Nearly two hundred and fifty women gathered this past 17 an 18 November at St. John of Damascus Orthodox Church in Dedham, Mass. to participate in a conference for Orthodox Christian women entitled, "Gifts of the Spirit." Sponsored by the St. Nina Quarterly and the Council of Eastern Orthodox Churches of Central Massachusetts, and with the help of a dedicated local planning committee, this was the first time that Orthodox Christian women in the New England area gathered as one to explore the ministry of women in the Church. The event offered an opportunity to meet other Orthodox Christian women, exchange our experiences and ideas of ministry within the Church, grow in our understanding of ministry, and further explore the various ministries of women in the Church.

WOMEN's Second Annual Symposium on "Women in the Church" held Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, 1995 in Denver, Colorado yielded a weekend of dialogue, excitement, and eagerness for more than thirty attendees from four Orthodox jurisdictions throughout the United States.

As part of the various programs offered during the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women, the World Council of Churches is sponsoring two conferences for Eastern and Oriental Orthodox women, the first having taken place last October 4-10 in Damascus, Syria. This conference, which brought together Orthodox women from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, was entitled “Discerning the Signs of the Times” and focused on the ministries and concerns of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox women.

The Very Reverend Leonid Kishkovsky, Ecumenical Officer of Orthodox Church in America, and Dr. Helen Theodoropoulos, Adjunct Professor at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, and editorial board member of the St. Nina Quarterly, spoke at the Third Annual Symposium sponsored by Orthodox Christian Synergy. The symposium took place on Saturday, October 18 at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, in Des Plaines, Illinois.

“Christ Born Anew in our Hearts” was the theme of an Orthodox women’s retreat held at St. Andrew Orthodox Church in Lexington, Kentucky, November 15 and 16, 1997. Over seventy women from a seven state region attended the event which was modeled after the conference, “A Journey in Faith: A Conference for Orthodox Women,” held in Milwaukee in February 1997.