United Women in Faith: Faith Talks

The coronavirus pandemic has led to school and business closures, job loss, overwhelmed grocery stores and sick and stressed out family members. Places of worship are thinking through how to remain connected amidst mandates for social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. Even in the face of fear and uncertainty, we know faith is possible.

The second of this two part episode features interviews with United Methodist Women Executive for Spiritual Growth & Formation Nora Cunningham, Rev. Katey Zeh, Pastor Gail Dudley, Valerie Ashford Brown.

In this special #FaithTalks recording we will gain insights on remaining faithful in the face of fear, connecting spiritually during social distancing and strategies for online worship.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to school and business closures, job loss, overwhelmed grocery stores and sick and stressed out family members. Places of worship are thinking through how to remain connected amidst mandates for social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. Even in the face of fear and uncertainty, we know faith is possible.

The first of this this two part episode features interviews with United Methodist Women Executive for Spiritual Growth & Formation Nora Cunningham and guests Dr. Melany Silas, Minister Onleilove Alston, Rev. Jim Keat.

In this special #FaithTalks recording we will gain insights on remaining faithful in the face of fear, connecting spiritually during social distancing and strategies for online worship.

The Paid Family and Medical Leave Campaign is a key element of the Living Wage for All Campaign. We partner with Family Values at work (www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/paid-family-leave), launched during Mission u 2019 and will continue through 2020.

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Faith Talks is hosted by Jennifer R Farmer, Spotlight PR.
Visit www.UnitedMethodistWomen.org to find out more.

The air we breathe, the stars we wish upon, the grass we walk on, all are beloved by God. And in the same way that God loved us, we are to love God’s creation. In fact, the way we express gratitude, the way that we say thank you is by carefully stewarding all that has been entrusted to us. In our first #UMWFaithTalks of the New Year, we will focus on how United Methodist Women’s Just Energy for All campaign shows us how.

This conversation will feature Elizabeth C. H. Lee, who is United Methodist Women’s Executive for Economic and Environmental Justice and Climate Justice Lead.

This episode of United Methodist Women Faith Talks focuses on Mary, Maternal Health and the Role of Caregivers featuring Kathleen Pryor, United Methodist Women’s consultant for maternal health.

Why focus on Mary and Maternal Health? Mary was an excellent example of motherhood and caregiving. She faithfully fulfilled an assignment that she didn’t ask for and did so in less than ideal circumstances. She was unwed at a time when being a single mother was not only rare, but isolating and dangerous. Sent away from her hometown to spare her reputation and that of her family, she gave birth, not in a renovated inn surrounding by resources that could ensure a safe delivery and recovery, but in a manger. Everything about her conception, pregnancy and delivery was unusual, yet she birthed a child whose kingdom will never end.

Visit www.UnitedMethodistWomen.org/FaithTalks to find out more.

Grace MusukaGrace is a regional missionary based in Harare and does leadership training with Central Conference United Methodist Women groups in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

This year’s World Day of Prayer worship service was written by women of Zimbabwe under the theme “Rise! Take Your Mat and Walk,” based on John 5:2-9a.

Get to know the beautiful country of Zimbabwe and the challenges women face in their everyday life. Learn more about how Christian women aim to effect change around the world through informed prayer and prayerful action.

The nation was stunned to learn Atatiana Jefferson, 28, had been killed in her home while playing a video game with her 8-year-old nephew by Fort Worth police making a wellness check on her. How could this happen?

Truth is, Ms. Jefferson is not alone.

Listen to this panel discussion about #SayHerName, a campaign to name and recognize black women who have been killed by police, and what Christian women can do in the pursuit of justice.

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Panelists:
Emily Jones, UMW Executive for Racial Justice
Kenya Cummings, UMW’s Holy Disruption/School-to-Prison Pipeline consultant
Sally Vonner, UMW Transformation Officer
Alana Walls, UMW Distance Learning Coordinator

Host:
Jennifer R Farmer, Spotlight PR

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Image credit: Nikkolas Smith

Do you know what it’s like to live on minimum wage? Can you imagine earning just $2.19 per hour as a waitress yet still be responsible for clothing, feeding and caring for a family? Have you ever imagined having to stretch such limited resources and being forced to choose between health care and food or food and clothes? We are saddened that this is the situation in which far too many women find themselves.

Join us for a Faith Talks event with Carol Barton, the United Methodist Women executive for community action, who will talk with us about Women, Labor, and Living Wage.

Barton is leading our organization’s fight for paid parental and family leave as well as the fight to ensure a living wage for all God’s children. In her capacity as executive for community action, she partners with UMW women across the country as well as social justice advocates.

Visit https://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/living-wages to find out more about United Methodist Women's Living Wage for All Campaign.

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Faith Talks is hosted by Jennifer R Farmer, Spotlight PR.

Visit www.UnitedMethodistWomen.org/faithtalks to find out more.

Even before the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, where the accused shooter voiced anti-immigrant sentiments, there were concerns about the treatment of migrants at the border. Our hearts broke when we heard stories of children separated from their families, and when we saw images of children held in cages and sleeping on concrete, shielded by nothing other than a flimsy aluminum blanket. You’ve seen the pictures and heard the stories. Now, we’d like you to hear directly from a deaconess with the Office of Deaconess and Home Missioner, Cindy Johnson.

Deaconess Johnson is a consultant for the Office Deaconess and Home Missioner. She has lived in Brownsville, Texas her entire life and has made service to migrants a staple of her ministry. Deac. Johnson has worked at respite centers, volunteered at shelters for refugees and even traveled to Mexico to food and medical care to people imprisoned there. Her ministry is one of service, service to those in dire need. Deac. Johnson is the tip of the spear when it comes to serving our immigrant sisters and brothers. Many of you have served as well or know of others who serve. We now want to provide a platform to share the stories of those who have sown seeds of compassion and love.

During this special United Methodist Women Faith Talks, Deac. Johnson will discuss the calling women of faith have in this moment. She will discuss how the training United Methodist Women provides enables our members to serve at such a time as this. She will discuss what is needed to address global migration and offer tips on what each of us can do to help; whether we live in a border community or not.

You do not have to have loved ones who are immigrants to imagine the desperation of people at our borders. You simply must have the capacity to see the humanity of others.

Visit https://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/living-wages to find about more about United Methodist Women's Living Wage for All Campaign.

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Faith Talks is hosted by Jennifer R Farmer, Spotlight PR.

Visit www.UnitedMethodistWomen.org/faithtalks to find out more.

Carolyn Poling is currently serving at Monroe First United Methodist Church in Monroe, Georgia, as the Minister of Christian Programs and Activities. She is a deacon in the North Georgia Conference and serves on the Conference Committee on Religion and Race. She has served in many churches of various sizes in children's and youth ministry in Georgia, Texas and Virginia throughout her career since going into ministry in 1996.

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In Who do you say that I am? Meeting Jesus Through the Eyes of Mark, Carolyn Poling guides youth through the Gospel of Mark, helping them to define who Jesus is to them, who he says he is in scripture, and how this impacts how we live our lives.

The goal of this study is to help youth explore scripture in new ways so they can develop their own faith and put it into action. This is the mark of a true disciple.

In Mark, Jesus models for us how to live our lives as Christians, reaching out to those who are left out, offering compassion and healing. The author of Mark not only describes God’s kin-dom through Jesus’ teachings, but also models it for us. Through his actions, Jesus shows us that he has come for everyone. Therefore, God’s kin-dom is for everyone. The author’s message offers a chance to those who feel left out, cast aside, and forgotten. It offers belief to those who need physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

As youth unpack the Gospel of Mark through the four sessions, they’ll encounter the following guiding principles: Jesus stands firm in his teaching and ministry, even in the face of opposition; Jesus heals others physically and spiritually; Jesus continues to love and teach his disciples, even as they repeatedly misunderstand and misinterpret him; and Jesus’s ministry, death, and resurrection offers hope for us today—particularly those who are suffering, marginalized and forgotten. In each session, youth will take what they’ve learned and explore how this applies in their own lives and how they live out their faith.

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Faith Talks is hosted by Jennifer R Farmer, Spotlight PR.
Visit www.UnitedMethodistWomen.org to find out more.