c. 1996 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Five years ago, Christian men drawn to the emerging Promise Keepers movement began attending mass rallies in stadiums across the country, making pledges to make their faith and families paramount in their lives.

Now, it appears to be the women’s turn.

In churches and sports arenas from Kansas to southern California, plans are underway for female versions of Promise Keepers meetings.

Some of these organizations’ goals sound quite similar to their male counterpart _ turning women into more”godly”resources for their families, churches and communities. Other groups are interested in helping women adjust to life with a man who comes away from a Promise Keepers rally ready to take on more duties at home.

Even though separate ministries for men and women existed long before Promise Keepers came to be, organizers of the women’s groups view themselves as part of a spiritual renewal movement that has special appeal for evangelical Christians.

Connie Schaedel compares Promise Reapers, the group she co-founded in 1995, to the account in the biblical book of Genesis of the creation of Eve.”Just as the Lord put Adam on the Earth first and he was here for some time before Eve was brought along … that is more or less how I see this,”Schaedel said of her group.”The timing is now for the woman to be coming along in this effort that God’s wanting to do in uniting the church and building the body of Christ for his glory.” The widow of a man who found spiritual renewal in the Promise Keepers movement, Schaedel now hopes to help women experience a recharged faith.

Just two weeks after her husband died of kidney failure in 1994, Schaedel, of Georgetown, Texas, was asked to talk about his spiritual awakening at a Promise Keepers rally in Anaheim, Calif. A year later, she co-founded Promise Reapers, which now has prayer groups in more than a dozen states, including Louisiana, California, Minnesota and Texas.

Organizers say one reason behind these new women’s groups is that men often return from Promise Keepers rallies ready to make all kinds of changes in their lives _ sometimes taking their families by surprise. They may be prepared to attend church more often and to lead Bible studies with their families at home. Others may decide to spend more time with their children. They also may want to take on some roles previously performed by their wives, such as handling household finances.”It was while I was at that conference that God really impacted my heart about how these men were going to go home not always … perhaps to women who would receive them well,”Schaedel said.”If a man’s going to step up and take up leadership of his home and a woman’s been doing that even though she’s a godly woman and willing to do that … there can be a difficult transition.” Lori and Bob Beckler of Wichita, Kan., established Heritage Keepers after hearing the comments of women whose husbands came home from Promise Keepers events with renewed enthusiasm about their families. Many women felt as if they needed a spiritual boost as well.

The Becklers hope their organization will encourage older women to pass on their religious wisdom to their younger counterparts who need to learn”how to be godly women,”Bob Beckler said.

Their organization also plans to explain Promise Keepers’ philosophies to women so they can better assist their husbands and themselves adjust to the new relationships the ministry encourages.”Sometimes they’re very skeptical and scared because their husband’s promising to make all these changes and they don’t know how to accept all these changes that they want to make,”said Lori Beckler.

Heritage Keepers will have its first meeting August 10 at Wichita’s Central Community Church, where Bob Beckler is an associate pastor. They’re expecting 3,000 people _ not counting the men involved in Promise Keepers who will serve as volunteers.

Even before the first meeting is held, Lori Beckler is hoping there will be more Heritage Keepers meetings across the United States in 1997.

Catherine Clark Kroeger, president emerita of Christians for Biblical Equality, applauds the idea of women gathering with the aim of improving their spiritual lives, but she thinks their relationships with men should focus on mutuality and interdependence rather than one partner dominating another.”If women want to demonstrate some solidarity I think there are advantages to that,”said Kroeger, whose organization supports the belief that the Bible teaches equality of men and women of all racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

But Kroeger expressed some concern about women and men in abusive relationships who may misinterpret Promise Keepers’ concept of male leadership in the home.”I think however that if it means putting them into a subservient position where they will be prone to more abuse than it becomes a very bad thing,”she said.

Schaedel, of Promise Reapers, said she realizes that some people do not agree with her organization’s goals.”Scripture shows that there is male authority in the household and some women are not willing to do (agree with) that,”she said.”I see a lot of resistance in that way. I think that is something that we women have to overcome. We have a lot of influence from society that we can do it all.” Promise Keepers spokesman Steve Chavis said his organization has no plans to develop its own ministry for women.”We’re comfortable with our calling to reach men,”he said.

But Chavis said the new women’s ministries were a positive sign.”If it speaks to them and springs from their need … and it’s of God, then we don’t stand in the way of that,”he said.

Some women’s groups are being compared to Promise Keepers, simply because of the size of the crowds they draw. Promise Keepers, which drew 4,200 men to the only rally it held in 1991, expects at least 1.2 million men to attend its 22 conferences this year.”We’ve had over 30,000 people our first year,”said Pamela McCann, executive director of Minirth Meier New Life Clinics'”Women of Faith”conferences.”We are anticipating 100,000 plus next year.” Minirth Meier, with headquarters in Laguna Beach, Calif., and Dallas,is the largest Christian mental health care group in the nation.

Seven women’s conferences were originally planned for this year, drawing evangelicals, Catholics, Episcopalians and charismatics to Denver, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle/Tacoma and Detroit. After turning thousands of women away, three more conferences have been scheduled _ in Allentown, Pa.; Lutherville, Md.; and Boston. In 1997, the number of events are expected to increase to 13 and many of the events will be scheduled in arenas instead of churches.

McCann said her organization is less concerned with who the leader of the family should be, but rather will encourage women _ including single mothers _ to be”all that God wants us to be.””I think there is a hunger, a very real spiritual hunger for women,”said McCann.”I think there’s a need to connect with women. There are no more quilting bees and somehow that fabric still needs to be there.”

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