HARBOR DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

Transcription

1 HARBOR DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN August 2017 President s Message United Methodist Women, I have decided that this must be the wettest August since we moved to southeastern North Carolina. Everything is blooming and green and lush; however I may have to get a new set of windshield wipers for the car. At the end of July, I spent two days in Mission u at Methodist University in Fayetteville and I found both of the studies that I attended well done and very informative. Please plan now to attend one or even two of these studies when we offer them at the district level next March. As you study The Missionary Conferences of the UMC in the United States, you may be asked about the harms that your ancestors may have experienced and about any harms that you or your family may have inflicted on your larger communities. The answers may surprise you. This study stresses mutuality in mission and discusses the differences of the three missionary conferences. Many of you may have been on a mission trip to the Red Bird Missionary Conference in Appalachia. Their current Bishop is Leonard Fairley, who was a DS in the North Carolina Conference. The second study I attended was Living As A Covenant Community. This study focuses on six of God s covenants with his people. Through covenantal living, we are connected to God, others and the whole creation. You will find this an inspirational Bible study that studies well known stories in the Bible from the covenantal standpoint. Climate Justice will be the third study offered in I do hope that you will start planning now to bring your unit s members to the district mission studies in March. Our year is half over but we still have several very important dates to remember. The Conference Annual Meeting is on Saturday, October 7 at Methodist University in Fayetteville. Our Harbor District Annual Meeting is on Saturday, October 21 at Hampstead UMC in Hampstead. Our speaker will be JoAnn Barbour, our NCCUMW President. If you haven t sent them in yet, unit reports were due on August 15 th. November 1 st is the date for submitting your 2018 officer information to Mary Greene, our District Secretary. Enjoy the rest of your summer. Susie Lupton He has shown you, O Mortal, what is good and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NIV Inside this issue: Treasurer s Notes 2 Secretary s Report 2 Around the District 3 Mother/Child Registration 4 Member, Nurture & Outreach 5 Antique on Grace 5 Mission of Hope 6 Spiritual Growth 6 NC UMW Annual Meeting 7 Vice President s Report 8 Communications 9 Backpack Buddies 10 Book Review 10 Welcoming Event Toolkit September-December Calendar 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 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. 11

2 P A G E 2 Treasurer s Notes Greetings from your treasurer, Harbor District had a very good second quarter and we sent in $22000 to the conference for missions. We have already sent in $3600 towards our third quarter so that means that we have sent a total of over $31000 so far. This is really great but we cannot forget that we have pledged $50,000 for this year and we really want to meet this goal. If you remember, last year we were short of our $60,000 goal. We are a great district with good people so, I know we can reach our $50,000 pledge. Please remember that Candle Burning is due by September 1 st. I will confirm the names with each unit before I have our Candle Burning book printed. I will also be confirming the names of our Seven Star Units and Seven Star Members. H A R B O R T I D I N G S Please let me know if your units do not receive the Special Mission Recognition pins. I do not receive any confirmation after they are ordered so unless I hear from you then I have no way of knowing that there is a problem. I have ordered more Gift to Mission cards and ordered several packs of Christmas Cards. Please let me know if you need any. This is a good way to increase our giving to missions and definitely helps with the pledge. Thanks to everyone that has assisted me in my first year as a treasurer. It has been a good learning experience and I have met some very nice people. In Christian love, Janice Robbins Secretary s Report Hello! It s the time of year when preparation begins for our 2018 Harbor District Directory! A vital part of the Directory is the updated roster of Local Unit Officers. And happily I report that I have received three Unit Officer Lists already! Thank You!! If you know that your officers are not changing, this report can be sent in now! Otherwise, when you do know who your officers will be, please send them in you may use the form on page 92 of your current directory as a guideline either copy the form and mail by post office or you may list each office in an or phone call. ( my contact information is located on the form) The officer list is due to me by November 1 of each year. I understand that some units hold nominations/election after that date and in this case send in results as soon as they are available. One thing to remember when sending in your officer list please be sure to include the name of the unit. ( there is blank space for the name of your unit at the top of the officer grid on the form) With thanks for you all, mary greene He said to them Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19

3 A U G U S T P A G E 3 Trinity United Methodist Church Elizabethtown, NC The first reliable records for Trinity United Methodist Church date back to 1836 when land was purchased and a temporary building was built. Worship services were held in this building until the present Old Trinity Church was built in around After years of planning, a new church of Gothic structure was built several blocks up the street from Old Trinity. Glorious music emanates from the choir, seated in the thirty seat Chancel, and from the Casavant pipe organ built in Quebec for the new church. A Steinway baby grand piano, bequeathed by a former member of Trinity, three Handbell Choirs ( and a former Praise Band) also grace the Music Ministry at Trinity. Old Trinity is noted as a Historic Building and is maintained and often used for special services (one is an Early Rise Service that is celebrated by the whole community every Easter Sunday) and is a point of interest in Elizabethtown. As we all know the church is more than it s building Trinity United Methodist Church has a membership of around five hundred congregants. Sundays usually find one hundred forty five worshiping during one of two services. Sunday School is attended by adults and children and between the early service and Sunday School there is a fifteen minute Assembly time with scripture, a message and prayer. In addition to attending regular Committee Meetings and various music practices, Trinity s church family enjoys Homecoming, quarterly (or more) meal get-togethers, Trunk or Treat, Christmas Programs by Youth, Vacation Bible School and attendance of weekly Advent and Lenten Services together. UMW Circles, United Methodist Men, a Called to Care Ministry for those in need of a helping hand, the Debbie Evans Prayer Shawl Ministry, that has given thirty eight shawls to comfort members and friends in the community and the Keenagers ( a mature group who are pretty keen!!) who go on frequent outings round out other activities at Trinity. One special Ministry, carried out each Monday, is using altar flowers and making individual vases from them to carry to those who miss Sunday services or are in thoughts and prayers for other reasons. A Sunday Bulletin and an attached card explaining the altar source of the flowers brings a message of comfort to recipients. Mission projects include providing food and monetary offerings for the local Crisis Center Food Bank, preparation of a Thanksgiving Meal Basket for several community families in need, and a Christmas Angel Tree event which provides gifts to children in need. Several members went to El Salvador in 2016 as a mission group. Agape shoeboxes are filled for Christmas, Birthday gift cards and school supplies are provided for the young residents of the Methodist Home for Children in Lumberton, and the UMW at Trinity regularly provides a gift basket for the Methodist Home for Children Basket Bonanza held each September. In closing, I know that many of you have visited Trinity United Mthodist Church and Elizabethtown. If you have, please come back! And if you haven t visited yet, please come, Trinity United Methodist Church, Elizabethtown, will welcome you!

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5 Page 5 AUGUST 2017 Membership Nurture & Outreach GO TO: unitedmethodistwomen.org Members of United Methodist Women are invited to complete the following information fields; when finished you will be able to print a personalized membership card. United Methodist Women is a membership organization dedicated to mission with women, children and youth. All missionminded women within and beyond The United Methodist Church are welcome. We are an open, Christian organization with ecumenical ties and connections around the world. United Methodist Women will never share your contact information without your permission. Here are the instructions for your individual registration: Your Name (yes or no) SUBMIT Sue Teachey, Membership, Nurture & Outreach Phone: knott1@embarqmail.com Your address Your Phone#

6 Page 6 H A R B O R T I D I N G S Vice President s Report Sam Spicer of Grace UMC, Wilmington. On February 25, Sam spoke to the Grace United Methodist Women about the February trip. He explained some of the history of the country, including the recent civil war and Ebola outbreak. The group is working to relieve the suffering of the people there and trying to have the Rotifunk hospital open for surgeries, including C-sections, later in the spring. Clean water, electricity, poor infrastructure are all challenges. The local people share in the decisionmaking process and work with North Carolinia s UMC and the Norwegian UMC. In early February, several members of the Board of Mission of Hope in Rotifunk (Sierra Leone) visited the African nation and are home and ready to share their experiences! They are Dale Smith and Dick Morrison of Wrightsville UMC and The Grace UMW and those in attendance contributed to the Mission of Hope, which is NC Conference Advance #S To learn more, donate or see a video of the area, please go to Any group interested in hosting a speaker can contact Dale Smith at dale.smith@rotifunk.org or Rotifunk is a town in Sierra Leone Africa. With a population of 6 million people, Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world and badly in need of improvements to its healthcare facilities and resources. Spiritual Growth Dear friends, We were blessed to have Rev. Jaye White as our speaker May 6, The Wesley Memorial United Methodist Women were the wonderful host church. We thank them so much. I wish all could have received the message entitled Generosity of Thought, Word and Deed. It is time for the yearly reports. If you have not done so please let me know if you have any deceased members for period beginning August 1, 2016 thru July 31, They will be remembered at UMW annual meetings. Please plan to attend the UMW meetings. NCCUMW Annual meeting if Saturday Oct. 7, 2017, at Methodist University, and the Harbor District Annual meeting is October 21, 2017, at Hampstead UMC. Don t plan without God in mind because we get ourselves into circumstances that were not chosen by God and that we have not considered Him to be a vital, Living factor in the planning of our lives. You may reach me at the following: Kitsey H. Farrior, HD Spiritual Growth 507 N. Duplin St., Wallace, NC Phone: Cell phone: farriork@embarqmail.com

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8 Vice President s Report Attention United Methodist Women: Please mark your Calendars for our Harbor District Annual meeting hosted by the ladies of Hampstead United Methodist Church. The event will be Saturday, October 21 with registration beginning at 8:30 with light breakfast and fellowship following. The meeting will feature our UMW Conference President, Jo Ann Barbour as the featured speaker. Certificates will be awarded, the candle burning info will be shared and a special service honoring women who have passed this past year will be remembered. As our new theme for the next four years is The Summons, we will plan to sing the Summons Song found on page 2130 in Faith We Sing. If you would like to practice this song at your meetings, it will be more familiar to you in October. The song truly speaks to United Methodist women in all that we do. Also please be sure to sign up for the upcoming National UMW Assembly in Columbus, OH. The wonderful event will be May May 17 th will be the day of service for those who choose to do community service in the Columbus area. UMW will celebrate 150 years strong so I hope you will make every effort to be there!!!! Hopefully we will have bus information from conference at a later date. Camp UMC is hoping to take our church van and will have spaces available first come first served. Thank you for all you are doing to help women, children and youth in the Harbor district and around the world. On another note, God has called me in this late stage of my life to be in mission in Haiti. I would LOVE to come to share my mission experience with your units, and invite any of you to join my mission efforts any time you might want to go. I will be returning to Haiti September 26- October 17 to teach sewing to adults and youth. There are beautiful orphans at the Village of Duque orphanage who are not fully sponsored. The sponsorships are as little as $35 per month. Your monies go directly to the orphanage with no overhead expenses involved. I will be happy to share information with anyone interested. If any of your youth groups would like to go on a mission trip with us, I would be happy to share information with them as well. There are beautiful handmade bracelets that the youth groups can sell to fund raise for their trip expenses. I will have some of the beautiful bracelets for sale at the meeting. I guarantee you will want one. ( FYI they are made from cereal boxes and have a picture of the person who made it attached.) Martha Worsley, VP

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10 Backpack Buddies Home Delivery Faith Harbor UMC Surf City, NC. Coffee, Tea, and Holy Water, one woman s journey to experience Christianity around the globe, by Amanda Hudson is a delightful book that compares coffee flavors to the body of believers around the world who offer different blends and flavors; yet have just one God who unites us all. In Brazil, Amanda experienced the effects of widespread poverty on Christianity and the additional ongoing Spiritism of praying to saints and other icons. In Wales, she found the tea and the religion to both be on the weak side. Visiting Tanzania, opened Amanda s eyes to the struggles of the African nations; corrupt governments, lack of natural resources; and here she faced the moral obligation of how do we best help poor countries. She found that in China, Christianity has become huge and has finally been able to come out in the public. Finally Amanda works in a clinic in Honduras to spread the blessings. This Education for Mission category book is an easy to read but very insightful journey of how Christianity is doing abroad. Reviewed by Susie Lupton United Methodist Women is a supportive community. Members develop relationships at all levels of the organization, but especially locally. United Methodist Women is not a social club it is an organization of women who seek to know God more fully and participate in mission. We want to invite more women to join us. This resource is for those who want to reach women who aren t involved in United Methodist Women. It will help you host welcoming events that engage potential and existing members and offer exciting and inspiring content and opportunities for learning UMW_WelcomingEventToolkit_D96.

11 We re on the Web: We re on Facebook: to-girlfriend-harbor-district-united- Methodist CALENDAR OF EVENTS HARBOR DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN September-December 2017 September 1 District reports due to Conference President & Mission Coordinators 9 NCCUMW LDSHP Team Meeting 9:30 AM, Methodist Building, Garner President Vice President Secretary Treasurer 2017 Mission Team Susie Lupton slluptonnc@aol.com Martha Worsley Mary Greene Janice Robbins Mission Coordinators Education & Interpretation Beverly Justice Membership Nurture & Outreach Sue Teachey Social Action Bescye Burnett Spiritual Growth Kitsey Farrior Secretary of Program Resources Jo Wainwright Nominations, Chair Vacant Communications Bescye Burnett Women in Mission Vacant Archives & History, Chair Nancy Gooding 39 & Under Vacant Conference Representative JoAnn Barbour Sub District Leaders Northwest-Marcia Miller Northeast Marjorie Brown Southwest - Debbie Sellars Southeast Ann Carter Nominating Committee Janet Shew Sherry Mewborn Dallace Grady Lib Pearsall If you are interested in filling any of our vacant positions, please contact a member of the nominating committee Mother-Child Retreat Camp Rockfish HDUMW 2018 LDSHP Team Planning Retreat Ocean Isle Beach October 7 NCCUMW Annual Meeting Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC 21 HDUMW Annual Meeting Hampstead UMC, Hampstead, NC November 1 Unit Officer Information Due UMW officer info due to District Secretary 3 Church Women United World Community Day Blankets, TBA 4 NCCUMW District Officers In Training Day (DO- IT-DAY) Bethel UMC, LaGrange, NC 14 Harbor Tidings Newsletter article due to Bescye Burnett HARBOR TIDINGS North Carolina Conference Harbor District United Methodist Women