At the Cutting Edge - cnumc.org

1 1 Ff Now is the time At the Cutting Edge November 1, 2018 Volume XV111 Issue # 10 New website: CA-NV UMW Conference President, Marlene November 2018 2018 is ending!!! I can t believe it! What an awesome year for CA-NV Conference United Methodist Women. Over the last two months I have attended all four district s (Bridges, Central Valley, El Camino Real, and Great Northern) Annual Celebrations and we have celebrated our Conference Annual Celebration as well and I can say that the UMW Sisterhood of Grace here is alive and well and truly amazing!!! Each celebration was wonderful, and the accomplishments of each district have been so exciting. But even more moving for me was the enthusiasm and excitement of each of you. There was a glow about each of you as we were in fellowship with one another .. a sense of purpose and commitment as we shared our passions and focused on our advocacy work areas.

2 At our recent Conference Annual Celebration, we were so blessed to have Shannon Priddy, National UMW President as our keynote speaker and she truly set us on fire. Her enthusiasm and excitement for the work of UMW put a new spark in each of us in attendance. As I drove Shannon to the airport following our event, she was full of praises for our conference UMW. She so enjoyed being with us and interacting with all of you. I cannot say enough about our Celebration as it truly was a celebration. So many of you were in attendance, 167 and we were well represented from all corners of our conference. The fellowship was a true blessing .. so many smiles, laughter and hugs!!! I left the event exhausted, but with such a warm feeling. I hope that each of you that attended felt that the day was a blessing to you as well, that you found something of value that you could take back to your local UMW; that you returned to your local Legacy: Harvesting with the Holy Spirit Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

3 2 UMW excited to share something of your experience. Thank you to the conference team (Sally Wenzel in full leadership) for all the planning that went into this event and thanks to all of you who made the journey to Campbell. Saying goodbye to Bridges District and officially realigning our local UMWs to comply with the new five-district structure, has been amazing. We officially welcomed and installed officers for Bay and Los Rios District at our celebration so as of January 1, 2019 we begin our new journey with five fully functioning districts! This issue of the Cutting Edge includes some of the materials that were made available at our Annual Celebration as well as our Tentative calendar for 2019. In our January issue a more finalized version of the calendar will be shared! Our theme for this year was Harvesting with the Holy Spirit and I think our harvest has truly been plentiful.

4 So, what s next? For me, one more year as your Conference President and I am anxious to see just what s in store for all of us in 2019. God Bless each of you. Keep up the wonderful work that you are doing and be open to do even more. Be prepared for something new and exciting as I truly believe God is at work through each of us and I believe he has so much more for us to do!!! God Bless. Grace & peace, forgiveness & love, Marlene ** Web Links .. CA-NV Conference UMW: National UMW: Mission Resources: Climate Justice: Complete UMW Membership Census 2018: myUMW: Facebook: Twitter: Pinterest: Flickr: United Methodist Church: California-Nevada Annual Conference of the UMC: Commission on A WAY FORWARD: ( United Methodist Committee on Relief: 3 Sisterhood of Grace Listen in love and with respect; Hear each voice with compassion; Be patient, respectful and kind with one another; Respect each person s experience, skill and talent; Every person has a gift to offer; Speak from your own perspective and experience; Questions are needed and expected and will be addressed as able; Speak into the space with gentleness; Respect confidentiality; Speaking out is courageous; Silence is appropriate at times.)

5 ~from National UMW THE HEART PRINCIPLES (as adapted to United Methodist Women) All team members are committed to Jesus Christ and a shared vision for United Methodist Women All team members seek win/win solutions to problems, conflicts, or any other issues that arise All team members keep their agreements and are open and honest in their communication All team members assume 100% responsibility for the results that are produced and do not engage in blaming and justifying All team members agree to live by the HEART PRINCIPLES: o Hear and understand me o Even if you disagree, please don t make me wrong o Acknowledge the greatness within me, I am a Child of God o Remember to look for my loving intentions Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. ~Ephesians 4:29 4 CA-NV UMW CONFERENCE CELEBRATION OCTOBER 20, 2018 Keynote speaker Shannon Priddy suggested this thought from the story of Esther ~ Perhaps you were born for just such a time as this!

6 Shannon Priddy, our fresh-faced National UMW President, arrived from Indianapolis in October with her colorful Legacy 150 scarf around her neck, and many a story to tell. Shannon encouraged us to tell our own stories to people we meet for the first time. It is astonishing how quickly we will discover mutual interests, mutual backgrounds, and even mutual acquaintances, and these strangers will be strangers no more. Shannon s mother invited her to Mission u six times before she finally agreed to go. Shannon urges us to find that young, 20-something woman who wants to be mentored and comforted by one of us. Young women today are starved for community. If you aren t a sister to her, she will seek support elsewhere. In July Shannon and her mother traveled to Korea for the World Methodist Council in Seoul. It was the hottest summer in years! Their hosts took them to an English-language worship service, and then on a tour of Ewha University founded in 1886 by American missionary Mary Scranton.

7 The students there knew the history of their school, and thanked Shannon warmly for her visit. United Methodist Women have made huge differences all around the world, and Shannon s participation in the Council meeting continues that tradition. You are a leader in your own community, whether you have an official title or not. But there is no need to be a one-woman show, doing all of the work yourself. Invite others to help with your project, especially the inexperienced ones who have never been involved before. When you are a powerhouse group (your own posse or gang ), you are golden! Jesus didn t work alone, and neither should you. Shannon s job allows her to work remotely, away from the office. Do some of your UMW work remotely. Cell phones are everywhere. Third world countries skipped over the process of stringing telephone wires and went directly to cell phones. So can we. As a UMW member you speak for the marginalized, a voice for the voiceless.

8 You hear their voices calling in the night. Make UMW Sunday an important day on your church s calendar, and let your congregation know what an impact UMW is making in this world. Celebrate the weekend of March 23, 2019, which is the 150th anniversary of UMW. Don t let that opportunity get away from you! There has never been a more important time to stand up and be counted. Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate! The love of money may be a bad thing but raising money for the work and future of UMW is not a bad thing. The Legacy Fund endowment is crucial. The fund we establish now will ensure that our work will continue after we are gone. Shannon s visit was a delight. She engaged us in one-on-one conversations, listened attentively, and posed for selfies. It was invigorating to spend a bit of time with her. Yay, Shannon! Bonnie Home 5 UMCOR update from Brian Diggs of UMCOR.

9 (information from Judy Church) 1. Teams are welcome next year to pick almost any week. 2. Kits are no longer shipped internationally. 3. Eliminated most kits. Only ones needed are 3: Hygiene (formerly known as "health kits"); school kits (bags); and cleaning buckets. Because there are so many climate disasters, truckloads have been shipped south and east which has taken considerable number of pallets. Need more assembly. 4. Sewing room is still busy. Shorts sewn are shipped to Tonga. Employee Micha is Tongan. Have partnership with Tonga. His church pays for shipping. 5. Sewing room also makes small pillows for youth homeless shelter in Salt Lake City. 6. Sewing room makes quilts for homeless youth center in Salt Lake City. 7. UMCOR West has also provided blankets for homeless also. 8. If groups working there have need in their local area for these homeless quilts, they are welcome to take them back to their local area.

10 9. , group that serves Navajo of the four corners of states, has been partnering with UMCOR to store their food for October shipment to reservations. Their members (not Native Americans) would be willing to share work of their organization with a team. 10. Still partnering with LDS church (but we didn't mention that today). 11. Episcopal Church Center is still used as possible housing as well as others. Brian could fill you in on other options. 12. First UMC/Centenary UMC part-time pastor we met a few years back is still there. 6 Hand Prayers To aid our focus whilst praying, we will make and hold physical positions with our hands. We do this to engage our bodies within our prayers, allowing our minds to focus more freely on what we are praying about. Praying Hands: First place your palms and fingers flat together, with your hands pointing upwards; in the position traditionally adopted to pray.