Trinity Warrior Women - Name Change

From Middlers to Warrior WomenAbout fifteen years ago, our own Rev. Susan White, while interning at Trinity, made a very astute observation. She noted that there was a rather large demographic of women at Trinity that were approaching middle-aged and becoming what I have heard referred to as the sandwich generation, taking care of children and aged parents simultaneously. We were constantly busy, faithful to our family and church, but unorganized, and generally preferring not to formally join organizations like the United Methodist Women. Susan provided that initial organization, setting up Bible Studies and get-togethers. We continued by meeting together at restaurants with a meeting room, and for a time created a program or invited speakers to address issues we were interested in.  And with the organization came the ability to be nimble – to respond to the needs of the church and each other with the power of a group email! But we struggled the most over our name. Susan had nicknamed us the “Middlers” but encouraged us to come up with something else. We tried several on for size, but for some reason, The Middlers stuck. Dale Ross took over where Susan White left off and is more than likely the major reason we have kept our monthly meetings going, other than our love for each other. Our meetings are a time of fellowship, planning, and breaking bread at one of Durham's restaurants, usually having a devotional and then catching up on each other’s lives. We have recently begun our monthly meetings again, having been interrupted by the pandemic. But why are our meetings announced in the Steeple as Trinity’s Warrior Women? Well, that’s another story. Recently we discussed again that we really did need a new name since we had since outgrown our caretaking role – many happily caretaking grandchildren. We also desired to be more inclusive with our women’s group, hopefully encouraging any woman at Trinity to join us, regardless of age. I participate in one of Trinity’s Christcare bible study groups, and by chance part of our study was a discussion of the woman in Proverbs 31. You remember her; the woman described as perfect, making me feel just a little inadequate. This discussion helped me to see that I have misunderstood her and that I had been reading about her with a rather closed and stubborn heart. The reading stated that the real Proverbs 31 woman is “a woman of strength and mighty valor” – a WARRIOR! She’s full of wisdom, a trusted advisor to her husband and family, extravagant in her generosity, and “wrapped in bold power and glorious majesty”. YES…all of a sudden, I wanted to be this woman; she was my hero now instead of thinking of her as overworked or one who kept a home at such a perfect level that I could never achieve. I suggested our new name should reflect this warrior…to show that we are trusting in the Lord, fearing nothing, loving and giving more, expanding our influence, and enjoying the days ahead. The Middlers are now the Warrior Women, and we would love for you to join us at our next meeting! Submitted by Vickie Odom