Bad, bad Kelsey... I belatedly realized that in all the mayhem that has been my life recently, I missed International Women's Day on Tuesday. So in this little blogsphere, today is our celebration of International Women's Day.

Conveniently for me, the latest issue of Presbyterians Today ran a feature entitled "The Church's Pioneering Women" for Women's History Month. This highlights the struggles of women to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), on the eve of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of women ordained as deacons (1906), the 75th anniversary of women ordained as elders (1930), and the 50th anniversary of women ordained as ministers (1956).

The article by Amy Starr Redwine highlights Margaret Towner, the first woman ordained in the northern branch of the Presbyterian Church in 1956. Even though key clergy in her presbytery supported her ordination, the article says, "Many people felt that only a man could visit hospitals and perform weddings and funerals. And the only time Towner was allowed in the pulpit was the Sunday after her ordination when she gave the benediction" (16). Yet Towner continued to serve, and inspired other women who followed. You can read the entire article at www.pcusa.org/today/cover/cover.htm.

The feature also points out other women who paved the way, like Rebecca Reyes, who became the first Latina woman ordained to the ministry in 1979, and Thelma Adair, who in 1976 became the first African-American woman to moderate the northern branch's General Assembly. Adair spent her year as moderator bringing issues of justice and civil rights into the larger church's discourse.

Today, those of you who grew up Presbyterian don't really think twice about women's call from God to be ministers. In fact, by 2025 the denomination estimates that over half of all active ministers will be women. Yet statistics also indicate that the larger a church's membership, the less likely it is to have a woman as its head pastor or co-pastor. Is this because women like serving in smaller congregations, or because there are lingering prejudices that prevent women from being called to the "tall-steeple" churches? As we see the continuing feminization of the ministry, what will this mean for the way we understand and express our faith?

One final thought-- as a program, NNPCW stands on the shoulders of these women. It was their perseverance, their determination to answer God's call in their lives, that allowed us to pursue our vocations as leaders in the church and society. So thank you, Margaret Towner. Thank you, Katie Cannon, Sarah Dickson, and Rebecca Reyes. Thank you, Holly Haile Smith and Thelma Adair. You truly are some of the foremothers of NNPCW.

"Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." --Joel 2:28

Kelsey