Easter Blessings
Read Winter 2012-2013 Renew Newsletter Here.
(Great Websites related to women's issues Here.)
General Conference 2012 Wrap Up Report from RENEW HERE
renew Team advocateD for women's ministry at gc2012!
FOLLOWUP: For the first time in RENEW history, our legislation was overwhelmingly supported in committee by a vote of 47-5! we received so much support from pastors, laity, and african delegates concerning our legislation. this was a huge victory for the women of the umc who desire other women's ministry programs. unfortunately, our legislation was not brought to the floor of the plenary due to time issues, but we believe the support is there (although not official yet) and feel god leading us into a new phase of promoting women's ministry. stay tuned!
New membership numbers have been released from the Council on Finance and Administration for the year ending 2010. These year end figures are compiled from statistical information gleaned from annual local church reports and participation is over 98%. Access article above logo.
United Methodist Women, the only officially recognized church-wide women's ministry program, continued its dramatic decline in 2010 by losing almost 25,000 members and over 500 local church units. While the United Methodist Church in the U.S. also showed major declines during 2010, the rate of membership loss of UMW has historically been at a rate two and a half times greater.
Read the full article HERE that appears in the March/April 2012 issue of Good News Magazine.
Read Team Member Katy Kiser's report from General Conference here.
Women across the denomination are crying out for other avenues of women's ministry. While many larger churches do have vibrant women's ministry programs, most medium to small churches do not. Frequently, women tell us that their attempts to start alternative ministries are met with hostility and discouragement from pastors, district superintendents, bishops, and UMW district, conference, and national leadership.
The United Methodist Church would benefit greatly from offering and encouraging many avenues of women's ministry in addition to UMW. While UMW is mission-focused, there need to be other ministry-focused groups as well. We have pews filled with lost and hurting women who desire to know Christ intimately and reach their full potential as servants of Jesus Christ. As women grow in Christ, marriages, families, churches, and communities are positively impacted. Individual transformation leads to societal transformation which ultimately leads to a world transformed for Jesus Christ.
Two Important Books Released
Mark Tooley, IRD President, and Rev. Karen Booth, Transforming Congregations Executive Director, have each published timely books that will enlighten United Methodists on important issues facing our denomination. Mr. Tooley's "Methodism and Politics in the Twentieth Century" examines the history and role of politics in United Methodism......how it began and how it has influenced the UMC over time. Rev. Booth's book "Forgetting How To Blush" examines United Methodism's compromise with the sexual revolution and how it has affected the church over time. You will definitely want to read these books!
