Women make up over one-half of the world's population, yet throughout
history women have been kept out of power; they have been oppressed and
disregarded, and have often had their stories ignored. This is a tragedy
not only for women but for all humankind, because we all have much to
gain by hearing one another's stories, and by experiencing one another
in all of our rich fullness – not from a preconceived notion that one
group or sex is superior to another. This is important to note at the
beginning, because history has largely been told by men. In particular,
the stories we have preserved from ancient times tell things from a male
perspective, and often ignore women. Thus, we often need to read
between the lines and behind the words to really hear the stories of the
women who played such a significant role in the events described in the
biblical stories, and by extension, in our tradition. Of course there
are real differences between women and men, just as there are real
differences between men, and between women. We are not all the same; as
individuals, we are all different from each other. Rather than a
problem, however, we can see this as one of the greatest gifts God has
given us – the wonderful and amazing gift of difference. The sessions in
this study will invite you to explore the stories of some amazing
biblical women, to get to know them and to learn from them. How might we
live our lives in response to that?
Whenever he can choose what to do, Donald Schmidt likes to spin wool,
knit, and weave. In his spare time, he also works in ministry in a
variety of settings. He has served parishes in Quebec, New York,
Vermont, Washington, and Hawai‘i. He has also worked as an Associate
Conference Minister with the United Church of Christ, and is a retired
United Methodist minister. Perhaps his favorite ministry has been as an
editor and writer of church resources, for worship, education, and
church revitalization. He has published 3 books, and has had a few
pieces of music appear in various collections around the world. He also
loves to travel, finding that visiting anywhere new and different can
open us up to learn new things about others and, in the process,
ourselves. More recently Donald has served with the United Church of
Canada, and was Minister for Worship and Leadership Development at First
United Church in Kelowna, British Columbia. He lives in the Okanagan
Valley of BC. He is a grandfather of 8, and father of 3.