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16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women
30 November 2012
Speaking Peace
I declare that these lips of mine, O God,
Will be used to speak peace in my home, community,
Church and world_______
Help me to respect other’s preferences,
Habits, feelings, expectations and personalities.
May my words bring healing into relationships
That have been
broken by
Misunderstanding, conflict, backbiting, and anger.
Through the Prince of Peace I pray. Amen
Cynthia E. Cowen
Go into the world with Peace
Go into the world with peace_________
And take Peace to a world that needs it.
Go into the world with Hope__________
With human dreams to carry you and
God’s presence before you .
Go into the world with Love____
Serving those in need, making amends,
And reconciling all that is broken! Amen
Barbara Raschke
photo credit: Media:photobucket
posted by communications on Friday, November 30, 2012 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women
PRAYER
Merciful
and compassionate God
We
are moved by the memory of sisters
Who
have suffered at the hands of others.
Open
our ears to hear their cries,
Open
our hearts to lament their suffering.
Grant
us courage to be women of faith
Who
use their lives to bring healing, justice, mercy,
And
peace to all your daughters and sons.
We
pray in memory of her
and
in the name of the Risen Christ.
Horizons 2003-04
photo credit: Media:photobucket posted by communications on Thursday, November 29, 2012 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women28 November 2012 In silence we cried, "Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by?" (Lamentations 1:12) Lamentations
We bring the tears of women________
Our tears as victims of sexual
slavery and trafficking,
Of
discrimination, marginalization and honor killing,
Our tears
for those women and girls who have no choice
To
dress, work, or study what they please,
Our tears as
we are burdened with poverty,
Tirelessly seeking food for
children and family __
As the world decides on going to Mars
Of the tallest buildings and
reinventing star wars_
Is it nothing to you all you that
pass by?
We bring the tears of women ______
Our tears as we watch our islands
being destroyed
by nuclear testing and
colonization__
We bring the tears of Indigenous
women
for the loss of our culture, our
wisdom and strength,
Is it nothing to you all you that
pass by?
We bring the tears of women_______
Of those who survived and those who
never made it.
Our tears as victims of war and conflict,
Our tears as women whose stories were never told,
Our tears as women struggling to
survive
Of monsoons that failed, of crops
that were destroyed,
Of heavy debts and no work____
Is it nothing to you all you that
pass by?
We bring the tears of women________
Our tears as we cry for our country,
Our tears as we cry for our children
Lost in the war
Lost in the fight for liberty
Or somebody's war that we don't
understand!
Is it nothing to you all you that pass by?
Decade Festival in Harare
posted by communications on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women
27 November 2012
Often we are struck by the gentleness, understanding, calmness and concern that Jesus showed to women, children, widows, the old, the sick, the maimed and the people whom society would not care to look at. He was at ease with people, the elements, the trees, birds and animals and also dealt with spirits. He proved that being gentle and kind is not a sign of weakness. This poem brings out all that is gentle and loving, caring and comforting, and speaks of His ultimate sacrifice of dying so that we get new life......
 Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you:
You are gentle with us as a
mother with her children
Often you weep over our sins
and our pride:
Tenderly you draw us from
hatred and judgment.
You comfort us in sorrow and
bind up our wounds:
In sickness you nurse us, and
with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying we are
born to new life:
By your anguish and labour we
come forth in joy
Despair turns to hope through
your sweet goodness:
Through your gentleness we
find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the
dead:
Your touch makes sinners
righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy
heal us:
In your love and tenderness
remake us.
In your compassion bring
grace and forgiveness:
For the beauty of heaven many
your love prepare us.
A Song of St. Anselm
*Liturgical Resources :
United Church of Christ in the Philippines
posted by communications on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women
From peace in the home to peace in the world: Let’s challenge militarism and end violence against women.”
25 November-10 December 2012
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We invite you to kindly participate in the '16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women!' which is a common 16-day global movement of reflection, prayer and action towards overcoming violence against women in church and society, promoted by The World Council of Churches (WCC), The World YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF).
The CCA-EGY is also encouraging your participation as it challenges us to reflect on the collective responsibility of every individual, cutting across cultural, social, political and geographic divides, to ensure that violence is eliminated from the world both in word and deed. This also reminds us of the atrocities women have to suffer because of their bold and courageous stands on controversial issues, the latest being young Malala, the Pakistani girl who defended the right of a girl child to education; while some have to suffer in silence, within the four walls of their homes.
In December 1999, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) adopted Resolution 54/134 proclaiming 25 November as the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, calling the world to account for violations of human rights manifested in often unreported and unacknowledged life-denying experiences faced by women of all ages. The date of 25 November was selected because on that day in 1960 three Mirabal Sisters were assassinated by the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (1930-61) in the Dominican Republic.
The 16 days of activism also include 6 December, the anniversary of the 1989 massacre in Montreal when 14 women engineering students at the Ecole Polytechnique were murdered and many others wounded by a student who claimed that he was “fighting feminism”. These and other significant dates, acknowledged and unrecorded, are incorporated in the 16-day observance along with three related UN observances: International Women’s Human Rights Defenders Day (29 November), World AIDS Day (1 December) and International Human Rights Day (10 December).
In 2012, the 16 Days of Action are shaped by the UN global theme: “From peace in the home to peace in the world: Let’s challenge militarism and end violence against women.” The focus is both on sexual and so-called “domestic” violence as well as sexual violence in and after conflicts (expressions of the sub-themes tied to the UN global theme).
The resources prepared by the WCC and its partners focus on violence against women in three particular manifestations:
1. In human trafficking and sexual slavery in contexts of economic injustice
2. In sexual violence and rape in the context of conflict where women’s bodies become a part of the battlefield
3. In sexism and dehumanization of caste systems in the context of racism and classism;
The Resource kit may be downloaded from the link provided:
The EGY Desk plans to have a collection of prayers, poems and reflections on these concerns. In addition a thought on 'Violence against Women' will be published on this page till International Human Rights Day. December 10th.
Please feel free to send prayers, reflections etc. to Communications desk: <susanjacob@cca.org.hk> or <sunila@cca.org.hk>
posted by communications on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Gender awareness
The Gender Awareness workshop is now in the final phase.
18 Participants coming from the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand,
Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are strongly committed to conducting follow up programs in their
own context. Dr. Yong Ting Jin from
Malaysia and Rev. Philip Peacock from India, facilitators of this
workshop, have been faithfully accompanying the participants in reflecting on
this concern and also in drawing their plans of action as they return to their sending churches/organizations.
Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat
Lebang, CCA General Secretary led a Bible
Study on the first day. Dr. Kambodji,
CCA Consultant on HIV/AIDS shared the growing concerns on HIV/AIDS in Asia,
including the gender aspect on the spreading of HIV/AIDS, and the call for
Asian churches to respond urgently to this pandemic disease.
posted by communications on Friday, November 23, 2012 Gender Awareness
Gender Awareness
Building an Inclusive Community:
Partnership of Women and Men in God’s Mission
November 19-23, 2012
Bangkok, Thailand
A Gender
awareness workshop on Building an
Inclusive Community: Partnership of Women and Men in God’s Mission, is now
being held at the Christian Guest House at Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop, which is the first in a series of
three workshops scheduled for the years 2013-2015, aims at encouraging and facilitating Asian
churches in promoting gender justice and building an inclusive community of
God’s people.
These initiatives take into account the Gender
inequalities that have deep historical roots in every corner of the world,
particularly in Asia. These inequalities limit the rights of women to chose and
decide on issues that matter most in her life and force her to be hemmed in by
social, traditional and cultural taboos.The struggle for gender equality
continues to be viewed as a women’s struggle. Men have more often been viewed
as part of problem, but it is important that they are seen as part of the
solution.
At the same it is also important to understand why cultural
stereotypes do not allow most men to reveal their soft side and their emotions
for fear of being criticized. The
struggle for inclusive communities and gender justice belongs equally to both
women and men. Building strong partnerships requires that both women and men
play critical roles and work together in ways that are positive, progressive,
respectful and healthy. The Churches in Asia have been slow to recognize and
accept gender as a critical issue within the church. Life in its fullness for
all, demands that churches take this matter seriously and in earnest.
Therefore these significant workshops that
are to be held in each sub-region will promote
theological reflections on the partnership of women and men in
prophesying, healing and reconciling in church and society; provide space to
re-examine gender roles within the family, church and society; build capacity in promoting gender justice in the
life and ministry of the churches and communities and provide opportunities for
shared ministry and new ways of together being Church.
The
workshop is being facilitated by Rev. Dr. Philip Vinod Peacock and Rev. Dr.Yong Ping Jin, both experts in the field, and Ms. Sunila Ammar, Exec. Secretary
EGY.
posted by communications on Tuesday, November 20, 2012 Annual Meeting of the International Committee for the FLC
The 32nd International Committee for
The Fellowship of the Least Coin (ICFLC-AM)
Annual Meeting at Nassau, Bahamas
October 12-20, 2012
CCA takes pleasure in congratulating Rev.Yamina Apolinaris of Puerto Rico (CLAI) who was elected to serve as Chairperson of the International Committee for the Fellowship of the Least Coin (ICFLC) for two years; and Rev. Dr. Asinate Samate of Tonga (Pacific Conference of Churches) elected as Vice-Chair for a year. May God bless you and guide you as you take up these prestigious posts.
The annual meeting kicked off with a Workshop on the first day, in which twenty-two Bahamian women, from YWCA led by Rosalie Fawkes and WDP participated. The evening was spent in ecumenical fellowship with local ecumenical leaders, both men and women, in a sumptuous dinner with Bahamian music and dancing at the Breezes Hotel. The fellowship evening was presided over by Sr. Annie. We had the privilege of being welcomed by the Director of Religious Tourism, Mr. Dwight, and by the President of the Bahamas Christian Council, Rev. Dr. Ranford Patterson. Camille Lady Barnett, president of Bahamas AIDS Foundation, and Sonia Brown of PACE Foundation, shared the justice issues in Bahamas and their work in addressing the issues. Cora shared about the Vision and Mission of the FLC.
The beginnings of a dream….
What was new and exciting in this 32nd ICFLC AM, was the decision to print and publish an FLC book for children. If 2010 was dedicated to assisting in the continuing education of young women through scholarships, the year 2012 focused on widening the circle of prayer for justice, peace and reconciliation to children. In keeping with this, there was a proposal to introduce the FLC concept to children as a motivation to pray, to encourage them to think about the sufferings of others around the world, pray for them, and share for good causes with however and whatever little they have. With the help of Susan Jackson-Dowd from the Presbyterian Women and a small committee, the concept paper and proposals were presented and approved. It is hoped that the book will be launched in Manila by 2014.
Business as usual
Reports were presented by the President, Treasurer, Executive Secretary, and all the participating ecumenical organizations. All reports were received with much appreciation. The ICFLC expressed gratitude to the World Council of Churches Finance Team-- to Elaine Dykes, WCC Finance Director, Yasmina Visinand, Treasurer, and to Rosemarie Peclard, who has already retired—for all the work of love that they have done for FLC.
The ICFLC prayerfully studied and allocated grants for 37 projects for justice and peace for the year 2013. A special grant for the WCC Pre-Assembly Women’s Meeting in Busan was approved. ICFLC will also be attending the event as the 2013 Annual Meeting is scheduled to be held in Korea. Three young women respectively coming from Thailand, Cuba and Tuvalu will receive FLC Scholarship Award for Young Women.
A word about the participants
Apart from the officers, the ICFLC welcomed new members: Marilyn Lariviere, National President of the Church Women United-USA; Marilyn Fortin, Vice Chair of World Day of Prayer International Committee; Susan Jacob, Communications Consultant of Christian Conference of Asia.
The ICFLC-AM was enriched by the presence of guests: Dr. Fulata Moyo, Programme Executive for World Council of Churches Women in Church and Society, as Bible Study leader and presenter of “Looking forward to Busan”; Susan Jackson- Dowd, Communications Coordinator of Presbyterian Women (PW) as consultant for FLC book for children project; and Djamillah Samad, National Executive of Church Women United-USA and Sr. Annie and Annette from Nassau from the Bahamas. Ms. Esther Kilaghbian of Lebanon could not attend due to visa problems.
With gratitude
The meeting closed with prayer and expressions of appreciation and much gratitude to the FLC Women, Convenors, Officers, former ICFLC Members, to the Hosts and to all who prayed and worked to make the 32nd Annual Meeting a success. And most of all, to Holy God whose mercy and grace brought us all to the Bahamas, gave us strength and wisdom and kept us safe through the meeting.
posted by communications on Monday, November 19, 2012 |
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