Once again, United Methodist Women from all over El Camino Real District (and beyond) discovered that, even if they weren’t feeling as well as they would like, they could still come to our annual leadership training day on Saturday,  February 5, because they could attend from the comfort of home on Zoom!

Our guest speaker was Marlene Ward, who has held many local, district and conference UMW offices over the years and who is now a member of the UMW National Program Advisory Group, representing all of the UMW members of the California-Nevada Conference.  The theme of her talk gave us a smile –  “Leadership!!! – Me???”  No doubt about it, the word “leadership” is a scary word.  Many of us don’t like to stand in front of a crowd.  We’d rather sit way in the back, unnoticed.  But Marlene says that God whispers, “I will take you through it all.” We may not feel that we are “leadership” material, but Marlene congratulated us for signing up for “Connect & Learn.”  The fact that we were there (and that you are reading this article) means that UMW matters to us.

Marlene herself credits other people who saw something in her, some “gifts and graces” that she wasn’t aware were hers.  She admits that while she is neither a visionary nor an “imaginer,” she is a good organizer, and that is her strong point.  She knows how to move the “pieces” around to make them fit.  On the other hand, she knows that she is not a good proofreader, so she asks others for help in doing that.  If you accept a leadership role, you do not have to be a one-woman band.  If you would like to review Marlene Ward’s Presentation, it is available here.

The format of the morning included two “break-out rooms” and, fortunately, one of those was a “talk back” session with Marlene where we could comment on her presentation.  There were two music video breaks during the morning.   The young girl singing “I’ve Got Joy” had us up and dancing.  The virtual choir’s rendition of “I Believe In The Sun,” sung together by several members of San Jose United Methodist churches, was so beautiful that we wanted to hear it again.  You may hear it at this address –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fp4Uo4yAOc

— Bonnie Home, Almaden Hills UMW

It’s a historic time to TURN IT UP!

• For spiritual healing and renewal
• For rebirth in a new time
• For women leaders
• For justice for women, children and youth

 

The United Methodist Women’s Assembly will take place on May 20 through May 22, in Orlando Florida.  You can register using the button below, or just to to the 2022 Assembly website.

Change is coming to United Methodist Women and we are excited that Assembly is the first place where you can experience that change in person or virtually! This is a moment in United Methodist Women history when you will look back and say “I was there! I can tell the story because I was present.” This is a don’t miss Assembly with big announcements to come in the coming months.

Women bishops of The United Methodist Church are registering now! They will join us to lead special segments of our worship together.

Speakers Announced on the Assembly 2022 Website   https://assembly2022.org/speakers/.  

The inaugural Legacy Banquet will be held at Assembly on the evening of May 21 as a special fundraising event to celebrate and grow

Request for Seed Packets.  United Methodist Women is so grateful to be partnering with Cornerstone Family Ministries, a national mission institution of United Methodist Women since 1892, for the Ubuntu Day of Service at Assembly 2022 in Orlando. Cornerstone’s mission is to nourish young bodies, develop young minds and foster hope through Christ … one child at a time. Cornerstone sponsors over 150 child-care centers under their Child Care Food Program sponsorship, serving over 16,800 children each year.

Here are the seeds we are requesting:

• Amaranth
• Collards
• Kale
• Malabar spinach

Mix and Mingle  Get ready for our member Mix and Mingle space led by you, the attendee.

 Bookstore Meet with national staff to purchase resources, learn about re-store and find out about digital resources on Mighty Networks at https://united-methodist-women.mn.co/ to connect with other members and engage with member resources for local programming and transformative education.

Deaconesses and Home Missioners lead prayer and meditation space

Virtual Assembly If you can’t join us in Orlando, you can still Turn It Up! Virtual attendees get access to all five Community Gatherings in real time and on demand, one workshop on Friday and Saturday, exclusive behind-the-scenes speaker interviews, sisterhood networking, unique prayer and meditation sessions, and a Saturday night party.

— K Stone

Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times by Bishop Michael Curry

Author Michael B. Curry was elected the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in 2015 and is best known to many for officiating at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. In this book Bishop Curry makes the case for “love as a way to a liberating and life-giving relationship with God, with others, with all God’s creation on this planet.”

He started by telling how he learned to meet the needs of two very distinct congregations that he was called to pastor.  When he was elected as bishop, he overcame the hurdles of being the first African-American bishop in the Episcopal Church. Just after that, the denomination was threatening to split over the issue of how fully to welcome LBGTQ members into the life of the church. Under his leadership, the denomination came to an agreement that held them together. Finally, he gave pointers for navigating the political divides that we face today without alienating those with views very different from ours.

The warmth and care of Michael Curry could be felt through all of the stories that he told and the advice was practical and written to be understood by laity.  After reading this book, I wanted to go find someone that I disagreed with so I could try out the skills that I learned for defusing the ideas that divide us.

This book is in the Spiritual Growth category of the 2022 UMW Reading Program list and is very applicable for these times.

— Carolyn Bircher

Our Spiritual Retreat is scheduled for March 26, 2022 from 9:30a.m. to 12:00p.m.  This year we are focused on healing, which seems so appropriate as we begin to exit the pandemic and all of the social and political challenges that have plagued us during this time.

We are blessed to have Board-Certified Health Coach Beth Carter as our speaker at this event.  This will be a virtual event on Zoom.  Please register in advance.

Beth Carter began her ministry through singing with her church choir from at age 10. She was active in several churches as Administrative Secretary, Youth Choir and Bell Choir Director, and Music Director.  Her desire to minister through music never waned, but the tug at her heart to go beyond that ministry persisted. In February 2020, she and her husband attended a Lay Servant Basic course. With the support from her local congregation and District Superintendent, she is fulfilling the requirements of both Certified Lay Servant and Certified Lay Ministry with anticipated completion of both this fall.

Beth and her husband Eliot, a chiropractor, have two daughters, a great dog, and own and operate Carter Wellness Clinic  in Sonoma, California where their philosophy is the health and wellness of the whole individual Body, Mind, and Spirit.

For our retreat, Beth will use a “wellness triad” as a pathway to health and healing.  She will discuss the impact of emotions on health and the need for healing when there is a physical imbalance.  She will also discuss the health of our souls.

We look forward to an exciting and innovative presentation with lively discussion in the break-out sessions.

— Sandra Nesheim