Volume 34 Number 2 Central West District Cactus Patch Newsletter June, Volume 34 Number 2 Published for United Methodist Women June, 2016

Transcription

1 Central West District CACTUS PATCH Newsletter Volume 34 Number 2 Published for United Methodist Women June, 2016 INDEX Page 1 Mission u Page 2 Living Timeline Facebook Pg / President Page 3 Mission u Page 4 Vice President / Treasurer Page 5 Secretary/ Labels for Education Page 6 Committee on Nominations / Program Resources Page 7 Spiritual Growth/ Membership Page 8 Education for Mission / Communications Page 9 UMOM Page 10 Golden Gate Community Center Page 11 Impact of Poverty on Maternal and Child Health Page Calendar / AJO Federated Church / Wesley Community Ctr Back to School Drive Page 13 Gila Mountain UMC / Liberty UMC Page 14 New Song UMC / Page 15 Prescott UMC Shepherd of the Hills UMC /Trinity UMC - Yuma Page 16 When Reports are Due /Purpose of UMW Priorities: SPIRIT OF JOY Goals: TAKING CARE OF SELF PHYSICALLY & SPIRITUALLY Page 1 Mission u It s that time of year again for Mission u which is 1 1/2 days (Friday and Saturday). This time frame is so we can still attend our home church on Sunday, to accommodate those working women, and, hopefully, get more ladies to attend. Remember, Mission u is open to all who wish to attend. Invite your friends and your spouse to join us! This will be an enjoyable, stimulating and inspiring experience for all who attend. Registration forms are on the Desert Southwest Conference website. Just click on to access information on Mission u. For applications on the scholarships, scroll down mid-way of that web page. At the bottom of the page will be a link to the registration forms for Mission u. Please note that this year you can either mail-in your registration with a check or register on line with a credit card. July 29-30, 2016 Dayspring United Methodist Church 1365 E. Elliot Road, Tempe, AZ REGISTRATION DEADLINE: July 18, 2016 More information is in the Cactus Patch on page 3. Looking forward to seeing you there!

2 We re Happy to Announce I m happy to announce that our Living Timeline Facebook page is up and running. Several stories are available for you to read now. Please look for these stories page at DSCUMWomen-Legacy. Be sure to like our page so that as new stories are posted you will receive notice about them. If you don t have Facebook you can see a story or two by going to: However, until you sign up for Facebook, you won t be able to see all the stories as they are posted. Of course, to continue to bring you stories that honor our legacy, more stories are needed. Please take a few minutes to think about your story and then put the words down on paper. If you still don t know what to write there will be a Focus Group at Mission u that will help you get started. Please keep your story to just a few short paragraphs. I know it s hard to stop when you get started writing, but long stories just don t work on Facebook. Sorry! Submissions should be sent to dscumwomen@gmail.com. Please allow several days after submission to see the story on Facebook. Bev Secrist Conference Communications Coordinator President s View Point It has been my pleasure to be in this office this year serving all of you and I got to experience the thrill of the Western Jurisdiction Annual Meeting. What a joy to spend a weekend with over 400 other United Methodist Women from all over our jurisdiction, that runs from Alaska to Hawaii to Colorado to Oregon; contains 8 conferences and is run by 6 bishops. The diversity of our jurisdiction is awe inspiring. It makes you feel small and insignificant sometimes. But gives me joy to finally understand why I am doing this job. United Methodist Women are everywhere. They see a need and they fix it. They have community centers, food banks, maternity centers, etc. all over the globe. They go above and beyond. And as our speaker that night said, we are no longer the blue haired ladies in the church. I am proud to call myself a United Methodist woman. Blessings Gail Colclough glcolclough@q.com If the word isn t getting out, United Methodist Women are losing out. Please be sure to share the information in this newsletter with those who don t have access to a computer or printer. Page 2

3 SAVE THE DATE FOR MISSION u 2016 What is Mission u? Mission u is an opportunity to study current issues impacting society based on recent mission study topics. Mission u is open to members and non -members of United Methodist Women. At Mission u: Learning Together for Transformation of the World, you grow in understanding of the mission of the church in the current world context. The studies give particular attention to the responsibilities of women in the fulfillment of the mission work of the church. Three studies are offered each year, one each in three areas: Spiritual Growth, Social Issue, Geographic. The Social Issue and Geographic studies are offered for two years on a staggered schedule. The Spiritual Growth study is new each year. Over a Friday evening and Saturday, participants can take one 7 ½ hour study at each event. You are encouraged to attend as many Mission u events as you want. They are offered on different weekends spaced out in July and August to allow people to attend more than one study each year. July 8-9 July August North District Desert Springs UMC, Las Vegas Central East / Central West District Dayspring UMC, Tempe South District Catalina UMC, Tucson 2016 Mission Studies (books are now available at Spiritual Growth: The Bible and Human Sexuality (Item #M3272) Issue Study: Climate Justice (Item #M3265) Geographic: Latin America-People and Faith (not offered in Las Vegas) (Item #M3223) You will only be able to take one study at each of the 3 sessions. If you desire to take an additional study, you will need to take one in an outlying area and pay for the registration fee for that location. Registration fee is $62 per person. Information on pricing for lodging is located on the registration form. You are on your own to make your hotel reservations. For the Phoenix area, a block of 20 rooms has been reserved at the Quality Inn Phoenix Airport, 5121 E. LaPuente Ave, Phoenix, phone: Price is $59.00 plus tax, and includes a continental breakfast. Reservations for the hotel must be made by July 15. Be sure to mention United Methodist Women Mission u. Please read your study PRIOR to the class as there is not much time at the sessions to do so. Books are now available and can be ordered ahead of time through the Mission Resource Center. New this year: Hands-On Mission Project opportunity on Saturday. Scholarships are available for first time attendees. There are bios on the instructors for each of the classes. Check out the conference website for their bios, applications, and more information at: We will again be collecting recyclables at Mission u. These are the only items to be collected this year: Labels for Education Wesley Community Center Plastic grocery bags to be used for mats for the homeless Pop top tabs for Ronald McDonald House Our hands-on offering will support Wesley Community Center, the National Mission Institute in the Desert Southwest Conference. Please bring individual, snack size items for their youth programs: Granola bars Goldfish Crackers Capri Sun Drinks Cheez-Its Peanut Butter & Crackers Cheese Crackers Applesauce cups Fruit cups Pudding Cups Thank you for supporting Wesley Community Center!! Page 3

4 VICE PRESIDENT S UPDATE I pray all is well with you and are getting ready for the summer. I would like to thank the United Methodist Women ladies of Mountain View United Methodist Church for treating me so very kindly for their UMW Sunday. I was blessed to give the message to their church and share my faith journey with one of their Sunday School classes. Then had a wonderful lunch with some of the officers. I was truly humbled and blessed by your love and kindness. Please feel free to ask any of us district officers to either speak or attend any functions that you are planning to have. We would love to be there and connect with you and get to know you better. Just a thought that I saw on Facebook this week from a radio personality, Scott Smith, for the Christian Radio Station, KLOVE, on his Facebook page. He posted that "Jesus didn't have to agree with people to be kind to them." This is a good thing to remember in this time of what our General Conference is looking to decide on and the political atmosphere we are in at this time. We will not agree with everyone and everyone won't agree with us. But we should always be kind and compassionate to everyone. After all, we are all God's children. Be blessed and may God's grace be with you and yours, Susan Hebert pits2007rjl@yahoo.com TREASURER S OUTLOOK Many of our local organizations are already working toward receiving the Five Star Award for A special Thank You to those of you who have been sending Pledge to Mission remittances to me. Making quarterly remittances helps to reach the final goal much easier. All levels of United Methodist Women appreciate your efforts. Mission u is coming up in July. This is a wonderful opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new ones. Remember there are scholarships available to help with your expenses. I would love to help you if you have any questions about any aspect of this fellowship opportunity. The weekend of May 6-7, I attended three great events. Church Women United held their May Celebration on Friday, May 6 th. Besides the Least Coin Program, we also found grace at the table. Then on Saturday, four district officers and I went to Chino Valley for a mother/daughter luncheon. They also honored the military. Four speakers told us their stories of life in the military. From there we drove to Prescott for their program Hunger Pangs. They also served us a delicious pot luck dinner. Both of these local organizations had successful events. Hope to see you at Mission u in July and looking forward to our Central West District Annual Celebration on October 1, 2016, at First United Methodist Church in Sun City. Your sister in Christ, Colleen Becker cbecker14@cox.net Page 4

5 SECRETARY S TIDBITS On Saturday, May 7th, five district officers (Gail Colclough, president, Colleen Becker, Treasurer, Sally Dorrell and Lila Dell Aringa, Co-Chairs of Committee of Nominations, and me) went to Chino Valley s Mother/Daughter Luncheon with speakers reflecting on their military service, and to Prescott s local organization meeting with their program Hunger Pangs. This was exciting as we were able to meet so many nice ladies and to learn about the mission activities they are doing. Thank you to Chino Valley and Prescott!! We really enjoyed the day. Thank you to all the ladies who attended this year s Leadership Development Day training in January. We all learn from each other. We have another exciting event coming up..mission u on July 29-30, 2016, at Dayspring United Methodist Church in Tempe. More information is on pages 1 and 3. We hope to see you at this fun and learning activity. On October 1st, we will have our Central West District Annual Celebration at First United Methodist Church in Sun City. Our guest speaker will be from UMOM! We have not heard from them in a long time. They have expanded quite a bit including a new housing shelter. There will be more information coming up in our next Cactus Patch and possibly, sooner. We hope to see all you there as we have made several changes to the program which we think you will enjoy. Please start talking about these two events that are coming up soon. It is also a way to meet other ladies of United Methodist Women and share ideas. See you then!! Sharon Weber sweber08@cox.net LABELS FOR EDUCATION Sad News We have some sad news. In the past few years, participation in Labels for Education (LFE) has declined and as a result, Campbell has come to the very difficult decision to wind down the LFE Program. The good news is nothing changes this program year which ends July 31, There will be changes for next year s program starting August 1, You may have already noticed that fewer products are carrying the LFE logo. Beginning August 1, only UPCs with the logo can be redeemed for points. Therefore, it is important that everyone send all labels, UPCs and caps to Wesley no later than July 15 th - earlier if possible. We want to have enough points to get some of the items on Golden Gate s wish list before the program is totally over. Campbell s will continue to support American kids through their Grand Stand for Schools SM sweepstakes and community efforts which they annually contribute $70 million in food and funding to tackle obesity and hunger amongst our country s most vulnerable families. Page 5

6 COMMITTEE OF NOMINATIONS COMMENTS Are you ready for the hot days of summer? It is almost here or maybe it is here. Anyway the Central West District Committee on Nominations has lots to do in finding new officers to fill positions for We know this is true for the local organizations too. We will be contacting each local organization asking for names of ladies in their local organization who would be good officer candidates and willing to serve on the Central West District Team. Please talk to your ladies and encourage them to consider holding a district office. It is a wonderful way to meet new ladies and also learn more about our wonderful organization of United Methodist Women. If there are questions, please contact someone on the Committee on Nominations or a district team member. We are always willing to talk to you and let you know what being an officer involves. We ask you to pray about becoming a part of the Central West District Team. The committee will be glad to talk to you and see if we have offices available that would interest you. May God bless you as you serve on the local, district or conference level? We are blessed to have you as a part of United Methodist Women. We hope to see many of you at Mission u on July at Dayspring UMC. More information is available in this Cactus Patch. Your Sisters in Christ, Co-Chairs of Committee on Nominations Sally Dorrell sldorrell@gmail.com Lila Dell Aringa yamalil@cox.net Committee: Helen Jackson, , phjackson1@q.com Pam Jackson, , pd-jackson36111@live.com Carol Armstrong, , phxnana@cox.net PROGRAM RESOURCES CORNER We had great results last year with the reading program and I hope it will be even better this next year. Lots of new books were bought this year. I have a new circle at First United Methodist Church Sun City. We decided that we would use book reviews as our programs this year. Each meeting someone reads a book and gives a report. It is a great way to get our books read and a great way to do a program. Hope you all have a blessed summer. Carol Jones carolmaejones1944@yahoo.com Page 6

7 SPIRITUAL GROWTH S WORDS OF WISDOM I preached a sermon at First Glendale United Methodist Church on May 22 nd. The title of the sermon was Are you Excited about your Heritage? I just finished working with 3 children so they could get their God and Family award for scouts. The curriculum compares what steps it takes to make a pizza to the steps of your spiritual life. The children learned that the sauce of the pizza is your spiritual and family heritage. The definition of heritage is that which is allotted, possession, property, portion, share, particular rights and inheritance. Have you thought lately as to where your heritage began and where you are now? I remember hearing once that we are all born and we will all die and what we do in the middle is our DASH. Is your DASH focused on Jesus? Another highlight in my life has been teaching a Bible Study on Wednesday mornings, called Growing Older and Wiser. Life expectancies have stretched, but the Bible reveals that human nature has not changed. In the Scripture studies in this book, you will find examples of people who got older and wiser, and examples of people who, well, just got older. I am going to offer this study again during Vacation Bible School at First Glendale United Methodist Church on June 6 10 from 6:30 p.m.. to 8:00 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend. If interested, call or text me at or me at sunsjudy@cox.net. I pray we all grow wiser as we get older and our DASH is filled with the Holy Spirit in our hearts while we spread the message of salvation. May we remember how John Wesley s heart was warmed by God s love and why we are Methodists. God Bless us each and everyone Judy Cleaveland sunsjudy@cox.net MEMBERSHIP TIME Greetings! I hope you are enjoying the beautiful Arizona weather we have been having! You can see God's wonders all around us. I would like to thank the units for their cooperation in meeting the deadline for the census reporting. Unfortunately there was a snafu on my end, and information had to be electronically entered twice. However, all information should be correctly reported to the National office and we will receive written confirmation soon. Beginning in 2016, each local organization will electronically submit the census for their local organization. There will be trainings later in the fall, but please do not stress; the process is quite simple. Memorial Reports are due on September 10th. I will all local organizations later this summer. The Memorial service will take place in October at the district annual celebration. I hope I will have an opportunity to see you at Mission u in July! Blessings to you until then, Sue Judy suejudy@yahoo.com Page 7

8 EDUCATION FOR MISSION As a member of the Central West District Team of United Methodist Women, I am responsible for Education for Missions. But, I am also a member of Trinity United Methodist Women where I serve on the executive board as secretary. It was exciting this winter when we made the move to form a new circle. While we haven t yet decided on a name, we have been very serious about determining what the focus of this new circle would be. It was very evident that the women were interested in being hands-on with our mission activities. After more discussion, we decided to become more involved with Family Promise during the week that Trinity hosts those families. We decided that we would greet and cook one evening meal as a circle; and when the families left the dining area, we would have our regular circle meeting. We have committed to doing this every time that Family Promise is on our campus during the year. We have other activities planned, but I wanted to share this with the readers because it is just one way that we can support missions in our own churches. There are many opportunities for us to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. I would be most interested as your district representative in missions to hear about what you are doing in your United Methodist Women local organizations. Be sure to send your article to our Communications Coordinator, Sharon Weber. She will then put it in our next Cactus Patch. In His service, Cheryl Buchholtz ckbuchholtz@cox.net COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR NOTES Has your local organization or circle done anything this year or have something coming up for missions? We all love to hear what other local organizations or circles do. It gives many ladies ideas on how to raise funds for our mission work. Be sure to get your articles to me. The next article will be due AUGUST 15th. Thank you to the local organizations who sent in their articles! It is greatly appreciated! Love reading what great ideas each of our ladies have in order to support our mission work. Be sure to look at all the upcoming events for We have lots going on for everyone. Make sure your local organization members are aware of these events. For more information on these events, please check out this issue of the Cactus Patch or go to the Desert Southwest Winds newsletter which is located on the conference s website. The link is This year at our district annual celebration, our guest speaker will be from UMOM. Come hear about all the exciting things UMOM is doing including learning about their new shelter. As soon as I get more information on the items needed for UMOM for our hands-on project, I will all of you so you can start collecting. Also, this will be a chance for you to get more ladies excited about coming to our annual celebration. Let s make this a great offering for UMOM and a great turnout of our ladies to this important meeting!! See you in July!! Sharon Weber, sweber08@cox.net Page 8

9 UMOM What is UMOM? It stands for United Methodist Outreach Ministries. UMOM New Day Centers mission is to prevent and end homelessness with innovative strategies and housing solutions that meet the unique needs of each family and individual. Founded in 1964, UMOM is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the largest shelter for homeless families in the state. They keep families together, they provide a continuum of care from emergency shelter to transitional housing and finally, permanent, affordable housing. Families at UMOM have the opportunity to gain the skills, medical care, quality child care, and education they need to rebuild their lives and succeed when they leave. Every night UMOM provides safe shelter and supportive services for over 170 homeless families through their continuum of services. They also offer nearly 300 units of affordable housing across the Valley, each community with Program Centers for residents. Some of their programs and services are: Shelter programs for families Permanent Housing Veterans Programs Watkins Basic Needs Shelter Supportive Services (workforce development, child development center, wellness center, teen activity program) We will have a UMOM speaker for our Central West District Annual Celebration on October 1st. Be sure to come to hear what excellent programs they have and the progress they have made over the years. Page 9

10 Golden Gate Community Center Our District Social Action Mission Coordinator, Paula Sallas, is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church whose local organization toured Golden Gate Community Center in April. The center is located at 39th Avenue and McDowell. Golden Gate is truly a community center and has had meetings with the Phoenix Mayor, City Council members, and Phoenix Police Officers. Golden Gate has community outreach, visit neighbors and attend neighborhood meetings including a monthly picnic held at Sueno Park. The programs offered under different headings are specifically designed to meet the needs of this community. A nominal fee is required for some of these classes. As was true of Wesley Community Center, Golden Gate also serves an under-served primarily Hispanic, low-income families now living in west Phoenix. The classes covered are under these heading: Adult Education; Community Health Education; Recreation; Seniors' Program; Outreach & Enrollment for Appropriate Services Needed; Community Garden; Aerobics & Zumba Classes; and one of the key components offered here is Wesley Health Center. Both Wesley Community Center and Golden Gate have often been the site for Bible study, community church meetings, group/individual counseling from participating clergy. Also for the past year, Wesley Community Center is the site for a 250-member non-denominational, progressive Hispanic congregation that needed a place to worship twice weekly until they can build their own facility. With the community movement, most services, events, and health care clinic have all been relocated from south central Phoenix to the west side. Wesley Health Center, weekly bingo games for senior women and the sewing room are all that remain of the original Wesley Community and Health Center established in Golden Gate Community Center offers youth services, health education classes, and the second "soon-to-be" Federally Qualified Health Center. Calvary United Methodist Church is the Amigos Center offering ESL adult education classes, a large community garden, youth kickball, and other youth orientated activities. Epworth United Methodist Church offers adult classes and also provides childcare. Wesley Community Center property is owned by the United Methodist Women and is also a National Mission Institution of the United Methodist Church. Betty Mathis is the CEO for these organizations and the information here is from information provided during our visit to Golden Gate Community Center. For additional information from Ms. Mathis, her is bmathis@wccphx.net. Feel free to contact Betty. She is always willing to do tours. Paula Sallas topjsallas@yahoo.com Page 10

11 Impact of Poverty on Maternal and Child Health This is an article on our Social Action Event that was held on April 9th. For those of you who were not able to attend this event, our Social Action Mission Coordinator, Paula Sallas, has written some information about this subject. The most common and devastating effect of poverty for women, infants, and children is Malnutrition. Malnutrition has devastating and long term effects on infants and children. These can be permanent: 1 Compromised immune systems leading to frequent illnesses Attention deficit disorders are four times more likely to occur Impaired school performance Decreased IQ scores Memory deficiencies Learning disabilities Reduced social skills Reduced language development Reduced problem-solving skills Possible depression WIC offers mothers with infants and children up to 5 years of age information covering a large variety of options. Among these are breast feeding support, nutritional education, supplemental foods, and referrals to health care and other social services. Wesley Community Center and Golden Gate Community Center both have health facilities serving the underserved primarily Hispanic, low-income families in south-central and west Phoenix area. Presenters were Dr. Kristin Bishop, a Naturopathic Medical Doctor specializing in family medicine. As a naturopathic doctor, she approaches medicine looking for the root causes of illness using botanical medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, nutrition, spinal adjustments, or hydrotherapy. Celia Nabor, MPA, Arizona WIC Program Director/Bureau of Nutrition and Physical Activity, and Arizona Health Services, represents the WIC program here in Phoenix. Maria Hase earned her Masters Degree in Speech Pathology from Arizona State University and is employed by the Scottsdale Unified School District at Tavan Elementary School. She is a Deaconess candidate with plans to be consecrated this month. Her passion is children, especially foster children. Our United Methodist Women began supporting health care for women and children in the 1800 s and continue to this today. Still much work is needed to reach the children of the world from sub- Sahara Africa to the Mississippi Delta, malnutrition does not have limited boundaries. Paula Sallas, topjsallas@yahoo.com Footnote: 1 - Spoon Foundation sponsored by Mead Johnson Nutrition Boston University:Malnutrition's Side Effects: Science & Tech Joint Council on International Children s Services SPOON Technical Support Page 11

12 CENTRAL WEST DISTRICT 2016 CALENDAR July August 15 October 1 October 22 November 15 Mission u CE/CW Districts Dayspring UMC, 1365 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ Cactus Patch Article Due CWD Annual Celebration First UMC, 9849 N. 105 th Ave., Sun City, AZ Conference Annual Celebration Green Valley UMC, 300 W. Esperanza Blvd., Green Valley, AZ Cactus Patch Article Due AJO FEDERATED CHURCH We are a small group, but we really want to continue to work in mission and to serve women and children. Our local organization just collected $100 for Prayers and Self-Denial Offering at our April meeting. We are happy to be a part of our district work in mission. Our meetings have concluded for the summer and will start up again in October. A February 16th newspaper article was written with the following caption: Eileen Costuck (right) presented Prucilla Krznarich, case manager for Sheltering Ajo (left), a check for $100. Eileen Costuck, president of the United Methodist Women of Ajo Federated Church, stated their group wanted to support Sheltering Ajo because, They are interested in the welfare of homeless women and children of the world, and feel especially close to the project as Jeannie Morago, lay person assigned to the Ajo Federated Church, was active in the startup of Sheltering Ajo. God bless you for the summer, Eileen Costuck, President Editor s Note: As you can see, even small amounts can go a long way to help others. It does not matter how large an organization you are. YOU can make a difference. Wesley Community Center Back to School Drive Here are a few items that are needed for Wesley s Back-to-School drive. Please deliver all items to Wesley or Golden Gate prior to July 4th. Note that crayons are NOT needed. Thank you! Girl backpacks Teen girl backpacks Boy backpacks Teen boy backpacks Rulers Small pack of erasers Scissors Packs of index cards Folders Binders (1 inch) Small pencil sharpeners Packs of Elmer s Glue Packs of thin markers Packs of regular markers Packs of colored pencils Packs of mechanical lead pencils Packs of No.2 pencils Packs of Lined Paper Female deodorant Male deodorant Tubes of toothpaste Teen toothbrushes Young youth toothbrushes Small bottles of hand sanitizers Page 12

13 GILA MOUNTAIN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH YUMA It s getting a little quiet here in Yuma as the days begin to heat up and our winter visitors head out for cooler places. A lot of our Gila Mountain United Methodist Women are winter visitors and we will miss them. Before they left though, our annual Spring Mission Luncheon and Style Show was enjoyed by about 150 ladies who attended this year s hat themed event in early March. The pasta salad luncheon was delicious, followed by a display of beautiful outfits from BonWorth, modeled by some of our very own United Methodist Women. And just when we thought things could not get any better, we had a surprise visit from Maxine. And just like Santa, The Night Before Christmas, she spoke not a word but walked gracefully around the room showing off HER beautiful outfit, complete with hat and bling. We love Maxine. She can visit us anytime. Planning and preparations are in full swing for our Vacation Bible School taking place June 6 th through the 10 th. Many of our United Methodist Women are signed up to help with the week s activities. This year s theme is Catch the wave of God s amazing love. It will be an exciting week for all who attend. We wish everyone a fun and safe summer, and God s peace and grace to you all. Sherry Lehl, UMW Secretary LIBERTY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH BUCKEYE United Methodist Women Hosts President of Christian Islamic Dialogue The event, held on Tuesday, April 5th, was a part of Liberty United Methodist Women s Charter for Racial Justice. Guest speaker, Daniel Ted, is an Egyptian pastor who fled Egypt due to persecution. Ted spoke about cultural barriers perpetuated by the media. Media coverage of terrorism creates a fear that can only be bridged by entering into dialogue with one another. The beginning of every dialogue needs to be focused on asking vs. judging. Muslims are not different than us. Ted has witnessed a hunger in the Muslim population for the Living God. The key to meeting this hunger is to show love. Ted s ministry involves creating teams all over the world to meet Muslims where they gather and enter into dialogue. He is also in the process of building an orphanage in Egypt, Women have no rights in Egypt; husbands divorce their wives by verbal declaration. Divorced women end up in the streets with no means to care for their children. According to facechildren.org, there are currently 8 million children under the age of five in Egypt; 1.5 million are orphans. Many of the orphanages that exist are not adequate to meet the children s needs. Event organizer, Polly Valora, spoke for the Liberty UMW, Terrorism creates a battle between the head and heart. We were interested in hearing about ways to respond in faith to the difficulties experienced by Muslim Americans and are so thankful that we had the opportunity to host Mr. Ted. Contact information: Daniel Ted, ciddialogue@gmail.com Photo by Mark Stafford, Spirit of Martyrdom Michelle Justice Vice President Page 13

14 NEW SONG UNITED METHODIST CHURCH SURPRISE Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name. - Psalm 97:12 United Methodist Women at New Song has been busy this winter! We held a Spiritual Retreat we titled Be Still and Know That I Am God. The focus of our retreat was on finding and keeping our spiritual center in the midst of the everyday chaos we call LIFE! We had 45 women join together at the Lake Pleasant Desert Retreat Center. Our speaker was Judi Nibbelink. Every woman left the day with a Spiritual Journal and Prayer Beads. It was a wonderful event we plan on holding another one next year! Our Needlers Circle has been busy making quilts to distribute to those in need. We gave away the majority of them around Christmas, so we re diligently working to plan ahead! We already have moved forward toward Christmas 2016 last month we added 23 quilts! We started a new Circle Paper Crafting! This group has started out like gang-busters and scheduled their meetings through the summer! We have been blessed beyond belief with the attendance and excitement of the United Methodist Women at New Song! Blessings, Pamela Weir, Publicity & Communication PRESCOTT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Prescott United Methodist Women celebrated Joyful Hunger Pangs at their first local organization meeting on May 7, 2016 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Four large boxes of food were brought and donated to the Open Door Food Bank and used for feeding the poor several days a week on the church campus. The program was given by the executive board officers with ideas from the Program Book and their imaginative decorations and additions. They were pleased with the turnout and the visit from five (5) of our district officers. Door prizes were given out and the Reading Program, Five Channels of Giving and Mission u were also highlighted. Those who could, then attended the 5:00 p.m. old time music church service as a group to show their unity. A good time was had by all! (A great Methodist potluck was included of course too.) Karon Keeler, President Page 14

15 SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH SUN CITY WEST Our History Our Story Our United Methodist Women recently celebrated the history of our beautiful church campus by inviting our archives chair, Marlene Northup, and her committee to our May luncheon meeting. Nancy Carson of the Archives Committee educated us about Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church s (SHUMC) Archives Program, using PowerPoint and narration. With the help and guidance of Jennifer Barber (DSW Conference Archivist), our Archives Committee felt called to delve into decades of photos, files, legal documents, newsletters, and historical information. They then created an update to our SHUMC history by interviewing charter members and church leaders. This included amending information on our pastoral and church staff our committees, our mission and vision. The history of our congregation has become a rare glimpse into our people, our story and our faith. Cindy Larson Vice President Co-Chair & Membership Coordinator TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH YUMA Trinity-Yuma United Methodist Women decided to learn first-hand of the programs and services provided by organizations in Yuma that dedicate themselves to helping the less fortunate in our community. We first visited Crossroads Mission whose motto is Glorifying God by helping those at their crossroads of life! We toured the emergency shelter for homeless men and peeked into the brand new Women s and Family Building/Dormitory. We visited the kitchen and watched as the crew prepared the evening meal which is free to all who come seeking a wholesome meal. We learned about the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery program and G.E.D. preparation and adult education. The dedication of the individuals who work and staff the Crossroads Mission is commendable. Our second visit was to the Assistance League of Yuma (AL) whose motto is Caring and Commitment in Action. One of their philanthropic programs is the ALBY program which provides teddy bears to police and fire departments to be distributed to trauma victims. Operation School Bell provides clothing for elementary school children in need, the Out To Lunch Bunch provides lunch, conversation and company to residents of local assisted-living facilities, and the AL makes scholarships available to students enrolled in occupational/technical programs at Arizona Western College. The AL Thrift shop is a hidden jewel in the city of Yuma where bargains abound. Shirley Teeters, President Page 15

16 WHEN REPORTS ARE DUE AND TO WHOM JANUARY 30: Local Membership Census Report Form needs to be sent to the District Mission Coordinator for Membership Care. The Mission Coordinator for Membership Care of the local organization fills out this report. MAY 30: Marilyn Jean Chapman Scholarship and Marilyn Sue Stout applications are to be sent to the District President. SEPTEMBER 1: The Memorial List Report is to be completed and sent to the District Mission Coordinator for Membership Care. The Mission Coordinator for Membership Care for the local organization fills out this report. NOVEMBER 15: Your local organization s officers, nomination committee members, and circle leaders information (position, name, address, phone number, address) needs to be sent to the District Secretary so it can be included in the district directory which is available in January. DECEMBER 1: Mission Today needs to be sent to the District President. The President for the local organization fills out these reports. These awards are handed out at Leadership Development Day training events in January of the following year. DECEMBER 1: Living the Charter for Racial Justice Club Reporting Form needs to be sent to the District Mission Coordinator for Social Action. The Mission Coordinator for Social Action for the local organization fills out this report. The awards for the previous year are handed out at the District Annual Celebration in October of the following year. DECEMBER 10: Local Unit Final Financial Report is to be sent to the District Treasurer. The treasurer of the local organization fills out this report. DECEMBER 10: Reading Program information needs to go to the Secretary of Program Resources. Certificates are given at Leadership Development Days. DECEMBER 31: The Outstanding Unit (Local Organization) form is to be sent to the District Mission Coordinator for Education for Mission. The Mission Coordinator for Education for Mission for the local organization fills out these reports. These awards are handed out at the District Annual Celebration in October of the following year. The PURPOSE of United Methodist Women 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. Page 16