FireFall Vol. 9: Women Proclaiming
Online Prayer Calls; Last-Minute Advent Liturgy; The Alabaster Jar on St. Cecilia; Afua Kuma's Jesus in the Deep Forest; CBE + Mulheres e as Escrituras; Come, Stay, Fetch: The Gospel According to Dogs
I hope these weekly emails are beginning to layer deepening awareness of the chorus of women leading and proclaiming in the church and academy around the world, through time, and across denominations. Our voices pulse with good news: can you sense it?
Jesus, Light of the world, You give us the tune, the words, the rhythm. Let us raise our voices together til the galaxy itself hums along with us. Amen.
Pray, Connect, Receive: Beyond Your “Bubble”
Could you use a moment to connect with God and others? Maybe you need a fresh perspective and connection beyond your current sphere.
Here are some cross-denominational opportunities to connect in prayer online with other women or led by women:
Join a weekly drop-in prayer call for women leaders. This drop-in hour-long Monday Zoom call is hosted by Women Speakers Collective (launched by Danielle Strickland and Cheryl Nembhard). “The whirlwind of life can be relentless, but you don't have to navigate it alone. Welcome to WSC Women at the Well, your weekly oasis of prayer, encouragement, and connection.” Drop-in prayer calls are held on Zoom every Monday at 10AM PT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM BST and are a one-hour duration. Follow the link to access the WSC Zoom link.
Drop in for weekly prayer with women in the academy and professions: InterVarsity’s The Well hosts a weekly 30-minute prayer call with women in higher education. “Our weekly thirty-minute prayer gatherings have proven to be a significant place of spiritual grounding and encouragement amid the challenge and busyness of life. Join us through December 15 and check back in early 2024 for our second semester schedule.” Follow the link to access the InterVarsity Zoom link. (The Well is also hosting online discussions during Advent on Dr. Kate Bowler’s free Advent resource Bless the Advent We Actually Have. Sign up here to join a discussion; access the free online or printable Advent devotional here, regardless of whether you join online discussion. It’s called Bless the Advent We Actually Have, not the Ideal Advent We Started on Time – don’t let a late start throw you off!)
Join weekly prayer with and for global Christians – Dr. Kimberly Reisman, Executive Director of World Methodist Evangelism, hosts a livestream prayer time every Thursday at 8:00 AM ET on the WME Facebook page. Participants may share and connect through comments, praying with Dr. Reisman and other viewers around the world during this 30-40 minute prayer time.
Need a Last-Minute Advent Candle Liturgy? Dr. Tesia Mallory to the Rescue
*This is an official judgment-free zone for all still mapping out Advent worship*
Dr. Tesia Mallory, Dean of Chapel at United Theological Seminary, has shared, “Here is a free worship resource for this year's Advent Wreath [Year B]. It includes five liturgies (four weeks of Advent and Christmas Eve) and song suggestions for the season. This liturgy will fit a variety of worship contexts and styles. Feel free to edit or make changes for your context as needed.”
[Another Advent-rush reminder: if you need to carve out sermon prep or grading time, sign up for a free, quiet online co-working space at “Preachers Block.”]
The Alabaster Jar podcast – St Cecilia with Sue Diaz
The Alabaster Jar “is a weekly conversation that takes on current issues impacting women at the intersection of faith, theology, and ministry.”
“Dr. Lynn Cohick, Kelly Dippolito, and Sareen Musselman pour out their wisdom from years in ministry and academia to inspire women to continue advancing God’s mission in the world.”
Visit here or push “play” above for this English-language episode with Sue Diaz on St. Cecilia. “Sue Diaz, a research librarian and Northern Seminary student, joins us to discuss her research into the life, death and legacy of Saint Cecilia. She shares her recent experience visiting Italy and contributing to the development of a visual museum of ancient artistic depictions of women in partnership with the Center for Women in Leadership.”
Jesus in the Deep Forest: Prayers and Praises of Afua Kuma (Ghana)
I can’t say enough about this booklet: Kwaebirentuw ase Yesu: Afua Kuma ayeyi ne mpaebo / Jesus of the Deep Forest: The Prayers and Praises of Afua Kuma. It’s so evocative. I will pray differently now.
It’s some of the best poetry (epic hymn?) I’ve read in a long time, of any kind, period. You could spend months teasing out the theology. I immediately want to go back and re-read sections. Yet it wasn’t initially meant to be read - it was meant to be heard - in community.
Afua Kuma’s vivid imagery was part of oral tradition before it was written down. The Dictionary of African Christian Biography is a fantastic resource (in English, French, Portuguese, and Kiswahili); it also includes an index of women. The current featured biography celebrates Afua Kuma:
“Madam Afua Kuma of Ghana (baptized Christiana Gyane), one of the first modern African female oral theologians, ‘represent[s] the women who weave lyrics about Jesus and pour their hearts out in prayer and praise at all times and in all places, the women whose theology gets ‘reduced’ into writing by those who can write.’”
“Although the details of exactly how and when she first began performing her praises are lacking, it seems safe to suggest that she had long enjoyed the beauty and complexity of her Twi mother tongue, and had a strong poetic gifting. She also had an active personal prayer life, and at some point, recognized the adaptability and creative potential of the chiefly praise format (amoma) for Christian worship and gained the confidence to share her gifts more publicly.”
“It is helpful to consider the style of her praises, which share certain characteristics with traditional Akan chiefly praises, but which equally are her own unique creation. The original audio recordings, though not of excellent quality, help us to hear the rapid pace and musical quality of these spoken, poetic prayers, which Archbishop Sarpong describes as ‘deep words.’”
Learn more about Afua Kuma’s remarkable life and the linguistic and theological research being done on her work and language here.
Women in Ministry in Latin America: Portuguese/Português-Speaking Communities
Over the summer, Christians for Biblical Equality International held a conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil on the theme Women and Scripture: Setting the Record Straight/ Mulheres e as Escrituras: Resgatando a visão bíblica. Learn more about egalitarian theology and how women are leading in churches in Brazil here: “The Empowerment of Brazilian Christian Women Through Biblical Examples” by Viktorya Zalewski Baracy.
The video below, in Portuguese/Português and English, is a workshop led by Viktorya Zalewski Baracy at the summer conference in Brazil.
For more from CBE International’s conference in Brazil, visit here for a video of Cynthia Muniz Soares on “Jesus and Women: A Close Look at the Gospels.”
North American Conferences for Women in Church Leadership + the Academy
If you’re counting down days until you can start breaking in a new 2024 planner, be sure to check out this round-up of next year’s cross-denominational conferences for women in ministry and higher education. It will be updated on an ongoing basis.
While You Were Preaching/Unloading Poinsettias/Grading Papers
In case you missed it: Join others soaking up Dr. Beth Felker Jones’ wistful, longing Advent playlist crammed with a variety of musical styles and voices. It’s perfect for complex seasons, mixed emotions, and bittersweet gratitude and lament. Find it here, along with an exquisite, compelling depiction of Madonna and Child.
Are you a FireFall newcomer? Check out FireFall Vol. 1 – featuring the free Preacher’s Block tool; AME Women in Ministry; equity in the Christian workplace, on the Mutuality Matters podcast; a women in the New Testament Bible study; This Holy Calling, a devotional by women in ministry, for women in ministry; and testimony from Rev. Inocencia Piliin.
Christmas shopping: I’m certain someone on your list needs this children’s book from Orthodox theologian Summer Kinard: Come, Stay, Fetch: The Gospel According to Dogs. “Told through simple dog training commands and illustrated in the color spectrum that dogs are able to see, this moving board book shows our Loving-kind God Whose Incarnation is good news for all creatures!”
(If you’re interested in them for your church, there are deep discounts available for orders of 5 copies or more.)
This quick book trailer video for “Come, Stay, Fetch” is simply beautiful.
It’s a delight to offer these resources weekly, amplifying women in ministry and higher education across time, continents, and denominations.
If you’re able, will you consider becoming a paid subscriber? Complimentary paid access is shared with those who request it for equitable access to resources by, for, and about women in church leadership.
Weekly resource emails are free to amplify women’s voices as widely as possible and to keep resourcing as accessible as possible. Refer FireFall to friends to unlock a chunk of paid subscriber access.