 The Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, along with 4 other co-conveners, gathered in Atlanta Ga, in September for a timely discussion at the 2018 Women in Ministry Conference. The theme for this year's conference was, “ Digging Hard Ground :Unearthing and Overcoming Embedded Sexism in Church and Culture." The women who stood to teach and preach included: Dr. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, The Rev. Dr. Renita Weems, The Rev. Dr. Elaine Flake, The Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart, Rev. Raquel Gill, Pastor Lesley McClendon, Min. Stacy Dandridge, and The Rev. Dr. Ebony Marshall Turman. Each one stood to uncover what sexism looks like, acts like, and feels like in the life of ministry. Neglect, belittlement, injustice, and toxic theology was a common theme in the stories that were told, yet the bold and courageous women gathered to proclaim that the tools to unearth sexism so many women experience in our churches and in our culture lie in the our capacity to hold men and the women who are complicit accountable everytime. The conference covered policies, procedures, preaching, and praxis of resistance.
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