NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

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1 NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN WINTER 2018 VOLUME 34 ISSUE 4 KNOWLEDGE EXPERIENCE DEVELOP EXPAND Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send and who will for us? And I said, Here am I, send me! Isaiah 6:8 NRSV The 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. Inside this issue: President s Message p. 1 Legacy Fund Campaign p. 2 November Wrap-Up p. 3 Nominations Report p. 4 Secy. of Program Resources p. 4 Treasurer s Report p. 5 Spotlight on Social Action p. 5 Conference Calendar p. 6 Message from the President ~ JoAnn Barbour Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 1 Peter 4:10 With the ending of 2018, we leave the theme word: GO behind and adopt a new word: SERVE and a new verse, 1 Peter 4:10. Jesus summons us to serve the weak, the hungry, the thirsty and the sick and do so with a caring servant s heart. We began this quadrennium with the word FOLLOW, this year was GO and next year is SERVE. As we follow Jesus, we are inspired to go and serve others. This is what we are called to do as Christians and as United Methodist Women. The Conference and District Leadership Teams strive to offer you opportunities to fulfill our theme. In 2018, it seems we battled the weather and lost several times as we had to cancel events due to snow or hurricanes. But the Conference United Methodist Women, with the leadership of Jerline Miller, organized an outstanding Spiritual Enrichment Event in April at Centenary UMC in Smithfield with Rev. Gypsie Murdaugh leading us was a special year as it was the year of National Assembly in Columbus, Ohio. National Assembly is an amazing event prepared for us by the National organization of United Methodist Women. There is always something new and inspiring and awesome at Assembly. One always learns new things even about our Priority Issues that you ve been studying for a year or more. Start saving your spare change now for the National Assembly in Orlando, FL in Make it a family vacation. Once Assembly is concluded, take the kids to Disney World! You ll hear more as the time grows nearer. After more than a year of planning, the Legislative Affairs Day was a great event. Annette Wright and her team contacted many, many people to bring legislators and educators together to discuss Excellence in Equitable Education. With panel discussion, breakout sessions and speakers, many learned something new, or heard a new way to think about an issue. This event was attended by younger and older and in-between. What a refreshing crowd of people! The year s events end with Annual Meeting at Methodist University however this year we weren t in Reeves Auditorium. We were in a smaller classroom auditorium which was better for us. We had the use of the entire building including having lunch in the building. There was a room full of displays some from agencies on the NC UMW Project Sheet that had representatives there to answer questions. And we were dismissed by 2 o clock as promised! CLICK HERE TO VIEW RESPONSE continued on next page

2 knowledge experience develop expand page 2 It has been an energizing year promises to be better. I will highlight two events. Be sure to mark your calendar for March 16, that s when Deaconess Clara Ester will be with us to lead the Racial Justice Event. Summoned to Serve Boldly is the theme focusing on the school to prison pipeline that is part of the Racial Justice Priority Issue. From the United Methodist Women s web page comes this information about Ms. Ester: As an African American woman who has spent all her life in the South, she is shaped by her experiences as a community organizer amidst the tumult of the 1960s and a builder of racially inclusive programming through the ministries of Dumas Wesley (Community Center) in the years following. In retirement Ms. Ester continues ministries in mission and evangelism through her community and local church. Recalling Jesus teachings in Matthew 25:31-46, she said that when she participates in ministry that sees to the needs of those less fortunate, she is serving God in Christ. She understands herself to be a part of the priesthood of all believers and asserts, No one can stop me from doing what I know I should do as a Christian, Ms. Ester said. If we all did what we know we re supposed to do, what kind of world would we have? Please join us at Gardners UMC 4555 Rosehill Road, Fayetteville to hear this dynamic woman, who was a witness to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Come and learn ways that Ms. Ester will suggest we can serve to help end one factor of racial injustice. In October (date to be determined) will be the 150 th Birthday party of United Methodist Women. During the NCC United Methodist Women s Annual Meeting, there will be a time set aside for the celebration of the 150 th birthday of United Methodist Women. All plans haven t been completed, but this is a birthday party, so you know there will be cake! Come and help us celebrate as we look at how far we have come and how we can serve to continue this Legacy for another 150 years. Please be sure you have the correct address for me. I have been using 2 addresses and that has worked fine. However, I am eliminating the triad.rr. account. Please delete joann@triad.rr.com and use joannsbarbour@gmail.com. Be sure to see the s between joann and barbour! As always, never hesitate to call me if you have questions or need help with United Methodist Women s concerns. I love talking with you and while I might not know the answer, I will probably know who to contact. Peace and blessings, JoAnn Barbour joannsbarbour@gmail.com Message from the President ~ JoAnn Barbour Why I Give to the Legacy Fund ~ Ann Davis I have been given the honor of writing about why I give to the Legacy Fund of United Methodist Women and why I have included the fund in my planned giving. The Legacy Fund was created to insure that ministry for women, youth and children would continue. When eight women founded our organization in 1869, they saved pennies to begin building schools and missions. I look back to those beginnings, and what those women sacrificed so that United Methodist Women could be in mission around the world. With the same boldness, fortitude and faith of those founding women, we can give to the Legacy Fund to make certain our mission of caring for the least of our brothers and sisters will go on for another 150 years. I want to insure that we will serve the women of the future and that we continue to empower women, children and youth. That speaks to the general reasoning behind giving. But everybody has a personal story, and mine is closely connected to the story of United Methodist Women. My Granny introduced me to serving others when I went with her to circle meetings. My parents taught me through their actions to be concerned for the least of our brothers and sisters. When I was in high school, my mother provided a house and helped mentor a family from China that came to my hometown seeking a better life. I chose to become an educator because of my love for children. Now it is my duty to care for others. I chose to be active in United Methodist Women and have been in leadership positions for 40 years. I choose to support United Methodist Women and the Legacy Fund through planned giving because I have been blessed by God s abundance. It is my duty to be faithful and abundant to others. I want to be an example for present and future leaders of United Methodist Women. Please join me in giving to the Legacy Fund.

3 knowledge experience develop expand page 3 Greetings, Annual Meeting on October 13, 2018 was a time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and remind everyone of the exciting year ahead will mark the 150 year anniversary of the United Methodist Women. The Harbor District with the leadership of Susie Lupton, District President, did an awesome job of hosting this meeting! This year s meeting was held in the Physician s Lecture Hall at Methodist University due to construction delays. Our speaker was Pastor Michelle Subin. Her inspirational message reminded us of God s expectations. Wilhelmenia Sapp and Jeanne Scott were our musician and song leader. They did a fantastic job. The Gateway District took home the Study Jewel. Joyce Herring entertained us with a very creative installation service for the incoming and returning officers. The Legacy skit let us know how easy it is to give to the UMW to insure our work continues even after we are gone. I can go on and on, however, if you were not there you missed a blessing. Start planning now to be at Annual Meeting next year. Do-It-Day on November 3 rd at Bethel United Methodist Church in LaGrange, NC was a day of teaching and learning. Based on the evaluation forms, the incoming and returning officers were pleased with the training and excited about the New Year ahead. I would like to say a very special Thank You to Sandra Creech Mendell and the dedicated group of UMW at Bethel for hosting this meeting for the second consecutive year. They went above and beyond to make this a successful day of training. I would like to take a moment to say how much I have enjoyed my four years as the North Carolina Conference Vice- President of UMW. I have enjoyed working with you more than words can say. I had many valuable and unique experiences. I know this was God s plan for me. I hope I contributed to this wonderful organization in a positive way because it has certainly been a positive learning experience for me and enriched my life in many ways. As I have said before, as dedicated United Methodist Women, let us continue to strive to fulfill our PURPOSE. Daisy Dye, Outgoing Conference Vice-President November Wrap Up ~ Daisy Dye

4 knowledge experience develop expand page 34 Nominations Report ~ Martha Caves At our Annual Meeting, our Leadership Team for 2019 was officially installed and will begin (if not already serving) on January 1, Our 2019 Leadership Team is: President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Chair, Committee on Nominations Communications Coordinator Sec. of Program Resources JoAnn Barbour Ann Davis Hazel Hall Sandra Creech Mendel Martha Caves Mission Coordinators: Spiritual Growth Membership, Nurture & Outreach Social Action Education & Interpretation Jerline (Sandy) Miller Sherri Alford Betty Isaacs Annette Wright Doris Wade Lynn Clewis Members of Committee on Nominations: JoAnn Stanford Katherine Self Patricia Pemberton Faustina Walker Faye Dunn Jin Lee Joyce Herring installed our Leadership Team with a cooking theme. If we are going to serve up a great program, we first have to stir it up. Each leader was given a kitchen item relative to her position. Thanks Joyce Herring for giving us such a creative and inspiring Installation Service! Are you interested in a position on our Leadership Team for 2020? Contact Martha Caves or any other member of the nominating committee!! Martha Caves, Chair of Committee On Nominations Secretary of Program Resources ~ Lynn Clewis Annual Meeting was a time of celebration for our conference. Participation in the Reading Program across the conference was excellent with all eight districts reporting. The Reading Program presented three awards 1) BEYOND THE CAUSE (districts who use the most creative ways to encourage readers), 2) an AWARD FOR THE MOST CHILDREN READING, and 3) the READING BANNER. The BEYOND THE CAUSE AWARD was presented to the district (s) who employed creative ideas to encourage their readers. The two districts who received this award used methods such as forming book clubs in different areas of the district and sharing a meal, blasts, spearheading children s reading in their church, and a Sub-District program on the UMW Reading Program. Many thanks to the CAPITAL DISTRICT and the CORRIDOR DISTRICT for going BEYOND THE CAUSE. The AWARD FOR MOST CHILDREN READING was presented to the Corridor District with twenty-one children participating in the Reading Program. The READING BANNER is awarded to the District that accrues the most points based on the reading plans. Each reading plan is assigned a number of points. Plan I 1 point, Plan II 2 points, Plan III 3 points, Plan IV 4 points, and Children 1 point for each reader. This year, the Harbor District received the Reading Banner with a total of 96 readers and participation in all of the Plans. Their total number of points was 162. Many thanks to everyone who participated. Lynn Clewis North Carolina Conference UMW Secretary of Program Resources

5 knowledge experience develop expand page years of Missions and Ministries for women, children and youth! What a history of helping others we have inherited! Our foremothers saved their coins to send missionaries to foreign countries. In 2019, we have the opportunity to honor or memorialize someone who has mentored us in United Methodist Women as we have carried on this ministry. The North Carolina Conference of United Methodist Women has a special Mission Giving project in 2019, 150 Years of United Women Missions By donating $10 to Missions each of us can honor or memorialize someone who got us started in UMW or who mentored us along our journey in supporting missions! Local Unit treasurers are getting the information about the process for this project at the district LOTS meetings. As this year s financial reporting year-end draws near (November 30), I know that our Conference is a long way from reaching our 2018 pledge. But the fall is harvest time so I m hoping and praying that the final remittances from the districts will be bountiful like the harvest farmers hope for. These remittances come to the district treasurers from you, members of your local unit and/or circle. Mission giving starts with YOU and ME! Those who attended the 2018 North Carolina Conference United Methodist Annual Meeting saw that our Pledge service focused on where does our money go, a frequently asked question. My answer to this question is that our pledges and giving to the other avenues of Mission Giving go to support United Methodist Women missions on every continent on earth, except Antarctica. In response magazine there are many stories that tell about our various missions and how they serve women, children and youth throughout the world. Our missions and ministries include educating women so they can earn money to care for their children, healthcare opportunities, getting access to clean water and many more services. Our Mission Giving serves in many, many ways to help those less fortunate than us. If you or someone else in your unit doesn t subscribe, I strongly encourage you to consider subscribing to this United Methodist Women monthly publication. My wish to All is a Blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and a very happy 2019! Sandra Creech Mendell, Conference Treasurer Treasurer s Report ~ Sandra Creech Mendell Spotlight on Social Action ~ Annette Wright The North Carolina Conference has really been involved in advocacy this year. We sponsored a Legislative Event on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Our Theme was Excellence in Equitable Education (E3) and the Focus: Vouchers in private schools, Special Needs funding and Remediation in Year-Round Schools Funding. There were 90 people in attendance: politicians, women and men, youth and children. We were honored to have NC Teacher of the year and his team present and our own Susie Johnson from our Policy office in Washington, D.C. We have sent out information to North Carolina Conference UMW encouraging them to vote in all elections. At Annual meeting five districts received the Living out our Mission Award. This Award will be presented annually to a district(s) that has done extraordinary work in the field of mission using our project sheets and resources United Methodist Women recognizes. One of our priority issues for this Quadrennial is Maternal Health. So this year at Annual meeting we recognized three women that have been involved in the medical field. We recognized: Dr. Jimmie Shuler, pediatrician, former conference president and director for her service of over thirty years in medicine; Sandra Creech Mendell, conference treasurer, former secretary and vice president and a retired nurse for her dedication for over 30 years and Jean Haddock, Conference Mission U Dean and former Social Action Coordinator for her dedication to her profession as a physical therapist. We saluted these faithful and dedicated women along with others in the medical field who were present with a standing ovation. Please remember to use the conference project sheets to get involved with mission and satisfying the Mission Today form. I pray that all have a blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Annette Wright, NC Conference UMW Social Action Coordinator

6 knowledge experience develop expand page NC CONFERENCE UMW CALENDAR January 01 New Officers assume duties 11 Newton Grove UMC, 133 South Church St., Newton Grove 4:00pm Mission u Committee Meeting, Mission u Nomination Committee Meeting 6:00pm Dinner 7:00pm, District Presidents Meeting, Conference Program Committee Meeting 12 Conference Leadership Team Meeting. 9:30 am Newton Grove UMC, 133 S. Church St., Newton Grove 11 District Mailing List for KEDE due to KEDE Editor February 09 KEDE Deadline (Racial Justice Event) March 1 World Day of Prayer 16 Racial Justice Workshop, Gardners UMC, 4555 Rosehill Rd., Fayetteville, NC April 6 Conference Leadership Team Meeting, 10:00am St. Luke UMC, 2916 Wicker St., Sanford, NC 13 KEDE Deadline (Mission u & Mother-Child Retreat) 15 Final Deadline Book of Reports to Secretary May 03 Church Women United Friendship Day 12 Scholarship Committee Meeting, Teleconference, 1pm - 3 pm June Annual Conference for the NC Conference United Methodist Church; Greenville, NC July Mission u Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC 26 Mission u Nominating Committee Meeting- Luncheon Meeting 25&26 Mission u Committee Meeting August 17 KEDE Deadline (Annual Meeting Issue) 17 Finance Committee Meeting 9:30am Pittsboro UMC, 71 West St., Pittsboro, NC September 01 All reports due to Coordinators & President 07 Conference Leadership Team Mtg, 10:00am U M Building, 700 Waterfield Ridge Pl, Garner, NC Standing Rules Committee Meeting during lunch Mother-Child Retreat, Camp Don Lee, Arapahoe, NC Conference Mission Trip, Wesley Community Center, Savannah, GA October Mission u Committee Meeting 4:00 pm, Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC Conference UMW Annual Meeting Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC Mission u Nominating Committee District Officers Report due to Conference Secretary November 01 Church Women United World Community Day 02 Conference UMW DO-IT Day Location TBA 09 KEDE Deadline (Spiritual Enrichment Retreat Issue and 2020 Calendar) Southeastern Jurisdiction Quadrennial Meeting, Mobile, Alabama, April 17 19, 2020

7 The Summons FOLLOW GO SERVE LOVE Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send and who will for us? And I said, Here am I, send me! Isaiah 6:8 NRSV North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women NC Conference UMW Communications Coordinator 8000 Knebford Circle Wake Forest, NC 27587