Sophia Network

The L word - Wisdom for women in leadership

We launched the Sophia Network in 2007 and we currently have around 800 members. We started with a specific focus on empowering and encouraging women in youth work, because that's where we saw the need. Ever since we began, membership has been open to any women who want to join, but we know that our strapline 'wisdom for women in youth work' has understandably put some people off and made them think the network is not for them.

So from today, our strapline will be 'Wisdom for women in leadership' to make it clearer that this network is for all women who are in positions of leadership, who aspire to be leaders or who believe that women can be leaders.

Overall, our aims will stay the same:

• We'll provide support, resources, encouragement and training opportunities for Christian women in leadership - whether you are in formal leadership positions or not, working in the Christian sector or elsewhere, established as a leader or aspiring to be one, younger or older.
• We'll advocate for women in leadership and for the full equality of women and men in the church, challenging those who restrict the contributions of women deliberately or more subtly.
• We'll continue to focus on the challenges that young women and girls face because we think we should all be concerned about the generations that follow us.

But hopefully now more women will be able to benefit from the Sophia Network! And we believe that the network will benefit from an increased diversity of women. So if you've been put off by the Y word - youth work, we hope you'll be feel welcomed by the 'L' word - leadership.

Sophia Network - wisdom for women in leadership

Retreat day for women in leadership in the North West

Sharon Prior is part of a group who are organising a retreat day at Cliff College on Saturday 14 July for women in leadership. She says:

'For a number of years we have found ourselves talking with various groups of women in different places, walks of life and professions in the North West discussing how to encourage, resource and motivate Christian women who are leaders in their workplace, homes, communities and churches. We are hoping this might be the beginning of a journey for some and the continuation of a journey for others. An opportunity to consider our own leadership, and to encourage others who are in leadership.

We are planning this day to be a retreat with input, space, food, time together and time alone. We are also hoping this might be a springboard to something more lasting in the support of Christian women leaders in the North West'.

Download a flyer about the retreat for more information. The retreat lasts from 10am to 7:30pm and refreshments, lunch and an evening meal are all included for just £25. You'll need to book a place in advance: email admin@nwba.org.uk or call 01942 221 595

Fabulous 40 for Lent from Claire Alcock

Claire is a curate in Oxfordshire and during Lent she is blogging each day about a faithful female from the Bible. She says: 'Here's a challenge - can you name 40 faithful females from the bible? On the first attempt without looking anything up I ground to a halt at 29....Come on ladies, there must be more of you! Eventually I came up with a FABULOUS 40 - one for each day of Lent. So here goes...', and kicks off the series with Eve. You can follow her posts on her blog here: www.parttimepriest.blogspot.com

I've added Claire's blog to members' blog role here. Browsing through these blogs is a great way to get to know other women, and I'm sure we're missing quite a few. So if you're a member of the Sophia Network and write a blog, leave details in the comments below and I'll add you to our blog roll.

Another regional meeting - this time in Bournemouth!

Ruth Wells will be hosting a bring and share Sunday lunch, with an opportunity to meet other local Christian women.
When:  Sunday March 11th; 1.30 – 3pm
Where:  The Stourvale Centre, 108 Stourvale Road, Bournemouth, BH6 5JB
Who for:  All local women interested in talking about men, women, quality and healthy relationships.
Contact:  Ruth Wells ruthwells@rocketmail.com

Download the flyer if you want to send the details onto anyone else.

And click here for details of other Sophia gatherings happening soon in London, Sheffield, Bourne and Oxford.

Events: Student careers day in London and International Women's Day in Stoke on Trent

Two events for your diaries:

St Paul's Hammersmith, London is hosting a Student Careers Day on Saturday 24th March 2012, 12.30 - 17.30

Open to all university students, it's going to be an amazing day of practical investment and wisdom. Whether you want to explore what an earth your vocation is, or you've already pretty certain of where your heading after university, this day is for you!

Explore your shape, consider the challenges of different careers and being a Christian in them, and spend time exploring the big world of life after university. The program of the day will consider an extensive array of careers, topical issues, and above all how to walk as a Christian where ever you end up!

For more information and to register online, visit the St Paul's website. For more information/ flyers e-mail rachel.martin@sph.org

Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures - International Women's Day Workshop at Staffordshire University
Monday 5th March 2012, 9.15am – 12.30pm

Join the Creative Communities Unit at Staffordshire University as they celebrate inspirational women of the past and present. Be a part of the discussion on how we continue to support young girls and women of our future to be both inspired and inspirational themselves. It will be an interactive session including a variety of inputs, discussion and creative activities. The workshop is free but places are limited. Please book to ensure your place.
The Learning Exchange, L225 Flaxman Building, Staffordshire University, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE
Download a flyer for more info. To book call (01782) 294793 or email creativecommunities@staffs.ac.uk

Sophia gatherings - Sheffield, Bourne, London and Oxford - come and join us!

We'd love to see Sophia members around the country hosting gatherings of women in leadership to facilitate learning, networking and support. Here are some opportunities over the next few months:

Sheffield
Sharon Prior and Nel Shallow run a regular Sophia Network gathering in Sheffield.
When: Thursday 22 March, 10am to 12 noon
Where: Broomhill Methodist Church, Fulwood Road, Sheffield S10 3BD
Who for: All women in youth and children's work or other types of leadership are welcome.
Contact: Sharon Prior sharonprior1@btinternet.com or Nel Shallow nelshallow@googlemail.com

Bourne, Lincolnshire
Sophia Network East Midland Regional Day - new group starting including free lunch!
When: Saturday 24 March, 10.00 coffee, 10.30 Start - 13.30 Finish
Where: Jeans Youth Cafe,  (Upstairs at The Butterfield Centre,) Bourne Lincolnshire PE10 9AP
Who for: all female childrens and youth workers including CYM Students.
Contact: Jennie Fytche: jennie.fytche@btinternet.com for further details. Please book in for the day ahead by March 17th so we can cater for a yummy lunch!!
 
London
Jenny Baker and Lydia Corbett are organising a trip to the All Work and Low Pay exhibition at The Women's Library in London. Come and find out about the story of women in work and discuss it afterwards over a drink.
When: Thursday 1 March, 6:20pm for the tour that starts at 6:30pm
Where: The Women's Library, London Metropolitan University, 25 Old Castle Street, London E1 7NT - meet in the foyer
Contact: Jenny Baker: jenbaker@btopenworld.com. Please book a place if you'd like to come. Tour is free; you'll need to buy your own drink afterwards!

Oxford
The Female Youthworkers Initiative is a networking and peer support meeting for women in youth work/ ministry in Oxfordshire and welcomes Sophia members (although the group is not open to youth work students to enable those who tutor them to have a safe space to meet.)  They meet a few times each term and the coordinator is Hannah Woods: HannahWoods@oxfordyouthworks.co.uk. The next meeting is in February - please email Hannah for details of date, time and venue

How can women respond to violence against women? What would you do?

On his blog, Carl Beech tells the story of what happened when he and a colleague, Dean Gray, were on a tube train and saw a woman on the station being treated with violence by a man. They got off the train and confronted him, stood their ground when he threatened them and stayed with the woman until someone arrived to take him away. They asked other men on the train to support them, but none of them did.

Carl says: 'I pray the lady was ok.  I hope she leaves that man.  I hope he had a wake up call.  I pray that one day there will be a big enough groundswell so that these incidents become fewer.  I hope that more men will be prepared to confront rather than shrink away. When I read Luke 4:18 I dont see a passive call to justice.  I see a call to stand in the gap when we need to and take a hit if necessary, even putting yourself in harms way if thats what’s required.  That seems to me, to be a redeemed use of my strength.'

I'm so grateful that Dean and Carl were prepared to take a stand and to confront violence. Reading their account, it wasn't easy and they felt vulnerable but didn't back down. I feel heartened that they responded in that way and it reminds us, if we need reminding, that not all men are violent and aggressive, that violence against women is abhorrent to most men, and that it's only some men who do that kind of thing.

And I'm left wondering what I would have done in that situation, and in fact, what I could have done. If it's hard for two men to stand up to a violent bloke, how much harder is it for a woman? If other guys on a tube train won't support two men confronting violence, would they rally to support a woman who asked them to take action?

I hate the thought that in that situation I wouldn't be able to do anything constructive for fear of being on the receiving end of violence myself. I hate the reality that so often in the narrative of domestic abuse men are the violent perpetrators and women are the passive victims - I don't recognise myself or most of the men I know in that narrative and I appreciate that makes me very privileged. I wonder if our culture has taught us to fear men and has made us passive, when in fact if we made a stand we would be heard?

So I'm interested to hear from women - what would you have done in that situation?

And I loved reading this story from Natalie Collins of Restored, who overheard an abusive conversation in a coffee shop, prayed for the woman to be kept safe, and then talked to her and gave her contact details as she left. That's something we could all do - carry details of Restored or local domestic violence agencies to hand out to women that we meet who might need them.

Responses to John Piper's 'masculine Christianity'

There's been lots of talk on twitter and blogs in the last week about John Piper's assertion that 'God has given Christianity a masculine feel.' I've watched it from afar, but haven't had the energy to pitch in!

So I'm glad that others have and just wanted to flag up three excellent contributions:

Vicky Beeching has a great conversation happening on her blog in the comments. She concludes: 'Driscoll, Piper and others are saying we are in a crisis as there are very few young men in our churches. They say their teaching is an attempt to win them back. Yet at the same time many of my educated, gifted and thoughtful female friends are feeling less and less welcome in Church culture. So if we aren’t careful, this ‘masculine Christianity’ teaching may well attract the young men back in, but at the expense of the women who are feeling increasingly disturbed patronised and excluded by the rise of this kind of teaching. And for the sake of them, I write this.'

Krish Kandiah asks 'Is Christianity supposed to be masculine?' on his blog with a very respectful and thoughtful post where he recognises the riches that he's received through Piper's ministry but spells out why he disagrees with him on this issue. After quoting Colossians 3:9-12, he says 'For Paul it would seem that a predominantly masculine Christianity would betray the logic that Christ is all and in all. In fact it is interesting that the traits that Paul mentions to describe the people of God here (renewed, holy, beloved, compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient) aren’t those that Piper mentions for his masculine Christianity. Piper’s selective reading of scripture means he could end up promoting a deformed Christianity rather than a fully biblical one. Something I am sure he would not wish to see.'

And Rachel Held Evans issued a challenge on her blog to men to respond to what Piper has said. 'I’d especially like to hear from men this time. I think it’s important for those who are advocating an exclusively masculine Christianity to see that not all men agree with them. It’s also important for those of us who have grown weary of being treated like second-class Kingdom citizens to be reminded of the fact that there are indeed many Christian men out there who support and celebrate women in the Church.' Update: over 150 men responded - read what she says here.

Greenbelt's looking for more speaker applications from women

Greenbelt is an incredible annual festival celebrating arts, faith and justice which takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend at Cheltenham Racecourse (although maybe I'm slightly biased.) Each year they invite applications from artists and speakers who would like to be part of the festival. Each year more men than women put in applications to be part of the speaking team, and this year they have had even fewer applications from women than usual. Greenbelt is keen to work towards gender equality across all parts of the programme, so are actively looking for more applications from women who have something to say.

You can find out how to apply on their website here, you can see who spoke at the festival last year here, and you can find details of last year's subjects here. Spread the word - if there's a woman you know who you think has got something to say point her towards the Greenbelt website. Deadline for submissions is 15 February 2012.

February update

After our January series on empowering women, we're back to normal for our February update.

• Jenny Baker sums up the empowering women series - who are you empowering?
• Claire Rush interviews Ruth Gilson, director of Girls' Brigade England and Wales
• Gary Bott asks if there's a need for the Solomon Network, for people working with boys
• Caroline Atkins reviews Bible Heroes and The Princess Plan from SU

Enjoy!

Empowering women series - time for action!

I loved gathering the stories for the empowering women series that we ran on the blog last month. Some of them had me punching the air with joy, others brought tears to my eyes and all of them lifted my spirits. We've had some great feedback and I hope that the series will lead to lots more people being liberated to use their gifts. Here are some of my thoughts as the series comes to a close:

• Empowering people is often costly. I spoke to someone last week who gave someone she works with a juicy speaking opportunity that would have looked great on her own CV. 'I was really pleased that she rose to the occasion and did it brilliantly, but inside I was gutted for myself!' she said. Can we be secure and generous enough to give away opportunities and to trust God for the outcome?
• There are lots of empowering men out there! I've been really encouraged by the number of men who have given opportunities to women, who have encouraged us, advocated for us and given us a kick up the backside when we have needed it - thank you! And please keep going - we need you.
• Words are incredibly powerful, for good or ill. Sometimes the simplest of phrases have had a profound effect on people, probably far beyond the realisation of the person who said it. I've been challenged to think about how I can build people up through what I say, and to consider the damage that disparaging remarks can do. 
• Take the opportunity to say thank you. If this series has reminded you of someone who made a difference to you, then please take the time to tell them about it and thank them for their input into your life.
• If no one is empowering you, then be proactive! Not everyone has had someone who has invested in and empowered them, but if that's you please don't feel sorry for yourself; do something about it. You don't have to wait for someone to offer to mentor you; take the initiative to find a mentor. Talk to your boss or church leader about the skills or gifts you'd like to develop. Team up with a peer that you could provide mutual support to. Write to someone who has the experience or skills you aspire to and ask how they developed them.
• We don't only want to see women empowered! We've highlighted women on the blog because in some parts of the church, their gifts are squashed instead of celebrated but I hope it goes without saying that we want to see everyone liberated to use their gifts and to fulfil their potential - male and female, young and old.

I hope the series will continue to be read, but more importantly that it will inspire you to think how you can do the same for others. So, who can you empower today?

Interview with Ruth Gilson, Girls' Brigade England and Wales

Claire Rush has interviewed Ruth Gilson, director of Girls’ Brigade England and Wales (GBEW), for Sophia. She says: Ruth is definitely one of a handful of people who has encouraged me to step out in faith and trust in God’s leading. From my time as a local GB leader in Northern Ireland to my current role as GBEW’s Esther Generation Project Coordinator, Ruth has provided inspiration, encouragement and bucket-loads of grace.

Ruth, tell us a little about yourself
After I became a Christian in my teens I had a niggling push that I couldn’t get away from… to train in theology because I thought God was calling me to serve him in some particular way. So I did.

I did loads of things before coming to GB though and I’m really glad about that because my eclectic experience has really helped me in this role. One claim to fame in my past is re-curtaining the student hostel I helped manage in London. Add that to doing a feasibility study on the comparative benefits of a flat-pack or roll system for toilet roll in the hostel… and you can see how well equipped I am for leading here at GB!

My family lives in Yorkshire (God’s own land) but I hang out in Oxfordshire and worship at a local Baptist church. Life is pretty busy, but I love it as there’s so much variety in my days and I get to live with the most amazing sense of privilege about my role in GB. Even though I’ve been here a while now I still feel as if I’m in a long term master-class about serving God and leading others - and it really is stretching. This year I’ve begun a secondment to GB International for nearly half my time and have travelled a bit to see GB in action in places like Singapore, Cambodia, Australia and New Zealand.  My constant question these days is, do we ever stop emerging as leaders…?!

What is Girls Brigade all about?
God is a missionary God; therefore we’re a missionary people!  That’s been re-emerging these past few years as our ‘words in the stick of rock’. It says everything about GB’s grasp of why we’re here. Looking at our 100+ year history as a mission among girls, I think those words have always been at our heart. But, like lots of Victorian-birthed movements, we’ve had a time of re-visiting our roots to rediscover what really makes us tick. The journey has been stretching, but really worth it. We’re clear about Girls’ Brigade:

• We’re called by God to join in with his mission in this generation
• His mission is all about lives restored and transformed through encounter and relationship with Jesus Christ
• Girls and young women are our passion – and we love to see them discover just who they are in God!
• Jesus is our role model. For GB this means we want to seek, serve and follow him in all we do. Through Jesus we are transformed and become agents of his transformation in others’ lives

Isn’t Girls Brigade a bit out of date?
Don’t get me started on this one… it’s dangerous! Seriously though, I do get jaded about the casual way in which some folk disregard GB. Is it because we wear a uniform? Because we’ve been around a long time? Because we have an amazingly sustainable and holistic approach?

Article: Lets hear it for the boy! by Gary Bott

Anybody remember this song by Deniece Williams? Well you may if you are as old as me. It was a hit in 1984 and as the title suggests, its focus was on a boy.

For many years now I have seen the Sophia Network grow from a tiny acorn into a strong oak that looks to support women in youth ministry and I would take my hat off to you, if I was wearing one!

I have had the privilege of working with many good men and women in ministry who have helped shape and mould my thoughts and ideas along with a huge dose of the Holy Spirit. One person who was a helpful inspiration was Carl Beech, now head of Christian Vision for Men. I believe what he is trying to do for men in the country is really key as we look for a more balanced expression of the church.

Sophia Network is doing a great job at encouraging and assisting women in youth ministry, from helpful resources to inspirational blogs and stories from women around the world, however I feel there is a hole in the market…Boys! What are we doing for the boys? Are we giving them a hand?

At our church we have two strong brigades, Girls and Boys. I run our company section that sees 32 lads aged between 12 and 16 turn up each week to do what boys do and we have a lot of fun. My wife runs our girls senior section of GB and we are constantly discussing the issues we have in resourcing to help lead these groups. There is a lot of good stuff out there; however, I think there is a lack of something similar to Sophia Network for the men in youth work.

There are many organizations doing many good things for guys and girls, such as Urban Saints, Boys and Girls Brigade, but I’ve yet to come across something that brings it all together for the guys. I believe Sophia Network is and will continue to help women to engage with younger women in youth ministry but I’m seeing a vacuum when it comes to boys. I’ve met quite a few leaders recently who have struggled to find something helpful, in one place, one site or organization such as Sophia, so with that in mind I want to plant a seed, an acorn, a thought in your head!

Can we as youth leaders and organizational leaders come together to create something similar to Sophia, but specifically for male youth workers to give them wisdom in how they bring kingdom values into young men’s lives? This doesn’t exclude female youth workers from accessing information; in fact I would want to see more views from women challenging the way some of us guys think and act and vice versa, but the main aim would be to help, inspire, resource and grow male youth leaders/workers and how they can engage with the young men they work with.

Could we see a Solomon Network? Does that name work? That’s not for now, the question is, can we see something similar to Sophia that will enhance the way we work with young men? For them to grow as men as God intended, to use the skills, gifts and characters that have been placed in them to be as Jesus is.

So I sing with my best 1980’s voice – “Let’s hear it for the boys, lets give the boys a hand!” 

Gary Bott is the youth pastor of Billericay Baptist Church. He is married to Katie and they have three lively boys. Follow Gary on Twitter - @RevBott

What do you think? Is there a need for a network for people working with boys? Email Gary at gary.bott@billericaybaptist.net or leave a comment below.

Review: Bible Heroes by Nick Harding and The Princess Plan by Mary Taylor (SU: 2011)

These two books are aimed at 8- to 11-year-olds and describe and explain the background and major life events of a variety of inspirational people from the bible. Bible Heroes is aimed at boys and goes through male characters from the bible, assessing their ‘hero rating’ through terms of length of life, family, generosity and so on.  The Princess Plan is aimed at girls and goes through female characters in the bible, highlighting the major ‘princess quality’ of each woman.  Both books provide bible readings to support the reader as they learn about each character, although the books can be read independently of the bible.

The Princess Plan has interviews with a variety of inspirational Christian women including an author and a musician. It also provides the reader with puzzles and lots of ideas for fun craft, cooking, exercise and dancing activities!  Bible Heroes  also has puzzles and some ideas for cooking and reflective times. 

Both books encourage young people to make a difference. They cover a wide range of difficult issues such as Miriam’s jealousy of Moses and Jacob struggling with God. They give practical and prayerful advice on how to deal with these issues if the reader is facing similar situations. They both provide a number of inventive ways to pray which is great and helpful for people of any age. 

The content of The Princess Plan is well written and displayed in a fun and educational way. However, I dislike the fact that the book focuses on the secular generalisation that all girls dream of being a princess. The ‘princess qualities’ it gives each female character are loyalty, faith, friendship and so on and I see no reason why they should be named as ‘princess qualities’ rather than just qualities of God’s people.

Bible Heroes gives each male character a ‘hero rating’ and at the end gives the opportunity for the reader to rate themselves in each area and give themselves a ‘hero’ percentage.  I strongly disagree with this idea of judging and analysing other people’s characters and evaluating oneself, particularly at such a young age. I think it has the potential to be quite damaging. The end of Bible Heroes focuses on what the reader can do for God and how hard that journey will be. The end of The Princess Plan focuses on what God has done, what he will do and how you fit into his plan. I think this is more helpful and encouraging, particularly for the young age group it is aimed at. 

I think the gender separation of these books is helpful to a certain extent as it can be good to provide Christian role models of the same sex for young people. However, I think that if the content of these books were combined it would be more useful for girls and boys to learn about inspirational men and women from the bible. This could help them develop and become the people of God’s plan.

Reviewed by Caroline Atkins who is a Christian living in Bournemouth.