Early in the Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women, launched in 1988 by the WCC, Ghanaian theologian Mercy Oduyoye had invited men and women in the churches together to "roll the stone away". Now, more than six years later, the former WCC deputy general secretary asserts that most of the stones barring women's full humanity are still in place. That feeling was shared by 21 feminists from the ecumenical movement who met in Geneva in January to evaluate the Decade's impact on the churches and the WCC, and to suggest how to continue through and beyond 1998.

The group of "ecumenical mothers and sisters" agreed that although the decade is encouraging solidarity among ecumenical women, it is also revealing unknown depths of resistance to women's full participation in church and society. Heightened awareness of the issues, the result of activities around the world (including a round of mid-decade team visits), may have produced more lip-service than a real "internalising" of decade goals by male church leaders.

Aruna Gnanadason. executive secretary of the WCC Women's Programme, cited two events to show that "western male theology" is alive and well and "systematically upholds patriarchy in church and society'.

In January women theologians from the Presbyterian Church in Malawi staged a peaceful walk to their synod with a petition for equality in training opportunities, pensions, health care, housing, salaries... and acceptance of women's ordination. "We are entering 1995 with the hope that the church, which is the body of Christ, will bring healing to all its members," the petition said. The synod rejected their demands and subsequently suspended all the women.

The story of the Minneapolis (USA) "Re-imagining "conference (see ONE WORLD, May 1994) is familiar to many. For Gnanadason, "the negative reactions to Minneapolis express the fear of women's organised voices, and of their commitment to challenge basic theological formulations that lie at the heart of their oppression of women."

The Decade aims at enabling the churches to free themselves from sexism (along with racism, caste-ism and classism) and encouraging the churches to take actions in solidarity with women. Should it succeed, the way to women's full participation would surely be open.

Yet inbuilt and deeply-rooted resistance, the group noted, has meant that, in practice, it is women who are raising the issues with church leaders rather than the latter making commitments and carrying them out. So much so that some critics have charged unfairly, that women have "taken the decade away from the churches"!

On the success or failure of the decade to get churches to join in solidarity with women, former director of the WCC Women's sub-unit, Barbel von Wartenburg-Potter (1980-1985), thinks it should be viewed as a link in the chain, as one campaign in a long-term struggle. In this sense, the decade carries forward the momentum launched by a WCC sponsored consultation on "Sexism in the '70s" (Berlin 1974), and continued by the 1978-81 WCC study on the "Community of women and Men in the Church".

"I see our work as a spiral.focusing at different times on particular issues, using different approaches. The decade is moving us upwards in the spiral", Barbel remarked. As to what to do up to and after1998, she pointed out that 'We're not looking for new issues. None of the old ones have been properly worked through yet. We must search for new and imaginative ways to continue that task".

Barbel von Wartenburg-Potter noted that as they broaden and deepen their study of the Bible. women are discovering just how much of it has been used to justify sexism and violence against women. The group agreed on the need to expose clearly "the theological legitimation of contempt or abuse of women's bodies". The effort to convince "male church leaders and theologians that this issue belongs to the heart of our life together as Christians" must use "carefully articulated arguments" they said.

"Churches are far from recognising that they did something wrong to women in the past", von Wartenburg-Potter continued, "male church leaders still don't truly internalise that sexism is a sin, in the same way that racism is a sin, and that sexist theology is related to violence against women in the same way as what the church taught about Jews killing Christ is related to the Holocaust.

The existence of different theologies is recognised", she adds. "Women are allowed to bring their findings to the ecumenical movement. But feminist theology is still considered marginal. We need to push for a real dialogue between contextual theologies, of which western male theology is only one".

Reporting on the situation within the WCC itself, members of a staff advisory group on women's concerns testified to the survival of hierarchical and competitive styles of work and leadership, and to the difficulties encountered in efforts to recruit more women executive staff. A mid--decade team visit to the council itself is planned.

As well as "theological reconstruction" another urgent task up to and beyond the end of the decade is to explore the meaning of solidarity between women. The question of whether "women in the church" can say "we", can legitimately claim unity in the light of cultural, economic, social, ideological and religious or denominational differences, is a recurring one., and has not been adequately dealt with.

Aruna Gnanadason noted that some universal "life issues", like violence against women, can bring women together. Others, like lack of food, land, health care or education, separate the haves from the have-nots. Participants felt that the decade has not paid sufficient attention to such differences. It needs to acknowledge and identify them, then determine "if in spite of what separates us we can still find common ground".

The group affirmed that women in the ecumenical movement should be united in commitment to justice, peace and the integrity of creation UPIC). 'We are in solidarity with the victims, not the oppressors-.

The participants spent some time reflecting on how to convey the decade experience to the WCCs Eighth Assembly in 1998. Participants were eager to "make visible the 50 years of active participation of women in the history and shaping of the ecumenical movement" through publications, exhibitions and drama.

Throughout the decade women have voiced overriding concern about violence against them as women. The issue not only deserves plenary presentation, or some other prominent platform, but should be incorporated into all aspects of the assembly, from worship to work on other issues, from Bible study to official statements.

"Getting down to brass tacks", the group insisted on the need to ensure that adequate security measures are taken to prevent sexual harassment at the assembly and, at the same time, prepare the WCC officers and business committee to cope with such acts if they occur.

Toward the end of their time together, participants found themselves wrestling with a question that reflects many of the doubts and discoveries of the decade: could an act of repentance, a public confession of the sin of sexism, be programmed into the assembly?

After a long debate about reconciliation and forgiveness and what a redeemed community requires in the way of confession and committed action, the group finally agreed that, questions of form aside, "none of the churches are ready for this". Barbel von Wartenburg-Potter asked: "How can we have a public confession of the sin of sexism when we (the churches) have not yet discussed it theologically?".

So, the struggle continues inspired by the continuing commitment of many pioneers of women's participation in the ecumenical movement, .as fresh and angry as ever". and of younger women ready to enter the spiral.