Womens' Sankofa

The Reformed Church in America has started a series of Sankofas.  These are varying bus trips around a specific theme.  They did one about racism and racial diversity through the multiracial initiatives office in the spring.  This last September, they offered the first ever women's sankofa journey.

First stop:
Marble Collegiate Church.  This church, where I so long to call home but the journey is honestly too long, has quite a history.  Of note for our journey is the leadership of Mrs. Peale.  Ruth Stafford Peale was married to the famous author and pastor Norman Vincent Peale.  Alongside her husband, she co-created Guideposts (yeah, the heartwarming magazine we all love) and the Peale Foundation.

Random ride laugh:
I'm not sure how many of you have tried to pee in a coach bus bathroom.  It's a trip even if the bus is parked.  Those bathroom as small even for kids, let alone a full-sized (and then some) adult.  So, in case you are not also aware, let me describe Manhattan traffic for you.  Stop.  Go. Speed up.  Slow. Slower. Stop. Creep. Creep. Go. STOP! Gooo.... nope.  Stop. Go. Stop. Go. Add in some turns (read: SHARP turns) and as you can imagine, even sitting on the bus is a trip.  Standing would be much more difficult.  Now imagine standing (or at least attempting to) while trying to pull your pants back up after using the restroom.  Hilarious.  Simply hilarious.

We headed to the sight of the first female ordination in the RCA: United Church of Spring Valley in Spring Valley, New York.  It is a quaint little town in the Hudson Valley... that was not built for a tour bus.  It was a nice town, though.  Joyce Stedge was the first woman to be ordained into the RCA in 1973.  You can read a little synopsis about it here.

Moving along - We headed further into the Hudson Valley to Pawling, NY.  This little town is home to the Peale Center, founded by Mr and Mrs Norman Vincent Peale.  Yes, I already mentioned them above, at Marble.

Lunch:
Normally I wouldn't document what I ate... but my lunch was amazing!  If you're ever in Pawling, NY, you should DEFINITELY get a Chicken Parmesan Wrap from Vinny's.  You will be happy you did.

We traveled northward for the rest of the day.  We traveled until we reached Auburn, NY.  Auburn is home to a wonderful community and the home of an American hero: Harriet Tubman.  You can visit the Harriet Tubman Home as a museum now.  We were treated and were able to hear her great-great-niece talk about her aunt and the legacy that she has carried in her honor.  What a great surprise!

Continuing through northern New York, we headed toward our final destination for the night: the hotel and dinner :)  We stayed close to Seneca Falls, NY and were able to enjoy a nice, relaxing night in a hotel with a fabulous dinner.  After a restful night, we were back on the bus.

We headed to the Women's Rights National Historical Park.  On July 19th and 20th in 1848, the first women's rights convention was held on the grounds of the now preserved space.  It was, at that time, a Wesleyan Chapel, and after going through many changes, the National Park Service has recreated it to resemble what it may have looked like over 150 years ago.  You can read the Declaration of Sentiments, the document written and signed by the those in attendance that were in agreement toward women's right.  It is engraved next to a waterfall within the national park.  There's also a museum and Women's Hall of Fame.  My only regret from this trip is that we didn't have sufficient time to explore these places.

From there, we began our day long trip back toward NYC.  I'm serious that it took ALL DAY.  It was a long day in the bus, for sure.  We even ate lunch in the bus!  I never realized how big is the state of New York.  Actually, we came down through Pennsylvania, but still...

We ended up in New Jersey.  New Brunswick, NJ to be exact.  We stopped at the First Reformed Church to hear about their "Dina's Dwelling" Project.  It's a domestic violence that touched my heart.  Not only because it would greatly expand the opportunity for women to become stable on their own, but it is re-envisioning the building of their church family... and that is a dream I've had for many years.  So good.  There are too many big church buildings which no longer house big congregations and I've believe it's time to re-appropriate the space to do some real good in this world.

From there, we headed back to our starting point.  What a great way to spend a weekend - in peace, in adventure, with friends (old and new), serving and seeing, sharing stories and listening to stories, learning and leading.  So good.