Registration information can be found inside on pages

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1 The UMW APP connected! L o o k i n g A h e a d Here it is late summer It hard to imagine thinking about 2015, but it really is just around the corner and, if we start now, we can turn 2015 into a banner year for United Methodist Women and even more for women, children and youth. There is no better time to start thinking about what we, as United Methodist Women, want to accomplish in the coming year for mission. And there is no better way to start than to review what we have done and use the rest of the year to get inspired for the coming year. Our Conference and District Annual meetings in September will give us an opportunity to reflect on our past 145 years and this past year s accomplishments... a good place to start. But now shift to the future. Look at your selves, the members of your unit and talk about what inspires you, what motivates, brings joy, engenders frustration and rage that compels you to action. A good place to start might be the September 2013 program in the A Calling for This Time program book. That has helped a number of units discern their passions. No matter what, start making plans, be they baby steps or possible bold moves, to create the changes you want to see happen. The only wrong move against a hurt world is no move. No one, no unit can do it all. There are some things the members of your unit will never feel comfortable doing or saying. But there are other things that will seem easy as pie... consider that a sign and, using the theme of Assembly 2014, MAKE IT HAPPEN! United Methodist Women is an action verb! Let s gather our strength to make the next 145 years even more impactful for women, children and youth across the world. ~ President The Appalachian District Newsletter, Summer 2014 Registration information can be found inside on pages

2 2 P a g e K e e p i n g R e c o r d s I t s T i m e t o C e l e b r a t e! I hope all of you have had a chance to relax a bit during the summer. It seems the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer were long ago and far away, as modern life keeps us busy most of the time in all seasons. Times change, and our job is to record the times and the changes in our United Methodist Women units. If you attended the Spiritual Growth Retreat or Mission u, I know you felt the encouragement and joy of being among so many dedicated United Methodist Women members. Opportunities lie ahead to join with our Conference and District sisters at our Conference Annual Meeting at Lake Junaluska September 5-7, at our District Annual Meeting at Wilkesboro United Methodist Church on September 21, and at one of the locations for the 2014 Ubuntu Day of Service on October 18. Our District Leader and Member Development sessions will be held October 25 and November 1. I urge you to take advantage of these opportunities to develop a creative, supportive fellowship and to expand concepts of mission in keeping with our PURPOSE. Thanks to all of you for the work you are doing in your units. ~ Secretary P l e d g e s = h o p e It is time to get ready for District and Conference Annual Meetings a time to celebrate the accomplishments of each unit at the district level and each district at the conference level. If you are thinking this is just another meeting, you are in for a surprise and several treats! then The Conference Annual Meeting is like an extended Spiritual Growth weekend, but for many, even better. And what a special honor we will have with our speaker, North Carolina native and United Methodist Women National President Yvette Richards. You will come away feeling so blessed after this weekend! The District Annual Meeting is a Celebration; we rejoice and give thanks for what units have done over the past year. But even better, we will be celebrating 145 years of United Methodist Women in mission, and that means there will be cake., maker of cakes extraordinaire, will be offering us a true cake creation in celebration of these incredible 145 years in mission to help women, children and youth across the world. We would like for everyone to participate in these events as they rekindle and renew our energy and hearts for mission. I look forward to seeing you at both meetings. ~ Vice President On these hot days of summer, after the garden is picked and the canning complete, we sometimes have a moment to reflect on how good our God is to us. So many in our world do not have even a clear cup of water to drink and children die from drinking contaminated water. So many do not have education and job opportunities and their children go hungry. That s why I belong to United Methodist Women. We, as United Methodist Women members, are about expanding missions through our participation. I want to encourage each to consider giving so that others can have a simple thing as a cup of clear water to drink and better health conditions for their children. United Methodist Women is all about bringing the Hope and Christ to the world. Galatians 6:2 tells us Carry each other s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Consider making a personal pledge to mission so you continue our pledge to women, children, and youth. ~ Beverly Curtis Treasurer

3 M e m b e r s h i p N u r t u r e a n d O u t r e a c h Membership Invite someone to join you for conference or district events or your local unit meeting. You may have to ask several times before they say Yes, but don t give up. The Conference Annual Meeting at Lake Junaluska is coming up September 5 7. MAKE IT HAPPEN! Are you registered? Are you bringing a friend to our District Annual Meeting on September 21at Wilkesboro UMC? And coming soon at a location near you, is our District Leader Development with four new options this year: October 25 Boone UMC (morning) Hudson UMC (afternoon) November 1 Elkin UMC (morning) Wesley Memorial (afternoon) For an understanding of how you can better serve your unit, choose the one that works best for you. One focus of our Leader Development will be MEMBERSHIP and how we can grow physically and spiritually. Nurture Help a new guest understand our purpose is to know God through fellowship, spiritual growth, and missions to women, children and youth. Be sure to take care of your current members. Call someone that was absent or send them a Gift to Mission card. Does anyone need a ride to the next event? Outreach Reaching out and getting involved keeps your local unit healthy and creates relationship and community. Is your Walk for Mission on the calendar yet? Is your unit making any of the UMCOR kits? Have a day of service, also known as Ubuntu. Our conference Ubuntu Day of Service is October 19, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., serving several locations across our conference. Online registration is available now at You should have already been contacted by your Nurturing Partner/district officer, but if you need help, don t hesitate to contact her. Our joy is to be of service to you. If you are having a special event or regular local unit meeting and would like one of the district officers to attend, just let your Nurturing Partner know. If you need a special program, our team is standing by ready with programs like: Call to Prayer and Self Denial Justice Today Mission Today Officer Installation Pledge Services Reading Program World Thank Offering For 2014 we want to visit all of you and reach our goal of 100% LUV! (Local Unit Visit) We need your help to achieve this goal. Remember, we are just an or phone call away. ~ Membership Nurture and Outreach U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t W o m e n P u r p o s e 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. 3 P ag e

4 Y o u r T i m e t o S e r v e? We are looking for willing, capable, and Spirit-filled women to fill the following positions in our District: Vice president, Secretary, Treasurer, Spiritual Growth Leader, and Program Resources. There may be more that we are unaware of at this writing. Some of these ladies have been tenured out, some have had changes in their personal lives requiring them to step down, and some have been called to serve in another role in God's Kingdom. Change is always a challenge, but it keeps us in a state of growth and anticipation of new things to come. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, each unit is a very important part of the District Team. You have leaders within your unit who may be willing to step up. In Exodus 3:11 Moses asks "Who am I to go to Pharaoh and to bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"(Common English Bible). Likewise we sometimes ask the question... Who am I that I should go? or better said I should serve. We often fill our minds with doubts about our abilities to serve. God is with us and He will lead us, but first we must seek His guidance. May you do so now and say yes to your District. Pray and ask, Is it me? Is this my time to serve? ~ Sherry Summerlin Chairwoman, Committee on Nominations T u r n i n g P a g e s YEA! We did it!! We had 100 readers in our district to participate in the Reading Program in 2013 and we will be celebrating at District Annual Meeting. Don t stop! Continue to read and turn in the report for this year so 2014 will be even better. I will have program books, prayer calendars, handbooks and reading books for the new year at each of the membership/training events this fall. This will be a great time for everybody to learn something new about United Methodist Women and to check out the resources. You can also order on your own at or ~ Program Resources Church/Unit Altamont Antioch Arbor Grove Banner Elk Barbara Heck Baton Beaver Creek Bethany Bethel Bethelview Bethlehem Boone Broad Street Burgess Chapel Calvary Carson's Chapel Cedar Valley Chapel Hill Charity (Elkin) Charity (Millers Creek) Chestnut Hill Christ Boulevard Clarksbury Clifton Colliers Cool Spring Cox Chapel Creston Crossfire Deerfield Dunkirk Ebenezer (Elkin) Ebenezer (Granite Falls) Elk Park Eschol Fairmount FaithBridge First (Elkin) First (Granite Falls) First (Jonesville) First (Lenoir) First (North Wilkesboro) First (Taylorsville) First (Troutman) Nurturing Partner Kimberly Smith Sherry Summerlin Laura Spencer Erika Reid Beverly Curtis Laura Spencer Kimberly Smith Lydia Derr RoAnn Cox RoAnn Cox Robin Scott Sherry Summerlin Erika Reid 4 P a g e

5 Church/Unit Friendship (Boone) Friendship (Statesville) Gamewell Grace Chapel Grassy Creek (Grassy Creek) Grassy Creek (State Road) Green Hill NC Green Valley Harmony Harper's Chapel (Lenoir) Harper s Chapel (Patterson) Helton Henson's Chapel Hiddenite Hudson Jefferson Jonas Ridge Lansing Liberty (Banner Elk) Liberty (Hiddenite) Linville Little Laurel Littlejohn Mabel Macedonia Maple Springs Marvin Midway Millers Creek Minneapolis Monticello Mount Bethel (Hickory) Mount Bethel (Turnersburg) Mount Hermon Mount Olivet NC Mount Zion (Lenoir) Mount Zion (Piney) Mount Zion (Spruce Pine) Mountain Park Mountain View Nathan's Creek New Salem Newland North Caldwell Nurturing Partner Robin Scott Beverly Curtis RoAnn Cox Kimberly Smith Lydia Derr Sherry Summerlin Kimberly Smith Erika Reid Church/Unit Olin Philadelphia Pine Grove Piney Creek Piney Grove Pisgah (Hiddenite) Pisgah (Linville Falls) Pleasant Valley Providence Rhodhiss Roaring River Rocky Springs Rose Chapel Sandy Ridge Scott's Chapel Shiloh (Lenoir) Shiloh (Sparta) Shiloh (Statesville) Smethport Smith Memorial Snow Creek South River Sparta Stony Point Sutherland Temple Hill Transou Trinity (Lansing) Trinity (Lenoir) Trinity (Statesville) Union Union Grove Valle Crucis Vance Memorial Warrensville Wesley Chapel (Hamptonville) Wesley Chapel (Troutman) Wesley Memorial Wesley's Chapel (Elkin) West Jefferson White Rock Whitnel Wilkesboro Zion Nurturing Partner Lydia Derr Laura Spencer Roberts Walker Laura Spencer Lydia Derr RoAnn Cox Erika Reid Beverly Curtis Sherry Summerlin Kimberly Smith Erika Reid Laura Spencer Kimberly Smith 5 P ag e

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7 S t u d y t h e W o r d t o S h o w Y o u r L o v e Our 2014 Mission u Spiritual Growth Study, How Is It with Your Soul, was organized around four verbs: Pray, Learn, Mentor and Transform. Participants discovered that the Christian life is all about the journey! We must journey inward before heading outward to be a blessing! Works of piety prepare us for works of mercy. There is power in the breathing in. Many United Methodist Women circles take a break from monthly meetings during the summer vacation months (or the winter months for our mountain units!). Most of us set aside some other regular responsibilities as well and joyfully embrace long awaited windows of free time! Consider filling the last lazy days of summer practicing a new method of studying scripture. Love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind. This is the first & greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. ~ Matthew 22:37-39 Lectio Divina is a valuable way to slow down and receive; to let God s Word speak deeply into your life. Here is the formula: Choose a short passage and read it aloud three times, reflecting in three different ways: ~First Listen for a word or phrase that personally speaks to you ~Second Ponder what emotion is rising up (is a memory or association coming to mind?) ~Third Be alert for God s invitation, His calling-a related doing He may have for you ~REST and linger in His presence. ~Close this time with the Lord s Prayer Serious study of scripture is an act of love it is loving God enough to stop, listen and linger over His love letter to us. As we practice this holy and sacred reading daily, our friendship with our Lord will grow and we will find ourselves well prepared with a word to sustain the weary. (Isaiah 50:4) Restored, and revitalized, we ll be equipped to reach out, love our neighbors and transform our world! ~ Laura Spencer Spiritual Growth 2015 Slate of Officers The Appalachian District Nominating Committee presents the following slate of officers: Executive Officers President: Vice President: TBA Secretary: TBA Treasurer: TBA Secretary of Program Resources: TBA Class of 2015 Sherry Summerlin, chair Lydia Derr Class of 2016 Robin Scott TBA Nominating Committee Mission Coordinators Membership Nurture & Outreach: Mission Education & Interpretation: Social Action: Kim Smith Spiritual Growth: TBA Communications Coordinator: Class of 2017 TBA TBA Class of 2018 TBA 7 P ag e

8 President 375 Troy Norris Road Boone, NC Vice President Post Office Box 473 Granite Falls, NC Secretary 301 Oakhurst Road Statesville, NC Treasurer Beverly Curtis 4614 Ike Starnes Road Granite Falls, NC or Membership Nurture & Outreach 4899 Kistler Lane Granite Falls, NC Mission Education & Interpretation 3201 Mt. Wesley Church Road Stony Point, NC or Social Action Kim Smith 1667 Shoaly Branch Church Road Elkin, NC or P a g e D i s t r i c t O f f i c e r C o n t a c t I n f o r m a t i o n Spiritual Growth Laura Spencer 342 North Center Street Statesville, NC spencerlaura193@gmail.com Secretary of Program Resources 336 Midway Park Lane Taylorsville, NC jlentz@hotmail.com Historian RoAnn Cox 102 Willow Street SW Apartment 303 Lenoir, NC or roann@charter.net Parliamentarian 499 Holly Tree Drive Wilkesboro, NC mljwiggins@embarqmail.com Communications Coordinator 150 Golden Oak Drive Statesville, NC or cherylfmaner@gmail.com Nominations Committee, Chair Sherry Summerlin 120 Shady Oak Terrace Hudson, NC sherrysummer@charter.net Nominations, Class of Oak Grove Road Elkin, NC r_walker1961@yahoo.com Nominations, Class of 2015 Lydia Derr 136 Washington Ridge Statesville, NC derrdurham@aol.com Nominations, Class of 2015 Erika Reid 510 Chestnut Lane Statesville, NC erika67@bellsouth.net Nominations, Class of Black Oak Ridge Road Taylorsville, NC tsnyder@caldwellschools.com Nominations, Class of 2016 Robin Scott 412 Virginia Street SW, #6 Lenoir, NC or robin.scott14@yahoo.com Nominations, Class of 2017 Phyllis Stark 3515 Hartland Trail Morganton, NC phyllis.stark46@yahoo.com Conference Liaison Martha Phillips PO Box 49 Linville Falls, NC mcwphillips@gmail.com Visit our website: Appalachian District United Methodist Women

9 S t r a n g e r s A m o n g U s Immigration Reform Those two words are enough to start a heated discussion wherever they re spoken. It seems that the only thing that everyone agrees on is that something should be done. The problem is that no one knows exactly what should be done. I don t claim to have the answers either; I just know that I would like to help out in whatever way I can. Therefore, I have come up with a 3 step plan that I would like to share with you: Step 1 Prayer: Nothing else even comes close in terms of effectiveness. Plus it can be tailored to your schedule and it is absolutely free. Step 2 Elected Officials - We want to make sure these folks don t get bored so don t hesitate to call or them. This is their job; they were elected and are paid to represent their constituents. They may be good at their jobs but they aren t mind readers, you have to let them know what your thoughts are. But first, learn about the issue! Go to for resources and information. Step 3 Fair Trade Products One reason people immigrate to our country is because they have no way of providing for their families. We ve all heard about Fair Trade coffee and chocolate but many people don t realize that you can also purchase jewelry, home décor, clothing, and even palm fronds from Fair Trade farmers and artisans around the world. I ve included a link to UMCOR s website that gives all the information you could hope for and they even offer a consignment sale program that would be a great addition to any Fall Bazaar (hint, hint). Remember that a Fair Trade purchase is an investment in the lives of our neighbors, enabling them to provide a better life for themselves and their families. ~ Kim Smith Social Action Ubuntu Day of Service Saturday October 18, 2014 Bennett College Greensboro Bethlehem Center Winston-Salem Pfeiffer University Misenheimer Bethlehem Center Charlotte Brooks Howell Home Asheville Agenda 9:00 a.m. 9:15 a.m. Orientation 9:15 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Commissioning 9:30 a.m. 2:45 p.m. Mission Service (with lunch break) 2:45 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Debriefing and Closing Agenda may differ slightly at each location. Ubuntu is a unique word. A Zulu phrase, it can be translated I am human because you are human. It recognizes each human being as part of a community. It moves us to action on behalf of our neighbor. Ubuntu is a celebration of being in community with people as mission. Register online! July 1st through October 1st. No registration fee Bring a bag lunch (except if serving at Pfeiffer University or Bennett College where lunch will be provided). Drinks will be provided at each location. 9 P ag e

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12 Appalachian District and Western North Carolina Conference Calendar of Events Conference Annual Meeting... September 5-7 Lake Junaluska NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID STATESVILLE, NC PERMIT NO. 93 District Annual Meeting... September 21 Wilkesboro UMC District Leader Development Events (4 options) October 25 November 1 Boone UMC Elkin UMC (9 11 a.m.) (9 11 a.m.) Hudson UMC Wesley Memorial UMC (2 4 p.m.) (2 4 p.m.) Come celebrate and eat cake! Please contact by September 7 if you need childcare, 828/ or lorrainecburns@gmail.com. Appalachian District United Methodist Women 2014 Annual Meeting Sunday, September 21 Location ~ Wilkesboro UMC 309 West Main Street Wilkesboro, NC Celebrating 145 Years of Living Out Our Calling Registration ~ 3:00 Meeting ~ 3:30 Hands on Mission Project ~ UMCOR School Kits UMCOR Sewing Kits 12 P a g e From I-77 Take US Hwy 421 west to Hwy 16/18. Travel north to traffic light and turn right onto Main Street. Church is about 1/4 mile on the right. Go past the church to traffic light and turn right on Woodland to get to the church parking lot, turn right into parking lot. From Boone, Yadkinville, Lenoir or Taylorsville From US 421 By-Pass, (Lenoir will cross By- Pass) connect to Hwy 16/18. See directions for I-77 to church. From Sparta and North Follow Hwy 18 South into North Wilkesboro, merging with Hwy 268. Follow 268 West, crossing the Yadkin River into Wilkesboro, bearing right at traffic light; continue on 268/Main Street passing the Federal Building on the left. At traffic light (Woodland) turn left, and then right into church parking lot.