The United Methodist Women of Saint Andrew UMC
President: Ann Canter Secretary:
Vice President: Arlene Green Treasurer: Vita Hansen
Circle of Joy and Grace: Meets the third Monday of the month in a member's home Leader: Dorothy Joy
Esther Circle: Meets third Monday of the month at 1 p.m. in a member's home Leader: Harriet Barber
Naomi Circle: Meets on the second Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. at the church Leader: Adelaide Stanaway
Ruth Circle: Meets on the first Monday at 12 p.m. at the church Leader: Betty Stein
Circle of Divine Hope: Meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the church Leader: Heather Sabey
Circle leaders may be contacted through the church office.
St. Andrew United Methodist Women
The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be 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 mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.
Dear United Methodist Women and Interested Parties;
Well, it is 2010 and my final year as your President. And it is time to begin gearing up for our Annual Women’s Retreat.
As many of you know, we invited Pastor Gerri Fowler back as our leader, after she led our 2009 Blossoms in the Desert retreat so successfully. Gerri is looking forward to returning, but will be undergoing surgery toward the end of February first, so please keep her in your prayers for this and another medical concern.
As we grow older, our bodies start rebelling and sometimes, acquiescing to our lifetime of living, by just wearing out and suffering from exposure to heaven only knows what. But the very best thing we have to look forward to is the Glory of His Kingdom where there will be no more struggles, no more pain. There we will be at peace, surrounded by perfect love, and we will finally understand all the things we used to question.
I must share with you that my heart was plagued by concern for the homeless in our local area and across our country during the recent freezing weather that went on for weeks. Members of our church, just this week, delivered firewood to our Lakewood neighbors to warm them in their teepees, but there are those who didn’t make it through the cold in other places. And now, we all agonize over the the devastation we are seeing in Haiti and many of us know Haitians who are still awaiting word about people they love on that island. We even lost the head of UMCOR in the collapse of a hotel in the earthquake.
The question is, what can we do? Today the number of adults and children in the U.S.A. who are hungry, homeless and in need, is growing at an alarming rate, and the suffering abroad just continues to grow. At the website below you can learn about many things going on worldwide, in which you may become involved to ease the despair of others.
Remember, we are called to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us. Beth Moore led many of us, in our recent studies, to scriptures that showed us over and over again, we have an inheritance from Him for which we are responsible. If we are not already seeking to serve let us make it our goal in 2010 to find an area in which we may do so. Remember, serving others may be through our prayers, donations of money, goods, clothing, or our time which may entail being a willing pair of hands, or using our gifts and talents to teach others skills which may change their circumstances.
Enclosed in this issue of the Fishwrapper you will find the poster for ROCKING THE BOAT GOD’S WAY – our retreat which will be held on FRIDAY, MARCH 19TH, 6:30 P.M. TO ? and SATURDAY, MARCH 20TH, 7 A.M. TO 4 P.M. Please post this where you won’t forget, or better yet, mark the dates on your calendar so you’ll be sure to say NO to anything else! A goodwill offering will be taken on Saturday. Watch for posters and our sign up table at church and don’t forget to invite as many of your family and friends as you can – this will be a retreat to remember thanks to it’s timely message! And let us know if you’d like to serve. We especially need someone to learn our new sound system!
God bless you all as you seek His guidance through each of your days!
Ann K. Canter
President
p.s. I look forward to hearing about the new ways you found to serve this year!
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umw.
01/18/2010
