR.org
| Rwandan Children |
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| image by Pastor Stacy |
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| Kigali School Children |
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| image by Pastor Stacy |
THE RWANDA
SCHOOL PROJECT: from vision to bricks! The Rwanda English-language Secondary School
Project is about to become reality in the town of Rwamagana in eastern Rwanda. The vision and initiative of Robin Stickler,
in cooperation with the Lutheran Church of Rwanda, have chosen a plot of land and are waiting for the town’s
final approval for requisition and purchase for a school and church complex.
This
will be the first English (as opposed to French) school, and will be unique in several other ways as well. The Lutheran School
building will use sustainable energy (solar power, roof water catchments, bio-gas digester toilet system) and will promote
sustainable agricultural methods in the school’s gardens (for example, zero-grazing, drip irrigation, terrace trenches,
and compost kitchen gardens). The curriculum will be taught through Expeditionary Learning, a pedagogical framework which
has received national recognition in the USA and from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation for excellence in education.
The
town is helping to acquire land. The church congregation is ready to help with carpentry and labor. The Rwandan Ministry of
Education has the proposal for authorization. One hundred boxes of new and used textbooks and library books
donated by schools, individuals and church groups are on their way. Moving to the next
step involves bricks, desks, teacher salaries and solar panels to create a school that builds strong community and strong
faith….a school that teaches problem solving and critical thinking….a school that promotes strong literacy and
math skills….a school that trains future leaders…..a school that welcomes orphans as well as the well-off and
a school that teaches tolerance: For more information visit: http://www.rwandaschoolproject.org Contributions may be made through Ebenezer Lutheran Church, designated “Rwanda School Project.”
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The LWR Handcraft
Project: Gifts that make a World of difference. Since 1999, Lutherans have provided thousands of
artisans around the world with vital income through their participation in Lutheran World Relief Handcraft Project.
By gift giving or personal shopping through the LWR Handcraft Project, you ensure that the artisans are paid fairly and treated
with respect. Your purchase demonstrates your belief that the artisans who craft the items are partners with us in building
a way of justice and compassion, living as children of God/dess. Demonstrate you commitment to economic justice.
Artisans benefit from the sale of their crafts when you introduce fair trade to a broader audience of people who care about
the artisans' well-being. A Grater Gift matches ten percent of all sales. Visit:
www.lwr.org/handcraft
+++++++++++++++++++++++ RELIGIOUS WITNESS WITH HOMELESS PEOPLE has collaborated with nonprofit organizations and homeless people in protection of
the rights of various segments of our community, including seniors, disabled persons, tenants, low-income workers and homeless
people.In just the past year, Religious Witness has:
- Played an important collaborative
role in preventing the eviction of over 500 low-income Trinity Plaza Apartment tenants
- Gathered
over 1,500 signatures opposing proposed MUNI service/job cuts and fare hikes
- Won amnesty
(for the third time) for homeless people
- Reinstated the Homeless Death Count practice
in the City of Saint Francis
- www.religiouswitnesshome.org
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ABOUT FACE
Free Feminist Workshop for Young Women 8-18, March 27, 2010 -- 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM herchurch
678 Portola Drive
San Francisco, CA 94127 SF Area Chapter of the National Organization for Women invites you and/or young
women you may know to a fun, free, feminist event. Please forward this invite on to all who may be interested!
Music, knowledge, healthy snacks and sisterhood...please join us! This
free About Face workshop equips women and girls with tools to understand and resist harmful media messages that affect their
self-esteem and body image.
Everywhere girls and women look, they see messages about their bodies and their selves,
telling them they must be tall, blonde, tan, and sexually available. In fact, a woman can rarely separate her feelings about
her physical body from her self-worth, especially in our media-saturated society. And the messages even the youngest girls
are seeing and hearing are skewed, sexualized, and sexist.
These messages -- part of what About-Face calls the
"toxic media environment" -- are contributing to a host of girls' and women's ills, including low self-esteem, depression,
persistent anxiety over weight and appearance, extremely unhealthy diets and exercise regimens, and eating disorders. All
of these problems interfere with a woman's ability to function to the best of her abilities.
SFNOW sfnow.org thanks cohosts www.About-Face.org and www.herchurch.org for this brilliant opportunity for Bay Area girl and young women! Please invite your friends! RSVP recommended,
space is limited
The Living
Goddess
The Works of
Marija Gimbutas
Next CourseTBA
Sunday
afternoons 4:00 – 5:30 PM
A Woman's Eye
Gallery Annex
Ebenezer Lutheran,
678
Portola Dr. San Francisco
Marija Gimbutas’
work on the Neolithic cultures of old Europe (6500 –
3500 BCE) reveals evidence of peaceful, woman-honoring, Goddess-worshiping, and egalitarian civilization that existed for
thousands of years without war. The primary text will be “The Living Goddesses”
by Marija Gimbutas. Facilitator is Pastor Stacy Boorn of herchurch.
Topic schedule:
Sacred Symbols, Goddess Language
Matrilineal Society and Religion
Documentary “Signs out of Time”
Minoan, Celtic, etc.
Goddess, Faith, Feminism
for more information
contact Pastor Stacy Boorn at
415-731-6470
sboorn@aol.com
The Living
Goddess
by Marija
Gimbutas
University
of CA Press
The Language
of the Goddess
Marija
Gimbutas
Thames &
Hudson
The Once
and Future Goddess
Elinor
W. Gadon
Harper Collins
Making Connections:
EEWC
Evangelical & Ecumenical Women's Caucus
FROM EEWC's website:
Our Mission
We support, educate, and celebrate Christian
feminists from many traditions.
Our Purpose
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to encourage and advocate the use of women's gifts in all forms of Christian vocation.
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to provide educational opportunities for Christian feminists to grow in their belief and understanding.
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to promote networking and mutual encouragement within the Christian community.
Our Statement of Faith
We believe God is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all.
We believe God created all people, female and male, in the divine image for relationship with God and one another.
We further believe our relationship with God was shattered by sin with a consequent disruption of all other relationships.
We believe God in love has made possible a new beginning through the incarnation in the life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, who was and is truly divine and truly human.
We believe the Bible is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is a central guide and authority for Christian
faith and life.
We believe the church is the community of women and men who have been divinely called to do God's will, exercising their
gifts responsibly in church, home, and society, and looking forward to God's new creation.
We Are Christian Feminists
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EEWC affirms that the Bible supports the equality of the sexes.
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We believe that our society and churches have irresponsibly encouraged men to domination and women to passivity.
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We proclaim God's redemptive word on mutuality and active discipleship.
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We value inclusive images and language for God.
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We advocate ordination of women and full expression of women's leadership and spiritual gifts.
We Are Inclusive
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EEWC is evangelical because our formation was rooted in the belief that the Gospel is good news
for all persons.
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EEWC is ecumenical because we recognize that faith is expressed through a rich diversity of traditions
and forms of spirituality.
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We offer a community of safety for all who have experienced abuse, marginalization, or exclusion by Christian churches.
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We have discovered that the expansiveness of God calls us to be an inclusive community.
We Welcome You
EEWC welcomes members of any gender, race, ethnicity, color, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, religious affiliation,
age, political party, parental status, economic class, or disability. Our biennial conferences sustain our spiritual
connectedness and foster our learning about critical Christian feminist issues. Our quarterly newsletter, EEWC Update, provides Christian feminist news, thought, and inspiration. EEWC members network with and support each other
through local chapters, regional events, and the Internet.
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