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Toronto, Ont.
Women of Destiny


This February the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team was awarded Olympic gold medals – the best in the world! At the same time, February 21-23 in Toronto, Canadian history was made at the first ever National Leadership Conference for Women: “Leading Women 2002”. The planning team was comprised of six leaders from nonprofit and business agencies, plus a representative of the Canadian MB conference. The Conference was spearheaded by Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. MB partnership in this conference bolted the national priority of leadership development out of the starting blocks. Twenty-eight Canadian MB leaders were sent by their churches. They met for a networking dinner during the conference.


Jeremiah 1:4 states: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Through four creative, inspiring plenary sessions and five appetite-whetting workshops, a constant challenge was issued to hear God’s personal call – to be part of His solution for today’s world. More than formal input, though, personal interaction with speakers and presenters who modeled excellence, vulnerability, integrity and vital spirituality brought life-changing inspiration to all who attended.

The first plenary session featured Lorna Dueck of Crossroads Communications. She was received enthusiastically as she opened with, “We are the most liberated women in the world – through Christ, in Canada!” This was followed immediately by a prayer time for women who suffer religious and cultural oppression in other areas of the world. After skillfully interviewing several prominent Canadian Christian leaders, Dueck summarized the evening with the following principles:

• “True leadership is absolute brokenness.” Laying down our life equals leadership, but we often don’t welcome it or recognize it as such. Jacqueline Dugas echoed this thought the next evening: “Brokenness is where it’s at. As you move through these times of brokenness and establish your roots deep in Christ, He gives you your identity. Out of that comes compassion and integrity, so that you become a leader of strength.”
  
  
• “Leadership is assumed.” Whether we are ever recognized, and regardless of position, lack of status, resources or ability, leaders just see what needs to be done, hear God’s call . . . . and go do it. Karen Pascal, president of Windborne Productions, shared from her frequent personal experience of inadequacy and concluded with, “I rest in a spirit of thankfulness that God trusts me with things that are way beyond me.”
  
  
• “Leadership is laying down who I think I want to be and taking up a servant role so the cause of Christ can go forward.” Jesus’ example was all that was needed to bring this truth home.

Although a well thought-out spectrum of skills and issues was addressed throughout the three days, three central messages never varied: courageously live out your unique destiny in Christ, mentor and be mentored, and learn through brokenness.

One organizer explained, “The agenda covered was not new or unique to women.” Children’s pastor, Laura Kalmar wrote, “Many wonderful insights were shared . . . from the areas of business, politics, law, media, and the arts, giving the conference great scope and depth. Everything I learned was certainly transferable to a ministry setting. The conference provided a great forum for encouraging women to exercise their God-given gifts of leadership in a positive and celebratory way.”

 – Sharon Johnson

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Last modified April 12, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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