Things DO change--Thank God!

What a thrill it was to see my daughter, Christi, commissioned this Wednesday night in the North Carolina Conference! It was a thrill because she is (in my unbiased and correct opinion) such a beautiful, extraordinary, remarkable young woman. What rich gifts she brings to Christ and the church. Yes, it is a twist of irony that after all these years of being such a passionate Duke fan, my Christi would be appointed to a church in Chapel Hill for her first appointment. But every place needs missionaries...

Christi DeSha Dye on her commissioning day June 10, 2007 with her grandfather, Dr. James

A. Shepherd who, in 2009, celebrates 66 years of service as a United Methodist pastor.

The joy of Christi's commissioning was enough to thrill me from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. But I have two other thoroughly joyful dimensions to complement the day. One is the rich sense of family heritage that met us in North Carolina. Christi was commissioned by Bishop Al Gwinn...who grew up in a church in the Kentucky Conference which was built by my grandfather. My 87 year old father was able to be present for Christi's commissioning -- witnessing the 4th generation preacher legacy from the Shepherd side of the family.

And I couldn't help but revel in the way things have changed in the church. When I was taking the equivalent step in my own journey of ministry -- in 1975--the attitude and practice in the church was very different. My bishop in Mississippi, Bishop Mack Stokes, spent the night before my deacon ordination with the head of the Board of Ordained Ministry asking how to get out of ordaining me as a deacon (which was, back then, the equivalent step to today's commissioning). My dear friend and mentor, Dr. Prentiss Gordon, told the bishop that he would have to go through with it. And he did. But everything about the atmosphere for women was so adversarial. When people were just uneasy about women preachers, we considered that to be a blessing! North Mississippi had two second career, very devoted clergywomen who had come through the Course of Study track. And what a blessing and inspiration and encouragement they were to me! Being a young woman coming through the seminary track was not a welcome prospect. Formal and informal discouragement and opposition met me at every turn.

What a wonderful change has taken place in the church! Women are carefully screened -- along with male colleagues--but gender is no longer an intractable barrier. Christi sailed through the ordination track credentialing with not even a word of hesitation based on gender. That's a thrill for me that she and other young women have no way to measure. Of course I am proud that she is so theologically astute, wise and articulate. But I also rejoiced in the change of circumstance -- that she could come to ministry on her own merits--that she could step forward into God's calling without the resentment and resistance of the generations before her.

I've prayed and worked for this change for decades. Through the years, I didn't know that working for open doors for women would be a direct benefit to my own daughter. But what an exquisite dimension of joy to see her process unfold in that way--to see her welcomed into the conference and respected and valued. So many times, breaking new ground was discouraging, depleting, disillusioning. So many wonderful women were wounded along the way. To see Christi--and other young women in the commissioning and ordination process--be welcomed and blessed fills my heart to overflowing with a joy that can't be comprehended for those who haven't lived through the hard times. What a sign of hope for me! Persistent, persevering faithful action does make a difference! Things DO change. Thank God! What an extraordinary experience of joy and rejoicing have been able to experience this week!

I remember how many years the