Volume 35 Number 4 West District Cactus Patch Newsletter December, Volume 35 Number 4 Published for United Methodist Women December, 2017

Transcription

1 West District CACTUS PATCH Newsletter Volume 35 Number 4 Published for United Methodist Women December, 2017 INDEX Page 1 Leadership Development Day Page 2 Rock-a-Thon Page 3 Why Do We Need the Legacy Fund? Page 4 President / New Membership Care Page 5 Treasurer Page 6 Vice President / Assembly 2018 Page 7 Secretary / Program Resources Page 8 Nominations / Newest CON Member Page West District Calendar / When Reports Are Due Page 10 Membership Care / Communications Coordinator / Purpose of UMW Page 11 Income Inequality Page 12 Spiritual Growth / Page 13 New Secretary Calvary UMC / Gila Mountain UMC / Page 14 Mountain View UMC / New Song UMC Page 15 Prescott UMC / Shepherd of the Hills UMC Page 16 Trinity UMC Phoenix / West District Annual Celebration Pictures LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT DAYS THEME: Changing the World with Courage Leadership Development Days are upon us once again. For you new officers, this is the yearly local organization officer training. The locations and dates are listed below: January 20, 2018 February 10, 2018 Priorities: SPIRIT OF JOY Goals: TAKING CARE OF SELF PHYSICALLY & SPIRITUALLY First UMC, Yuma Lakeview UMC, Sun City We invite all officers (whether they are new in their positions or not) to attend these training sessions. Come to a day of fun and learning! This is the time to pass on your knowledge and experience while learning more new things! The registration form is located at the following Desert Southwest Conference United Methodist Women website: Scroll down to the middle, almost to the bottom, of the page to the West District icon. Click on that icon to get to the registration form. REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE TRAINING DAY. Page 1

2 LEGACY ROCK-A-THON Have you ever participated in a rock-a-thon? The rock-a-thons of my past included bands, loud music and lots of people dancing. Lots of fun, excitement, and were very tiring. Well, we in United Methodist Women have reinvented the rock-a-thon for everyone. Turn in your dancing shoes for a rocking chair; skip the loud music and instead how about a movie, some knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, or adult coloring. Welcome to East and West District United Methodist Women Rock-a-thon March 10, :00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Cross in the Desert United Methodist Church N 32nd Street, Phoenix, Arizona What a great day of networking and sharing while in mission. Our goal is to raise $7500 for the Legacy Fund. There are many ways for you to participate. 1. Sign up to be a rocker either on site or at home (register online, 2. Sponsor a rocker 3. Set up a team of up to four to participate 4. Collect donations of gift cards for prizes (contact Carla Whitmire, cmwhitmire@gmail.com, if you have donations) 5. Offer a rocking chair for the event (if you are not able to transport to Cross in the Desert, we will arrange transport) How does a rock-a-thon raise money? Rockers are recruited to partake in the rock-a-thon activities and solicit donations prior to event day. Rockers rock individually or in teams of up to 4 in a rocking chair for four hours. You will be amazed at the amount of support and generosity that your friends, family members, and business contacts give you, simply because you ask for their support. Please consider how you can participate in the East and West District United Methodist Women Rock-a-Thon and continue to support the mission of United Methodist Women to women, children, and youth around the world. Carla Whitmire Page 2

3 Why do we need the Legacy Fund? The United Methodist Women is an organized group of women that have been acting boldly in mission for nearly 150 years. We have been mission driven since the year 1869 and still continue in mission and are advocates in areas of Climate Justice, Economic Inequality, Global Justice and Peace, Human Trafficking, Immigration Justice, Maternal and Child Health, Peace Building, and Racial Justice: Mass Incarceration of Communities of Color, and Women s Rights. We have come a long way since that dark and stormy night in Boston, March 23, By participating in and supporting the Legacy 150 fundraiser YOU play an important role in preparing the groundwork to ensure that we as an organization, move forward in mission for another 150 years. The Legacy Fund is a permanent endowment with generated income that will enable United Methodist Women to distribute grants and scholarships, coordinate work with mission personnel and make needed upgrades to technological and communication systems and more. The Legacy Fund will ensure a regular source of support for these core expenses of being in mission. It will enable United Methodist Women to enhance programming and launch new initiatives to address emerging needs of women, children and youth. The United Methodist Women National Leadership Team courageously set a goal of 60 million for the legacy fund. If that is not stepping out in faith and hope, I don t know what is! I am pleased to let you know that we are a third of the way to reaching that goal. The endowment fund now has a balance of $17.4 million. The Desert Southwest Conference, from inception of the campaign back in 2014 through August 2017, has contributed a total of $25, That is awesome! Make A Donation Please make checks payable to United Methodist Women. Currently, we are not able to take credit card donations. Name: Church: Phone: Rocker Sponsoring: Amount of Donation: Please mail or by March 6 to: Carla Whitmire 207 W. Bluefield Ave. ~ Phoenix, AZ cmwhitmire@gmail.com If the word isn t getting out, United Methodist Women are losing out. Please be sure to share the information in this newsletter with those who don t have access to a computer or printer. Page 3

4 HAVE YOU SHARED YOUR STORY? I m in the final stages of putting together a book of faith stories that have been shared by members of our church. We started this 5 years ago and it has been difficult to convince people how sharing their own faith story could be very meaningful to others who read it. Our legacy is continued by telling our stories. When we share our stories of United Methodist Women, we honor United Methodist Women who have put faith, hope and love into action. Telling our stories to each other is easy because we are sisters in Christ and understand our work in mission. There are many ways we can share our faith story or our personal United Methodist Women story. We have a Facebook page and it is inspiring to read what others have written. If you belong to Facebook, type in this page: Most importantly, share it on the national Our Stories: A Living Timeline Facebook page found at: Sharing on this special Facebook page will allow the larger United Methodist Church community and United Methodist Women members to experience the impact you have collectively made in the lives of women, children and youth. Share your story; share about your experiences in the United Methodist Women and/or your church. Help spread the word about the mission work we do and how our priorities are women, youth and children. Grace and Blessings, Cheryl Buchholtz, President, ckbuchholtz@cox.net THOUGHTS FROM OUR NEW MEMBERSHIP CARE In 2014 while attending Mission u, I decided to become a district officer. The first position was as Mission Coordinator for Membership Nurture and Outreach. This coming year as well as being Secretary of Program Resources, I will again be Mission Coordinator for Membership Care (same membership job, but just a title change). I feel it is very important to have all of the offices filled. Hopefully I can successfully do both. We are always looking for anyone interested in becoming an officer. We have a lot of fun together and the interaction with the local organizations is very rewarding. After the first of the year and before March 30, each local organization will need to again register the total number of members. Individuals will not need to resubmit each year.only new members. During training at the Leadership Development Day (LDD) training events at First United Methodist Church, Yuma, and Lakeview United Methodist Church, Sun City, we will talk in greater detail about all of this. Hope to see all of you then. Your sister in Christ, Colleen Becker, cbecker14@cox.net Page 4

5 TREASURER S OUTLOOK As a new officer of the West District United Methodist Women, I am happy to report that the month of October was spent celebrating, getting to know new members in our district, and handling the year end duties. On October 7 th we held our West District Annual Celebration in the Chapel at Willowbrook United Methodist Church. What an inviting facility, beautiful and unique. So very Willowbrook! Thank you to the wonderful ladies and gentlemen that took care of every little thing for us and made our celebration memorable. From the wonderful set up to ensuring we had everything we could possibly need, Willowbrook United Methodist Women and United Methodist Church...you sure know how to entertain in style! Thank you! Then it was on to Yuma and Gila Mountain United Methodist Church for the Desert Southwest Conference Annual Celebration. Gila Mountain United Methodist Women you rock! Your members and pastor were so welcoming and attentive to our needs. The conference started off with a visit and tour of the Old Fort Yuma Indian Mission on the banks of the Colorado River. After hearing about the history of Old Fort Yuma Methodist Mission Church, we headed back to Gila Mountain United Methodist Church to a delicious chili dinner with ALL the fixins! Sweet fall festive decorations adorned each table and service with a smile and a helping hand was greatly appreciated. We then were presented with a study on Racial Justice which was informative and very interesting. I learned that the Charter for Racial Justice was adopted by the Methodist Church! On Saturday it was time for the business end of the conference which was handled thoroughly and efficiently. The installation of officers was accomplished and once again Gila Mountain graciously provided service with a smile and a tasty chicken salad luncheon. Thank you Gila Mountain United Methodist Women and United Methodist Church. You were tremendous hosts!! Your sister in Christ, Michele Justice Michele-justice@qwestoffice.net Sally Dorrell and Michele in front of the Mission Hand Beaded Cross in the Sanctuary Page 5

6 VICE PRESIDENT S THOUGHTS What a wonderful District Annual Celebration we had at Willowbrook United Methodist Church. The speaker from Justa Center was marvelous. Those who could not attend were missed. The Desert Southwest Conference Annual Celebration at Gila Mountain United Methodist Chuch, Yuma, was also great. These two events are always the highlight of the year. This is my last article for the Cactus Patch as a West District Officer. These last 6 years have brought me much joy. I have been so blessed to have such great officers to work with over the last 6 years. It is hard for me to think I will not be a part of the West District Team but my tenure is finished. Each one of you will always remain close to my heart. The 2018 officers are awesome and I know our West District will grow because of each one of them and their leadership and hard work. I have enjoyed visiting with the local organizations and have met so many great United Methodist Women. Each local organization has invited me to many lovely luncheons, great programs and asked me to install their officers which I really enjoyed. You have always been willing to help me with any needs that arose. I thank each one of you for your kindness to me. Words cannot express my gratitude. My husband and I are moving back to Missouri where our daughter lives and also both of our families. It will be a big change, but we feel it is the right thing to do at this time in our life. However, I am going to miss seeing and visiting with each of you at the many events hosted by United Methodist Women. This was always the time to catch up with friends and make new friends. May God bless each one of you as you continue to do the mission work for women, children and youth. Your sister in Christ, Sally Dorrell, sldorrell@gmail.com HELP SEND FOUR WOMEN TO ASSEMBLY 2018 There is an opportunity to help fund four Desert Southwest Conference The Power of Bold scholarships for Assembly by donating $15.00 in honor or in memory of a United Methodist Women member that has been a special part of your life. You may honor more than one woman if you like for $15.00 each. The name of these women honored will be listed on the website and published in the Desert Southwest Conference United Methodist Women s e-newsletter, The Southwest Winds. You will find the donation form on our website. Continue to watch the Conference E-Newsletter for updates on Assembly Page 6

7 SECRETARY S TIDBITS What a wonderful West District Annual Celebration we had!! It was held at the church I attend.willowbrook United Methodist Church. Our guest speaker was Barbara Lewkowitz, Executive Director at Justa Center. This was the first time we had someone from Justa Center speak at our annual celebration. We learned so much! I just wish more ladies could have been there. I am so proud of the ladies of Willowbrook who did such a wonderful job in everything. Everyone felt so welcomed and glad to be a part of this event. Having the host church do such a wonderful job in this event makes it so much easier for us district officers. Again, thank you Willowbrook!!! Our next big event will be the Leadership Development Day training events in January and February. I urge every officer, whether new to the office or a continuing officer, to attend this training. We learn new things and also learn so much from each other. The dates are January 20th at First United Methodist Church, Yuma, and February 10th at Lakeview United Methodist Church, Sun City. See page 1 of this Cactus Patch for more details and the link to the registration page on the conference website. This is my last year as district secretary. I have been serving in this office for 3 years and have enjoyed working with and meeting many ladies in United Methodist Women. Everyone is so happy and glad to be doing such great mission work for women, children and youth. This is a great organization to be a part of. Of course, you will not be getting rid of me entirely.i am still the communications coordinator who publishes the Cactus Patch. So keep those article coming! Please welcome your new district secretary, Christine Jones. I know she will do a great job and bring her own style to this office. Hope to see everyone at our January and February training!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! God bless you and your family! Sharon Weber, sweber08@cox.net PROGRAM RESOURCES CORNER October was a very busy month. Not only do we have the District Annual Celebration but also the Conference Annual Celebration. Both meetings were well attended and took care of necessary business to prepare us for another year. Special thanks go out to both churches that were great hosts for those events. As the year is winding down, it is time to remind everyone to get all of those final year reports to the district officers. I hope many of you have been reading books again this year. Turn in your reading lists to your local organization secretary of program resources. She will then get your names to me with the plan you have completed. I will have certificates to hand out to all of you dedicated readers at the Leadership Development Day (LDD) training sessions in January and February. We have many good books on the reading program coming up for Remember this year you can continue to read any of the books from 2013 through Happy reading to all of you. Your sister in Christ, Colleen Becker, cbecker14@cox.net Page 7

8 COMMITTEE OF NOMINATIONS COMMENTS My last year as Chair of Committee on Nominations is almost over. Your new Co- Chairs for the coming year will be Helen Jackson and Pam Jackson (a dynamic mother and daughter duo). I will be an appointed member of the Committee on Nominations for 2018 so you can still contact me for any help. There will be a few new officers and you will get to know them at the Leadership Development Day (LDD) training events in January and February of Please come to these meetings, even if you have held your office for a long time --- there are new things to learn and new ladies to meet. We are still looking for a vice-president and a couple members for the Committee on Nominations. We look forward to receiving some names to consider for these openings. Please fill out the questionnaires in your LDD training folders so the Co-Chairs of the Committee on Nominations will have ideas of who is interested in certain positions. We appreciate your help. God bless you in this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are so fortunate to live in this country, even with the fires, floods, and tragedies. May you be safe and have a wonderful season with family and friends.see you in January. God bless you always, Chair of Committee on Nominations, Lila Dell Aringa, yamalil@cox.net Committee: Helen Jackson, phjackson1@q.com Pam Jackson, pd-jackson36111@live.com Pam and Helen NEWEST MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS My name is Eva Ndavu and I will be a member of the Committee on Nominations from Since joining First United Methodist Church, Glendale in 2013, I have been a care-giver in the nursery, greeter, liturgist, Bible study leader, preacher, and both secretary and president of United Methodist Women (UMW). I have attended the Friendship Bible study group, memoirs class, church council, staff/parish committee, various other study groups, as well as District, Conference and Jurisdiction meetings of UMW. I belong to Esther Circle and prepare the biannual newsletter, "Esther Circular. I enjoy the fellowship, prayer, and mission opportunities of UMW and look forward to interacting with more women at district level. Before repatriating in 2012, I lived in Africa for 38 years, first in Kenya and then in the Republic of Congo. My profession of English teacher eventually took me to a mid-career change into publishing where I was a cultural reporter, arts columnist, proofreader, technical editor, freelance editor and then assistant editor at the British Institute in Eastern Africa. I ended my professional career as the English editor in the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville. I retired with my favorite companion, Misty (a.k.a. Caudatus Midsummer Eve, East Africa Champion schnauzer), in 2008 in Rongai, Kenya. My personal motto is from the Book of Micah from which I paraphrase: to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly (with God). Eva Ndavu, erndavu@yahoo.com Page 8

9 2018 WEST DISTRICT LOCAL ORGANIZATION CALENDAR January 20 LDD Southwest Area First UMC Yuma 298 W. 3 rd Street, Yuma February 10 LDD West Valley Lakeview UMC Sun City W. Thunderbird Blvd., Sun City February 15 March 3 March 10 May 15 May July August 3-4 August 15 August October 6 October November 15 Cactus Patch Article Due Social Action Event East/West District TBD Rock-A-Thon Event East/West District Cross in the Desert UMC, N 32 nd St, Phoenix Cactus Patch Article Due Assembly-Columbus Ohio (open to all UMW ladies / not required for West District Officers, but can attend at own expense) Mission u North District/Las Vegas Advent UMC, 3460 N. Rancho Rd., Las Vegas, NV Mission u East/ West Districts Velda Rose UMC, 5540 E. Main St., Mesa Cactus Patch Article Due Mission u South District St. Mark s UMC, 1431 W. Magee Rd., Tucson West District Annual Celebration Trinity Phoenix 3104 W. Glendale Ave, Phoenix Conference Annual Celebration North District - Desert Spring UMC 120 Pavilion Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV Cactus Patch Article Due WHEN REPORTS ARE DUE DUE DATE REPORT NAME SEND TO Mar. 31 Census Report Form National Website to complete May 15 Marilyn Jean Chapman Scholarship and Marilyn Sue Stout Scholarship Applications District President Sept. 1 Memorial List District MC Membership Care Nov. 30 Your local organization s officers information District Secretary Dec. 10 Local Organization Final Financial Report District Treasurer Dec. 10 Reading Program Participant s Information District Secretary of Program Resources Dec. 31 Living the Charter for Racial Justice Reporting Form District MC Social Action Dec. 31 Mission Today Forms District President Dec. 31 Outstanding Local Organization Form District MC for Education for Msn Page 9

10 THOUGHTS FROM MEMBERSHIP CARE The Census of our membership is an on-going task for Membership Care Coordinators. Keep adding your new members as they join. Also, let National know when a person passes away or moves from your area, giving them the name of the person and date of withdrawal so they can be removed. The president of each organization will be doing the end-of-year census, giving National the total number in their group. Since my term on District is ending...i must say, "Good-bye!" I have certainly enjoyed my stints on the West District Team, meeting so many great ladies working, with the help of God, to make the world a better place. If someone asks you to be a district officer, just say, "Yes, I will." You will never be sorry, and will learn so much about the workings of United Methodist Women, but have a lot of fun, too. I will still be involved in my local organization, working hard as long as I can...there is still a lot to be done in this old world, and, thankfully, many of your hands are available to do it all. Wouldn't it be nice to work ourselves out of a job? Hope to continue to see many of you at our annual celebrations...and maybe even at some of the on-going events as we see them listed in the Cactus Patch. Blessings and Love, Jan Butler, jbutler928@twc.com COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR NOTES We had another great District Annual Celebration!! What fun and a great speaker from Justa Center, Barbara Lewkowitz. This was the first time we had someone from Justa Center. Hope to have them back again soon. Our next event is Leadership Development Day (LDD) in January and February. We will be going to First United Methodist Church, Yuma, on January 20th. Then on February 10th we will be going to Lakeview United Church, Sun City. Hope to see all the officers at one of the training events! We learn something new every time and from each other! More information is on page 1 of this issue of this Cactus Patch along with a link to the registration form which is on the Conference website. Thank you for all those articles for this issue of the Cactus Patch. It was great seeing so many articles!! This is a great way for other local organizations to find out what everyone has done and what great activities that are planned. Please keep sending me the information. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!! God Bless You, Sharon Weber, sweber08@cox.net The PURPOSE of United Methodist Women 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. Page 10

11 INCOME INEQUALITY U.S. income inequality has been increasing steadily since the 1970's, and now has reached levels not seen since 1928," according to Emmanuel Saez, economic professor at UC Berkley through the Pew Institute. Professor Saez uses IRS tax returns dating back 100 years. "Since the 70's those incomes in the uppermost brackets began rising dramatically, while those at the bottom 90% began to fall. Those at the upper income levels had 22.5% of all pretax income while those at the bottom 90% share of the income was than 50% for the first time ever. "Low and middle-income people were most likely to say the U.S. economic systems favors the wealthy and even 52% of high-income people agreed our system favors the wealthy." (Pew Research) Economic inequality focuses on income inequality. The Washington Post found that the top 20% of earners are making over 50% of the total earning in any given year. Income is the amount of money earned while wealth is the amount of stuff you own: homes, cars, savings, and retirement accounts." The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has issued a huge report dealing with WEALTH inequality. Accordingly the poorest in the 40th percentile will remain there forever. The data shows that the higher inequality equals less economic growth. The reality is the top 20% of the U.S. households own more than 84% of the wealth. The bottom 40% combined available income for those at the bottom have 0.3% of the income available to them. Other studies indicate we Americans view inequality through rose-colored glasses. Another study indicates we Americans are culturally optimistic. (Scientific American) According to Pew Research "60% of Americans believe they can rise economically if they work hard." We may not believe it, but the United States is now the most unequal of all Western Nations. And even worse, America has considerably less social mobility than Canada or Europe. Allianz's new Global Wealth Report 2015 "found that America's wealth inequality is more gaping in its income inequality. The report dubbed the U.S. the Unequal States of America. However the United States remains in the top spot with 41.6% of the world's wealth. SOURCES Submitted by Paula Sallas, topjsallas@yahoo.com Page 11

12 SPIRITUAL GROWTH S WORDS OF WISDOM Sorry everyone that I didn t write an article last time. I want to thank everyone for praying and giving your support as we walked through our son Kevin s throat cancer. Kevin passed away on October 4, 2017, at the age of 51. We were blessed to spend two months with him this summer and build memories that will last a lifetime. I want to share with you two writings that Kevin s wife Connie put on the program for his memorial service. Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming Wow! What a Ride!. When I come to the end of the day, and the sun has set for me, I want no rites in a gloom-filled room. Why cry for a soul set free? Miss me a little, but not too long, and not with your head bowed low. Remember the friendship we once shared..miss me, but let me go. For this is a journey we all must take, and each must go alone. It s all part of the Maker s plan, a step on the road to home. When you are lonely and sick at heart, go to the friends we know, and bury your sorrows in doing good deeds Miss me, but let me go. God bless each and everyone and I look forward to fellowshipping with you in Judy Cleaveland, sunsjudy@cox.net THOUGHTS FROM THE NEW SECRETARY Hello my sisters. My name is Christine Jones and I am a member from Glendale First United Methodist Church. What an exciting year it has been for me. In 2016, I returned to the United States after 12 years living abroad. I had been teaching University English in several countries. Shortly after, I was invited to join the United Methodist Women s group in Glendale. It was a real treat. I started attending meetings and getting involved, and then I was invited to serve as the 2018 West District Secretary. What a wonderful honor it will be to serve. I have had the chance to attend so many wonderful events, from Mission u to the West District Annual Celebration, and to see so many wonderful speakers and the unforgettable, and funny, skits. I can t wait to be a part of one next year! I have a lot to learn, but I have a lot of wonderful sisters to help me along the way. I know I am following in some very big shoes, but I am excited to be offered this opportunity. I look forward to getting to know all of you and to learn so much from each member of the district. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Your Sister in Christ, Christine Jones, jones.sensei@gmail.com Page 12

13 CALVARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Hi from our little group!!! However, our efforts are not little!!! While we didn t meet during summer heat, the Crafty Cutie Chicks Circle did meet weekly (and still do) to continue handcrafting many items for children and seniors. Justa Senior Homeless Center in Phoenix continues to receive our donations through December. Another project, Days for Girls, will be done by our Chicks Circle and anyone wanting to help. Monthly Sweet Sunday Bake Sales continue to fundraise for mission work. A large donation of 100 purchased Children s gloves are going to the Pendergast Elementary School District. A Calvary family has been chosen as the 2017 Christmas Family for gift giving. The December 12 th 6:00 p.m. Dinner/Officer Installation will include Secret Sister Gift Exchange and Reveal with Drawing for 2018 Secret Sister. Margaret McBride will be the 2018 President! I appreciate the honor of being 2017 President and know the local organization will thrive in Margaret s capable hands! HAPPY THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS TO ALL! Anita-Louise Cressy, 2017 President GILA MOUNTAIN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH YUMA Well this surely is a fun time for us here at Gila Mountain. The weather has cooled down (no more triple digits or even 90 s) and our winter visitors are starting to show up. We have missed them. Some of our ladies just had fun dressing in costume and handing out Trick or Treat candy to our Learning Pad Pre School children. Even our Pastor Jen dressed up as a purple crayon. But a few of the kids still recognized her. Our Gila Mountain United Methodist Women was honored and proud to recently host the Desert Southwest Conference Annual Celebration last month. In addition to the programs going on Friday and Saturday, we served a chili and cornbread dinner Friday night to 53 district and conference attendees and a luncheon Saturday to 71 registered attendees. Thank you to each and everyone who made the trip to Yuma and a big thank you to conference for allowing Gila Mountain United Methodist Women to host this event. We are in full swing now preparing for one of our biggest fundraisers, our Annual Christmas Tea. I t is Saturday, December 9 th at 2:00 p.m. There will be tea, sandwiches, cookies, candy, entertainment, door prizes. And there is rumor Santa may put in an appearance. Well that s the news for now. We wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas. Have a blessed day. Submitted by: Sherry Lehl Secretary Page 13

14 MOUNTAIN VIEW UNITED METHODIST CHURCH COTTONWOOD One never knows when attending Cottonwood United Methodist Women general meetings what surprises may await them. November 14th was no exception. Since it was World Thank Offering Day, Martha Circle ladies emphasized the international theme by singing "Jesus Loves Me" in Japanese and Spanish. The next surprise was when they sang the words rewritten by one of the members that included the first name of every Mountain View United Methodist Women member. But the fun didn't stop there. Yet another version written by a member included the words Eskimos, Romanians, Turks, Jews, Egyptians, Chinese and many more nationalities and ethnic groups. With everyone singing "Jesus Loves Me," the mission thank offerings were received and mission statements from around the world were read from the 2017 United Methodist Women calendar. It was truly an international afternoon! There never seems to be a shortage of interesting programs. At the September 12th potluck, in commemoration of 9/11, one of the members gave an informative talk and showed pictures of her visit to the Pentagon's 9/11 Memorial. October brought humor as our president led a skit about Noah and the Ark. She borrowed it from Mission u and incorporated it into her report. December will be another potluck and a festive program of Christmas music. Many United Methodist Women members participate in Mountain View's Angels Attic making items throughout the year for the Annual Craft Show. This year's October 20th and 21st event had from the elegant to the whimsical, and from seasonal to practical that filled the long tables, racks, shelves and wall spaces in the Fellowship Hall. In addition, there was the always popular bake sale and serving of lunches. Shopping will soon begin for fulfilling the Christmas wishes of 40 area seniors who live alone. It is in connection with Verde Valley Caregivers and may be the only gift a senior receives. Each gift is placed in a handmade Christmas bag or stocking along with a greeting, ornament and Christmas candy. Community and church folks look forward to filling their own cookie jars or giving for gifts homemade cookies and goodies from our December 16th Cookie Walk. You all are invited. We wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas filled with blessings, joys and God's love! Mary Steiger, Publicity Chair NEW SONG UNITED METHODIST CHURCH SURPRISE All though we have no program for November, we are having our Christmas Tea on December 2nd at 10:30 a.m. We are having a wrapped Christmas ornament gift exchange, tea, yummy scones and a fun time! All women and guest are invited to join in the fun. Bring your tea cup! (We are asking for a sign up for a head count.) This Christmas Tea is always well attended and we always have a fun and great fellowship time every year. See you then! Bev Regoulinsky Co-Chair Communications Coordinator Page 14

15 PRESCOTT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Four of our gals from Prescott United Methodist Church attended the West District Annual Celebration in October. We just wanted to thank all the officers for providing such a wonderful event! The speaker was very informative, the exercise break was fun and the installation of officers with their WD-40 theme was very unique. You are a great team! We were very grateful to the amazing ladies from Willowbrook United Methodist Church for providing such tasty food and lovely table decorations. We were pleased with the three awards (Living the Charter for Racial Justice, Five Star Award and Honorable Mention & Recognition for Remarkable Achievement) we received for 2016 which was our first actual year in action. The ladies in the photo are Janet Davidson-member, Karon Keeler- President, Cathy Shepherd-Treasurer & Janette Gann-member. (Photo by Sally Dorrell) Submitted by, Karon Keeler, President SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH SUN CITY WEST Greetings from beautiful Sun City West! Our United Methodist Women at Shepherd of the Hills are so proud to contribute to a local organization called the Dysart Community Center, which was established in 1962 by a group of twelve determined volunteers to provide basic health and educational resources to local families on the verge of poverty. Educating those in need was the first priority for these volunteers and remains so today. From its founding more than fifty years ago, Dysart Community Center has expanded its services to provide a variety of educational programs for thousands of West Valley residents in our local communities. Today they proudly serve our community with GED, ESL, and citizenship courses for adults, after-school and summer care for youth, and access to various basic needs resources for families and individuals. Our United Methodist Women was delighted to welcome Louisa Kellam (Member of Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church and volunteer at Dysart Community Center) and Annie Ansell (Executive Director) to our monthly luncheon and meeting. Both Louisa and Annie gave us an update on the many wonderful happenings at Dysart Community Center. Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Women loved hearing about their work and how we can continue to support them. Sending blessings to all! Cindy Larson, Secretary Page 15

16 TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH PHOENIX Members and friends enjoyed an informative evening on Saturday, October 23rd, when four representatives from the Arizona Children s Association explained and discussed children s adoption procedures, services, rules, support systems, licensing, government assistance rules and procedures. Facts: In Arizona, 17,000 children are in foster care, 200,000 children live in households headed by grandparents or other relatives. Nearly 3 youths age out every day and need support by caring adults. These are troubling statistics. The Association works with adoption agencies in helping to place children in the correct home. For more information, visit their website: ArizonaChildren.org, or send an at info:arizonaschildren.org. Preceding the program, members and guests enjoyed a tasty potato bar, homemade cookies and drinks. Submitted by, Altene Goodwin, Publicity Chair 2017 WEST DISTRICT ANNUAL CELEBRATION PICTURES Page 16