Wednesday Festival: All Hallow's Eve

I’m one of the new team hosting the Wednesday Festival and will contribute in those months where there is a 5^th Wednesday!  My name’s Jemma.  Fourteen years ago I was ordained a deacon in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, and a year later a priest.  Before coming to China, I was an ecumenical university chaplain.  I currently serve an international, multi-denominational, liturgical church in Beijing. 

One of the things that happens in pastoring an international congregation is that you experience the world’s news in quite a different way.  Chances are you now have personal connections with the regions affected.

Many of us have been watching and waiting with friends and loved ones as Superstorm Sandy has made an impact.  Sister Sarah writes about the people she has been in ministry with in Haiti here  and has several other posts about the impact of Sandy and the work of first-responders on her blog.  Carmen writes about Sandy from Virginia.  Our best thoughts and prayers are with those of you whose communities are now facing the aftermath of the storm.  

US electoral politics seem to have involved a lot of commentary on women’s bodies and reproductive health.  Marcia shares from a survivor’s perspective in an Open Letter to Politicians about Rape.  Marci writes about women's bodies.  

Also around the ring, there are conversations about anniversaries.  Milton's church celebrated their 125th anniversary and he wonders how to measure the life of a church.   Kristin at Liberation Theology Lutheran reflects on her parent's 50th wedding anniversary.  At Shuck and Jive, marking a much more painful anniversary, John reflects on life four months after his son took his own life.    

As always, the RevGals are praying at our prayer blog.  You can find a prayer in the aftermath of Sandy on that site.  Torn between the magnificence of the world, and the horrors, Marcia prays here. 

A final note, if you have a creative streak and ideas for a book's title, Jennifer Harris Dault is asking your views here as she brings a book about Baptist women's call stories to completion.