Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/52581
Virtually PW ᑀᑀᑀ BY ABBIE WATTERS laity interested in exploring how the church is evolving and expanding met at Stony Point Conference Center in New York, for an "Un-Conference." At the end of two days of worship, fel- lowship and exploration, partici- pants met in smaller groups to discuss how we could be of service to the greater church. I joined Katie Mulligan, Janet I Boren, Margaret Aymer, Sonnie Swenston-Forbes and Laura Viau in a group that focused on using social media (electronic-based communication tools) to expand and enrich current programs in the church. In true form for peo- ple planning how to connect through social media, we expanded our meeting to the vir- tual realm, conferencing with oth- ers on Twitter. In our off-the-cuff, one-hour planning session, we hoped that by using our social media contacts, we could find 15 or so women who would be interested in doing the Horizons Bible study virtually. We reasoned that if 18 or 20 women wanted to participate, we could split into two groups. Katie created the "Presbyterian Women Interest Group" on 32 n May 2011, an ecumenical group of about 75 clergy and Facebook, adding the planning team as members. She posted, "We are interested in forming a Presby- terian Womenᑀs Circle online through a Facebook page or pri- vate blog. Most of us know almost nothing about Presbyterian Women, but would like to become connected in this way" (May 19, 2011). Two days later, we had 150 members, and the rest is, as they say, history. A New Way to Be PW Our small planning committee grew into a slightly larger steering committee, who parceled out vari- ous administrative jobs (accepting new members, monitoring post- ings on numerous threads and pages, etc.). By the end of the month, the interest group had more than 250 members, and today we have more than 400 members nationwide. The group has many members who aren't members of traditional circles, and some who are. The vehicles for the virtual Bible study also have expanded. Women indicated interest in both Face- book and blog-based Bible study, but also in studies via Skype (videoconferencing) and Second Life (a virtual world where users can interact). Not surprisingly for Presbyte- rian women, discussions and dreams quickly turned to finding ways to have mission-focused groups within the interest group on Facebook. Members of the group posted about their areas of interest and where they felt the church was being called. Today, there are five subgroups for mis- sion: Antiracism, Ableism, Justice and peace, Implementing Amend- ment 10A, and Spiritual disciplines. The Presbyterian Women Inter- est Group continues to grow, both in numbers and in strength. We look forward to finding ways to living out God's call in a faithful (virtual) community of women. I hope to see you there! Abbie Watters is a third-generation member of Presbyterian Women who is passionate about building up the first generation of virtual Presbyterian Women. Join the Presbyterian Women Interest Group! Go to www.facebook.com and search for "Presbyterian Women Interest Group." Click on the "Ask to Join Group" button in the upper right corner of the page. Once your request is approved, get ready to meet your virtual sisters! what one pw i s doing