Gathered by the River: Reflections and Essays of Women Doing Ministry

Les Harding is the author of The Voyages of Lesser Men: Thumbnail
Sketches in Canadian Exploration and The Journeys of Remarkable Women:
Their Travels on the Canadian Frontier.

Gathered by the River comprises 11 essays, or meditations, on the trials
and tribulations of women in Christian ministry in Canada. The
selections are ecumenical, personal, and decidedly feminist in tone.
Probably the best way to give an impression of the wide range of
experiences to be found here is to list the chapter titles: “Images of
Power,” “Dancing on the Edge: Perspectives of a Baptist and
Theological Educator,” “Buried Treasure: Identity Politics and
Pastoral Care,” “Living and Changing on Carry the Kettle Reserve,”
“Feminism in the Catholic Context,” “Liberating Our Images of
Ministry,” “Marginalization and Sexism in the Caucasian Majority
Church,” “Diaconal Ministry as a Feminist Model of Ministry,”
“Christian Ecumenical Dialogue and the Ordination of Women,”
“Fidelity for the Future,” and “An Apocalypse of the Hidden
Minority.”

The authors are all women who are experienced ministers, educators, or
theologians. Each article is 10 to 20 pages in length, and most include
endnotes and a bibliography. Some of the pieces are quite radical and
are probably a long way from the average person in the pew. They should
spark some lively debate within the church. The title of the book refers
to a passage in Acts where a certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of
God, and other women gathered by a river.