On Sunday afternoon, R. and I sat together in the circle of chairs we had formed on the veranda. We were waiting for our covenant group to begin, but tea was being served (a Kenyan/British custom I could learn to love!) and our group was gathering slowly. R. was quiet for a while after I said hello, until suddenly, she looked up and asked me a question.
“Do Unitarian Universalists ordain women?”
I was surprised; all of us on the leadership faculty had introduced ourselves as ministers, including myself and Jill McAllister from People’s Church in Kalamazoo, MI. But I was coming to understand that most of the leaders we were working with were known as ministers in their emerging congregations–but that had nothing to do with ordination.
So I answered simply, “Yes, we ordain women. I’m ordained.”
Her shy smile grew broad and full. “You are ordained?” She asked as if she could not believe it.
“I am. So is Jill. Half of the UU ministers in the United States are women,” I told her.
“This is good! Here in Kenya, many of the churches do not allow the women to stand in front of men. They say God did not mean women to preach. But in our church, I am the Sunday School teacher, I am the preacher, too!” Suddenly the woman who hardly said a word in our covenant group had a great deal to talk about.
“You are learning to be a Unitarian Universalist leader,” I told her. “In our churches, women preach and lead, just as men do.”
Later, during check in, R. held the stone in her hand and spoke. “I am happy today,” she said. “I have learned that the UUs ordain women, to be the ministers of their churches. And I am asking God to give me the strength, so that I will grow and be a leader.” And she smiled at me with confidence.
