Upcoming Events. Santa Ana and Long Beach District Women Gather as One for Local Officer Training

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1 Volume 25, Issue 1 February 2012 Upcoming Events Cal-Pac Midwinter Event Bell Memorial UMC Rowland Heights February 18 Mission Study (Haiti) Mesa Verde UMC Costa Mesa March 10 One Day Apart Spiritual Retreat Community UMC Huntington Beach May 12 School of Christian Mission Biola University La Mirada July (Korean Language Only) July (All Other Languages) Santa Ana District Annual Meeting Place TBD September 15 Santa Ana and Long Beach District Women Gather as One for Local Officer Training Santa Ana District (SAD) and Long Beach District (LBD) United Methodist Women members held a joint local officer training day Saturday, January 28, at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church (UMC) in Rolling Hills Estates. More than 100 women, all leaders in their local units, attended the half-day event, where they had an opportunity to become better acquainted with the responsibilities of their offices and a chance to learn about how their counterparts managed their duties. The day was a combination of large group meetings and small break-out sessions. LBD President Laura Wilson opened the day in the sanctuary; Rev. Diane Rehfield, associate pastor of Rolling Hills UMC, welcomed everyone, and LBD Spiritual Growth Coordinator June Williams gave a lovely devotional. Cal-Pac Conference United Methodist Women President Leanne Nakanishi attended the event, giving her own welcome and a brief version of UMW 101. Participants were dismissed to various meeting rooms and classrooms around the Rolling Hills UMC campus for training in their particular offices. For the most part, district officers worked in teams, using the time to instruct and/or update local unit members on their roles, provide information on new resources, and field questions. In many cases, time was allotted for informal discussion, which, from all accounts, was often the most valuable part of the training. While most trainers provided instruction only in their own areas of expertise, Jackie Vazquez, Cal- Pac Spanish language coordinator, provided training for all offices for our Spanish-speaking sisters. She also translated all the United Methodist Women forms and other important documentation for their packets. Several awards were made during the large group session. Carol Jamison recognized a number of SAD local units as 5 Star Units (see page 3 for details). Capistrano- Palisades, Laguna Country, and Fullerton First units received certificates for achieving Mission Today status. Mary Renner gave a run down on Reading Program results; perhaps the most interesting statistic was the fact that we read 1,432 books in 2011!

2 From Our District Officers From the Editor s Desk We re just back from Local Officer Training...and it was great! Such a wonderful opportunity to interact with United Methodist Women members from the Long Beach District and to see how they run things there. As we anticipate that many of the districts will merge, it was a good chance to become acquainted with those with whom we may work in the near future. For those of you officers who couldn t make it, we put together a packet of items for each unit that contained the materials the instructors used in their presentations. Where we could, we sent the packets home with those who were there that day; the rest will be mailed to your presidents shortly. Cal-Pac United Methodist Women Mid-Winter event is fast approaching. Entitled, Partnering With Others in Mission, the focus will be on our four main areas of concern: climate change, domestic violence, human trafficking, and immigration. There will be opportunities for hands-on work throughout the day. The event will be held at Bell Memorial UMC in Rowland Heights. If you haven t already gotten hold of a registration form, there s one in this issue of Orange Plus. Our District mission study is coming right up, too. The Rev. Lynne Austin will be teaching a study on Haiti. She was one of the instructors on the subject at last year s School of Christian Mission (SCM), and everyone loved her! Rev. Austin is an ordained elder in the Cal-Pac Annual Conference and a grad of Claremont School of Theology and Cal State Northridge. She and her husband, Dr. Raymond Aller (who was my instructor on Haiti at SCM), are affiliated with Grace Children s Hospital (an official UMCOR Advance project) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, through International Child Care. Together, they support the work of (and, currently, the rebuilding of) the hospital through personal trips, pastoral care work teams, clinical lab development, and education of local churches and annual conferences. This will be a Mission Study you won t want to miss! And speaking of great programs, our One Day Apart retreat in May is shaping up to be a winner. The title is, The Journey: Forgiveness, Restorative Justice, and Reconciliation. Rev. Steve Peralta, another dynamic instructor at SCM, will be the facilitator. As authors Stephanie Hixon and Tom Porter say in the study book of the same name, Imagine with us the difference we might make in this world if every church became a Neighborhood Reconciliation Center. Now there s food for thought! In this issue of the Orange Plus, you will find two scholarship forms for this summer s SCM. The school will be held again at Biola University in La Mirada. We held it there last year, and it was a great success. Despite the fact that the campus was undergoing some major construction, the facilities available to us were very nice, air conditioned (but not too cold!), and easy to find. The food was wonderful. The classes were outstanding. And the fellowship was better than ever. We had a great time! The three units of study this year will be: Immigration in the Bible (Spiritual Growth track), Haiti (Geographic track), and Poverty (Issue Study track). The cost to attend will be $250. On pages 8 and 9, you will find the forms you will need to use if you want to apply for a full or partial scholarship. Deadline for turning in the forms is June 1, I goofed last year, forgetting to ask each unit to support Orange Plus with a $15 annual subscription. As you all know, printing costs are going up, and we pared back our budget significantly this year. If you can, please send your remittance to Santa Ana District UMW Treasur Pat West. Be sure to put the name of your unit on the memo line along with the note, OP Subscription. We re off to a great start this year. Remember, you are the seed, and this is the time to grow. I hope to see you all soon! Blessings, Sheryl Cooley Santa Ana District Officers President Diane Hutson (562) angeldbh@yahoo.com Vice-President Leadership Opportunity Available Secretary Vicky Shuttleworth (714) vshuttle@gmail.com Treasurer Pat West (714) nseandwest@verizon.net Spiritual Growth Leadership Opportunity Available Program Resources Mary Renner (714) mjrenner@dslextreme.com Education & Interpretation Leadership Opportunity Available Membership, Nurture & Outreach Carol Jamison (949) wz6q@cox.net Social Action Jean Shideler (562) Communications Sheryl Cooley (714) cooleybates@sbcglobal.net Committee on Nominations Leadership Opportunity Available Spanish Language Coordinator Leadership Opportunity Available Tongan Language Coordinator Tilila Lomu (714) Young Women Coordinator Katheryn Lee piernara@hotmail.com

3 From Our District Officers Santa Ana District United Methodist Women Financials January 1 - December 1, 2011 Ladies of the Santa Ana District...YOU ARE AWESOME! Even in these difficult times, you have donated over $100,000 to Mission and Designated Giving. What a difference you have made in the lives of women, children, and youth locally and around the world. Through your generosity, you embody the spirit of the United Methodist Women motto - Faith*Hope*Love in Action. THANK YOU and KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK IN 2012! Pat West MISSION GIVING (Formerly Undesignated Giving) Pledge to Mission $71, Candle of Commitment* 1, AMD Funds Returned* 7, Special Mission Recognition Gift to Mission 1, Gift in Memory World Thank Offering 3, TOTAL MISSION GIVING $86, DESIGNATED GIVING Call to Prayer and Self-Denial $ 2, David and Margaret Home 2, Toberman Neighborhood Center 2, Calexico Neighborhood House Susannah Wesley Community Center Methodist Hospital - NGC-ER 3, Methodist Hospital Chaplaincy 1, UMCOR-Japan Relief UMCOR-Haiti Relief UMCOR-Undesignated Red Bird Mission Directory 5.00 TOTAL DESIGNATED GIVING &13, TOTAL SENT TO CONFERENCE $100, *Per Women s Division, these two items are included in Mission Giving funds. AMD (Administration and Membership Development) are monies sent to each district by the conference as operating funds. At the end of each year, the excess is returned to the conference and used for Mission Giving. If you see someome without a smile, give her one of yours. Five Star Giving Units Pledge to Mission Special Mission Recognition Gift to Mission Gift in Memory World Thank Offering Congratulations to the units that gave to each of the above five Channels of Mission Giving and thus are recognized as 2011 Santa Ana District Five Star Giving Units. Anaheim - Native American Anaheim - United Artesia-Cerritos Brea Capistrano - Palisades Costa Mesa - Mesa Verde Fountain Valley - First Fullerton - First Garden Grove Huntington Beach - Community La Mirada Laguna Country Mission Viejo - Shepherd of the Hills Newport Beach - Christ Church by the Sea Orange - First Santa Ana - First Whittier - First Yorba Linda Membership Nurture and Outreach Those of you who were able to attend Local Officer Training (LOT) at Rolling Hills UMC found that this is an all-encompassing position with a LOT to do to help all the members of our units. My thanks to Ana Ikavuka, Long Beach District MNO, my cochairperson, and the other MNO women from the Long Beach District, for contributing to the presentation. It was good to have more ways to look at our job and more possible solutions to our questions. And it was great to have you from Santa Ana District turn out to give your input and gain the knowledge that training provides, even though the drive was possibly longer than usual. We have 31 active units. The ups and downs of the membership count show that Santa Ana District had between 1260 and 1290 members for the year More than half of the units have reported; an accurate count is awaiting the rest of the unit reports. Carol Jamison (949) H Corniche Drive, Dana Point, CA WZ6Q@cox.net 3

4 District News A Quiet Disciple is a person whose personal ministry is usually accomplished by their special gifts and service in a quiet, unassuming manner. The influence of his/her presence is a gift and an example that enriches their church and/or local United Methodist Women organization. This year Santa Ana District United Methodist Women units recognized 15 outstanding servants at their annual Quiet Disciple Program. More than 100 people attended the November 12, 2011, event, hosted by the United Methodist Women members at Shepherd of the Hills UMC in Mission Viejo. The day started with a fabulous breakfast provided by the hosting unit in their fellowship hall and then moved into the sanctuary. The guest speaker was the Rev. Abe Lara of Norwalk, who talked about acts of servanthood and love. He noted that Quiet Disciples were Methodists in motion today. Santa Ana District United Methodist Women President Diane Hutson oversaw the program with help from Carol Jamison, Membership, Nurture & Outreach chairperson, and Mary Renner, Resources chair. This year s honorees were: 2011 Quiet Disciples Recognized at November Event Ann DiPlacito, Aldersgate UMC Louis Groharing, Brea UMC Suliana Tukia, Community UMC Joyce Hall, Garden Grove UMC Ramiro Estivariz, Laguna Country UMC Merrill Evans, La Habra UMC Ben Shaw, Mesa Verde UMC Deedra McGaha, Native American UMC Mike Sowell, Norwalk UMC Dorothy Utter, First UMC of Orange Erla Curtin, Palisades UMC Lisa Richardson, Shepherd of the Hills UMC Angie Reyes, Spurgeon UMC Amy Ray, First UMC of Whittier Brenda Klassen, Yorba Linda UMC Many thanks to local United Methodist Women President Darlene Robertson and her crew at Shepherd of the Hills UMC. They not only put in many hours to provide an outstanding buffet breakfast and to ensure the event went off without a hitch, but they coped beautifully with a huge crowd of folks who were walk-ins. Congratulations to everyone! 4

5 What s On the Horizon Haiti: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow District Mission Study Led By Rev. Lynne Austin March 10, :00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Mesa Verde United Methodist Church 1701 W. Baker St. Costa Mesa, CA Rev. Austin was one of the instructors on Haiti at the 2011 School of Christian Mission. A dynamo of a woman, she and her husband, Dr. Raymond Aller, work with Child Care International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth (and, currently, the rebuilding) of Grace Hospital in Port-au-Prince, an UMCOR-sponsored Advance project. Join us as Rev. Austin leads us through the history of Haiti, provides up-to-date information on life there after the devastating earthquake of 2010, and shows us just what hope, faith, and love in action mean in the real world. You are sure to learn something and have a good time in the process! 8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Program Schedule Registration/Gathering/Sharing Morning Study Session Lunch Afternoon Study Session Registration Fee: $10 Send the bottom portion of this flyer and your check to: Pat West, 6471 Newbury Dr., Huntington Beach, CA Checks should be made out to: Santa Ana District UMW. Please place the words District Mission Study in the memo line. Deadline is February 24, Church/City Contact Person Phone Number $10/ea Childcare: Yes No No./Ages of Children (A refundable $25 flat fee per UMW Unit is required to secure childcare. Please bring breakfast and a snack for your children.) Total Amount Enclosed 5

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7 What s On the Horizon Santa Ana District Retreat: A Day Apart The Journey: Forgiveness, Restorative Justice, and Reconciliation Facilitator: Rev. Steve Peralta May 12, :00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Community United Methodist Church 6652 Heil Avenue, Huntington Beach, CA The church s focus on peace and nonviolent resistance as well as the way of peace became obscured when the church became the church of the Empire in the time of Constantine. The Good News of Reconciliation and the Jesus Way is still found in the biblical story and in remarkable stories of Christians throughout the world and throughout the ages. Our hope is that the church can recover the Good News of Reconciliation as its central message and the Ministry of Reconciliation as its central practice so that every church becomes a neighborhood center, with global outreach, of forgiveness, justice and reconciliation. For us, reconciliatoin includes forgiveness and restorative justice. Imagine with us the difference we might make in this world if every church became a Neighborhood Reconciliation Center. From the School of Christian Mission Study book, The Journey: Forgiveness, Restorative Justice, and Reconciliation Rev. Steve Peralta was one of the instructors on this subject at last summer s SCM. A dynamic teacher, he will keep your mind churning and your spirit hopping as together we discover how we can make a difference in our communities and the world. Come, learn how to be a part of that future! 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Registration/Gathering/Sharing Morning Session Lunch Afternoon Session Registration Fee: $10. Please note that this includes a light lunch. Send the bottom portion of this flyer and your check to: Pat West, 6471 Newbury Dr., Huntington Beach, CA Checks should be made out to: Santa Ana District UMW. Please place the words District Retreat in the memo line. Deadline is May 1, Church/City Contact Person Phone Number $10/ea 7

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10 Part of a Larger Whole Anaheim Native American: January 15, the Women of Hope of the Native American UMC hosted a delightful speaker from CONAM who told Native American relocation stories, an important part of our heritage. We are gearing up to go to pow wows to hand out Bibles and invite people to church; we do this several Sundays a month. We are also working on craft items to sell at booths and during Annual Conference. Anaheim: Anaheim United Methodist Women members will be having their annual rummage sale this February. The ladies gather enough used treasures to completely fill their fellowship hall for two weekends of selling. The sale dates are Friday, February 3 and 10, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., and Saturday, February 4 and 11, 9: a.m.-2:00 p.m. As is customary at any UMW event, home baked goodies are on sale to help fatten the pot. Each year it is a wonderful fund raiser that involves a spiritual giving that comes together through the help of our Lord. Capistrano-Palisades: Our United Methodist Women members are involved in an ongoing effort to collect items needed by the patients of the nearby Capistrano Nursing Care facility, to visit those who don t have regular visitors, and to make and deliver holiday gifts to them. Our Call to Prayer and Self Denial program will be February 16, at 10:30 a.m. Lunch will follow the program. We are planning a luncheon and Spring Fashion Show featuring styles for women and girls of all ages for April 28. School-age children are welcome to attend at no charge. Other details are still being worked out. Call Linda Young at (949) for details if you d like to attend. Around and About Through strong faith and gritty determination, she returned to championship form and became a gift to others. February s meeting will involve hearts and chocolate, and in March our program will commemorate A Time for Change: A Call to Prayer and Self Denial. In May, we invite you to the District One Day Apart Retreat - The Journey: Forgiveness, Restorative Justice and Reconciliation. Downey: Downey United Methodist Women members spent much of the last few months working furiously to re-organize their unit. The official ceremony was held Sunday, January 29. East Whittier: United Methodist Women members will be holding a Craft, Quilting, and Collections Fair on June 2, You will not believe the talented people in our church community and the community of Whittier. There will be wood workers, fabric artists, genealogists, knitters, quilters, stamp collectors, scrapbookers, and many more. Come to our fair and learn about a new craft or hobby. These presenters are very charming, and you are sure to go away from this fair invigorated about ways to spend your precious time. For more information, see our ad on this page. Continued on the next page Christ By the Sea: February 8, we are having Rev. Larry Young share with us his experiences on a Habitat For Humanity team in Vietnam. We are looking forward to a hands-on mission project as our church is participating in the Family Promise program. In March we will be providing meals and a place for the night for three families for a week as part of this program. As a UMW organization, we are taking an active role in the preparations. Community: With 2011 behind us, we at Community are looking forward to the new year. We are busy finalizing programs that promise to be interesting, fun, informative, and/or inspiring. Our typical January meeting is a Soup Supper and Movie Night. This year s feature film was, Soul Surfer, the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a surfing champion who lost an arm in a shark attack Orange Plus Subscription Please help us reduce the cost of printing by ordering a subscription to the Orange Plus. Send your unit name and $15 to Pat West, 6471 Newbury Dr., Huntington Beach, CA Checks should be made out to: Santa Ana District UMW. Please place your unit name and the words OP Subscription in the memo line. Hobby and Collections Fair June 2, 2012 East Whittier United Methodist Church South Cole Road Whittier, CA :00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Geer Hall Presenters include: The Wood Workers of Whittier, the Textile Guild of Fiber Artists, Whittier Area Genealogy Society, knitters, and quilters who will be sharing their many talents with us, as well as philatelists (you remember, that is what s commonly called stamp collectors), Scrapbooking for Vacation Remembrances, doll collecting, and many more! For more information, contact: Becky Harms at (562)

11 Part of a Larger Whole Around and About - con t. Fountain Valley: In January, United Methodist Women members made packets on the history and purpose of the organization and distributed them at church January 29. In March, they plan to hold their Call to Prayer and Self-Denial program. Fullerton First: In January, our unit installed officers for the 2012 year, and our church historian (and the second longest member we have) gave us a talk on the history of our church. He had some artifacts to show us, as well. Our church will be celebrating its 125th year next year, so he had a lot to talk about. Our February meeting will feature Jim Womack from FIES (Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services). He will speak about the many programs under that organization that help at-risk families and individuals. They operate a food distribution center and New Vista Shelter, which is a complex of apartments and classrooms providing services for families or single parent families trying to get back on their feet, as well as other programs. We will also have our Pledge Service as a part of that meeting. In March, we will have our student intern from Claremont College speak to us. Laguna Beach: Under the direction of new president Meg Estrada, members of the Laguna Beach United Methodist Women performed the entire service Sunday, Jan. 22, United Methodist Women Day at the church. A highlight offered Meg, Alie Bishop, and Cathy Fry delivering the sermon on the theme, Why I Am a United Methodist Woman. In addition, immediate past president Alie Bishop received an award for her many years of service to the group. Laguna Country: Laguna Country has a full slate of programs scheduled for the next few months. February 9, Brenda Weikel will talk about the 100th anniversary of women s suffrage in California. March 8, members will meet to play Bible Jeopardy. Questions are developed by Mission Team members, and the women divide into two groups. Lots of friendly competition here! April 12, we will have Heather Wilson in to talk about Volunteers In Mission in Orange County. All meetings begin at 9:45. We d love to have you come! Mesa Verde: We held our UMW Sunday January 15. January 21, we held our annual 50-Cent-a-Dip Dinner, and once again it was a roaring success, this year thanks in part to magician Don Frank. He kept young and old enthralled! February 9, we will hold a brunch starting at 9:30 a.m. with UCI Master Gardener Tom Farrell as our guest speaker. And March 10, we are hosting the District Mission Study on Haiti with facilitator Rev. Lynne Austin, a fantastic instructor at last summer s School of Christian Mission. Come and join us for either of these events! Orange First: We visited the Methodist Hospital in Arcadia on January 30. We attended their semi-annual meeting, enjoyed lunch together, and took a tour of the hospital facilities. It was a wonderful opportunity to see our Mission dollars at work. March 4-6, 2012, our annual Retreat at Aldersgate Retreat Center will be held. The theme is, The Faith We Sing, led by our own Rev. Stephanie Toon-Glassman. We extend a warm welcome for any and all to join us for a weekend of renewal and fun. Please contact Sylvia Coussa at (714) for further details. We are also planning a fundraiser at Ruby s Diner at the downtown Orange train station on February 12 from noon to 4 p.m. to raise funds for scholarships for retreat. If you can join us, pick up a special flyer at the church; this needs to be presented so we get credit for a percentage of your order. Shepherd of the Hills: United Methodist Women members will hold a bake sale February 12 - just days away from Valentine s Day! March 8, will will hold our Call to Prayer and Self Denial program. Our annual fashion show will be held May 5. Whittier First: January 22, the United Methodist Women organization of Whittier First sponsored a mission presentation during the adult education hour. Rev. John Forney spoke on Creative Care of the Earth. Members will also be hosting one of the Lenten Dinners. They will be having a special program, Going Green, appropriately, on St. Patrick s Day, Saturday, March 17. They will have a luncheon (all green??), hear an inspiring ecology message, and make green cleaning products to take home. If others want to join the fun, they may contact Communications Chairperson Judy Kraft for further information at (562) or jkraft@fullerton.edu. Yorba Linda: Yorba Linda United Methodist Women got off to a fast start this year with a two day rummage sale in January. February 2, they will hold Quiet Day, where they will have a program about retired clergy and missionaries and will write letters and cards to specific clergy and missionaries to thank them for their many years of service. In March, the group makes chocolate (actually, chocolate, chocolate with nuts, peanutbutter, and Rice Krispie treat) bunnies and sells them. It takes them about 4 days to make the delicious treats; this is one of their major fund raisers. Program Resources Ladies, I wish to announce that as of March 15 I will no longer be ordering books for Santa Ana District. I am retiring from this job. I have had it for 7 years and have just plain run out of steam. My personal life has grown especially busy, and I need to cut back on some of my other activities. Now, as an individual unit you can still order books online or by phone. Just follow the instructions in the Reading Program flyer. The advantage of ordering them yourself is there will be no sales tax, but there will be postage. Please call me if you have any questions. Mary Renner 11

12 T H E N E W SL ET T E R O F T H E SA N T A A N A D I ST RI C T U N I T ED M ET H O D I ST W O M EN 3120 Kerry Lane Costa Mesa, CA Orange Plus PURPOSE 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. A quarterly newsletter published by the Santa Ana District United Methodist Women Sheryl L. Cooley, Editor Deadlines for article submission: January 20, 2012 April 20, 2012 July 20, 2012 October 20, 2012