When people are gathered for an art party, one may imagine paint, canvases, and brushes, or at least some paper and scissors. Since Bryant Holsenbeck was involved, something would be repurposed. But, despite official assurances that the artist herself would be there to guide and assist, I never thought all present would have the opportunity […]
Event
The Language and Practice of Self-Care
On a rainy Sunday afternoon in March, Mothers, Sisters and Daughters gathered in a circle for an event sponsored by RCWMS: “The Ministry of Black Women’s Self-Care.” Despite the chilly weather conditions and with myriad personal arrangements made to ensure our attendance, we responded to the invitation. Like a call to prayer, the call to […]
The Story of Now
We gathered in the sanctuary of Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church in the middle of Durham. We were a small group of mostly strangers and mostly women drawn by the topic of “The Story of Now,” a connection to RCWMS, and singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer. I met my 22-year-old daughter in Durham as a respite from her […]
Roots & Branches: RCWMS 40th Anniversary Celebration
This year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of RCWMS. Forty years! Amazing. Born of a spark of imagination, inspired by a conversation between RCWMS founder and leader, Jeanette Stokes, and her mentor, Helen Crotwell, the Resource Center has endured for forty years. Founded to support the small and growing community of women clergy in […]
Financial Fitness for Young Women
Money, death, taxes–all topics most people prefer to avoid. However, Lisa Gabriel and LisaMarie Smith, along with a group of under-40 women, confronted these realities head-on in a workshop on Tuesday, September 12, 2017, at the RCWMS office. Ms. Gabriel and Ms. Smith, of Pinafore Wealth Counsel of Durham, provided a hybrid format which gave […]
The Art of the Condolence Note
One Thursday evening in July, eighteen women gathered at the RCWMS office to consider the condolence note. When I first signed up for this workshop by Carol Henderson, I think I was hoping for a lecture on the science of writing to the bereaved. But, alas, as Carol demonstrated, writing is an art, and one […]
Dolphins
Every January, May, and September we host a week of quiet and writing for women at the beach. This essay, written by one of the participants at a recent writing week, gives a glimpse into the careful observation and deep reflection that can occur during these workshops. Dolphins Pelicans, in a long, low-flying line, skim […]
Coming Out of the Shadows
On an unseasonably hot Saturday at the end of April, sixty people, many of them new faces to RCWMS, gathered with our full queer, spiritual selves, to sing, share, and re-imagine our stories and faith journeys. “Coming Out of the Shadows: Connection and Spirituality Among LGBTQ Communities,” our first ever LGBTQ festival, took place at […]
Turning Points
Last fall, a group of women whose ages spanned six decades gathered every Monday evening for four weeks to write, explore, and share in a safe and supportive community. Out of these gatherings came a booklet of deeply personal and moving poems and essays. Below is one of the short essays featured in this collection. […]
Maura Wolf May 2015 East Coast Book Tour: What Matters Most
At the end of May, Maura Wolf will be touring the East Coast for intimate and lively readings from her new book What Matters Most: Everyday Leadership at Home, at Work, and in the World. About the Book What matters most today? In the midst of striving for success and reaching for fulfillment, how do […]
Moments Magnified
“Evocative, sensual, suspenseful.” That’s how Carol Henderson described strong writing to 25 women who gathered on the first day of spring for Carol’s annual Resource Center weekend writing intensive. Many of the women were veterans of Carol’s writing workshops and dove in eagerly. Entitled “Moments Magnified,” the two-day workshop encouraged participants to write powerful vignettes […]
Masks & Mirrors
What happens when you bring together a yearning at RCWMS to showcase someone’s art, a gorgeous venue, and the idea that a day should be designated to celebrating women in the arts? “Masks & Mirrors,” that’s what. “Masks & Mirrors: Works By Mary Jane Rivers & Friends,” which opened on March 15 at Cassilhaus, a […]
Art Weekends at the Beach
During the last week of February, a large beach house on Emerald Isle—with a magnificent view of the sound in one direction and a one-block walk to the beach in the other—was filled with pencils, pastels, acrylics, watercolors, charcoal, pens, and blank canvases. By the beginning of March, a revolving cast of women had explored, […]
Befriending Death
What would it look like to befriend death? That was the question presented to a circle of women on at the first session of a series of workshops sponsored by RCWMS on January 18th. Titled “Befriending Death,” the series seeks to explore how we may spiritually, mentally, and emotionally grapple with the realities of death […]
Epiphany Labyrinth Walk, January 6, 2015
In the Christian tradition, Epiphany is the celebration of the visit of the three wise people to the baby Jesus. Epiphany comes from ancient Greek meaning “manifestation” or “striking appearance.” We use the work in English to denote a striking revelation. We invite you to walk a labyrinth this year on Epiphany and to let […]
20th Annual Interfaith Celebration of Community, Spirit and Change
A week before the Solstice, the Resource Center hosted the 20th annual Interfaith Celebration of Community, Spirit and Change at Beth El Synogogue in Durham. We had to keep adding chairs in ever widening circles around our eclectic altar, to welcome the largest crowd we have seen in years. Over eighty-five people gathered with us […]
Homegrown: NC Women’s Preaching Festival
RCWMS is excited to sponsore the 2014 Homegrown: NC Women’s Preaching Festival. In October of 2012 and again in 2013, over 65 North Carolina clergy women gathered for two days of celebrating, learning, worshiping, and community building. Participants commented that the festival was “refreshing,” “healing,” and “overwhelmingly wonderful.” Attendees represented the African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Episcopalian, […]