Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church 
Women [Church and Society Ministry Team] [ Resources ]
United Methodist Women (UMW)
The organized unit of United
Methodist Women is 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 missions through participation in
the global ministries of the church.
The UMW is involved in many activities such as visiting home
bound people, delivering Christmas and Easter cookie boxes, a telephone
chain for conversational support, organizing blood drives, and serving
at funerals. We also attend retreats, collect Campbell's soup labels
for a mission school, collect used greeting cards for the Samaritan
Home, and support missions around the world. All women
are invited to participate in these activities and in the following
groups.
1)
Bakeless Cookie
Sale
2)
Fifth Avenue
Food Fare Cookbook Sales
3)
Annual November
Cookie Walk
4)
Annual Salad
Luncheon
5)
Visitation
Program—over 30 “people at home” visited each month
6)
UMW
Weekend—special speaker, women do all
7)
Serve at
funerals or other occasions when requested
8)
Sympathy and
Get well cards and Birthdays over 85 years of age sent
9)
Cookies at
Christmas and Easter for “People at Home”
10)
Pledge of
$4,200 to Missions for National and International projects
11)
Participate in
School of Christian Mission
12)
Special Mission
Recognition for persons contributing their special talents for church and
community
13)
Circles—Afternoon Circle of Joy and Faith
Fellowship
14)
Donated
Campbells labels to Northcott Neighborhood House
15)
Coordinate the
Tuesday morning Breakfast Group
16)
Monthly Noon
Luncheon at Cedar Ridge
17)
Bridge Groups
for Singles and Couples
18)
Thank Offering
for special mission projects
19)
Serve Soup and
Dessert Lunch during Lent when worship service at Fifth Avenue
20)
Stoles for the
Confirmation Class
21)
Confirmation
Celebration for girls, mothers and sponsors
22)
Christmas
Luncheon get together with special program
24) Save Pick N
Save WE Care Receipts
All
women are welcome to come for fellowship at one of the monthly
gatherings:
·
Circle of Joy—4th Thursday at 1:00pm in the
Fireside Room
·
Faith Fellowship—every Friday at 9:30am at the
home of Helen Rilling
United Methodist Women thanks the congregation of Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church for their support in all of our activities and projects and give thanks to God, the Father, for His help and guidance.
Other Groups...
Thursday
1:00p.m., fourth Thursday each month
(September-May)
Circle of Joy-Join us
for refreshments, a devotion, fellowship and a program.
We meet in the Lounge.
Click here for the current date and
time!!
Friday
9:00a.m.
Faith Fellowship-This
group meets to quilt and do crafts.
Click here for the current date and
time!!
UMW Mabel Heil Scholarship
Are you a woman in the Methodist church
interested in financial aid for your “further education?” If
so, the Mabel Heil Scholarship may be just what you need. This
program is open each semester to graduate students, as well. As of
November,
2000, over $87,000 has been presented to 189 United Methodist Women.
An essay entitled, “In what ways do I consider
myself a worthy student?” is required, as well as 2 letters of
recommendation are required. Scholarships are awarded one semester at a
time. You need to apply by May 1st to be considered for the first
semester and by October 1st for the second semester.
Betsy Winquist has all the information and
application forms.
United Methodist Women’s History
On a cold, rainy March
day in Boston, six women of Boston Methodist Episcopal churches met at
the Tremont St. Church and agreed to set up a society. Just a week
later,
a larger group of women met, adopted a constitution and elected
officers. The purpose of this society was to be:
engaging and uniting the efforts of the women of the Methodist
Episcopal church in sending out and supporting female missionaries,
native
Christian teachers, and Bible readers in foreign lands.
Mrs. Osman Baker (Clementine), wife of Bishop Baker, was the first
president.
The men of the church were apprehensive; women
should raise the money, and the men should spend it was their belief.
The men claimed that independence of women was incompatible with
Methodist connectional-ism. Their fear was that the women would divert
funds from the general mission society. In 1872, the ladies had
raised $54,920! In spite of this opposition, groups of women were
organized and a national organization was established, which was
recognized by the General conference in 1872. Any monies raised could
not be done at regular church services or through Sunday Schools.
And, any money collected had to be reported by the local pastor at
annual conference.
Nothing, it seemed, could deter these ladies from
their dreams of mission work!
In 1872, Lizzie Hoffman enlisted women from
her church to do missionary work. Isabella Thornton and Dr. Clara
Swain went to India in 1875 to work with the girls and women of that
country. Emily Keeken, the first women’s missionary, sailed to
Sierra Leone to
start a school for girls. Today, we give thanks for the foresight
and fortitude of these ladies who were not afraid to tackle the issues
of education and spiritual guidance in far off lands, where their ideas
and ideals were not always welcome. God certainly blessed these
women with inner strength and courage!
In today’s world, we are still fighting some of the
same issues these ladies had to address: poverty, health care,
literacy, discrimination and worker’s rights. Sadly, these issues
still exist right here in our own nation!
The UMW of the 1880’s put emphasis on education and
training for the newly freed slaves, certainly not a popular thing to
do in all areas of our nation at that time. Lucy Webb Hayes, wife
of President Hayes, was the first president of Women’s Home Missionary
Society, helping African-American women in the South.
For those who spoke other than English, the women
organized mission workers in the United States. Starting in 1944, the
Woman’s Society for Christian Service program book was translated into
Spanish, to help those in our society who wanted to be of assistance to
Spanish speaking women.
And, the list goes on…and on. Today’s United
Methodist Women are still carrying on the proud tradition of helping
others realize their importance to God.
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