With the calling into existence of the Churches' Ecumenical Decade in Solidarity with Women, the WCC Central Committee gave visible expression to the concern that church women have had since the early years of the ecumenical movement. Sarah Chakko, an ecumenical woman activist of the Syrian Orthodox Church in South India, was among the first of a long list of women to ask the churches to look deeply into the question of women's place in the church, and from there followed a never-ending succession of events and people who constantly reminded the institutional church that women longed to play a more meaningful part in it, one that would allow them to use their special gifts to enrich the community and make it more truly inclusive. Milestones along the way include the WCC conference of 1974 on Sexism in the 70s and the study on the Community of Women and Men in the Church (1978-81) which underlined the need for a better understanding of the true nature of that community and called for on-going study and consultation.

This was followed by ecumenical participation of governmental conference which marked the end of the UN Decade of 1985, 'Equality, Development and Peace'. which helped churches to measure the gap between their engagement in questions vital to women's lives and that of secular organizations. Church women were beginning to feel the need for more solidarity from their churches as they struggled against the injustice of existing economic and social systems.

Thus the Decade is a sign of the growing need to re-define the relationship of the institutional church to the majority of its members, who are women.

But the Decade is more than that. The Decade challenges the churches to take a clear position, through word and action, on critical issues which fix the parameters of the lives of many women. Challenging situations of injustice is basic to the practice of Christianity. That is what the Decade calls the churches to, with renewed emphasis on empowering women to become partners in the work of transforming the lives of men and women, both in the church and society.

Today the media reports with mind-numbing regularity stories symptomatic of a global crisis: war, racial and ethnic strife, poverty, hunger, starvation, violence against women and children in the home, or public expressions of such violence in the growth of the sex industry, pornography, rape. These too are the issues which women cite when they look to the churches for solidarity, They are the issues which women from the regional ecumenical bodies identified as crucial when they met last February in Geneva to reflect on the Decade as we approach its mid-point.

Specifically, in Africa, women are the principle providers of food, health care, cash to pay school fees; they are the guardians of culture. For these women in this time of a global economic crisis, survival is the issue. Tools for survival ie economic literacy, leadership training, income generation, land, international solidarity, are uppermost on the agenda.. The churches in Africa are called to support women as they organize around this agenda: in some parts of Asia church women are mobilizing across national boundaries around the issue of migrant workers, sexual exploitation (cf. .'comfort women), poverty. In Europe questions of racism, ethnicity, changing economic systems and the worsening situation of women are priority concerns. Church women in Eastern Europe are learning about networking with women in the international community and similar examples can be cited from other regions.

Women's participation in the decision making structures of the church, and the inclusion of their theological perspectives are among the goals of the Decade. Inclusive language in the liturgy of the church is an issue in many places. Its absence sharpens the feeling of pain and exclusion many women experience in the church. Discussions about the ordination of women are taking place in many churches where this is not practiced. For many women the question of ordination remains a measure of the churches' fundamental understanding of the nature of ministry. Women on both sides of the question will not be used as scapegoats in discussions on church unity.

Confronted with situations of crisis everywhere, women's response has been to come together and to support one another to attain common goals. In many places, church women, with an unerring sense of the need for solidarity, have not hesitated to join women in the secular movement in actions for justice, peace and reconciliation. Some examples:

1. a global campaign to bring the question of violence against women to the international agenda has marshalled the support of thousands of church women and women outside the church. They are seeking to put the question of violence against women as an abuse of human rights on the agenda of the 1993 meeting of the UN World Conference on Human Rights. The campaign continues and increases in momentum.

2. church women joined women from secular movements at the World Women's Congress for: a Health plan to develop the women's Agenda 21, a blueprint for incorporating the women's dimension into local, national and international environment and development decision-making into the next century.
"We are deeply troubled by the increasing quality of life disparities between inhabitants of industrialized nations and by the growing numbers of poor within the rich countries. In all instances, women, children, minorities; and indigenous people are the chief victims".

In 1995 women's groups will once again hold the centre of the world stage when they meet at the official LIN conference on the status of women in Beijing. T hey will assess the implementation of the forward-looking strategies which emerged from the 1985 conference in Nairobi marking the end of the UN Decade for Women. Church women's groups will be present at a parallel conference of non-governmental organizations. The Decade has reinforced global networking and solidarity among church women and women in secular movements as well as among Christian women and women of other faiths.

In the WCC itself, the Decade is the business of all the staff. Women's concerns and perspectives are to be included in all of the programmes, from the planning stage to final implementation. Much work has been done to ensure that the liturgical language Inside the WCC is inclusive. Mechanisms are in place to monitor staffing policies, and workshops to raise awareness about gender roles, sexual harassment in the workplace, and participation in the decision-making bodies are taking place regularly. A brochure on sexual harassment and violence against women has been produced in four languages and is used at all WCC meetings. We are learning from the work done by many women's groups around the world.

Throughout 1988-89 the WCC received reports of enthusiastic events to launch the Decade; they came from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle east, North America, Latin America. The ceremonies, often worship services, followed by workshops or discussion groups related to the situation of women, were often attended by men who hold powerful offices in the churches. The Decade brochure has been translated into several languages besides the four official languages of WCC, including Arabic, and is widely used, as is the worship resource book, one of WCCs most popular publications. Women have continued to work with a great deal of energy on the issues most pertinent to them in their regions. Sadly, after the first spurt of official acknowledgment, the churches have left the work to the women, with few exceptions. And there are still churches which have not taken any official action on the Decade.

In Brazil last spring, the Anglican Church held a Worldwide Anglican Encounter on the Churches' Ecumenical Decade in Solidarity with Women. Several speakers acknowledged that the Decade is not doing very well. While some churches have given more visibility to women this has not made much difference in the power structures. As quoted "there Is still a long journey ahead if we are to become a truly whole and inclusive community" This observation holds true unfortunately for many of the churches. They have left the work of the decade to the women, but have not provided them with the necessary financial, structural and administrative authority to effectively carry it out.

Many church women have resigned themselves to being second-class members, with much of the burden the practical work, and little say in the decisions that make the difference. Some have left the church altogether, Others have found a more satisfying home in Woman-Church. Still others stay, determined to struggle on because they cannot imagine a life outside the church. But how long can one assume that they will continue to work in their churches, trying to bring about change in the hearts and minds of those In power that is necessary for transformation? Especially if they see no sign of such a change.

But now, at the half-way mark of the Decade, women are trying to find ways to infuse new life into its remaining years. At the meeting of women's representatives from the regional ecumenical bodies, a plan for more intentional dialogue with the churches about the Decade was worked out. Termed the Mid-Decade Reflection Process, it has since been approved by the executive and Central committees of the WCC. The plan has been hailed as one of the most important and ambitious tasks the WCC and the churches have set for themselves. It includes team visits to each of the WCCs ca.300 member churches over a two year period, beginning in June 1993. In addition, a team is also to visit WCC headquarters In Geneva to assess with the staff how far the aims of the Decade have been pursued there. The staff team on women of the WCC has been called on to prepare worship materials for use at Mid-Decade rededication services, to be observed between Easter and Pentecost.

Detailed plans are now being worked out to determine the composition of the visiting teams, their preparation, the reporting process. Funds are being sought, and the collaboration of the member churches will be an essential factor in the success of this operation. The women and men involved in planning and carrying out this process are dedicated to the goals of the Decade and determined to make it work. The undertaking is not without risks and calls for great sensitivity If we are to get the churches on board.

Someday, at the end of the long journey to inclusive community when women look back at the ground covered, they will be able to note the milestones along the way. The consecration of the first Anglican woman bishop, Barbara Harris in the US; that of the first Lutheran woman bishop Maria Jepsen of Germany to name a few; the ordination of Anglican women in South Africa, Australia and the UK, the first woman to become General Secretary of the WCC; a transformation in the church itself which makes it a caring force in the community, not just an efficient administration. That day, women will remember and honour the myriads of nameless women and men whose belief in the essential nature of the church as an inclusive community finally prevailed. That is why we need the Churches' Ecumenical Decade in solidarity with women.

Ref: Decade Link. No 12, 1992 p.14-16.
Published by WCC Unit III Justice. Peace and Creation