International Association of Women Ministers
Office of the President
150 Andrus Drive
Freedom, PA 15042
pastor.galbraithcordes@gmail.com
December 2023
Dear Sisters in Ministry,
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them light has shined.”
Isaiah 9:2
These days there seems to be so much darkness, conflict, and violence in our world. The daily news about the wars in Palestine and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, Sudan and Somalia, Afghanistan and the Congo, and so many other countries and places around our world, are heart-breaking. Life often feels far removed from the ‘Peace on Earth’ we sing about and hope for. Let us pray together:
God of Justice,
Give strength to those whose long work for a just peace might seem fruitless now.
Strengthen their resolve. Do not let them feel alone.
God of Love,
Let us burn incense, not children.
Let us break bread, not bodies.
Let us plant olive groves, not cemeteries.
We beg for love and compassion to prevail on all your holy mountains.
God of Mercy,
Help us to choose life over death,
and restoration over destruction. Amen.
(from an ‘Evening Prayer for Healing and Peace in the Holy Land’
by the Sisters of St Joseph, Baden, PA)
As sisters of IAWM let us also pray for one another and our ministries. Our prayer calendar invites us into praying for one another and to let our sisters know with a little email note that we are doing so. What a wonderful way to uplift and encourage one another!
Many thanks to all who have joined together for our two digital on-line gatherings with members from all over the world participating on May 1 and November 1, 2023. Please join us for our next virtual gathering on February 1, 2024.
I would also like to invite you to join us for our upcoming assembly in Vieques, Puerto Rico this coming June 2024. We will gather for worship, fellowship, and mutual encouragement. We will break bread together and be blessed by our speakers from Barbados, Cuba, and Jamaica to be nourished in body and spirit. Please sign up soon! See you in Puerto Rico!
May you know God’s peace this Advent and Christmas season,
Margarethe Galbraith-Cordes
IAWM President