The Messenger CT District UMW Volume 4 Issue 2 2014 My Beloved Sisters, FROM YOUR DISTRICT PRESIDENT I greet you in the name of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Master, Redeemer and Friend. Today I celebrate women: United Methodist Women, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, surrogate mothers and all who fulfill the role of mothers. This is the time to celebrate women whose deep spirituality, compassion, courage, determination, great commitment and faith in God propelled us to take a stand for social justice issues that affect women, children and youth. We pause to remember Lois Dauway, champion for Social Justice who served as head of United Methodist s Social Action section of Women s Division. Ms. Dauway recently joined God s heavenly host. I was deeply saddened to hear of her death. We have been blessed to have a phenomenal, inclusive and diverse group of leaders through the years who were giants in their particular role. In recognition of Women s History month, I would to share some of our role models: Theressa Hoover, first African-American Deputy General Secretary of Women s Division of United Methodist Women Mai Gray, first African-American woman elected President of Women s Division of United Methodist Women Minerva Garza, early pioneer of the Women s organization for the Rio Grande Conference. She organized the first Spanish-language School of Christian Mission (now Mission u) Carrie Parks Johnson, a Southern white woman of the Women s Missionary Council of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South was named chair of the Commission on Race Relationships Thelma Stevens, first head of the Women s Division s Christian Social Relations. She used the power of invitation to work for social change Mary Fletcher Scranton, the first Woman s Foreign Missionary Society representative to Korea. She was the founder of the Ewha Girls School which today is the Ewha Woman s University, one of the most prestigious women s schools in Asia. Josephine Gibson, the first black dean of the New York Conference School of Christian Mission. The Conference established the Jo Gibson Scholarship in her memory. First time attendees may apply for financial assistance to Mission u (application attached). This is only a glimpse of a few of our predecessors who paved the way for United Methodist Women as we carry out the mission Jesus left for us to follow. We don t have to look far to see our contemporary leaders following in their footsteps. On President s Day, our fearless leader Harriett Jane Olson, Deputy General Secretary, Sung-ok Lee, Associate General Secretary, both of United Methodist Women National Organization; Deaconesses, United Methodist Women, United Methodist Women and other United Methodist organizations took their place at the front of the line in protest of deportation, they were taking action for Immigration. Clara Barton, Executive Secretary for Community Organizing is also a strong leader for Immigration. We celebrate the women of the CT District, all local United Methodist Women Units who carry on the legacy and traditions left first by Jesus to do mission, continued by our founding foremothers. We celebrate Martha Wachs, 100 year old UMW swimmer of Stratford UMW, read her story in the February issue of Response Magazine. We celebrate the women of the Five-star Units. We celebrate the Units who participate in the Reading Program. We celebrate Units who send members to Mission u. We celebrate Units that make use of UMW resource tools: UMW Program Book, Response Magazine, The Charter for Racial Justice, Prayer Calendar and Bible Study. (continued on Page 2) Inside this issue: Spring Day Apart Registration Form and Directions From Spiritual Growth and Social Action Mission Coordinators From Treasurer and Nominations Chairperson From Nominations Chairperson (con t) and Secretary for Program Resources From Secretary for Program Resources (con t) and Communications Coordinator and Church Women United Advertiesment UBUNTU Day flyer Mission u flyer Dates to Remember 3-4 5 6-7 7-8 8 9 10
The Messenger Page 2 (President s message continued from page 1) Golden Hill UMW hosted our CT District Winter Gathering and Luncheon and received all guest with warm hospitality. There were 77 women registered for the day. Our theme was Women Called to Action through the Ages. Isabel Trudeau was the Musician for the day and Yvette Richardson; President favored us with a special solo, Lord, here am I. A delicious lunch was served followed by updates from UMW National Organization. Pastor Barton offered the closing Communion Meditation. Hunger Workshop at The Church Center for the United Nations: On this winter s first warm sunny Saturday morning, 18 United Methodist Women and friends boarded Metro North at several different stations bound for Church Center for the United Nations (owned by United Methodist Women National Organization). Jennifer McCallum, Seminar designer UMW National, greeted us in the Tillman Chapel for welcome, introduction and worship. The day included discussion on The Growing Economic Divide led by Jeannette Huezo, Education Coordinator, United for a Fair Economy. The group was involved and engaged in exercised to heighten the awareness of all participants. Christine Ashley, Domestic Policy Analyst, from Bread for the World made a presentation on the topic, Ending Hunger in the United States. In small groups we were given two different scenarios and asked to create a Simulated Budget for the family structure given. The workshop ended with small groups deciding on an action plan to implement, upon completion, the group will report back on the status or completion. My Sisters, as we welcome spring and begin this Lenten season, I pray that on your journey your heart, mind and Spirit will be touched as you experience a new walk with God. Looking ahead, we invite you to join us for a District UBUNTU Day of Service, Saturday, March 15, 2014 (see insert). Plans are underway for our District Spring Day Apart Program and Luncheon, Saturday April 5, 2014 at the Asbury UMC, 90 Church Avenue, Forestville, CT (see registration), Speaker, Gloria McAdam of Food Share. Our theme for the day: Women called to action through the ages Hunger in our midst. What can we do to help? We are here for you; tell us how we can be of service... offer assistance, publicize your UMW events, participate or present a program for UMW. We would like to hear and share your stories. MAKE IT HAPPEN is the theme for 2014 UMW Assembly, please join us in Louisville, KY check www.unitedmethodistwomen.org for details. Peace and blessings, Roena Littlejohn, President CT District United Methodist Women (203) 331-9653 bobsroe@optimum.net 1 in 6 Americans Face Hunger Lost and found items at Winter Gathering: 2 books purchased and left behind 1 pair ladies gloves, brown with black buckle Please contact Roena Littlejohn at (203) 331-9653
The Messenger Page 5 Page 7 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. From Spiritual Growth Mission Coordinator As the winter season gives way to spring, we see the snow and ice recede. The days grow longer with more light. The crocus bulbs send forth the green shoots and soon the tiny buds and then the flowers appear. We rejoice as we hear bird songs. Is this not like the way God grows into our lives when we move from troubled times in our lives? We become aware of God's place in our lives. He has seen us through the cold and struggles. We feel the growth of warmth and light of His presence. We are energized with joy and have renewed strength to move forward in joy to meet our challenges. We are ready to move out of ourselves to carry God's love and His word to all we encounter. Let us move forward with the sustaining powers we gain from our daily walk through life with our Awesome God. Rejoice for the Lord God we serve is more in every way than we can possibly imagine. Sandra Ann Craig (860)-738-2035 HCraig@snet.net From Social Action Mission Coordinator Our Spring Gathering will be focusing on "Hunger in Our Midst". Since many of our churches are actively addressing this issue, we would like to compile a list of what you are doing to share with our units. This will be a resource of ideas as well as a support to others who might want to start something new. Please let me know what you are doing so that we can share it in our program book for that day. Please put hunger in the subject heading. A resource you might want to share at one of your meetings is the DVD "A Place at the Table". There are wonderful resources at www.bread.org. Included are ideas for worship that you can use with your church or units. When you come to Spring Day, please bring some pictures cut from magazines of children, families, and food. We will be using them for an action activity that day. We are all familiar with the"stand your ground" laws in Florida. Let us focus on"standing our ground" as Christians in our response to peace, hunger, LGBT brothers and sisters, immigration, justice, and other issues facing our world. Christine McGregor cjmcgregor50@hotmail.com (203)-932-0792
The Messenger Page 6 Page 7 FROM DISTRICT TREASURER Thank you for your 2013 Mission Giving of $25,300.14. We sent $23,360.14 to New York Conference UMW and retained $1,955.84 for A&MD expenses. Your 2013 Supplementary Giving of $2,062.90 was forwarded directly to New York Conference UMW for the designated purposes. Our CT District UMW Pledge to Mission Giving for 2014 was lowered from $30,000 to $20,000, due to a downward trend in Mission Giving from local UMW over the past few years. Some of our faithful giving units have closed, and some others have reduced their pledges due to the current situation in their churches and/or UMW. For those who are able to maintain or increase your pledges, thank you! If your church does not have a local UMW there are still opportunities to contribute to UMW Mission Giving: - Is there someone in your church who you would like to honor for their years of mission service? Consider giving a Special Mission Recognition pin and certificate (minimum $40). - Would you like to send a greeting card to celebrate an occasion or honor someone, or in memory of a loved one, that includes a (minimum $5) donation to UMW Mission Giving? Gift to Mission and Gift in Memory cards are available for this purpose. - Consider asking church members to set aside their pocket change for a month or two (e.g. during Lent) in a World Thank Offering box or jar (boxes and labels are available), then collect the funds and conduct a brief dedication service (available in the 2013-2014 UMW Program book). Please contact me at jekeyes1@comcast.net or (860) 285-0389 to order a pin or greeting card, or to assist you with obtaining World Thank Offering supplies. Every little bit helps! How are your UMW Mission Giving contributions used? How are your A Call to Prayer & Self Denial offerings used? I invite you to read the February 2014 response magazine that contains the map locations and names of UMW and partner missions and ministries with women, children and youth throughout the world, plus an article describing how the 2013 A Call to Prayer & Self Denial offerings are being distributed. Please continue to brainstorm and pursue multiple ways to raise funds to help us meet, or better yet, exceed our 2014 CT District UMW pledge to Mission Giving, to the glory of God. Janet Keyes CT District Treasurer 20 Canterbury Lane Windsor, CT 06095 jekeyes1@comcast.net (860) 285-0389 FROM NOMINATIONS CHAIRPERSON How is your New Year resolution coming along? Would you like to try something different and rewarding this year? Going back to the basics, let s call it default mode. What comes to mind when you think of the Cain and Abel story? As a child, I always wondered, why did God reject Cain s offering? Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. Cain did not give the best of his fruits but Abel brought the best of his flock. God knows when we are offering him our best and when we are not. In many ways most of us are like Cain. Why do I say this? We offer our service to God in our spare time. We wait for our kids to leave home, when they no longer require our time, when we are older and retired, when we no longer have family demands. I have (continued on next page)
The Messenger Page 7 (continued from page 6) I heard some say I just graduated or unemployed and is looking for a job; I have young kids and have no time to spare, etc. I have commitments in my local church. Wake Up! It is refreshing to increase your horizon and broaden your service to God by teaming with others out of your normal and local circle. Here, you become a part of the team that reaches out and positively affect the lives of many. God has not given up on us. He said to Cain, if you do well, will you not be accepted? He is saying the same to us now. Did you know that we have a membership handbook for sustaining and maintaining membership? Reading from the old handbook, #162 required United Methodist Women to provide in home child or elder care. We have so much to offer, but we are cheated because our officers are so few, tired from long service and therefore limited to implement all the benefits allowed by our organization. Please sign up for reserved service in all positions. We should not have our officers remain in any position longer than they want to. We should have the following positions filled soon: Vice President, Secretary and Education & Interpretation Coordinator. Pray for the interested candidates. Want to serve? contact me at melethapeters@aol.com or call 860-836-1994. Leave a message that says I want to serve. with your email address and contact phone #. Please send or bring thank-you cards to the spring gathering to give to your district officers as an encouragement. Our officers: President: Roena Littlejohn; Treasurer: Janet Keyes; Spiritual growth: Sandra Ann Craig; Social Action: Christine McGregor; Membership Nurture: Kim Boissonneault; Program Resource: Abby Liumoko; Communications: Susan Powers. Meletha Peters Nominations Chair FROM SECRETARY FOR PROGRAM RESOURCES Sisters in Christ, Getting the Resources You Need for Mission Greetings. Once again a reminder to email me requests for program resources you would like in your local unit for spring/summer 2014. Program resources range from music CDs and DVDs to reading program books, gifts and educational materials. I will be placing orders at the beginning of March for the CT District spring gathering in April 2014. My email address is ailumoka@gmail.com. I will also have materials available for this year s Mission U studies: Spiritual growth: How Is It with Your Soul? Geographic: The Roma of Europe Issue study: The Church and People with Disabilities Children and Youth study: The Church and People with Disabilities Don t forget that all resources are also available to you directly at any time from UMW website at http://www.umwmissionresources.org/products (continued on next page)
The Messenger Page 8 (continued from page 7) Immigration - A Must Read America s immigration system is broken. Too many employers game the system by hiring undocumented workers and there are 11 million people living in the shadows. Neither is good for the economy or the country. As we grapple with the challenging task of creating a just and robust immigration system for the 21 st century, I wanted to draw your attention to a fascinating book in this area titled The Slave next Door Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today by Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter. It is truly an informative call to action, easy to read with practical pointers to help us identify warning signs of slavery in our own neighborhoods. Will have copies available for you to browse in April. Stay warm and remain blessed. Abby Ilumoka FROM COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Greetings! I hope that, as you read this edition of The Messenger, you find it informative and useful. Please use the three flyers one for the upcoming UBUNTU Day in March, the second for Spring Day Apart in April and the third for this year s Mission u in July as advertisement in your local church. Post each of them of your bulletin board and draw attention to them at your meetings. If another member would like to receive her own copy of the newsletter, please contact me either by phone at 860-919-3888 or via email at susanlpowers@att.net. I would be happy to include new members to the mailing list or the email group. The Messenger can also feature stories from your local groups. Share news about activities or programs that other groups might want to use. Peace and blessings, Susan Powers Communications Coordinator Church Women United of Connecticut is seeking volunteers to fill two positions on the state board: 1) United Methodist Women liaison, and 2) Social Concerns coordinator. Please contact Betty Allen at (203) 271-7723 or bettyallen42@aol.com for additional information. Church Women United is a long-time UMW mission partner.
The Messenger CT District UMW Susan Powers 49 Sunset Drive Bristol, CT 06010 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED DATES TO REMEMBER March 15, 2014 CT District UMW UBUNTU Day Prudence Crandall Center New Britain, CT April 5, 2014 Spring Day Apart and Luncheon Asbury UMC, Forestville, CT April 23-27. 2014 UMW Assembly, Louisville KY MAKE IT HAPPEN July 24-26, 2014 Mission u Journeying from hole-ness to Whole-i-ness WCSU, Danbury CT