Sunday, March 29, 2009

Steve Cox Gets It

Yesterday was the UMW Spring Meeting of the Pony Express District. Snowflakes and ice crystals were blurring my windshield as I made my way from Kansas City to the First UMC in Maryville. Spring indeed!
But, the warmth of Spring was in the building. Quite a few local women and District Officers had braved the weather and ignored the impending forcast of doom and gloom to reach the meeting.
The day's business was accomplished with nary a glitch. Thelma Wyrick, District President, presided in fine fashion and the speaker, from the Missouri House, was informative. The women in the northwest corner of our state are doing mission.
(Trumpets Sound here) And Lo, Pony Express Superintendent Steve Cox came to the event. People....Steve Cox gets it. Steve Cox supports United Methodist Women. Steve Cox has read his UM Discipline. Steve Cox understands that UMW members are the functioning Mission Arm of the UMC. He also understands that UMW members are supporters of their local congregations AND that we take our Church Membership very seriously.
Steve Cox understands "leadership by walking around". Believe me when I tell you that I could count on 2 fingers the number of District Supers that have shown their faces at UMW District Meetings in the last 3 years! Gosh, this DS job must be one very time consuming appointment. One or two hours a year spent on UMW is a lot to ask of those 12 clergy folk. Obviously, some people DON'T READ THEIR DISCIPLINE!!!!!!!! (You know that section that says "every congregation SHALL have a unit of United Methodist Women.") I don't even think these folk have read the other major book on faith....the Five Practices (RADICAL HOSPITALITY, RISK TAKING MISSION, etc.)
I am reminded of a quote from a Methodist Preacher way back in the 1800's. The man said, and I quote...."about the women. Movements like this have begun before. Leave them alone and it will die out."
Blessings on you Steve Cox. Take a lesson, the other 10 of you (and you know who you are.) Thank you, Steve Cox, for Getting It.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I'm Trying To Understand.....

Today, several of my school friends suggested that I sign on to Face Book. They implied that I may be the only person living who is not already registered.
So, not wanting to be the one and only non-Face Book person left on the planet, I signed up. And, sure enough lots of people I knew were already there.
Now what? There were 91 folks who might want to be "my friends", but in order to know if they want to, I have to ask them. How am I going to feel if they say, "No"? What happens if I only ask some of them? Will the others know that I didn't ask them, too? I am so confused and torn. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
I really like having friends, but I'm not sure about electronic friends? Isn't true friendship more than just typing words to another person, or for that matter,91 of them? I want to have real friend. I want to touch my friends, hug my friends, pray for and be with my friends.
Is there anyone out there who would care to explain to me what this Face Book phenomena is all about? Maybe then, we can be friends?

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

St. Paddy's Day in NYC

I love parades. I'm the nut in back of you at those events that claps and screams for every band, every float and every horse. WOO, HOO! My thought is that if people are going to go to all the work to participate in a parade, then I am going to thank them for it. Yeah!
So this year we were in NYC for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. It went on for hours and there were thousands of green faced, green haired, and green bodies everywhere. Would you believe I was wearing red?
We loved the fun and festivities.
While in NYC, I attended a planning session for the 2010 Assembly of Women's Division, which is scheduled for April 2010 in St. Louis. The Staff at 475 Riverside Drive (affectionately known as the God Box) were so friendly and welcoming. I felt right at home with those ladies. Harriett Olson introduced herself saying that she worked for ME (Us...ladies of UMW.) How gracious is that?
After, the meeting I hailed another cab and returned to my hotel. Then, it hit me. I owe UMW, so very much. My lengthy involvement in UMW, and the opportunites it has given me to grow, is the reason that I can confidently hail cabs, speak in front of thousands of people, write this blog, and testify to my FAITH in Jesus Christ.
Amen, sisters.
PTL.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

A Warming Thought

On Monday,I gave away my kitchen stove. Now, before you start thinking of me as an incredibly generous person, let me add that my stove was 45 years old, lemon yellow in color, and only one of the four burners was working! It had to go away, and it did, to the scrap metal dealer.
Well, guess what? I haven't missed it. NO, Scott hasn't taken me out every night dining and dancing (although that is a good idea). Our kitchen is equipped with a microwave, and an electric skillet, so I have been able to prepare almost anything we wanted to eat this week.
Which leads me to the conclusion that we are a family of plenty. We can get by quite nicely on a whole lot less. It is so easy for us to complain about what we don't have, when we clearly should be thankful for the blessings that we do have.
That said, I know I will eventually have to purchase a new stove. I figure I have until Easter or maybe even Thanksgiving. That is, if someone will invite the Kincaids over for Easter Dinner.

Friday, March 6, 2009

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

We (that's the United Methodist Women of the Missouri Annual Conference) have just returned from our 37th annual Trip to Jefferson City, for our Legislative Event.
165 Women and Men registered for the Event and 164 came. I'll bet that's a record. I would challenge ANY small group within the Conference to match those numbers.
Our sesssions featuring Carol Jean Mays, former MO House Rep, were particularly popular. She spoke on how to meet and greet your Legislators. Susie Johnson, Women's Division Staffer, gave a presentation on "What's your ASK?" that was extremely informative.
It takes a whole bunch of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to put on an event such as this. I would like for them to know that their work is very much appreciated.
Thanks to Scott Penman with MO Impact for providing us with up-to-date information on what's happening at the Capitol. And, a big WOOHOO to Fred for coming down to take pictures. Fred, you're our hero.
Thanks goes out to our Local Unit Members who attend Legislative Event. UMW has members who really care about Mission to others. We want to "do all we can."

Now.....on to our Spiritual Growth Retreat in May in Moberly.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Rewriting History

I finally received my 2008 Conference Journal.I received my Northern Indiana Conference Journal in November.It takes less time to write and print a Harry Potter sequel! It's the same amount of time to have a baby, for Pete's sake. Why do we have to rush to get our written reports in by April?
But that's not the "main thing", as we ALL say in Missouri. To say that I was disappointed in the contents would be an understatement. I can overlook the fact that our 2nd Annual UMW Walk for Mission Giving was ignored and not mentioned at all. I know several hundred men, women, the Bishop, a couple cabinet members all walked the streets of Springfield in support of Mission. The walk also involved 2 Springfield Congregations. That's okay....it didn't really happen "In Session".
But people, to completely rewrite what happened at the end of the Sunday Morning Session....that's inexcusable.
In the style of the recorder of the proceedings I would have stated on page D-5
...APPROXIMATELY 200 UNITED METHODIST WOMEN AND THEIR SUPPORTERS PARADED ONTO THE STAGE CARRYING SIGNS IN SUPPORT OF THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHARTER FOR RACIAL JUSTICE POLICIES. MRS. MAI GRAY, FORMER WOMEN'S DIVISION PRESIDENT, AND FOUNDER OF THE CHARTER, SPOKE TO THE ASSEMBLY ON HISTORICAL EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE ADOPTION OF THE CHARTER BY OUR WHOLE DENOMINATION. SHE RECEIVED A STANDING OVATION AND A BIG HUG FROM BISHOP SCHNASE.
To fail to write that Mai Gray was there and was so honored is an insult to every United Methodist Woman in Missouri.
So, I suggest that all of you take a pen and write in the above paragraph, so that when your descendants want to know what really happened at the Missouri Annual conference of 2008, they will know that UMW and Mai Gray were there.
For too many years, historians have written history excluding the stories of women, minorities, and other disenfranchised persons. I thought those days were over. Apparently not.
AMEN, SISTERS.