Monday, August 10, 2009

Why I Love United Methodist Women

I love all of the organizations of the United Methodist Church. This summer I was blessed to take part in both Schools of Mission from EPA and PDC and found them both to be an inspiration. I have long been associated with the United Methodist Women. I am even old enough to remember the Women’s Society of Christian Service at my home church. It was back home that I learned that it was all about missions, not about having pot-luck dinners or paying for church repairs. The women at my home church helped send me to seminary and to my first experience at the Consultation of Clergywomen (1979).
There are many things about United Methodist Women that are noteworthy:

They are an organization where women have a great opportunity for leadership development.
They do missions with a special emphasis on helping women, children and youth.
They intentionally include youth, young adults and people of all ethnicities in their work.
They are passionate about social justice, both locally and globally
They partner with many organizations to get the job done
They do practical ministry in the world that makes a difference
They encourage women to read, continue their education and to be all they can be
They teach about spirituality and encourage prayer and Bible study as the fuel for the work
They print wonderful, practical, interesting materials (in more than one language)
They have a wonderful world wide conference that is an inspiration to everyone who attends (The next one is April 30-May 2 in St. Louis, MO)
They have organizations all over the world.
They give away everything they have at the end of the year for missions

We are being encouraged to “Re-think Church” in our advertising campaigns. I would encourage you to “Re-Think United Methodist Women” if your church does not have a unit or your unit has been struggling. Contact your conference presidents for help in getting geared up. There are some new and exciting things happening. Give it a try! Support your denomination’s mission organizations…..they do GREAT WORK!!

2 comments:

  1. thanks, Bishop! I've posted a link to the UMW Facebook page.

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  2. I have been a United Methodist Woman since I was in my early 20s and now I have been a UMW for over 25 years. I was blessed to be a US-2 with a mentor who was also a US-2. She took me to everything UMW! It is an awesome organization and does incredible work! It is always at the forefront of social justice issues. It also supports our walk with Jesus Christ in a most blessed way!

    Peace,
    Amy Dwyer

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