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Jan Love, Deputy General Secretary of Women's Division
Image by:Women's Division
Source: Women's Division
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On September 21 from 10-12:00 at the Oxnam Memorial Chapel of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., six leaders from the United Methodist Women’s Division - representing one-million members -- will dialogue with six panelists of the RENEW organization -- an affiliate of the Good News Network -- a conservative, evangelical group that has been calling for reform with a focus on hot-button issues for more than a decade.
In a country divided between red and blue states, and with churches divided along lines of theology, homosexuality, reproductive freedom, women’s leadership, and advocacy for social justice, is talk possible?
Jan Love, chief executive of the Women’s Division, believes that common ground can be discovered.
By working for the unity of the church, both nationally and globally, Ms. Love has a long history of reaching across deep differences to help Christians understand and appreciate their commonalities as well as clarify their differences.
“After my October 2004 speech to the Women’s Division board of directors, emphasizing healing and wholeness, and offering openness to the critics of the Women’s Division, and after I openly responded to the questions RENEW wanted me to address, they invited us to hold an open forum. We agreed, and happily so,” Ms. Love says.
Both sides have provided the other with questions for the dialogue, which range from theological differences, conservativism, accountability, political and social involvement, women’s role in the church, interfaith relations, and common ground for faith relations. Click here to view Women's Division Questions for Renew and RENEW Network Questions for Women's Division.
The two groups agreed to choose six panelists for the dialogue. Representing the Women’s Division will be:
- Kyung Za Yim, presently the president of the Women’s Division and the first Korean-American elected to the position
- Genie Bank, former president of the Division from 2000-2004
- Carolyn Johnson, president of the Women’s Division from 1992-96 and interim director of African American Studies and Research Center at Purdue University
- Joyce Sohl, former chief executive of the Division who also served as treasurer of the Division
- Lois Dauway, assistant general secretary of the section on Christian Social Responsibility, the social justice office of the Division
- Jan Love, current chief executive with experience as a professor, as a delegate to the World Council of Churches, and as a board member of the United Methodist Commission of Interfaith/Interreligious Concerns.
RENEW participants include:
- Faye Short, president of the RENEW network
- Carolyn Elias, a press representative for RENEW
- Janice Crouse, a Good News board director
- Helen Rhea Stumbo, a Good News board director
- Katy Kiser, a press representative for RENEW
- Liza Kittle, a press representative for RENEW
The dialogue has been negotiated among the two sides with an independent moderator, Amy Oden of Wesley Theological Seminary, to give the questions, monitor time, and oversee the format.
Due to limited seating, this is an invitation-only event, but live web casting will take place at http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/forum during the event.
Date posted:
Sep 13, 2005
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