Polished women's ministry gets comfortable at the top in Vast
A ministry for professional women is experiencing a growth spurt occurring just as change is brewing.
Polished-Oklahoma City is designed to bring professional women together to explore the intersection of faith and the workplace. Meetings had been held at Packard's in Midtown since the ministry debuted in 2019 in Oklahoma City. However, the gatherings have recently found a home at the top — at the restaurant Vast in Devon Tower in downtown Oklahoma City.
Jana B. Gridley, an Edmond resident and longtime marketing professional, brought the Texas-based ministry Polished to Oklahoma to reach professional women. She serves as one of the Oklahoma City chapter's co-directors, along with Jessica Rimmer. Gridley said the recent change in location was necessary because the meeting space at Packard's was no longer available. And judging from a record 75 women who attended September's gathering — the first at Vast — the change in location was needed but it's also symbolic.
"We love that it's kind of a destination that's an attraction, but symbolically, we really love that we're looking at the women of our city from that expanse," Gridley said of Vast. "That's like a call for us, especially in terms of faith, knowing there's so many women that are in need of hope and support. It's almost a symbol of looking at our city and the ways that we might be able to come alongside them and help."
Meetings are held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month, with a guest speaker focusing on a topic for the day. Sarah Horton, a veteran Oklahoma City metro area communications professional, served as guest speaker for September's gathering at Vast. Gridley said each semester has a theme and it was growth for the the fall semester. Horton spoke about growth in communication.
Polished, an outreach founded by Kat Armstrong and Stephanie Giddens in Dallas, Texas, appealed to Gridley initially because she said ministries often address other aspects of a woman's life such as her role as a spouse or her role as a mother, but there aren't many geared specifically for women professionals. Each ministry gathering includes time for networking, lunch and a 20-minute question-and-answer presentation featuring a guest speaker. The event closes with a brief gospel message.
Armstrong, one of the ministry's founders, has described each Polished lunch as a "third space" — a place other than home or work for communal gathering. Aside from the Dallas, Texas, inaugural Polished chapter and the Oklahoma City chapter, other ministry chapters are in Lubbock, Texas; Forth Worth, Texas; North Dallas; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to the Polished Network's website, six other chapters in Texas are being developed.
A need for community
Gridley said she's proud of how Polished-OKC navigated through the height of the COVID pandemic. Packard's, like most establishments, was closed during the shutdown in spring 2020 and there were health concerns about in-person gatherings, so women met for Polished meetings via Zoom. Gridley said they chose that time to pray together as many found themselves in new circumstances with remote work and overseeing remote learning for their children. In-person Polished gatherings resumed in November 2020.
Gridley has been excited to see how the Oklahoma City meetings have grown. She said about 15 women attended the first in-person meeting when such gatherings resumed in fall 2020. Looking at the attendance for September meeting, she's hopeful that Polished is meeting a need.
Many women, particularly due to the pandemic, have been missing community and the support of their peers, Gridley said. She said Polished was created as a Christian ministry but it seems to be fulfilling another need for women in terms of getting to network and meet others in the community.
"It's been great for just women who need support," Gridley said. "They need some positive discussion with others, some heart connection in the middle of their work day and it kind of gives them a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel."
Polished-Oklahoma City
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 11, Nov. 8 and Dec. 13.
Where: Vast, inside Devon Tower, 333 W Sheridan Ave., 49th floor.
Registration: $35 per gathering. Cost includes Vast buffet lunch.
Information: https://polishednetwork.org/.
Also: A women's conference entitled "Boldly: Faith + Work for Women," sponsored by the Polished Network and Women in the Marketplace, is set for 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 21. Virtual registration is $39. For information, go to https://www.boldlyconference.com/.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Polished, a ministry for female professionals, is now meeting at Vast
