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.”
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.”
For more up-to-date information about our ministries and events, join us on
Facebook.
Meetings
We hold our meetings on the second THURSDAY of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the church. All women of the church and
community are invited to attend. At our regular meetings, we have special time set aside for Spiritual Growth, Mission Education, Social Action
Awareness, and Membership Nurturing. We also conduct the necessary business of the Unit at the end of each meeting, but that is only a small part.
We want women to spend more time on growth and mission instead of the reading of minutes and deciding who will serve on a special committee. We will also
be bringing in more speakers this year to help educate us. We close
each meeting with a short reading from Response Magazine and a time of prayer for each other and specifically for a missionary currently in the field.
Ministries
Bereavement Meals
When a member of the church body passes away (or an immediate family member of a church member), the women provide a meal after the funeral for the
family. Regardless of membership or participation in UMW, all the women of the church pull together for this cause, but UMW members are vital in
organizing these meals.
Chrismon Workshops
Throughout the year, the UMW hosts workshops to make Chrismons. These white and gold homemade ornaments feature Christian symbols to
represent aspects of our faith. The name comes from the words “Christ” and “monogram”, and the ornaments are used on the church’s Christmas
tree each season.
Crafty Ladies
Our "Crafty Ladies" ministry is an opportunity to gather together once a month to work on special projects to be used in missions and outreach and to also
spend some time together in fellowship working on individual projects such as knitting, scrapbooking, and card making. This is offered on the third
Saturday of each month at 4:00 p.m. and begins with working on the mission project item. We make things such as blankets and scarves for places like the Women's Resource
Center, origami flowers for the nursing home, etc. After the project is worked on, people are welcome to stay as long as they like to work on their own
personal projects. Christy Jones coordinates this group, and she will also be incorporating a scrapbooking Bible study during each meeting on the
Fruit Of The Spirit. You can feel free to come and join any part of the meeting and are not obligated at all to stay for any certain amount of time.
Flower Calendar
The women of the church take care of the flowers for the sanctuary each week. Krista Link currently maintains the calendar for this. Please contact her if you
have a question regarding this ministry. Much like the bereavement meals, this is not a ministry directly tied to UMW, but UMW leadership helps to make
sure flowers are covered each Sunday.
Prayer Chain
We have a prayer chain that goes throughout the UMW in order to notify each of special prayer needs during the week. When the chain is started, members
call other designated members and each person lifts up the prayer request at 9:00 p.m. If you have a special request that you would
like passed through the prayer chain, please contact Linda Journell or the
church at 540-626-3838.
Reading Program for Adults and Children
Our UMW Unit participates in the Reading Program endorsed by the Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries. The purpose of this program is to expand our
knowledge of mission, humanity, Scripture, and to increase our sensitivity to all human beings. In this program,
participating members each read one book from each of the following mission emphases: Education for Ministry,
Spiritual Growth, Social Action, and Nurturing for Community. Regular reading of the Response Magazine is
also required.
In addition to the adult reading program, we are also promoting a reading program for children. Children can read five books by July 2010 (or have them read to them) and receive a Reading Program certificate upon completion. For more information about Response, go to http://gbgm-umc.org/response/. Anyone interested in taking part in the Reading Program may contact Emily Walker at emily_w_walker@hotmail.com.
In addition to the adult reading program, we are also promoting a reading program for children. Children can read five books by July 2010 (or have them read to them) and receive a Reading Program certificate upon completion. For more information about Response, go to http://gbgm-umc.org/response/. Anyone interested in taking part in the Reading Program may contact Emily Walker at emily_w_walker@hotmail.com.
Salad Luncheon
The UMW hosts a salad luncheon each May to raise monies for the church. This year’s salad
luncheon will be held on May 27, 2010.
Scholarships for Women
In 2003, our UMW began a scholarship program to support female high school graduates. This scholarship recognizes the importance of
a college education in the life of young women, encourages young women to continue in ministry throughout their collegiate and post-collegiate years, and
helps defray the cost of ancillary expenses like textbooks and course supplies. In 2004, the scholarship was
renamed the “Kristen McClung UMW Scholarship” in honor of the UMW member who started this effort.
The applicant must be a female high school senior that will be pursuing a college education in the fall and who is a member of the Pembroke First United Methodist Church. The program is set up to award only one scholarship per year, however, depending on funding, an additional scholarship may be given at the group’s discretion. Funds come from the contributions of UMW members and other women of the congregation.
Past recipients are: Whitney Bandy (2003), Erin Moretz (2003), Brooke Martin (2004), and April Link (2009). If you are interested in applying for or donating to this scholarship, please contact Kim Medley at kkmedley@vt.edu.
The applicant must be a female high school senior that will be pursuing a college education in the fall and who is a member of the Pembroke First United Methodist Church. The program is set up to award only one scholarship per year, however, depending on funding, an additional scholarship may be given at the group’s discretion. Funds come from the contributions of UMW members and other women of the congregation.
Past recipients are: Whitney Bandy (2003), Erin Moretz (2003), Brooke Martin (2004), and April Link (2009). If you are interested in applying for or donating to this scholarship, please contact Kim Medley at kkmedley@vt.edu.
Missions
Conference Kits
Our unit is very active in preparing health, layette, and school kits for Annual Conference and for special UMCOR needs. UMCOR Supply Kits
help to care for the most vulnerable people during times of crisis. They also help to sustain everyday life by providing basic necessities to
people who lack ready access to essential supplies. These kits provide vital support for the work UMCOR does throughout the world. By donating kit
supplies or financial gifts to purchase the supplies, we make a direct, tangible difference in sustaining people's lives. For more information on
preparing a kit,
visit
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/supplies/.
Dimes for Blackstone
Our UMW collects change for the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center in Blackstone, Virginia. For more information about the center, visit http://www.vumac.org/.
Pledge to Missions
Each year, UMW members make a Pledge to Missions, which is the foundation of our mission
work. The unit as a whole makes a pledge to the Women’s Division of the United Methodist Church based on these individual pledges and the percentage
we'd like to send vs. what we want to keep locally. The
funds sent to the Women’s Division help support mission efforts outside of our
community, while remaining funds go to local organizations.
Red Bird Mission
Over the past few years, some of our members have had the opportunity to visit Red Bird Mission in Kentucky and do mission work there.
It was founded in 1921 to provide education
and Christian ministries to the residents of that area. The Mission offers a school, medical and dental clinics, clothing and transportation
assistance, a food pantry, as well as many other services. Our unit plans to continue helping this cause
in 2010, and our Unit is looking into a weekend trip there in the summer or fall. To learn more about this effort,
see http://www.rbmission.org/.
Labels and Box Tops
For many years, our Unit has collected Campbell's soup labels for various programs. Currently, these labels and those from Tyson products are benefitting
the Red Bird Mission, and we have supported the Henry Fork Service Center with them in the past. This
is a multi-purpose mission outreach of the Danville District of the United Methodist Church. Its mission is "making God's love visible" in the
Henry Fork Community by acting as a positive Christian presence, by being a place where children, youth and adults can come to spend creative time,
by offering a helping hand and listening ear to those with problems, and by exemplifying Christ as Lord and Savior to all persons in its caring
ministry. The center's goals are to introduce Christianity to the area and to support scholastic achievement. Many children stay in school
because of encouragement and assistance offered at the Center. All respond well to the love and attention that they receive at Henry Fork. Box tops will
be collected and donated to the area schools and the homeschooling program in the area for their fundraising needs. For more information on how to
save these, contact Emily Walker.
Our UMW Unit helps various other organizations and efforts throughout the year. The primary focus of our Unit is missions and outreach, and our members are always striving to find ways to help on a local and global scale. The United Methodist Women Unit of the First United Methodist Church is one of the most active organizations in the church and in the community. If you are interested in joining or in getting more information, please contact our President, Kim Medley, or the church at (540) 626-3838.
Our UMW Unit helps various other organizations and efforts throughout the year. The primary focus of our Unit is missions and outreach, and our members are always striving to find ways to help on a local and global scale. The United Methodist Women Unit of the First United Methodist Church is one of the most active organizations in the church and in the community. If you are interested in joining or in getting more information, please contact our President, Kim Medley, or the church at (540) 626-3838.
United
Methodist Women - Virginia Conference
Women's Division of the United
Methodist Church