Thank you for honoring Emma Sommers Richards (“Prophetic patience,” July 7), marking the 50th anniversary of a milestone for women in ministry. A book edited by James E. Horsch, John D. Rempel and Eldon D. Nafziger, According to the Grace Given to Her: The Ministry of Emma Sommers Richards, published by the Institute of Mennonite Studies/AMBS (2013), elaborates the journey of her ordination. We, as co-editors, are celebrating the recent publication of Proclaiming the Good News: Mennonite Women’s Voices, 1972-2006, also by IMS/AMBS. This book chronicles the ordination of Canadian and U.S. women — their lives, testimonies and persistence amid the institutional and cultural barriers that tried to keep women silent. Thirteen writers document their experience. There is a study guide and list of women ordained during those years. Contact ims@ambs.edu or visit ambs.edu/ims for information.
Lois Barrett, Wichita, Kan., and
Dorothy Nickel Friesen, North Newton, Kan.
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