Letters in support of Kate Kelly and Ordain Women, Part 2
In anticipation of Kate Kelly’s church disciplinary council, Ordain Women asked for letters of support commenting on how Ordain Women had deepened their relationship with the LDS Church, strengthened their faith and given them hope. They will be presented to Kate’s ecclesiastical leaders and Church Headquarters. As of today, over 1,030 letters have been submitted. We’re gratified by the overwhelming response and touched by the sincerity of the messages. OW will publish selected letters each day leading up to the date of the disciplinary council.
If you feel moved to write a letter, please submit it here. We will stop accepting letters at 5pm today.
I’m a convert to the Church … and a current Bishop. Kate Kelly and Ordain Women have followed the counsel of Church leaders to seek their own personal testimony. They reflect the heritage of the Church, which is based on questioning. They embody that notion of a living church, with a modern day prophet, and modern revelation. Silencing Kate Kelly will be silencing many — myself included
***
I haven’t really been involved in the Ordain Women movement, but I definitely do understand where they are coming from, and I do think there need to be measures taken in order for a more equal treatment for both sexes. I think these women have helped many people have hope that differing opinions are ok in the Church, that the most important thing is that we love one another and we strive to treat each other as Christ would. I do not think someone who is a member of the Church and who, out of love and hope for that church, has strived to make changes to improve that church for others should be excommunicated. And I, as a member of this Church fear that many of my close friends and loved ones would leave the Church over such a decision. I hope and pray that those who make this decision will strive to act as Jesus would.
***
I have felt like an outsider for a long time. While I’m not a member of OW, I do support them. OW has helped me to know I’m not the only one who feels like women don’t matter in the Church. I am more involved now with the Church because of OW.
***
The faith of the women and men who are members of Ordain Women have consistently inspired and uplifted me. I have been profoundly impressed by their testimonies of God, the restoration of the gospel, and the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood. For a while, the only reason I was able to attend church and cling to my own faith was in part BECAUSE of Kate Kelly and the other women and men who support and identify with Ordain Women.
***
The issues and discussions brought out by OW have been positively instrumental in strengthening my testimony and making me a better woman, wife, mother, sister and friend. They have inspired me to be more open-minded and loving like our Savior. They have inspired me to read the scriptures more regularly and pray more fervently. They have inspired me to study the history of the marvelous women in our church, as well as the priesthood. They have inspired me to be a better disciple of Christ. I greatly admire the efforts of all OW members to reverently petition our church leaders to seek more light and knowledge on very serious and sensitive issues.
***
I have found enormous comfort in OW’s cause of seeking further revelation from the prophet and advocating for equality within the church governing structure and view it as one way as members of the church we can be “anxiously engaged in a good cause.” I have felt the spirit through writing my OW profile and when gathering with my brothers and sisters to wait patiently and reverently in temple square as we were turned away from two priesthood sessions of conference. I feel like Kate Kelly has reminded me of the call our Savior made to remember the “least of these,” surely women who feel hurt by the current structure of the church are included in that category. I have questioned many times if the church wants someone like me, and the fact that the church had not taken disciplinary action against Kate Kelly made me feel that maybe there was a space for me too. My testimony has been strengthened by Kate’s testimony, her courage and strength.
***
OW has helped me, a lifelong, devoted member of the Church to stay in the Church. As I have struggled with gender equity questions the past several years, OW gave me hope that Heavenly Father would hear our prayers, our pain and our pleas for change in the way women are treated and seen in the church. I respect Kate Kelly so much having the courage to speak the words that so many of us hold in our hearts and yet have been too afraid to speak for fear of rejection and discipline. I am heartbroken that her church membership is on the line because she used her voice. Her faith and abilities are such an attribute to the Church. I feel like the Church is sending a message, not just to Kate Kelly, but to all of us who have questions that we are not wanted in the Church. It hurts my heart. And it angers me that the Church that I love, that I have devoted my life to, spent the last 18 years raising my children in, married my husband in the temple in, does not want me or care about me. It’s the opposite of what I imagine the Savior doing. He would listen.
***
I have struggled with the inequality of women in the Church for many years. It has been painful to see the talents of myself and so many women squandered by the Church because we are women. When Ordain Women was formed, I finally felt that there was a place for me still, that I could hope for a more equal future, and my testimony was strengthened anew. Kate’s peaceful advocacy and unwavering devotion to my church make an indelible imprint on my heart and I knew I should stay and work and faithfully agitate.
***
I am an active Mormon, who spends time in service to members of my ward. I am a BYU graduate. I am a returned missionary. I am married in the temple to a lovely man. I have been in every kind of presidency open to women in the church. I have 3 children, all young but active in the church. I never speak of feminism or women’s ordination at church. … I try to be a good Christian and a good Mormon. Sometimes I fail at both.
***
I speak on behalf of Kate Kelly. I do not know her personally, but her insistence that women have a place at the Mormon table has been profoundly comforting to me as a member of the Church. I am deeply concerned about the status of women in the Church, and I believe that she has been brave, positive, and scripturally based in all of her public statements. Furthermore, I believe that she has a deep testimony of the church. I am grateful for her courage in speaking out on these issues.
***
I don’t agree with everything she says or does. But this church court is folly. Please think of what you are saying to women like me if you excommunicate or disfellowship her. You are saying that our concerns are apostasy. You are telling us to keep our mouths shut (when, in fact, most of us already do). You are telling us we are unwanted–that it is better to leave than to make our thoughts known. I wish I could say this in a more articulate way, but words fail me because of my deep sadness. Do not fail the sisters of the Church. Speak to Sister Kelly in love, bless her, and make this church court go away. Be aware that many of us are watching. Please let us all feel that our concerns matter and that our diversity is wanted. Do not drive us away. The world is also watching.
***
Since I was a young teenager, I have been very aware of the gender inequality in the Church. Quickly, I learned that this was not a subject you talked about out loud. For years I held it all in, continuing to see inequalities, abuses and women’s full potentials being overlooked. I started getting very bitter and angry because I didn’t feel like I had a voice or a place to talk about these issues. Even though I had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ, I felt like there wasn’t a place for me in the LDS Church. Kate Kelly and Ordain Women gave me a place to talk about these kinds of issues. She taught me how to talk about my issues in a kind, loving and faithful way. She taught me that I had a voice and I didn’t need to be afraid. She brought me together with other faithful women who strengthen me and keep me going back to church week after week while the gender inequality changes at a snail’s pace. I believe Kate Kelly belongs in this church and it would be worse off without her.
***
Ordain Women gave me the opportunity to share my voice. It is a place of support when working towards building a foundation where women and girls feel valued and equal within and out of the Church. It has helped me reconcile hurt feelings that I have fostered since childhood, of being a biracial female, and a member of the Church. I have been a witness to unjust works and treatment within the church and by its members, and Ordain Women gave me hope that those who have been abused … would have a place of comfort … I have a testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have a testimony that women, and girls are more capable and valuable in the works and gospel of Jesus Christ then previously lead to believe.
***
I am a return missionary, a temple recommend holding member, a Sunday School teacher, a Bishop’s wife, a mother of two, and a feminist. One of the most hopeful signs that my beloved church was growing and maturing was the fact that men and women were opening up public conversations about difficult questions and petitioning church leaders on matters that may well be open to change (just as the persistent widow petitioned the judge in the New Testament parable) and were NOT being threatened with church discipline. It felt like there was room for many colors of faith, for many parts in the body of Christ, including me. I cried today when I read the news of the actions being taken against Kate Kelly. Please. Surely there is room for persistent petitioners seeking further light and knowledge from the Lord on behalf of His church within a framework of love and faith.
***
One day in my Valiant primary class we were discussing the idea that we each have individual missions to achieve on the Earth. I spoke up and said that I felt my mission was to work for women’s equality in the church. … I have faith in God and hope that someday women will be ordained to the priesthood. I am also a faithful, active Latter-day Saint with a current temple recommend. I do not believe that the public expression of my ideas or Kate’s are grounds for being expelled from the Church. In a sense, the Church is responsible for the creation of Ordain Women by not listening to the concerns of women for the past forty+ years. Given the lack of transparency and no system for open dialogue in the church organization, I don’t know how women are to voice their concerns and be heard without taking public action. We are a church that was founded on asking questions and seeking truth, and we have been told that the restoration is ongoing. I am inspired by Ordain Women to continue to ask questions faithfully, and hope it is true that the heavens are still open.
***
I have been a member of the Church my whole life. My ancestors on my father’s side joined the Church during the time of Joseph Smith. I have served a mission, taught at the MTC, attended BYU, married in the temple. I have been an active participant and dedicated my talents and energies to the Church my entire life.
***
I have also felt alone at Church. I have felt misunderstood. For me the Ordain Women group has been a place where I have found fellowship, strength and Christ-like love with fellow members. I have found understanding and tolerance. It has helped me to feel that there is a place for me within the Church.
***
I have been heartened, inspired and touched by the Spirit as I’ve seen strong, faithful women – including Sister Kate Kelly – who desire to participate more fully in the work of salvation bravely risk the scorn of their fellow Church members and the specter of Church discipline to do what we have been told to do over and over and over again: ask, seek, and knock. Ordain Women has been a faith-strengthening tool to me. Knowing that I’m not the only one with questions and desires for further light and knowledge on these topics has given me the hope to remain strong and active in the Church.
***
Watching Ordain Women has made me resolve to be a better husband, a better Priesthood holder, and a better Christian. I have reexamined beliefs that I took for granted, and in the end, I did not reject my beliefs but found myself strengthened in Christ. I want nothing more than to live in Zion, and I find myself more and more each day wishing to reach out and help my brothers and sisters who need me.
***
I have so much respect for the members of Ordain Women, who have the courage to share their questions and concerns and have faith that they will receive answers to those questions … They give me the courage to ask my own questions. They help me to realize that my thoughts and feelings matter to my Heavenly Father, and that He has given me the ability to discern right and wrong for myself. They have made me believe that maybe I can stand up for what I believe too. I love the gospel, and because Ordain Women exists, I have hope for my future, and the future of my family, in a gospel with more truth and more people willing to seek it out.
***
I was at Temple Square this past April. I was apprehensive about attending because I don’t know where I stand on women’s ordination, but I do know that there are some cultural changes the Church can/should make to allow women more equal participation in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I heard Kate bear her testimony and I felt the spirit. Her ideas are uncomfortable to consider at best, but so was the Word of Wisdom, tithing, and many other Church doctrines we hold dear today. I know that Jesus is the Christ and the head of this church. I also know that he wants us to seek answers to the questions we have. The Ordain Women organization has pushed me to truly seek my Father in Heaven through prayer and scripture. I have yet to receive and answer for myself, but I know that it will come whatever it is. I have drawn closer to my Father in Heaven because of Ordain Women. As I said before, I don’t support all of their ideas, but how can prompting others to prayerfully seek out personal revelation and petitioning our prophets for general revelation ever be considered apostasy?
Letters in support of Kate Kelly and Ordain Women
In anticipation of Kate Kelly’s church disciplinary council, Ordain Women asked for letters of support commenting on how Ordain Women had deepened their relationship with the LDS Church, strengthened their faith and given them hope. They will be presented to Kate’s ecclesiastical leaders and Church Headquarters. As of today, over 775 letters have been submitted. We’re gratified by the overwhelming response and touched by the sincerity of the messages. OW will publish selected letters each day leading up to the date of the disciplinary council.
If you feel moved to write a letter, please submit it here.
I am an active, faithful member who recently returned from an LDS mission to Bulgaria. I saw quickly in my experiences with the Church overseas that a multitude of new and diverse voices are the solution, not the problem, to expanding Church influence. If we send the message that our Church supports Christ-like love and support for all humans even as we threaten those who create safe spaces for loving questions and doubts, we will do more to crush faith and unity in the Church than the Adversary could. While I do not support the Ordain Women movement, I do believe that Kate Kelly and associates have a right to live freely and faithfully as Church members, and to feel loved and supported by their community.
***
I am a non-member, and the Ordain Women project has been the driving force in me considering conversion for the past two years. If Ordain Women were not a current movement, I don’t think I would be able to seriously consider adopting Mormonism as a faith and lifestyle of my own. Thank you, Ordain Women, for helping me see the beauty, progression, and complexity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
***
I have found solidarity and support in Ordain Women. I spend so much of my time in the Church feeling marginalized as a woman, as a woman with a PhD and feeling so minimized as a female in a patriarchal system. It has been incredibly important to me to have this group who makes it easier to be in the Church. Easier to feel that there might be a place for me. For someone who thinks about things critically, who believes in social justice, who believes that her Heavenly Parents want both their sons and daughters to hold equal weight within our faith.
***
I am strengthened and sustained by this group. When I don’t feel a sense of fellowship at church, I feel it here.
***
I am an active male member of the Church. I have long had questions and doubts about certain Church policies, including the role of women therein, but have chosen to stay active largely because of groups like Ordain Women. I understand that some within the Church view Ms. Kelly (and the OW group more generally) in a negative light. For me, however, they are a source of light and hope–a reason to stay with the Church despite my deep reservations about some of its policies and doctrines.
***
Ordain Women organization and the philosophy behind it has helped my testimony grow exponentially.
***
I was born under the covenant and raised in a very faithful LDS family. I served a mission and attended Southern Virginia University. I loved the gospel with every fiber of my being until my testimony began to weaken and fall apart a couple years after I returned from my mission. I began to question and doubt things that I had cherished as truths my entire life (one of which was why women don’t have the authority of the priesthood). Just as I was about to reach the decision to leave the church permanently, I found Ordain Women. There I found women and men who believed in the church, fulfilled their callings, taught their children the gospel and lived beautiful Mormon lives like the one I had enjoyed growing up, but who also advocated for further light and knowledge from our Father regarding the subjects that had degraded my testimony and brought me to question the very truthfulness of the church.
***
Thanks to Kate Kelly I was able to see that one can simultaneously have a strong testimony of the gospel and hope for improvement within the organization of the church. That is not apostasy. Kate Kelly and other people like her gave me examples of faithful members who share my concerns which helps me heal my broken testimony.
***
Ordain Women came along at a pivotal time in my life regarding my church membership. As I’ve gotten older, I found myself fitting in less and less with the other members in my ward. I thought I was the only person like me and I felt rejected. Ordain Women helped me see that there are many different kinds of Mormons in the world and that it’s ok for me to just try to be the best Mormon I can be. Just do my best, and trust that the Lord will guide me and help me do better each day. Ordain Women has kept me in this church.
***
Just the possibility that someday, I could exist in a church where the priesthood would be open to someone like me was enough to awaken me from my sleepy Sunday routines and re-enliven my faith in the gospel. I am so grateful for the gift Kate has given me. It is my hope that rather than force those of us in pain over the gender imbalance we find at church to look for a new spiritual home, we will be heard, considered, and loved, the way we fully expect our Savior to hear and love us.
***
I am currently the primary president in my ward. I love the simple truths of the gospel and I find so much joy in teaching these to the children in my ward. My testimony has grown as I feel an outpouring of the spirit when I’m surrounded by those sweet souls.
***
In April, I attended the Ordain Women action. I have personally been hurt by the inequality in the church that is a consequence of male-only priesthood ordination. At times, it is difficult for me to justify raising my daughter in a church where I know she will internalize much of the inequality that I have been struggling with. Kate’s actions and faithful attitude has helped me feel as though I can be welcomed as a full member of the church while still speaking my truth about the hurt I feel. Her excommunication would be a signal to me that I am not wanted in this church.
***
Ordain Women has inspired me and helped me recommit to Mormonism over the last two years. I am an active Mormon Gospel Doctrine teacher who struggles with issues of gender equality in the church, and Ordain Women has given my faith and my testimony new energy. With the advent of Ordain Women, I had new reason to hope that there was room in the church to seek, knock and ask regarding difficult questions about gender. These are things that Jesus instructs us to do, and my faith and testimony have been built by these women’s willingness to ask our church leaders to think about women’s roles and the possibility for more expansive opportunities for women. I am now more committed to the church than I have been in years — in large part because Ordain Women gave me hope that there was room for a variety of Mormons in the church. Ordain Women helped me to see the expansive potential of the church — that it is growing robust and long-sighted enough to accommodate various ideological commitments.
***
I am a french woman who lives close to Paris. I can tell that if women had priesthood I would certainly be baptized.
All my family is mormon but I decided not to be mormon because of the way women are seen in the church.
I wish this movement will succeed.
***
I am an active member of the Front Range Ward in Evergreen Colorado. I serve as the primary chorister and ADG leader. I love my savior and my faith. While, I don’t seek female ordination, I am so grateful to Ordain Women for opening up a conversation about gender disparity within our church that is long overdue. I saw it as incredibly hopeful that a group of active members could express respectful disagreement with the leadership and not be punished/silenced. I did wish that the leadership would have agreed to meet with OW, because I believe listening and talking with the membership across the board is a huge part of pastoral care. I am so disheartened that Kate Kelly is being called into a church court and really baffled. I met Kate a few weekends ago. She is a thoughtful woman and when she bore her testimony about her love of this gospel and this church it was clear to me that it was sincere. I hope you will reconsider this course of action.
***
Ordain Women gave me a chance to voice things that I previously only had talked about with God. I had been thinking about leaving the Church. Ordain Women gave me a chance to stay and feel like I was being true to myself and my relationship with God. I sincerely feel like it’s where God wants me to be: in the Church and as part of Ordain Women.
***
I’ve really enjoyed Ordain Women as a safe space to have discussions about the church’s past, present, and future with open minded individuals who are also faithful, active, temple-holding LDS members. As a millennial I’m a big fan of rigorous, open discourse about things that have historically been behind closed doors for whatever reasons. I’ve viewed OW as an opportunity to have some of that discourse and help me, as a man, better understand those who feel hurt or who think differently than I do.
Excommunication
Photo by Katrina Barker Anderson
I was informed on June 8 that there will be a disciplinary council held in absentia by my former bishopric on June 22 to try me for “apostasy.” I have moved away from the Washington, DC area, and after I left my former Stake President sent me a letter outlining what he called “informal probation” after meeting with me one time, while I was packing to move. The trial will be held in my former ward and I am not able to return.
I was open and honest with my bishop from the day we launched ordainwomen.org on March 17, 2013. I communicated with him each and every time Ordain Women did an action and asked that he come to me if he had any questions. While I was living in his ward, he never once personally called me in to meet with him. Nor did he email or call me with any questions regarding Ordain Women. Three weeks after I had moved out of his ward, he sent me this letter. Convening a council in my absence, after I have moved, is both cowardly and unchristlike.
Excommunication in our church is akin to spiritual death. The life-saving ordinances you have participated in like baptism, confirmation, and temple sealing are moot. In effect, you are being forcibly evicted from your forever family.
Given the gravity of the situation, I feel like being invited to a council of this sort is akin to being invited to my own funeral. Reading stories like this one in the New York Times are like reading my own obituary.
When all is said and done, and the deep mourning process for me and for thousands of Mormon women has passed, I feel confident that the joy I have experienced for participating in Ordain Women will vastly outweigh my sorrows.
I am proud of what we have done together. We told the truth.
I am inspired by the courageous Mormon women and men who have sacrificed so much to advocate for gender equality. We took a stand and will continue to do so.
I am strengthened by the Spirit and by what we have accomplished. We made a difference and have hope for better things in the future.
The Ordain Women movement will continue to grow and to ask important and sincere questions.
Onward,
Kate Kelly
OW Response to Public Affairs Statement
At a time when many are leaving organized religion, we are encouraged that there is continued sincere interest in more deeply discussing women’s opportunities and service in our church. We are glad that Michael Otterson took the time to specifically respond to questions many LDS women have. We also appreciate that the Public Affairs Department is interacting with LDS blogs. We are proud of the women and male allies of Ordain Women who have courageously moved this conversation on gender equality in the Church forward. As the majority of Ordain Women supporters are faithful, active members of the Church, we look forward to the day when we can sit down with our leaders and discuss these issues with those we sustain to do God’s work.
Thank You to our Donors
Thank you so much to everyone who donated to our very successful fundraiser to help women travel to this last General Conference action. Many are flew or drove in who had never been to a live session of conference before. We raised over $11,000 and were able to give financial assistance to 23 women.
We had women travel from Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Minnesota, Arizona, Idaho, California, Washington, Ohio, Virginia, Oregon, New Mexico, Texas, New York, Washington DC, Massachusetts, Indiana and more. Some received full and some partial funding to pay for airfare and gas. Multiple women broke down and cried tears of joy and gratitude when we told them we could bring them out.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who donated. In no particular order, here are additional notes of gratitude from some of the women who received funding:
From Danielle
My heart is so full of gratitude. Each person who contributed to the fundraiser helped make it possible for me and many others to travel to this historic event and I am so impressed by how many giving hearts Ordain Women has standing behind it. Thank you all for giving me the chance to stand with so many courageous women.
From Leah Marie
I want to offer a very sincere thank you to everyone who donated to the OW fund, for the April 5th Priesthood Session Action. Without help, it would have been impossible for me to go. As I sat at home and watched what happened from afar during the October action, my heart broke to not be standing with my sisters as a witness. I have now, because of the help of others, been able to add my voice to those women asking for further light and knowledge on the issue of female ordination. Thank you, thank you for this gift.
From Anya
Dear sisters and brothers: Even if I wanted with all my heart to attend to the OW event last April 5th, I wouldn´t make it without your help. Nowadays I´m a master’s degree student in Mexico City, with government scholarship, I can´t deny it helps me with all my expenditures, but isn´t that good for travel. When the OW sisters approached our group of Mormonas Feministas and told about the scholarship so we can walk with all of you, my heart beat faster. Even I felt fear, what my mom told me was enough: “you are fighting for something fair, so go and be brave.” So I got ready, I made some sacrifices, but what I felt with you was worth it. I didn´t feel alone anymore, you made me dream of a more inclusive church. Brave, faithful and big hearted women. Along with great men that showed us respect and love while walking with us. With light in their eyes that inspires love, respect and compassion.
Without your help I couldn´t experience that, I probably would felt alone and faithless about that things can change. I hope soon I can help others to attend OW events so they can feel and experience love and light. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Queridas hermanas y hermanos: Aunque con todo el corazón deseaba caminar con ustedes en el evento del 5 de abril de Ordenen a las Mujeres, no lo hubiera podido haber hecho sin su ayuda. Actualmente soy una estudiante de Maestría en la Ciudad de México, con una beca del gobierno, no puedo negar que me ayuda con mis gastos, pero no es suficiente para viajar. Cuando las hermanas de OW se acercaron a nuestro grupo de Mormonas Feministas y hablaron sobre la posibilidad de tener una beca para caminar junto a ustedes, mi corazón se aceleró. Aun cuando sentía miedo, las palabras de mi madre fueron suficientes: “su causa es justa, ve y se valiente”. Alisté todo lo necesario para poder ir, hice sacrificios, pero lo que sentí junto a ustedes valió la pena. Me hicieron sentir acompañada, me hicieron soñar en una iglesia más incluyente. Mujeres valerosas, de fe y con un gran corazón. Acompañadas de grandes hombres que nos muestran su respeto y amor al caminar junto a nosotras. Miradas cristalinas de hombres y mujeres que inspiran respeto, amor y compasión.
Sin su ayuda no hubiera podido sentir eso, seguiría sintiéndome sola y sin fe en que las cosas cambiarán. Espero pronto poder tener la capacidad de ser parte de quienes ayudan a las demás a asistir a eventos de OW. Para que puedan sentir amor y luz. Muchas gracias, desde el fondo de mi corazón.
From Lisa
Dear Gracious Fundraiser, My heart is filled with so much gratitude for your generosity, I consider the money I received to be sacred funds. Attending the action in SLC on April 5 continues to be a huge blessing in my life, as I was able to be with my sisters and brothers. Being together as a group makes the photos, names and profiles into something real as we share our stories, feel less alone, supported and loved. I was able to bear my OW testimony to many people I met, not going to OW.
One significant blessing of coming a second time was connecting with friends from last time and making new friends. One new friend is a woman who attended for the first time. We both came to the action alone, she said I was an answer to her prayer, and we both wept as she asked and was turned down for a ticket to the priesthood session. She was and is a blessing to me and we are in contact and I hope to stay friends for a very long time.
Thank you for supporting Ordain Women and I really appreciate you helping all of us, and especially for helping me attend.
From M
For many factors, this trip was important and we needed the funds to travel. My daughter, two older sons and I needed this time – away from all other influences – to talk about what kind of relationships and families we *should* want to build, and how to construct a family that honors the authority and power of each individual. When we met the Church representative at the door, I gathered these teenagers together and said, “We have been teaching that men and women are meant to form families in which both partners have equal power and authority. We would like you to help us teach that by letting us all in.” She wasn’t able to do that, but it meant a lot of us to have the chance to say it, exactly that way. I want to thank those who pulled together the funds so that we could have that experience. It made a difference for us.
From M’Lisa
Thank you to everyone who donated to the OW fund. I really felt like I needed to be there with my OW sisters and y’all made that possible. Thank you for for being so gracious and giving. Your kindness means the world to me. Thank you again.
From Jennith
When I think back on my experience at Temple Square, I am filled with so much gratitude for those that made it possible. As someone who received funding to travel to stand with my sisters and brothers, it is incredibly humbling to know of others’ sacrifice so I could be there. Thank you so much for your willingness to share. I feel strongly that love is what pushes this movement forward, love is what caused me to want to go, and your love made it possible for me to be there.
Thank you.
From Amy
I want to express deep gratitude for the women and men who showed such charity in providing funds for me to be able to travel to Utah from Canada to attend the April action with Ordain Women. It was an incredible experience to be able to ask with my physical body for the desire of my heart. I was also so touched at the opportunity to be in the presence of other amazing women and men who share the same desire as me. It is an experience that will always remain with me. Thank you for making it possible.
From Kera
Donors: thank you for making it possible for me to feel like my voice was heard. I am not a new feminist , but I am new to the Mormon feminist movement. I had no idea it existed until this last January! The opportunity to be around so many like-minded women was invaluable. Thank you so much for this experience.
From Emily
Thank you so much for your donation, helping me to go wait in line with OW for the priesthood session. I would not have been able to go without funding, and it was such a beautiful experience to unite with all the thoughtful women there and knock symbolically at the tabernacle to show our willingness and hopefulness for a revelation leading to the inclusion of women in the priesthood. I was honored to be there and can’t thank you enough!
From Hannah
To the amazing men and women who donated to help send me to Salt Lake, thank you thank you thank you! I live in Cleveland, Ohio, and I knew there was no way that I could afford to go to the priesthood action, but I wanted so desperately to go. When the Church press release came out, I just felt a burning in my bosom, and I knew I had to be there. For the last few years Church has been very hard for me, and I have pulled away. It is Ordain Women that has pulled me back. Standing in City Creek park, surrounded by my sisters, listening to the words of my sisters I felt so inspired, so galvanized to action. When all five hundred of us sang Come Come Ye Saints, I wept, because I felt so much love, so much power. To put it in Mormon-speak: I felt the Spirit, and I felt it strong. The opportunity to stand in line (or in my case sit, as at six and a half months pregnant I opted for a wheelchair), and ask for my place in the priesthood session was incredibly empowering to me. I know that it was a very painful experience for many, but for me it was so incredibly freeing. I felt like God was telling me “This is how you can stay. How you can raise your daughter in this Church you love. Stay, serve, speak.”
Thank you for your service, for your gift to all of us who were able to come to Salt Lake, but especially I want to thank you for your gift to me. Because that is exactly what this experience has been. A true gift, one that has brought peace and light into my life. I honestly didn’t expect that. I will carry this with me for the rest of my life. You gave that to me. Thank you with all my heart.
From Holly
I felt so honored to attend the OW event at the Priesthood session. It would not have been possible financially to make it work with our “young starving student” status. It was life changing. I felt such a conformation that I was indeed at the right place at the right time. I was humbled at the thought of sharing this experience with my daughter as she grows. I was moved to tears of gratitude at the offer of financial help. Thank you thank you whoever you are. Your deed will always be a part of the memory of that day.
From Liz
Dear Donor,Thank you so much for your donation to Ordain Women. Because of your generosity, I was able to fly up to Salt Lake City from Arizona and attend the Priesthood Session event. It meant a lot to me to be there. I am not active in the Church anymore, largely because of how the Church treats women. So many women I know have left because there was not a place for them. I wanted to stand for those women at this event. To stand for those have been pushed away. I was able to do that, and that meant the world to me. Thank you for giving me that opportunity
From Esther
It felt good and right to have my feet following my heart! When I requested access to the priesthood session it was like bearing my testimony, the same strong feelings overcame me. I felt blessed by all the great women and men I met that day. I felt their love and full understanding. When I traveled back home I was stronger. Thank you for this opportunity.
Comme il était bon de sentir enfin mes actions s’harmoniser avec les aspirations de mon coeur! Pour moi demander accès à la conférence de prêtrise fût comme donner mon témoignage, les mêmes sentiments m’ont alors envahis. J’ai été bénie ce jour-là de rencontrer plusieurs femmes et hommes qui m’ont fait sentir aimée et comprise. À mon retour à la maison, j’étais plus forte. Merci de m’avoir donné cette opportunité.
From Thelma
I am so grateful to those who donated so that I could come be a part of the Ordain Women event.
Beginning with the training meeting on Friday it was so wonderful to put a face to all the women I’ve been meeting online during organizing. Being able to hug each other, share our experiences and connect was invaluable. We are truly a remarkable sisterhood and partaking in the spirit of energy of all the events was beautiful. On the day of the action I managed the Ordain Women Twitter feed and tried to convey through it the resiliency, sincerity, and activity of the 500 women and men there. When the very last women, after 2 hours of asking, hugged the Church’s PR lady, that’s when the enormity of everything finally hit me. I hope that more women can find the courage to be open about the things that have been weighing on their heart.
From Kristy
To my Anonymous Benefactor, I am so grateful for you kindness in helping me attend the April 5th action. When I heard the news, I cried and felt like this was a direct answer to prayer. My family has responded harshly to my very public activism, and that stress, combined with little kids, constantly changing plans due to circumstance, and unemployment, made for an extremely stressful time. And your thoughtfulness eased my mind so significantly. I had a phenomenal experience walking through Temple Square and waiting for my turn to ask personally if I might be admitted into the Tabernacle, where I have so many fond memories. Though denied, I felt like any lingering fear I had about being authentic and speaking my truth dissipated into thin air. I have you to thank for that experience, as your travel help flew me there. I feel like I can face my future with courage, and remember my feelings when I walked with my 500 brothers and sisters that day, that we physically expressed our desire for equality in the Church I love, and want so much to be the change I want to see in it.
From Laurin
OW to me is a given. It is hard for me to remain in a church that to me is unfair to one gender. It would be impossible for me to stay without being able to voice my perspective. I need this Church. After leaving a long serving role in the adult industry, my only other identity is being a Mormon. It gives me guidelines on how to live my life, and it’s important. So, going to the source itself, to the priesthood session, remains paramount. I’m not the type to sit quietly by and cheer people on. I like to get suited and booted, and use my own words. Unfortunately, giving up my prior career meant giving up my paycheck and feel like my contributions seem distant more often than not.
But because someone was loving, because someone, somewhere, inside them KNEW, that this was important and gave selflessly so that I could have my voice heard, that my feelings were important…they donated to OW.
Is there ever a way to say thank you that is fitting? Maybe not. In my instance, my life changed drastically with this trip. I was able to speak up. I was able to take care of an ongoing legal issue that might change the lives of women in human trafficking. I was able to ask the woman who guarded the door, preventing me from entering a church service, why I would be turned away? Jesus never turned me away.
It was important and meaningful. And whoever gave, made a difference in the world and my world for sure.
From Shelly
To everyone that donated: Thank you so much! When I first read about the fundraiser, I thought that there would be tons of women applying and that I shouldn’t bother applying. But when I saw that the original fundraising goal had been exceeded, I decided to apply. And I’m definitely glad that I did. Being in Salt Lake over Conference weekend with so many of my OW sisters and brothers was an empowering and faith promoting experience for me, and I wouldn’t have been able to be there without the support of everyone who donated.
From Kristen
I want everyone to know how thankful I am to be blessed with the extraordinary experience of standing with such amazing saints at the Ordain Women Priesthood Session event. Without the generosity, love and care of so many, I could not have participated in this historic, necessary and worthy event.
As an LDS woman, mother of five, student and advocate I believe that our Heavenly Parent’s love each of us and know our hearts. As a mother, I desire my daughters to have the same opportunities and full blessings of the gospel, which includes the Priesthood. I remain in awe of the outpouring of support from around the globe for the Ordain Women movement. I look forward to the day when I can stand with my sisters and brothers in Zion, equal in the eyes of all of heaven and earth.
From Janan
Coming out to support my sisters and brothers during the Ordain Women action was an emotional pilgrimage for me. While we were not to watch the priesthood session in the center, it was truly an honor to walk for the cause of gender equality within the Church. I’m forever grateful to those who donated to the fund so I, and many others could come out. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Many blessings always.
Reflections on Elder Oaks’ Remarks in the Priesthood Session of General Conference
By Suzette Smith
Suzette Smith serves on the Ordain Women Executive Board and as a spokesperson for OW. She has an undergraduate degree from BYU and an MBA from Bentley University. She owns a Professional Organizing business in Washington DC. Since serving a mission for the Church in Melbourne, Australia, Suzette has worked in a variety of callings and is currently serving in the Primary. Her OW profile can be read here. This post, inspired by Elder Oaks’ April 2014 priesthood session address, is cross-posted at The Exponent, where Suzette is a permablogger.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks’ remarks during this year’s April general conference seem a good indication that LDS members and leaders are talking about priesthood in a more expansive way and seriously considering what it is and how it functions in the lives of men and women. I see this as an encouraging trend, and I am grateful to Elder Oaks, whom I sustain as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, for his willingness to open a dialogue about what we mean, in particular, when we speak about priesthood authority, keys and power.
In his introductory remarks, Elder Oaks quotes from a women’s conference talk given last year by President Linda K. Burton of the General Relief Society Presidency: “We hope to instill within each of us a greater desire to better understand the priesthood.” I have this same desire. Many of my prayers and conversations, like those of my friends who support Ordain Women, are focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the priesthood. With this in mind, here are a few reflections I have after listening to Elder Oaks’ remarks.
Authority
The priesthood, Elder Oaks asserts, is “the power of God” delegated to us so we “can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family.” While Elder Oaks explains that priesthood keys held by ordained Church leaders govern the use of priesthood authority throughout the Church, including in local wards and branches, he also says that priesthood authority is appropriately exercised by both men and women in their church callings. “We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings,” Elder Oaks explains, “but what other authority can it be? When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. The same is true,” Elder Oaks further asserts, “when a woman is set apart to function as an officer or teacher in a Church organization” or as a temple worker. “Women have authority given unto them to do … great … things, sacred unto the Lord, and binding,” Elder Oaks continues. “Whoever functions in an office or calling received from one who holds priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties.”
I am very encouraged by Elder Oaks’ insight. I hope it will open further dialogue about how women see themselves exercising priesthood authority in their callings. For example, a woman could cite priesthood authority in her ability to receive revelation pertaining to her specific calling. I hope Elder Oaks’ insight will also expand the conversation about which callings could be extended to women, such as serving as ward clerks or in Sunday School presidencies.
Keys
Elder Oaks reminds us that “all the keys of the priesthood are held by the Lord Jesus Christ, whose priesthood it is.” Yet we do not yet have all priesthood keys. There “are other priesthood keys that have not been given to man on the earth,” he says. I believe, as the Ninth Article of Faith suggests, that God “will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” Accordingly, I continue to ask what might be revealed about priesthood keys and how they might pertain to women specifically.
Full Partners
Elder Oaks asserts that within the Church and the home, men and women should be equal and full partners. I look forward to further discussion of how such a partnership and its attendant responsibilities can be mirrored specifically within the governance of the Church. As an example, church leaders might call equal numbers of men and women to church councils to better reflect varying perspectives and make use of all gifts and talents.
Motherhood
I believe, as Elder Oaks states, that motherhood is an important and sacred calling. “God has given [to His daughters] the power to be a creator of bodies … so that God’s design and the Great Plan might meet fruition.” I understand that motherhood is a partnership with God, and it may give women unique access to divine power. Yet, there are many ways by which women access divine power in their lives and in the Church. I am interested in an expanded discussion about our access to divine power within the Church.
Gender
Elder Oaks makes it clear that “men are not the priesthood.” For those of us who support women’s ordination, this uncoupling of priesthood from maleness is fundamental, and so I’m grateful to see Elder Oaks acknowledge this. Whether or not our talents and gifts fit neatly into gendered categories, each of us can bring unique insights and perspectives to church callings and administration, which for me, encourages more inclusiveness in church governance. As many have argued, full partnership and equality are not about sameness; they are about removing barriers to access and opportunity for service and spiritual growth. Christ is the exemplar for both men and women, so, it seems, that developing divine attributes is the goal of both genders. I look forward to conversations about how priesthood blessings and acting with priesthood authority can help men and women achieve their goal of becoming more like Christ.
Change
Elder Oaks states that they, as presiding authorities in the Church, “are not free to alter the divinely-decreed pattern that only men will hold offices in the priesthood.” I appreciate this acknowledgement that priesthood is God’s power and understand that only God can make changes to its administration. I believe this affirms the LDS belief in continually seeking further light and knowledge from God, and I trust our leaders do so daily. I am grateful that Elder Oaks’ remarks confirm that they, like I and other Ordain Women supporters, are seeking a deeper understanding of the power and authority of the priesthood and how women can exercise that power and authority in the Church.
Author’s Note: Special thanks to Lorie Winder for her editorial support. Some of my phrasing and ideas came from discussions with her.
Continuing the Conversation: Reflections on the Ordain Women April 5th Action, Part II
Ordain Women’s Nancy Ross surveyed participants in the April 5th priesthood session action. Given the widely varying views expressed online, mostly by those who were not there, we thought we would publish more of the first-hand experiences of those who were. We excerpted several accounts from the survey, both by those who participated in person and by proxy, and invited participants from our profile page to add their comments to those already submitted. This is the second of two Commentary posts. LWS
It was overwhelming, heartbreaking and hard. But I also felt such sweet confirmation in the rightness of it.
__________
I was amazed at how many women and men were there, much larger group than I thought would be there. The surroundings were calm and respectful, so were we as a group.
__________
I experienced an overwhelming sense of excitement and calm throughout the planning and during the event. I was so impressed by the way our attendees carried themselves with dignity and grace. I heard many beautiful testimonies shared at the door of the Tabernacle.
__________
I loved meeting sisters who came to the event. I was scared to do it, but I’m glad I did. Nothing will ever change, if people don’t speak up, and I was glad to speak up by participating in this action. It was also great to see that there were so many people there! I felt supported in my thoughts and feelings about the priesthood.
__________
I was excited to attend this event. I’ve been extremely vocal about my support for women’s ordination and the desperate need for open discussion and change [regarding] women’s roles in the Church. During the experience, I was buoyed up by all the people who attended. Walking past the … protestors who screamed in my face that I was a Jezebel and needed to learn how to submit was pretty difficult. (As crazy as those protesters with the signs were, I’ve been called worse from active LDS members online.) The actual physical rejection at the door was the hardest part. To be told I could stand two feet to the left and listen to the priesthood session, but I would be barred from taking two steps to the right, through the doorway, was really hard to hear.
__________
I volunteered as a line manager, and watched in awe as the line of women and men stretched from behind the Church Office Building, past the reflecting pool, and through the gates. I was overwhelmed at the number of supporters who came to petition our leaders for further revelation. I was also very touched by the kindness of a man who approached people in line and offered newly purchased towels to help provide warmth after the rain and hail.
__________
I submitted my name a week ago but wasn’t sure if anyone was taking it to OW. I followed the event via Twitter and Facebook and was humbled and proud of the women and men there. I got an email last night from the sister who [carried] my name, and that had me in tears, knowing that I was there in some small way. Thousands of miles away across ocean, my voice was being shared thanks to sisters I will probably never meet. I do a lot of family history work in the temple, and for the first time, I felt a little of what my faraway, long gone ancestors must feel when someone takes their name through. I felt linked in a small but precious way to my American sisters in the gospel. I’m grateful I could participate.
__________
The Salt Lake Police … directed us to cross the intersection from the park to Temple Square … There were loud honks … offensive gestures out of rolled down windows and shouted insults and jeers [from cars filled with people in their Sunday best]. From one I heard … “Get out of the street. Get out of the Church!” How would Christ react to us? What would He say to us?
The hail started coming down just as we entered the grounds by the Church Office Building. As we walked, there were women talking about their pioneer heritage—that no matter the hardships, the cold, the rain or the snow, [their ancestors] persevered. I’m a convert; I have no pioneer heritage. But this helped me understand the hardships of the pioneers and their quest for equality and validation in their religious beliefs. The hail continued to fall, and I, without a coat or umbrella, started getting cold, wet, and a bit miserable. But all I could think was, “If this doesn’t show my will and [desire] for the hard work and dedication of the priesthood, I don’t know what will.”…
I kept moving and took my place in the stand by line. Women and men were lining up behind me, and the line was making its way around the Tabernacle. There were a few men in line with us who were not a part of Ordain Women. They were chatting with some people in front of me, when the younger man noticed that a female usher was quietly leading a handful of men to another entrance.
At last, I was at the front of the line … standing in front of [church PA spokeswoman] Kim Farah. She introduced herself and noticed was that I was soaking wet. … We chatted for a moment, and I asked for the opportunity to show my willingness and dedication to serve my fellow sisters and brothers in ways I have never been able to do, because I am a woman. I asked for the opportunity to bless my family and bless my home with the power and authority of God. She smiled, politely gave the reasons why women are not ordained, and encouraged me to watch the General Women’s meeting, if I had not yet seen it. I told her that I had and that I appreciated the small steps the Church has taken.
*Before I left, I asked her one more question. I asked her … [if] non-member males or male members who have not yet been ordained [were] allowed into the meeting? She said [they were]. I pressed a little harder: “Even though they do not hold the Priesthood, they are still admitted?” She again answered [that they were]—that it was part of their instruction as men in the Church, similar to how women have the Women’s Meeting, even if they are not members. I then said, “Well, that is unfortunate. I could understand being barred from the meeting, if it were a matter of not holding the priesthood, because then the man who lives next door to me would also be denied entrance. But it is unfortunate that my only disqualifying trait is that I am a woman.” I thanked her, and I gave her a hug, and I started walking away. Before I [left], however, I paused at the closed door of the Tabernacle, and I touched the door. I could feel the faint vibrations from the activity inside, and I said a very quick prayer of thanks. And then I walked away.
It [is] important for people to know what had happened from the eyes of people who lived it.
That night, I saw … the Church [PA] statement about the event… claiming that we refused to leave when asked, among other things. I was so hurt that the story was being told like this. … I was never told by a Church employee to leave. In the end … the fact that the Church issued this misleading statement hurt me more than anything else over the weekend.
__________
I did not anticipate being allowed into the Tabernacle. On my way to City Creek Park, I was harassed by street protesters. While waiting with the OW women, I felt the spirit more strongly than I have in a year or more. Though I anticipated [being] rejected, I was deeply saddened by it. Knock, [we are told,] and it shall be opened unto you. We are knocking, [but] the door remains shut.
__________
[Being] socially engaged online to explain my thought process [with regard to Ordain Women] … was difficult as I have had a lot of negative reactions from people suggesting that I leave the Church. During the event, I felt such solidarity and belonging and sisterhood. I felt the spirit confirm that what I was doing was right. Being turned away at the door was crushing, but I wasn’t going to walk away and not request a seat, even though I knew I would be denied.
__________
It was a profoundly beautiful experience. I thanked [Church PA spokeswoman] Kim Farah for letting us stand in line. She told me she wanted me to feel welcome and heard. She gave me a hug, and we shared a quick laugh. I left Temple Square with a feeling of hope. After I read [Church PA spokesman] Cody Craynor’s inaccurate portrayal of the day’s events, I feel betrayed …
Thank you for giving me courage with your courage. We will see gender equality in the Church one day, and someday I will tell my granddaughters, “Look what my friends and I did.” I would never have forgiven myself, if I wasn’t a part of this.
__________
I came to support a friend and cause. I loved the feelings of love, encouragement, and hope. Every word spoken was genuine and heartfelt. There was no “defiance” or “disrespect” as many people tend to post about OW. I am proud to support equality.
__________
My experience has been as an ally supporter of my wife. … My wife has been part of Feminist Mormon Housewives for more than two years. Through that experience, we have come to support OW. We contributed financially to the October action and sent in proxy cards. The Church response to the ticket request for this April led us to feel the need to come in person. I had a very moving experience this year. It was inspiring to hear the speeches at City Creek Park, and then to walk with the women to Temple Square bolstered my feelings that we were doing the right. I was overwhelmed as we approached our spot in the line around the Tabernacle. We kept walking and walking past OW supporters, and it truly was heartwarming to see so many people.
__________
Please don’t give up. I am also part of a minority. … I appreciate the men and women of this group standing up for their rights. I don’t want my boys to grow up and be okay with the inequality of women—or other men for that matter. Thank you for having the courage to weather the storm.
__________
I attended the afternoon session of conference with my family on Saturday… I didn’t make it to City Creek Park in time, so I waited by the reflecting pool to join everyone, and because of that, I was not counted in the total for those who attended. I stood there without a coat when it started hailing, but I waited anyway. It was really uncomfortable, and I was on the verge of tears when I decided to give up and call my parents to come get me. Just as I had made this decision, I saw all these amazing women walking down the hill, and I nearly cried with joy. I ran and joined up near the front of the line behind Kate and Hannah, so I was one of the first people to be denied. The [church PA spokeswoman] was extremely respectful, but it was frustrating that my questions could not be answered.
__________
I was a little nervous because of the Church’s harsh and negative publicity beforehand, but I went anyway, and it was a pleasant experience. I was at the back of the line and so was unaware of some of the difficulties leaders faced in the front … I was unaware that the gate to Temple Square was closed against us. That is upsetting.
__________
Keep fighting the good fight. By small and simple things, great things are brought to pass. I hope that I can have the courage to continue to stand up for this cause!
__________
It was so beautiful to talk to women and men who felt as I did, to join as sisters in faith and compassion. We use the term “sisters” in the Church quite often, but I truly felt a wonderful sisterhood. Even more striking were the wonderful men who joined with us. I was so inspired by them, and I think that they provided an example that men and women could work effectively together.
But it was also heartbreaking. Although I had hope that we would be admitted, I expected that we wouldn’t. What I didn’t expect was how difficult it would be for me to be excluded. It just tore my heart into pieces.
__________
Leading up to the event, I was very nervous. I almost decided not to come. During the event, it was wonderful to talk to so many wonderful women and men who are asking for such a small thing—[to be admitted]. I gained some wonderful new friends, my line-sisters, who were kindred spirits. It was so sad to be told that the doors of the Tabernacle would be closed to me. But I will always remember the spirit of sisterhood and love.
__________
My most memorable moment was walking at the head of the line … as the wind blew and the hail pelted us. … I have come to love the people I associate with in OW very much. They are a brave, caring and committed group.
__________
I was excited about the chance to do this again and didn’t think that it would be much different than it was in October, so I was horrified when I read the Church’s statement asking us not to go on Temple Square. I still can’t understand how they see us as outside protestors when the group is so clearly made up of people who care deeply about the Church. During the event, I was really happy with how peaceful and reverent it was, and then was even more horrified when I heard the Church’s statement about the action. I had felt welcome on Temple Square and had thought of the action as an important spiritual experience. … I hope that we can continue to show Church leaders that we are members of the Church who love and care about it, but also want to see it change for the better.
__________
The comments on Facebook are incredibly depressing. Leading up to, during and after, they have been vitriolic and plain mean. The calls to leave the Church are hard for me as I’m struggling to stay.
__________
I loved walking with the mass of people standing in line … [and] seeing all the men who support [Ordain Women] too. I was also surprised at the level of support I received online after I posted a picture and included the Ordain Women hashtag. I got a lot more likes than I’m used to, and even had a good conversation with someone in the comments section. I have not received any negative feedback. If anything, it sparked good conversations with people who had honest questions.
__________
I have not been able to publicly [join] with OW for several reasons, but my friends and family know of my support. I have been lucky not to have any hate spewed at me leading up to this. As I watched the various social media feeds documenting the event, I felt intense love for my sisters and heartbreak at what my religion is doing [to] them.
__________
This was my second round. I felt less anxious, but [I was] reluctant to be heartbroken and sad again. I feel like the Church is pushing me away, but I feel stronger spiritually than I have ever been.
__________
I did not attend in person, but my feelings ranged from complete fear for my brothers and sisters involved … to gratitude for those participating … to overwhelming love to those who showed such gentle kindness in response to those participating, to, finally, deep regret for not going to Temple Square myself. … Thank you, Ordain Women, for being so courageous, especially for those of us who were not.
__________
This year, I served as a line manager. … I kept an eye out for stragglers and got them connected with the line, then walked with the group to the OW standby line … I waited until the line only had a dozen people waiting before I … asked to be admitted. [Church PA spokeswoman] Kim Farah was gracious, and I asked her who she would be talking to about her experience at the Tabernacle doors. She said she would be sharing our sentiments with leadership. We shook hands and got our hugs from Lorie Winder, who was standing at the standby line exit to comfort and acknowledge everyone as they exited. … This year’s action took more out of me than October’s; I’m still recovering from the emotional strain of being shut out of a general conference meeting, [but] I feel buoyed by the swelling number of participants and the growing support for ordaining Mormon women.
__________
The woman who had my proxy card emailed me a picture of her holding the card. That became an emotional moment of sisterhood for me!
__________
I kept this secret until about 30 minutes before I got into the car and left for the event. I felt empowered and supported during the walk … [and that] I was doing the right thing.
__________
The Monday when the PA department released their statement regarding OW prior to conference was trying. I had friends who posted it on email, basically echoing the [statement] and sending messages summed up as, “Get back in line, women!” My brother ended up emailing me asking me what I thought, and I was able to share my beliefs and struggles with him, which he appreciated. [He] now better understands OW.
I decided after that Monday that I had to participate somehow. I did what I could–donated and sent a proxy card—because I was unable to fly out and attend. I followed [on] Facebook and Twitter during the event, while I watched the priesthood session at home … Throughout these few weeks, I have always tried to respond to things I see on Facebook [in order] to help people better understand the need for inclusion and love. … The support I gave and received as part of OW as we strive to do what we feel is right, really was a remarkable experience.
__________
It was difficult again to decide to go. There is so much pressure and assumption from friends and families about what it means to be involved with OW. But I am again so grateful I attended. I met some wonderful women and heard their stories and hugged them. It was beautiful, and heartbreaking, and uplifting.
__________
Overall, my experience was positive. A few people made hurtful comments to me before, during, and after the action, but I felt strong and happy as I acted on faith and spoke my truth.
__________
The [Church’s] Newsroom/PR statement was very disappointing and very confusing, as it described a hostile environment that was nothing like the warm, loving reception I experienced and witnessed.
__________
I originally wasn’t planning on carrying any [proxy] cards. I didn’t in October, and the thought hadn’t really crossed my mind this time. I suppose I was acting under the “someone else will do it” mindset—though it was not conscience.
While waiting for everyone to gather, I saw a message a Facebook friend posted asking if I would carry her name. She had not had a chance to submit a request officially … I gladly obliged. Not much later I saw another request in the FMH group. …I told her I would carry her name as well.
During this time Joanna, who was in charge of the proxy cards, mentioned how many she still needed to give out. Not wanting these other supporters to be left out, I asked for a couple more, bringing my total to four.
I placed the cards in my interior breast pocket, since I didn’t want them damaged by the weather, and kept them there until it was my turn to “knock.” As I waited for my turn, I realized I wanted to do more than just carry these names. I wanted the gatekeeper, [Church PA spokeswoman Kim Farah], to know it was not just me she was turning away. So when I approached her, I had the names fanned out for her to read. When I gave Kim my name, I also named the four sisters whom I carried with me. I told her that it was not just for myself that I was here, but also for these four other women. I wanted their voices to be heard as well. I wanted her to understand that they were more than just names on slips of paper— these were real women, women who were hurting and asking for recognition in the Church and community they loved.
Even when the expected answer came, I still felt that I had accomplished something. Kim had acknowledged the women whose names I carried. Even though she had to turn us away, she knew it was not just me she was sending away. [We were] five women. …
__________
I felt some reservations since I am not an active member, but [I] felt it was important to stand in solidarity with those who are looking for equality. During the event, I felt sadness watching women who sincerely believe the LDS Church to be true and only want access to the priesthood being turned away in tears.
__________
I was nervous, then sad, and now I’m just relieved that it was not as scary or sad as it could have been. It was wonderful to meet so many lovely women, and I was inspired by what was said and done.
__________
I almost cried asking to go in; it was very emotional for me. I felt very rejected and less-than. I also was proud to be there and to ask to be let in.
__________
I knew that it was unlikely women would be admitted, but I hoped that they would be. Knowing someone carried my name gave me chills. The PR statement that was full of such distortion and spin has broken me. I expected push back from members but that the church [PA spokespeople] would say what they have has made me so disappointed.
__________
When the letter from [Church PA spokeswoman] Sister Moody came out, I started looking at airfares to see if I could get there, but flights were just too expensive. Saturday night I consistently checked Facebook updates to see what was happening. It was pretty heartbreaking. … I don’t plan to leave the Church, ever, but [the Church PA statement] makes it harder to stay. I’m glad there was a part of me there with you all.
__________
I was disheartened by members’ judgments, accusations and harshness. They didn’t know these women but judged their testimonies, their commitment and their actual presence. I began to realize how much having the ability to give priesthood blessings when I was active would have benefited my kids and me. Before his death, my husband only got active to bless and baptize the kids. … Promises of blessings to me or the kids often went unfulfilled, and my only access was to call loving, but unfamiliar, leaders. I’d be required to explain what we needed … So I went without the priesthood for a really long time. As I watch people’s reactions unfold, honestly, I realize I don’t think I could ever return to church. The members may not be the gospel… But they are the Church… and by majority, it seems clear they have no place for me unless I fit into a box.
__________
I was excited and nervous about how the event would go this time. Because I was only [there through] a proxy card, [my] feelings were not as intense during the actual event. The photos shared were very emotional. I feel sad that women are turned away. I’m glad to be part of this push for equality, though.
__________
I knew what would happen but am hopeful our efforts and heart-felt actions will move society forward even a little. We have so many questions that need answers, and they will only be answered if we ask and keep asking.
Thank you all for all you are trying to do and be. On behalf of myself, for my own questions, and my daughter, for her future, we thank you!
__________
I didn’t attend the event in person; I just submitted my proxy name online, and then [on] Saturday, I went to the priesthood session in my local ward without having heard anything about what happened in Salt Lake. … When I got out of the session, I went home and read Facebook and blogs … to get all the news and to process it. I was disappointed that the women weren’t admitted, but other than that, I thought the event appeared to be a big win in terms of gathering more people to the cause, and showing again what wonderful, respectful, reasonable people all y’all are.
__________
I would love to see total equality. My family used to be active members, but during the past two years, we’ve lost our desire to attend church. The sole reason is inequality. … Hopefully one day that will change.
__________
On a personal level, I was completely confident from start to finish. I knew that I was doing as my Heavenly Parents directed.
__________
I felt like the action, itself, was mostly positive. I felt peaceful and loved standing in line with my sister, and although it was difficult to be turned away, I thought [Church PA spokeswoman] Kim Farah was gracious and kind.
However, the [Church’s PA] statement in response broke my heart. I felt they intentionally mischaracterized those who participated and essentially invited other members to be unkind to us.
__________
I was hesitant about seeing this action repeated only 6 months [later] … but as was true the first time around, it was empowering to witness women claiming their relationship with Deity and standing at the gates to worship in full fellowship
__________
I was proud to have my name carried. Up to this conference, I had been more ambivalent and less willing to step out.
__________
It was good to share that day with those who could not be there themselves. Even though they were not physically present, their voices were heard. [It was] a wondrous privilege to be able to be their voice that day.
__________
Continuing the Conversation: Reflections on the Ordain Women April 5th Action
Ordain Women’s Nancy Ross surveyed participants in the April 5th priesthood session action. Given the widely varying views expressed online, mostly by those who were not there, we thought we would publish more of the first-hand experiences of those who were. We excerpted several accounts from the survey, both by those who participated in person and by proxy, and invited participants from our profile page to add their comments to those already submitted. This is the first of two Commentary posts. LWS
I felt nervous before [April 5th] but had support from my family … and [I feel] prepared for what the next steps in the conversation are.
__________
My husband came with me as a support—he has been exceptionally supportive through all of my faith journey—so it was only natural that he come with me to this event. I was very nervous on the drive to the event. For the previous 48 hours, I had the hymn “Come, Come Ye Saints” stuck in my head. It is one of my favorites . . . I told my husband on the drive to the park that I couldn’t get the song out of my head, but that I liked having “but with joy, wend your way” as my personal mantra for this event. When we got to the park and the opening song was “Come, Come Ye Saints,” I looked over at him and we both smiled—it was like our Heavenly Parents were helping me find courage. A tangible peace fell over me as we sang, and continued with me through the whole event.
Actually asking for a ticket and then being rejected was surprisingly painful. I knew that they were going to say no, but walking away from the line after that rejection felt like I was being rejected by a parent. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of sorrow and pain. … I burst into tears when I was embraced by one of the Ordain Women leaders. She asked, “Are you okay?” and I cried, “No, no I’m not.”
But the beautiful part of this moment was that I wasn’t alone in my sorrow. I was surrounded by women just like me, and they embraced both my body and my heart. We were mourning together, and as sad as that sounds, it was actually very healing for me.
As my husband and I walked to our car…, we were both overwhelmed by the spirituality of the experience. My husband was surprised by the number of men present, and seeing all the other men made him more comfortable with the idea that he could support Ordain Women. I was overcome with the feeling of companionship, not just with the women there, but with our foremothers. I felt like they walked with me, stood in line with me, mourned with me.
I am pregnant with our second child, and we find out in the next few weeks the gender of the baby. Before this event, I was scared of having a daughter. The idea of raising a daughter in a church where she would be a second class citizen terrified me. But after the event, I feel confident that we are making the Church better. If this baby is a girl, she will grow up in a more egalitarian church than I did. Ultimately, that is why my husband and I attended. We went for our kids, both our sons and our daughters. They deserve to grow up in a church that allows people to use their God-given gifts whether or not those gifts line up with … strict gender roles.
__________
I carried two names on April 5. I took the names, thinking it was an easy service to do for women who were unable to come to the priesthood session with us in person. But once I read the messages on the two cards, I realized these two women’s messages were more of a service to me.
I had lined up with Ordain Women in October as well. That was an exciting and invigorating experience for me—to gather with so many sisters who felt the same way I did. After so many years feeling alone at church, I finally felt like I’d found my home. But after going public with my views—lining up and putting up a profile last October—I spent the next six months hearing my views attacked from people close to me. I was already exhausted when I showed up at City Creek Park to join my sisters on April 5th.
So my heart swelled with gratitude to read the messages of support from the sisters whose names I carried. [One] card … read, “God be with you, my sister.” [The other] card read, “I wish I could be there with all of you on this historic day. Keep knocking at the door and it will open.” When I read these cards, I cried with relief. I had been feeling that we in line were completely alone within the Church, judged and mocked on all sides. But reading these cards reminded me that there were more women who wanted to be here with us and whose prayers were with us. Their cards reassured my hope that there are many, many more men and women within the Church who support us but aren’t yet able to join our numbers.
___________
I hated the idea of serving a mission, because it was presented to me as an opportunity to … attract a worthy husband. I didn’t feel comfortable with that aspect of the Church—defining young women’s purpose as only preparing themselves … for marriage. I have so much more to offer than that! After studying for definitions of “priestess” and looking hard (and unsuccessfully) for scriptural evidence that women doctrinally could never hold the priesthood, I realized that we could be facing new opportunities and priesthood responsibilities in my lifetime. I need to prepare! I joined Ordain Women, and I turned in my papers.
__________
About two weeks before the event, I had lunch with a group of Mormon feminists who are across the spectrum [in] their comfort level with Ordain Women. It was wonderful to discuss with them their perspectives and views on women in the Church. It also made me commit more strongly to attending [the April 5th action] for several reasons: First, I agree wholeheartedly with the aims of Ordain Women, and second, even if I didn’t agree … I believe there has been more movement in the Church as a result of OW, because we haven’t backed down or disappeared. There is … something concrete leaders can look at to realize that all is not well in Zion.
As I stood in the line [at the Tabernacle], it felt so right to be a visible representation of someone who wants more and wants better. Without that, I don’t believe there would be any continued movement.
After my experience with the October session, I felt stronger this time and better able to deal with the emotions that came from gathering together. It still hurt to be turned away, but the balm of sisterhood helps.
__________
After the Saturday action … I received several emails, some from people I don’t know and some from those … I do, telling me that they can’t participate in OW openly, but that they are glad someone was doing something on their behalf.
Now, after the action, I feel tremendous hope for change in the future. I can’t tell you when things will change or what the incremental steps will be, but I have a testimony of continuing revelation, which is a testimony of hope and future change.
__________
It meant so much to join with my sisters in solidarity on [April 5th]. I felt we were organized and well prepared. I was more nervous this year than last October because of the Church’s letter. But I was also more determined and motivated to participate. … I eventually had the opportunity to ask [Church PA spokesperson] Kim Farah for admittance. I asked whether there was room for me to simply watch on the screen in the Tabernacle. She told me I couldn’t attend, because it was for men only at this time. She said she was there to listen to us. I gave her a hug and thanked her … I was so uplifted and encouraged by my experience. Then the Church released their PR statement. I am crushed and heartbroken. … They said I refused to leave and was divisive. … I was never asked to leave. I even talked to three ushers personally and was not asked to leave once. I’m hurt … but I’m surer of my involvement with OW than ever.
__________
The event itself was lovely. It felt so wonderful to be surrounded by so many women and men who support equality within the church. I attended in October, so I knew what to expect, but I was just as crushed and saddened when I was turned away.
__________
[OW was] wonderful about working with me to grant funding so that I could attend. I ended up doing two very long layovers, and was only in Salt Lake for … 18 hours, but it was one hundred percent worth it. … I just felt so charged and inspired. To put it in Mormon [terms], I felt the spirit! And then we walked to Temple Square, and there were these protesters screaming at us. [They were saying] things like: “Submit to your husbands!” … when we were waiting to cross [the street.] Then halfway there it began to hail on us. … The hail stopped … and then we went and waited in the standby line outside of the Tabernacle. … They kept directing men somewhere else … and then we asked one by one if we could go in, and this lovely woman who works for the PA department met us and … turned us away, but she listened to each person. She listened to me.
I was feeling really, really good, like, the church is making room—they are listening—and then Sunday morning I woke up and read this press release: “’Despite polite and respectful requests from church leaders not to make Temple Square a place of protest, a mixed group of men and women ignored that request and staged a demonstration outside the Tabernacle on General Conference weekend, refusing to accept ushers’ directions and refusing to leave when asked,’ church spokesman Cody Craynor wrote in an email Saturday evening.”
And that just crushed me. Because I was there, and they did not ask [me] to leave, and [I] did everything they asked [me] to do. … And then there was [Elder] Oaks’ talk that everyone keeps inviting me to listen to, because “it was meant for you!” How interesting that the talk that was meant for me was at the one session from which I am barred. … I am still committed, and I’m still ready to work for this cause I believe in.
__________
I’m glad I was there. To see the support was moving.
__________
It was difficult to get to Salt Lake as I am a carless, poor graduate student, but I was only a little late. It was freezing cold, raining and then hailing, but it didn’t matter because I was in the company of some of the most thoughtful, brilliant, good hearted Mormons I know. When I got through the line, I asked the woman if there was room for us inside the tabernacle where they were broadcasting the session. She said no, it was full, and that my meeting was last week. It was more frightening than I had expected it to be, and despite the hymns I had sung in my head all day to prepare for this, I was hurt by the rejection. It is hard to know that there is no room for me among Mormons.
__________
I [was] on my laptop all night long, following the Facebook conversations and Twitter feeds. In the morning, I [went] to the broadcast of the priesthood session at my local chapel.
This [was] a brutal night. I [watched] my brave sisters ask for entrance, one photo at a time, and I [winced] as the nasty and dismissive comments flooded in from LDS men and women who ought to know better. Tonight, for the first time in my entire feminist experience, I broke down and sobbed. It hurt so much to be turned away, even by proxy. … If it weren’t for President Uchtdorf … I would still be a member. I’d just be a member with my heart in shards, instead of just bruised.
__________
I’m pretty well connected in independent, progressive Mormonism, so I always love gathering with friends. One terrific experience a few weeks ago was really surprising the people I home teach, who had said something negative about OW. [I told them] that I was a supporter [and] that I’d participated this past October as well, etc. We had a great discussion, and I felt like they really started to consider some things in a new way.
__________
I loved reading the tweets and seeing the pictures from the women waiting in line; it was incredibly uplifting. The [tweet] about the man who told them they were being heroes for his daughters made me cry.
__________
I was running on adrenaline all day and couldn’t get anything done, because I was thinking about what might happen. When I arrived at City Creek Park, I couldn’t stop smiling; I felt so happy. I was able to strike up a conversation with a couple of women nearby, and I enjoyed hearing Kate Kelly and the other women speak and pray. It was a very spiritual experience to sing together, walk together, and wait together in line. I felt “right” being there; like I belonged there. The woman who turned us away was very kind, and I very much appreciated the hug afterwards … I was fortunate to meet several long-time Mormon feminists who boosted my confidence and my spirit. It was very positive, even if we were turned away. I did not appreciate coming home to read in the SL Tribune that a Church spokesman had stated that our “divisive actions” were “disappointing” to our “church leaders.” However, regardless of how [he] chose to portray it, I am glad I went, and I feel like I did the right thing standing up for what I believe—[for] what I want for me, my sisters in the gospel, my daughters, [and] my granddaughters …
__________
I feel like I was part of something important.
__________
I sort of accidentally “outed” myself as an OW supporter about a month ago, and my family and friends were really upset. I got pretty worn out defending myself and OW for days on end, but I think the discussions are really important. I also received some much appreciated support from unexpected sources. I came even though I had a fever and raging sore throat, because I couldn’t be silent, and I couldn’t let my sisters down. It was very emotional and sad to be turned away, but I was so comforted by the feelings of sisterhood and mutual love among all who participated. I felt proud to walk through the rain and hail. I felt proud to smile at detractors. I felt proud to ask for myself to go in, and I felt deeply honored to walk alongside you all.
__________
[I’m] frustrated but encouraged as small changes are starting to happen.
__________
It was wonderful to see people with whom I interacted during the October priesthood session action and then to make several new friends from attendees today. It was also wonderful to meet and interact with online friends from all over the United States. I really enjoyed hearing the experience of other Ordain Women supporters—especially those who recently decided to become involved in supporting Ordain Women. It was exciting to hear from several people who live here in the Salt Lake area who reported feeling somewhat isolated [from family and friends because of] their views about female ordination. These women reported the excitement of seeing and interacting with many other men and women who feel similar to the way they do about female ordination.
__________
On my way to meet the group at the park, I was yelled at very aggressively by two men holding signs. … One of the men shouted at me, “Eve submitted to Adam! Women submit to men! You don’t know the meaning of the word submit!” and the other yelled that I was not a member of the Church. While walking on Temple Square, I was followed by a man in a transparent yellow poncho, who asked aggressively whether I had a temple recommend. I ignored him … and walked faster. He yelled after me that he bet I didn’t have a recommend, that we were not Mormons, and that we were all liars. When we got to the Tabernacle, I lined up with the other participants around the building and waited for a long while. I chatted with the men and women around me, and then finally reached the front of the line, where a woman greeted me and asked how she could help me. I was with my mom, who asked on our behalf to be let into the priesthood session. The woman shook each of our hands and very kindly said that we were sisters in the gospel and that she loved us, that this was why she was there, but that the meeting for women was last week and we could not be let in.
__________
Thank you for being a brave voice. I no longer feel alone.
__________
Coming out in public as being a supporter [of women’s ordination] was not well received by most [of my] friends and family and made it slightly difficult and uncomfortable, but [I] have loved opening people’s eyes to the opportunities that may become available!
__________
Even if we fail to gain ordination, the movement has been invaluable in bringing to light the issue of equality for women in the Mormon Church. The discussion has been altered forever in a good way. Thanks for all the careful thought and planning!
__________
Understanding the April 5th Participants
To try and understand more about those who participated in the event, I surveyed participants online and received more than 240 responses. The number of respondents does not reflect the total number of participants, which was over 500 in-person, but gives us insight to the composition of the group.
Who participated in the Ordain Women April 5th Action?
- Members of the LDS Church, who make up 95% of respondents
- People who attend church regularly, with 72% of respondents attending church 2-3 times per month or more – just 11% report that they do not attend church
- Mostly young people, with 75% of participants being age 40 or younger
- Lots of women, but 15% are male
- Only 30% of respondents were from Utah and the rest were from other parts of the US and other countries, including Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Samoa, New Zealand and Germany.
Have participants experienced any difficulty with Church leaders as a result of supporting Ordain Women?
89% of respondents answered No
How did these people participate in this event?
- 46% walked with Ordain Women to Temple Square
- 24% filled out a proxy card request
- 10% made a donation so that someone else could attend the event in person
- 2% attended the Priesthood Session at their ward/stake building
- 1% babysat for someone who attended in person
- 18% participated in some other way
What made these people want to participate in this event?
(selected responses)
“I had a great experience last fall and wanted to continue to participate with my sisters in the organization. This is a VALID QUESTION for our leaders, and I will continue to stand up and be counted in support of it.”
“If Mormonism has taught me anything, it’s that when someone is hurting, you show up. I am hurting. My sisters are hurting. I had to show up.”
“I want the Church to become kinder to women and to not box us into tiny little roles. I want the Church to be a place where my daughters will want to be instead of a place that asks women to deny their talents and skills to only become mothers.”
“I do not like people bullying people and it was apparent to me from the church’s spokesman Jessica Moody that the church was being a bully and not truthful”
“I feel bereft that my church does not maker more of an effort to involve women in leadership and church governance, despite the range of ways this could occur. It was important to go on the record with my support for women’s ordination.”
“I strongly believe that our Heavenly Parents love all of their children equally, and that they want us to have equal opportunities and authority. I believe that the current Priesthood policy is not divinely inspired, and is simply the result of imperfect humans bringing in their own biases.”
“The Ordain Women action is one of the things that gives me hope for the LDS church, specifically my ability to belong in the LDS community. I wanted to–in a positive and emotionally non-rebellious way–let church leaders know that I exist, matter, and have needs that are going unnoticed by them. I was there for all the women that are spiritual pillars. I was there because I cannot expect others to make the church a better place for me and my family. That’s my responsibility and my right.”
“I think Ordain Women is staring a much needed conversation on women in the LDS church, and I want to be involved in the conversation. I also believe that women’s duties in the church need to be expounded upon, and I think Ordain Women is contributing to that as well.”
“I don’t agree with all of the actions of Ordain Women, but if men are able to attend the women’s meeting as I saw last week, women should be able to attend the men’s meeting.”
“I love and respect the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, and I believe they are some of the most gracious and loving men, in addition to being prophets of God. However, even with their leadership, there are real ways within the church that women could be, and indeed, need to be treated better, and not just a few isolated problems, but many problems in many parts of the church all around the world. That these situations exist, even in God’s church that is led by good inspired men, demonstrates that to solve them a fundamental change needs to be made. So many women say “I don’t feel strongly because I have always been treated well by men in the church”. To which I say “A woman’s experience in the church should not depend on the generosity of the men around her.””
“I felt some reservations since I am not an active member but felt it was important to stand in solidarity with those who are looking for equality. During the event I felt sadness watching women who sincerely believe the LDS church to be true and only want access to the priesthood, being turned away in tears. I did not expect to be as emotional about the experience as I ended up being.”
Please describe your experience leading up to, during, and after this event
(selected response)
“I was excited about the chance to do this again, and didn’t think that it would be much different than it was in October, so I was horrified when I read the Church’s statement asking us not to go on Temple Square. I still can’t understand how they see us as outside protestors when the group is so clearly made up of people who care deeply about the Church. During the event, I was really happy with how peaceful and reverent it was, and then was even more horrified when I heard the Church’s statement about the action. I had felt welcome on Temple Square and had thought of the action as an important spiritual experience. I really resent being painted as an angry protestor who ignored requests to leave. It feels like a personal attack from the Church I love and I’m heartbroken about it. I really think the Church doesn’t know how to see OW and only has two categories: members who toe the line and angry apostates. I hope that we can continue to show Church leaders that we are members of the Church who love and care about it, but also want to see it change for the better. I also have had much stronger negative reactions to my participation from my friends this time. I’ve had friends accuse me of being willfully rebellious and it hurts. I’m really sad about how negative the reaction has been after a lovely day yesterday.”
“I felt some reservations since I am not an active member but felt it was important to stand in solidarity with those who are looking for equality. During the event I felt sadness watching women who sincerely believe the LDS church to be true and only want access to the priesthood, being turned away in tears. I did not expect to be as emotional about the experience as I ended up being.”
“I was very very nervous to attend, and didn’t want to ask anyone to go with me. I ended up asking a non-LDS friend who is an advocate for gay rights, because I thought she would be non-judgemental on the issue. She had a wonderful time and told me she felt the spirit for the first time in a long time. I also felt the spirit throughout the action. I am so glad I went. I have had some people angry with me but I don’t care. I can’t trade in my integrity to make people happy. Also my husband was supportive, which I wasn’t sure he would be. He didn’t attend, but he completely understands why I did.”
How did the participants feel about their participation?
83% of respondents rated their experience as Positive or Very Positive
Thank you, President Oscarson
March 30, 2014
Dear President Oscarson,
We are writing to thank you for your talk at the General Women’s Meeting. We appreciated your emphasis on sisterhood. You stated that women should not let differences come between them. Your message gave us hope in the midst of all of the negative messages that we have received recently.
This morning one of our volunteers checked the messages that Ordain Women receives on our Facebook page and saw that among the hate mail was a letter of apology. We have never received one of those before. The writer said that she listened to your talk last night and regretted some of the negative comments she had made on our Facebook page. We’ve also heard of a few private apologies made to others of our supporters.
Your words made some reconsider their hurtful words and actions toward us, your sisters, and we are grateful for that.
Yours sincerely,
Nancy Ross
Hannah Wheelwright
April Young Bennett
Suzette Smith
Joanna Wallace
Kristy Money Straubhaar
Lorie Winder Stromberg
Amy Isaksen Cartwright
Kate Kelly
Debra Jenson
Kimberly Brinkerhoff
Annie Laurie Cechini
Heather Olson Beal
Amanda Farr-Knickerbocker