Answering the Call

The Women’s Division has announced plans for a Young Women’s Event to help

answer the call for more focus on younger women within United Methodist Women.

It will be held in August 2 - 5, 2012 at Duke Divinity School, Duke University,

Durham, North Carolina.

I’m excited about this upcoming event. I never even thought of joining the women’s

group of my church (then called WSCS) when I was a teen. Later, as a mother of

pre-school age children, I enjoyed a WSCS Circle. But when my younger child started

school, I was told I would have to leave that group and join one of the other circles. I just

didn’t feel like I fit in another group. So, I quit – as did everyone else I knew from the group

whose last child started school. What lost opportunities for us and what a wasted resource for the WSCS of that church!

I didn’t join United Methodist Women until I was approaching retirement. Now I think about all I have learned these past few years about missions, the  leadership development training I’ve had, and the personal spiritual growth I’ve experienced through United Methodist Women at all levels, and I realize what I missed for so many years. So take a lesson from me, and encourage young women to get involved. UMW is an education in itself. And young women are welcomed. Let’s give them a positive experience.

Here’s the vision: A special event offering reflection, nurture and outreach with an opportunity to rethink programming for young women will offer a path toward greater regeneration and refreshing of the United Methodist Women organization.

Two to three young women from each conference will be selected to create a network of young leaders. At least one young woman will be a teen between the ages of 14 and 17 and another young woman between the ages of 18 and 30. The selected young women will be equipped with tools to achieve greater young women involvement in UMW. Each young woman is asked to commit to a two year involvement building to Assembly 2014.

Each conference “team” of young women will have a mentor who will act as organizer, advisor, inspirer and nurturer as well as serve as liaison with Conference UMW Leadership. The mentor must be over the age of 25 and an official chaperone. All of the team members must be members of UMW, though none can be officers beyond the local unit.

The final documents are available by clicking on files listed in

the box to the right.  Please continue to get the word out to our

units so that all interested young members will have the

opportunity to apply.  While the event is next summer, the

applications and letters of recommendation must be submitted by

March 15, 2012.

If you have questions, please contact Dee Clary, RMC UMW,

Mission Coordinator for Membership Nurture and

Outreach: 307-634-1877; dee@rdcpepc.com.