Florida Conference United Methodist Women G e n e s i s Winter 2016 vol. 43 no. 1 Purpose United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God, 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. Conference Team: President: Kay Roach roachk@tds.net Vice President: Mae Griner mbgriner@att.net Secretary: Linda Parrish linda-umw@juno.com Treasurer: Ethel Ewing ethelewing@msn.com Secretary-Program Rsources: Kenya Monroe kenyaumw@ yahoo.com Chair, Committee on Nominations: Ruth Jean-Pierre jeanpierreruth@ yahoo.com From President Kay Roach Greetings Sisters in Christ: Happy New Year! It s true the older we get the faster time flies! I certainly pray that you all had wonderful holidays to end your year of 2015 and that you and your local units are busy planning your new year. By the time you read this edition of Genesis, Children s Week at the State Capitol took place and although our FL Conference of the United Methodist Church was not involved this year, United Methodist Women certainly had a presence as we always strive to support women, children and youth not only around the world but certainly in Florida. Being in touch with your State of Florida governmental leaders especially on behalf of children is most important. I m sure you have been busy attending your district training of officers. There is always much to learn and share with one another on how we can continue to grow not only in our faith but how we can help lead our organization to its highest potential. Membership is a special emphasis this year conference-wide. There is a newly developed Conference Committee on Membership and I m sure you will be hearing more about that within your districts. Exciting upcoming conference-wide events will be available which I pray you will try to attend, i.e. Haitian Convocation, Southeastern Jurisdiction Quadrennial Meeting, Church Annual Conference, Mission u, Spiritual Enrichment Retreat and Conference Annual Meeting. Your support and attendance is always needed and appreciated. As always, if I can ever be of help, please let me know at roachk@tds.net or 850-570-5482. I enjoy visiting you whenever I can and I want to know how you are fulfilling your Purpose with Faith, Hope and Love in Action! Blessings, Kay Roach, President and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. Galatians 2: 20 NRSV
FLORIDA CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN GOALS FOR 2016 2017 (Unless otherwise indicated, the responsibility of fulfilling each goal lies with the Conference Leadership Team.) GOAL I - The Conference Leadership Team will use all means of communication to reach current and potential members. Objective 1 Get information out to people at least 2 months prior to an event. o Produce a short DVD and or video clip to promote all conference events (Conference Annual Meeting, Mission u, Spiritual Retreat). Responsibility: Mission u Committee and Program Committee o Distribute information via any of the following: Email, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Texting, Snapchat, Annual Conference website, United Methodist Women website, newsletters, flyers, District United Methodist Women / United Methodist Church s traditional mailing. o Have available and promote at all United Methodist Women s events, handbooks and other materials. Responsibility: Secretary of Program Resources Objective 2 Assist District Leadership Teams in keeping their membership informed about conference events. Strategy: o Contact counterparts to share information following Conference Leadership Team meetings. GOAL II The Conference Leadership Team will continue to educate the members of the Florida Conference United Methodist Women about various aspects of the organization. Objective 1 Promote the Charter for Racial Justice Policies. Strategy: o Hold a dialogue on racial justice at one or more conference events. Objective 2 Encourage participation in Seminar Programs by supporting and promoting the 2017 Seminar in Washington D.C. o Provide scholarships. o Ask attendees to report back to conference and districts. Objective 3 Promote the celebration of the 150 th anniversary of the organization. o Distribute the national Legacy Fund flyers and resources to all districts. o Request that each district promote the Legacy Fund and provide feedback to Conference Leadership Team. o Send save the date flyers to districts for dissemination to units. o Use media to post stories of the mission work at all conference events. o Encourage participation on the National Day of Giving (March 23) through 2019. Responsibility: Leadership Team and Legacy Fund Committee GOAL III: The Conference Leadership Team will equip its members to fulfill the PURPOSE. Objective 1 Provide an example for district and local organizations. o Complete at least Plan I of the Reading Program (which includes reading response magazine.) o Be a Rainbow Giver
o Use the Prayer Calendar o Join the United Methodist Women Action Network o Read and become familiar with the United Methodist Women Handbook and other United Methodist Women resources. o Subscribe to response magazine. o Celebrate the effectiveness of each strategy by the end of each year. Objective 2 Strive to be fresh with ideas in planning programs at all conference events. o Identify most critical messages to be delivered and remain focused on those topics, respecting the time limits allotted. o Use pre-engagement activities to better prepare attendees. o Seek out entertainment (possibly choirs, bands, dancers, and / or college students). o Evaluate all agenda items for relevancy, flow, and transition; reducing content to allow meaningful experience o Continue analysis of evaluation measures to determine effectiveness of the meeting content and purpose. o Make Conference Annual Meeting a celebration. Appoint a Task Force to assist. Create energy and excitement; recognize innovations and anniversary dates of units. Responsibility: Program Committee GOAL IV The Conference Leadership Team will intentionally reach out to women from a full spectrum of ages, cultures, ethnicities, and abilities to participate in events. Objective Provide the opportunity for the attendees to participate fully in all conference event. o Ensure that all event locations are accessible to people with disabilities. o Provide American Sign Language interpreters at all events. o Include a line on registration forms regarding ethnic / cultural background. o Include young women aged 13-35 years in planning events. o Promote scholarships for first time attendees at all events. o Provide social action opportunities to involve and attract women of all ages. Goal V: The Conference Leadership Team will intentionally work toward membership growth. Objective 1 Increase membership by 5% net by Dec. 2017 o Develop programs related to United Methodist Women issues to attract interest of diverse populations of women. o Provide flyers with media information such as a tool kit (including instructions re accessing information on national website). Objective 2 Provide an opportunity to serve others within district and conference o Provide new member packet with a personalized invitation and follow up via phone, email, personal visit, offer transportation. o Offer workshop to visit UMW website and other resources. Responsibility: Leadership Team and Conference Membership Committee Developed at the 2015 Goal Setting session of the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 Leadership Teams, December, 2015
FLORIDA CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN S BUDGET 2016 PLEDGE TO MISSION $410,000.00 SEJ PLEDGE 4,100.00 A & MD BUDGET Church Women United 500.00 Florida Impact 250.00 District s A&MD 68,290.00 Conference/District Training 15,000.00 Committee on Nominations Training 500.00 Annual Conference 2,500.00 Mission u - Florida Conference School 60,000.00 Leadership Update@ Mission u 5,000.00 Spiritual Enrichment Retreat 16,000.00 Conference Annual Meeting 10,000.00 Multicultural Programming 3,000.00 Children s Advocacy 2,000.00 SMR, GTM, GIM 500.00 Scholarships to Retreat and Conference Annual Meeting 5,000.00 Genesis Newsletter 4,000.00 Bulk Rate Mailing Permit 250.00 Conference Directory 500.00 Committee Meetings 14,000.00 Literature-Officer Mission Mailing 800.00 Operating Expenses 1,500.00 Audit 600.00 Contingency 1,000.00 Assembly/SEJ 5,000.00 Limitless 250.00 TOTAL A&MD $216,440.00 TOTAL BUDGET $630.540.00 Approved by Leadership Team July 8, 2015 Approved by Conference Finance Committee August 8, 2015 Approved by Voting Delegates at Conference Annual Meeting, November 7, 2015 Totals for 2015 Pledge $270,500.00 Special Mission Recognition 31,597.95 Gift to Mission 49,317.20 Gift in Memory 13,901.26 World Thank Offering 34,811.52 Total Mission Giving $400,127.93 Designated Giving: Call to Prayer $21,825.48 Legacy $8,134.34 Our commitment to the National Office in 2015 was $400,000.00, so we did meet our commitment, but in 2016 our commitment is $410,000.00. Please continue to honor persons with Special Mission Recognition pins, Gift to Mission cards, Gift in Memory cards and give to the World Thank Offering. Together we can meet our commitment in 2016! Ethel Ewing, Conference Treasurer -o0o- -o0o- -o0o- Visit the Conference United Methodist Women s website for more information about us. flconfumw.org
COME JOIN US!!! For our Fifth Haitian United Methodist Women Convocation, Sponsored by the Florida Conference UMW THEME: Rejoice Pray Give Thanks! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 Saturday, February 20 th, 2016 From 9:00am 4:00pm Wabasso Haitian United Methodist Mission 8799 50 th Avenue Wabasso FL, 32958 GUEST SPEAKER It s an honor to have Marrisa Villarreal from the National Office as our guest speaker. She is the Executive Secretary for Language Ministries. She will talk about the four priorities of United Methodist Women for the next quadrennium We ask for a donation of $15.00 per person 11 yrs - Adult $7.00 per Child 6-10 yrs Children 0 5 yrs are free For information please contact Ruth Jean-Pierre at 305-393-1563 Everyone is invited We hope to see you there!
United Methodist Women Gear Up for Second Annual Day of Giving March 23 United Methodist Women groups around the country are getting ready for the second annual Day of Giving on March 23, 2016, as part of the organization s five-year 150 th anniversary culminating in 2019. The March 23 Day of Giving honors the day in 1869 when a small group of women braved a legendary torrential rain to gather at Tremont Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston, Massachusetts, and organize for mission. The women established the Woman s Foreign Missionary Society, a predecessor of United Methodist Women, and galvanized women around the country to raise money to send a doctor, Clara Swain, and a teacher, Isabella Thoburn, to India as missionaries to serve the women of that nation. A Day of Giving gifts go to The Legacy Fund, a permanent endowment that will support the mission outreach of future generations of United Methodist Women as they address the needs of women, children and youth of their day. Members in every conference participated in the first Day of Giving in 2015, giving more than $100,000 through online gifts, toll-free calls, smartphone texting and mailed-in checks. In 2015 our foremothers standing beside us through $1.3 million a year in interest on endowments that they established to support mission with women, children and youth today. That s a significant legacy, said Martha S. Knight, treasurer of United Methodist Women. The Day of Giving is an opportunity for women today to give that kind of legacy to their daughters, and granddaughters and nieces as they make mission happen with women, children and youth of their day. Thanks be to God. A Day of Giving will be a 24-hour giving festival. Members and friends may give: Online at www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/legacyfund. By phone: 800-278-7771 (8 am-6pm EST, Monday-Friday). Text Legacy150 to 41444. By check to Office of the Treasurer, United Methodist Women, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115. Write The Legacy Fund in the memo section. Conference United Methodist Women Liaisons will be notified of contributions from women in their area but the amount of the gift will always remain confidential. United Methodist Women members and friends may consider giving $15 or $150 or even $1,500, in recognition of our upcoming 150 th anniversary, or $18.69 or $186.90 or even 1,869, in recognition of the year of United Methodist Women s founding. A Day of Giving gifts are 100 percent tax deductible. Contributors will receive an immediate thank you and a printable tax receipt for 100 percent of their donation. Spread the word! As with our foremothers in 1869, in the 21 st century, women still need to organize for mission. Make it happen with a gift to The Legacy Fund on March 23, A Day of Giving.
and to advocate on behalf of the least of these children of God. In a few months, General Conference, the policy making body of The United Methodist Church, will meet in Portland, Oregon. You can play a vital part in this quadrennial event through prayers. Asking God to lead the discussions and to affirm the decisions the delegates will make on behalf of the whole church is the least you can do. Last October, United Methodist Women national office staff has invited the organization to prayerfully make quilts to be given to the delegates as a reminder that we are in prayers with them and for them for the task ahead of them. I hope many of you did take the opportunity to participate directly or indirectly in this project. In Portland, delegates will engage in discussions about ways we should live together as members of The United Methodist Church. They will make decisions on social, economic, moral and public policy issues. My prayer is for those decisions to be more about how we can collectively be better disciples of Jesus-Christ. United Methodist Women, through the resolutions submitted, offer opportunities to the delegates to guide the church toward making the Gospel of Jesus-Christ tangible so that all may know that we are Christians by our love. Indeed the organization 2016-2020 missional priorities, Climate Justice Ending Mass Incarceration Maternal and Child Health Economic Inequality, are embedded in the resolutions submitted to General Conference. Some of those resolutions address more than one issue, but they all call the Church to act For example the resolutions Protection of Water and Environmental Racism submitted by United Methodist Women to be readopted and the new resolutions Environmental Health and Principles for Just and Sustainable Extraction and Production are presented to the Church as statements that Climate Justice is a life giving stewardship and to encourage the church to advocate for all God s creation to thrive. The resolution Criminalization of Community of Color in the US calls the church to advocate to end the criminalization of people of color. All resolutions are posted on the organization website. I would encourage all United Methodist Women members to take the time to read those resolutions and to encourage delegates not only to get familiar with them but also to ask questions if in doubt so they can make an informed decision when they vote. Let us remain in prayers for the 2016 General Conference as well as the five jurisdictional conferences that will follow later in July, so God s glory may be manifested through the people called United Methodists around the globe for all to see! Dr. Judith Pierre-Okerson Director United Methodist Women National Organization Chair of Governance
SEJ Quadrennial Meeting A Fresh Wind Blowing the Theme of the Southeastern Jurisdiction Quadrennial Meeting, June 3-5, 2016, Embassy Suites/Convention Center. Registration $150; which covers the full event including Saturday s Lunch and Banquet, It s an exciting time, an excellent way to learn about United Methodist Women throughout the Jurisdiction; which covers about 15 states. Delegates will be selected from each conference to make up the voting body. Election of Southeastern Jurisdiction Leadership Team will take place for the next quadrennial (2016-2020). Election of the United Methodist Women, Inc Directors will also be elected. The most exciting parts of this gathering for me are the speakers, Bible study, and the Mission Opportunity on Friday, June 3, 2016 from 12:00-4:00 p.m. There is an additional $25 fee. I am so excited about meeting friends I haven t seen in 4 years, the displays from the different conferences, the special music, focus groups and more. In addition to all of that, there are social activities planned for conference fellowships Wow! I hope you are making plans to attend. Registration is available on-line (http://bit.do/sej2016). Hotels are available close to the convention center. For more information contact your District President or the Conference President. They will be more than willing to assist you. Remember June 3-5, 2016 Embassy Suites/Convention Center, Charleston SC See you there! Paulette Monroe, SEJLT Committee on Nominations Have You Started YOUR Reading Program Book for 2016 YET! Here are great ones with which to start The Round House A story of Joe, a 13 year-old Native American on a North Dakota reservation, whose life was transformed one spring day when his mother was attacked. His life changed from an adolescent into an adult world for which he is ill prepared. It is a provocatic novel with strong language. Author, Louise Erdrich - $15.99 Things Your Mother Never Told You In this frank exploration of all aspects of what it means to be a sexual being created by God, the author explores myths that we have absorbed from popular culture and distorted religious teaching. Relates to one of the Mission Studies for 2016. Author, Dr. Kim Gaines Eckert, $15.00 Nature Girl: A Guide for God s Creation Nature Girl offers fun ways to care for God s creation while becoming an expert in all things green. There are activities, recipes, science experiments and more to help you discover how you can make a difference for our planet. Authors, Karen Whiting and Rebecca White, $7.99.
TRUST IN THE LORD I am the New Year I am an unspoiled page in your book of time. I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned during the last twelve months about life. All that you sought the past year and failed to find is hidden in me; I am waiting for you to search it out again and with more determination. All the good that you tried to do for others and didn t achieve last year is mine to grant providing you have fewer selfish and conflicting desires. In me lies the potential of all that you dreamed but didn t dare to do, All that you hoped but did not perform. All you prayed for but did not yet experience these dreams slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of an enduring purpose. I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, Behold, I make all things new. I am the New Year May the Lord be your guide during this year of 2016. May the blessings of Peace, Joy, Faith, Grace and Love be upon you each day of this year.
Florida Conference United Methodist Women United Methodist Women of The United Methodist Church 450 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave Lakeland, FL 33801 Non-Profit Org US Postage Paid Permit #362 Lakeland, FL Contact: Leah Pittard United Methodist Women s Communications Committee rockpitt2@verizon.net Make It Happen! FLORIDA CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN Calendar of Events February 6 February 20 April 9 May 10-20 Conference Leadership Team Meeting Haitian Convocation Conference Leadership Team Meeting General Conference Lakeland Wabasso Haitian UM Mission Wabasso, FL Lakeland Portland, Oregon June 3-5 June 16-18 SEJ Quadrennial United Methodist Women Charleston, SC Florida Annual Conference Buena Vista Palace Hotel Orlando, FL July 6 Conference Leadership Team Meeting Bethune-Cookman Univ. July 7-10 September 9 11 November 5 Mission u Spiritual Enrichment Retreat Conference Annual Meeting Bethune-Cookman Univ. Life Enrichment Center Fruitland Park Life Enrichment Center