WE ARE ON A MISSION TO DO GOD'S WORK!

Our Unit's mission study this year was done by zoom on Saturday mornings April 10th  and 17th.  

Twenty-two women attended. Thanks to Janet for all her tech skills and work she put into running the program.

Linda, our education and interpretation coordinator, put together a very informative and interesting program.  Celeste, Unit President, opened the meeting with prayer and a litany was given by Celeste and Pat. 

   

Ann, our unit treasurer had a power point presentation to help us understand where our money goes.

 She explained the accountability and transparency of keeping the financial records.

The first Saturday we looked at National/International mission support and the 5 channels of Mission Giving. Most money is collected through pledges. All pledge money goes to support the conference and national mission work, none is kept locally. However, you do not have to pledge to be a part of United Methodist Women, a pledge is voluntary and the amount you give is totally up to your discretion. 

 Dottie  shared about what our pledges money does by using the www.unitedmethodistwomen.org website looking at the section entitled How We  Spend Your Money.   

A Kin-dom web was created using the different National Missions and International Missions we explored.  The Prayer Calendar is a great resource for a daily reminder of mission work. This web was created from just 180 Prayer Calendar  missions readings. The Response Magazine highlights many ways  that United Methodist Women support missions.  As individuals, circles or a unit we could not do all the work to help women, children and youth that our pledge money accomplishes. 

Linda shared about the ways we can support United Methodist Women programs and issues in other ways then financial. She presented some opportunities for giving our time and talents for mission work on a national and regional basis. Using  www.unitedmethodistwomen.org  you can listening to Faith  Talks and sign petitions on issues of concern. Climate Justice and Racial Justice opportunities for action were highlighted.  

  

The zoom meeting on April 17th was opened with prayer by Pastor Dawn.

Sharene read the purpose.

This Saturday's focus was how we support local missions. Ann talked about how this money is given, mostly through the Circles donations and the unit's two fundraisers.

Evelyn shared how we choose our mission focus. As UMW we have our own mission selection team, it is separate from our church mission team. There is a woman from each Circle on the team. An agency being considered for our support has a  request form to fill out. They are visited and interviewed by some members on the team. Using all this information the team then decides what agencies the unit will support that year. We work along side this agency for we are a mission with, not to, an organization.

The highlight of this meeting was hearing from these agencies and all the ways they help.

Trish told about Faith Neighborhood Center. It started at our church 49 years ago. It is now located in Groveland, and out growing that building. Since the pandemic it has gone from helping 1450 families to 2,000.  The Center is open to anyone who needs food regardless of yearly income because so many households have lost jobs of at least one person in the family. They are providing food to a doctor's office for it was noticed that people were losing weight because of choosing to buy needed medicine and not being able to afford groceries. They were feeding 800 children a week since they were not in school getting breakfast and lunch and soon with summer vacation. You can help with volunteering and food donations.

Janet talked about Well of Hope which is in the south part of Lake County and is a food bank for 4 counties, but 83%  are from Lake. It also has a thrift store and will take donations of clothing and good usable furniture.

Karen and Pam shared about Days for Girls. Our involvement with this started in 2017 with the UMW program Call for Prayer and Self Denial talking about maternal health. Girls in many countries often can't go to school during their period and miss a lot of education. The kits Days for Girls make are usable for three years and help change these girl's and women's lives. The Clermont chapter has sent 200 kits through  Doctors without Borders to South America. Kits have been given for homeless women to use in Orlando and Groveland. Grace Mission in Texas wants kits to be sent for use by the immigrants. The chapter meets once a month to trace, cut, fold and sew. Anyone can help. Many women do the sewing at home. You can find out more at Clermontfl@daysforgirls.org

 

Denise shared about Forward Paths Foundation. They work with young adults who have aged out of foster care. Those who age out 50% are homeless and in 2 years will be incarcerated or die. This foundation has been meeting a need for helping this population with a home for 8 years. It now houses 22 youth, of which 20 were laid off this year.  1/3 are from South Lake, 1/2 from Leesburg, and the rest from other areas. Forward Paths helps them with day care, jobs, and school information. For a youth to be in their program they are required to be learning a job skill, getting an education or working. Recently in one day Forward Paths received 8 calls from young adults, 23 to 25 years of age, that want to go back to school so they can get a better job.  A big problem has been transportation. The Lake Tech school is in Eustis which is 7 miles from the homes they rent. In the near future Forward Path will be putting little houses on a property in Eustis which will only be 1 mile to Lake Tech.  One need that was mentioned was for mentors in the Clermont area. 

Linda talked about Anointed Community which is located in the Else Tomlin Community Center in Groveland. They have many programs that help those in need. The Women Ignite Network helps single women with children. They have computer classes. The GEM  program helps with tutoring for children and youth from 5 to 24 years of age. Those 16 to 24 can volunteer and gain job skills. They are helped to write a professional resume, and through Career Source be paid $11 and hour while volunteering.  Anointed Community provides Meals on Wheels. There is also legal assistance with filling out immigration forms. The WIN mobile app gives people help with budgeting, parental guidance, prayer, and agencies to contact. It is a great resource. 

Linda  shared about  LovExtention. She gave us a  nice tour of their new location in Tavares. They work with the elderly and disabled adult in Lake County and the Villages. She said yes even at  the Villages many seniors need help.  LovExtention is all volunteer and has been helping this need for 20 years. This last year they saw an increase from 600 needing support to 900. Many seniors were afraid to go out to the store for food and supplies, or they filled the car up the first of the month and there is no more money for gas after that, also children who have lost their jobs have moved in with their elderly parents so now the food has to feed more then one.  Volunteering and donations are needed. 

Cyndi talked about Habour Hope which provides mentors to survivors of sex trafficking.  Sex trafficking is very active here in Florida. 

There is Volunteer Orientation on line the last Tuesday of every month.  Then if you want to learn more and become active with Harbour Hope there is a two day empowered training. There are prayer, mentor, awareness and education opportunities.  You can go on Facebook @harbourhopeintl 

Throughout the year they encourage and support the survivors with SONshine baskets, school supplies and Dignity stockings. Donating items for these events or becoming a volunteer are ways to support Harbour Hope.

This was a great study about many missions and how we can do God's work.  We learned how UMW puts love into action at all levels of the organization.

2021 SPECIAL MISSION RCOGNITION RECIEPIENTS

Diane Wells, chairman of  Special Mission Recognition  went to Circle meetings in February and presented the recipients their pins. She announced them to the church congregation on Sunday, February 21st. The following is what was shared.

 Since moving to Clermont Dorann Fryman has been a faithful member of the Morning Joy Circle. She regularly presents programs or devotions at the monthly meetings.  She is the proud mother of Reverend Dawn Carter our Pastor of Congregational Care.

For many years Dorann had the desire to form a circle for younger women. She has been instrumental in the formation of the Young Women of God Circle. She has been their mentor and encourages them to come together and become a creative, supportive fellowship.

 Dorann Fryman  has been active in the Children's Ministry helping on Sunday mornings and with Summer Bible School. She often helps with the youth during Celebrate Recovery on Thursday evenings. 

 Prior to COVID-19 she was active in the We Care Ministry visiting others several days a week. She  volunteered in the school system, at New Beginnings and at Faith Neighborhood. 

When Days for Girls was started Dorann began attending and offered help where needed.. 

For many years before and during the Holiday Bazaar, Dorann has helped in the kitchen setting up and serving food to volunteers. 

Dorann's love and passion for Christ is evident in her walk and talk with others. We are honored to present the Special Recognition Pin to Dorann Fryman for the way she shares her love and outreach in our United Methodist Women's Unit, our church and community.

Margaret Lay has been a member of the Lunch Bunch Circle for many years. She is supportive of the mission projects of the Circle.

 Margaret is not shy about expressing concerns about the needs for food, warm jackets and blankets for the clients of Faith Neighborhood Center. She often will  request empty egg cartons and plastic grocery bags be collected to assist in the packing of food. She frequently delivers donated items to the center.

Margaret is a volunteer with the Grace and Grief Committee of the church, donating food and helping at receptions after funerals or memorial services.

She is a member of the Prayer Shawl Ministry which is part of We Care Ministry of our church . She crochets beautiful shawls, lap robes and baby blankets to be given to members and friends of our congregation.

Margaret has a gift for creating lovely seasonal floral arrangements and numerous crafts items. She has been the coordinator for the Holiday and Christmas Shops for the Holiday Bazaars and fundraiser for our unit. 

It is with great pleasure that we recognize Margaret Lay for her involvement in mission activities and present her the Special Mission Recognition Pin.  

Carolyn Blankenship is the incoming chairperson of the Special Mission Recognition Pin Committee. She attended the Circle of  Grace meeting and put the pins on the recipients. 

Ann Vogt has been the treasure for our United Methodist Women's Unit for the last three years. She has amazing skills with handling the finances for special fund raisers and for the general budget of our Unit.

Ann is an active member of the Circle of  Grace and has presented programs at meetings to educate the members about the mission focus of giving.

Ann sings in the church choir and an ensemble for special music.

She also has volunteered for the Grace and Grief Group providing food and support to families after funerals and Memorial Services.

 Ann serves on the church's Nominating Committee and Finance Committee. 

For several years near Thanksgiving, Ann has been active in her neighborhood by organizing a food drive to benefit clients of Faith Neighborhood Center.  She has raised awareness in her community of the need for food and has helped with the collection and delivery to Groveland.

It is with pleasure that we present a Special Mission Recognition Pin to Ann Vogt for her participation in United Methodist Women and FUMC, putting Love into Action.

Barb Reed has been a member of FUMC for many years. She was an active member of the Lunch Bunch Circle and was the circle leader for several years.  When she felt God's nudge, she worked with our membership to sponsor an Afternoon Tea to encourage new ladies to attend and learn more about the United Methodist Women organization and activities.  As a result of the Tea two new Circles were formed. For the new Circle, Circle of Grace, Barb was one of the leaders for the last two years.

Barb has been a leader in organizing several Holiday Bazaars and Spring Luncheon and Fashion Show fundraisers. She has also helped teach a Mission Study raising awareness about our environment. 

Barb has served as greeter and an usher at the 11:00 service. She also has provided food for the Grace and Grief Receptions after funerals and Memorial Services. She and he husband, Rich, have served as drivers doing weekly deliveries for our Church's Home Delivered Meals Program.

Barb has been the liaison between our  Mission Selection Committee and LovEtension Social Service Agency in Tavares.  She has encouraged donations of food, cleaning items and incontinence items from our membership and helped with delivering to their office.  LovExtension has an outreach to disabled, home bound and needy senior citizens in Lake County.

We are happy to present this Special Recognition Pin to Barb Reed for her love and caring. She truly does as Jesus commanded "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Congratulations Barb.

Kay Justice was awarded a Special Mission Recognition Pin in October 2020 prior to relocating to Texas. The article about her was posted at that time on the blog. Her information was shared with the church on Sunday along with all of the other deserving, hard working and dedicated recipients who exemplify the United Women's Purpose within our Unit and Faith Community.  Congratulations to them all.

 

ECD Leadership Development Training

 Anne Winn welcomed 49 participants on the Zoom Leadership Development training on Saturday, January 23, 2021.  She explained that the ECD calendar dates are incorrect and a new dates will be updated  soon.

  Specific officer training will occur at later dates. You should hear from your ECD officer about when your position's zoom meeting will be held in the next few days.

Cluster meetings are to help unite units in our ECD according to their geographical locations.  We can be more active with each other especially for those units with small membership. Mission Studies will be done by clusters. 

Mary Ann opened with a prayer.

Phoebe shared the mission and the readings from the Prayer Calendar.

Pam Davis is the Dean for Mission U.  Mission U will be held at the Life Enrichment Center on July 15 to July 17th. It will also be done virtually on July 19th and July 26. So you have two options to attend, in person or on line.  This is the 75th year of mission education in Florida.

The first hour for the training was about Leadership Development Skills.

Having a idea or vision where you want to be and work to achieve that vision. Examples  in UMW were given.

Planning and implementing the plan are the ways of making the vision a reality.

As the plans are in place, there will be times when the plans  need to be changed or tweaked. 

Communication is always a multifaceted experience.

Persuasion and influence rely on common commitment to the plan.

We then went to breakout groups to use these tools to form plans on topics of concern in our units. 

Usually at a District Event an offering is taken. Janet showed us how to give on line.  Go to www.unitedmethodistwomen.org  At the top you will see a green button that says Give Now. It walks you through the steps. 

The last hour of the training was looking at a very useful Welcoming Event Toolkit  that is on the UMW  website. It is there for you to use whenever you are planning any kind of an event. It would be a great help, covering many ideas you may forget otherwise.  Working as a team and forming relationships and remembering to celebrate the event were points that were found important. 

Thanks to all the work that went into this program by Anne and Janet. As always,  a lot of good information shared and learned. 

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

On January 14 Pam went over to Sharon's new home in Cocoa. She presented Sharon with her SMR pin with a sapphire given to her in appreciation for her years of service from our UMW Unit. Baily, Sharon's granddaughter pinned it on her. Sharon serves the Lord faithfully and has already become involved with UMW in Cocoa. We will miss seeing her but  she is close enough to go and visit. She appreciated seeing Pam. 

UNIT MEETING ON ZOOM

Celeste opened the zoom meeting with the UMW purpose and the prayer caeandar reading. She recognized these outgoing leaders: Cathy D'heron from mission selection committee chair, Diane 

Wells from SMR committee chair, Margie Olson from SMR committee, Lorna Broersma from committee of nominations, Jan Shultz and Jean Gibson from lunch bunch chairs, Barb Reed and Karma Boyd from Circle of Grace chairs, Pam Anders from Morning Joy chair and Janet Blume from Daughter of Lydia Co-chair.  New leaders were then recognized: Betty Johnson as Mission Selection committee chair and chair for Lunch Bunch, Karen Beagle and Linda Moles to co-chair Lunch Bunch, Debbie Smith joined mission selection committee, Carolyn Blankenship  SMR committee chair, Judy Stambaugh and Sharene Diehl are SMR committee member, Linda Welander will chair Daughter of Lydia and Noelene McCall and Dottie Mathias will co-chair Circle of Grace. 

 19 people were on the meeting. 

Linda  announced we are a Mission Today Unit, even though we didn't do a Mission study those who helped with the District ones counted for us this year.

Pat announce all the people who have read UMW books, most of those receiving recognition have read two books in each of the five categories.  Pam Anders and Barb Reed are level III readers and Sue Fink is a level IV. She encourages all to read the books, look at Response magazine and join the District book club.

Ann's financial report told how generous we are both globally and locally. Local donations were over $16,000 and  pledges totaled $6844. Our unit has given over $25,810.84 in all the different ways our circles and unit contribute financially. We are a 5 star unit and had 7 people be Rainbow Givers. 

Diane showed the  beautiful SMR pin with a ruby in it to be presented to Sharon Kowalski. We missed Sharon not joining us today.

For some Christmas fun each shared a special ornament or decoration that means something special to them. Carolyn has glass birds she was given when they she was married.

Celeste had pictures of her precious granddaughter.

Andrea has started collecting shell ornaments for her beach house tree.

Pam  had a tree topper angel made by a woman from UMW on Merritt Island years ago. Amazing that Jan also has the same angel she made 50 years ago.

Jan shared an ornament that she made for her mom in 2005.

Karen  showed a  beautiful ball that Jan had made her last year.

Sue has a lovely statue of Mary and Joseph that they received when working in Ocala.

Betty has homemade ornaments she did on 1971 when married.

Pat has a little olive wood nativity she purchased in Saudi Arabia. Christmas is hidden in the shops there but this was out on display.

Sandi has a lovely dove with the message Peace on Earth.

Evelyn and Linda (sorry missed your picture) shared pictures they had made at the workshops at the Florida Women's Retreat. 

Ann's ornament may need to be censored since she is a nude little angel. It was given to her by her grandmother and has always hung on her tree.  Her children put it right in the front.

Cathy shared pictures given to her each year by the neighbor children she loves.

Diane's has a bear from her mother's collection.

Barb's daughter made this angel when she was in 2nd grade, 50 years ago,

Noelene didn't have sound on her computer but used her phone to talk, so her phone showed up when she shared. She has a collection of Disney ornaments to give to her grandchildren,

Sharing memories of these ornaments helps to remember lovely Christmases and people who are so special to us. It was a nice way to celebrate. Merry Christmas.