SPOTLIGHT ON MISSION Las Misiones United Methodist Women Newsletter JULY 2018

DIANA WOODS LIZZ LEYVA OUR NEW DEACONESS UMW DIRECTOR FROM HILL COUNTRY DISTRICT RIO CONFERENCE

GRACE PEREZ

PRESIDENT 1 RIO TEXAS CONFERENCE ASSEMBLY PICTURES

THREE GENERATIONS OF UMW!

THE UMW OF LAS MISIONES DISTRICT

REPRESENTED 2 ASSEMBLY PICTURES

Ten Bishops served Communion

Panoramic view of the Assembly

3 Greetings from Las Misiones UMW President Happy Summer!!!

Hola, hello my beloved Sisters in Christ, I hope and pray that everyone is doing well with God's help.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to Assembly in Columbus OH. this time, but a very nice group of ladies from our District went and had a great time. We had 2 young women from La Trinidad UMC, first timers that went to Assembly and they came fired up, Abby Gutierrez and Iris Chavez.

I attended, as an alternate Delegate, a meeting with Bishop Schnase on May 31st, along with all the General and Jurisdictional Conference Dele- gates. He wanted to talk to us before Annual Conference, about the result of the Bishops Commission on a Way Forward; what the College of Bishops are recommending to General Conference on LGBT issue.

On June 6-9, I attended Rio Texas Annual Conference. I served as Volun- teer greeting the delegates and guiding them to their places.

I'm proud to say that I was able to help the Spanish-speaking delegates, because only 3 of the volunteers were bilingual.

If you aren't going to “Mission u” at Kerrville, please make plans to attend our District Cluster Mission Study on August 4th at Oak Meadow UMC. We are offering a Children Class Kinder-5th grade. Abby Gutierrez is teaching this class. This will be a great opportunity to bring our children and grand- children, so they can learn about money.

I want to encourage all of you to be a 5 Star person, all that money goes to Mission.

Try your best to send all of your pledges, we don't want to have to de- crease our District Pledge like we did for this year. We have been Blessed by God.

Bendiciones! Minerva Briones.

4 United Methodist Women MOBILIZE to Support Immigrant Families

7 Ways to Make a Difference

1.) Pray for the children and their parents who are suffering due to the current immigration policy.

2.) Participate in the June 30 national day of action in communities across the country organized by Families Belong Together

3.) Support United Methodist Women mission organizations that help children on the border: The Holding Institute Community Center, Laredo, TX Tacoma Community House, Tacoma, WA

4.) Sign the Petition calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the “zero-tolerance” policy, reunite families and end family detention.

5.) Volunteer with and support local organizations that help, likeJustice for Our Neighbors

6.) Call or write your elected officials and your local newspapers to speak up for those seeking asylum.

7.) Get on social media and contact your Senators & Representatives. Click here for a digital media toolkit with sample social media posts from Families Belong Together. Use the hashtags #UnitedMethodistWomen #FamiliesBelongTogether #EndFamilyDetention #EndZeroTolerance and #ValueOurFamilies.

United Methodist Women statements on family separation: Statement on Immigrant Parent-Child Separation

On Reuniting Families on the U.S. Southern Border

5 Meet the Deaconesses of the RIO TEXAS CONFERENCE

Left to right: Judy M. Davis, Sonia Cruz, Judy Ann Smith, Cynthia Andrade Johnson, Diana Woods

Deaconesses and Home Missioners are laywomen and laymen who are called by God to be in a lifetime relationship in The United Methodist Church for engagement with a full-time vocation in ministries of love, justice, and service. Together we form a covenant community that is rooted in Scripture, informed by history, driven by mission, ecumenical in scope, and global in outreach. The Deaconess and Home Missioner call to ministries of love, justice, and service is defined in Para- graph 1913.1 of the United Methodist Book of Discipline, which states. Deaconesses and home missioners function through diverse forms of service directed toward the world to make Jesus Christ known in the fullness of his ministry and mission, which mandate that his followers:

 Alleviate suffering  Eradicate causes of injustice and all that robs life of dignity and worth  Facilitate the development of full human potential  Share in building global community through the church universal. Becoming a Deaconess or Home Missioner Deaconesses and home missioners are approved through a process established by United Methodist Women, consecrated and commissioned by a bishop at settings approved by the board of directors of United Methodist Women. They shall have a con- tinuing relationship to The United Methodist Church through United Methodist Women. Deaconesses and home missioners are available for service with any agency or program of The United Methodist Church. Deaconesses and home missioners may also serve in United Methodist Church agencies or programs, provided that approval is given by United Methodist Women in consultation with the bishop in the receiving area. (¶1913.4, 2016 Book of Discipline). Learn more on being a Deaconess or Home Missioner: https://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/dhm/requirements Write or Call Office of Deaconess and Home Missioner United Methodist Women, National Office 475 Riverside Drive, 15th floor New , NY 10115 212-870-3850 6 7 8 Let’s make some plans to attend!

Las Misiones UMW

Annual District Meeting

Saturday September 15, 2018

Oxford UMC , TX

More to come!

9 RIO TEXAS CONFERENCE

UMW—ANNUAL MEETING—OCTOBER 19-20, 2018

10 11 12 Officer Reports

NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION

I hope you all are enjoying the summer and keeping as cool as you can.

The Las Misiones Cluster Study is scheduled for August 4th from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM.at Oak Meadow UMC. Check out the flyer in this newsletter with updated information. Please respond to me (preferably by July 31st) approximately how many from your church will be attending as I would like to give the ladies at Oak Meadow an idea of how many will be there.

I am also waiting on your Mission Today and Approved Study Reports. The forms have been sent to you and if you have not sent them in yet, I need them back as soon as possible so I can send in my report and you will be able to receive your certificates at the September 15th Annual District Meeting.

I have visited several of your UMW meetings recently. The work and planning you are doing to promote United Methodist Wom- en and what we stand for and are working toward is great. I hope to visit more units during the upcoming months. I am availa- ble to give a talk or program or just visit. Please let me know when, what time, and where you meet and as I get this information I can pass it on to all of you. It would be a good way of visiting other units and getting to know other United Methodist Women. (my information is below)

Blessings to all -

Marilyn Olivarez, Education and Interpretation Coordinator, Las Misiones District

11910 El Sendero, SA 78233 phone: 210-967-0143/ e-mail: [email protected]

From your Treasurer

Would you like to have a good feeling? All you have to do is honor someone or make a memorial of some- one with the Candle Burning Ceremony at our annual district meeting at Oxford UMC on September 15, 2018. It is that easy to put a smile on someone’s face. The cost this year is $24.44 for one minute. In or- der for the names to be put in the program book, we will need this information by August 15th. Should you elect to place the names at the Rio Texas Conference meeting in October; an additional amount of $24.44 is required. Is your unit a Five Star Unit? The qualifications include a pledge to missions, World Thank Offering, a gift in memory and a gift to missions (cards), and participation on a Special Mission Recognition pin. How easy is that? Please consider being a Five Star Unit as well as a Five Star Woman. Remember the unit itself must participate in all five fields to qualify as a unit. Should you need cards, I have a supply of them avail- able. Sisters in Christ, we have pledged to date $22,422.23 for the first and second quarters. Our pledge this year if $45,000. We are falling short of our goal. Please pray with your units as to how we can obtain our goal this year. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the liv- ing. Psalm 27:13

13 NOMINATIONS REPORT

ELECTIONS ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2018

The following persons will be up for election on September 15th. They will serve from 2019-2021. These per- sons are eligible to be elected and have given their consent to be elected to the following positions. If there are others from your unit who wish to be considered for any of these positions, they must submit their names on a form to the Chair of Nominations 1 week before the Annual meeting in September. THE FORM FOR NOMINATIONS FROM THE FLOOR IS ATTACHED.

Minerva Briones—President (must run again, filled an unexpired term of Mary Eck.—La Trinidad, S.A.

Dina Bermea—Secretary—Emanuel

Marilyn Olivarez—Mission Coordinator for Education and Interpretation--Windcrest

Carolyn Smith—Mission Coordinator for Membership Nurture and Outreach—Coker

Lorraine Flakes—Secretary of Program Resources—Bethany

Eva Ortiz—Chairperson on Nominations—El Mesias, Floresville (new to the position but not new to the Board)

NOMINATIONS—Class 1

Pamela Ray (new to the board)—Jacobs Chapel

Carolyn Twyford—St. Matthews

There is 1 vacant position in Class 1 on Nominations that needs to be filled.

Please share this information with your Unit Members. If there is anyone who would like to run for ANY OF THESE POSITIONS, CONTACT: Eileen Lehmberg, 210-493-7416 or [email protected].

14 15 Mark your calendars for upcoming events!

DATE EVENT PLACE TIME July 13-15, 2018 Mission u Mt. Wesley TBA

August 4, 2018 Cluster Study Oak Meadow UMC 8:30am to 1:30pm

See Page 7 of Newsletter San Antonio, TX

August 12, 2018 M&M Meeting St. Matthew’s UMC 1:00pm to 4:00pm 2738 MacArthur View San Antonio, TX

September 15, 2018 UMW—Las Misiones Oxford UMC TBA

Annual Meeting San Antonio, TX

October 19-20, 2018 Rio Texas Conference Gonzalez, Texas

UMW Annual Meeting See pages 10-12 in Newsletter

16 United Methodist Women Las Misiones District Mission Team—2018 umwriotexas.org

http://umwriotexas.org/las_misiones_district.html

President: Minerva Briones [email protected] Mission Coordinators 210 326 1253 Education & Interpretation: Marilyn Olivarez Vice President: Bernice Jackson [email protected] [email protected] 210 967 0143 210 688 2787 Member Nurture & Outreach: Secretary: Dina Bermea Carolyn Smith [email protected] [email protected] 210 449 6644 210 494 0022

Treasurer: Donna Roeder Social Action: Teresa Smith [email protected] [email protected] 830 980 5108 210 887 3738

Communications: Alicia Leyva Spiritual Growth: Hermila M Garza [email protected] [email protected] 210-834-3009 210 924 2447

Website Coordinator - Kelli Diemert Program Resources: [email protected] Lorraine Flakes (210) 663-2324 [email protected] 210 833 9135 Historian - Elizabeth Lopez [email protected] Teen Mentors (830) 477-8787 Kelly Diemert [email protected] (210) 663-2324 Nominations Chair: Eileen Lehmberg [email protected] Sharon Sharp [email protected] 210 493 7416 (830) 228-4843

Nominations Team Members Sharon Curry Class One: Janell Mellieon, Eva Ortiz, Carolyn Twyford Class Two: Carolyn Pittman, Lillie Wier, Ruth Tellez

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 minis-

tries of the church.

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