1 Wesley United Methodist Women 144 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. September 2013 Dear Wesley UMW Sisters, The summer went so fast. I am excited to have our circles meeting again this September. Our book sale in August was a great success with over $280 raised for missions. We have a lot happening in September. The Arlington District UMW annual meeting on Saturday, September 21 st and I hope many of you can come. We have our big membership event on Sunday, September 29 th and it will include an international fashion show. We are inviting all the women of Wesley to attend. In God s love, Sue JOYS: Take a moment and reflect on the past summer: was there a new experience or a new person you met; what is one thing you enjoyed; think about a wonderful moment you shared with someone; and what are you looking forward to.
2 CONCERNS We offer prayers for Clara Allison, Dick Barth, Elton Bonner, Linda & Tom Bonner, Sibyl Carrick, Pat Cazenas, Lee and Dixie Cook, Joyce Cregger, Minnie Crim, Robert Daniels, Mary Davis, Janet Dickson, The Douthat Family, Susan Fisher & Family, Grace Gavett, Peggy Glaze, Gwenie Graichen & Family, Joan Harvey, Judy Heward, Maria Ivey, Betty Kelly, Pat Ledford, Patti Lewis, Anna Lee Nedrow, Kevin Perkins, Hope & Bob Perkins, Ann Porter, Sarah Rearick, Peggy Reinhardt, Nancy Robeson, Flo Snodgrass, Charlotte & Willis Webster, Evelyn and Mike Willey, Billie Williams, Hugh & Annabel Winston, Eleanor & Dale Wolfe, and all others in our hearts. NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS STARTS ON SEPTEMBER 8 TH The new Sunday school class will start on Sunday September 8 th at 9:45 am in the Church Library. The mission study is called, The Call: Living Sacramentally, Walking Justly, by George McClain. This study offers tools to deepen spiritual identity, engagement in community and involvement in mission, looking at the sacramental understandings of baptism and communion and lifting up models of response to God s call. Stories of call and response are shared from a wide array of persons from different walks of life. It is four sessions and it will end on September 29 th. Please let me know if you are interested in participating so I can order enough books. Sue Come Join Us at the International Fashion Show on SEPTEMBER 29 TH at 2:00 pm The United Methodist Women is holding an International Fashion Show on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 2 p.m in the Fellowship Hall. All women of Wesley are invited to enjoy a display of fashions from around the world. Entertainment includes "Musical Traditions of the Caribbean" and a demonstration of Korean dance. Light refreshments will be served. No admission fee If You Want to Make God Laugh, Tell Him Your Plans VIRGINIA CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN Young Women s Event September 20-21, 2013 Blackstone Conference and Retreat Center REGISTRATION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 13, 2013
3 Arlington District UMW Annual Meeting will be held on September 21 st, 2013 at the Arlington UMC. As part of our annual celebration of UMW, at our Annual Meeting on Sept 21, each Unit will highlight one of their events that occur, or a new idea tried this past year. All our local units do so many interesting things and have such great ideas, this is a time to share. REPORT REGARDING MISSION ENCOUNTER (School of Mission) LEARNING TOGETHER for the TRANSFERMATION of the WORLD Mission Encounter 2013 Mary Williams and Janet Keener enjoyed participating in Mission Encounter 2013, formerly called School of Christian Mission, at Blackstone for the weekday session July 29-31. There was also a weekend session July 26-28. Three choices of study were offered at both sessions for men and women, plus opportunities for children and youth and Korean language for the weekend session. The primary studies were Poverty, The Call: Living Sacramentally, Walking Justly, and The Roma People of Europe. Mary attended the The Roma People of Europe while Janet attended The Call: Living Sacramentally, Walking Justly. The Roma people are also known as gypsies who have been discriminated against by the other countries of Europe because they migrated and were different from the native Europeans. Living Sacramentally focused on living our lives by demonstrating the beliefs of our baptism and holy communion. Other guest speakers shared with us as well. You may wonder, What is Mission Encounter? Mission Encounter, formerly called School of Christian Mission, is a mission study opportunity co-sponsored by the Conference United Methodist Women and the Board of Global Ministries. Plan to join us for Mission Encounter 2014 when the courses of study will include the following: 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 We look forward to having you join us in Blackstone!
4 PROGRAM RESOUCES: PAT SAMPSON: I Am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby is her story as a young girl when she moved with her family away from the colony they lived in Manitoba, Canada because of a dispute her father had with the minister of the colony. The Hutterites are descendents from the Moravians and Anabaptist in central Europe and closely resemble the Amish people in their beliefs about community-sharing and adult baptism. Ms. Kirkby relates how she adapted to the popular culture so different from her familiar ways and describes the difficulties in accepting worldly ideas in this captivating story. You may recall our recent book, Plain Wisdom, about the Amish ways of life and how difficult it was for the Englisher author to adapt to her Amish friend s lifestyle during her visit, to experience the reverse of what Ms. Kirkby had to conform to in her transformation. This book comes under the category of Education for Mission. One copy can be found in our UMW Library. Happy Reading! Pat Sampson REMINDER Please let me know how many books on the UMW Reading List you have read since September 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013 for our UMW report to the District. Also, don t forget to report your Response magazine readings. The Reading List for 2014 will be available around the middle of September. I ll try to purchase two books for each of the five categories for our library. Pat Sampson Book Club IS HERE COME JOIN US! Our recent book discussion was on Sunday, August 25. We discussed Mind On the Run: A Bipolar Chronicle, by Dottie Pacharis. Our next meeting will be October 27th; after the 11:00 Worship Service. We will meet in the Library. Watch the Newsletter and the bulletin for the next book title. All ladies of the church are invited to attend. Please bring a snack and drink to nibble on. If you have any questions or want more information, please call Pat Sampson.
REPORT ON BI-DISTRICT DAY APART 5 Bi-District Day Apart - May 18th On Saturday, May 18, 2013, Phyllis Kirkman, Jean Feeney, and Janet Keener attended Social Media 101, the Bi-District Day Apart, sponsored by both the Arlington and Alexandria Districts United Methodist Women. The event was held at Clarendon UMC with our delicious breakfast prepared by the women of Pleasant Valley UMW. Lunch was a yummy salad bar. Our presenters were from all three levels of UMW - district, conference, and national. Emily Miller from the New York national office shared her experiences with Pinterest and its many offerings. Betsy Davis from the Virginia Conference focused her insights on Facebook and Twitter. Katy White from Pleasant Valley UMC in Chantilly taught us about the many Google offerings, especially using Google Calendar. We learned how social media can enhance our communications with today s young women and those of us who like to think like younger women! It was a great day of learning, sharing, and friendship! PROGRAM BOOK FOR 2013-2014 A Calling for This Time: United Methodist Women Program Book 2013-2014 The Program Book invites you to explore the callings of women from the Bible and present you with many opportunities to engage in mission with women, children and youth. Features such as titles and objectives; prayers, scripture readings and meditations; activities and discussions; opportunities for advocacy and service in your communities and globally will grow your understanding of mission. Discover God s calling for the community of United Methodist Women today! A PRAYER FROM RESPONSE O God of Mystery, whose ways we cannot fully fathom, we are constantly surprised by the work of your Spirit. Guide us as we seek to learn more of your ways in unfamiliar cultures and faiths. Give us, O God, the spirit of peaceful co-existence, the willingness to learn from those who belong to other faiths. And then enable us to witness our faith in you through genuine love and humility by our words and deeds. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. From Concepts of Mission by Glory E. Dhamaraj
6 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND GOD S BLESSINGS for September s Birthdays: 17 Billie Williams 17 Sunni Winkler 18 Sibyl Carrick 20 Becky Martin 25 Fran Hollenbeck CALENDAR September 2013 4 - Harmony Circle - Church Library - 10:30 am 5 Welcome Circle - Church Library - 10:00 am 7 - Faith Circle - Church Library - 10:00 am 12 - Deborah Circle Church Library - 7:30 pm 16 Executive Meeting Church Library 7:00 pm. 21-22 - Conference UMW Young Women s Event @ VA 21 - Arlington District Annual Mtg @ Arlington UMC 24 Never Grow Old Harmony Circle 29 Special Wesley United Methodist Women Event LOOKING AHEAD October 21 - Executive Meeting Church Library 7:00 pm. 22 - Never Grow Old Deborah Circle 26-27 - Virginia Conference UMW 41 st Annual Meeting @VUMAC November 3 Coffee Hour 16 - Arlington District Advent Event. @ Wesley UMC 16 Alexandria District UMW Training Day @ St. George UMC 18 Executive Meeting Church Library 7:00 pm. 19 Never Grow Old Welcome Circle
7 VIRGINIA CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN S 41st Annual Meeting at BLACKSTONE CONFERENCE AND RETREAT CENTER October 26-27, 2013 From God s Heart to You is this years theme of the Virginia Conference United Methodist Women Annual Meeting. This year will feature and honor our Deaconesses on their 125th anniversary. This is a real education opportunity for us to learn about their work that is usually done without fanfare in areas where there is tremendous need for visible evidence of God s heart among His children. You will have a chance to hear them and ask questions in our pop in sessions. Instead of being assigned to a specific focus group you will be able to move from one group to another as you wish during that time. We are fortunate to have our beloved Dr. Betty Whitehurst as keynote speaker for this year s meeting and her husband Rev. Walter Whitehurst for the Sunday Morning Worship Service REGISTRATION DEADLINE OCTOBER 10, 2013