The Willow Glen Resident

Celebration focuses on women, religion, power

'World Community Day' set to take place in WG Stone Church

By Annette Ha

"If women and children are taken care of, then the world is taken care of," Willow Glen resident Dulcie Janzen says, leaning forward and resting her chin in her hands, almost daring anyone to contradict her simple statement.

The 73-year-old Janzen, with her curly white and gray hair and good-natured, grandmotherly face, seems an unlikely social activist. But she is--and has been for the past 37 years.

She belongs to an equally unlikely activist group. Church Women United connects women from different denominations from around the country, from Catholic to Baptist to Presbyterian, to campaign for women's rights around the world. They are currently preparing for World Community Day--a day of church services that reaffirms their commitment to promoting peace and justice in a global society.

According to the group's informational pamphlet, CWU "is committed to the empowerment of women." This commitment means taking positions on controversial issues that may go against those of mainstream religious leaders. The national organization is pro-choice, in favor of gay rights and universal health care, and concerned about the negative effects welfare reform will have on women and children.

Janzen heads up the San Jose unit of CWU, and she believes firmly in its tenets. "We focus on women and children because they've been neglected for so long," she says.

CWU does not officially align itself with the feminist movement, but Janzen, without apology, counts herself as one. "A lot of what they believe in, I believe in," she says.

Not surprisingly, the organization has drawn some criticism, mainly from the more fundamentalist churches. "Too far out" is one frequent assertion, according to Janzen. "We're open and accepting, and some people can't handle that."

The upcoming celebration for World Community Day is definitely unusual in comparison to other church's events, according to Jean Lindborg, president of the Northern California chapter of CWU.

"We're very forward-looking, so [the services are] not typical," she says. "But it's about women and their spiritual life."

At the celebration, "Gathering Seed From a Medieval Motheroot," churchgoers on Nov. 8 will be immersed in the music, poetry and writings of the female mystics of the Middle Ages at the Stone Church of Willow Glen. Though special recognition will be given to Hildegard of Bingen, the program will also cover Theresa of Avila, the Spanish reformer; Joan of Arc, the famed army commander; Catherine of Siena, who ministered to Italy's sick and poor; and Julian of Norwich, an English writer and spiritual guide.

The encompassing theme is that of strong, independent women who served their God over the objections of male rulers and religious leaders of the time and paid the price through death and repression of their ideas.

CWU is comparing the rediscovery of these women's ideas with the strength women have found in the late 20th century.

Janzen expects 60 to 70 women to show up, with the majority coming from Willow Glen.

However, she hopes the November celebration will highlight the worthy goals CWU is pursuing and will bring younger women into the fold of an aging membership.

The organization's numbers have been in a gradual decline. "Young women have so many demands on their time," she says. "The most a lot of them can do is give financial support."

Right now, Janzen is the only one really keeping the San Jose unit alive, according to Lindborg. "But San Jose was a very active unit once, and it can be again if we can get the word out."

The Stone Church is located on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Clark Way. The service begins at 10 a.m. For more information, call 998-4019.

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