Ordain Women’s Six Discussions Launch
Celebrate the 185th Priesthood Restoration Anniversary with Ordain Women! We are releasing the 1st of our Six Discussions pamphlets on this historic day, and invite you to tune in for a public, live launch party with OW leaders via Google Hangout On Air on Thursday, May 15, 2014 at 7pm MST. If you have a Google+ account, click here to watch, RSVP, and on May 15 you can submit questions that OW leaders can respond to in real time. You can also watch it live right here on our site. In the meantime, watch Kate Kelly’s explanation of what the OW 6 Discussions are:
If you do not have a Google+ account, you can also watch it live on Ordain Women’s Youtube channel here. Tweet questions to us @OrdainLDSWomen about our Six Discussions 7pm MST, and we will answer them live.
We have released our Getting Started Packet with tips on how to start an OW discussion group, and we will answer your questions about it at the launch. Everyone will have 1 week to read the Discussion One packet, and the first Discussion Google Hangout will air live on May 22nd at 7pm, Discussion Two’s hangout will air May 29th, etc. All of the packets and videos of the Six Discussions hangouts will be archived on our site under ACTIONS so that you can also access them on your own whenever you have time.
Please RSVP to the launch party on Google+ here, or here on facebook, invite your friends, and join us for our newest initiative!
Ordain Women Responds
On April 5, 2014 the Church PR department responded to the April Priesthood Action in a statement made to the Deseret News. Shortly after, Ordain Women released the following statement to the press.
Five hundred and ten women and men of the group Ordain Women lined up outside the LDS Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah to respectfully request standby tickets to the male-only priesthood session of General Conference. Wrapped around the historic Tabernacle, this group represented a significant increase over the 200 supporters who requested standby tickets to the last priesthood session in October 2013. An additional 407 supporters who could not attend in person submitted their names to be carried in the line by proxy, bringing the total number of participants to 917.
Ordain Women supporters walked as a group from City Creek Park to Temple Square, where they entered the east gate and joined the standby line. Each supporter reverently and respectfully requested a standby ticket from a Church PR employee, who rejected these requests one by one. The supporters willingly left Temple Square after they were turned away.
“Our efforts are a plea for inclusion,” Kate Kelly, founder of Ordain Women, said. “We are pleased to have created an opportunity for faithful Mormon women and men to publicly express their support for fully integrating women into the priesthood structure of the Church. Our rapidly growing numbers indicate that this is a conversation many Mormons want and need to have.”
Ordain Women is committed to continuing the dialogue on gender inequality in the Church through in-person, faith-affirming direct action.
Everything You Wanted to Know about Ordain Women’s April 5th Priesthood Action
Based on the principle of thoughtful, faith-affirming strategic action, Ordain Women aspires to create a space for Mormon women to articulate issues of gender inequality they may be hesitant to raise alone. As a group we intend to put ourselves in the public eye in order to call attention to the need for the ordination of Mormon women to the priesthood and ask our leaders to prayerfully consider women’s ordination.
Last year, in October, we gathered together as sisters and brothers in the gospel and waited in the stand-by line to request admittance to the general priesthood session of the Church. You can see a short movie about the action here, and you can read about the experiences of women who attended the October action here.
Join us on April 5th
In order to demonstrate our steadfastness and our continued desire for Mormon women to be ordained, we will reconvene on April 5 once again to request admittance to the general priesthood session.
On Saturday, April 5, 2014, at 4:00 p.m., we will meet at Salt Lake’s City Creek Park (110 N. State Street). Following a brief devotional, we will walk together to Temple Square and request to be admitted to the priesthood session. If admitted, we will attend and then return to City Creek Park to celebrate this historic event. If we are not admitted, we will reconvene at City Creek Park and listen together to the priesthood session on portable electronic devices.
For additional information about this upcoming action, visit our April 5th Priesthood Session Action FAQ section here. If you want to know more about the other likely participants, you can refer to these survey results from many of the participants from the October action here.
While Ordain Women will continue to plan in-person direct actions, we are not planning to repeat this action again for at least several years, if ever. This is the time you need to make it work, if you want to be there with us.
What You Can Do
If you want to join us in person, please do the following:
1. RSVP to the Facebook event.
2. If you are hesitant to RSVP publicly on the Facebook page, please RSVP here.
3. If you want to apply to receive financial assistance with travel funds, please follow the instructions provided at this page.
4. Plan to attend the training meeting on Friday, April 4th at The University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall (260 Central Campus Dr.). View a map of the location here and RSVP here and fast for us.
The first segment of the training will be from 5:00-7:15 p.m. and will be a pot luck dinner followed by group discussions to help us get to know each other and talk about supporting the ordination of women. The second segment will be from 7:30-9:00 p.m. and will contain specific details and instructions for the April 5th action. If you cannot attend either session, you can view the timeline and basic information of the April 5th action that will be discussed at the training here.
5. If you need a ride or can provide a ride, please sign up for carpools at our Ricky Rides site.
6. If you need housing for the action, please email info@ordainwomen.org
7. If you need babysitting so that you can attend the action, complete the following form.
If you can’t join us in person, please consider showing your support in one or more of the following ways:
1. Consider making a donation to help someone else attend in person by visiting our fundraising page. Every little bit helps! We are also accepting donations of sky miles.
2. Submit your name to be carried by proxy by filling out the information at this link.
3. Submit a profile to our website by following the instructions here.
4. Change your profile pic on Facebook by following the instructions here.
5. If you are in the Salt Lake area and can provide babysitting so that another sister can attend the action, please complete the following form.
6. If you are in the Salt Lake area and are able to provide housing to a sister who is visiting from afar, please email info@ordainwomen.org with the details of what you are able to provide.
7. “Like” the Ordain Women Facebook page here.
8. Consider fasting and praying for the sisters and brothers who will be there in person.
Fast for Ordain Women
Fasting is a way for disciples of Christ to develop spiritual power. When fasting is done simultaneously for a righteous desire, it fosters unity and infuses us with great power.
Christ teaches the power of fasting in Mark 9. When their faith and priesthood was not enough for his disciples, he lovingly rebuked them and instructed them that they must not only pray but also fast.
I have a testimony of the divine power that comes from fasting. Friday, April 4th, I will fast in preparation for the action the following day. I don’t say this to fast as the Pharisees did, but to ask you, wherever you may be, whatever your current level of support for the idea of gender equality in the church, to join in unity with me, your sister, in fasting. I will be fasting for open hearts (for us, for our leaders, for our fellow members), for revelation (again, for all of us), and for strength to continue to ask difficult questions and strengthen our testimonies of Christ.
Friday April 4th Ordain Women will host a training meeting in preparation for the action the following day. If you can attend we invite you to come to the training and break the fast with us.
Orson Spencer Hall Auditorium 5:00pm
Ordain Women’s Response to Ticket Denial
Ordain Women is saddened to learn that our request for tickets to the upcoming priesthood session has been denied. As faithful Mormon women, we will reverently seek admission to the April 5th general conference priesthood session as a demonstration of our eagerness for the blessings and responsibilities of the priesthood.
We affirm our faith that the prophets and apostles who lead the church will seek direction and answers from the Lord, rather than substitute revelation for a quickly shifting measure of popularity. All members of the kingdom are of equal worth in the eyes of God. We hope our leaders and fellow saints will remember that we are one with them in the body of Christ and will echo the words of President Uchtdorf to “Come! Join with us.”
We are eager to participate in dialogue on the policy of women’s priesthood exclusion. As Elder Andersen taught during the October 2013 general conference, we do not know why women are barred from ordination at this time, but God’s priesthood power does not belong to men and is far greater than those who administer the gift. We continue to await both invitations for discussion and revelation as we faithfully follow Paul’s admonish to “covet earnestly the best gifts.”
Ordain Women Requests Tickets to the Priesthood Session
Ordain Women requested tickets to the upcoming General Conference Priesthood Session on April 5th, 2014. A letter requesting tickets was sent to the Temple Square Events Director, the Public Affairs Department and the Temple Square Events Ticket Office Manager on February 28th, 2014. A copy of each letter can be viewed below.
LDS Temple Square Events Director
50 E. North Temple St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84150
February 28, 2014
Dear Temple Square Events Director,
This letter is a request for 250 tickets to the General Conference Priesthood Session on April 5, 2014. We write on behalf of women, many of whom would like to attend and have asked their local priesthood leaders for tickets, but these requests have been denied. Therefore, we are contacting you directly.
Last October, more than 200 women gathered at Temple Square with the faithful desire to hear directly from our general authorities during the and were turned away, one-by-one. We are a collection of faithful and dedicated sisters from across the United States and around the globe—including mothers, returned missionaries, endowed and unendowed temple recommend holders, those who might return to the Church but for gender inequality, and those who care deeply about the Church and its members and are concerned about how women’s inclusion in the priesthood session affects us all—who believe that women should be ordained to the priesthood. We believe the words of our prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, when he said that the Lord could extend the priesthood to all worthy members of the church regardless of gender (Compass TV interview, November 1997).
We are following the direction of Elder Jeffery R. Holland who instructed us, in the April 2013 General Conference, to act with integrity, and to lead with the faith we have so that our righteous desires will be granted. It is under this counsel and recommendation that we express our faith by attending the priesthood session in anticipation of our future ordination. We want to hear directly from the leaders of our church in preparation for the responsibility that comes with ordination and to demonstrate our commitment and readiness.
We have provided a mailing address below. If delivery by mail is not possible, please advise us where the tickets will be held for us to collect on Temple Square or at the Conference Center, or how we may obtain tickets for the general priesthood session outside of local leadership. We anticipate your response.
Yours in the Gospel,
April Young Bennett
Debra Jenson
Kate Kelly
Hannah Wheelwright
Please mail tickets to:
Attn: Debra Jenson
—————–
—————–
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Public Affairs Department
15 E. South Temple Street, Room 2W10
Salt Lake City, UT 84150
February 28, 2014
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter is a request for 250 tickets to the General Conference Priesthood Session on April 5, 2014. We write on behalf of women, many of whom would like to attend and have asked their local priesthood leaders for tickets, but these requests have been denied. Therefore, we are contacting you directly.
Last October, more than 200 women gathered at Temple Square with the faithful desire to hear directly from our general authorities during the and were turned away, one-by-one. We are a collection of faithful and dedicated sisters from across the United States and around the globe—including mothers, returned missionaries, endowed and unendowed temple recommend holders, those who might return to the Church but for gender inequality, and those who care deeply about the Church and its members and are concerned about how women’s inclusion in the priesthood session affects us all—who believe that women should be ordained to the priesthood. We believe the words of our prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, when he said that the Lord could extend the priesthood to all worthy members of the church regardless of gender (Compass TV interview, November 1997).
We are following the direction of Elder Jeffery R. Holland who instructed us, in the April 2013 General Conference, to act with integrity, and to lead with the faith we have so that our righteous desires will be granted. It is under this counsel and recommendation that we express our faith by attending the priesthood session in anticipation of our future ordination. We want to hear directly from the leaders of our church in preparation for the responsibility that comes with ordination and to demonstrate our commitment and readiness.
We have provided a mailing address below. If delivery by mail is not possible, please advise us where the tickets will be held for us to collect on Temple Square or at the Conference Center, or how we may obtain tickets for the general priesthood session outside of local leadership. We anticipate your response.
Yours in the Gospel,
April Young Bennett
Debra Jenson
Kate Kelly
Hannah Wheelwright
Please mail tickets to:
Attn: Debra Jenson
—————–
—————–
Manager: Temple Square Events Ticket Office
Conference Center
60 W. North Temple St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84150
February 28, 2014
Dear Temple Square Events Ticket Office Manager,
This letter is a request for 250 tickets to the General Conference Priesthood Session on April 5, 2014. We write on behalf of women, many of whom would like to attend and have asked their local priesthood leaders for tickets, but these requests have been denied. Therefore, we are contacting you directly.
Last October, more than 200 women gathered at Temple Square with the faithful desire to hear directly from our general authorities during the and were turned away, one-by-one. We are a collection of faithful and dedicated sisters from across the United States and around the globe—including mothers, returned missionaries, endowed and unendowed temple recommend holders, those who might return to the Church but for gender inequality, and those who care deeply about the Church and its members and are concerned about how women’s inclusion in the priesthood session affects us all—who believe that women should be ordained to the priesthood. We believe the words of our prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, when he said that the Lord could extend the priesthood to all worthy members of the church regardless of gender (Compass TV interview, November 1997).
We are following the direction of Elder Jeffery R. Holland who instructed us, in the April 2013 General Conference, to act with integrity, and to lead with the faith we have so that our righteous desires will be granted. It is under this counsel and recommendation that we express our faith by attending the priesthood session in anticipation of our future ordination. We want to hear directly from the leaders of our church in preparation for the responsibility that comes with ordination and to demonstrate our commitment and readiness.
We have provided a mailing address below. If delivery by mail is not possible, please advise us where the tickets will be held for us to collect on Temple Square or at the Conference Center, or how we may obtain tickets for the general priesthood session outside of local leadership. We anticipate your response.
Yours in the Gospel,
April Young Bennett
Debra Jenson
Kate Kelly
Hannah Wheelwright
Please mail tickets to:
Attn: Debra Jenson
—————–
—————–
Ordain Women Action Training Handout
ACTION TIMELINE
Opening Exercises: April 5th, 4:00 p.m. at City Creek Park (110 N. State Street)
We will meet at City Creek Park where we will have a welcome, opening prayer, and hymn before walking together to Temple Square. City Creek Park is located at the northeast intersection of North Temple and State Street.
Standby Line: 4:30 p.m. at Temple Square (50 W. North Temple)
We will leave City Creek Park as a group, walking to Temple Square and will wait in the standby ticket line for admittance to the priesthood session. If admitted to the session, we will respectfully attend and will follow the ushers to sit together. Following the session, we will return to City Creek Park. If we are turned away from the session, we will immediately return to City Creek Park. Ordain Women organizers will keep everyone informed with up-to-date plans and information.
Thank You & Closing Remarks: 6:00 p.m./8:00 p.m. at City Creek Park (110 N. State Street)
If we are not admitted to the session, we will return to City Creek Park at approximately 6:00 p.m. There we will listen to the session on live-stream. If we are admitted to the session, we will return to City Creek Park following the end of the session at around 8:00 p.m. In either event, we will end the evening at City Creek Park where we will have another prayer and hymn, before departing. Feel free to stay after and discuss the experience.
ADDITIONAL ACTION INFORMTATION
Media:
The following individuals are OW Spokeswomen: April Young Bennett, Debra Jenson, Kate Kelly, Suzette Smith, Chelsea Shields Strayer, Hannah Wheelwright, Nancy Ross, Heather Olson Beal, and Lorie Winder.
Please refer a reporter to an OW spokeswomen when: you do not want to talk to a reporter; if a reporter asks you a question you don’t know how to answer; or if anyone asks you about official OW positions or strategies. When speaking to reporters, speak from personal experience, use “I” statements like, “In my opinion,” “In my experience,” or “I think/want/feel.”
Do not:
· speak on behalf of OW (including discussing OW plans, strategies, or positions)
· use sarcasm or speak contemptuously of the Church
∙ describe this action as a “protest” (acceptable terms include: action, event, attending priesthood session, or demonstration)
Remember, you cannot ask reporters to ignore/not report/forget/keep off-record something you have already said; reporters will not comply and they do not have to. If any reporters or camera people are in the vicinity, anything you say may be recorded. Make sure to only say things you would feel comfortable seeing in print attributed to you. You will be photographed. You may wear sunglasses, or do your hair differently than usual, but you may not prevent media from using images of you taken at a public event. Maintain a dignified image at all times.
To prepare yourself to answer basic questions, please read our event Q&A here.
De-escalation:
If attendees, particularly males standing waiting in line, appear to act or act threatening to you, use conciliatory and calm body language/tone. Trust your instincts and end the interaction if de-escalation isn’t working. Above all, maintain your own safety.
Appearance/decorum:
This is an event organized by Ordain Women and organizers will make sure that participants represent the group appropriately. There will be no signs allowed and no tirades against the Church. Participants should wear their Sunday best.
You can also view a PDF version of the Ordain Women Action Training here.
Ordain Women April 5 Priesthood Action Proxy Cards
Please fill out this form if you would like to participate in the Ordain Women April 5 Priesthood Action but will be unable to attend in person on that day. We will print your name and message (optional) on a card for someone to carry at the event.
Rides, Donations and Babysitting for the Ordain Women April 5 Priesthood Action
There are many ways to participate in the April 5 Priesthood Action.
If you want to help someone else attend, we are soliciting donations to help women come to the action.
If you need help with babysitting or would like to volunteer to babysit so that someone else can attend the event, please fill out this form.
If you need transportation to the April 5 Priesthood Action, we are coordinating rides here.
Further questions about the event are addressed in the FAQ.
Don’t forget to Like our page on Facebook!
FAQ for the Ordain Women April 5, 2014 Priesthood Session Action
RSVP here for the April 5th action!
Why are women seeking to attend the priesthood session?
We are demonstrating our desire for both the blessings and the authority of the priesthood and asking LDS Church leaders to prayerfully consider the ordination of women.
What do you hope to achieve?
We hope our leaders welcome us to the general priesthood session and consider our untapped potential. Attending the priesthood session will demonstrate our desire for ordination and willingness to perform a full range of priesthood duties. Many of us are traveling to Salt Lake City from other states and countries. In joining together, we are punctuating our commitment to Mormonism and fervent hope for the extension of priesthood ordination to all worthy adult members of the LDS Church.
What exactly is going to happen? What will you do?
On Saturday, April 5, 2014, at 4:00 p.m., we will meet at Salt Lake’s City Creek Park (110 N. State Street). Following a brief prayer service, we will walk together to the LDS Conference Center and request to be admitted to the priesthood session. If admitted, we’ll attend and then return to City Creek Park to celebrate this historic event. If we’re not admitted, we’ll reconvene at City Creek Park and listen together to the priesthood session on portable electronic devices.
You were denied admittance to the all-male general priesthood session in October. Why try again?
Our goal of priesthood for women remains unrealized in the LDS Church. Many who support the ordination of women were either unaware of the October action or unable to participate. They want an opportunity to join their voices with ours in publicly expressing their desire for priesthood ordination. We applaud recent church initiatives, including an emphasis on collaborative, gender-inclusive councils, greater encouragement for women to serve missions, and the opportunity for women to both pray and speak in general conference. Following our peaceful, faith-affirming efforts in October and April, we hope church leaders will continue to respond positively to the expressed desire of the women they serve for a more inclusive church and that their hearts will be receptive to the ordination of women.
Ordain Women engages in faith-affirming strategic action. How is this different from political action?
Our understanding of the gospel is that the heavens are yet open. The 9th Article of Faith states: “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” We believe that the expansion of priesthood keys must come through revelation to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. That church members play a role in this process is demonstrated throughout the Doctrine and Covenants, which includes many examples of revelations received after members approached the Prophet and requested revelation. This pattern was established by Jesus, who said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). It is our faith in this process that compels us to action. “And your whole labor shall be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. Amen” (D&C 30:11).
Is this a protest?
No. We will not protest. We see ourselves as future priesthood holders and will comport ourselves with the dignity that ought to accompany priesthood office. We plan to attend the priesthood session and listen to the words of our leaders. We do not want to disrupt anyone’s worship experience. If admitted, we will reverently enjoy the session. If barred from attending, we will peacefully leave. In keeping with the reverent nature of the event, organizers have asked participants to abide by the following guidelines:
- No anti-church diatribes
- No signs or banners
- Sunday best dress
Women now have a General Women’s Meeting a week before each semiannual general conference. Isn’t that sufficient?
Exclusionary policies concern us. Unlike the other sessions of general conference, the General Women’s Meetings are not considered part of general conference. They are auxiliary meetings and, as such, represent women’s secondary status in the LDS Church. We are saddened by the story of Sister Frances B. Monson’s exclusion from the Priesthood Session years ago. “As a newly called member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the then Elder Monson was assigned to speak in general Priesthood meeting. Frances tried to stand in the doorway of the Salt Lake Tabernacle to listen to her husband speak, but the ushers wouldn’t allow it, so she stood as near to the window as possible to hear the talk” (http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/frances-monson-passes-away).
Shouldn’t men have their own session of general conference without women?
If gender-specific sessions are vital, we wonder why women do not have their own general conference session without men. Men attend, speak at, and preside over the General Women’s Meeting. Moreover, the General Women’s Meeting is not one of the five sessions of the semiannual general conference, but rather it is a meeting set apart from general conference. We are not necessarily opposed to gender-specific meetings. After women are ordained, it might be appropriate to continue having occasional women’s meetings and men’s meetings. However, we do not believe women should be excluded from the priesthood of God or meetings where important announcements as to the governance and doctrine of the Church are discussed.
Why are you advocating in public?
There seems to be a perception among church leadership that Mormon women are content in their prescribed roles. In response to a question during a 1997 interview about whether the policy banning women from the priesthood could change, then President Gordon B. Hinckley said it could, but it would require revelation. The reporter probed, “So you’d have to get a revelation?” Hinckley responded, “Yes. But there’s no agitation for that. We don’t find it. Our women are happy. They’re satisfied.” (http://www.abc.net.au/compass/intervs/hinckley.htm) More recently, our current General Relief Society President Sister Linda K. Burton repeated this assumption: “I don’t think women are after the authority. I think they’re after the blessings and are happy that they can access the blessings and power of the priesthood.” (http://youtu.be/pQbFwbPcr-g) It is apparent that we need to express ourselves in a more public way—agitating faithfully—in order for our leaders to understand that we want both the blessings and the authority of the priesthood and that we are not happy being excluded. As we publicly break cultural taboos that silence women, we believe more women will find the courage to honestly express their righteous desire to participate fully with men in all aspects of church governance, service and sacred ordinances.
Aren’t you asking for too much too soon?
Although Ordain Women was organized as a group in the spring of 2013, many of its participants have written and spoken about this issue for decades. They also have thought seriously about what constitutes appropriate religious, as opposed to political, action. From our perspective, this action is not precipitous. Rather, it is a long-awaited continuation of our years of faith-affirming service to the LDS Church. In his letter from Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King wrote, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” How long must women wait for our faith to reflect the equity we believe is fundamental to Mormon theology?
I’m afraid to participate with you. Do you anticipate disciplinary action?
We cannot predict the response of individual church leaders. Many of our local leaders have been supportive. Others have not. We believe our actions are consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the doctrines of the LDS Church. We have informed church leaders of our intentions and have sought a block of group tickets through appropriate channels. Some of us have acquired individual tickets through our local priesthood leaders. We have worked with the government of Salt Lake City to obtain the appropriate permits. Though our action is not a protest, we have applied for and been granted a “free speech” permit. The city of Salt Lake requires it of any large group gathering in public spaces, such as City Creek Park and the sidewalks of North Temple Street. We recognize that there might be social or personal costs to participants due to the disapproval of loved ones. Only you can weigh your circumstances and concerns and decide if this is the right thing for you to do.
How will you get tickets for the priesthood session?
Women within our group have requested tickets from local leaders and from LDS Church headquarters. If these requests are not granted, we will wait in the stand-by line.
What if you are barred from attending the priesthood session?
If we are not permitted to attend, we will return to City Creek Park to listen to the priesthood session on our electronic devices, talk about our experience, sing, and pray for the equality of women in our church.
If I can’t attend, but want to help, what can I do?
Pray and fast for us. Pray and fast for church leaders to receive revelation that will lift the ban on women’s ordination. Continue the conversation by discussing your thoughts and feelings with friends, family, and members of your local congregations. Support us on your personal Facebook pages, blogs and twitter accounts. Add your profile to ours at Ordainwomen.org.
Are other actions happening the same night in other locations?
Our hope is that all who are able to join us in Salt Lake City will seriously consider doing so. We need your support. Some women who are unable to join us have decided to attend the priesthood session in their local stakes. While we welcome such initiatives as an important act of solidarity, we are not coordinating these efforts.
What if church leaders do not respond as you would hope?
Ordain Women will remain intact. We will continue to seek ordination through faith-affirming action and discussion. We plan to move forward in thoughtful, creative and courageous ways.