ELCA Young Women "See Visions"

PHILADELPHIA (ELCA) -- In a perfume-scented room, 150 young women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gathered to curl and braid hair, and apply body glitter and tattoos while discussing some of life's tough issues like depression and anxiety, preventing sexual exploitation and the role of motherhood at "Young Women Seeing Visions" at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel here July 8-14.
Planned by "young women for women" and others who support young women's ministries, Young Women Seeing Visions is a special track at the Women of the ELCA Fifth Triennial Gathering here July 8-14 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Women of the ELCA's three-year theme, "Listen, God is Calling," is being unveiled at the gathering amid Bible study, keynote addresses, workshops, field trips, business sessions and elections scheduled during the week. More than 3,200 women from across the United States and around the world are participating.
"The purpose of Young Women Seeing Visions is to create space to nurture young women's spirituality. A sub-goal is to generate ideas on how to bring young women into the life of Women of the ELCA," said Dianha Ortega, associate director for youth leadership and spiritual formation, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries, Chicago.
"Some young women tend to feel lonely in the life of Women of the ELCA, which has organized activities for women of different generations. Young women strive to be in fellowship with women of all generations," Ortega said.
Women shared ideas in a process called "Open Space Technology," which involved creating topics for discussion and assembling small groups to discuss those topics until a "natural conclusion is reached." Participants attended discussions that most appealed to them. Topics ranged from children's ministry to gang violence, from depression and anxiety to preventing sexual exploitation. The outcome of the discussions will be consolidated to form a "report or resource" for Women of the ELCA.
"We hope that the report or resource will be helpful to the women's organization. We want members of the organization to understand what is on the hearts and minds of young women," Ortega said.
Sara J. Humphrey, 17, Joy Lutheran Church, Tulsa, Okla., said she attended Young Women Seeing Visions and the Triennial Gathering to "keep her mother company." Humphrey's mother is participating in the Triennial Gathering and business sessions.
Humphrey said she discovered that Young Women Seeing Visions is important because "women and children are the way of the future." She said she formed a special bond with other women her age.
Women as young as 18 months to 80 years of age participated in Young Women Seeing Visions. The average age was 30. Women gathered in a room adorned with photographs and lines of women clothing, such as business suits, jeans, doctor scrubs and "home wear" to represent "women's diversity."
In the "Girl Room," participants engaged in activities that included applying a semi-permanent henna tattoo and storytelling. "The purpose of the Girl Room is for participants to understand that women need women in the most basic human ways of caring for one another. So many traditions and rituals, such as adoration, storytelling and the decoration of our bodies, have been lost throughout the years," said Ortega. We hope to revive some of those rituals here, she said.
Participants also took part in the activities of Women of the ELCA's Triennial Gathering such as worship, workshops and "Convention Without Walls" -- experiences designed for women to move beyond the Pennsylvania Convention Center into the surrounding Philadelphia community. -- -- -- Editors: Photographs from Women of the ELCA's Triennial Gathering are maintained at http://www.elca.org/wo/events/tg/tg02/connect/photos.html on the Internet.

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