By Jennifer Johnson
“I am the least likely person to lead a trip of women,” Gayla Congdon said during our interview. “I grew up with brothers and I”m not a “˜woman”s retreat” kind of person. I want to do something that matters.”
Apparently she”s not alone””the Women of Strength trips she started in 2012 have had to be capped at 65 people, and dozens of ladies have attended more than one. A significant number of the participants aren”t even Christians, but find the experience more than worth the investment of money and vacation time.
Women of Strength 2014 participants and other workers””representing five countries, in total””pause while working on a house in South Africa.
Actually, Congdon does think “women”s events” can accomplish something””in fact, as part of the launch of her new book Disrupted, she”s also starting “Days of Disruption,” one-day events that involve women in mission projects and end with a fair trade chocolate party and a discussion of how to stop human trafficking. Her point is not what you call the experience, but what you do with it””and what difference it makes long term.
I share her perspective. I”m all for anything that promotes genuine relationships among women and encourages them to be more like Jesus, but for me that means doing ministry out of my giftedness while being a woman more than it means attending events targeted for women. I”m more excited about a Habitat for Humanity build, elementary school tutoring session, or in-depth study of a gender-neutral topic than I am eating chicken salad and hearing a speaker.
Of course, mission trips can be just as me-focused as a ladies” luncheon if the goal is simply experiencing warm fuzzy feelings, but that”s never been Congdon”s goal. Women of Strength is not about going on a “vacation with a purpose,” she told me. These women do build deep relationships and experience a new culture, and both are valid goals. But the overarching purpose is to challenge every participant, from the 12-year-old daughter to the 85-year-old grandmother, to continue significant service after returning home.
If Barna is right, and women are now starting to leave the church in growing numbers, it”s more important than ever to help them find their place in the body of Christ. This might happen in a retreat center or at an afternoon tea, but for most of us it will happen most effectively when we”re energized by a shared mission, being changed as we work for change together.
I hope someday to participate in one of these trips. (Gayla, does your documentary producer need a copywriter?) But until then, I”m grateful for her reminder to women around the world that they do need the church, and the church also needs them. That may be planning a spa day or it may be in South Africa””the important thing is looking beyond our own preferences and working with others to meet a need. I appreciate the way Gayla is modeling this by starting these trips, and for the challenge to be a woman of strength right where I am.
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