The Messenger. Cookeville District UMW Summer The President s Message

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1 The Messenger Cookeville District UMW Summer 2015 The President s Message Happy Summer! Summer is upon us and UMW activities are in full swing. Unfortunately, the Cookeville District was forced to cancel our Day Apart which had been scheduled for Feb. 28 th at Fairfield Glade UMC due to the disaster conditions which existed on the Cumberland Plateau from an ice storm the previous weekend and the threat of additional inclement weather during that week. As you may know, the Jamestown, Monterey, Crossville, & Fairfield Glade areas were hard hit by this ice storm and many areas were without power for over a week. Through it all, the love of God prevailed as neighbor helped neighbor in an overwhelming outpouring of community response. The Cookeville District was proud to host the Conference Social Action Event at Cookeville First UMC on Saturday, March 21 st. We were blessed to have Eluid Martinez tell us his story of immigration to the United States and all of the barriers and blessings his family has encountered on this journey. We were also blessed to hear from Rev. Joaquin Garcia. The TN Conference sponsored a Work Trip to the UMCOR depot in Decatur, AL on Friday & Saturday, May 1 & 2. Several groups from our district were able to participate. With the recent tragedy in Nepal, I m sure all help was greatly appreciated. Our next District Event will be our Mission Study which will be held on Saturday, June 20 th at Sparta First UMC. I will be presenting the study from last year s Mission u on How Is It With Your Soul. This will be my first attempt a leading a mission study so all prayer will be appreciated. I am especially looking forward to this year s Mission u which will be held on July at St. Mark s UMC in Murfreesboro. Registration deadline is June 30. Scholarships are available for first time attendees and an application form is included in this newsletter. The Cookeville District will again be presenting one of the plenarys so we will need a good turn out from the District for participation. The Cookeville District Annual Meeting will be held on October 3 rd at Burton s Chapel UMC in Algood. Look for more information in the next Messenger. Other upcoming Conference Events are the Spiritual Life Retreat at Beersheba Springs, Sept and the Conference Annual Meeting on Oct 17 at Chapel Hill UMC in the Columbia District. With all of these opportunities to serve and grow, isn t it great to be a United Methodist Women! I look forward to seeing you soon. Blessings, Melva Nunnery

2 *****Please share the information in this newsletter with others in your unit. Not every person receives a copy.****** Cookeville District Mission Study June 20, 2015 at Sparta First United Methodist Church 23 N Church St., Sparta am to 1pm Registration 9 9:15 Study presented by District President Melva Nunnery How Is It With Your Soul (Having the book is not necessary to participate) Lunch will be provided by Sparta First UMW ************************************************************** ************* 2015 Dates to Remember Cookeville District UMW August 15 Reports for Mission Study, Living the Vision, Memorial, Reading Program, and Five Star Giving are due - more information on next page. October 3 Annual Meeting at Burton s Chapel UMC 9 AM Tennessee Conference UMW July Mission u St. Marks UMC, Murfreesboro September Spiritual Life Retreat Beersheba Springs October 17 UMW Conference Meeting at Chapel Hill UMC Columbia District *** Some forms needed to make reports and more info on Mission u can be found at Also look for UMW on Facebook: Tennessee Conference United Methodist Women.

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4 Cookeville District UMW Social Action and Justice Project 2015 Dianne Sneed Social Justice Coordinator Cookeville District Missions Are Close By: Encountering the Homeless We don t have to look far off to go on a Mission Trip. Homelessness is devastating families all over our region. What will we do? We can walk on by and pretend it doesn t exist. Or we can stop, acknowledge the problem and start taking steps to change lives. What do you do when you see someone holding up a sign that says, WILL WORK FOR FOOD? Do you roll down the window and give them money? Do you pretend you didn t see them? Nobody likes to be confronted by the homeless---their needs often seem overwhelming---but we all want to treat them fairly and justly. Here are five simple guidelines to equip you to truly help the homeless people you meet: 1. Never give cash Often it is converted to drugs or alcohol. 2. Talk to the person with respect Taking time to talk to a homeless person in a friendly, respectful manner can give them a wonderful sense of civility and dignity. 3. Recognize that homeless people (and their problems) are not all the same The person you meet may be a battered woman, an addicted veteran, someone who is lacking job skills or maybe just someone down on their luck ((which is a place we could all encounter ourselves). 4. Share God s love whenever you can If Jesus were walking on the earth today, He would spend time with the homeless. Today he chooses to work through us who believe and follow Him. 5. Pray for the homeless God will hear and use our prayers so that the broken and down hearted of life on the street may look to Him for help and find Him as their personal Savior. Our state comes in 41 st out of 50 in a new report from the American Institutes for Research, a national nonprofit that oversees the National Center on Family homelessness. When we see the adult person on the side of the street with the signs, we often forget MOST of the time there are children involved. Homeless children are the most invisible and neglected individuals in our society. Health problems facing Tennessee children living in poverty are the worst in the nation. The report also noted that in , the number of homeless children was at 28,789. When visiting a crowded homeless shelter, which often provides a small sleeping area and sometimes a meal, RARELY are they given any basic hygiene supplies necessary to maintain their health and confidence. Access to these supplies can give the homeless a greater sense of self and brighter outlook on life. I am challenging each group in our district, TO HELP THE HOMELESS retain their dignity during a trying time in their lives. A profound statement I read in one article said, Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.

5 Below you will find lists of items that can be used in hygiene kits. They are inexpensive items that can be purchased when individually shopping or in bulk purchasing by your group. (The Dollar Tree stores are a great place to order bulk and not have to pay shipping it is delivered to your local store where you can make arrangements to pick up and if your church has a tax exempt number it can be used also.) Please as a group look over these lists. PRAY over this project. Decide which items you would like to use for your kits. With BIG HEARTS let s help make a difference for the homeless. Kits can be individual for women, men, children or items can be combined to form a family kit. Groups are encouraged to make a variety of kits. Please LABEL the kits to designate the type kit so it can be properly distributed. Soap Shaving Cream Toothbrush & Cap Disposable Razors Toothpaste Lotions (Huskies good for Men) Washcloth Chap Stick Deodorant Socks (New or CLEAN used) Comb/Brush Band-Aids. Shampoo Anti-Bacterial Creams Tissues (Pocket Size Packs) Hand Sanitizers Feminine Hygiene Products ( FAMILY KITS may also include Small Containers of Laundry Soap) When making individual children kits remember to keep everything children significant such as: Tearless Shampoo, Child toothbrush etc. Coloring books, small packs crayons or small toy and maybe a special goody that will not melt or be harmful to a child can be added to child s kit. Baby wipes, diaper rash cream, diapers, pacifiers and small baby toy were suggested **REMEMBER SOME ITEMS CAN BE BOUGHT IN MULTIPLE PACKS (for only $1 per pk) WHICH HELPS GO A LONG WAY ON INDIVIDUAL KITS** Use (Strong) Gallon Zip Lock bags to pack items in. Be sure Lids on all liquids are Sealed Tight. BRING YOUR PACKETS to our District Meeting, OCTOBER 3 rd at BURTON s Chapel. Let s have a BIG PRAISE CELEBRATION and THANK OUR GOD that we are HELPING MAKE A DIFFERENCE in HOMELESS LIVES!!! At present time Homeless Shelters in our District are being contacted to see if help is needed. Announcement will be made at meeting where kits will be distributed. If your church or community has a need for these go ahead and make your kits and get them out in the homeless community just keep up with how many and give the number to Dianne so she will know. Remember to pray for the homeless and Thank God Every Day for the BLESSINGS HE GIVES US ******************************************************** Report from Paula Lafever North Alabama Disaster Depot Work May 1 and 2 A group from Crossville and Algood went to the North Alabama Disaster Depot recently to work. We were kept busy making health kits, school kits, and birthing kits to be sent overseas. We also learned there were now mission projects like sheet mission that cuts down and sews sheets for hospitals, shoe box for Christmas mission, box mission for packing household items after disasters, casket mission for babies whose parents can t afford to bury them. We also learned there are tarps, generators, ice chests, etc. there ready for us to pick up for disasters. They want churches to come and get these supplies when needed. It was a wonderful experience and my hope is more groups will go and work in this wonderful connectional mission Several Reports are due from the Local Units by August 15 th

6 Reading Program Report * Please send to Karen Ethridge; 124 Clearview Dr., McMinnville, TN Mission Study Record and Living the Vision Reports* Please send to Donna Dilts; 72 Beverly Hills Circle, Apt.1; Crossville, TN *These forms are available online at Memorial Report a list of members deceased through July 31 st. They will be recognized at District and Conference Annual Meetings. Please send to Edith Tubbs; 134 Quinland Lake Road; Cookeville, TN Five-Star Giving Report - for units committed to completing all five areas of Mission Giving by December 31 st of this year. Please send to Beverly Loitz; 5185 Crossville Highway; Sparta, TN Spiritual Life Retreat Beersheba Sept 11 th -13 th, 2015 Angels We will gather in Beersheba to experience God s abundant beauty of nature, fellowship with friends across the conference. We have chosen the topic of Angels for our study. The registration form and information will be available at Mission u. Our Purpose The organized unit of United Methodist Women is 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. UMW Theme for 2015: Welcomed by God - Welcoming All Scholarship Application Form

7 The Cookeville District United Methodist Women is offering a scholarship(s) to the Tennessee Conference United Methodist Women Mission u and to the Conference Spiritual Growth Retreat. The scholarship includes registration, lodging and meals. Transportation and resource books will be at your own expense. To be eligible for a scholarship, you must be a member of a local unit of United Methodist Women and have never attended a Tennessee Conference United Methodist Women Mission u or Conference Spiritual Retreat. Application for the scholarship to the Tennessee Conference United Methodist Women Mission u must be in by June 10. Application for the scholarship to the Conference Spiritual Growth Retreat must be in by August 1. Name Address Phone Member of a United Methodist Women s unit at (name of church) Have you ever attended a Tennessee Conference Mission u? Have you ever attended a Tennessee Conference Spiritual Retreat? Which scholarship are you applying for? Conference Mission u Event Conference Spiritual Retreat Send to District President: Melva Nunnery 125 Abby Lane Byrdstown, TN 38549

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