Women's Day

Last Sunday was Women's Day at church. It is organised by the central leadership of our denomination, and so at least in theory, all the UEEB churches are celebrating Women's Day on the same day.

The Wednesday before was a Bank Holiday. I was just pruning some bushes early in the morning - the only bearable time to do it, but I'm rarely free to do so - when the pastor's wife arrived. She told me that the woman from our church who had been supposed to preach at the Women's Day service was feeling unwell, and had pulled out. And they didn't know who on earth they could ask at such short notice...! I didn't feel I had much choice but to accept!

Usually women don't preach in our church, but Women's Day is an exception. I was given the title "The wife is the happiness of the home" ... at least that's the closest I can get to translating it ... which didn't seem to be directly taken from the Bible! I was also given the other woman's notes, so I started as she did with "why God created the woman" but then continued differently.

None of the women felt capable of translating, so I asked Marc to do it, and in fact gave him a written translation in French in advance (in case he didn't understand my Monkolé well enough!).

The service was a very joyful one. The usual choir is replaced by a choir made up only of married women, and they had prepared some fun sketches as well. And I think the sermon went well. It was hard to get any kind of feedback as I spoke (Marc says that is usual) but was impressed with how quiet it was, despite all the children being present.

Here is the board from that service. (I'm "Ilari" - Hilary pronounced the French way and then transliterated.)