Women are flippin ace, don’t you think?

This week has been a week for celebrating women. 

I had the privilege of being invited to talk to a class of ministerial students about my experience and call as a female minister. I talked about how female ministerial role models are still few and far between and those women and men who have walked beside me when it’s all been really tough. 

I heard that a book of liturgy (Gathering the Crumbs) written by female baptist ministers that I’ve contributed to and have been involved in editing is off to to the printers with a first run of 1000 books (so exciting). 

And today I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with women from my community who are doing some amazing and inspirational things as we celebrated international women’s day. 

Women are flippin ace, don’t you think? 

This Sunday is International Women’s Day when women first save the date of 19th November into their head so they know the answer to the inevitable when is men’s day question before it’s even asked, and secondly we take time out to affirm and encourage, celebrate and inspire one another as we make our voices heard above the sounds of every day life where most of us are just getting on with what we need to be getting on with.

Why do we need to bother with such a day? Surely women are celebrated enough these days? 

Well.....

Recently an article was released by the UN called “Women’s Rights in Review.....” which looks at what’s happened for women across the world in the past 25 years - has the situation improved? 

Maybe a little bit, but not enough, and far too slow, says the report..... in fact in some places we’re going backwards..... 

In parliaments across the world the male-female split is 75%-25% (in the UK parliament 34% are women, 27% in the cabinet). 

32 million girls are still not in school, only less than two thirds of women have access to paid work (compare to 93% of men) and nearly 1 in 5 women encounter domestic violence. 

Inequality, climate change, conflict and politics that exclude all take women away from the tables of decision making. 

Those are just the headlines. 

If women are as ace as the stories I’ve heard this week tell, then more needs to be done. 

If women are as ace as the female Baptist ministers I know there should be more than 3 or 4 women at the larger churches conference, more than one female regional team leader and more than 16% of women as ministers. There would be equality in pay and less invisible glass boundaries. 

I live in a community where women appear to be leading the way for change. I serve in a church that has always celebrated and enabled women. I minister in a movement of churches that had passed the centenary of women entering training for ordained ministry. I am privileged, but even in my privileged position I feel the tiredness from hearing again and again stories of women stopped in their tracks simply because they’re women. 

So this women’s day, look around, listen....  because there are many more stories to tell, many more women who need to be set free to live life in all its fullness, many more women who we all might need to step aside for so they can reach the places to which they are called and so many amazing women to celebrate. 

Women are flippin ace, don’t you think?