Woman-to-Woman Worldwide (W2WW), regarded as one of the premier programs of Disciples Women’s Ministries, is a yearly journey of discovery undertaken by a small group of women in a foreign country
Since 1987, Disciples Women’s Ministries has partnered with Global Ministries to provide Disciples Women an opportunity to make an overseas trip to forge enduring friendships with women in other countries. Thanks to the foundational work of Janice Newborn, each year, a group of women makes a pilgrimage to another country to bring North American Disciples Women into relationships with women around the world. Through this trip, the women work together to learn from each other and better understand their concerns. Since the inception of this program, women have had the opportunity to travel to countries such as Kenya, Cuba, India, Bosnia, Korea, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Morocco, and more. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic persisted, Disciples Women’s Ministries could take a virtual pilgrimage to Bangladesh, where our international partners raised water security issues in their land.
Woman-to-Woman Worldwide (W2WW) is sponsored by the International Disciples Women’s Ministries and administered by the Disciples Women’s Ministries staff in conjunction with Global Ministries. It is a wonderful opportunity to build relationships with sisters worldwide. Moreover, it offers a way to respond to the call for Disciples and Women to experience solidarity with and advocate for one another, affirm the unity of the Church in Jesus Christ, and join the common struggle for justice and peace in the world today by educating and advocating for those needs.
This opportunity is not a vacation or a ‘hands-on’ mission trip. Rather, it is an immersion experience that involves deep, active listening to our sisters of other countries so that we may learn from them what it means to be a woman of faith in their context. These international, ecumenical, and personal experiences are meant to encourage women to see the world with new, informed eyes and bring that perspective back to their congregation and community. An integral part of the post-journey experience includes sharing what they have learned with others through presentations, conversations, etc., and creating ways to continue connecting with and advocating for our sisters worldwide.