Hello beautiful ladies of the Arlington District United Methodist Women!

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1 Mission Tapestry Arlington District United Methodist Women Vol. XXXVI, No. IIII PURPOSE of the 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. The Mission Tapestry is a publication of the Arlington District United Methodist Women. Its goal is to keep units at the local/ congregation level informed about opportunities for living out our PURPOSE. It is published quarterly. All articles for publication should be directed to Check out our new website at UMW.org Hello beautiful ladies of the Arlington District United Methodist Women! Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It s God s gift from start to finish! We don t play the major role. If we did, we d probably go around bragging that we d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. Ephesians 2:8-9 (MSG) My favorite part of this verse is Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It s God s gift from start to finish! As we come into the time of year when gift giving can be overwhelming and happening all around us, there is truly only one gift that matters the most: God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ. This is not just limited to the man that walked here on earth but with Jesus. It is through Him (God s ultimate gift to us) we are given salvation and the freedom from our sins. The image I envision is Jesus - His arms full of all our sins as He died. It is amazing that all of this comes from a simple, unexpected, unwrapped and unimaginable gift of a baby in a manger. Let us always remember the Gift that has been given to all of us and the work that we are called to do. I am very much looking forward to seeing all of you at our many upcoming events in November and into the new year and sharing in the feelings of togetherness and being welcomed. November 2015 District President s Message ~ As we approach Advent join us November 14th for our Mini Mission Encounter (formerly called Advent Event) hosted by the outstanding women of Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church. This event will allow us to dive deeper into two of our mission focuses for the year The Church and People with Disabilities and Latin America: People and Faith. ~ On January 30th please join all of your sisters in the Arlington District for Training Day: UMW Networking hosted by amazing ladies at Korean United Methodist Church of Greater Washington. Bring your ideas and/or your questions and we will work together to grow with God through UMW. (*NOTE: Snow Date February 6th) ~ Mark your calendars for March 11th 12th and prepare yourself to be rekindled for our Spiritual Life Retreat hosted by the Arlington District UMW Team. Rev. Melissa Porter-Miller of Redlands UMC in Front Royal will be our guest speaker and helping to bring spiritual renewal to all of us. ~ Also in the spring on Saturday, April 16th join all of your Arlington District sisters for our annual Spring Prayer Breakfast hosted by the beautiful women at Graham Roads UMC. Associate Pastor Janet Salbert of Grace UMC will enrich our spirituality as the guest speaker. As United Methodist Women we make a difference, and it is when we come together that we can stand taller, speak louder, and Love more abundantly! YOU make it Happen! Many blessings to all of you for answering God's calling in your life through United Methodist Women. In Sisterly Love, Angela Sokolowski President, Arlington District UMW

2 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 2 Vice-President Susan Chung Greetings to the UMW Unit Members! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holiday! I would like to share a special Thanksgiving message with you, reminding you that we should be grateful to God every day, and live a lifestyle of thankfulness. "Scripture says in First Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks." In other words, we should have the attitude that says, God, no matter what's happening, I'm going to choose to be grateful. I'm not going to focus on what's wrong; instead, I'm going to find something positive in my life. I may be sick, but Lord, I just want to thank You today for giving me a great family. I may be struggling in my marriage, but God, thank You for giving me a good job. I may not have gotten the position I wanted, but God, I want to thank You that I was able to see another sunrise, that I could hear the birds singing this morning, that I could smell the flowers. Everyone faces difficult situations in life, but we have to discipline ourselves so that we don't stay focused on the negative. We can't make them do what's right. If you're constantly trying to get people to act the way you want them to, you are only going to frustrate yourself. You've got to turn the situation over to God and trust Him to do His part. We need to change our mindset and start thanking God every day. Remember, Thanksgiving isn't just a holiday, it's a lifestyle. Make it a habit to thank God in all things. Exalt Him above your circumstances. Let your attitude of gratitude be evidence of your faith in Him!" Amen (From Joel Osteen s Holiday Message)

3 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 3 Secretary Janet Keener

4 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 4 Treasurer Frances Ellis We had a wonderful day together at Sterling UMC for our annual meeting. The food was delicious and filled our bodies, and our speaker, Sarah Calvert, the Bi-District Coordinator of Revitalization and Leadership Development, filled our spirits. At our annual meeting in September, we recognized the following people and UMW units. Five-Star Unit - Mt. Olivet Six-Star Units - Graham Road, Herndon, Oakton, and St. Luke s Units which contributed to the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center (VUMAC) during 2014 and 2015: Arlington (2014 and 2015), Centreville (2014), Charles Wesley (2014), Clarendon (2014 and 2015), Great Falls (2014 and 2015), Mt. Olivet (2014), Pender (2014 and 2015), Pleasant Valley (2014 and 2015), and Wesley (2014 and 2015). Rainbow Givers: Elsie Benson, Doris Douglass, Frances Ellis, Karen McElfish, Gladys Packett, Mary Alyce Phipps, and Connie Shrader. Legacy Fund Givers: - see the following 2 pages for information about the Legacy Fund Elsie Benson, Marlene Cavaiola, Martha Chaloner, Doris Douglass, Frances Ellis, Debra Fairweather, Miran Kim, Karen McElfish, Beth Meserve, Donna Meyer, Sue Moulton, Janet Oak, Gladys Packett, Patricia Robbins, Angela Sokolowski, and St. Luke s UMW. Thank you to these people and units for their generosity. The 2015 Arlington District Pledge to Mission is $36,000. We are currently 83% of the way there. Please get all your contributions for the year in to me by December 15 so that we can reach 100% of our pledge. All of the following items count toward our pledge: Pledge to Mission, Gift to Mission cards, Gift in Memory, Special Mission Recognition Pins, World Thank Offering, and Candle Burning. Frances Ellis District Treasurer 2933 Fox Mill Road Oak Hill, VA fwellis@aol.com Check out our website at

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7 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 7 Membership Nurture & Outreach Katy White In an effort to streamline the process and make our lives easier, the UMW National Office has developed an online form to use for reporting membership numbers for this year. Rather than sending paper reports to me and then me sending them to the conference, who sends them to the national office, your unit will be able to report directly to the national office. As is often the case, it will take time for everyone to adjust to the new system, but I will be here to help you along the way! Once the system is in place, there will be several benefits, including: No paper is involved (so we are saving trees!) The membership totals go directly to the national office (less chance for error) The national office can provide reports to each conference (we'll have a better picture of who and where we are) Faster and earlier receipt of the census information (so we can act on it in a more timely manner) I've attached detailed instructions for how to use the new form and you can always give me a call at (804) if you are having trouble. The deadline to submit your forms is February 28, And finally...here is the link to the online census: Excited to go on this new journey with you! Katy

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10 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 10 Spiritual Growth Marjorie Long-Brown Please save the dates March 11-12, 2016 and plan to join us at the 4-H Education Center in Front Royal for our District Spiritual Life Retreat led by Melissa Porter-Miller. Pastor Melissa Porter-Miller is an elder in the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has served Redland UMC since July Pastor Melissa served for five years as a young adult missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries, serving in Tucson, Philadelphia, Ireland, and Baltimore (US-2 Program, Mission Intern Program). She previously served as Associate Pastor at St Stephen's UMC in Burke, VA for six years. Her husband Robert Miller is a native of Northern Ireland. They have two young children, Shea is seven and Siobhan is one-year-old. Pastor Melissa is a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary (M. Div, Urban Ministry Program) and The College of William & Mary (B.A, Government & Psychology). She has a passion for mission, evangelism, and for meeting people where they are and helping them to take the next faithful steps in their walk with God.

11 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 11 Social Action Lisa George UMW ACTION ALERT Access Denied: A Middle Class in Trouble The United States has always been known as the land of opportunity, where anyone with a dollar and a dream can achieve their goals. In the decades following World War II, anyone willing to work hard could attain a comfortable life. However, that American Dream is slowly becoming a myth. However, the middle class has been in decline for the past 45 years, and it s showing little sign of recovery. The reason? The wealth gap in the United States has widened, with more people either joining the upper class or the lower class. The United States ranked number two for worst income inequality in a 2013 study of 34 developed countries. Between 2009 and 2012, 95 percent of the total income growth in the United States went to the top 1 percent of the upper class. People of color are disproportionately represented in this figure. The wage gap extends further when considering gender. Women are still earning 77 percent of their male counterparts income. Women of color face even worse pay gaps; African American women make 64 cents and Latina women make 56 cents for every dollar a white man makes. Childcare, higher education, healthcare, housing and retirement are all key staples to middle-class security. The problem is that the middle class is struggling to afford them. Each of these five important securities cost $10,600 more from 2000 to 2012, a time when family income was relatively stagnant, according to the Center for American Progress. In other words, income rose less than 1 percent, while costs rose by more than 30 percent. Take Action What can WE as United Methodist Women do? Meet your Congressional representatives in your district or contact them through the Congressional switchboard ( ). Urge them to support the following bills, projects and initiatives - o Raise the Wage Act (S.1150 & H.R. 2150) proposes raising the minimum wage to $12 per hour over the next four years. o Fair Pay Act of 2015 (H.R.1787) proposes prohibiting discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin.58 o Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.1619 &S.862) seeks to end paycheck discrimination based on sex. o Helping Working Families Afford Child Care Act (H.R.1780 & S.661) and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act of 2015 (S.820) would increase the childcare expense tax credit amount and expand who is eligible. o The Preschool for All initiative aims to provide all low- and moderate-income four-year-olds with preschool. Join the United Methodist Women s Action Network: Contact the Washington Office of Public Policy at csadc@unitedmethodistwomen.org Please prayerfully consider making that phone call today. Thank you. Lisa George lgeorge7@cox.net

12 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 12 Mission Education & Interpretation Doris Douglass Hello Everyone, I hope you and your families are well and looking forward to a blessed holiday season. At our Annual meeting in October we were pleased to recognize 10 units for participating in Living Into Our Purpose. I thought you might like to know some of the things the Units in our District are doing to put Faith, Hope and Love into action. One unit had a mosquito squash and lemonade stand, grew vegetable plants for Arlington Food Assistance Cooperative, had a sale of Red Bird Mission Products, collected box tops, had a Stop Hunger Now event, collected winter coats and school supplies. Another chose to focus on Human Trafficking which is a District Social Action Priority and supported Prison Ministries by donating stamps for inmates. Other Units supported local food closets, Henry Fork Service Center, collected hats and scarves for Wesley Housing, saved our canceled or uncanceled stamps for UMCOR, collected items for Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, had Mission Studies on Latin America and of course, supported Wesley Community Service Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. I would like to thank the Units in our District for all the hard work they do in missions during the year. Blessings Doris Doris Douglass 7213 Vellex Lane Annandale, VA DorisDouglass@msn.com

13 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 13 Program Resources Gladys Packett Sisters, I trust that all are enjoying the beauty of autumn. During the reading program year, we had six churches in the Arlington District participating in the United Methodist Women Reading Program. We had a total of 69 readers who read 308 books. During our annual meeting certificates of recognition were given to the following wonderful women for their achievement: Plan I Lindy Finegan Gloria Ruddick Ruth Mulkey Susan McBride Johanna Wilder Ann Marie Fredericks Pat Goben Plan II Rudy Ensign Marie R.Lukac Mary Bell Karen Kostreba Plan III Elizabeth Wray Sue Moulton Plan IV Norma McCauley Janice Baresel Phyllis Kirkman Pat Sampson Congratulations and keep on reading! In His service, Gladys Packett Secretary of Program Resources gpackett@verizon.net Happy Reading!

14 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 14 Program Resources Gladys Packett 2016 Reading Program Book List Education for Mission Chasing the Divine in the Holy Land Coffee, Tea, and Holy Water Hope Runs An American Tourist, a Kenyan Boy, a Journey of Redemption Latin America - People and Faith Latin America: Places, Culture, and Faith, for Youth Life and Faith in Latin America, for Children Our Rights How Kids are Changing the World, for Youth Twenty-Two Cents Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank Unbound The Transformative Power of Youth Mission Trips The Underground Girls of Kabul Uprising A New Age is Dawning for Every Mother's Daughter Leadership Development The Andrew Paradigm How to Be a Lead Follower of Jesus Because I Am A Girl I Can Change the World, for Children Girls with Swords How to Carry Your Cross Like a Hero I Am Malala The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban Lean In Women, Work, and the Will to Lead Nature Girl A Guide to Caring for God's Creation, for Youth The Weight of Mercy A Novice Pastor on the City Streets Nurturing for Community A Waist Is a Terrible Thing to Mind The Church and People with Disabilities Disabilities and Our Response, for Youth Dreamers An Immigrant Generation's Fight for Their American Dream Dreaming in Indian Contemporary Native American Voices, for Youth House of Purple Cedar I Love Growing Older but I'll Never Grow Old In Capable Arms Lend A Hand, for Children Miss Brenda and the Loveladies - One Woman's Brush with Prison Not Worth Saving How a Severely Handicapped Boy Transformed Lives This Far By Faith Twenty Years at Cass Community Welcoming Persons with Disabilities into Our Lives, for Children

15 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 15 Program Resources Gladys Packett 2016 Reading Program Book List (continued) Social Action Blue Gold, for Youth Every Last Drop Bringing Clean Water Home, for Youth In Defense of Food An Eater's Manifesto Just Mercy A Story of Justice and Redemption Rewilding Our Hearts Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence The Soda Bottle School A True Story of Recycling, Teamwork, and One Crazy Idea, for Children We Shall Not Be Moved The White Umbrella Walking with Survivors of Sex Trafficking Spiritual Growth Before We Eat From Farm to Table, for Children Coaltown Jesus, for Youth Created for Happiness: Understanding Your Life in God Cured But Not Healed Key United Methodist Beliefs My Life and Lesser Catastrophes - A Memoir On God's Side What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn't Learned about Serving the Common Good Things Your Mother Never Told You A Woman's Guide to Sexuality Tilly A Story of Hope and Resilience

16 Arlington District United Methodist Women 2016 Calendar PURPOSE of the 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. Event Arlington District UMW Mini Mission Pleasant Valley UMC Arlington District UMW Training KUMC of Greater Washington Date November 14, 2015 January 30 Feb 6 snow date United Methodist the General Assembly February 4 Arlington District UMW Spiritual Life 4-H March Educational Center, Front Royal 1st Quarter Treasurer s Report due. March 15 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with DoubleTree Crystal City Arlington District UMW Spring Prayer Graham Road UMC April April 16 VA Conference UMW Spiritual Life VUMAC April 29-May 1 Bi-District UMW Day tba May 21 UMW Ferrum College June 11 2nd Quarter Treasurer s Report due. June 15 VA UMC Annual Roanoke June VA Conference UMW UMC Annual Conference in Roanoke June 18 Mission VUMAC July rd Quarter Treasurer s Report due. September 15 VA Conference Young Women s VUMAC September Arlington District UMW Annual tba September 24 VA Conference UMW 44th Annual VUMAC October Arlington District UMW Mini-Mission tba November 12 4th Quarter Treasurer s Report due. December 15

17 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY Arlington District United Methodist Women Officers for 2016 PAGE 17 ELECTED OFFICERS President Angela Sokolowski 808 Potomac Ridge Court Sterling, VA Vice President Susan Chung 851 N. Glebe Road, Apt Arlington, VA Secretary Janet Keener 1803 Midlothian Court Vienna, VA Treasurer Frances Ellis 2933 Fox Mill Road Oak Hill, VA MISSION COORDINATORS Education and Interpretation Doris Douglass 7213 Vellex Lane Annandale, VA Membership Nurture and Outreach Katy White Upper Clubhouse Drive South Riding, VA Spiritual Growth Marjorie Long-Brown 5575 Seminary Road #313 Falls Church, VA Secretary for Program Resources Gladys Packett 879 N. Jacksonville Street Arlington, VA NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE Vacant at this time APPOINTED OFFICERS VUMAC Representative Vacant at this time Editor of the Tapestry Frances Ellis 2933 Fox Mill Road Oak Hill, VA Social Action Lisa George 7615 Lee Highway, #202 Falls Church, VA For general information about Arlington District UMW,

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21 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 21 United Methodist Day at the General Assembly February 4, 2016 We invite you to join us annually for United Methodist Day at the General Assembly traditionally held on the first Thursday of February. This is our opportunity to help faith communities become empowered to serve as missionaries of justice, as well as the more traditional missionaries of mercy. United Methodist Day and other avenues of faithful advocacy help us to look beyond mercy ministry to ask: What caused this problem? What causes hunger? Global warming? By joining together and establishing relationships with our elected officials, we empower members of our congregations to wonder, How can I make a difference? How can I be a Good Samaritan in our world to its fullest sense? This event gives congregations a vehicle for reaching beyond themselves and introduces them to the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church in a meaningful way.

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26 VOL. XXXVI, NO. IIII MISSION TAPESTRY PAGE 26 Virginia Conference Spiritual Life Retreat 2016 The 2016 Spiritual Life Retreat will be April 29 through May 1, 2016 at Blackstone Conference and Retreat Center. The theme "Spiritual Slow Food" will be brought by Reverend Kathleen Royston, Mt. Olivet UMC, Arlington.