July-August Response

United Methodist Women: Being in Mission
July/August 1998

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"Faith in All God's Children" by Dulci McCoy

Faith House in St. Louis was founded on faith -- faith that babies prenatally exposed to drugs, and sometimes abused and neglected by substance abuse are valuable in God's eyes and faith that if given a chance, they will overcome birth handicaps. Then there is the faith that people will find the means to help these babies. This article shares the story of Faith House, from it's beginnings based on only a dream, to the presence and the children and volunteers it touches, to the future when it becomes a Faith Village!

"Organizing for Justice, Organizing for Empowerment" by Carol Marie Herb

A conversation with Alicia Baro is an education in organization and empowerment. This woman answers the contention, "You can't fight city hall" with "You can if you make enough noise." At 80, Ms. Baro has used her bi-lingual skills and faith perspective to launch a Puerto Rican chapter of United Methodist Women to fight discrimination in secular society and to advocate for the presenvation of Hispanic and other cultures. This article explores the methods and response of Ms. Baro to the Purpose of United Methodist Women.

"Ministry with a 'Sole" by A. Victoria Hunter

Betty Haugen remembers no even having a hand-me-down pair of shoes when she was a four-year-old during the Depression. The worst part of it, she said, was that she had to miss Sunday school. When her uncle finally was able to scrape together money to buy the shoes, she never forgot the gester. Singing, 'Yes, Jesus Love Me," she really felt he did. By sharing her memory with other women, a ministry was born. This article is about the Paris District Tennessee's shoe ministry that evolved from this story.

"Responding to Children in Need" by Yvette Moore

Twenty-six years ago, child daycare centers were few and far between in rural Kentucky. Distance prevented children from attending the few programs that did exist. So women in the Red Bird Missionary Conference resopnded with what they had: a van, church buildings, and a Call to Prayer and Self-Denial grant. Twenty-six years later, this article looks at the program that has undergone changes, but is still fulfilling the needs of children.

"Sewing for Babies: A Labor of Love" by Yvette Moore

More than 1,000 babies have left hospitals serving poor women in Los Angeles and Memphis, wearing diaper-jackets swen with love by United Methodist Women in the Memphis Conference. Some wear their jackets home, some wear them to orphanages and foster homes, and some, too weak to survive, are buried in the jackets. Read this story about the unique mission of the Memphis Conference UMWs, how it began and how it has expanded.

"Speaking Out, Speaking Up" by Susie Wallace

Karen Barraco, organized opposition to a proposed off-track betting parlor in her hometown. Jo Ann Lynch and others in another town reached out to a low-income housing complex that narrowly escaped being closed down because of a lack of funding. And, Pat Callbeck Harper uses the Charter for Racial Justice policies as a basis for her consulting business in educational and employment equity. This article focuses on the work of these United Methodist Women members who see social justice as part of their mission.

Read "Women's Division Director Counters Local Klan Rally," a side column to this article.

"Phoebe's Place: A Deaconess Responds to God's Call" by Linda S. Rhodes

For so many years of her life, Josephine Lewis prayed for a calling and wondered what she was going to do with her life. In her forties, she received the call--to be commissioned to ministries of love, justic and service as a deaconess in the United Methodist Church. This article explores the minisitries of Ms. Lewis as she opened a senior citizen drop-in center on Chicago's south side, then expanded it to contain an Alzheimer's center.

"Mission from Within Community" by Paul Jeffrey

This article explores the mission that has come from within the dusty town of San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua. When United Methodist missionary, Nan McCurdy arrived in the village, she was startled by the high level of Hansen's Disease -- leprosy. Leprosy is a result of massive malnutirition and an unhealthy environment. This story shows the way the community is getting involved, cultivating gardens that use less water, bringing back the use of traditional medicine and caring for each other to save lives of women and their families.

"When Hate Burns Out of Control" by Sandra Peters

One in a series of articles that will run through December, this article loos at church burnings that continue across the country and are receiving little to no media coverage. Read this article.

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