Between January 21 and 25 2000, the women's division of the Association of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in Latin America (AIPRAL) met in José María Morales, Mexico, to elect new officers and to share hopes and concerns. Joining the women were the newly-elected executive secretary of the department of partnership of women and men, Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, and the moderator of the department, Olivia Masih White. They gave information about the work of the Alliance and discussed plans for holding workshops on gender awareness and regional development in the region. WARC executive committee member, Thania Izarra de Torres, provided this report on the meeting.

"Commitment to mission" was the consultation's theme, presented by Elizabeth Lindberg del Monte. Thania Izarra de Torres led Bible study on Is 58.1-6 and Tirza Pereira Guimarães worked with Is 58.7-12. Participants also made use of the Bible studies on these two passages prepared for the 23rd general council (Debrecen 1997).

The women focused on problems they were experiencing within their churches and professional lives. Among these were a lack of women's leadership in the churches and too many instances of falsehood, intolerance and pride. Beyond the churches, in the workplace and at home, the double burden of career and homemaking was considered exhausting and unjustly sacrificial.

These problems coincided with feelings of fear: fear of not being understood when expressing themselves about daily life; fear of persecution when denouncing injustice, and fear of taking up positions of leadership in the church due to a lack of support. Generally, the women disclosed situations where women express their fears through silence. They suffer in silence, accept injustices in silence - including the mistreatment of children - and wait for others to act rather than taking any initiative to change intolerable situations.

Addressing these problems while experiencing a perpetual state of being afraid, the women expressed hopes that a network for justice could be born in their homes; that there would be a new emphasis upon the teachings of Jesus and, generally, a break in the silence by mutual sharing and support.

The women's board of AIPRAL elected Esther Susana M Renner (Evangelical Congregational Church of Brazil), director; Inailda Bicudo (Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil), coordinator of the sub-Andes region, and Gloria Pérez de Mayorga, coordinator of the north/Caribbean region.