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Circle Meetings this month:
Watch MarketPlace for more
September 2008
Circle meeting times.
-
Tuesday, September 2
- Circle #4, 7:30 p.m., 1625 Milan Road, Mary Belle Gilbert and
Lynne Gilbert, hosts
-
Wednesday, September
3 - Circle #7, 12:00 noon, Gathering Space
Are you interested in
joining a circle? Wonderful! Just contact
Lynne Gilbert or
Sybil Watts...we
will be glad to help you!
Western North Carolina Leads the Nation!
Did
you know…that YOU are part of the Greensboro District, which is part
of the Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist
Church? Did you know…that YOU and other United Methodist Women across
our conference led the nation in giving last year for the 7th
consecutive year?
Here is
news from our conference…
The United Methodist
women of the Western North Carolina Conference continue to be NUMBER
ONE...for the 7th consecutive year! We have received confirmation
from Women's Division that the Western North Carolina Conference was
FIRST IN THE NATION for 2007 in the following channels of giving
through United Methodist Women:
Special Mission
Recognition, Gift to Mission, Gift in Memory, World Thank Offering, Total
Undesignated Mission Giving, and TOTAL GIVING!!
We led the nation in
giving again in 2007, and as a conference, we met our $810,000
Pledge to Mission. Our total Mission Giving was up...an increase
of $43,094 over 2006.
The real cause for
celebration is the mission made possible by your giving.
Here are just a few of the ways that YOU are making mission possible...many
times in places where these things would not otherwise be available:
-
By providing medical
care, including joining the fight against the scourge of HIV/AIDS in
Africa, and caring for HIV/AIDS orphans
-
By providing
scholarships, and education & enrichment opportunities for children and
youth
-
By supporting the
Bible Women program...which provides training in basic healthcare and
Bible study for women from rural communities in some of the poorest
countries in the world. These women return home to share their faith
and their knowledge with other women in their communities.
-
By providing
opportunities for at-risk youth to stay off of the streets, and away
from drugs & violence
-
By helping to meet
basic needs, like clean water, food, and housing
-
By working against
injustice
-
And, more....these
are just a few...YOU are in mission around the world!
If you want to know more
about where your money goes, check out the pages of each issue of
Response Magazine!
Through your
giving...YOU make mission possible, and YOU make a difference, every day, in
the lives of women, children and youth around the world. THANK YOU!!
Check Out Our New Books!
Our unit recently purchased
19 new books for the Reading Program Collection, located in the UMW section
of our Church Library. Following is a list of the 9 new books from the 2008
Reading Program list, with category in parentheses:
End of the Spear: A True
Story
(Education for Mission); Who’s Raising Your Child: Battling the
Marketers for Your Child’s Heart and Soul (Nurturing for Community);
Enrique’s Journey (Social Action); And We are Changed: Encounters
with a Transforming God (Spiritual Growth); Living Bountifully!: The
Blessing of Responsible Stewardship (Spiritual Growth); Walk in a
Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino (Spiritual Growth);
Brothers in Hope: The Store of the Lost Boys of Sudan (Education for
Mission), a children’s book; Does God Hear My Prayer? (Spiritual
Growth), a children’s book; and Heck Superhero (Social Action), a
youth book. Stop by the church library and “check out” our new arrivals!
Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Some Questions & Answers about the Reading
Program
Q. Where would I get a Reading Program book?
A. Our unit purchases a number of new books every year. They are housed
in the Church Library on the 2nd floor, just off the Gathering Space.
Q. Can I check out Reading Program books during the week? I’m really busy
on Sunday morning.
A. Certainly! Books may be checked out anytime the library is open. The
library is open during the week during church office hours (8:30 a.m. to 4
p.m.) and Sunday mornings.
Q. How long can I keep a book? I’m not a fast reader.
A. Books may be checked out for three weeks.
Q. Do I have to purchase a book to be a UMW Reader?
A. No, one does not have to purchase a book to participate in the
Reading Program. Basic participation in the Reading Program consists of
reading four (4) books, one in each mission category, and reading Response
magazine monthly. However, donations of books on the Reading Program list
are always welcome.
Q. I’d like to participate in the Reading Program but I’m concerned that
all the books will be long and hard to read. Is that true?
A. Not at all! Many of our books are moderate in length. Also, we have a
number of children’s and youth books that may be read for credit. Very few
of our books could be classified as difficult reading.
Gift to Mission Cards
Have
you ever sent a Gift to Mission card? Did you know that there are seven
different Gift to Mission cards that you can use…to honor someone, to send a
note of encouragement, to celebrate a birthday or other special day…and
more? Did you know that for a gift to mission of $5.00 (not all that
different from what you might pay at the card shop)…you can brighten
someone’s day with a special card, and at the same time…help to make a
difference in the lives of women, children and youth around the world by
supporting mission through United Methodist Women?
The following Gift to Mission cards are available from Martha Faye Robbins,
our treasurer: Thank You, Happy Birthday, Congratulations, A Baby, A Special
Day, Thinking of You, and In the Service of Christ. And, Christmas cards are
also available.
Wouldn’t it be neat for
every member of our unit to send at least one Gift to Mission card?
Contact Martha Faye (292-8564 or e-mail
marthamrobbins@bellsouth.net),
and send a Gift to Mission card! Cards will also be available at our general meetings.
Are You Reading Response
Magazine?
Response
magazine is the official magazine of United Methodist Women. Published
11 times a year, Response features a Bible study in each issue that
can be used as either a devotional or a circle program. Articles in each
issue keep members updated on mission projects so we can see where our money
goes. Response also gives us coverage of social issues that are
important to women and children.
A popular department in Response is “Bright Lights”, which covers
unit mission projects and successful fund-raisers. These “tried and true”
ideas are there for the harvesting! Annual coverage is given to the Reading
Program each fall whenever the new book list is issued. Also, news from
Women’s Division is featured on the last two pages of each Response.
Our unit provides a subscription to Response for the church library.
The magazines are kept in the UMW section and are available any time the
library is open. Stop by and peruse a recent issue. For more information or
to purchase an individual subscription to Response, contact Secretary
of Program Resources Emily Johnston at 834-3420 or
ehj76tarheel@mindspring.com
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Prayer Shawl
Ministry highlighted
in News & Record
Making Gifts of the Heart
Click to read article on N&R website
Photos from May 5th UMW Luncheon
Twenty-one babies were honored with Gifts to
Mission!
Time
to Make our Pledges for Mission Giving
As
we begin a new year, it is time once again to make our pledges to support
mission through United Methodist Women. Your giving makes mission
possible. Giving supports institutions and programs empowering and
improving the lives of women, children and youth in the United States and
around the world. Mission Giving provides food, shelter, education,
employment, healthcare, and human rights advocacy for many living on the
margins of society. Mission Giving supports United Methodist missionaries
and deaconesses. Mission Giving also funds spiritual growth programs,
leadership development events and mission education opportunities for United
Methodist Women members.
Prayerfully consider your pledge for the coming year…and give generously.
YOU are making a difference, every day, in the lives of women, children and
youth around the world. Thank you!
More about Mission Giving of United Methodist
Women
Tell
the Story...Invite a Friend
to Your Circle Meeting!
What
does being a member of United Methodist Women mean to you? Are things like
the following important to you?
-
the
caring & supportive community
-
the
opportunities for spiritual growth & mission education
-
being part of a group of women that is organized for mission…making a
difference around the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ
You can
surely name more reasons that you are a part of United Methodist Women.
Share that story with someone you know who is not a member of United
Methodist Women…and invite them to come with you to your circle meeting!
PLANNING DATES FOR 2008
| Apr 4-6 |
Southeastern
Jurisdiction Quadrennial Meeting of United Methodist Women, Hampton,
VA |
| Apr 19 |
Greensboro District
UMW Prayer Breakfast, 8am, Asbury UMC |
| May 5 |
West Market UMW
Executive Meeting
West Market UMW General Meeting |
| June |
Spiritual Growth
Retreats, Lake Junaluska - June 13/14 & 14/15 |
| July |
School of Christian
Mission, Greensboro College - July 24-27 |
| Aug 23 |
Greensboro District
UMW Annual Meeting/Breakfast, 8am, Muir’s Chapel UMC |
| Sep 5-7 |
Annual Meeting, Lake
Junaluska |
| Oct 6 |
West Market UMW
Executive Meeting
West Market UMW General Meeting |
| Nov 15 |
Greensboro District
UMW Officer Training for Local Officers, 9am-12pm, Guilford College
UMC |
| Dec 1 |
West Market UMW
Executive Meeting
West Market UMW General Meeting |
Prayer
Shawl Ministry Grows
In the
Spring of 2005, a new ministry was formed within United Methodist Women
which has given comfort and support to people in special circumstances both
locally and in other countries. Meeting monthly, two groups of women are
contributing their time and skills to the knitting of prayer shawls. A shawl
may be given in celebration of a special event or as an expression of love
and concern. But whatever the situation, prayer is an implicit part of the
gift. The individual knitter prays as she knits and offers her completed
shawl for individual prayers from the members of her knitting circle. The
final blessing is then given by an ordained member of the ministerial staff.
Since
2005, the ministry has expanded. Shawls are being provided to mission teams
who have taken them to Bay St. Louis as a part of hurricane relief efforts;
our youth have taken them on their Carolina Cross Connections mission;
shawls have been taken to Guatemala, and to our sister church in Bulgaria.
In June
2006, the decision was made to include the occasion of infant baptism as a
part of the ministry, and a special pattern was designed and produced with
white yarn. These baptismal blankets require many hours to knit and are
given in celebration of this special occasion and as a token of our intent
to help raise and nurture children in the church. The blankets are more
appropriate for infants and are given to those one year or younger. Since
2006, a total of 32 baptismal blankets have been given.
The
most recent addition to the ministry has been the knitting of prayer
blankets for children who are facing difficult challenges. Softly colored
yarns are used, and a new pattern has been adopted for this purpose.
To
date, a total of 220 shawls and blankets have been knitted and given away.
This number speaks to the commitment of the women involved and the
gratification of spreading love through hand work.
New
members are welcome, and assistance is available for anyone who is an
inexperienced knitter. Contact Sarah Hester, 288-7823

Click on thumbnails to see larger image.
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