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14 OUR YUCAIPA | AUGUST 2014 The Middle of the Road: By Randy Peters, a middle-aged, middle-income, middle-school teacher By its understood definition, "Middle of the Road" means to keep things even, keep everything in balance. Stay in the middle and you won't take a side: you won't offend anyone. With that being said, here is what has been on my mind for several weeks. My wife and I attend a local church in Yucaipa. We have been attending for about six years. We have found the church to challenge us, to guide us, and to strengthen us. We enjoy the community of the congregation. The church now has a new pastor. I like him. I've spoken to him several times. He is younger than I am. He has an intellectual and passionate approach to his sermons. As soon as I heard he was coming, I went out and bought his book to see what his thinking was all about. I tell you this story to lead you into what happened a few weeks back. The pastor preached about change. He quoted Ecclesiastes and spoke of a season for everything. It was very inspiring as I reflected on the changing seasons in my life and the upcoming changes my wife and I are planning. I felt good; I felt at peace as I embraced the message. After the sermon, the leading elder talked to the congregation about the upcoming election of elders for the church. I glanced through the list and was pleased with the number of good people on the list. Then I noticed something about the list and asked one of the friendly young women with the "Ask Me" buttons in the lobby about my observation. "Why aren't there any women on the list for elders?" I asked her. She didn't know but suggested I go into the Visitor Center and ask them. I did. The Visitor Center is just off the lobby and was well- decorated and warmly lit. Three people were standing to the left as I entered. Another gentleman was seated to my right. My wife was at my side. The three standing people stepped forward and greeted us warmly. We knew two of them from previous encounters at the church. I said that I had a question. They laughed and said to ask and they would all try to answer it. "The pastor just spent a great deal of time talking to us about change, the acceptance of change, and even the historical context of some changes. Then we get the election list and see that only men are running for the elder positions. When will this church accept change and have women on the board of elders?" The three friendly greeters to our left literally took a step back away from us. The gentleman to our right said, "It's not going to happen here." I asked him why not. To which he responded, "Women are too emotional to be leaders." "…too emotional to be leaders" That is what he said. "…too emotional to be leaders" I repeat it here because I was stunned. Several things went through my mind. I knew I had to get out of that room before I (and my wife) showed him an emotional response. I also thought that the others in the room had to have agreed with him or they would have spoken up. They said nothing. Do people really still think this way? What evidence is there that women and, particularly their emotions, have made them poor leaders? And what is the problem with having emotions? Perhaps if some leaders were more dependent on their emotions, decisions that destroyed the lives of millions through history would not have happened. As a teacher of U. S. History, I spend a lot of time discussing the impact of good leadership. Never have I even thought to teach students to judge leadership on gender. Where would we have been without the leadership of Anne Hutchinson, Clara Barton, Harriett Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, or Rosa Parks? In recent history, our country has had women step into leadership roles including Elizabeth Dole, Condoleesa Rice, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Sandra Day O'Connor, and our own mayor, Denise Hoyt. Isn't it time that we embrace strong and effective leaders by what they can accomplish and not just by their gender? Many women have been strong leaders in politics, business, and medicine. Many men have been strong leaders in politics, business, and medicine. Get over it. Keep your eyes on the road. ladies… don't let anybody hold you back