c. 1997 Religion News Service

PASADENA, Calif. _ Yes, it will be a stadium rally _ thousands of women in the Rose Bowl. And, yes, there will be nationally-known speakers and an emotional tribute to Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham. And, yes, there will be lots of merchandise aimed at deepening the spiritual life.

But don’t call the Chosen Women event, expected to draw over 50,000 evangelical women to the Rose Bowl May 16-17, the female version of Promise Keepers. Organizers say the two have little in common.

Instead, says Susan Kimes, the group’s executive director, the name was taken from from the New Testament _ 1 Peter 2:9 and the phrase,”But you are a chosen people.”Its inspiration came from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) _ 2 Chronicles 29-31 _ which tells the story of King Hezekiah of Judah assembling the people in Jerusalem to reinstate worship of Yahweh, restore the temple, and cleanse the land of rival gods.

“They were divided and self-centered, and were given an opportunity to come together in unity,” Kimes says. “The people responded by humbling themselves and the Lord brought forth revival. I believe in the same way that the Lord is inviting this generation of women to come together for that purpose.”

Chosen Women is an outgrowth of Kimes’s Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry (NEWIM), an organization that emerged from her work on the staff of Calvary Church of Santa Ana, Calif.

She said she first thought of holding a large women’s gathering almost seven years ago, but the idea began to pick up steam in July 1995.

While Chosen Women says the event is open to all women, communications director Joanne Herdrich said the target is women already in the church and that “our statement of faith is definitely evangelical.”

Indeed, the group’s “Statement of Faith” is as orthodox as can be: belief in the entire Bible and the Trinity; Jesus’ pre-existence, virgin birth, resurrection, and eventual personal return; salvation by grace alone; and resurrection of the body and eternity in heaven or hell.

Unlike Promise Keepers, which emphasizes men’s traditional role as head of the household, Chosen Women is not advocating any particular role for women.”We’re gifted and equipped in many ways,”Kimes said. “We can be single and serve the Lord, married, have children and serve the Lord and our families _ there is no place where having a stronger relationship (with God) cannot benefit.”

Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Ruth and Billy Graham and the keynote speaker at the May event, also stressed that the agenda of the rally is not about defining a woman’s role in the family and church.

“God did not mean to keep us subservient,” Lotz said. “He created men and women equal, he gave them dominion over the earth. In the New Testament, there is no man or woman.”

On the other hand, she added, the secular women’s movement offered a “false liberation … a counterfeit to the right solution.” The result has been that”more born-again couples are divorcing than those in the secular world”as they are”apparently facing the pressure to be somebody, to make a name for themselves, to have an identity apart from husband and family. When they’re told they need a career plus a family, they’re frustrated, not fulfilled. They’re frustrated and angry inside.”

The church, too, needs to change, said writer Jill Briscoe, who will be a featured speaker at the rally. “I think there is male domination in leadership, and that men are making the decisions about what women can or cannot do.”

Briscoe, author of over 40 devotional books, said that “many [women] are coming into their own as head of companies, but in their own church are being asked only to pour Kool-Aid. [A woman] is able to go to seminary, Bible college, missionary training school _ but the church isn’t willing to welcome her to put her to work. I think there’s some frustration among women today who want to serve in the church.”

For those who point out the biblical writer Paul’s view, expressed in the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, that women should keep silent in church, Briscoe said: “I don’t think Paul was talking about 20th-century American cultural Christianity.”Paul put women beside him in ministry, and trusted them with things they’d never been trusted with before. Of course, he didn’t have Ph.D. biblically-literate women _ and we do. I like to think what he would have done with some of our Godly gifted women today.”

According to Kimes, the first night of the May gathering will focus on the theme, “The Lord reigns,” and will feature a videotape tribute to Ruth Graham on a big screen, hosted by Lotz. Saturday’s emphasis will be on women’s personal relationship to God and the event will end with celebration.”I would love to see us absolutely transformed in our love for [God] and healing for women to take place, to live lives that honor the Lord Jesus Christ,”Kimes said of her hopes for the event.”I would love to see healing come into communities _ I would love to see revival.”

Unlike Promise Keepers, which holds rallies continuously, there are no plans for Chosen Women beyond the Rose Bowl event.

While Kimes dislikes comparing the two, she admits she sought Promise Keeper’s help in her planning.

“We really went to them to see how to put together a large event,” Kimes said. “I was able to get a clear picture of the enormity of what I was about to do. They were very helpful in letting us know the issues … that’s the only thing we have in common. We’re very grateful for their help, but it’s for a very different purpose.”

OPTIONAL TRIM – STORY MAY END HERE

While the attendance estimate originally given to Rose Bowl officials was 35,000, Chosen Women’s latest publicity forecasts 100,000 attendees, a figure that spokeswoman Herdrich admits is “optimistic.”

“We’ve booked rooms in 40 hotels in the Pasadena area, and they’re full,” Herdrich said. “We know of groups that have chartered planes from Tennessee, Georgia, Chicago _ a lot of people are coming in from Oregon, Arizona, Hawaii, Australia, Russia and Indonesia.” With 50,000 attendees, the event would pump $5 million or more into the local economy, according to the Pasadena Convention Center and Visitor’s Bureau.

Chosen Women have bought out the Rose Bowl’s contracted vendors for sale of all concessions, according to Charles Thompson of the Rose Bowl. Rose Bowl events generally must be booked one year in advance, with a base cost of $50,000 per event, Thompson said. Although he hadn’t heard of Chosen Women’s latest figures, he said, “if there are 100,000, we’ll be ready.”

DEA END RUTHSTIVER