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Conference Gram April 2018 ~ Volume 67, Issue 2
Spiritual Growth…...……….……………………. 1
President…………………….…………………… 2
Vice President…………….………………………2
Program Resources……………………………… 2
Nominations……………………………………... 2
Spiritual Growth (Continuation)…...…………… 3
Social Action………………………………….... 3
Treasurer ………………………………………. 4
Mission Edu. & Interpretation……………..…… 5
Mission Moment……………………………….. 5
Secretary………………………………………… 5
Legacy Fund……………………………………. 6
Membership Nurture & Outreach………………. 7
2018 Conference Officers ……………………… 7
2018 Upcoming Dates…...……………. ………. 8
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GLORY GIFTS! Who doesn’t love to receive a gift especially from God? God’s gifts and his glory are ever present around us wherever we are. Come, join us at Lake Junaluska Friday, June 15th-16th, for the WNCC Annual Spiritual Growth Retreat where you will find God’s gifts and presence. I count each of you as a glory gift and I pray we will have 1000 of you attend the retreat. We already have 235 who have registered. Bring your friends and even your husbands since many of them are honorary UMW members. Follow this link https://tinyurl.com/SGR2018 to view or print the retreat flyer. Retreat Participants: Rev. Dr. Suzanne G. Michael of New Hope United Methodist Church in the Yadkin Valley District, will lead our three retreat sessions. She will present enriching messages exploring our theme GLORY GIFTS. Together we will unwrap God’s Glory Gifts. Justin Snyder, a UMW scholarship recipient and music director at Forest Hill UMC, Concord along with his
friend and gifted song leader Lindsay Megill, will lead our music throughout the retreat. The Lake Junaluska Singers will perform following our Friday evening session. Online Retreat
Registration: Open now, early bird registration is $15.00 and will remain open until June 10th. On-site registration is $25.00. Remember, one person can register a group up to 35 people when using the on-line system. Upon arrival at the Lake, retreat attendees must check in on the lower level of the Harrell Center (2:00 – 6:30 pm Friday) where they will receive the program book and other materials. Late arrivals may check- in in the lobby of Stuart Auditorium. Room Reservations: Call the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center 1-800-222-4930 to reserve your retreat accommodations on the Lake Junaluska grounds. The Lambuth Inn is undergoing
major renovations and those will be complete by the time we arrive. Room rates and meal plan rates can be found on the WNCC UMW website at www.wnccumw.org. When calling the Lake for reservations, use the group attendee code 28810108390. Check-in at the Bethea Welcome Center for your room. Room check-in opens at 4:00 p.m. on Friday and check-out time is 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Saturday lunch at the Terrace is an available option at an additional cost. Please include your choice of Saturday lunch when making your housing reservation. No Saturday lunch reservations will be accepted after May 15, 2018. If you need child care, you can make arrangements by calling Lake Junaluska at 828-452-2881. Retreat Schedule: Our retreat opens Friday evening, June 15th evening at 6:45p.m. and concludes around noon on Saturday, June 16th. Sessions open with “Gathering and Praise”- a time of joyous singing. The Saturday sessions begin at 8:45 a.m. During the first Saturday session, you will have an opportunity to share your financial gifts in the Love Offering to support Mission Giving and during the second Saturday session, we will celebrate the gift of communion. We will need communion helpers so if you would like to help serve communion, contact your district president or me. You must attend communion practice which starts at 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon in Stuart Auditorium.
Continued on Page 3…
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In the wee hours of May 16th we’ll depart on buses headed for Columbus, Ohio! Just hope Columbus is ready for “the Power of BOLD” as women from around the world convene for Assembly 2018. Four years in the making and just 10 months prior to our 150th anniversary is a recipe for a fantastic event. I spent years coordinating
exhibits in large arenas, so I look forward to spending hours in the exhibit hall seeing displays about our
mission projects and our mission institutions, gathering program ideas and resources. Assembly is a high point for United Methodist Women. It’s certainly an opportunity to “see what’s outside the box” and give our conference ideas for programming and mission that we can implement upon our return, just in time for our journey to Lake Junaluska for Spiritual Growth Retreat!
Julia Willis, President
VICE PRESIDENT — JOANIE STROHM
Do you like an interesting, challenging program when you go to your circle or unit meeting? I certainly do! There are many ideas for effective planning of programs available to you in the Program Book; the May program, “The Sacred Space
of Nurturing” is just one of them. It features Jesus and his relationship to his mother, the beautiful story of Naomi and Ruth, the history of Mother’s Day, and ideas for advocacy for women and children. The March response magazine is filled with program-potential including an article which brings alive our Prayer Calendar. I don’t know about you, but I am so proud of our youth who are putting action with words, instead of just words, to plead for sensible gun laws in our country.
The young ladies remind me of our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers leading the marches for women’s voting rights and civil rights. Let’s join our young ladies!
Save the Date!
September 14-16, 2018 Annual Celebration at Lake Junaluska
Theme: The Power of Bold
Estella Wallace, Keynote Speaker
Rev. Beth Crissman, Mission Speaker
Ginger Haselden & Glenda Fuhrmann, Musicians
Active, exciting workshops on Saturday afternoon
Wonderful fellowship all weekend!
See You at The Lake!!
Happy Spring!!!! I hope you are taking this opportunity to sit outside enjoying the gorgeous spring weather and read a book on the UMW 2018 reading list. To receive a copy of the 2018 Reading Program brochure either contact the Mission Resource Center (number below) or go on-line at https://tinyurl.com/2018umwcatalog and download the brochure. Mission resources gives you a great way to save money and to make sure you have your 2018 Mission u Study Books, 2018-2019 Program Book and 2019 Prayer Calendar. Contact the Mission Resource Center at 1-800-280-0061 or online at https://www.umwmissionresources.org/
shopping_product_detail.asp?pid=53383. The Annual Sampler is a great way to get all these books when they are ready to be purchased. You will also receive the 2019 Date Booklet. The books will be mailed directly to your home, postage and shipping free. Order #K3192 - the standard print subscription today for $40 and save $5.50. If your order includes the large print Spiritual Growth study, the total price is $42 (savings of $3.50). Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions about the reading program or you can check out the Mission Resource Center on-line by using the link: www.missionresourcecenter.org
SECRETARY OF PROGRAM RESOURCES — SIBYL LONG
NOMINATIONS — MARTHA PHILLIPS, CHAIRPERSON
The Nominating Committee is working to find talented women who are ready to put Love in Action for women, children, and youth. We all have God given talents and gifts to share in the work of UMW. There are Recommendation forms located on our website. Go
to http://www.wnccumw.org, and click on Mission Resources and you will find us on the drop down. Tenure Sheets and job descriptions are also located there. We look forward to seeing you at District spring events and the Spiritual Growth Retreat.
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Participate in the retreat HANDS-ON MISSION PROJECT by bringing assembled Hygiene Kits. Information regarding proper
assembly of the Hygiene Kits may be found on our web-site www.wnccumw.org or https://www.umcor.org/UMCOR/Relief-Supplies. The Mission Response Truck will be on-site waiting to be filled with your kits. Of course, we will joyfully receive any other kits that your units have assembled. Help is always needed to receive, count and load the kits so volunteer by contacting Linda Greer, Mission Coordinator – Education & Interpretation [email protected]. The Memorial Chapel will be open for prayer, meditation and quiet time Friday afternoon through noon on Saturday. Prayer request cards and a basket will be available so you can leave a prayer and take a prayer to lift in support of another. A separate basket will be available for you to leave a card where you can share a
miracle that you have seen in everyday life. Yellow WNCC UMW signage will be guiding you around Lake Junaluska. Conference leaders will greet you as you arrive at the Bethea Welcome Center. Program Resources, Social Action displays and other important UMW information will be located with retreat registration in the lower level of the Harrell Center during the following hours: Friday 2:00pm– 6:30pm and Saturday 7:30am-8:30am. Program Resources closes during the retreat sessions. Dress comfortably. Stuart Auditorium is air conditioned, so bring a sweater. Wear comfortable walking shoes, especially if you want to walk around the lake (approx. 3 miles) with benches along the way. June weather could be very warm or it could be cool and/or rainy. Regardless of the weather, be prepared to rejoice in the fellowship and blessings of the WNCC 2018 Spiritual Growth Retreat – GLORY GIFTS!
SPIRITUAL GROWTH — MARTHA EFIRD (Continued from Page 1)
“He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” -Isaiah 2:4 The scripture above speaks of the future church and its responsibility to speak for and establish peace. As part of her message at First United Methodist Church in Coral Springs Florida, Reverend Susan Henry-Crowe quoted this scripture saying, “United Methodists should do more than pray about the Parkland, Florida tragedy, we must heed the words of the prophet Isaiah to turn swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. We must lift the words from our United Methodist Church and turn them into action by advocating with lawmakers.” Reverend Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe is General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church; she was invited to First United Methodist Church for their Ash Wednesday Service, however, recent and tragic events at nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida necessitated a response to the tragedy. The speech in its entirety can be found online at: https://tinyurl.com/Y9GKFYHL Rev. Vance Rains is the pastor. The United Methodist Church supports legislation to curb gun violence and endorses a ban of large-capacity ammunition magazines and weapons. Listed below are your Senators:
Senator Thom Tillis 185 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510
Senator Richard Burr 217 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510
As Christian Women we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and as our example of living our destiny and realizing our purpose to grow in grace and holiness, to advance in virtue and to spread the good news. Our creator has provided us with all the tools we need to meet the challenge of our calling with witnesses of His goodness and mercy, with scripture, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and with personal experiences.
As United Methodist Women we have accepted the responsibility to fulfill our PURPOSE to develop and nurture our gifts and talents, to be creative as far as it is in our ability to do so, to be supportive of women, children and youth and to expand Christian concepts by means of our missional outreach. The organization of United Methodist Women has provided us with all the tools we need to complete our directive. A few that come immediately to mind are The Reading Program to expand our perspectives, Mission u, to educate our minds and Spiritual Growth Retreat to regenerate our spirits.
As your Conference Social Action Coordinator, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tremendous opportunities to be effective stewards of our calling through our commitment to be the voice crying in the wilderness, advocating for safe schools for all children, advocating for common sense gun laws, advocating for racial justice.
I implore you to take action. Keep in touch with your state and federal representatives to voice your opinion on matters that have an adverse effect on society. Take full advantage of the tools available, to read, learn, and grow.
Remember, — All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.”
~James Russell Lowell
SOCIAL ACTION — CAROLYN PAYNE
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TREASURER — NANCY REIGEL
Mission Giving? YES Legacy Fund? YES Over the past 2 years, as conference treasurer, I have often heard the question: “Should I give to Mission Giving or to the Legacy Fund?” My answer: “YES!” When I retired from NJ and moved to build our dream house in Boone, NC, did I also say “Hooray! Now I have time for United Methodist Women?” A BIG resounding NO! It was only after had I joined United Methodist Women in my small rural church, hoping it would get me accepted into the “Women of the Church” and started getting involved that I realized how powerful and important this organization is in the world. Only then did I realize I wanted to see it grow and flourish and that my Undesignated Giving was a vital part of that. Think Mission Giving. Now, even further along, I know that I want it to have a future beyond me. I want to be part of something bigger and more enduring than me. Think Legacy Fund. But, how do we balance the two? Upon starting full time work, I was told about those retirement benefits I would be earning...yawn. I was also given opportunities to add to those...yawn again. But, thankfully I did start putting a few dollars aside. It was a small amount compared to what I required for daily
living but still I set some aside to invest in my future. Now that I am retired, I am so glad I did because those few dollars have made a big difference. But, first I met my daily current needs so that I could be where I am now. Like Mission Giving, I met “today’s” needs first. We members ARE United Methodist Women. We are the organization. As such, would we not be wise to, along with funding our current vital missions, put some aside for the future health of this mission work? Would we not be wise to invest in the future of United Methodist Women in that same small way? It could seem small (like $18.69 per year) compared to what we pledge and give today, but it could be powerful for the future health of United Methodist Women. Again, many of us may be wondering do we support Mission Giving? Do we support Legacy Fund? Again: YES. YES to Mission Giving Without Mission Giving today we have no future. Yes to the Legacy Fund The Legacy Fund is we, the members, building the foundations of a future vital United Methodist Women. Those women in 1869 started it, we can and must
Keep it going and Pass it on.
Mission Giving? YES Legacy Fund? YES
From www.unitedmethodistwomen.org: Remembering…Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Fifty years later, in a world still ravaged by racism, United Methodist Women are asking, again: “Where do we go from here”? King is a widely remembered, beloved leader, but many of us still have more to learn about
his faith, work and yet-unrealized dream. Join us to dive deeper, asking: Who inspired Dr. King’s theology? How did he live out a call to life-giving interruption? What does his example of deep discipleship mean for United Methodist Women, then and now? We’ve curated special content especially for United Methodist Women to engage and share to answer these questions and begin a deeper conversation about King’s work and our call toward justice. Visit our website for these and other resources: https://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/king
• Study Guide on the Letter from a Birmingham Jail • Meet Some of King’s Key Influences • 50 Years Later…Facts and Resources
Clara Ester remembers… Clara Ester is the national vice president of the United Methodist Women board of directors. She retired in 2006 after serving for 36 years as the Executive Director of Wesley Dumas Community Center in Mobile, Alabama, a national mission institution supported by United Methodist Women. Clara was in the parking lot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, and witnessed the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Read Clara’s story, and be inspired:
• An article written by Clara shared on the UMW national website: http://tiny.cc/umwclara • An article posted April 2, 2018 on UMC.org:
http://tiny.cc/umc-clara • A feature story about her on the front page of USA Today on March 29, 2018 (including a video of
her telling part of the story): http://tiny.cc/usatoday-clara
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MISSION EDUCATION & INTERPRETATION — LINDA GREER
Mission Today: I hope your local unit is working toward attaining Mission Today status for 2018! Last year we made some changes that make Mission Today more attainable for small units. When our Mission Today
Committee met in February, we did a bit more tweaking and added one more criteria which states, ”The unit will accomplish the Conference Financial Goal for 2018: To Increase Membership by 5%.” You may find and download the 2018 criteria on our website: www.wnccumw.org. The February 2018 issue of response includes maps that show where all of our mission projects are located. Look for the following logo at the end of response articles to indicate those are projects that we support through our Mission Giving. Hands-On Mission: Our hands-on mission projects for Spiritual Growth is Health Kits, School Kits for Mission u, and Shoe Boxes for Project AGAPE in Armenia for Annual Celebration. The new REVISED list for 2018 for Shoe Box items, will be available soon. Gift to Mission and Gift in Memory cards will also be part of our Mission Projects at Annual Celebration. At this point in time, UMCOR’s greatest need is for School Kits and I urge you to collect those this year at your district and local
events. Exciting news: a workshop on making the bags for the School Kits will be available in September at Annual Celebration! If your local unit or district takes kits directly to the Mission Response Center in Terrell, NC, please let me or your District Coordinator for Mission Education and Interpretation know about the number, type of kits and monetary donations so that we can include those gifts in our year-end reports. Teams are always needed to work at the MRC, so if your unit or church or youth group is looking for a hands-on mission project, call Dwaine Morgan at 828-478-2106 or email him at [email protected]. Communicate: I urge you to use your Prayer Calendar and to communicate with our Mission Personnel and Staff. To help you with this, the Prayer Calendar contacts are posted on our conference Facebook page each week. This will help you to learn about Mission work as well as to meet a criteria on your Mission Today list. In addition, using the Prayer Calendar at each meeting enables your unit to meet an additional criteria. Here is one item that every unit can accomplish: The UMW Purpose will be recited at each general and/or circle meeting. I continue to enjoy working in Mission Together with YOU!
The exclusion of those with an intellectual disability from fully participating in church as disciples creates a wound and suffering that is entirely preventable. It is hard to describe being part of a service were this injustice is corrected, but I can say the Holy Spirit is very present. To be present
when all disability falls away and the servant of Christ appears in the person is to be truly present and vulnerable in the presence of a living, loving God.
From Barbara Starbowski, Deaconess-Home Missioner, Friendship Community, Lititz, PA 2018 Prayer Calendar, page 30
MISSION MOMENT
SECRETARY — ELIZABETH LOOKABILL
I sat down this morning with my Prayer Calendar and read all the mission projects we support, and I thought about the powerful, wonderful organization we belong to. For almost 150 years we have been working to make life better for women, children, and youth all over the world. THANK YOU God for this great organization! I hope all of you are planning to attend the Spiritual Growth Retreat, June 15-16, 2018. On-line registration is open, so don't forget to register. It is such a wonderful time to be renewed spiritually, fellowship with old friends and meet new friends.
Tips for all Secretaries to Remember
Keep accurate minutes of all meetings of the Executive Committee
Serve as custodian of all records and official papers
Keep an accurate, up-to-date roll of your Officers
Send a list of elected leaders of your unit, with addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses to your District using the form provided by them in the fall.
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A LEGACY FUND STORY: WE DID IT - 100%
United Methodist Women at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Asheville is 100% in giving to The Legacy Fund. All thirty-one members both active and inactive have given or had given in their honor at least $18.69 per year each year, 2015-2019, over and above their pledge plus an additional $186.90 per year in the name of our unit. According to our records our total giving to date is: $9,940.53. How did we do it? We began back in January 2015, by talking about the wonderful legacy we had inherited from all of our predecessor organizations, and, sadly, our recognition that the plight of women, children and youth in today's world is even more dire than back in 1869 when the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society was founded. Some in our group are retired missionaries and deaconesses who shared something of their work and how important it is that not only the ministries in which they had been involved should be sustained for the next 150 years but that United Methodist Women needs to continue to meet new and emerging needs on into the future. As we discussed the 150th Anniversary Celebration to be observed on March 23, 2019, we committed ourselves to each component of the Celebration: 1) Celebrating our Past, 2) Strengthening our Local Unit as we focused on the future, and 3) Building The Legacy Fund Endowment. Each member was given the information sheet developed by our Conference Legacy Fund Advisory Committee that provided not only complete information about The Legacy Fund but had on the reverse side provision for individual pledges and an opportunity for gifts to The Legacy Fund in memory/honor of persons important to each individual: mother, grandmother, sister or other person most responsible for encouraging them to join United Methodist Women. A record was kept of each individual pledge plus their special gifts with regular reports on our total giving to the Unit and reminders to each individual giver. Initially six members, recognizing that they might not live long enough to join in the 2019 Celebration, paid all five years in 2015 - four of whom have already made their transition into life eternal. In January 2018, realizing that we were already almost there, our Unit decided to complete all of our payments for the five years and become the first Unit in our Conference to be 100% — and…
"We Did It!"
Betty J. Letzig — Local Unit Treasurer
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2018 CONFERENCE OFFICER LIST — WNCC UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
OFFICE NAME PHONE E-MAIL
President Julia Willis 336-685-4857 [email protected]
Vice President Joanie Strohm 828-649-1156 [email protected]
Secretary Elizabeth Lookabill 336-248-5805 [email protected]
Treasurer Nancy Reigel 828-268-0637 [email protected]
MC—Mission Educ. & Interpretation Linda Greer 704-585-6263 [email protected]
MC—Memb. Nurture & Outreach Renee Hayes 336-434-3582 [email protected]
MC—Social Action Carolyn Payne 366-766-5568 [email protected]
MC—Spiritual Growth Martha Efird 704-992-8727 [email protected]
Communications Coordinator Dianne Beam 704-274-9183 [email protected]
Secretary of Program Resources Sibyl Long 704-535-9240 [email protected]
Nominations (Chair) Martha Phillips 828-765-7009 [email protected]
Mission u (Dean) Lisa Bacon 828-586-8399 [email protected]
Parliamentarian Jatana Royster 704-454-5333 [email protected]
Historian Betty Durham 336-542-8077 [email protected]
Scholarship (Chair) Cathy McCauley 704-965-6566 [email protected]
UMW Program Advisory Group (PAG) Dixie Liggett 828-684-1831 [email protected]
Webmaster, Social Media Lynne Gilbert 336-207-3479 [email protected]
MEMBERSHIP NURTURE & OUTREACH — RENEE HAYES
A Place at the Table As I have visited several UMW units over the past months, individuals asked those recurring ques-tions about how to attract and retain younger women in our local units. Our conference and district teams have made the bold step of creating teams of younger women who have a voice and resources in hopes of providing them a “place at the table.” While local units may not have the same resources as district and conference teams, the value of building one-on-one relationships with young women in your congregation and community is a key strategy on the local level. Personal invitation is still the most effective way to reach out to potential members. Don’t be dis-couraged if you don’t see results after one, two, even three tries. Vary your format by asking verbally, sending a card, or leaving a phone message sharing the details of an upcoming program you feel she may be interested in and sincerely conveying how much you would love to see her there. Childcare is a necessity for many young moms. Be willing to provide childcare on a regular
basis whether you expect one or ten to take advantage of the offer. Partner with your youth group or with another nearby UMW unit to exchange supervision responsibilities, keeping in mind the Safe Sanctuary guidelines. And don’t overlook the attractiveness of kid-friendly programs and activities from time to time. Be a sisterhood of grace. Never forget the value of each individual in your congregation and be-yond in your local communities. Remember that po-tential UMW members do not have to be members of your church or even United Methodists! We need teens, newly graduated, newlyweds, newly retired, single women, young mothers, grandmas, daughters, nieces, neighbors…women from all walks of life… to be the richly diverse organization God intended us to be. As we welcome, nurture, and grow, we may soon see that the most important label we share as UMW is that of being a child of God, eager to show faith, hope, and love in action around the block and around the world.
NON PROFIT
ORGANIZATION U.S.
Postage Paid
Charlotte, NC
Permit #
Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women
Dianne Beam 12517 Stumptown Rd.
Huntersville, NC 28078-3739 [email protected]
PURPOSE of United Methodist Women
The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of Women whose PURPOSE is to know God and to experience freedom as
whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the
global ministries of the church.
2018 Upcoming Dates:
May 17, 2018 UMW Assembly 2018 Ubuntu Day of Service, Columbus, OH May 18-20, 2018 UMW Assembly 2018, Columbus, OH June 15-16, 2018 WNC UMW Spiritual Growth Retreat, “Glory Gifts”, Lake Junaluska June 21-24, 2018 WNC Annual Conference, Lake Junaluska July 19-22, 2018 WNC UMW Mission u, Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer September 14-16 WNC UMW Annual Celebration, Lake Junaluska October 20, 2018 Ubuntu Day of Service (Various Locations)
For more information, visit: www.wnccumw.org Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wnccumw
