HARBOR DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

Transcription

1 HARBOR DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN April 2018 President s Message United Methodist Women, February and March offered us several opportunities to go wherever He may lead. Faye Strickland, our Social Action Coordinator, blessed us with an outstanding program on racial issues. The social action program, The Way Home: Women Talk About Race in America, was very thought provoking and provided us with many different viewpoints on how it is to live in America. We could have spent much more time in our sharing groups. This program was so well received that the sub-district leaders may offer it again on the subdistrict level. For two weekends in March we were able to come together for our mission studies. Attendance was good and responses were positive about the content of these studies. In conjunction with the Climate Justice study, I would highly recommend reading the 2018 conference selected book, Hospitable Planet by Stephen Jurovics. This book is a work of witness about our faith and the connection to God which should lead us to save and heal our planet. Mr. Jurovics serves on the Congregational Care for NCCUMC and requested to include the book review in the KEDE on his website. Also as a result of Janet Shew leading the Climate Justice study at Ocean View UMC, a special team has been formed at the church to address climate justice issues. Jean D darrio also led the Climate Justice study for Sharon UMC. It is wonderful that UMW are so actively seeking ways to better preserve the wonderful world that has been provided for us. My Bible study for April 16 th was based on Isaiah 60:1. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. This light is shining on UMW as we work each day to make this world a better place for everyone. It even shines on us when we are having difficult times. The author of the daily study, Joni Tade ends with Arise! Shine as the words to begin each day. I would add Go to remind us that UM Women participate in mission work in His light! Susie Lupton, President slluptonnc@aol.com 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 39 & Under 3 Membership, Nurture Outreach Missionu 5 Book Review 6 Spiritual Growth 6 Social Action 7 NCCUMW Annual Mother/ Child Retreat Vice President s Report February-April Calendar 11 The Purpose of United Methodist Women The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose PUR- POSE 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... 8

2 P A G E 2 Treasurer s Notes Greetings from your Treasurer, 2018 is flying by and we are already heading toward the end of our second quarter. It is hard to believe that we are almost into May. Our first quarter ended very well and we sent $11321 to our conference for missions. That is almost $2000 more than we sent last year at this time. Commitment to our cause and service to others is truly confirmed by everyone s efforts. I have ordered more Gifts to Mission Cards and will be sending these to several of you as soon as they arrive. I also have the corrected 7 Star Certificates for 2017 and will provide them as soon as I obtain the signatures. I do apologize for the delay and for the mistake. H A R B O R T I D I N G S I truly appreciate everyone s hard work and the responsibility one accepts when they take the role of an officer. As the keeper of the money, I would like to express sincere gratitude to all the treasurers. With thoughts and prayers to each of you! Janice Robbins District Treasurer janice28337@gmail.com. Secretary s Report Hello From the HDUMW Secretary! I hope that you are experiencing many blessings this Easter season! At our January 2018 ALOTS meeting at Wallace UMC, UMW units received the 2018 HDUMW Directory. Please take time to review your contact information for your unit officers and for your church. Please notify me if corrections are to be made. There is a correction form in the directory (page98) which can be mailed to me, or you may or call me directly with the corrections. I have additional forms which I would be happy to mail to you to use as well. Thank You! I close with a thought from The Upper Room, which I love, Jesus resurrection gives hope to the world. mary greene, secretary binney@carolina.net He said to them Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 NRSV

3 A P R I L 2018 P A G E 3 Faith Harbor UMC Rise Against Hunger Event Packing 10,000 Meals 39 & Under Coordinator We welcome the newest member of the Harbor District Leadership Team: Shannon Owens. Shannon has agreed to be the 39 & Under Coordinator for the district. Shannon is a member of PVUMC and leads a circle in addition to serving as the Spiritual Growth Coordinator! Her contact emai is smo8784@gmail.com.

4 P A G E 4 MEMBERSHIP, NURTURE AND OUTREACH Encourage your members and share experiences with each other. Continue to invite new women to your meetings. Remember to tell them they do not have to be members of your church. H A R B O R T I D I N G S Nurture each member's walk by: learning missions through Prayer Calendar and Response magazine. having special speakers about opportunities for mission with women and children. doing fun activities together. checking on each member during the month Keeping them in your prayers. Notify them of meetings and special events. Also, remember... annual census is due July 15th. Forms are in the District Handbook - Your president should have it. Resources: Nancy Gooding, MNO oakislandmom@yahoo.com

5 A P R I L 2018 Page 5 Living as a Covenant Community Spiritual Growth Study This study examines major covenants throughout the Bible and what they reveal about God s character and eternal love for us. It will enhance your understanding of how God works with us, in us, and through us. Climate Justice Issues Study Climate Justice: A Call to Hope and Action will deepen your understanding and awareness of climate change and its impact on God's creation. The study highlights justice, peace, and integrity of creation as important dimensions of partnering in God's mission today. It offers participants biblical, theological, and ethical insights as the basis of their advocacy on climate justice in churches and in the public sphere Missionary Conferences of The United Methodist Church in the United States Geographic Mission Study The aim of the study is to give an overview of the three missionary conferences in The United Methodist Church, the contexts out of which they grew and their current engagements: The Alaska United Methodist Conference, Red Bird Missionary Conference, and the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference are a hybrid of home and international missionary work.

6 Page 6 H A R B O R T I D I N G S Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris is a statement of what young black women are facing in their fight for dignity, safety, and the fundamental right to a future. This thought provoking book includes interviews with some of these young women who have been victimized in schools. In reading this book, the realization of the life situations that these young women have faced may answer some questions about the attitudes they display. They also want to be treated with dignity and to learn from a curriculum that provides opportunities to discuss and apply their learning to future career of academic goals. Morris supports the growing movement against policies and practices that push students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable and often unsafe futures. This Social Action book is a bonus book and counts as reading two social action books. Provided by Susie Lupton GO Jesus summons us go wherever He may lead, in all places and all circumstances Spiritual Growth On Sunday, April 8, Rev. Hope Vickers held a Blessing of the Animals Service during the worship service at St. Paul UMC in Tabor City. The following is taken from the morning bulletin. One of God s Amazing Miracles.. Goats are reputed to be willing to eat almost anything. Contrary to this reputation, they are quite fastidious in their habits, preferring to browse on the tips of woody shrubs and trees, as well as the occasional broad-leaved plant. Thank you, God for discernment. Help us to always select the best things to nourish our bodies and our souls in the same way that Your goats do. Amen. Imagine if we made an effort to chose things that will enhance our physical health as well as our spiritual health. In order to continue to grow spiritually we must feed upon things to bring about growth. Follow the example of the goat! You can t go wrong. Liz White Spiritual Growth Coordinator liz.white@earthlink.net

7 A P R I L 2018 Page 7 I just finished reading the April issue of National Geographic. The issue with the twin sisters on the cover with the caption, Black and White: these twin sisters make us rethink everything we know about race. The entire issue of the magazine is devoted to race, one of the most divisive subjects of our time. It includes a feature story that questions the very idea of race: Scientists tell us that there is no genetic or scientific basis for it, and that instead, it s largely a made-up label that has been used to define and separate us. Race is not a biological construct, as writer Elizabeth Kolbert explains in this issue, but a social one that can have devastating effects. So many of the horrors of the past few centuries can be traced to the idea that one race is inferior to another, she writes. Racial distinctions continue to shape our politics, our neighborhoods, and our sense of self. Before we can take stock of where we are on race, we should examine our own history. Start by reading the current Racial Justice Time Line: Important Moments of Racial Justice History in the United States and United Methodist Women. This can be found online at unitedmethodistwomen.org/rjtimeline. If you really want to immerse yourself in racial injustice in the United States, go to the Equal Justice Initiative website, eji.org/racial-justice, and scroll to the bottom and click on History of Racial Injustice Online Timeline. This timeline is not an easy read. But as Michele Norris writes in the April issue of National Geographic, It s hard for an individual or a country to evolve past discomfort if the source of the anxiety is only discussed in hushed tones. Where do we fit in the story of how injustices play out in our communities today? Are we deniers? Bystanders? Resisters? Studiers? How do we impact the ways justice is carried out in our communities? Are we aware of the number of people being held in American jails and prisons? Do we understand the impacts of mass incarceration on poor people and people of color? Do we condemn people as criminals because of their racial/ethnic identities or because they do not fit into our understandings of the world? April 4th marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. It s a worthy moment for us to step back, to take stock of where we are on race. It s also a conversation that is changing in real time. For instance, in two years, for the first time in U.S. history, less than half the children in the nation will be white. So, let s talk about what s working when it comes to race. Let s talk about what isn t working. Let s examine why we continue to segregate along racial lines. Let s confront today s shameful use of racism as a political strategy. Let s examine how we can build inclusive communities. Let s prove to ourselves and our children and our grandchildren that we are better than this. Con t on page 10

8 NCCUMW Annual Mother/Child Retreat SEPTEMBER 14 16, 2018 CAMP DON LEE 315 Camp Don Lee Rd. Arapahoe, NC The 2018 Mother/Child Retreat will be held at Camp Don Lee, September 14-16, This year will provide a wonderful opportunity for mothers and their children to enjoy a different experience at another United Methodist Conference Camp. Come and enjoy kayaking, archery, fishing, swimming, canoeing, and much, much more fun. You do not want to miss this fun-filled weekend and all the excitement that come with this experience and. A Coastal Adventure Archery, Arts and Crafts, Campfires, Camp Store, Swimming, Kayaking, Natural Trail Hikes, Volley Ball, Soccer, Environmental Education Center, Fishing, Group Challenge Course (teambuilding), Hay Rides, and S mores!! See you at Camp Don Lee! This is what you ve been waiting for Sherri P. Alford, MNO Coordinator Mother/Child Retreat alfordsherrip@gmail.com

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10 Con t from page 7: Social Action I find that many people are timid in imagining what they can do. We often think about change only in terms of our individual actions. What we can do as individuals is limited. But when we act collectively our voice is magnified. Collectively, we have power. We have the power to change policy. We as a people of faith populate the only institutions on earth that can speak with moral authority. We can organize ourselves in ways I don't have the creativity to imagine, we can live into a call to Justice, we can support solutions that are not yet envisioned. We must act, even though we can't fully predict the outcomes. This is the definition of living in faith. Jesus life is a witness to resisting injustice through love. This is the work we are to do as his followers. And it is hard and necessary work. Find information for each of the informational tiles at racialjusticecharter Faye Strickland, Social Action Coordinator fayestr46@gmail.com From the Vice President There is still room in my van if someone wants to travel with our group to UMW assembly in May. We are leaving May 15 th and going by the Noah s ark replica museum in Kentucky on May 16 th. So excited about the upcoming assembly. If you have never been, please put this on your bucket list of things to do. I went to my first one 20 years ago and vowed never to miss one. They are so powerful and make our UMW journey come full circle. We are so familiar with our local structure, and our district structure, and even our conference structure. BUT going to assembly you really get to experience the world wide connection. I LOVE seeing the women there from Africa in their beautiful native dresses. The Mid Western Native American ladies do such beautiful hand beaded jewelry that is for sale, and there is such excitement in the exhibit hall with so many thought out displays, and booths. There has been a South Korean choir that performs in their native kimonos, and so many things to experience! This year promises to be another great one as we celebrate 150 years of UMW! Thank you to the many local units who have invited me to give programs on MATCH and Haiti. I have enjoyed traveling to your meetings and love to share those two passions. The wonderful district officers are a great group of ladies. We wish all of you would consider serving on our district team! Thank you for ALL you are doing to serve women, children and youth in your local areas. The good works are amazing! What an AWESOME God we serve! Martha Worsley, Vice President mamaworsley@gmail.com

11 We re on the Web: We re on Facebook: to-girlfriend-harbor-district-united- Methodist- President Vice President Secretary Treasurer 2018 Mission Team Susie Lupton Martha Worsley Mary Greene Janice Robbins 2018 CALENDAR OF EVENTS HARBOR DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN May-August 2018 April 28 HDUMW Leadership Team Meeting 10 AM Herring s Chapel UMC, Burgaw May 4 Church Women United Fellowship Day Migrant Kit St. Paul s Evangelical Lutheran Church UMW Assembly Columbus Ohio June NCCUMC Annual Conference Greenville, NC Mission Coordinators Education & Interpretation Beverly Justice Membership Nurture & Outreach Nancy Gooding Social Action Faye Strickland Spiritual Growth Liz White Secretary of Program Resources Jo Wainright Nominations, Janet Shew Communications Bescye Burnett Archives & History, Chair Sherry Mewborn 39 & Under Shannon Owens. Conference Representative Daisy Dye Sub District Leaders Northwest-Marcia Miller Northeast vacant Southwest - Debbie Sellars Southeast Ann Carter Nominating Committee Janet Shew Sherry Mewborn Lib Pearsall July 14 HDUMW Finance 2018 Budget/ Leadership Team Mtg 9 AM, Hallsboro UMC Mission u Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC August 14 Harbor Tidings Newsletter article due to Bescye Burnett 15 Local unit reports due to District President & Mission Coordinators 18 NCCUMW Finance Committee Meeting TBD 25 NCCUMW Legislative Forum Edenton Street UMC, Raleigh HARBOR TIDINGS North Carolina Conference Harbor District United Methodist Women