World Student Christian Federation Asia Pacific Region

International
Womens Day
Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity:
Picture It!

Prepared for International Womens Day celebration

March 2015

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Introduction
March 8th is known as International Womens Day (IWD) across the nations. It is a day of hope, a
day of courage, of celebration for women who fought for equality, justice and peace. It is also a
time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and
determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their
countries and communities. United Nations (UN) has marked it as a day for Womens Rights and
International Peace since 1977.
International Womens Day first emerged from the activities of labor movements at the turn of
the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. On March 8th, 1857 it marked the
day when one of the first organized actions by working women anywhere in the world took
place, where hundreds of women garment and textile workers went on strike in New York City
protesting against low wages, long working hours and inhuman working conditions. Again on
March 8th in 1908, fifteen thousand women marched through New York city demanding shorter
hours, better pay, voting rights and an end to child labor. They adopted the slogan Bread and
roses with bread symbolizing economic security and roses a better quality of life. On March 25th
1911, it marked the day when more than 140 working girls mostly Italian and Jewish immigrants
died in the tragic Triangle fire accident, an event that had a far-reaching effect on labor
legislation in the USA. While on March 19th, 1911 many rallies and organized meetings
successfully took place in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland to mark the inauguration
of International Womens Day. The March 19 date was chosen because it commemorated the
day that the Prussian king promised to introduce votes for women in 1848. The promise gave
hope for equality but it was a promise that he failed to keep. The date for International
Womens Day was then moved to March 8th in 1913.
The United Nations has mentioned that until now nowhere in the world women can claim to
have all the same rights and opportunities as men despite much progress to protect and
promote womens right have been made in these days. The majority of the worlds 1,3 billion
absolute poor are women. On average, women receive between 30 and 40 percent less pay than
men earn for the same work. Women also continue to be victims of violence, with rape and
domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women worldwide.
The theme for our IWD celebration, as shared by the UN Women, is Empowering women,
empowering humanity: Picture it!. It is a call for greater equality and encouraging effective
action for advancing and recognizing women.
May this liturgy serve as an invitation and encouragement to reflect and living our faith towards
justice, peace, equality as signs of Gods kingdom.

Objectives of observing and celebrating IWD 2015:

a.
b.
c.

To spiritually reflect on the theme Empowering women, empowering humanity: picture

it!
To faithfully witness our faith by affirming that human being beautifully created and meant
to be protected from any abuses and violence;
To living our calling of preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls!

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d.

To advocate, remember and celebrate with all women who have been in the path of
struggling for and realizing justice, peace, equality, inclusiveness, and empowerment in the
society.

How you can participate in observing IWD ?

You may organize various events to observe the International Womens Day based on your
national context. Organizing the commemoration service of the IWD can be one of them. For
this purpose, we present this liturgical material and encourage each national SCM to use it
during month of March.

Suggested Preparation for the Prayer Service

Feel free to adapt the service for your context or national SCM.
For reflection part, find story or people who could tell story of inspiring women from your
context, and then share it.
Spent few moments to learn or practice the songs/hymn to be sung in the service.
Prepare the service arrangement in the circle or half circle and provide a space for procession
where each woman with particular story can be seen by the audience. Or you may find
symbolic picture and display on the projectors screen represent stories of women mentioned
during the procession.
For the purpose of picture/symbol display during the service, you will need a data show, LCD
monitor and a PC/laptop.

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A Liturgy of International Womens Day

Call to Gather
Leader: We gather today to celebrate International Womens Day.
All: We gather, bringing our hopes and our fears, our memories and our visions.
Leader: We gather, longing for the guidance of Gods spirit to give us renewal and courage for
the days ahead.
All: Come, Christ Jesus, be in our midst. Bless us as we remember those who have shown us your
way forward. Help us to realize your vision in our response toward empowering women,
empowering humanity.
Opening Song: Where is the Miriam, Where is the Moses (Words: Shirley Murray, 2007, Music:
Per Harling, 2007)
Where is the Miriam, where is the Moses
Where are the ones who will call, who will lead?
Daughters and sons of the Christ evolution,
Who will bring Gospel command up to speed?
Dream as we may, Scheme as we may, but raise up new prophets, the voice for our day
Dream as we may, scheme as we may, but raise up new prophets, the voice for our day!
Where is the Mary and, where is the Jesus,
Living the vision that courage makes real,
Daughters and sons of the Christ revolution,
Who will speak peace and wrap love round the steel?
Dream all we can, scheme all we can, but raise up the spirited woman and man,
Dream all we can, scheme all we can, but raise up the spirited woman and man!
Where is the mind set to act as a servant,
Yet to be leader and pleader for good,
Walking ahead to where others will follow,
Risking our life to be misunderstood?
Dream what we will, scheme what we will, were lead by the Spirit no crosses can kill,
Dream what we will, scheme what we will, were lead by the Spirit no crosses can kill!

Reflection on the theme: Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity

(This is a time for sharing a story or stories of women reflecting her/their roles in empowering
herself and more women in struggle for peace, justice and human dignity. You are invited to
share an inspiring story of women from your own community. The following are two stories of
women that you are welcomed to share!)
A Story-teller 1
As shared by Lucy Janjigian, a woman artist who was born in Jerusalem. She had survived under
foreign occupations situation.

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Reflected from Luke 19:41

As Jesus came near and saw Jerusalem, he wept over it, saying, if you, even you, had only
recognized on this day the things that make for peace!
Born in Jerusalem, I attended an English Anglican School with girls who were Arab (Muslim and
Christian), Jewish and of many other nationalities. Our home was in an international quarter
where Abyssinian, Arab, Armenian, Assyrian, English, Jewish, Polish and Russian families lived
peacefully in close proximity.
Around 1946, militant Zionists began attacking British soldiers and policemen. July 22, 1946 was
Palestines September 11th. Irgun militants blew up the King David Hotel that housed the British
Mandate Government, killing 92 Arab, Armenian, British, Greek and Jewish personnel, including
my aunts sister and a Greek girl who was a recent graduate from my school.
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations announced the Palestine Partition. Our house landed
in no mans land with bullets flying through the windows between Arabs and Jews. One night
the four-storied Mandelbaum Building that was behind our house was blown up by the Israeli
soldiers. Our windowpanes crashed, dogs barked, pictures and dishes crashed to the tiled floor. It
shook us, terrified, out of our beds.
The next morning we were uprooted. At the advice of Bishop Stewart, we abandoned our home
and moved to St. Georges School across the street. A temporary ceasefire was agreed upon
(since my father was the school principal and had students from both sides) so we could safely
walk to the school carrying a few personal belongings. The street we crossed became the
boundary between Israel and Jordan. Jerusalem was a divided city. Travel between Jerusalem
Jordan and Jerusalem Israel had to be through Mandelbaum Gate. Mandelbaum Gate, monitored
by UN personnel, was in front of our home that has since been demolished. That gate was
dismantled after the 1967 war.
June 11th 1948 The first ceasefire was signed by the United Nations Count Bernadotte,
Abdullah Beg Tel, and Moshe Dayan, in our living room at St. Georges School. During this
ceasefire, both sides re-armed. We escaped to the Anglican Girls Mission School in Amman,
Jordan, where other refugees had found shelter and shared their room with extended family.
Upon our return to Jerusalem I worked with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) among Palestinian refugees in tented camps that was an
eye opener and heartbreak for me. The refugees have multiplied to the millions in the past 60
years. They have not been allowed to return and have not been compensated.
Israeli government officials stand by as Palestinians are evicted and homes and cisterns
demolished. Palestinian land is taken and orchards cut downstripping Palestinians of their
livelihood. Palestinians are deprived of their human rights, and are humiliated on a daily basis.
I pray for hearts of stone to melt into hearts of flesh, for peace to reign with justice, resulting in a
two state solution, reinstating the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as an International City. I weep
with Christ over the plight of the oppressor, the oppressed and for the Holy City. May peace
reigns. Amen
(Source: Your Daughters Shall Prophesy: Meditations on the Beijing Platform for Actions,
prepared for the 54th sessions of United Nations Commissions on the Status of Women, the
Ecumenical Women devotional guide, page 22-23)

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A Story-teller 2
It is about a story of Ms. Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, a survivor from domestics abuse to women
rights advocate.
Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, an Indonesian woman, is known for being abused by her employer
while working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong from May 2013 to January 2014. Like many
other girls, after graduating from high school she wished to continue her education at college to
become an accountant. However, she had to forget for a while her dream of higher education
because of her familys economic situation. Then she decided to apply to be a migrant worker
and accept a contract as a Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) in Hong Kong with a hope to making
money to support her family and to save for her college tuition fees. Erwiana saw no choice other
than to become a domestic worker in Hong Kong.
For a period of 8 months she was physically abused by her employer. She was made to sleep on
the floor, work 21 hours per day, and was not permitted a day off. She lived on nothing but bread
and rice for months. In one incident she was stripped naked, covered with water and made to
stand in front of a fan in the bathroom in the middle of winter. She was beaten with various
household items and kept as prisoner in the employers house, as she claimed. Over the course of
8 months, the injuries became infected, and as Erwiana was not taken to a doctor, her health
was left in a weakened state and she was unable to walk. On January 2014 she was sent home by
her employer with $70HKD (less than USD$ 10) at her hands and a threat to remain silent about
what she had gone through if she wanted her parents alive. Abandoned at the airport and unable
to walk, Erwiana finally met Rianti, a fellow Indonesian citizen, who helped and escorted her
home, also brought her to the hospital for treatment of her wounds.
In April 2014, Erwiana was portrayed in 100 Most Powerful People by TIME magazine as an
inspiration for other migrant workers fighting against violence and discrimination.
Erwiana shared that she endured months of torture at the hands of her employer . But
Erwiana could not be broken, nor could she be silenced. She spoke out against her employer, who
faces charges including causing grievous bodily harm and common assault, and with the support
of her family Erwiana is advocating for better laws to protect others who may share her fate,
placing a spotlight on the plight of a vulnerable and often invisible population. It is brave women
like her who speak up for the voiceless who will create lasting change. An anti-violation activist,
Somaly Mam said.
On February 27th 2015, Erwianas former employer was sentenced to six years in prison and
fined HK$15,000 in the District court. I cannot forget what happened to me, I felt trauma and
do not know what to do when the memories come back. Erwiana recalled.
But now, a year later, Erwiana began her university studies, and that makes her happy.
[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwiana_Sulistyaningsih, accessed on March 1st 2015 and
direct communication between WSCF AP Womens coordinator with her on February 14th.]

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A Litany of Remembering and Encouragement
Reflecting on Mark 5:25-34
Leader: Women, your faith has saved you; sister, rise up; your faith has saved you!
(The procession comes upon a woman who has blinders on her eyes)
Leader: For the times we closed our eyes to the reality about us, and did not see our sisters as
companions who did not have the means to liberate themselves,
Voice 1: Forgive us, God, for the times we were remiss and permitted our sisters to remain blind.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sister, rise up; your faith has saved you.
(The procession goes on and comes to a woman who has her mouth taped shut)
Leader: For the times we kept our mouths closed and didnt cry out for liberation from any form
of oppressions.
Voice 2: Forgive us, God, for the times we were neglectful and permitted our sisters, young girls
to keep their mouths closed.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.

(The procession goes on and comes to a woman with her ears taped.)
Leader: For the times we shut our ears (remained deaf) to the cries of so many suffering and
oppressed women before us,
Voice 3: Forgive us, God, for the times we were neglectful and permitted our sisters to remain
deaf.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
(The procession goes on and comes to a woman who is physically challenged.)
Leader: For the times we neglected to recognize the discrimination that our physically
challenged women suffered.
Voice 4: Forgive us, God, for the times we were remiss and allowed our physically challenged
sisters to be discriminated against for being as they are.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
(The procession goes on and comes to a woman with her whole head covered with a cloth.)
Leader: For the times we permitted the powerful actors, in public media, in mass
communication, newspapers, magazines, and society to place women in roles of passivity or
submission and we accepted this as truth.
Voice 5: Forgive us, God, for the times we were remiss and allowed our sisters and public to
believe these portrayals of women as truths.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
(The procession goes on and comes to a woman with her womb tied up in a cloth.)
Leader: For the times that we permitted others to take possession of our bodies, taking away
our choices as to whether we should have sons or daughters or not; for the ignorance

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concerning the reality of the female genital mutilation, of female infanticide, of the use of
women body as objects, and of the denial of the freedom to exercise our sexuality freely.
Voice 6: Forgive us, God, for the times we were neglectful and permitted our sisters to be used
and treated as sex objects.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
(The procession goes on and comes to a Dalit woman.)
Leader: For the times we neglected to see the discrimination based on caste system that exists,
seeing our Dalit sisters living on the margin of our society, permitting class ideals to be
perpetuated in the society.
Voice 7: Forgive us, God, for the times we were remiss and ignorant all discrimination based on
caste system in our society.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
(The procession goes on and comes to a woman migrant worker.)
Leader: For the times that we neglected to see the exploitation of women migrant workers, the
slavery system perpetuated by unjust policies.
Voice 8: Forgive us, God, for the times we were remiss and permitted all exploitation and slavery
system against women migrant workers in our society.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
(The procession goes on and comes to a woman suffered due to her different faith.)
Leader: For the times we neglected to see the discrimination against the women living with
different faith;
Voice 9: Forgive us, God, for the times we were remiss and permitted all our sisters living with
different faith to suffer of discrimination and persecution.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
(The procession goes on and comes to a young girl.)
Leader: For the times we neglected to see the violence against young girls, the kidnapping and
the rape of young girls in conflict zone and in the society.
Voice 10: Forgive us, God, for the times we were remiss and permitted many young girls
kidnapped and raped.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.

Leader: Woman, without a face, without a name, without a voice, go out on the streets and say
what you think, there are many sufferers, rejected, who have no decent life.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
Leader: And there are so many women hidden, with no name or fame in their daily life; their
struggles, not recognized, trying to transmit their desire for liberty.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
Leader: Woman, find your strength, your light, in the touch of your friend, Jesus, the healer;

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Know that life, true light emerges in history, in the church and the community with Faith.
All: My daughter, your faith has saved you; sisters, rise up; your faith has saved you.
Leader: Woman of today, reclaim yourself, and denounce all that oppress you;
You and Jesus, in a commitment of faith, are involved in bringing in the reign of God.
~ adapted from Barbara de Souzas writing in Maren C. Tirabassi & Kathy Wonson Eddy, Gifts of
Many cultures-Worship Resources for the Global Community (Cleveland, Ohio: United Church
Press, 1995), 44-46.
A Hymn Song: Go Tell Everyone (Lyrics by Alan Dale, Composed by Hubert J. Richards)
God's spirit is in my heart
He has called me and set me apart
This is what I have to do
What I have to do
Chorus : God sent me to give the good news to the poor
Tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more
Tell blind people that they can see,
And set the downtrodden free
And go tell everyone
The news that the kingdom of God has come
And go tell everyone the news that Gods kingdom has come
Just as the Father sent me
So I'm sending you out to be
My witnesses throughout the world
The whole of the world
Don't worry what you have to say
Don't worry because on that day
God's spirit will speak in your heart
Will speak in your heart
Chorus: God sent me to give the good news to the poor
Tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more
Tell blind people that they can see,
And set the downtrodden free
And go tell everyone
The news that the kingdom of God has come
And go tell everyone the news that Gods kingdom has come

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Prayer of Blessing in honor of Women
God of Sarah and Hagar, Naomi and Ruth, Esther and Deborah,
God of Mary and Elizabeth, Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, Lydia,
and all the unnamed women of scripture,
As you anointed these women with the oil of faith and calling,
So anoint women everywhere.
As you blessed these women with finding the courage and strength, persistence and
perseverance within them, so bless women everywhere.
As you transformed the world through the vision and work of these women,
continue to transform the world through the vision and work of inspiring women everywhere.
In every home, place and all nations,
May they continue to form and build community in ways that birth justice, love and peace.
In gestation and through the laboring, keep them focused, strong, steadfast and unwavering.
God, bless the women and all the people who continue to work tirelessly, often unnoticed,
but full of beauty and power, for all manner of good.
Continue to make them vessels of your sustenance; instruments of your peace; an inspiration to
all. Amen
~Adapted from Prayer of Blessing in honor of women by Erin Matteson, Modesto CoB pastor

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Reference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwiana_Sulistyaningsih (accessed on March 1st)
Lucy Janjigian, Jesus Wept. In Your Daughters Shall Prophesy: Meditations on the Beijing
Platform for Actions, prepared for the 54th sessions of United Nations Commissions on the Status
of Women, ed. Jessica L. Hawkinson, Ecumenical Women at the United Nations, 2010.
Maren C. Tirabassi & Kathy Wonson Eddy, eds. Gifts of Many cultures-Worship Resources for the
Global Community (Cleveland, Ohio: United Church Press, 1995).
New Revised Standard Version, Holy Bible.

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