1 Wesley United Methodist Women 143 Years of Women in Service to 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. May 2013 Dear Sisters, May is a special month for UMW. This month we have the Virginia Conference UMW Spiritual Life Retreat at Blackstone, May 3rd-5th, The Wesley UMW Spring Banquet, May 14th, and the Bi-District Day Apart May 18 th at Clarendon UMC. Also, the Spring Plant Orders delivered Saturday, May 11 th. I hope we have a good sale this year. May is also special in my family. My daughter, Ashley, graduates from VCU and my son, Matt, from GMU. My family is going to Richmond for her graduation. In God s love, Sue JOYS: Construction of new school buildings in Liberia; Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) ministry with low income immigrants and refugees in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is a clear sign of God s presence in the world.
2 PRAYER CONCERNS We offer prayers, Claire Allison, Dick Barth, Elton Bonner, Linda & Tom Bonner, Sibyl Carrick & family, Pat Cazenas, Joyce Cregger, Lee and Dixie Cook, Minnie Crim, Robert Daniels, Janet Dickson, Steve Douthat, Susan Fisher & family, Grace Gavett, Peggy Glaze, Joan Harvey, Judy Heward, Maria Ivey, Betty Kelly, Pat Ledford, Patti Lewis, Anna Lee Nedrow, Kevin Perkins, Hope & Bob Perkins, Ann Porter, Sarah Rearick, Nancy Robeson, Flo Snodgrass, Charlotte & Willis Webster, Evelyn and Mike Willey, Billie Williams, Hugh & Annabel Winston and all others in our hearts. WESLEY UNITED METHODIST WOMEN NEWS WELCOME OUR NEW MEMBER Welcome to our new member, Mary Davis. She is attending the Deborah Circle.. TIP: Every time you come to church bring an item for CHO SUGGESTED PROGRAM FOR The MAY program is Seeing Grace in Our Workers is on page 65. The purpose is to challenge systemic poverty as they examine work and their fellow workers. The June program is, Seeing the Courage of the Marginalized on page73. UNITED METHODIST WOMEN S SPRING BANQUET The United Methodist Women s Spring Banquet will be held in the Fellowship Hall on Tuesday, May 14 th, at 6:00pm. Our speaker will be Rev. Pat Watkins. He is the Director of Caretakers of God s Creation. Their purpose is to actively share that a relationship with God s creation and a ministry of caring for and healing the earth are integral to what it means to be a Christian. The meal will be a catered Chicken Buffet. Tickets are $20 dollars and available through Circle Chairs or Janice Baresel(jbaresel2@verizon.net). Due to it being catered, ticket money must be in by May 10 th.
3 2013 Conference SPIRITUAL LIFE RETREAT - May 3 rd - 5 th The Conference United Methodist Women 2013 Spiritual Life Retreat will be held May 3-5, at the Blackstone Conference and Retreat Center. The theme is Tea With Jesus. The leader will be Rev. Dawn Marie Singleton. Rev. Singleton is the Pastor of Oakton United Methodist Church. She graduated with her BA in English from Atlantic Christian College, now Barton College, in 1990. She received her Masters of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, Duke University in 1994. Rev. Singleton enjoys scrapbooking, writing, swimming and reading. Registration forms are available on the Virginia Conference of United Methodist Women web site. Check to see if there are any openings. ARLINGTON DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN RETREAT For twenty-four hours, Sue Moulton, Jean Feeney, and yours truly participated in the Arlington District United Methodist Women Spiritual Life Retreat at the Richmond Hill Retreat Center in Richmond, VA. Leading us in Living the Heart of God was the Rev. Chenda Innis Lee, Associate Pastor at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church. Chenda helped us toward reconnecting with God and Jesus by leading us to connect with our souls. We considered and shared our own lives whether and when we are more like Mary or Martha, the sisters with whom Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. Do we let distractions interfere or do we take time to nurture our souls? God meets our needs with His grace in His time. Chenda made us aware of spiritual practices - public and private. Our schedule for meals and worship blended with the resident community of Richmond Hill and other groups meeting there. Bishop and Mrs. Cho had been participating in a conference event at Richmond Hill. As they were leaving, they learned we were arriving and stayed to welcome us! It was a very meaningful and refreshing two days. Janet Keener UNITED METHODIST WOMEN S Adult Sunday School Class The next book for the Adult Sunday School Mission Sunday will be The Roma of Europe by Larry Beman. This book will introduce you to the Roma, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe. You will discover their history up to and including the twentieth century. You can look into the ways they are treated in contemporary European culture. You will also be able to learn about their lifestyle and spirituality, and investigate ways the church and other organizations are working alongside the Roma. This study will be led by Sue Moulton and other Wesley United Methodist Women. All are invited to attend. We meet at 9:45 am in the Library.We will start this book on June 2 nd.
4 Book Club COME JOIN US! Please join us for the next UMW Book Club meeting Sunday, June 23, 2013, after the 11:00 a.m. service in the church library. We will discuss the book, Plain Wisdom by Cindy Woodsmall and Miriam Flaud. Bring your drink and snack and plan to attend. We have one copy in our UMW Library. Sue Moulton can order a copy for you. The cost is $6.00. Any questions, contact Pat Sampson PROGRAM RESOUCES: PAT SAMPSON: The book for May that I feature is Alone and Invisible No More by Allan S. Teel, MD. This book is about empowering elders to stay in their homes to lead a healthy and happy life with 21 st Century technologies. Dr. Teel works tirelessly to create humane and affordable alternatives in Maine by engaging staff and volunteers to help people remain in their homes and communities while facing their everyday challenges to stay connected with one another and their families. He explains how we can overhaul our eldercare system and save money at the same time. This book comes under the Nurturing for Community category for our readers hoping to fulfill the different Plans for the year. There are at least 4 copies in the Public County Library System ALEXANDRIA/ARLINGTON UNITED METHODIST WOMEN BI-DISTRICT DAY APART MAY 18 The Alexandria and Arlington District United Methodist Women will hold a Bi-District Day Apart on May 18 th at the Clarendon United Methodist Church, 9:00am to 3 pm. The topic is Social Media. The speakers will address the use of Social Media to connect and communicate with other UMW members and how we can attract new members. The cost is $15.00(lunch is provided) RSVP by May 1 st. (see flyer at the end)
5 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND GOD S BLESSINGS for May s Birthdays 3 Mary Ann Burks 6 Linda Cerisano 08 Flor Rojas 13 Eleanor Wolfe 18 Mary Davis 31 Diane Riffer CALENDAR MAY 2013 1- Harmony Circle - Church Library - 10:30 am 2 - Welcome Circle - Church Library - 10:00 am 2- Deborah Circle Church Library - 7:30 pm FAITH CIRCLE WILL NOT MEET IN MAY 3-5 - Virginia UMW Spiritual Life Retreat @ VUMAC, Blackstone 14 Spring Banquet, 6:00 pm 18 Bi-District Day Apart 9 am to 3 pm @Clarendon UMC, Arlington 20 - Executive Board Meeting 7:00 p.m., Library 21 NGO Faith Circle LOOKING AHEAD June 2013 1 Faith Circle TBA 02 Coffee Hour 5 Harmony Circle- TBA 6 Welcome Circle TBA 6 Deborah Circle TBA 8 Virginia Conference UMW Day @ Ferrum College 9 3:00 pm Farewell Worship Reception for Superintendent Tony Layman at Wesly 21-23 - Virginia Annual Conference @ Roanoke 23 - UMW Breakfast @ Conference
ALEXANDRIA/ARLINGTON BI-DISTRICT DAY APART 6 SOCIAL MEDIA 101 WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO I CARE? Date - Saturday, May 18, 2013 Location - Clarendon UMC 606 N. Irving Street, Arlington, VA Time - 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. * Update - Pleasant Valley UMW will be providing the breakfast * Registration Fee - $15.00 (includes lunch) Agenda: Sign in and Breakfast 9:00 to 9:45 Announcements 9:45 to 9:50 Overview What are Social Media 9:50 to 10:15 Betsy Davis - Virginia Conference webmaster Local Unit Uses 10:15 to 10:45 Katy White - Vice-President Pleasant Valley UMW National Uses and Issues 10:45 to 11:15 Emily Miller - Creative Director for UMW Break 11:15 to 11:30 Small Group Session 1 11:30 to 12:00 Lunch and Service Projects (TBA) 12:00 to 1:00 Small Group Session 2 1:00 to 1:30 Small Group Session 3 1:40 to 2:10 Wrap Up and Q/A 2:10 to 3:00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Church: Phone #: Special Dietary Requirements: Childcare Needed: Please return form and check for $15. made out to Arlington District UMW to Frances Ellis, 2933 Fox Mill Road, Oak Hill, VA 20171 by May 1, 2013.