On June 4th, there were 46 Women enjoying the evening Together at St. Paul’s Cathedral. And by amazing coincidence it was a meeting of WT@SPC. What a perfect name for this newly formed ministry at St. Paul’s! On this particular evening the women enjoyed another wonderful meal and a presentation by Reverend Canon Suzy Holding who spoke on the topic “Our Spiritual Journey; Finding our Gifts Along the Way. Canon Holding began by explaining to us, “How a Marketing Exec ends up with a collar around her neck,” which was a brief autobiography that gave us a very personal connection to her. Many women in the room related so well to her story about trying to find a Christmas Eve Service that fit into her baby’s nap schedule, which just happened to be an Episcopal Church. At the service she heard the words, “God’s love is like that of a parent for their child.” Enjoying the service she later contacted the Priest wanting to meet with him to discuss her need to find “structure for my soul.” Much to her surprise, the priest asked, “What are you doing for lunch?” Thus began the path towards a career change and a COLLAR!
She then talked about the power of getting a sense of our own spiritual biography. She explained the need we all have for community. Thus the terms The Book of Common Prayer and Communion. As she said, “God created humankind to be in relationship with one another, as well as with Him.
After a brief scriptural review of the spiritual gifts in Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4, we were each given a Spiritual Gifts Assessment Form. The form stated, “Like other presents, it is impossible to fully appreciate and make use of our spiritual gifts until they have been opened.” This self-assessment was a tool to help us open our spiritual gifts. It was amazing how quiet a room of 46 women became as they were answering the 60 questions and then determining the gifts as a result of the answers. As the questions began, it was clear that we could have easily gone on for another hour, but alas, we ran out of time.
What an amazing way to end our first season of WT@SPC. There were eight evenings with more than 370 ladies attending in all, thus averaging over 45 women per evening. After each evening the ladies were given an evaluation form. It is clear this is a welcome addition to St. Paul’s by what the women wrote; “THANK YOU for this awesome fellowship,” “As it is my first time, I am looking forward to getting to know the wonderful women I see around this room,” “Nancy (Tarbell), thanks for revising and reinstating the women’s group at St. Paul’s. It is simply wonderful!”
Indeed, we all owe Nancy Tarbell a huge thanks for getting the Women Together at St. Paul’s Cathedral started. She has created an amazing committee of women who have taken this group as their ministry and the amazing results are proof of their commitment and dedication. WT@SPC will begin again in October. Many exciting speakers are already lined up. So mark your calendar for the first Thursday in October!
Pat Kreder for WT@SPC
