September 20, 2000 - With a history that extends to the late 1800s and a reputation of cutting-edge work on behalf of women and children, 50 new Women’s Division directors worked diligently during an orientation September 7-10, agreeing to help fulfill the mission of Christ and the Church through United Methodist Women.
Six new Women’s Division officers were elected at the organizational meeting. They include Genie Bank, president, from the Detroit conference; Brenda Brown, vice president, from the North Carolina conference ; Judy Nutter, vice president and chairperson of Christian Social Responsibility, from the West Virginia conference; Myrtle Clingenpeel, vice president and chairperson of finance, from the Oklahoma conference; Diane Vogler, vice president and chairperson of membership and organizational development, from the North Arkansas conference; and Mee Sue Park, recording secretary, from the California-Pacific conference.
Together with other directors, these officers gathered in Nashville, Tenn., to learn about the history of the organization, the responsibilities of a director, and the mission of the organization.
General Conference, the legislative-making body of The United Methodist Church, has slated the Women’s Division to be engaged in fulfilling the mission of Christ and the Church through the 1-million member United Methodist Women.
"With continuing awareness of the concerns and responsibilities of the Church in today’s world, the Women’s Division shall be an advocate for the oppressed and dispossessed with special attention to the needs of women and children; shall work together to build a supportive community among women; and shall engage in activities that foster growth in the Christian faith, mission education, and Christian social involvement throughout the organization," says The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church (para. 1317).
"The total program of United Methodist Women and the Women’s Division is mission," says Joyce Sohl, deputy general secretary of the Women’s Division. "This includes individual growth, spiritual enrichment, education for mission, social issues awareness, leadership development, schools and workshops, and financial support for mission programs and projects in the U.S. and around the world. Our work is extensive, inclusive and based on the ministry of Christ."
For more than a century, the Women’s Division work has revolved around this mandate, as the division has often led the way in mission on behalf of women and children. When a "handful of women" gathered in Boston in the late 1880s to hear from missionary wives in India, the work of United Methodist Women started.. Bodies of women and children were floating in the Ganges river; women would not see male doctors, therefore, were dying; and there was no source of education for women and children. The women in Boston organized and set dues at a prayer and two cents a week, so that membership was possible for every woman.
The work of predecessor organizations of United Methodist Women included home and foreign missionary movements, anti-lynching leagues, legislative advocacy on behalf of women and children, studies and statements on racism, and much more.
Today, the Women’s Division, through United Methodist Women, raises more than $20 million dollars each year for programs and projects related to women, children and youth in the United States and in more than 100 countries around the world.
"In the past four years, the Women’s Division has placed an emphasis on reaching out to young women to continue this essential work," says Genie Bank, newly elected president of the Women’s Division. "We’ve advocated around the horrendous working conditions for poultry and strawberry workers here in the United States. We signed on to an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, witnessing to the human rights violations in Burma. We’ve educated thousands of women, clergy, and lay persons around mission issues."
This is just the beginning of Women’s Division work over the past four years, according to Ms. Bank. "We truly believe that our organization can be the vessel of Christ as we work together on behalf of the voiceless."
The Women’s Division represents United Methodist Women, a one-million member organization whose purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for social justice.
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