UMW Newsletter THE METROPOLITAN CHURCH
January-February 2017 Metropolitan Memorial, St. Luke’s & Wesley United Methodist Churches 202-363-4900 (MMUMC office) MetroUMW@gmail.com
Register for the 2017 UMW Retreat! Registration deadline is Wednesday, January 25. See page 4
Mark Your Calendar January 29 Su
pg Discussion series: Women in Bible (noon, Parlor)
3
UWM Women’s Retreat (Priestfield, WV)
4
February 3-5 F-Su 18 Sa 25 Sa 28 Tu
Shrove Tuesday
A note from our President, p. 3 5
New discussion series on Women & Leadership, p. 4 Book & Bake Sale help needed, p. 5 UMW Reading Program, p. 6-7 Treasurer’s Trove and FAQ, p. 7-8
March 1W
Reflections, p. 2
UMW GWD Legislative Seminar UMW Book & Bake Sale (8am-3pm, Vestry)
Highlights
Ash Wednesday
April 9 Su
Palm Sunday
16 Su
Easter
UMW officers and committee chairs contact info, p. 9 Recognition Luncheon Honorees, p. 10 Remembrance of UMW member Karen Howard, p. 11 Circle info, p. 12
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News
Reflections For Conscience and Courage in Times of Public Struggle Loving God, lead us beyond ourselves to care and protect, to nourish and shape, to challenge and energize both the life and the world You have given us. God of light and God of darkness, God of conscience and God of courage, lead us through this time of spiritual confusion and public uncertainty. Lead us beyond fear, apathy and defensiveness to new hope in You and to hearts full of faith. Give us the conscience it takes to comprehend what we’re facing, to see what we’re looking at and to say what we see so that others, hearing us, may also brave the pressure that comes with being out of public step. Give us the courage we need to confront those things that compromise our conscience or threaten our integrity. Give us, most of all, the courage to follow those before us who challenged wrong and changed it, whatever the cost to themselves. Finally, Great God, give us the kind of faith in you that was the mainstay of those before us who followed you from Galilee to Jerusalem doing good, raising the dead to life and singing alleluia all the way. God of Conscience, God of Courage give us whatever grace we need to work for the coming of the reign of God now, here and always. Amen ~ Sr. Joan Chittister Contributed by Mary Jo Marchant
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News A Message from Our UMW President Dear UMW Sisters, I’m coming to realize that one of my primary jobs as President of our UMW is to serve as cheerleader for all the wonderful service and leadership that our members give to our unit and to the Metropolitan community. So let me just call your attention to some of our upcoming activities that are led by others of our number. UMW Retreat: Suzanne Vieth and her committee have been hard at work planning this year’s retreat, to be held February 3 to 5 at the Priestfield Retreat Center in Kearneysville, WVa. The retreat is a wonderful opportunity to get to know other members better, to learn about ourselves and about our faith, to enjoy the outdoors, and to have fun! Oh, and to eat well! Program details elsewhere in this newsletter. The time to register is NOW! UMW Book sale: Saturday, February 25. Once again, Anita Seline is applying her incredible organizational skills to helping us get ready for our first big fundraiser of the year. Please hold your books, if possible, for the Drive-By, Drop-Off donation drive February 18 and 19. Volunteers needed to pull this event off. Anita has sent out a Sign Up Genius where you can see where help is needed and help plug any holes. Financial Planning: Rita Guenther is leading us in our “Year of Discernment” about the process by which we designate funds to our beneficiaries, and decisions we may choose to make about our endowment funds. UMW guidelines strongly recommend that all funds raised by a UMW unit be used and distributed each year. We are reviewing our stewardship of the funds that earn income for us. Please contact Rita or me if you wish to join this discussion! We have a busy spring ahead of us. I know many of us are concerned about how we can respond to our concerns for Children, Youth and Families in our city, our nation and the world. This is part of our call as UMW members. I know we can make a difference! ~ Ellen Bachman
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News
2017 Women’s Retreat: The Spirituality of Storytelling February 3-5, 2017 PriestField Pastoral Center, Kearneysville, WV Registration deadline Wednesday, January 25 The Metropolitan women’s retreat is just a few weeks away! Join us for a stimulating exploration of the power of storytelling—from the ways in which it animates the Bible, to its potential to enrich our own spiritual lives. This year’s retreat will be led by Tracy Radosevic, a dynamic, nationally acclaimed Biblical Storyteller and workshop leader. We offer a no-pressure, stress-free environment focused on inclusion, fun and fellowship in a beautiful setting. If you’ve not been able to attend prior retreats, you are especially encouraged to check it out! Open to all women in the Metropolitan community. Financial assistance is available. Deadline for registration is January 25. Additional information and a registration form is included in this mailing. For more information contact Suzanne Vieth at or MetroUWW@gmail.com
Discussion Series: Women and Leadership Starts Sunday, January 29, Noon in the Parlor On January 29, UMW Circle Six will kick off a four-part discussion series on Women and Leadership. The first session led by Ann Michel will focus on women in the Bible, considering how culture has misinterpreted what can be learned from some well-known feminine figures in the Bible. The series continues over the next several months, on Sundays March 12, May 7, and June 11, examining the “Founding Mothers” (led March 12 by Jane Ward), early women’s rights leaders, and contemporary issues related to women as leaders. Please invite someone to join us. **Additionally, we need someone to lead early women’s rights leaders on May 7 and Women as Leaders on June 11. For more information contact circle leaders Mary Jo Marchant, mjmarchant@verizon.net or Ann Michel, amichel@wesleyseminary.edu.
Ruth in the Fields, 1876, Hugues Merle
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News UMW Book & Bake Sale February 25, 8am-3pm, Vestry The date of the Book & Bake Sale, a little earlier than past years, has been set for February 25, 2017. We encourage all donors to hold off bringing their book donations until the week of set-up, beginning Feb. 19, so that books can be organized more efficiently. If you MUST get your books out of the house, you may begin dropping off your donations, in small boxes please, at the UMW closet at the end of the hallway off of the Vestry. Please do not donate cassette tapes, VCR tapes, textbooks, magazines or travel guides published before 2012. We are having a special collection drive at Metropolitan on Sunday, Feb. 19 and Monday, Feb. 20. Drive up to the church with your books and volunteers will be there waiting in the parking lot to off load your boxes of books. Please tell your friends about this book collection drive. A sign up genius has been set up to ease and organize all of the volunteers who will help with this sale. If you do not feel comfortable using this electronic sign up, please contact books sale organizers and we will be happy to sign you up from our end. Here's the link: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/70A0E4DA8A6238-book If you can help us publicize the book sale by posting BOXES NEEDED! a flyer locally or sending it to We need medium-sized boxes—about the size of 6your neighborhood list serve, ream paper boxes—that we can still lift when filled please contact Anita Seline at amseline@aol.com and she can with books. Please drop off (uncollapsed) boxes at point you in the right direction. the UMW closet. Publicity (especially the free kind) can't be done too early or too often, so please help us spread the word about the drive and the sale. Attached is a flyer that we encourage you to put up at your local library, apartment building lobby, supermarket, and Starbucks! Remember, we will need everyone to help make the annual Book & Bake Sale a success. Even if you are not going to be in town on the day of the sale, you can help us with set-up, publicity, or even bake something yummy. Every little bit helps. Please contact Anita Seline at amseline@aol.com or Martha Mizroch at martha_miz@hotmail.com if you have any ideas, resources, or energy. The UMW Book & Bake Sale, it may not be the bazaar, but we still have a lot of fun! ~ Anita Seline Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News United Methodist Women Program Resources The Reading Program: 2017 The United Methodist Women’s Reading Program encourages members to think critically about current issues through an annual selection of member-reviewed books. It offers an excellent opportunity to deepen your spirituality and to broaden your understanding of our mission work. For 140 years, United Methodist Women have been involved in mission that includes prayer, study and action. The Reading Program is a study opportunity, but it should also lead to action. The purpose of the program is to encourage United Methodist Women members to: Expand understanding of and participation in God’s mission. Increase sensitivity to all human beings—their needs, interests and concerns. Encourage critical thinking about issues facing humanity today. Grow in understanding of Scripture as it relates to Christian faith in contemporary life. Enhance self-knowledge and act from that knowledge. Strengthen involvement in local and global Christian mission. I apologize for getting a late start this year on acquiring books from the Reading Program for our Church Libraries. We will have books in both the Metropolitan and Wesley Libraries very soon. In the meantime please choose books from 2012 through 2016 already in our church libraries. Titles read from 2012 through 2016 will be credited through December 31 2017 for participation in the reading program. To participate in Reading Program Plan I, read one book from each of the five categories: Education for Mission, Social Action, Leadership Development, Spiritual Growth and Nurturing for Community and take a look at Response magazine regularly. In Reading Program Plans II, III, and IV, read at least two, three or four books, respectively, from each category as well as Response and New World Outlook magazines. If you don’t want to commit to a Reading Program, please consider reading one of the books. If you participate in the program, please report the names of the books you read and their categories to Helene Lilly (J718hel@aol.com) no later than August 15, 2017. Those who complete a Reading Program Plan will be recognized at a District meeting. Program Book Each year the United Methodist Women create a program book that provides monthly programs for use at Circle or other meetings. The program books for the 2015-2016 and 2016 -2017 years are available for your use. The theme for 2015-2016 is “Growing in Blessedness”. The programs invite you to explore the meaning blessedness from the Beatitudes of Jesus and other passages of the Bible and understand why they are crucial to us as Disciples of Christ. The topics include: Poverty and Possibility, Joyful Hunger Continued on p. 7
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News Continued from p. 6
Pangs, Called to Be Merciful, Being a Blessing to the Persecuted. The theme for 2016-2017 is “A Call to Community”. The programs explore the teachings and people in communities in the Old and New Testaments. They call the community of United Methodist Women to position itself in the intersection of culture and faith, stirring each other up for good works. Topics include: A Purpose-filled Community, A Community in Action Against Human Trafficking, A Community for Climate Justice. These on-hour programs can be adapted for shorter time spans. The programs bring new elements to each topic, including Bible studies, stories of United Methodist Women’s work, sensory experiences, and a call to action and commitment. Please let me know if you would like to review these program books or would like copies of a particular program. I hope that you will consider participating in the United Methodist Women’s Reading Program this year. If you have any questions or need more information about Program Resources, please let me know via email J718hel@aol.com or telephone 202 733 1876. ~ Helene Lilly, Secretary of Program Resources
Treasurer’s Trove Thank you to each of for making 2016 such an incredible success! Through your incredible generosity of spirit and your time, energy, and talents, we contributed over $20,000 to organizations that better the lives and wellbeing of women and children in our local community and around the world. You hauled boxes of books at the spring booksale, you put your creativity to work at the Day of Service, you donated, sorted, sold, and purchased the great bargains at our annual bazaar, and your exhibited a bright Christmas spirit through gifts purchased at the Alternative Market. And, throughout the year you underscored your commitment through your pledges and contributions to UMW, collectively giving over $7,000! What an amazing testament to our mission to “be a community of women whose purpose is to … expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.” Thank you to each and every one of you for your incredible gifts of personal and financial resources! An Exciting 2017! A Year of Discernment As I mentioned at the December Recognition Luncheon, we are undertaking a year of discernment to determine how best to spend down the allowable portion of our endowment Continued on p. 8
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News Continued from p. 7
funds, and we welcome your involvement. The portion that we are allowed to spend down is approximately $30,000, and we understand that spending down this significant portion of funds requires careful consideration and broad involvement of our members. Therefore,
we have committed a year to this process, and we invite your thoughts and prayers. Next month’s newsletter will feature detailed information about the people whose gifts allowed us to establish our endowment, the finance committee’s rationale for undertaking this process, the financial details of the funds, and information on how you can be involved in this discernment process. Please look out for this information in February! Do you have a question about our UMW finances? Many people do! Below, you will see three of our most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). You may contribute your question next month! Q: A:
How much should I pledge and contribute to UMW? Every gift is welcomed. By far the most common gift is in the amount of $100, although gifts range from $20 to over $500. Jesus commended the generosity of the widow who gave her two mites, and we are grateful for gifts of any amount. (Mark 12: 41-44 and Luke 21: 1-4.)
Q: I have several financial commitments in December. Do I have to submit my contribution to UMW in December? A: No, your contribution is welcomed any time of the year! We understand that December is a month of commitments and expenses, so please feel free to submit your gift at any time to me via the UMW box in the church office or via snail mail to my home address. You may also simply hand it to me any time you see me. Q: A:
I would prefer to give my gift over time in several installments. Is this possible? Absolutely! You may contribute toward your pledge throughout the year. I will keep track of your contributions should you ever need to inquire as to what you have given.
Thank you for reading this first installment of Treasurer’s Trove! I am excited for the opportunity to bring this information to you, and I look forward to hearing from you about how I can better serve you as your Treasurer! Keep those FAQs coming! ~ Rita S. Guenther, Treasurer Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News The 2016 UMW Executive Board and Special Committee Chairs President
Ellen Bachman (ellenbachman@comcast.net)
Vice President
Connie Sommers (sommersc@gmail.com)
Recording secretary
Beth McConnell (lshearl@aol.com)
Treasurer
Rita Guenther (ritaguenther@yahoo.com)
Mission Coordinators: Social Action
Anita Seline (amseline@aol.com)
Spiritual Growth
Mary Rollefson (maryrollefson@starpower.net)
Membership
Caralee Adams (Caralee.Adams@verizon.net) & Phyllis Kokus (pkokus@aol.com)
Program Resources
Helene Lilly (j718hel@aol.com)
Communications
Alex McPherron (alexmcph@gmail.com)
Education
Barbara Tate (bdtate@verizon.net)
Special Committee Chairs: Bazaar
Barbara Gaskill (bgaskill@bgaskill.com)
Book Sale
Anita Seline (amseline@aol.com) & Martha Mizroch (martha_miz@hotmail.com)
Nominations
Jeanie Mah (msjcmyu1@gmail.com)
Recognitions
Regula Guess (regula.guess@yahoo.com) & Beverly Fleming (Beverly.fleming@gmail.com)
Retreat
Suzanne Vieth (msvieth@verizon.net)
Staats Memorial Committee
Jeanie Mah (msjcmyu1@gmail.com)
Circle Representatives: 1
Helene Lilly (j718hel@aol.com)
2
Charlotte Carter (char.carter@cox.net)
6
Mary Jo Marchant (mjmarchant@verizon.net) & Ann Michel (amichel@wesleyseminary.edu)
8
Kelly D’Angelo (kellysclothes@aol.com
9
Bobby Turnbull (bobbyturnbull@comcast.net)
10
Suzanne Vieth (msvieth@verizon.net) & Caralee Adams (caralee.adams@verizon.net)
Feel free to contact any one of us with your questions and ideas. Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News
Congratulations to Our 2016 UMW Recognition Luncheon Honorees On December 11, 2016 we gathered in the Great Hall to welcome new UMW members, recognize babies born in our church family this year, and honor the lives of women in our church family who passed away within the last year. We also recognized four outstanding women who were selected for special recognition, Anne Mathews-Younes, Joan Davenport, Connie Sommers and Jeanie Mah. Each one of these women has made significant contributions to our church, to our community and beyond. Thank you and congratulations!
Left to right: Anne Mathews-Younes, Joan Davenport, Connie Sommers, Jeanie Mah
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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UMW News Remembrance of Ann Karen Howard
Karen Howard’s life was full with many activities but her main love and devotion was Metropolitan Memorial Methodist Church. Here she taught Sunday school, was in the choir, was a member of Circle 2, went on mission trips to Africa and the islands, participated in Metro Players, helped out with American University Sunday suppers for students, volunteered in the office, and was a member of the Book Club. In the past eight years, her enthusiasm for Church never waned. When her cancer became extremely difficult, she would gauge herself with her activities. She lived life with a smile and was an inspiration to others with her upbeat and active approach to life. She lived life to the fullest and now she is at peace.
~ Suzanne Clewell Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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Circles
AU
The AU UMW Circle meets Fridays at 7:00 p.m. in the "AU Lounge" at Metropolitan. Contact Tori Lynn Gilkeson at VP@aumethodists.org
1
Contact Helene Lilly at j718hel@aol.com.
2
Contact Jane Cunningham, jtc3rd@aol.com or Charlotte Carter, char.carter@cox.net
6
On January 29 at noon in the Parlor, UMW Circle Six will kick off a four-part discussion series on Women and Leadership. The first session led by Ann Michel will focus on women in the Bible, considering how culture has misinterpreted what can be learned from some wellknown feminine figures in the Bible. Questions or suggestions, Mary Jo Marchant, mjmarchant@verizon.net or Ann Michel, amichel@wesleyseminary.edu.
8
Tuesday Feb 7, 7:30 at home of Anita Charles. Following up with the Hamilton theme from our church we are asking for "her" stories to be shared about something from your family's heritage that we may not know about. Contact Kelly D’Angelo at 202-210-2220 or kellysclothes@aol.com.
9
Circle 9 will meet on February 1 at 10:30 in the Choir Room. Janet Craswell will speak to us about lay preachers. Please contact Bobby Turnbull, bobbyturnbull@comcast.net.
10
Monday, Jan. 23 @ 7 p.m. Parlor. Program: Priorities in the New Year. Take time to reflect, meditate, and help explore what our Circle might do in 2017 to make a difference to help children and families in our community. Pyper Imperial will talk about possibilities of working with her school, Educare, bringing high quality, early childhood education to financially disadvantaged children age 0-5. Bring an article of “good news” to share with the group to inspire and discuss. We’ll also be assembling toiletry bags for women in our shelter, so start gathering items (more info on their “wish lists” to come). Contact Caralee Adams caralee.adams@verizon.net or Suzanne Vieth msvieth@verizon.net
The February UMW Board Meeting TBA Newsletter prepared by Alexandra McPherron. To add items to the next newsletter, email alexmcph@gmail.com by Monday, February 27, 2017.
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : January-February 2017
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