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October
2007
A
great conference on Women. Power. Peace!
by
Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss
Hello
Friends:
I
just returned from an exhilarating experience at the
WiLL/WAND national conference in Washington D.C.! We
were over 200 strong, with about one hundred women state
legislators, about one hundred women activists and advocates,
and about 15 young women.
We
discussed everything from the cost of the Iraq war to
our priorities as women for our nation and the federal
budget. We heard from women announcing their candidacy
for Congress, from young women interested in running
for office one day soon. And some of us gathered at
a dine around dinner in a Washington home to discuss
faith and the politics of peace. Many visited Capitol
Hill on Tuesday to talk with elected officials about
downsizing Pentagon bloat and funding the true priorities
of our nation.
For
this month’s web column, I want to share with
you my
remarks from a panel presentation I made at
the conference.
I
also want to remind you that October 8th
marks a day of interfaith fasting and prayer for
a season of discernment in ending the Iraq war and
bringing about peace. Fasting and prayer
have long been spiritual practices that have deepened
my faith, and I believe that this day has the power
to transform our thinking about war and the roles
we play in standing up for peace. If it’s
your first time fasting, consider just forgoing
one meal, spending that time in prayer, and donating
the money you would have spent on lunch to a group
that is working hard to create change. Together,
I believe we can!
In
Peace,
Amanda
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Amanda
Hendler-Voss
Faith Communities Organizer
Rev.
Amanda Hendler-Voss is the Faith Based Coordinator
for the Women’s Action for New Directions
Educational Fund and the Minister of Christian
Education at First Congregational United Church
of Christ in Asheville, NC. She is a graduate
of the master of divinity program at Candler School
of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, where
she received certificates in the Black Church
Studies and Church and Community programs. Her
studies have taken her to London, England and
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. |
Amanda serves as a member of the Wellspring Clergywomen’s
Alliance of the Black Church and Domestic Violence Institute.
She has a background in case management and experience
working with people with HIV/AIDS and single parent
families. Amanda is ordained in the United Church of
Christ. |
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