May 2, 2011 | Being the Church
Take a moment and close your eyes. Imagine for a moment that you have unable to see with your natural eyes. Tell me what you see. How does the darkness make you feel? Does it overwhelm you? Does anyone sense anything beyond darkness? At the count of three, open your...
Apr 28, 2011 | Encouraging Words, Great Women in History
“Treasure hunter.” Those two words might best describe what I do at the American Baptist Historical Society. More technically, I process collections. But that doesn’t sound nearly as fun as “treasure hunter.” Many of the collections that arrive on our doorstep are a...
Apr 19, 2011 | Being a Minister, Being the Church
Written on the altar of what remains of a Catholic church in Ntamara, rural towns outside of Kigali, Rwanda, are the words: “if you knew me and you knew yourself, you would not have killed me.” These words are a powerful emblem at site where mass murder took place...
Apr 15, 2011 | Great Women in History, The BWIM Book Club
The Lord gives the command; great is the company of women who bore the tidings. Psalm 68:11 (NRSV) Earlier this spring I was sitting with a congregation in Durham, North Carolina listening to a “call sermon” by a student. She began by telling the story of the woman at...
Apr 13, 2011 | +Pam Durso, Being a Minister
This past Monday I was part of a conversation about women ministers and compensation. Several women spoke of their experiences in negotiating their compensation packages with churches. I was struck by the words of one woman who talked about the culture of secrecy...
