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July/August response: Our Readers Write
The League of Extraordinary Unreasonable Women
by Lisa Maupin
Faithful. Loving. Prayerful. Compassionate. Daring. Edgy. Giving. Bold. Courageous. Unreasonable.
Over the last 150-plus years these are the words that have been used to describe United Women in Faith. I don’t know about you, but I think that it is pretty outstanding to be part of an organization that can hold such a strong claim to a variety of descriptors like those.
United Women in Faith, or, as I like to call us, The League of Extraordinary Unreasonable Women has a long history that is rooted in spiritual growth, social justice, and leadership development. It is from this history that we use as our foundation being change makers for the church and developing a community for women to explore and define their faith.
Courtesy Lisa Maupin
This Is Our HERstory To Tell Those Who Come Behind Us
Read Psalm 78:4 (CEB): “We won’t hide them from their descendants; we’ll tell the next generation all about the praise due the Lord and his strength—the wondrous works God has done.”
Now read Joel 1:3 (CEB): “Tell it to your children, and have your children tell their children, and their children tell their children.”
I am a product of this Scripture. You are a product of this Scripture. Think about how you were introduced to who we are or met someone that led you into the bonds of this sisterhood.
Personally, I have held a love-not-so-love relationship with United Women in Faith. My grandmother was an active member in her local church and district. Right before I lived with her for a summer, she happened to miss a meeting. And we know what happens when you miss a meeting. … She was elected funeral committee chair. That summer she experimented with recipes that could be mass produced on my grandfather and me. I have never eaten Jell-O since then.
We all have those personal stories. Those personal connections. Those impactful people who have led us to this space.
But our stories are part of a bigger story to tell to the generations. Our HERstory. Yes, you heard me right, I said HERstory.
This is Our HERstory, Built on the Foundation of Those Who Came Before Us
We are an organization that started literally on a dark and stormy night.
We started with a “No.” No, women do need keys to the church. No, we need to gather. No, we need to support other women in their efforts to educate, heal, and spread God’s love around the world.
Look at our history and look at the times when United Women in Faith stepped up and said “no” to the church—demanding a seat for women at the leadership tables like General Conference, the ordination of women, desegregating our organization in the midst of the Central Conference.
And the list goes on and on. The League of Extraordinary Unreasonable Women were agents of change to the greater church structure. We demonstrated—by being who we are and what we were taught—that what the Church told us was impossible was actually possible.
We are a group that knows our diversity and embracing our differences makes us stronger, well-rounded, and whole. We know how to have the tough conversations. We do it every time we get together and learn about immigration, mass incarceration, climate change. This is who we have been taught to be.
We Answer Our Call, Our Lessons, Our HERstory, Our Togetherness
As sisters, let us take a look at our calling and lean into the example of these fierce, loving, unreasonable warriors who came before us, who are us, and who have made change and continue to do so on a regular basis. The Psalms and Joel tell us that we have a charge, a call, to keep telling our story, to keep doing the work, and to build on the foundation of those who came before us for those coming behind us.
Be Faithful: Rely on it in the tough times and the joyful times.
Be Loving: Always look for love. Fight for it. Love not just when it is easy, but love with all your heart when it is hard.
Be Edgy: Ask questions. Question others. Question ideas. Question systems. Let me tell you there is nothing edgier than a bunch of 70-to-80-year-old women who have just finished a book from the radical United Women in Faith reading list about immigration or human trafficking.
Be Prayerful: Prayer is a powerful thing. It also doesn’t always have to be done in conventional ways. Pray without ceasing because sometimes it is in those moments of prayer you are able to reveal the raw vulnerable you to God. Oh, and you don’t always have to use words.
Be Courageous: Find your sheroes of courage. Draw on them. Learn from them. Use your strength to be courageous when you are called upon to do so. Remember courage isn’t always about the big act; it comes in small forms too.
Be Daring: It is okay not to walk the same path as others or do things exactly the same. Dare to try new things. Learn new things. Take on new concepts and ideas even if they are unpopular. Teach them to others.
Be Giving: Give others a chance to know you. Do not be stingy. Give a smile and a hug when needed. Give of yourself. Find the words behind your story and your faith and give that to others. Give others a judgement-free space to just be, to explore their faith, to let their guard down, to know love.
Be Compassionate: Take time to listen to others’ stories. Most times we do not take the time to learn another person’s story. Listen to those around you even if you do not agree with what they are saying. It will help you learn to be compassionate when no one else is. It will help you be understanding to all sides.
Be Unreasonable: Challenge things. Challenge the injustices of this world. Stand out when it is time. Stand up when you are called to do so. Be the person of faith that responds when the world is crying.
Be Bold: Shine bright. Remember who you are and embrace that boldness. Your DNA demands that you be bold and not accept a roadblock as the end. Find the bold creative solution.
Let’s face it. You all kind of want to be called the League of Extraordinary Unreasonable Women. And isn’t that a part of the bigger call that God is asking us to do as one body of a faithful community? To remember our baptism and commitment to faith, to love one another, to spend time in fellowship not just recognizing but building relationships with those on the margins?
This is what we share with the generations. Sometimes with words. Sometimes with presence. Sometimes with hugs. Always in faith. Always with God’s light beaming brightly out.
Come along on the journey. There is a cape (and a box of capes to share with those you encounter) ready and waiting for you.
Lisa Maupin is a program advisory group member in the Great Plains Conference, South Central Jurisdiction. She shared this essay with the program advisory group in March during their closing worship at Scarritt Bennett Center.
