FROM THE PULPIT: Women's Day event spreads unity across faiths
On March 8, our church hosted an event to celebrate International Women's Day. This global holiday seeks to both celebrate the tremendous advances in women's rights and justice over the course of history and educate about the critical work left to be done.
At this year's gathering, five women from our community were invited to be part of a panel discussion. Each woman was asked to reflect on what she believes to be the most significant issue women face today, and how her faith informs her response to that problem.
The discussion was insightful and rich, as the women talked about needs in education, accountability, inspiration and providing hope.
But the real beauty and power of this conversation was in the diversity of perspectives among the panelists. These women represented Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith traditions.
Among the Christian women, one is a part of a church that worships in a classical, formal style; another in a more casual, contemporary style; and a third in a traditional African-American style. Their skin tones covered five different shades of peach and brown.
Vocationally, they were a businesswoman, an FBI agent, a judge, a professor and a mother. All of them are leaders in their communities of faith, and all of them are thoughtful and passionate about the struggles of women.
As we prepared for the event, I was struck by how powerful this was, that a group of Christians and Muslims and Jews in the heart of Georgia could not only sit down together and share a meal, but could have deep conversations with each other about their faith and how it impacts our world. Every perspective was unique; everyone's experiences were honored and respected; every voice was affirmed and valued.
And, I was saddened at how extraordinary this felt, that something like this International Women's Day event seemed newsworthy instead of normal.
Most of what we hear about religion in the news is negative. We read about violence carried out in God's name, or about hate speech targeting a faith community different from one's own. Candidates use religious talk to pit themselves against one another, and religious leaders use exclusive, divisive words to talk about faith.
But on a Tuesday night in Macon, a room full of women and men joined together around a dinner table for a potluck meal and talked about the bigger issues that unite them. There was a spirit of excitement in the room, a feeling of respect and camaraderie.
I write about this event not to praise my church for holding such an event (although it does make me proud), but to tell the story that things like this do happen. These are the kinds of religion stories that I want to be hearing about in the news. These are the kinds of stories that I wish were more common.
When we recognize that we are all God's children and the image of God is in each one of us, perhaps we will listen and understand and love more deeply, and perhaps we will make a stronger, more unified impact on our world.
The Rev. Julie Long is associate pastor and minister of children and families at First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon.
This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 8:50 PM with the headline "FROM THE PULPIT: Women's Day event spreads unity across faiths ."