Published by Cleveland District United Methodist Women February Best Yes Redirecting Our Life Choices

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1 Published by Cleveland District United Methodist Women February 2015 Joan Schwiebert, President 1626 Crestway Drive; Athens, TN Cynthia Mishtal, Communications Coordinator 1001 Valley Drive, Athens, TN Best Yes Redirecting Our Life Choices Featured Speaker Kim Mink is Director of Family Ministries at Concord UMC in Knoxville. She is leader of several women's groups and family programming. Kim has taught women s studies, organized the TREKK kid s ministry and performed throughout East TN. Kim, a mother of four young children and wife of Bill, is abreast of the challenges faced by today s women. You will be inspired by her spiritual presentations. SISTERS IN SERVICE A CONTEMPORARY RETREAT FOR YOUNG AND YOUNG AT HEART WOMEN MARCH 14-15, 2015 RIVER PLANTATION CONVENTION CENTER 1004 PARKWAY, SEVIERVILLE, TN Musicians Sarah Clapp Gilpin & Kirk Wynn lead contemporary worship music at Cokesbury UMC in Knoxville. Sarah is proficient in a broad range of music and performance, winning several awards and performing with notable musicians. Sarah balances her Christian service with raising two small children with her husband Brian. Guitarist Kirk Wynn is a singer/songwriter who, in addition to his gig at Cokesbury UMC, is a member of the country duo Crab Apple Lane. Both Sarah and Kirk are lively witnesses to an upbeat approach to the Christian life through music..

2 A new year has begun and your executive committee has been hard at working planning out our year. Kathy has put a lot of work into our Spiritual Growth Day A Part, which will be held at Wesley Memorial in Etowah on Saturday, March 21. This will be a wonderful day. The Etowah ladies have asked each unit to bring 2 backpacks for any age child. They hand out over 300 backpacks full of school supplies to the local children. They are asking for only the backpacks. Vicki is working with Chattanooga on a Social Action Event to be held in April or May. Lastly, Barbara is working on a Mission Fair for sometime in June. I hope to see some of you in Sevierville for the Sister in Service weekend, March 14-15, a weekend for not only the young, but the young at heart. There has been a lot of sickness, knee, hip, and shoulder replacements, not to mention other illnesses. Please try to stay healthy so that you can attend these upcoming events. Enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts and get out of the house, if it is just for a short walk around the block. It is good to stay active. I will close with the quote Creator of all, guide me with your strength and Spirit, so I may confidently explore the world You make new each day. God Bless, Joan Schwiebert President A new year and God is making all things new-- new opportunities, new hopes, new dreams and a renewed vision. "I now remind you to stir into flame the gift of God which is within you." 2 Timothy 1:6 In Faith, seeking to grow closer to God, we will begin all meetings with devotion and implementation of the Prayer Calendar as we share about missions and missionaries. In Hope, trusting God to do His will through us, we will encourage attendance and participation in UMW events. Upcoming opportunities: March Holston Conference Sisters in Service Retreat, Sevierville March 21 at 10:30 a.m. Cleveland District Day Apart, Wesley-Etowah In Love, listening, rejoicing, and sharing hugs, laughter and tears, we will encourage and nurture each other through prayer and friendship. In Action, doing what we are called to do through our Purpose and Charter for Racial Justice, we will participate in local missions and become informed about injustices with attendance at Social Action Workshops. Throughout this new year may we be filled with a sense of well-being and swept up by the feeling of joy. Thanks be to God for we are never alone. Kathy Farner Spiritual Growth Coordinator

3 A Message from Your District Treasurer Happy New Year! As we begin 2015, please pray for the women, children and youth throughout the world that we can help with our Mission Giving. We are needed more than ever to be God s hands and feet to reach out to those in need. Our Mission Giving goal for 2015 is $29, or $7, per quarter. Remember we have five (5) channels of giving: Pledges, Special Mission Recognition, Gift in Memory, Gift to Mission, and World Thank Offering. Please remember that our quarterly report due dates are February 20 th, May 20 th, August 20 th, and November 20 th. Please mark your calendars. Through our working together, we can make great things happen in 2015! Evelyn Brunson Hello, Fellow UMW Sisters! I am your newly elected MNO for the district. While I don t know much about district offices, I am excited to serve in this capacity, and everyone has been so helpful bringing me up to speed. For starters, when I was asked to take this office, I was told, You only have to do one report at the end of the year, and I thought to myself, How hard can that be? So I agreed to try it for one year, then was told it was a two-year term. I went to my first district meeting and was asked about doing a MNO day conference. Since I don t know much about this, I am thinking about it, especially since they told me I had till October. (More about this later.) Then I went to my first conference meeting. Lo and behold, the conference MNO leader asked, How many of you were told that all you have to do is one report at the end of the year? I could tell there was a catch to this question, so I didn t raise my hand but someone in the group did, to which there was an emphatic, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! So, you see, I am learning learning that not only do I need, but each and every one of us needs, to be practicing Membership Nurture and Outreach daily. Notice that there is no comma between membership and nurture, for that is exactly what we need to do-nurture our members and reach out to all the other women in our congregations so that UMW can thrive and, therefore, make great strides in fulfilling our UMW PURPOSE. An exciting conference coming up March in Sevierville is Sisters In Service (SIS). This is a unique experience geared to ladies of all ages, and especially for the young at heart. Childcare will be available. Great speakers and musicians are lined up to enhance the worship experience. There is also a scholarship available to each church for one lady who has never attended. This would be an awesome time to introduce someone who just might be interested in learning more about UMW! Let s get energized! I welcome your questions, suggestions, and insight. I look forward to being on this journey with you, working together as we nurture existing members and reach out to others that they might be eager to join us in our mission journey. You ll be hearing from me! In Christ, Susan Maddux Spring City United Methodist Church

4 UMW has done so much to help women and children throughout the country and the world. No one would argue about the importance of this work, but sometimes we forget about the help given to local women and children. At our District s Annual Meeting and Officer Training in November, Sara Armstrong told about some of things that Keith Memorial UMC does at the local level. Thanks to the UMW circles participation in Nourish One Child, about 146 elementary and middle school children are receiving food on the weekends. About 150 homeless or needy people are being fed each week on Mondays and Fridays through Grace and Mercy Ministry. Also, UMW members are very active in the CASA program serving abused or neglected children in McMinn, Meigs and Rhea Counties. What are some of the things that your unit is doing? Please let me know. Environmental Justice, Reducing Domestic Abuse and Racial Justice were the social issue topics that the Executive Committee voted to emphasize this year. The topics were selected from a list adopted by the national UMW. Expect to learn more about these topics. Thanks to all the units who have returned the Charter Club Form. These should be returned even if none of the items have been completed. Please send them to me as soon as possible. Lost your form, contact me at (423) or vickihardesty1@gmail.com and I will send you another one. Also, I will be glad to come to one of your unit meetings to explain the Charter Club. Many of the items listed are already being done by your unit. Have a blessed New Year, Vicki Hardesty Social Action Happy New Year! I hope that your 2015 is off to a great start. Your District Officers have been hard at work planning for an exciting year! There are a couple of events coming up we hope you will consider being a part of. First is our SIS (Sisters In Service) retreat March at the River Plantation Convention Center in Sevierville. A great time of worship and fellowship! And secondly our District Day Apart on March 21 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Wesley Memorial UMC, Etowah TN. This is an annual event of the Cleveland District and always a day of information and fun! We hope you will consider attending both these events! As you plan your new year please keep in mind that your Executive Team is available to come to your local unit and speak to your group! The team consists of several very knowledgeable and informative women who would love to share with your ladies. Feel free to contact me at or shannonbeaver@comcast.net I pray that 2015 is the most prosperous year yet for the Cleveland District and Holston Conference UMW! Remember our scriptural theme for the year: When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my lambs. John 21:15 Be Blessed! Shannon Beaver Cleveland District Secretary

5 From the Book Lady A very BIG THANK YOU to all the units that turned in their reading reports in December. I was very happy and impressed that we have units participating and readers reading. For the 2015 year, I think you will be doubly blessed by participating. There are some really good books and the knowledge that will be given to you by reading them will enable you to be more informed about the world and ways we as Christian leaders can make a positive impact. All readers are welcome to share with me your thoughts about the books you are reading. What books are you reading? Did you like the book? Did the book help you in some way? All your comments are welcome. Happy Reading. Rebecca Penney Secretary of Program Resources OUR 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. I hope the start of the New Year finds each of you well! Most of you may be unfamiliar with me, as I am new to the district team. As we went around the room to introduce ourselves at the first officers district meeting of the year, when it came my turn I said, I am Marilyn Miller and apparently I am the new Vice President. With all joking aside, I am thrilled to serve the Cleveland district and look forward to meeting many of you over the next several months. Just a little about me. I was born and raised in Etowah and am a lifelong member of Wesley Memorial UMC and have been a member and officer of our UMW unit for 20 years. I am a 1991 graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan College with a degree in accounting and am a partner and CPA with Miller and McPhail, CPA s in Athens and Chattanooga, TN. I have been married to my husband Tracy for 23 years and have a 20 year old son Max who is an incoming junior at University of Tennessee Knoxville. My hobbies include hiking, reading and travel. My most recent travel was a mission trip our church did this past summer to Hungry Horse Montana. I would love to come speak to your unit about our trip. Happy New Year to each of you! Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for your unit. Marilyn Miller Vice President

6 Cleveland District Executive Officers Joan Schwiebert President 1626 Crestway Drive; Athens, TN Marilyn Miller Vice President 1304 Georgia Avenue; Etowah, TN Shannon Beaver Secretary 1222 Ohio Avenue; Etowah, TN Evelyn Brunson Treasurer 305 Covenant Drive; Cleveland, TN Kathy Farner Spiritual Growth th Street NE #1603; Cleveland, TN Barbara Graham Education & Interpretation 2098 Igou Crossing Dr.; Chattanooga, TN Rebecca Penney Program Resources 108 County Road 562; Englewood, TN Vicki Hardesty Social Action 4 East Daytona Drive; Chattanooga, TN vickihardesty1@gmail.com Cindy Mishtal Communications Coordinator 1001 Valley Drive; Athens, TN cmishtal@comcast.net Jane Roberts Chairperson of Nominations 553 Cox Road; Decatur, TN or missjanemeigs@gmail.com Nancy Cate Nominations 258 Fyke Drive; Athens, TN ncate258@comcast.net Carolyn Haerr Nominations 311 Toestring Cove Rd.; Spring City, TN chrishaerr@bellsouth.net Sarah Wagner Nominations 1923 Cherokee Trail; Cleveland, TN Connie Yetter Nominations 1000 Boaz Street; Athens, TN landcyetter@yahoo.com Joseph S. Green Ex-Officio P.O. Box 3382; Cleveland, TN joegreen@holston.org Susan Maddux Membership, Nurture & Outreach 953 Piney Point Road.; Spring City, TN jtmaddux@bellsouth.net Maggie Hoffman Historian 971 County Road 550; Englewood, TN maggie3@tds.net Feed My Lambs John 21:15 based on the passage from John 21: The artist of our logo is Debbie Watson of Christ United Methodist Church in the Knoxville District. This design represents Jesus as the cross and his repeated question to Peter as the heart on the cross. Jesus directive to Peter and to us all, Feed My Lambs, is at the foot of the cross where all lambs gather.

7 Retreat sessions will be held at River Plantation Convention Center at 1004 Parkway, Sevierville, TN Session registration includes a slider buffet dinner. Saturday s first session begins at 1:00 3:00, dinner served at 5:30 7:00. Session II will begin at 7:30 followed by the optional Hands On Mission Project and Sing-A-Long at 9:15 p.m. Session III begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. To participate in the optional Hands On Mission Project, include $2.00 with your Event Registration Form to cover the cost of supplies. Chalk/whiteboards as the Hands On Mission Project will be made after the Saturday night session. The boards will be delivered to children s hospitals in Knoxville, Johnson City, and Chattanooga. EVENT REGISTRATION FORM PART I REQUIRED Registration postmarked on or before March 1, 2015 is $ Registration postmarked after March 1 is $ Mail this form with your check to Registrar: Beverly Smith, 118 Crawford Lane, Fall Branch, TN Make checks payable to Holston Conference UMW. The Room Reservation form is to be mailed separately. See Part II. Event Site Childcare for ages 3-10 will be available if the registration form is postmarked by March 1st. Cost for childcare is $10/ child. Forms for childcare are available online at holstonumw.org. Name: Phone Address: City State Zip Church (If Applicable) District (If Applicable) Is this your First Time to Sisters In Service Retreat: Yes No I plan to participate in the Hands On Mission Project and I am enclosing my $2.00. Yes No Contact in Case of Emergency: Name/ Relationship/ Phone Number HOTEL INFORMATION AND RESERVATION PART II Lodging, at a special rate of $80/room, including a complimentary breakfast, is offered at Governor s Inn located in the area of Governor s Crossing Shopping Center (Red Light 13.4) at 121 Nascar Drive, Sevierville TN. Room reservations, in the block of rooms reserved, will be on a first received basis by sending your money and registration form listing all who will be in your room to Karen Adair, PO Box 80802, Chattanooga, TN Checks should be made payable to Holston Conference UMW. These rooms can easily accommodate up to 4 persons (double queens or a king + sleeper sofa.) Please send names of all that will be in your room. Room reservations in this block of rooms will be on a first received basis until all are gone. Please note your preference of room and Karen will try to accommodate. Other lodging may be secured direct by you but will not be eligible for the tax exempt rate. Name: Phone Address: City State Zip Church (If Applicable) District (If Applicable Room: Indicate 1st and 2nd Choice Double Queen King & Sleeper Names of All in Room Special Needs For more information contact Peggy Dalton, by hpdalton@musfiber.com or call or check us out online at holstonumw.org. Amy Thomas Sisters In Service Brochure 80 Splatter Creek Road; Limestone, TN 37681

8 Keith Memorial UMC PO Box 1 Athens, TN Return Service Requested NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID ATHENS, TN PERMIT NO. 4 Save the Date March March 21 April TBA April April May 23 June TBA July August 8 Sept November 7 Holston Conference Sisters in Service Retreat River Plantation Center, Sevierville TN District Day Apart at Wesley Memorial, Etowah, TN at 10:30 a.m. District Joint Social Action for Cleveland and Chattanooga, Place TBA Holston Conference Mission Trip to Sager Brown, Baldwin LA Holston Conference Spiritual Enrichment Experience, Lake Junaluska NC Mujeres en Accion Worship Event for Women, Children, and Youth, Mt. Zion UM Church, Afton TN District Mission Fair, Place TBA Holston Conference Mission U, Central UMC, Lenoir City TN Holston Conference Social Action Workshop, First UMC Sevierville, TN Holston Conference Annual Meeting & District Officer Training Lake Junaluska, NC District Annual Meeting & Officer Training, Spring City UMC, Spring City, TN