The first “Gathering of Women,” which welcomes women of all faiths, ages and backgrounds, is scheduled for 10 a.m., September 27, at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Oakland.
The primary focus of the new ecumenical group, called Agape, according to founder the Rev. Pam Fahrner of Oakland, will be to celebrate women’s gifts and empower women to greet their families, workplaces, churches and community with a renewed sense of purpose and self-worth.
Complimentary child care will be provided and women are asked to bring nuts, fruit, bread or sweets to share (beverages will be provided) at the inaugural session of fellowship, fun, and mutual support “as we learn and grow together,” said the Rev. Fahrner.
This group is supported by an initial grant through the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Rev. Fahrner states that she "feels she has been training for this her entire life". She has worked with women, both in her career and in her church for an excess of 30 years, leading women's retreats, pastoral care, fellowship activities and more recently as a chaplain at Braddock (Sacred Heart) Hospital. As a wife, mother and grandmother who retired in Garrett County, she currently serves as a Deacon at St. John's Episcopal Church in Deer Park, is on the Commission for Women of Garrett County, and is a volunteer chaplain at Garrett Memorial Hospital in Oakland.
AGAPE stands for acknowledge (women’s significant ministering to families, friends, churches and community); gather (quarterly gatherings to establish friendships and networking among women of different churches); affirm (equip women to return to their homes, churches and community with confidence, knowledge and respect for their talents); persevere (establish a community a support and fellowship among Garrett County women) and ecumenical (open to all women of the community, whether churched or not).
Women will meet quarterly and study famous and everyday women who have overcome obstacles in their lives, said the Rev. Fahrner. “Although the group will be intentionally pro-women, it will not be anti-men,” she explained. “We don’t need to spend time worrying about whose gifts are the most valuable. Life is not a contest between the sexes. Both men and women can excel without diminishing the other.”
More details – with ample time for questions – about the new group will be discussed at first gathering. For more information, call The Rev. Pam Fahrner, 301-387-6313.
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