Spiritual writer to speak at college
WAYNESBURG – The Center for Service Leadership and The Women’s Association at Waynesburg College will host Edwina Gateley, theologian, lay minister, poet and spiritual writer, Thursday. Gateley’s first lecture, “God of the Bars and the Brothels: One Woman’s Journey of Faith on the Streets of Chicago,” is scheduled for noon on the third floor of Stover Campus Center. She will share her experiences working with the homeless, drug addicts and women in prostitution.
Gateley will present a second lecture, “Soul Sisters: Women Called to Connect and Heal in a Broken World,” at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall, located on the third floor of Miller Hall. This lecture will include stories from scripture designed to empower and encourage individuals to make a difference in the world. A reception and book signing will follow this event. Both lectures are free and open to the public.
“She is an amazing woman who is a lively and funny speaker. I know she will be an inspiration to everyone who hears her,” said Nancy Ferrari, The Women’s Association advisor.
Gateley, a Roman Catholic laywoman who worked in Uganda as a teacher and lay missionary from 1964 to 1968, established a school for girls in the village of Kyamaganda.
“I had over 60 children between the ages of 11 and 18,” Gateley says in her book, “Psalms of a Laywoman.” “My experience in the village taught me that mission ….was a mutual exchange and sharing of faith, gifts, and culture. I was in awe at their hospitality, generosity, patience and extraordinary ability to live fully in the present moment.”
In 1969, Gateley founded the Volunteer Missionary Movement (VMM), a lay overseas mission group. To date, the VMM has sent more than 1,500 missionaries to Africa, Papua New Guinea, Central America and North America.
For more information on Gateley’s visit to Waynesburg College, call Ferrari at 724-852-3317.