The idea came to me after hearing about the New Baptist Covenant at the Georgia World Congress Center this February, 2008.
I met a woman who was ordained, so I asked Cindy to experiment with putting Rev.
in front of her name.
A successful female pastor I met wouldn't use the Rev.
title.
I wondered why? As a volunteer, the Cindy gave only a few people their packets, and even fewer her card.
The volunteers were church members mostly, but there was one female pastor.
When this woman gave her card to one woman who was a church organizer, she found that there was a need to help this organizer, we will call her Maria, go to the Al Gore luncheon.
Leaving the welcome center 15 minutes early, Rev.
Cindy decided to ask people what they thought about breaking line.
The first person looked a little like Red Skelton, and was jovial, but he said he could not let anyone break line because the people behind him would not enjoy or think it was fair.
Rev.
Cindy told him that if he had let her stand with him, then she would only have him to talk to, and it would not be as interesting as talking to people in the line perhaps, so thanked him for his honesty.
The next person Rev.
Cindy talked to gave the same excuse.
She was a young black woman with a white suit and rhinestones and studs ornamentation on her beautiful suit.
Many people later, perhaps 20, an elderly man said he could not because he was not in line.
The President of Mercer University approached him and shook his hand, so he turned away from me and greeted this University President.
All of these people were very ethical with line keeping and importance.
Several people were on their cell phones, so Rev.
Cindy walked past them.
More than 60 people were not open to talking or line breaking, not light hearted, and not at ease with bending the rules to help an unimportant person.
The University President did not go to the end of the line.
There was a woman wearing royal purple.
She had blond hair and turquoise eyes.
Rev.
Cindy told her how beautiful she was and the story about line breaking.
It was not about getting there early or first.
The food was not important.
What was important was finding out if the people were light hearted and if they were willing to help someone who wasn't that important.
Rev.
Cindy had found that there were people who were not that happy, and not very helpful.
A man started talking to us.
He was amazed that people were not more playful, and less than helpful.
They both said they would let me break line.
So then Rev.
Cindy told them about Maria, and how she could not afford to go to the luncheon with Al Gore.
She gave her card to the man when he said he wanted to help Maria, and that next year there would be a fund to help people in need for things like the Al Gore Power Point presentation.
She asked if he wanted some kind of security, or if he wanted to come along to give the money to her, and he said no.
His wife believed that cash would not be accepted.
Maria was a volunteer, a check would be found.
So he gave Rev.
Cindy 40 bucks and his card, and he told Rev.
Cindy not to return the change.
Rev.
Cindy went to her, placed the money on her American Gulag book, and waited until she had finished talking to people who were asking questions.
"You are going to lunch!" Rev.
Cindy said.
"But I already told people I would volunteer!" she protested! "My reputation is on the line, and you have to go! I cannot return the money! How will I find him in a crowd that big!?" Rev.
Cindy stated.
There was no argument.
Then she opened her arms and hugged Rev.
Cindy, and said that she would text message him.
Rev.
Cindy left her and went to the already moving line that was near the end.
As Rev.
Cindy walked in, because she was wearing a beret that a Lutheran woman had given her, the man with the donation easilyfound her, and asked if Maria had come.
The only response was faith.
He must have wondered how she could text message if she did not have enough money to attend.
She met a head honcho with Jimmy Carter's denomination, and told him how she was excluded from being a chaplain at Grady Hospital because they required two years of pastoring a church.
So Rev.
Cindy found a chair in the far corner with seminary students and a teacher of theirs, who had the same last name as Maria, and lived in Abilene, Texas.
Rev.
Cindy introduced them later online.
Maria is an activist with immigration.
Her main job is organizing ministries.
The next place Rev.
Cindy went to was an exploitation class for children and adults, and the ministers who would go to Thailand and help women figure out another way to survive other than prostitution.
Shemet a reporter and talked to him about Indonesia on her way.
His son is a teacher on Bali.
With the tsunamis and earthquakes, political unrest, mud volcanoes, and real volcanoes, so there is enough to allow worry.
Rev.
Cindy connected spiritually with him on this cause.
There were no people clamoring to give Rev.
Cindy pulpit time, nor ministry time, but she did speak with a Cooperative Baptist head honcho, and told him where what church in the CBF she attends.
Women do not preach there.
He told her he would not go to that church for that reason.
There are no churches closer.
The nursing homes, hospitals, funeral homes will use most men who are ordained, and pay them.
Women have a harder time.
Where are the networks? Where is the good 'ol boys or good 'ol girls network to get women into the pulpit? There was a woman speaker to the Baptist New Covenant who was ordained.
Where does that leave Rev.
Cindy? (c) Charlotte Fairchild