Women At Synod Celebrate Together

At a special dinner for female CRCNA staff and delegates to Synod 2019, Denise Posie told attendees that when she was appointed to lead a new leadership initiative for the CRCNA three years ago, God equipped her for the task by bringing several women into her life that could support and encourage her.

One such woman was Joan Flikkema, a champion for women’s leadership in the denomination and one of the founders of the Committee for Women in the Christian Reformed Church, which spent many years paving the way for the eventual ordination of women and their inclusion in the denomination’s broadest assemblies. 

During the Friday night dinner, Posie, director of  Women’s and Ethnic Leadership Development, thanked Flikkema for her pioneering work and for being a mentor and supporter to her as she strives to help men and women thrive in leadership, together, for the work of God’s kingdom. 

“Right to Life is about advocating for life not just of unborn children, but throughout their whole lives,” said Flikkema in receiving this acknowledgement.  In the same way, she said, her work was about helping all people achieve “the right to a life that fully uses all of the gifts that God has given them.”

That is the same mentality that inspired Posie to organize this third annual women’s dinner during the CRCNA’s yearly synod. Attendees included female delegates, young adult representatives, committee chairs, and CRCNA employees. More than 50 women attended. 

In addition to acknowledging Flikkema, the women spent time getting to know each other and also heard from a special guest speaker, Trish Borgdorff, daughter of Janet and the late Peter Borgdorff.  Trish spent several years as director of children’s ministries for Sunshine Community CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich. She now owns Visiting Angels of West Michigan and is a member of Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids. 

During her talk, Borgdorff encouraged the attendees to use this coming week as a time to explore their own stories, and to listen with intention and integrity to the stories of others.  

Being a leader in church ministry, she said, can be a blessing and a curse. 

“Sometimes I think being on church staff, leadership, elder, deacon, can leave ruins for many years to come,” she said, citing how her time on staff at a church have now made it harder for her to worship without thinking about all of the background work going on. 

In the same way, she said, delegates should be mindful of the impact that their personal stories might have on their conversations and interactions. This includes their time at synod. 

Borgdorff also used the example of her own tattoos to remind attendees that everyone has a personal story.  If you see someone’s tattoo and don’t know anything about it, you might be judgemental, she said.  But once you ask someone about their tattoo and get to know the story behind why they have it, you begin to understand something essential about them. 

Her own anchor tattoo is a reminder of a brother who was in the navy and had passed away. 

In the same way, she said, delegates should be intentional about understanding people’s stories. To show genuine curiosity about them, and to move from curiosity to empathy and compassion.

 “This week, as you go through many conversations, consider your intent and impact,” Borgdorff said. She encouraged them to think about their words before they speak and consider what their impact might be. 

 “Even the best intentions may not have the impact you’d hoped,” she explained.  She also reminded attendees that sometimes some things don’t need to be said. It’s okay not to speak. Listen hard, she said. It’s a gift. 

For continuous coverage of Synod 2019 including the live webcast, news, video recordings, photos, liveblog, social media links, and more visit www.crcna.org/synod.