New Year, New Beginnings

Post Author: Patricia Watson

The trusty board of The Young Clergy Women Project has been busy this year coming up with new and exciting opportunities for us to be (and fund!) our community. Here are a few of the up and coming opportunities that you might want to be a part of:

• TYCWP’s 2010 Conference! Our conference will run from later afternoon/evening of June 27, 2010, through noon on June 30, 2010 at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia.
  Need a chance to learn and connect with young clergy women like yourself?  Want the chance to re-examine, revitalize, and recharge with others who share your journey?  Then THIS is your conference.

 We’ll be blessed by the coaching of the Rev. Melissa Clodfelter and the Rev. Beth Kennett and the guidance of other colleagues as we consider what leadership looks like in 2010 and how we engage that leadership in powerful, balanced ways.

Our world and our church today sit squarely in need of a paradigm shift.  Programs and quick fixes will not work in the places we serve.  Snippets and sound bytes are not sufficient as we seek to engage our neighbors.  We must move to our great core strength and prophetic voice.  We must think about our own leadership style, what God might be calling us to do through that style, what does and doesn’t work in our ministry settings, and how we can enhance what we’re already doing to empower others as well as ourselves.

In the context of warm community, honest sharing, and probably some chocolate, this is what we’ll begin to explore in our time together.

 You’ll want to be here.  Come join us.

For more information check out the website.

• Shopping!!! We’ve opened a shop at Cafepress, with many ways to show you’re a proud supporter of TYCWP! We’ve got everything from buttons to hoodies, boxers to t-shirts, and even a doggy shirt!All profits go to support the programs that make us a community! Check it out here.
• Goodsearch is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!  Just go to Goodsearch’s website and enter “Young Clergy Women Project” in the “Who do you Goodsearch for” line, and search away! We earn a penny every time you search!You can also earn us money by shopping! GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 30 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy’s and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause. And if you download the GoodSearch Young Clergy Women Project toolbar, our cause will earn money every time you shop and search online–even if you forget to go to GoodShop or GoodSearch first! Add the Young Clergy Women Project toolbar here.

These are a just a few of the new opportunities that await us in the New Year! As a board, we pray that your New Year is filled with peace, joy, community, and many opportunities to join with other young clergywomen!

Are you an ordained woman under the age of 40? Email youngclergywomen (at) gmail (dot) com to become a member of The Young Clergy Women Project! Members receive access to a password protected online community, monthly e-newsletters, and advance notice of upcoming conferences and events.