Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.....
Annual Meeting
September 7, 8 & 9, 2007
Lake Junaluska
Are you ready for Annual Meeting? It is almost here! We hope you have made, or are making your plans to join us this weekend at Lake Junaluska, September 7, 8 & 9, for YOUR Conference Annual Meeting. Come for the whole weekend, or come for a day...just COME...and help us celebrate our theme, "Through the Eyes of a Child".
Reverend Angela Pleasants will be our keynote speaker, Anne Kolbe will be our mission speaker, and Gail and Charles Litaker will lead us in music. Your conference program committee, and our hostess district, North Wilkesboro, are looking forward to welcoming you to Lake Junaluska. An exciting weekend has been planned, with lots of wonderful opportunities. Join us!!
Read more about all of the planned activities at our conference web site: www.wnccumw.org ... just click on the link for Annual Meeting. The program book for our 2007 meeting is now available there in PDF....check it out!
No advance registration is required...so it is not too late for you to make plans to come. As of today, there are still rooms available on the Lake at the Lakeside Lodge, and the Junaluska Apartments. Call the Lake Junaluska reservations department at 1-800-222-4930 and make a reservation today! If those fill up, there are also plenty of other accommodations very close to the Lake in either Waynesville or Maggie Valley.
Registration opens at 2:00pm on Friday, in Harrell Center Auditorium (downstairs in Harrell Center). Program Resources (downstairs in Harrell Center) will also open then, as will the reception & refreshments being provided in the Susan Todd Lounge (upstairs Harrell Center) by the North Wilkesboro District.
As you arrive at the Lake, plan to spend some time browsing the Program Resource room, visit the reception being hosted by the North Wilkesboro District, walk along the beautiful Rose Walk, or around the Lake, and spend some quiet time in the Memorial Chapel. Soak up that special spirit of tranquility that lives at Lake Junaluska, and breathe in that wonderful mountain air. There are so many things that you can do to begin your time at Annual Meeting!
The opening session will begin with Gathering Praise singing in Stuart Auditorium at 6:45pm. You will want to participate in that wonderful singing, and be in your seat as the session begins at 7:00pm.
NEW in 2007: There will be a registration fee collected from all persons attending Annual Meeting. Fees are as follows and will be collected at the time of on-site registration.
$5.00 for those staying in Conference owned facilities: Terrace Inn, Lambuth Inn, Lakeside Lodge, Sunnyside Lodge, Junaluska Apartments and for those renting or staying in a private home on the grounds.
$10.00 for those staying in Providence Lodge, Sunset Inn and off the grounds of Lake Junaluska
You can also read the Annual Meeting issue of the Conference Gram on our web site:
www.wnccumw.org ... just click on the link for the Conference Gram.
Have a safe journey to Lake Junaluska. See you there!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Missionary serving in Cambodia to visit Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.....
The following information is from Sandi McGarrah, who will be hosting Clara Biswas (a United Methodist Missionary currently assigned as a community worker in Cambodia) during the week of September 8 - 16 as she visits across our conference. Sandi invites you to take advantage of these opportunities to hear Clara tell her story of ministry with Cambodian street children. And, there are a couple of open times that you could contact Sandi about if you would like to invite Clara to come share at your church. Contact information for Sandi is included below.
From Sandi McGarrah:
Clara Biswas, a missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, assigned as a community worker in Cambodia is coming to the Western N.C. Conference September 8th-16th. Clara works with the landfill and street children and youth as well as the orphanage in Phnom Penh. Her itinerary is listed below. You are encouraged to come and hear Clara share her story of God's call to minister to Cambodian children in need and how our conference is helping make that possible.
Her itinerary is listed below.
Sunday, September 9th: 8:45am & 11am services, Milford Hills UMC, Salisbury Contact: David Hockett, 704-636-0471
7pm, First UMC, Rutherfordton Contact: Ed Hillman, 828-287-3704
Monday, September 10th:
Afternoon classes TBA, Brevard University 6pm, Brevard University, Presentation & Cambodian food tasting Contact: Shelley Webb, 828-883-8292 x2302
Tuesday, September 11th:
11am Presentation to Brooks-Howell residents, Asheville Contact: Jeanette Byrd, 828-253-6712
6pm, Presentation at Pine Grove UMC, Linville Falls Contact: Martha Phillips, 828-765-7009
Wednesday, Sept. 12th:
10am, Presentation to UMW Circles at Providence UMC, Charlotte
Evening open: please call if you would like to schedule a presentation Contact: Sandi McGarrah, 704-847-3407
Thurs., Sept. 13th:
AM Open: call Sandi McGarrah, 704-847-3407 to schedule a presentation
6PM, Presentation at Cherryville UMC, Cherryville Contact: Rick Fite,
Friday, Sept. 14th:
Get-Together, Conference Office, Shamrock Drive, Charlotte
Open: Contact Sandi McGarrah, 704-847-3407 to schedule a presentation
Saturday, Sept. 15th:
10-4 Building Team Reunion, Williamson's UMC, Mooresville 1:30pm Clara's Presentation
Sunday, Sept. 16th:
10am, Speaker at Madison UMC, Madison Contact: Dan Ramsey, 336-548-6658
Thank you for sharing this information!
Please give me a call if you have any questions. I will be hosting Clara during her stay in NC.
Sandi McGarrah
sandramc@windstream.net
704-847-3407
The following information is from Sandi McGarrah, who will be hosting Clara Biswas (a United Methodist Missionary currently assigned as a community worker in Cambodia) during the week of September 8 - 16 as she visits across our conference. Sandi invites you to take advantage of these opportunities to hear Clara tell her story of ministry with Cambodian street children. And, there are a couple of open times that you could contact Sandi about if you would like to invite Clara to come share at your church. Contact information for Sandi is included below.
From Sandi McGarrah:
Clara Biswas, a missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, assigned as a community worker in Cambodia is coming to the Western N.C. Conference September 8th-16th. Clara works with the landfill and street children and youth as well as the orphanage in Phnom Penh. Her itinerary is listed below. You are encouraged to come and hear Clara share her story of God's call to minister to Cambodian children in need and how our conference is helping make that possible.
Her itinerary is listed below.
Sunday, September 9th: 8:45am & 11am services, Milford Hills UMC, Salisbury Contact: David Hockett, 704-636-0471
7pm, First UMC, Rutherfordton Contact: Ed Hillman, 828-287-3704
Monday, September 10th:
Afternoon classes TBA, Brevard University 6pm, Brevard University, Presentation & Cambodian food tasting Contact: Shelley Webb, 828-883-8292 x2302
Tuesday, September 11th:
11am Presentation to Brooks-Howell residents, Asheville Contact: Jeanette Byrd, 828-253-6712
6pm, Presentation at Pine Grove UMC, Linville Falls Contact: Martha Phillips, 828-765-7009
Wednesday, Sept. 12th:
10am, Presentation to UMW Circles at Providence UMC, Charlotte
Evening open: please call if you would like to schedule a presentation Contact: Sandi McGarrah, 704-847-3407
Thurs., Sept. 13th:
AM Open: call Sandi McGarrah, 704-847-3407 to schedule a presentation
6PM, Presentation at Cherryville UMC, Cherryville Contact: Rick Fite,
Friday, Sept. 14th:
Get-Together, Conference Office, Shamrock Drive, Charlotte
Open: Contact Sandi McGarrah, 704-847-3407 to schedule a presentation
Saturday, Sept. 15th:
10-4 Building Team Reunion, Williamson's UMC, Mooresville 1:30pm Clara's Presentation
Sunday, Sept. 16th:
10am, Speaker at Madison UMC, Madison Contact: Dan Ramsey, 336-548-6658
Thank you for sharing this information!
Please give me a call if you have any questions. I will be hosting Clara during her stay in NC.
Sandi McGarrah
sandramc@windstream.net
704-847-3407
Olson elected to lead church's Women's Division
Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.....
News from the Women's Division....Harriett Jane Olson has been elected chief executive officer of the Women's Division. Read more below.
Olson elected to lead church's Women's Division
By Yvette Moore*Aug. 21, 2007 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
Harriett Jane Olson, an executive with the United Methodist Publishing House, has been elected chief executive of the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
Olson will oversee the administrative arm and policy-making body of United Methodist Women, a denominational organization of approximately 800,000 members in the United States. Its purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for justice, and its members give more than $20 million a year for ministries related to women, children and youth around the world.
She will begin the job Sept. 4 at the board's headquarters in New York. She succeeds Jan Love, who left at the end of 2006 to become dean of the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta.
Olson was elected Aug. 17 at Scarritt-Bennett Center during a called meeting of the Women's Division board of directors.
In her new job, Olson will serve in other leadership and management roles in the Board of Global Ministries. The board's personnel committee and directors are expected to approve her nomination at their September and October meetings.
"It's a privilege to stand with women, children and youth. It's a role particularly well-connected to our theological DNA as United Methodists —spiritual nurture and action."-Harriett Jane Olson
Olson expressed excitement about working with the Women's Division, including its role as an advocate for the oppressed and dispossessed, with special attention to the needs of women and children.
"United Methodist Women are called to do something not being done by the rest of the church," she said. "It's a privilege to stand with women, children and youth. It's a role particularly well-connected to our theological DNA as United Methodists — spiritual nurture and action."
Since 1996, Olson has served as senior vice president for publishing, editor for church school publications and United Methodist Church book editor at the Publishing House. She supervised a staff of 125 to 150 people responsible for the development, production and trade distribution of resources from Abingdon Press, Cokesbury and Kingswood Books.
Olson is a 1983 graduate of Harvard Law School and former partner at Pitney, Hardin, Kipp and Szuch, where she worked 1983-96, specializing in environmental law in the firm's real estate department.
She was a director of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship 1988-96 and has been a delegate to four General Conferences of the denomination. She is a member of Morristown (N.J.) United Methodist Church and an affiliate member of McKendree United Methodist Church in Nashville.
*Moore is on the communications staff for the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
News from the Women's Division....Harriett Jane Olson has been elected chief executive officer of the Women's Division. Read more below.
Olson elected to lead church's Women's Division
By Yvette Moore*Aug. 21, 2007 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
Harriett Jane Olson, an executive with the United Methodist Publishing House, has been elected chief executive of the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
Olson will oversee the administrative arm and policy-making body of United Methodist Women, a denominational organization of approximately 800,000 members in the United States. Its purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for justice, and its members give more than $20 million a year for ministries related to women, children and youth around the world.
She will begin the job Sept. 4 at the board's headquarters in New York. She succeeds Jan Love, who left at the end of 2006 to become dean of the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta.
Olson was elected Aug. 17 at Scarritt-Bennett Center during a called meeting of the Women's Division board of directors.
In her new job, Olson will serve in other leadership and management roles in the Board of Global Ministries. The board's personnel committee and directors are expected to approve her nomination at their September and October meetings.
"It's a privilege to stand with women, children and youth. It's a role particularly well-connected to our theological DNA as United Methodists —spiritual nurture and action."-Harriett Jane Olson
Olson expressed excitement about working with the Women's Division, including its role as an advocate for the oppressed and dispossessed, with special attention to the needs of women and children.
"United Methodist Women are called to do something not being done by the rest of the church," she said. "It's a privilege to stand with women, children and youth. It's a role particularly well-connected to our theological DNA as United Methodists — spiritual nurture and action."
Since 1996, Olson has served as senior vice president for publishing, editor for church school publications and United Methodist Church book editor at the Publishing House. She supervised a staff of 125 to 150 people responsible for the development, production and trade distribution of resources from Abingdon Press, Cokesbury and Kingswood Books.
Olson is a 1983 graduate of Harvard Law School and former partner at Pitney, Hardin, Kipp and Szuch, where she worked 1983-96, specializing in environmental law in the firm's real estate department.
She was a director of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship 1988-96 and has been a delegate to four General Conferences of the denomination. She is a member of Morristown (N.J.) United Methodist Church and an affiliate member of McKendree United Methodist Church in Nashville.
*Moore is on the communications staff for the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
Listen to the Missionary Voice
Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.....
New on the General Board of Global Ministries website....listen to interviews with missionaries! Check it out, and share the links with others.
Listen to the Missionary Voice
by Wendy Whiteside and Mary Beth Coudal
What is social justice? What did Mary do with those gifts given to her on the occasion of Jesus' birth? And where can you find a good chili cheese dog in Washington, DC? To find the answers to these and other questions, you can listen to short, substantive online interviews with missionaries.
The Global Ministries website now offers a new, exciting resource, The Missionary Voice: podcasts from a broad spectrum of locations, on a variety of topics. From Palestine/Israel to the Deaf Shalom Zone in Baltimore, you can listen in as missionaries discuss real-life faith challenges and values, and receive firsthand accounts of their efforts to do God's work.
The Missionary Voice podcasts are contemporary, clear, and even controversial. You can hear the voices of the missionaries and find out just what matters to them and the people they work alongside. You can hear for yourself just what makes a missionary tick and how they persevere, given extraordinary obstacles.
Featuring the voice of Rev. R. Randy Day, general secretary, and interviews by reporters Chris Tricomi and Mary Beth Coudal, the podcasts entertain, inform, and inspire. Check them out and you'll find personal and creative stories about amazing people from unlikely places.
The Missionary Voice is meant to be shared. Send a friend or colleague the link to a podcast that was particularly meaningful to you. Download a podcast and play it as part of your worship service or at a missions committee meeting. You can reach this resource from the home page of Global Ministries, http://gbgm-umc.org/. Scroll down and, in the right column, click on the purple icon that says The Missionary Voice.
We invite you to listen and use The Missionary Voice. New podcasts are added twice a month, so come back frequently and see what is new. Or sign up to be notified whenever a new podcast is posted. Your understanding of mission will be expanded. Your knowledge of the church's impact on God's wide world will grow. Your faith in God will deepen as you hear the faith of these people active in God's mission.
To hear the Missionary Voice podcasts, go to http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/missionaries/podcasts/
To learn more about becoming a missionary, go to http://ummissionaries.org
New on the General Board of Global Ministries website....listen to interviews with missionaries! Check it out, and share the links with others.
Listen to the Missionary Voice
by Wendy Whiteside and Mary Beth Coudal
What is social justice? What did Mary do with those gifts given to her on the occasion of Jesus' birth? And where can you find a good chili cheese dog in Washington, DC? To find the answers to these and other questions, you can listen to short, substantive online interviews with missionaries.
The Global Ministries website now offers a new, exciting resource, The Missionary Voice: podcasts from a broad spectrum of locations, on a variety of topics. From Palestine/Israel to the Deaf Shalom Zone in Baltimore, you can listen in as missionaries discuss real-life faith challenges and values, and receive firsthand accounts of their efforts to do God's work.
The Missionary Voice podcasts are contemporary, clear, and even controversial. You can hear the voices of the missionaries and find out just what matters to them and the people they work alongside. You can hear for yourself just what makes a missionary tick and how they persevere, given extraordinary obstacles.
Featuring the voice of Rev. R. Randy Day, general secretary, and interviews by reporters Chris Tricomi and Mary Beth Coudal, the podcasts entertain, inform, and inspire. Check them out and you'll find personal and creative stories about amazing people from unlikely places.
The Missionary Voice is meant to be shared. Send a friend or colleague the link to a podcast that was particularly meaningful to you. Download a podcast and play it as part of your worship service or at a missions committee meeting. You can reach this resource from the home page of Global Ministries, http://gbgm-umc.org/. Scroll down and, in the right column, click on the purple icon that says The Missionary Voice.
We invite you to listen and use The Missionary Voice. New podcasts are added twice a month, so come back frequently and see what is new. Or sign up to be notified whenever a new podcast is posted. Your understanding of mission will be expanded. Your knowledge of the church's impact on God's wide world will grow. Your faith in God will deepen as you hear the faith of these people active in God's mission.
To hear the Missionary Voice podcasts, go to http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/missionaries/podcasts/
To learn more about becoming a missionary, go to http://ummissionaries.org
Friday, August 17, 2007
United Methodist Women take to the road for justice
Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.....
More than 200 United Methodist Women from across the country have been participating this week in the 2007 National Seminar: "For Christ's Sake, Turn the World Upside Down," at Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville. The quadrennial event equips members to renew their commitment to know God and to join in the local and global mission of justice and advocacy.
"National Seminar is an opportunity for members of United Methodist Women to explore God's actions in the current moment and dialogue about how we must respond," said Sung-ok Lee, Women's Division executive for Christian social responsibility. "In a gathering that reflects our rich diversity of race, ethnicity and age, we will reflect on the early Christians who were accused of 'turning the world upside down' in Acts. 17:19."
Our own Sherry Sink, Mission Coordinator for Education and Interpretation, and Tonya Lanier, Lexington District UMW President, were among those participating in the National Seminar.
Below is an United Methodist News Service article about the experiences they have shared this week....it was posted today on the United Methodist Church website: http://www.umc.org/. Sherry Sink is in the highlighted photo! Thanks to Sherry and Tonya for representing our conference at this special event.
United Methodist Women take to the road for justice
By Yvette Moore*Aug. 16, 2007 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
More than 200 United Methodist Women boarded buses and traveled to communities in the Nashville area to see what it means to be homeless, an immigrant or without health care.
The community visits were part of the organization's 2007 "For Christ's Sake, Turn the World Upside Down" National Seminar Aug. 11-16 at Scarritt-Bennett Center.
"The whole idea of community visits is to broaden our knowledge, to go beyond ourselves to gain insights and listen to the voices of those on the margins …," said elmira Nazombe, executive of the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, the administrative arm of UMW. "This will help give us the landscape view we need to look for patterns and discern what the issues are telling us about our faith imperatives."
Nashville community groups served as guides for the women in visits to a mosque, landfill, community clinics, farmers market, community garden, homeless shelters, public high school and Civil War monument.
Each visit included one-on-one conversations and panel discussions and presentations on the related issue. The visits were an extension of workshops held throughout the event focusing on one of seven issues: economic justice, health care, public education, immigration, community food security, environmental justice and militarism, peace and national security.
Meeting with immigrants, salvaging food
"It rocked my world," said participant Donna Moore from the denomination's Memphis Annual (regional) Conference, after a day of visits with immigrants and refugees. She met at a mosque with Kurdish women from Turkey who had come to the United States as refugees and also spoke with Hispanic women at a local immigrant advocacy program.
Moore said she had passed immigrant workers in her local community, but didn't know much about them. "The Hispanic women had an awesome fear of being separated from their families," she said. "The thing that struck me was their patience, their stories and how they need advocates.
“The whole idea of community visits is to broaden our knowledge, to go beyond ourselves to gain insights and listen to the voices of those on the margins …”–elmira Nazombe
"The things I take for granted in my life are not afforded to everybody. How could we not know? I didn't know. As a United Methodist and a United Methodist Women member, as a Christian, we need to know. It's our responsibility to know. Maybe it's been out there all along. Maybe this was my time to listen."
Susan Sanders, Kansas West Conference, helped sort and salvage food for low-income families during her visit to the farmers market and Good Food For Good People, a community-based organization committed to decreasing food waste and increasing accessibility to fresh and healthy foods.
"The man for Good Food for Good People just takes the salvaged fruits and vegetables, puts it on his truck and takes it to the low-income housing development," Sanders said. "Then they knock on the doors and say, 'The food's here!' People come out and get the produce. And they don't just take for themselves. They take to give to neighbors, too."
The visit was part of the workshop on community food security, which examines the need for every community to have access to a safe, affordable nutritious food supply. Many low-income areas do not have large grocery stores that carry fresh fruits and vegetables.
Exploring war and peace
A visit to Fort Negley, a local Civil War memorial, kicked off a day of exploring reasons for war and the far-reaching impact of war for women taking the militarism, peace and national security workshops.
The group heard presentations from two U.S. Army public affairs specialists about today's all-volunteer soldiers, saw a documentary about the munitions-making military industrial complex and listened to testimonies from a panel representing organizations and ministries working for peace and helping military personnel and families.
The Revs. John and Janie Dandridge of Nashville shared how their soldier son's loss of a leg in Iraq changed their lives.
"It's a traumatic experience to look at all the wounded men and women," Ms. Dandridge said of visiting her son at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.
"There's a real war going on, no matter what you think about it," said Mr. Dandridge, a retired military officer. "There are nearly 4,000 U.S. deaths and 60,000 wounded. Many have traumatic brain injuries. Like Vietnam, they're going to be coming home and unable to care for themselves. Peace is necessary."
The couple's work for peace and counsel focuses on military families. "God has given us a whole new ministry," Ms. Dandridge said.
United Methodist Women is an organization of approximately 800,000 members within The United Methodist Church in the United States. Its purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for justice. United Methodist Women members give more than $20 million a year for programs and projects related to women, children and youth in the United States and around the world.
*Moore is on the communications staff of United Methodist Women
More than 200 United Methodist Women from across the country have been participating this week in the 2007 National Seminar: "For Christ's Sake, Turn the World Upside Down," at Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville. The quadrennial event equips members to renew their commitment to know God and to join in the local and global mission of justice and advocacy.
"National Seminar is an opportunity for members of United Methodist Women to explore God's actions in the current moment and dialogue about how we must respond," said Sung-ok Lee, Women's Division executive for Christian social responsibility. "In a gathering that reflects our rich diversity of race, ethnicity and age, we will reflect on the early Christians who were accused of 'turning the world upside down' in Acts. 17:19."
Our own Sherry Sink, Mission Coordinator for Education and Interpretation, and Tonya Lanier, Lexington District UMW President, were among those participating in the National Seminar.
Below is an United Methodist News Service article about the experiences they have shared this week....it was posted today on the United Methodist Church website: http://www.umc.org/. Sherry Sink is in the highlighted photo! Thanks to Sherry and Tonya for representing our conference at this special event.
United Methodist Women take to the road for justice
By Yvette Moore*Aug. 16, 2007 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
More than 200 United Methodist Women boarded buses and traveled to communities in the Nashville area to see what it means to be homeless, an immigrant or without health care.
The community visits were part of the organization's 2007 "For Christ's Sake, Turn the World Upside Down" National Seminar Aug. 11-16 at Scarritt-Bennett Center.
"The whole idea of community visits is to broaden our knowledge, to go beyond ourselves to gain insights and listen to the voices of those on the margins …," said elmira Nazombe, executive of the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, the administrative arm of UMW. "This will help give us the landscape view we need to look for patterns and discern what the issues are telling us about our faith imperatives."
Nashville community groups served as guides for the women in visits to a mosque, landfill, community clinics, farmers market, community garden, homeless shelters, public high school and Civil War monument.
Each visit included one-on-one conversations and panel discussions and presentations on the related issue. The visits were an extension of workshops held throughout the event focusing on one of seven issues: economic justice, health care, public education, immigration, community food security, environmental justice and militarism, peace and national security.
Meeting with immigrants, salvaging food
"It rocked my world," said participant Donna Moore from the denomination's Memphis Annual (regional) Conference, after a day of visits with immigrants and refugees. She met at a mosque with Kurdish women from Turkey who had come to the United States as refugees and also spoke with Hispanic women at a local immigrant advocacy program.
Moore said she had passed immigrant workers in her local community, but didn't know much about them. "The Hispanic women had an awesome fear of being separated from their families," she said. "The thing that struck me was their patience, their stories and how they need advocates.
“The whole idea of community visits is to broaden our knowledge, to go beyond ourselves to gain insights and listen to the voices of those on the margins …”–elmira Nazombe
"The things I take for granted in my life are not afforded to everybody. How could we not know? I didn't know. As a United Methodist and a United Methodist Women member, as a Christian, we need to know. It's our responsibility to know. Maybe it's been out there all along. Maybe this was my time to listen."
Susan Sanders, Kansas West Conference, helped sort and salvage food for low-income families during her visit to the farmers market and Good Food For Good People, a community-based organization committed to decreasing food waste and increasing accessibility to fresh and healthy foods.
"The man for Good Food for Good People just takes the salvaged fruits and vegetables, puts it on his truck and takes it to the low-income housing development," Sanders said. "Then they knock on the doors and say, 'The food's here!' People come out and get the produce. And they don't just take for themselves. They take to give to neighbors, too."
The visit was part of the workshop on community food security, which examines the need for every community to have access to a safe, affordable nutritious food supply. Many low-income areas do not have large grocery stores that carry fresh fruits and vegetables.
Exploring war and peace
A visit to Fort Negley, a local Civil War memorial, kicked off a day of exploring reasons for war and the far-reaching impact of war for women taking the militarism, peace and national security workshops.
The group heard presentations from two U.S. Army public affairs specialists about today's all-volunteer soldiers, saw a documentary about the munitions-making military industrial complex and listened to testimonies from a panel representing organizations and ministries working for peace and helping military personnel and families.
The Revs. John and Janie Dandridge of Nashville shared how their soldier son's loss of a leg in Iraq changed their lives.
"It's a traumatic experience to look at all the wounded men and women," Ms. Dandridge said of visiting her son at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.
"There's a real war going on, no matter what you think about it," said Mr. Dandridge, a retired military officer. "There are nearly 4,000 U.S. deaths and 60,000 wounded. Many have traumatic brain injuries. Like Vietnam, they're going to be coming home and unable to care for themselves. Peace is necessary."
The couple's work for peace and counsel focuses on military families. "God has given us a whole new ministry," Ms. Dandridge said.
United Methodist Women is an organization of approximately 800,000 members within The United Methodist Church in the United States. Its purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for justice. United Methodist Women members give more than $20 million a year for programs and projects related to women, children and youth in the United States and around the world.
*Moore is on the communications staff of United Methodist Women
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Conference Gram - August 2007 - Annual Meeting Issue
Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.....
Here it is...hot off the press...the August 2007 issue of the Conference Gram. Read all of the up-to-date news & information for Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.
This issue includes complete information about our 2007 Conference Annual Meeting. Annual Meeting will be held September 7, 8 & 9 at Lake Junaluska, with the theme...Through the Eyes of a Child. We hope you are already making plans to attend.
There is no advance registration required for attending Annual Meeting. However, advance reservations are necessary for housing in one of the Lake Junaluska hotels or facilities. The Housing Reservation form is available on our website in both Word and PDF formats at www.wnccumw.org ...You can find them on the Registration Forms page, or the Annual Meeting page....just use the menu links on the left side of your screen.
Read all about Annual Meeting in this issue of the Conference Gram...then mark your calendar,and plan to join us at Lake Junaluska in September! You can also read about Annual Meeting on our web site at: www.wnccumw.org
An Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the Conference Gram is attached to this email. You can open it and read it using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. See below for further information about obtaining the free Adobe Acrobat Reader if you do not have it. The Conference Gram is also available on our website.
You can always find lots of information about United Methodist Women on our conference web site at: www.wnccumw.org
Free Adobe Acrobat Reader:
If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or find that you have an old version that will not open this file, use this link to go to the download site for the free reader. Registration forms, the Conference Gram, and certain other information are being sent to the email list in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Download the free reader at:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Here it is...hot off the press...the August 2007 issue of the Conference Gram. Read all of the up-to-date news & information for Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.
This issue includes complete information about our 2007 Conference Annual Meeting. Annual Meeting will be held September 7, 8 & 9 at Lake Junaluska, with the theme...Through the Eyes of a Child. We hope you are already making plans to attend.
There is no advance registration required for attending Annual Meeting. However, advance reservations are necessary for housing in one of the Lake Junaluska hotels or facilities. The Housing Reservation form is available on our website in both Word and PDF formats at www.wnccumw.org ...You can find them on the Registration Forms page, or the Annual Meeting page....just use the menu links on the left side of your screen.
Read all about Annual Meeting in this issue of the Conference Gram...then mark your calendar,and plan to join us at Lake Junaluska in September! You can also read about Annual Meeting on our web site at: www.wnccumw.org
An Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the Conference Gram is attached to this email. You can open it and read it using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. See below for further information about obtaining the free Adobe Acrobat Reader if you do not have it. The Conference Gram is also available on our website.
You can always find lots of information about United Methodist Women on our conference web site at: www.wnccumw.org
Free Adobe Acrobat Reader:
If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or find that you have an old version that will not open this file, use this link to go to the download site for the free reader. Registration forms, the Conference Gram, and certain other information are being sent to the email list in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Download the free reader at:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Saturday, August 4, 2007
First Timer Scholarships for SEJ 2008
Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women.....
First Timer Scholarships for SEJ 2008
The Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women will award three $200 scholarships for the 2008 Southeastern Jurisdiction Quadrennial Meeting which will take place April 4-6, 2008 in Hampton, Virginia. Persons applying for scholarship assistance must be a member of a local or district unit of United Methodist Women within the Western North Carolina Conference, and must not have previously attended a Jurisdiction meeting.
Scholarship application form must be completed with all requested information, and sent to:
Sharon Smith, Conference Treasurer, P.O. Box 903, Marion, NC 28752.
Scholarship applications must be received by November 1st in order to be considered.
Scholarship recipients will be notified by November 15th.
The scholarship application form [PDF] is attached to this email, and is available on our web site at: http://www.wnccumw.org/ ...just visit the page for SEJ 2008, and click on the link near the top of the page for "Scholarship Application for First Timers".
Information about the SEJ 2008 meeting, registration materials, and complete information about the chartered bus trip from our conference are also available on the SEJ 2008 page of our website. Check it out...and make plans to go with us!
First Timer Scholarships for SEJ 2008
The Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women will award three $200 scholarships for the 2008 Southeastern Jurisdiction Quadrennial Meeting which will take place April 4-6, 2008 in Hampton, Virginia. Persons applying for scholarship assistance must be a member of a local or district unit of United Methodist Women within the Western North Carolina Conference, and must not have previously attended a Jurisdiction meeting.
Scholarship application form must be completed with all requested information, and sent to:
Sharon Smith, Conference Treasurer, P.O. Box 903, Marion, NC 28752.
Scholarship applications must be received by November 1st in order to be considered.
Scholarship recipients will be notified by November 15th.
The scholarship application form [PDF] is attached to this email, and is available on our web site at: http://www.wnccumw.org/ ...just visit the page for SEJ 2008, and click on the link near the top of the page for "Scholarship Application for First Timers".
Information about the SEJ 2008 meeting, registration materials, and complete information about the chartered bus trip from our conference are also available on the SEJ 2008 page of our website. Check it out...and make plans to go with us!
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