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Latest News from the United Women in Faith of the Desert Southwest Conference
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United Women in Faith 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. 

Desert Southwest Conference

Visions From Your Vice President

Desert Southwest Conference United Women in Faith will hold our Annual Celebration on October 29, 2022. New this year, the day will begin with an optional breakfast with our deaconess at 8:30 AM. On the day of the Annual Celebration, bring your breakfast and chat with our deaconesses. They will join us and be available to share their work with you while you munch on your bagel, toast, tea, or coffee. Cheryl Reed, chair, committee on nominations, will host this time for us. Immediately after, the Annual Celebration will begin. 

It will be a joy to hear from our keynote speaker, Katie Pryor, the executive officer for Membership Nurture and Development. She will have lots of information about our new brand and how we move forward. There will also be some video messages, including one from our General Secretary/CEO, Harriett Olson.

Rev. Doug Bland ,Arizona Interfaith Power and Light, is sending us a wonderful speaker, Melanie Beikman, Program and Outreach Coordinator. Many of you may know her since she has worked with United Women in Faith in Arizona. She will share during for our Social Action workshop on Just Energy for All.

“Pouring New Wine” 
Saturday, October 29, 2022 
9:00 AM– 3:00 PM 

Virtual Meeting  
REGISTRATION OPEN

Featured Speaker
 
Katie Pryor
Executive for Membership Nurture and Development 

Social Action Workshop
Melanie Beikman
Program & Outreach Coordinator
Arizona Interfaith Power and Light


Join us at 8:30 AM for breakfast with our Deaconesses.

Register Now!
Your gift today will be joined with others in the Mission Giving Fund to support global programs and projects on behalf of women, children and youth. From Climate Justice to Women's Leadership Development, United Women in Faith are making a difference where it matters most.
Mission Giving Offering

"No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak: otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old., and a worse tear is made. and no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins." ~ Mark 2:21-22

Another important date to add to your calendar is Conference Leadership Training virtually on Thursday evening October 27 from 6:00-7:30 PM.  All new officers and existing conference and district officers are encouraged to attend. Kathy Schock, program advisory group, will lead us in a short, inspiring message, “Moving on Together.” You will then break into training groups.

Ladies, this is a time to invite friends and other women  in your church to attend. Each district is working hard planning an in person event in early October. Let’s see how many ladies we can gather up for this day. I’m excited, and I hope you are too. See you in October!!

Cyndi Heinecke, vice president


Our Conference Leadership Team Needs YOU!

The Committee on Nominations has begun putting the slate of officers together for 2023. These are the positions we need to fill: Vice President, Communications Coordinator, Assistant Dean for Mission u, and two positions on the Committee on Nominations for 2026.
 
Please think about your talents and the life experiences you’ve had. Can you help? If you are called, please prayerfully consider saying “YES” to serving on our Conference Leadership Team in one of these important positions.
 
If you have any questions or know of a name you would like to suggest, please contact me at crrgrr@hotmail.com or (602) 369-4450.
 
Cheryl Reed, chair, committee on nominations

Love in Action

Acting boldly, showing up, and making a difference begins with all of us. United Women in Faith believes love in action can change the world.  Every day we show up.  We take action.  We get it done.

This has been a busy summer with much on my mind and heart. And a lot of it needs a conversation with God. When someone asks for prayers, I pray. Prayers are free and should be given wholeheartedly. There are so many needs out there, family problems, health struggles, job issues, paying the electric bill or the rent, floods and fires, and displaced people needing a place to live.

There is so much more that needs our prayers. Prayers of joy and praise for all that is good in our lives. Prayers that we will find ways to make it better, to end gun violence, to end the war in Ukraine, to dream of a future where all thrive and are nurtured.

Pray boldly for those you love and care about, for this wonderful world we live in.

Thank you for your love, Lord, that sees the best in us. Strengthen us as we reach out to the world around us, as we take action to help others in need.  Amen

Arvilla Jungman, spiritual growth coordinator

Reading Suggestions for August

The month of August sometimes allows more time for reading before the fall start of meetings, seminars, and other busyness resumes. The two books I’m highlighting are:

© Penguin Random HouseBecoming by Michelle Obama (Leadership Development)
This memoir of Mrs. Obama takes the reader from her childhood in the south side of Chicago to her life as the First Lady of the United States. She describes all the changes she has lived through and the lessons these changes have taught her. This book is very readable due to her perceptive eye for detail and her honest appraisal of life as she has lived it. This quote from the book we can appreciate and learn from: “For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self.”

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (Leadership Development)
This book is a non-fiction account of the remarkable women of color who served as mathematicians for NASA in the South (Virginia) when “Jim Crow” laws were still pervasive. Starting in World War II and moving through the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement and the Space Race, Hidden Figures chronicles these women’s careers over nearly three decades as they faced challenges, forged alliances, and used their intelligence to change their own lives, and their country’s future. This book definitely fit into the category of “things I never knew before!”

Keep reading and be amazed at what women have and continue to do to make this a better world!

Caroline Kidd, program resources coordinator

Bits and Pieces

Some of you have asked me about the census reporting -- Our Unit Survey 2021 is available on the website now. Deadline is August 30. Be sure that someone from your local unit has filled out the form. There are several questions but it is easy to follow. If you have any questions or problems with the survey, you may contact me. Click here to complete the 2021 Unit Survey.

United Women in Faith has issued press releases on the recent Supreme Court decisions regarding the EPA and Roe v Wade and also racially motivated violence. Click here to access that and other press releases, dating back to 2014.

United Women in Faith brochures, banners, and tablecloths are available at the e-store

Did you see the announcement of the Mary McLeod Bethune statue unveiled in the Capitol? She was a lifelong member of the Woman’s Society of Christian Service and founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904. Mary McLeod Bethune was active in voter registration and campaigning for women’s suffrage. The photo that was shown in the news report about the unveiling is one of the photos that is in our Charter for Racial Justice video. Click here to view the story about the statue,

There is lots to explore on the new website, https://uwfaith.org/. Just keep looking and learning.

Peace & Blessings,
Kathy Schock, program advisory group

Rainbows

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it seemed everything went wrong, but at the end you realized that the important things went very right – that God was in control? I woke up in tears when it hit me how God worked in my life this week and continues to do so.

Last week I started working for a new school district. I am a Speech-Language Pathologist. One of my obvious roles is to get students to talk and communicate. During orientation I transferred my membership to the local education association, and I was invited to do a “kraftivity” at the Arizona Education Association on Saturday. The “kraftivity” was making a sign for our classrooms. I love rainbows, so I made my sign a rainbow sign.

Proudly, I texted it to one of my best friends, and her response shocked me. “Remind me again what age group you will be working with? Are you intending to put your name behind the Pride flag – is your intention to start a conversation with your staff and students?” My response was, “I’m working with 5th-8th graders. My sign’s intention is inclusivity. All are welcome. My church is a reconciling congregation and I voted to be one, but rainbows mean far more to me than the Pride flag.

Last year I was asked to write an inclusive prayer for the legislative session and I wrote it about rainbows. For example, they are a symbol of the Navajo Nation’s sovereignty. In my area and in windows around the world, rainbows were posted as a sign of hope during the pandemic. When I see a rainbow, it is a sign to me that God is pleased. There’s more behind the reason for the rainbow but you get the idea….if it starts a conversation, I welcome it. Rainbows are symbolic and meaningful to many peoples and religions.” My friend texted back, “Maria in my opinion your job is to teach kids and increase their speech and language! Not preach! You are not their parents. I would be livid if my kid was getting a “woke” conversation without my consent. With the attempt of inclusion, remember there’s another group that you’re disregarding! Why not be a friendly teacher who loves all her students and teaches them to the best of her ability! That’s all the kids need!” My response, “That’s what a rainbow symbolizes to me. A friendly teacher who welcomes ALL students and teaches them to the best of her ability. I’m not preaching or giving a woke conversation. It’s a rainbow.” Her response, “I hear what you are saying but you know what it symbolizes and so does everyone else! Your 5th to 8th graders are well aware!” I texted back, “Look up rainbows. They have many meanings to various groups. It’s not just the symbol of the Pride flag. To me rainbows are inclusive because of what they mean to various peoples and religions.” Her response, “I guess we have to agree to disagree (heart).” My response, “Works for me! I love you!” Her response, “(heart) u 2 (smiley face)”

Fast forward to school the next day. I put my sign up in my classroom – front and center, and my rainbow welcome sign from Mission u above my door. I attended the scheduled training sessions during orientation and periodically was given time to work in my classroom. Fast forward to Wednesday when the entire staff returned, and it wasn’t just us newbies any more. My principal wore black and white. She looked sharp. On Thursday she wore black and white, too. Half of the staff was very colorfully dressed. In hindsight, I was, too. Thank you, Lord, for directing me to my colorful striped dress.

On Friday, when we went to the district welcome and celebration at Grand Canyon University, my colleague wore bright pink next to me. I wondered why. That afternoon as I was putting up my bulletin board my colleague walked by carrying a very heavy load of colorful paper. I do not know if she is a member of the LGBTQIA community, but I suspect she is. She was accompanied by another staff member. As they entered the building, I remember the woman carrying the heavy load saying, “I got this,” loudly. As she walked past me in the hallway, I remember commenting, “Good thing you have someone to help you with that.” The staff member accompanying her looked at our colleague, smiled, and remarked, “I’m supervising.” That afternoon we had a legitimate lockdown. There were fugitives running loose in the neighborhood.

When the lockdown ended, our principal called us into our end of the day staff meeting early. I noticed she was once again wearing black and white, and the guy who sat behind me on Thursday – wearing a bright orange shirt – was seated to my left, and he had his hat on backwards – kind of like a maverick. I also noted he was now wearing black and white. He then looked at the principal and very intentionally turned his hat around, as if to signal he was in compliance and on board. During our meeting our Principal referenced me as “Ms. Maria” and talked about how I had said in our exceptional student services meeting that I had stressed the importance of teachers being at students’ IEP and MET meetings to share about the students’ social emotional learning.

This morning it hit me that the staff was having a quiet “spirited debate” if you will without me knowing. I was entirely oblivious to the social cues. It took me until 4:10 AM Sunday to realize what transpired. I woke up crying, because of the way God worked through me this week. My principal’s subtly communicated verdict is that the sign must go. My verdict is that my rainbow colored welcome sign from Mission U above my door, and my “safe space” rainbow sign by my door will remain. I will use my National Geographic rainbow projector to keep the rainbow in my room. I love rainbows. We are all colors in the same rainbow. Ladies who attended the Living the Charter for Racial Justice training with Bonita Jane and Deb Williams on Monday – there you have how it all played out….You were right. My sign can go, but people cannot change their color.

Maria Hase, social action coordinator

Fill Out Your Unit Survey

Did you know that input from the yearly unit survey is part of what led us to become United Women in Faith? Your input is crucial to making the radical nurture and positive change we want to make. Make sure we hear from you in this year's survey! Deadline for feedback is Aug. 30, 2022.

What a Blessing! The first in person Mission u since 2019!

Last year we held four Virtual Mission u Studies. This year, 2022, we held two Mission u events (one in person and one virtual event). The study for 2022 was “Who Can We Be Together,” a Mission u Biblical Exploration of Luke 13 written by Candace Simpson. I want to share with you how excited the women of the Desert Southwest Conference felt to see each other after two years of only Zoom. Following are the comments of evaluation made after the in person event: Great, Uplifted, Organized, Energized, Challenged, Inspired, Informed, Entertained, Part of a Community, Encouraged, and Grateful.

The two study leaders:  Pastor Christine Jones (recently assigned to Spirit of Hope UMC in Peoria, Arizona ) and Rev. Rula Colvin (Red Mountain UMC in Mesa, Arizona) were evaluated by the attendees as: Knowledgeable, Humorous, Insightful, Good Teachers, Study Materials Great, Encouraged Conversations, Biblical Study applied to current events, Interactive with multi-media and crafts.

We enjoyed the Social Action speakers Hilde Frazee on “Our Environment” and Maria Hase (Deaconess) on “Racial Justice.” Hands on activities were presented by Bev Secrist “Coloring Quilt Squares” and “Peace Rocks Meditations” by Lois Downin. It takes a godly community of ladies to prepare and host such a program and that existed at Red Mountain UMC and among the members of United Women in Faith that served during Mission u.

As you can tell, we were blessed!  Join us next year either in person or virtually.

Billie Laraime, 2023 Mission u dean



 

United Women in Faith News

Building Sisterhood Around the World

United Women in Faith international partnerships empowers women and youth to find local solutions and make positive, measurable change in their communities. Read more, from the July/August 2022 issue of response.

Photo courtesy Edwina C. Togba.

Help Your Schools Get Electric School Busses

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has opened funding for school districts to purchase new electric school busses. You can help encourage schools in your state to apply for the Clean School Bus program by Aug. 19

Learn more.
Every single Mission Dollar Makes a Difference!

Through YOUR generosity, United Women in Faith helps empower and improve the lives of women, youth and children in the United States and around the world. 

Your gifts of MISSION GIVING are critically important.

Check out the MANY stories of ways your Mission Giving is making a difference by visiting the United Women in Faith website and reading response magazine.

You can make gifts through your local treasurer.
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United Women in Faith
P.O. Box 32830, Phoenix, Arizona 85064






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