World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women 15th World Assembly

“Arise and Shine, for the glory of the Lord is upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

This is the theme of the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women (WFMUCW), launched at the 15th World Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand. And what a fitting theme it was. Women from around the world gathered together, and the light that shone from these incredible women could be felt throughout the entire week.

I had the privilege of spending two days before the Assembly began training the newest group of Helen Kim Memorial Scholars (HKMS). Fourteen young women sat together on that first morning, in silence. They came from different countries, cultures and backgrounds, each carrying their own stories.

I worked closely alongside Martha Dobboh (Liberia) and Janice Auva’a-Walters (New Zealand) to put together the HKMS programme. Over those first two days, we prayed, worshipped and learned together through different sessions about the Federation, leadership and what it means to be a woman of faith in today’s world. We began to see those fourteen women use their voices and more importantly, find one another.

Later in the Assembly, Revd Tara Tuautari, President of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, reminded us that we must “claim our space and then occupy it. Occupy it the way light occupies a room. Without apologies or permission from the darkness.”

The light of those girls certainly shone in that place.

They shared their hearts with one another; the hurt, the struggles and the hope they carried. They may have started those two days sitting together in silence, but they left them in joyous laughter; the kind of laughter that comes when strangers become friends, and friends begin to feel like sisters.

That joy, the joy of being surrounded by sisters in Christ, was reflected on a much larger scale as more than 500 women from around the world gathered at the Assembly. Squeals of joy echoed throughout the Due Drop Events Centre as women reunited. Friendships formed at previous Assemblies and Area Seminars were rekindled, new friendships were made, and together we worshipped our Heavenly Father.

Throughout the week, we heard from a number of women who helped us unpack what it means to arise and shine. The President of the Methodist Church in New Zealand, Ms Te Aroha Rountree, reminded us that we “arise with the prayers of those who came before us.” And the evidence of those prayers, and of the work, courage and faithfulness of the women who came before us, was all around us.

We were reminded that we do not arise alone. We stand on the shoulders of women who prayed, who served, who spoke out, who created space for others and who carried the light of Christ before us. Now it is our turn to carry that light forward.

Throughout the week, God’s presence was tangible. His light shone as women from different nations, cultures and generations came together as one.

And now, as we return to our homes, our churches and our communities, my prayer is that we do not leave that light behind in Auckland. Instead, may we carry it with us. May we allow it to shine through our words, our actions and the way we serve those around us.

Because the motto of the WFMUCW has always been: “To know Christ and to make Him known.”

So, women of Ireland, let us arise. Arise and shine, for the glory of the Lord is upon you.