Above Board: Not just another meeting

by Katie Yahns

A few months ago, we here at The Young Clergy Women Project decided to search for a new tagline to express our mission. Our previous one included a reference to the institution that had given us the initial grant, so with the conclusion of the grant, we needed to update our materials. It was also a chance to reinvent ourselves a little bit, to encompass both how far we'd come and where we planned to go next.

The winner, far and away, was Sarah Kinney Gaventa's suggestion of: “The Young Clergy Women Project: Because you're not the only one.” (Although a close runner-up was “Pulpits: They're not just for boys anymore.”) Everything we do, both online and in person, is structured around this mission: to remind young clergy women all over the world and in every denomination that they are not alone.

After choosing this new tagline, the full board of The Young Clergy Women Project gathered in St. Louis earlier this month. Gathering, meeting, and working together side by side were powerful symbols to each one of us that, indeed, we are not alone.

This particular board meeting was not linked to a preaching conference for young clergy women, as the last two have been. While the sabbatical from a conference was unfortunately necessary, I can't help but wonder if this allowed the board meeting to shine a bit more brightly in its own right. This was where the social time happened, the catching up, the getting to know new people, all of those things. Each year we have grown as a board and incorporated new members, some of whom are very newly ordained. We now have three years of institutional memory as a board. That's enough time to consider ourselves an established group and have success stories to share!

Let me be personally honest here. I have been a member of the board since its inception, but I wasn't able to attend the first board meeting in 2007. In 2008, I attended the board meeting and was a bit overwhelmed in meeting everyone for the first time, although it was a great experience. It was rewarding to make those connections in person for the first time, but I found it difficult to step out of my shell and begin actively participating. It was wonderful, but quiet.

As I arrived in the airport for the 2009 board meeting, I felt similar to the way fellow board member Susie Shaefer described feeling in her essay on last year's conference. I finally knew who was who, but would the other members remember me? Would I feel overwhelmed like last year, or would I be able to contribute more actively? Should I have done my homework by keeping up on their blogs more? As we assembled, I realized the knots in my stomach had loosened, the conversation was flowing, and I was looking forward to three days of working with these amazing women. It would be hard work, but I had a feeling it would be worth it.

With this 2009 board meeting now complete, I now feel more integrated and invested in the project than ever. The new directions we are heading are invigorating. (You'll get to read more about them in an upcoming article from Fidelia's Sisters managing editor Ann Bonner-Stewart at the end of this month.) The new mix of clergy women on board is a thriving, creative, amazing group of leaders. (Plus, they are loads of fun to hang out with!) At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, if you are reading this, you should know that there is a fantastic group at the helm of this project, working hard to create a supportive environment for you and your young female colleagues.

We are not the only ones. Such a simple statement, yet easily forgotten in the pull and push of everyday life. In our pastoral roles, reminding people of the basic reality that we are not alone is a foundational piece of what we do. And yet we need to remind ourselves of this repeatedly, to avoid the isolation and burnout that can happen so easily in our roles. This unique group both supports and stretches me, understands me and pushes me at the same time to remind myself that I am not alone.

Katie Yahns serves as the pastor of Lake Erie Lutheran Parish in western New York. She thinks mowing the lawn should be recognized as a spiritual discipline. Especially if you get a massage afterwards.

Do you have a great story about family or friends that relates to your work as a young clergy woman? Share it with us at theoneswelove.ycw (at) gmail.com. We're on the lookout for new submissions!