Our grief work continues. Yesterday I attended the funeral service for our colleague Karen Haak, who died Sunday, March 15 at the age of 71. Karen was ordained in 1982. During her 30 plus years of active ministry, she served as associate pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, then chaplain at Mary Free Bed Hospital. She then found a call to interim ministry and served many congregations in this capacity including our congregations in Marshall, Coldwater, and Albion. She taught interim ministry, and also polity, which she loved. Elizabeth Candido was one of her polity students at Harvard Divinity School, when Karen was serving a church nearby. She served the Presbytery of Lake Michigan as interim executive presbyter from 2005 through 2007.
Chandler Stokes eloquently and powerfully addressed in his homily the struggles and inequities women pastors face. Karen was not shy about naming and challenging these double standards and advocating for a more just way. As interim pastor, she told truths which were hard to hear. To the end of her life, she loved the church which struggled to appreciate her gifts.
Today, nearly half or 27 of our 66 congregations are served by women pastors. We are blessed with the gifts these women bring in ministry. May we recognize and fully appreciate them. They are blessed by the pioneering witness of the women leaders who went before them, and paved the way for them. Karen Ann Haak was one champion among them. A memorial fund has been established at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids to honor her.
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3 comments:
I will miss Karen Haak. She and I sat together at the 2014 GA and went and got Greek and Cuban food in Detroit. She was a gift to our Presbytery and a kind friend.
In thinking about the number of women pastors in our Presbytery, I only count 21 who are solo or head of staff, and many of these are the smaller churches. The other 6 women are associate pastors. The largest churches in our presbytery are still led by men as head of staff.
Perhaps Karen was right and there is yet more work to do for gender equality in the PCUSA.
With all do respect the holy bible spacificly states a women's proper way to conduct herself at church and needs to adress any thoughts to her husband or father if not married.Please don't disrespect god.You chose to be Cristian and thinking with worldly wisdom that women not preaching I sexist.No gods word and I pray you read your bible.I am no preacher but know better to pervert the word only Satan try's to change bible with sexist and other worldly thought.We are all equal and have jobs
If the holy bible said Roland wash feet all day to show humbleness.I would obey.Jesus never complained when God said give your life for us sinners even the ungreatfull ones.Remember bible not your church or what our friends think or this world.Fallow gods word its plain clear women must be silent.Gods word so Karen I wish you well trying to fight God.Your brave and a heads up ,God never lost a fight.Submit like I did are thinking is corrupt and Gods word is salvation.Amen
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