Has your unit made plans to
celebrate Call to Prayer and Self Denial this year? This special observance is
usually held the first few months of each new year. The theme for 2008 is
“Learning for a Lifetime” and
the offering will be used to fund programs at mission institutions
related to United Methodist Women and the United Methodist General
Board of Global Ministries. The total offering will be divided among
United States institutions and international institutions.
Prayer from
the 2008 Call to Prayer & Self Denial Prayer Card: (United Methodist Women members may make copies
of this prayer for use in their units)
Life-giving God, you
call us to prayer and self-denial, remembering your generosity and
our Christian responsibility to give. God, in every way you
have enriched our lives: in gaining knowledge, in learning
compassion, in seeking justice. May we not be lacking in spiritual
gifts as we work and give to improve the lives of women, children
and youth in our world. May we be a blessing to the
communities we serve through our gifts. Help us to keep doing the
things we have learned and received, and heard and seen in the life
of Christ and Christ’s servants in the world. Amen.
Local units share in the Call to
Prayer and Self Denial Observance in a variety of ways. One
local unit in the Waynesville District...Love's Chapel UMC, located
in Sylva, North Carolina...used the Learning for a Lifetime service
during a Sunday morning worship service, sharing in the service with
the whole congregation. They placed an offering plate at the
kneeling rail, and the congregation came to the altar to share their
gifts to mission. The Call to Prayer offering collected that
morning was over $300! What a neat way to share United
Methodist Women with the congregation!
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
TOTAL GIVING!!
The
United Methodist Women of our conference...YOU...have led
the nation in Mission Giving for the last SEVEN years. Wow!
It is an incredible thing to witness the generosity of United
Methodist
Women in this
conference. It is
always fun to celebrate being first...but the real cause
for celebration is in the mission made possible by your giving.
Because of YOU...sharing the love
of Jesus Christ will be made possible in places across the
country and around the world. Here are just a
few of the ways that you are making that 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
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. Thirty-four conferences met
or exceeded their pledge for 2007.
We need to continue to tell the story of the mission made possible
by our giving...at every opportunity! Our support for mission
projects and personnel around the world makes mission
possible...sharing the love of Christ, and touching the lives of
women, children and youth.
As we plan events and projects for 2008...in local units, districts,
and as a conference...Mission Giving needs to be a priority. It is
not about being #1...it is about making mission possible, and
knowing that women, children and youth around the world are being
helped by our giving.
Tell the mission story
in your local unit, and challenge your members to give
generously through the five channels of Mission Giving. Browse
our website
for links to resources that you can share with your local unit.
Use
Response Magazine,
Telling Our Stories, and other resources to
tell the mission story....we cannot tell that story too often!
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.
Watch for this symbol of interlocking circles.
You will be reading about a program and/or person supported by your
Mission Giving.
Special Mission Recognition
Special Mission Recognition is one of the five
channels of Mission Giving. A Special
Mission Recognition is a gift to mission in honor of
someone...which is symbolized by a small gold pin and a
certificate, with various minimum gift amounts for
different pins as follows:
Basic Gold Pin - $40.00
Gold pin with Sapphire - $60.00
Gold pin with Pearl -
$100.00
Gold pin with
Emerald - $200.00
Gold pin with
Ruby - $500.00
Gold pin with
Diamond - $1,000.00
Gold pin with
two Diamonds - $2,000.00
What a wonderful way to
honor someone special in your life,
in the life of your church, or in the life of your
community! Honor someone for their mission
service...a friend, a dedicated volunteer, a pastor,
a leader of a program or project, a committed United
Methodist Woman, a committed United Methodist
Man....the possibilities are only limited by your
imagination.
It is also a great way
to make an alternative gift…by
making a special gift to mission in someone’s
honor…for a birthday, Christmas, anniversary,
graduation, etc.
Both individuals and
local units of United Methodist Women can decide to
honor someone with a Special Mission Recognition.
You may make your gift and order a special
mission recognition pin through your local unit
treasurer.
Your gifts through
Mission Giving form the broad base of mission
support that makes a difference, every day, in the
lives of women, children, and youth...around the
world. Thank You!
The
PURPOSE of United Methodist Women 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.
This page was last updated on
Tuesday, April 08, 2008.
