The Purple Cloth. President s Message. Northeast Indiana District United Methodist Women

Transcription

1 The Purple Cloth AUGUST 2010 Volume 2 Dear Sisters in Mission, Northeast Indiana District United Methodist Women President s Message FAITH HOPE LOVE IN ACTION. We have heard these words a lot so far this year... and not just this year. These are the words that define us as Christians. As I write this, The School of Christian Missions starts in a few days and I have been inspired by their study book, Joy to the World! - A Mission Study for 2010 and 2011 by Dana L. Robert. If you ask the typical church member whether he or she is a missionary or an evangelist, the answer will probably be no. Aren t missionaries professionals who are sent by a mission board or mission society to live in a foreign country? Isn t an evangelist someone who leads big revivals or stands on a street corner preaching?... As people become followers of Jesus, they, too, inherit the mission of discipleship. To be a follower of Jesus Christ, to be a Christian, is to share the mission of Jesus, in the way of Jesus (Pg 78). In the way of Jesus is by faith, hope, and putting love into action. Faith is our response to the love and call of Jesus as heard clearly in the testimonies of those who have shared their faith with us and the longing of our heart to be sheltered in the arms of God. Hope is our gift from God. He is our hope and since he is, we have hope within us. Love in action is the inevitable result of faith in God with hearts full of hope. Love is not love if it is duty or a contrived or forced response. Love in action is a response to the love within us through the Holy Spirit. But I can t do it all! That is the cry of our human limitations. Of course we can t. To do it at all is to follow where God leads us, with the energy and message God gives to, to the people we are called to heal along our way, with the love of Christ within us. Our personal ministry of mission and evangelism can be Bonnie Elam, Editor expanded with the help of all women who are in mission through our United Methodist Women s organization. Within that group we are called to the walk he has given us for a time, whether we are officers in UMW or members of local units. Then, when that season has passed, if we are Christian, we will continue to be in mission, for we all have a message to sing. We also have a calling in our lives beyond the organization of the United Methodist Women. Sometimes the two seem to clash and compete for our time. However, if we are prayed up, filled up, and rested up, we can always do what we are called by God to do. We are on a marathon race to reach the hearts and minds of the lost, women with no hope, children with no futures. We must stay in training for this event. Pray for wisdom to recognize those missions God has called us to do and to reject those efforts that would be done to bring self-glory. God will give us wisdom and energy for what HE has called us to do. We must triage all the requests that come in for our time and energy and respond to those tasks that continue our response as missionaries and evangelists for Christ. Live in Love, with the Hope of God within, so that we can respond in action with love. Blessings to you all, Doris Northeast Indiana Luncheon, Assembly 2010

2 PAGE 2 NORTHEAST INDIANA DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN AUGUST 2010 A Message from our Vice President Inside this issue: V. President, Lucinda Pins 2 Reach Out and Touch It is a custom at my church to reach out and hold the hand of the person on each side of you as the benediction is given. As we reach out and touch, we become connected not only to the people around us but to the larger community of our church family. To reach out and touch is a powerful gesture. I have been thinking a lot about this since it is the theme for our fall meeting at Leo UMC on Saturday, September 25. The power of reaching out and touching and the faith involved in that act is illustrated in Jesus encounter with a women who had been bleeding for 12 years. In Matthew 9:20-22, the story is told of her coming from behind to reach out and touch the hem of his garment. Imagine after 12 years how hard it must have been for her to invest all her hope and trust in Jesus and reach out and touch just the hem of his garment. Yet, Jesus tells her, Your faith has made you well. I am struck by the faith it takes to reach out and touch believing all the while that Jesus moves in to situations and brings healing and hope. As United Methodist Women we reach out to our sisters, our churches, our communities and the world in a variety of ways believing that God is present in that act of reaching. At our September meeting, we will celebrate five of the ways we reach out and touch in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. This day will be a time of recognizing that even as we sing, pray, give of time and money, honor those who have gone before us, and learn more about missions, we are involved in holy work. Please join me on September 25 th as we celebrate that we are a community of women called to know God and to Reach out and Touch in His name. Carolyn Danielson -Vice President badydaniel@aol.com (260) Treasurer, Communications 3 Spiritual Growth, Program Resources 4 Membership, Social Action, Nominations 5 Secretary 6 Proposed slate of 2011 Officers 7 Web site of interest 8 Upcoming Events Sept. 25 Northeast District Fall Meeting Leo UMC Oct. 9 Conference Fall Annual Celebration Castleton UMC Nov. 13 District Officer Training Plainfield UMC Mar. 8, 2011 Legislative Day Lucinda Pins YES! We are still selling Lucinda Pins for Lucille Raines Residence! Lucinda Pins will be available at district and conference meetings this fall. September is Autism Awareness month; we will have the puzzle pins with children on them. Also, we will have Halloween, House, and Pumpkin pins. Angel pins are available again as well as our lovely Holiday pins. You won t wand to miss checking out our popular earrings! So bring your check book or extra cash! If you would like to sell pins at your bazaars, we do put them out on consignment; we need two weeks notice. Contact: Marlene Crowder or Carolyn Marshall for more information. See you in September, The Pin Lady - Marlene Crowder

3 AUGUST 2010 Treasurer Women4Women Knitting4Peace received enthusiastic support of UMW members. Let me tell you a story after the instruction sheet for making preemie caps was passed at an early Spring meeting Ruth, an experienced knitter, exclaimed These are very simple to knit! I have a drawer full of yarn which would be perfect. Donna, a novice at knitting, spoke up I think I can make one or two. Between these two ladies nearly 24 caps were added to the stack of 1,145 caps collected at Anderson. Premature babies all over the world born in Guatemala, Sudan, Israel, Iraq and Palestine will feel the warmth and love of UMW women from Northeast Indiana. Other knitted items collected at SOCM were 102 Prayer Shawls, 27 dolls, 5 baby sweaters plus 9 fleece blankets. What a good example of the power of joining together to Reach Out and Touch! At the Fall Annual UMW meeting two different offerings will be collected. First, each of you will be asked to contribute to a Special Mission Offering to honor all United Methodist Women of Northeast Indiana. The second way is each unit treasurer or chosen representative will be asked to bring forward the World Thank Offering placing it in a special basket at the front of the sanctuary. (Treasurers, please enclose a remittance form in the envelope so your unit can receive credit toward your pledge. If Communications Where does the time go??!! Is it just me or is time speeding up and flying by? Just the other day we were so excited to get on the bus for Assembly in St. Louis! What a wonderful trip! To worship and celebrate God s blessings with thousands of women from around the world is an experience every United Methodist Woman should have. If you didn t get to go this year, make plans to go in The next Assembly will be in Louisville, Kentucky, so prayerfully consider attending. Watch for upcoming information on the fall conference meeting at Castleton UMC. Information so far is: NORTHEAST INDIANA DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN your group has not collected the offering yet a token amount can be given and the rest sent in later.) PAGE 3 May I express my appreciation for those of you who continue to meet the challenge to support UMW mission work. As the story above related together we can accomplish our goals by using materials on hand joined with the willingness to use the time and talents each of us possess. No dues are assessed nor are you asked to give more than you have but only to share what God has provided. It is gratifying to hear about successful garage sales, auctions and other local projects to raise funds. This summer several of you are working in your community by serving lunches to school children, working in Food Banks and supporting other local outreach groups. Treasurers, please do not hesitate to phone or ahendryx@verizon.net if you have a question. You will be receiving additional information by mid October detailing the giving for the year and how to close out a successful year. Ardis Hendryx Northeast District Treasurer 1625 Woodland Crossing Fort Wayne IN ahendryx@verizon.net 1/2 PRICE SALE MISSION CARDS from previous years will be available for purchase at the Fall Annual UMW meeting for a reduced price of 50% off. A good way to support missions, cheer a friend, welcome a new baby or offer a thank you for a great job done! CHRISTMAS CARDS can also be purchased or ordered for $25 for 5 cards. Friday, Oct 8 -- Fellowship (baskets for freewill offering for pizza and beverage) Saturday, Oct 9 -- Registration $15 with Sept 29 deadline and registrations mailed to Mary Etta Yoho Please continue to copy, distribute and spread the word through flyers and voice. Blessings, Bonnie Elam Center Stage Assembly 2010

4 PAGE 4 NORTHEAST INDIANA DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN AUGUST 2010 Spiritual Growth Greetings from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Here we are nearing the end of July and looking forward to fall and our fall UMW meeting. God has been good to me and I trust to you all as well. As we look to the fall meeting, we are trusting that many of you will be able to attend and will be blessed by the program we have planned for you. We look forward to seeing you and hope you will bring friends along for the day. We will be looking forward to other plans for the year ahead, looking back and remembering those Saints of God who have passed on to their eternal reward this year, and renewing friendships with other ladies that we don t see as often as we might wish we could. Please come with your heart open to God s blessings and to receive information that will help you, as a person, grow in the Lord, and also to help you to help your Unit grow and reach out to the ladies in your church and your community to become the women God created them to be. May God bless you and yours during these fall days and bring you to our meeting filled with love and praise to a wonderful, amazing and loving God. Hugs and SONshine to all of you! Alice Peterson, Spiritual Growth Friends in Christ are friends forever Secretary of Program Resources I am packing my bags today to attend School of Christian Mission. If you were unable to attend this year the study book is available from the Mission Resource Center and I will have some for sale at our Fall meeting. In my opinion "Joy to the World"(Mission in the Age of Global Christianity) by Dana L. Robert is a must read. This study book is packed full of history. The following chapter titles may give you a glimpse of what this book has to offer: 1) The Gospel Movement across Cultures; 2) From 1910 to the World Church Today; 3) Women and Changing Structures for Mission; 4) Jesus Christ: The Messenger and the Message; 5) Being Sent: The Church in Mission; 6) United Methodist Mission Traditions; 7) Hospitality as Mission; 8) Healing as Mission; 9) Reconciliation as Mission. The second book that I would like to highlight is called "The Road of Lost Innocence" by Somaly Mam. How could a little girl withstand such a childhood and grow up to have such courage and a social conscience? The book is graphic but her story needs to be told. Quote: " Nobody wants you back after you've worked in a brothel. The word for prostitute in Cambodia is srey kouc, "broken woman"...broken in a way that cannot be mended. You are forever ruined and your existence shames the family. Nobody wants people to know they have a prostitute in their family." Children forced into brothels is unimaginable to us but it is happening. You will be amazed to read how a broken little girl grows up to be a strong woman who becomes an advocate for others. Come visit me at the Program Resource table at our events or call the Mission Resource Center for your reading needs. Remember if you buy from MRC (instead of a local bookstore) the money goes to missions. MRC phone number: MRC address: Mission Resource Center, 1221 Profit Drive, Dallas, TX Website: Blessings, Peg Conrad

5 AUGUST 2010 Membership Nurture and Outreach What a great year this has been with Assembly and School of Christian Mission. I hope everyone has coped with the hot weather. Included in this newsletter, you will find a copy of the report I need to have filled out for each unit and returned to me by January 5, We need to be counted for our new district in the Indiana Conference. Social Action Dear Coordinators for Social Action, Hope you all are surviving the heat and humidity of Indiana summers...and still smiling! School of Christian Mission provided many learning, worship, and fellowship experiences at Anderson University. The team did a wonderful job in planning this year s school. The five issues of emphasis for Social Action are: Environmental Justice, Trafficking, Health Obama Care, Immigration, and Racial Justice. We also want to educate our units and churches about Creation Care and going green efforts. Any of these topics would be ideal for a unit program. Legislative Day will be March 8, 2011, in Indianapolis in the rotunda of the Capitol Building. This is a perfect opportunity to meet with representatives to voice our concerns about the issues. More information will be available soon. I have not heard from any of you concerning . I receive Action Alerts regularly from my Conference NORTHEAST INDIANA DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN Committee on Nominations Are you interested in broadening your horizons? Are you interested in learning more about United Methodist Women? Are you interested in attending outreach events that provide enthusiasm and a new perspective for the work of United Methodist Women? There is an opportunity waiting for you to become part of the Northeast District Executive Committee. We are always looking for willing women to join our team and participate in planning the District events. If you would like to be one of these women, please contact me and I will see that you get a talent bank form to Thanks for your help with this important report! Blessings, Charleen Allison Membership, Nurture and Outreach counterpart, and I want to pass them along. However, the expense of mailing them through the postal service can be major. is quicker and cost efficient. If you do not have , I could send them to your president or another officer who has an address. PLEASE contact me immediately by phone or with an address that I can use.. May God continue to nudge us in the right direction as we honor Him through Social Action. Hope to see you at our September 25 district meeting. Deb Johnson 1950 South No Number Road Bluffton IN dj_53@mchsi.com PAGE 5 fill out for the Nominating Committee s review. It s extremely rewarding to be a part of this worldwide organization working to make the world a better place for women, children and youth. Barb McCoy barb.mccoy@verizon.net Youth at SCM 2010

6 PAGE 6 Secretary s Report NORTHEAST INDIANA DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN AUGUST 2010 We ve had a number of firsts this year. One of them was the School of Christian Mission. It was held at a new location, Anderson University, there were new friends to meet and new ways of doing things. There were excellent leaders teaching the three studies: For the Love of God: John s Letters, Joy to the World, and The Beauty and Courage of Sudan. The study leaders lead the studies and gave us resources encouraged us to take the information back to our local Churches to share the information with them. We explored the issues and explored what we can do to help. There were some challenges at School, but everyone was able to work through them with a joyful spirit. The hands on projects this year were to knit and crochet prayer shawls, preemie caps and dolls, which were blessed at the School. The prayer shawls, preemie caps and dolls kept coming in each day through the end of the weekday School and the Saturday Sampler Day. These projects were a wonderful example of the generous giving of United Methodist Women across our conference. Thanks for the awesome outpouring of love you showed. Bonnie Hansen Secretary School of Christian Mission, Anderson University, Indiana July 2010

7 PAGE 7 NORTHEAST INDIANA DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN AUGUST 2010 President Doris Rapp (10-11) 1219 Hitzfield Huntington Zion UMC dorisrapp@comcast.net Vice-President Carolyn Danielson (10-11) 213 West Lafayette Street LaGrange, LaGrange First UMC badydaniel@aol.com Secretary Bonnie Hansen (11) 816 Buckingham Fort Wayne Good Shepherd UMC bonnieumw@verizon.net Treasurer *Joanne Beerbower (11-12) Bayview Boulevard Grabill Leo UMC jbeerbower@aol.com Secretary of Program Resources Peggy Conrad (10-11) 560 W 600 N Columbia City St. Matthews UMC peggyrc@embarqmail.com Spiritual Growth Alice Peterson (10-11) 1930 Medina Cove Fort Wayne St. Joseph UMC agp4ever@verizon.net Education & Interpretation *Phyllis Pieper (11-12) 6260 W 442 N Huntington Huntington Evangelical santa@onlyinternet.net Membership, Nurture and Outreach Charleen Allison (11-12) P.O. Box 307 Hudson Ashley UMC charlou43@gmail.com Social Action Deb Johnson (10-11) 1950 South No Number Road Bluffton Liberty Center UMC dj_53@mchsi.com 2011 Proposed Slate of Officers Communications Coordinator Bonnie Elam (10-11) 6919 Forest Glen Court Fort Wayne Good Shepherd UMC belam@fwgoodshepherd.org Chrm. Nominating Committee Barb McCoy (10-11) 1025 Brandon Way Fort Wayne Forest Park UMC barb.mccoy@verizon.net Nominating Committee Members Jeanne Eck (11) 5939 Meadows Drive Apt. D Fort Wayne Trinity UMC eck05@live.com Laura Gater (12) 41 Line Street Columbia City Columbia City UMC lsgater@kconline.com Johanna Lange (12) 6708 W Maple Grove Road Huntington Trinity UMC Huntington Kittie Kenney (13) 2625 Fox Avenue Apt. 2 Fort Wayne, St. Joseph UMC kittie1234@verizon.net Sharon Kimmel (13) 3283 W Shoreline Drive Columbia City St. Matthews UMC slkimm8@embarqmail.com *Marilyn Armstrong (14) P.O. Box 828 Avilla Avilla Calvary UMC marmstrong@embarqmail.com *Myrna McCracken (14) 75 Lane 101 Lake Pleasant Fremont Angola UMC mccrackenwaterconditioning@earthlink.net *To Be Elected For even the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others ~ Matt 20:28

8 United Methodist Church Fort Wayne District 3920 New Vision Drive Fort Wayne, IN NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Fort Wayne, IN PERMIT NO. 936 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED United Methodist Women 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. There s so much to learn! Check it out! United Methodist Women of Indiana: North Indiana Conference United Methodist Women: General Board of Global Ministries of UMC: Lucille Raines Residence: UMCOR: Assembly 2010: Northeast Indiana United Methodist Women Blog: Indiana United Methodist Church: