WIXLIB

For the second year in a row we also led the nation in PLEDGE TO MISSION!The year-end audit confirms our annual total giving of 895,013.70 to the National Office. All unitscelebrate because you are making mission possible.CELEBRATE!! Blue Ridge District United Methodist Women total giving for first half of 2014 is 43,060.96. Pledge to Mission giving is 29,993.43. This is wonderful news but we cannot slow down. Iurge you to continue stressing mission giving in all our units. Remember no gift to mission is too small. Asthe song says “little is much when God is in it”.Thank you to all our United Methodist Women for generously giving to make missions for women,children, and youth possible.Carol Bryson , Blue Ridge District TreasurerSpiritual GrowthSeven hundred and fifty-two women (and a few men!) from across Western North Carolinagathered for a refreshing weekend for the body, mind, and soul at the Conference UMWSpiritual Growth Retreat at Lake Junaluska on June 13 – 14. The theme was “JOY” and Rev.Tiffany Thomas of South Tryon Community Church in Charlotte was such an inspirationalspeaker who spoke on the messages God is God, Not Them; God is God, Not Me; and God isGod, Thank God! The music at the retreat, as well as the concert by the Junaluska Singers,was phenomenal. The ending Communion Service is always a wonderful way to go homewith a renewed spirit. Mark your calendars for next year’s retreat, June 12 - 13, 2015.I’d like to mention the Ubuntu Day of Service on Saturday, October 18, 2014 from 9 am – 3 pm. One of theMission Institutes is in our District. Brooks-Howell Home is one of the sites for service that day. Projectsare landscaping, cleaning, etc. and the hands-on-project is gift cards from Home Depot or Lowes to be usedfor needed repairs. Registration begins July 1 – October 1. There is no registration fee, just a willingness toserve. Go to www.wnccumw.org to register.Tracey Owens, Blue Ridge District Mission Coordinator for Spiritual GrowthEducation and InterpretationThose who attended the Roma mission study on May 17 at Groce UMC were richly blessed.Janice Lentz enlightened us about Europe's largest minority group who have been oppressedfor centuries. Special thanks to Janice, to Groce UMW for hosting, and to Oak Grove andWindom for providing refreshments.Now it's time to look forward to next year's mission study. Mission u takes place July 17-20at Pfeiffer College with a spiritual growth study (How is it with your soul?), a general issuestudy (The Church and People with Disabilities), and a geographic study (The Roma ofEurope). The hands on mission project is layette kits.Our units are doing a good job collecting the relief-supply kits for UMCOR. At the Spiritual GrowthRetreat, the district turned in 350 health kits, 63 sewing kits, 9 layette kits, and two flood buckets with a totalvalue of 5,759. We turned in almost 1,000 to help with shipping and toothpaste for the health kits.According to Dwaine Morgan with the Mission Response Center, all kinds of kits are needed with the-6-

exception of flood buckets and birthing kits. Unfortunately, as hurricane season approaches, the demand forkits is likely to increase.Keep working to achieve Mission Today status for 2014! If there are questions, please contact me.Gwen Harris, Blue Ridge District Mission Coordinator for Education and InterpretationSocial ActionSocial Action Priorities for 2014 To continue education and advocacy about Human Trafficking To continue education and advocacy about Domestic Violence To continue education and advocacy about Immigration ReformIt seems impossible to believe that we are in the second half of our UMW Year. Wehave been so blessed to have had so many wonderful events this year -- PrayerBreakfast, Spiritual Growth Retreat, and Assembly 2014. This was my first time to attend an Assembly andI certainly was not disappointed. The speakers, workshops, and displays were so great! I wish all of youcould have been there.One of the biggest blessings of being a United Methodist Women is the opportunity to meet so many sistersin Christ that are committed to fulfilling our Purpose. Thanks for the invitations to be a part of your unitmeetings. All of our district officers are grateful to visit with you and share information.As we begin the second half of our year, continue to work hard to be a Justice Today Unit. There are manyresources available to help your units with this. Utilize the Charter for Racial Justice and the Racial JusticeTimeline in one of your programs. Call upon district officers for help. Please invite your Nurturing Partnerto visit one of your meetings. Continue to read books from the Reading Program to educate yourself aboutsocial action issues.Lucy Earls, Blue Ridge District Mission Coordinator for Social ActionMembership, Nurture, OutreachI had the pleasure of attending The Mother’s Day Tea at Fletcher U MW May 10th.What a great andwonderful group of ladies. Thank you for inviting me to your Mother’s Day Tea.Groce U MW hosted The Mission Study May 17th Diane Terry President of the unit did a wonderful job.There were 39 in attendance.We had the opportunity to have our District Executive Committee Meeting at The J Iverson Riddle Center atMorganton N.C. June 7th. We were given a tour of the facility and visited the gift shop. Amazing work isdone at this facility and you can see God’s work in motion. If you or your unit have the opportunity to visitthis facility make plans to do so.The Mission Walk will be at Brooks-Howell Home Aug 13th. Encourage your unit, Church, friends andneighborhood to participate in this walk. Sponsor someone to walk if you are unable to walk Sponsor sheetsare available on line www.wnccum.org . Also I have sponsor sheets available let me know if you need one.All monies raised with the mission walk goes to missions.-7-

Invite your Nurturing Partner or a District Officer to your unit for a visit they look forward to visiting,sharing ideals and plans and learning different ways that can make a difference. We grow together.Looking forward to seeing you at The Annual meeting Aug 13th at Brooks-Howell Home.Kathy Morgan, Blue Ridge District Mission Coordinator for Membership, Nurture, and OutreachProgram Resource sI hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying the warm weather. On a lazy day pleasetake some time to read a selection from the UMW reading list. Since our annual meeting is beingheld at the Brooks Howell Home we have limited space so we will not have a resource section perse. But if you need something if you can let me know by mid July, I will be happy to order it andbring to the meeting. My phone is 828-231-3229 or 828-683-4678. E mailkenkat12003@yahoo.com. Or mail me at P O Box 2556 Leicester NC 28748.Link to UMW Reading Program: m/Kathy Kennedy, Blue Ridge District Secretary of Program ResourcesHistorianThanks to everyone who took the scrapbooks and pictures from the former Asheville andMarion Districts. These memories and activities are very important and need to bepreserved for future generations.Since our last newsletter some of us have attended National Assembly and Spiritual GrowthRetreat. Both of these events were very inspiring and we felt so blessed when we left. If you have neverattended Spiritual Growth Retreat, please try to attend in 2015. It gets better every year!.Judy Hawkins, Blue Ridge District HistorianCommunications CoordinatorI was very fortunate in that I was able to attend one day of the UMW Assembly 2014 inLouisville, Kentucky. What an incredible event! Please see a few of the pictures that JudyHawkins and I took on pages 18 and 19. (View the newsletter in color from the Western NorthCarolina Conference UMW website. See below)This newsletter is being mailed to you and we are very sorry if you did not get the Aprilnewsletter. If you would like to view last quarter's newsletter, you may go to http://www.wnccumw.org District Information (left column) and click on Blue Ridge. There are lots of pictures from the PrayerBreakfast!2014 Deadlines for information for the District Newsletter are:Sept. 15, 2014 (Newsletter for October)Peggy Sanders, Blue Ridge District Communications Coordinator-8-

Committee on NominationsThe Spiritual Growth Retreat was a great experience and a sharing experience with over700 other UMW. However, I feel a loss for those who were unable to join us. Whilehelping with registration, I saw a name tag that said "friend". It was explained to me thatwhen someone registered, she also registered another in anticipation of getting a friend tocome with her. That is positive thinking. Think how hard we would try to encourageanother to join us if we had already registered and paid. Let us all spread that kind ofpositive thinking in increasing our membership and leadership.Jackie Rio, Blue Ridge District Nomination Committee ChairA Franciscan BenedictionMay God bless you with discomfortAt easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationshipsSo that you may live from deep within your heart.May God bless you with anger,At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.May God bless you with tearsTo shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them andTo turn their pain into joy.And may God bless you with just enough foolishnessTo believe that you can make a difference in the world,So that you can do what others claim cannot be done:To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.Amen-9-

School Kit Materials1 pair blunt scissors Rounded tip only No plastic scissors please.3 pads of paper Spiral- or top-bound pads; 150 sheets or less of loose-leaf paper can be substituted for 1 pad; Combinations of spiral, top-bound, side-bound, or loose-leaf paper is acceptable.1 hand-held pencil sharpener Must be at least 1" long; Remove from packaging.1 30-centimeter ruler Hard or flexible; Cartoon characters are acceptable; No advertisements please.6 unsharpened pencils No advertisements, religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols please; Cartoon characters are acceptable.1 2-inch or larger-size eraser No advertisements, religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols please; Cartoon characters are acceptable.1 24-count box of crayons Only 24-count boxes please.1 14" x 16" cloth bag Homemade or purchased bags are both acceptable; Heavy-duty fabric only, such as denim, corduroy, drapery fabric, etc.; No advertisements, religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols please; Closures are optional but must be buttons, snaps, or Velcro sewn in middle of opening. Assembly DirectionsPlace all loose items on top of paper. Turn items sideways and slide into the cloth bag. Fold over the top ofthe bag so loose items don’t fall out.Important Notes All items must be new. All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Sincestrict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits containonly the requested items, nothing more. Do not include any personal notes, money, or additional material in the kits. These things must bepainstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.Processing & Shipping Costs: Please enclose an envelope containing at least 1 for each kit you send.This donation enables kits to be sent to areas in need.- 10 -

School Kit Bag Pattern15 INCHES-----------------------------19 INCHESFOR SCHOOL KIT BAGUSE HEAVY DUTY FABRIC(not lightweight)Cut 2 pieces of cloth15” x 19”allowing 1/2” for seamson sides and bottomand 2 1/2” on topThis will give the requiredfinished size 14” x 16”- 11 -FORHANDLESCut 2 pieces4” x 23”

School Kit Bag Pattern(continued)Make the BagUSE HEAVY DUTY FABRIC (not lightweight). Cut 2 pieces of cloth 15” x 19” allowing 1/2” forseams on sides and bottom and 2 1/2” hem at the top. This will give the required finished size14” x 16”.Place the two 15” x 19” pieces of cloth together, right sides together, and sew a 1/2” seamdown one side across the bottom and up the other side, leaving the top open.Turn the bag so the seam is inside the bag.Turn under 1/2” of the top edge and stitch.Turn under 2” at the top to form a hem and stitch.Make the HandlesFor handles cut 2 pieces 4” x 23”.Fold in half the length of one of the 4” x 23” pieces with right sides together. Stitch with a 1/2”seam allowance and turn the seam to the inside.Repeat with the second piece of cloth.Place one handle at the top of the bag, turning under 1/2” raw edge of the material and secureby stitching. Repeat with the other piece of cloth making the handle on the opposite side of thebag.Optional ClosureClosures are optional and may be done with buttons, snaps or Velcro.When using Velcro, stitch small pieces of Velcro near the top center inside of the bag, Velcroloops on one side, Velcro hooks on the other.- 12 -

- 13 -

- 14 -

- 15 -

- 16 -

Make It Happen for Maternal and Child HealthOur HistoryHealth care for women and children is at the heartof United Methodist Women today, and has beensince the organization was founded in the 1800’s.In 1869, Dr. Clara Swain was sent to Bareilly,India, to provide quality medical care to women.She has been called the "pioneer womanphysician in India,” as well as the "first fullyaccredited woman physician ever sent out by anymissionary society into any part of the nonChristian world." Our foremothers made the choice to act to savewomen’s lives. They chose to build hospitals and clinics, to train women and girls to serve as doctors andnurses, and to send missionaries to initiate the work. Today, United Methodist Women continues to support the health and family needs of women and childrenaround the globe. Women are still dying in childbirth, children continue to die from preventable diseases,and many communities have no access to healthcare.From Latin America to Africa to Asia, United Methodist Women works with women worldwide toaddress: Access to healthcareEducational opportunities in medical fieldsChild protectionCrisis ministries for women who are victims of violence at home or during periods of war and conflictsReproductive health – family planning, cancer screening, healthy childbirthAdvocacy for equity in law and services for women and childrenInformal educational workshops on healthy living for teens at risk, lactating mothers who are HIVpositive, mothers who need new ideas on nutrition, and basic health, hygiene and disease prevention Trauma and mental health counselingIn the U.S., a number of community centers in our network of national mission institutions provide maternalhealth services to improve access to care for underserved populations. Services include: Pre-natal and postpartum careBaby suppliesParenting supportShelter and legal servicesHealth careMany of our deaconesses and home missionerslive their calling to ministries of love, justice andservice by working as health care professionals.They work as: Parish nurses and Research nurses Physicians and community health directory Volunteer coordinators- 17 -

UMW Assembly Louisville KY 2014- 18 -

Is that President Joanie under that hat?Some of your district officers were having too much fun!Plan to attend the next UMW Assembly in 2016 so you can have thismuch fun, too, and learn how the United Methodist Women are helping- 19 women, children, and youth around the world !

Blue Ridge District United Methodist Women%CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH27 CHURCH STREETASHEVILLE, NC 28801-1218Blue Ridge District UMW EventsAugust 23District Annual Meeting, Brooks-Howell Home, Moving on in CelebrationOctober 18Ubuntu Service Day, Brooks-Howell HomeNov. 2Blue Ridge District Leadership Training, Location: TBD, Moving on to LeadWestern North Carolina Conference UMW EventsJuly 17-20Oct. 11Mission u! (Previously School of Christian Mission), Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer, NCDistrict Officer Training, Granite Falls UMCSept. 5-7Conference Annual Meeting, Lake JunaluskaFor More Information:Visit our Web Site: www.wnccumw.orgJoin our Conference UMW Email ListRead the Conference Gram and your District NewsletterVisit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wnccumwVisit us on YouTube! www.youtube.com/user/wnccumw- 20 -

Mission U 2014NEW Residential Youth StudyJuly 17-20Pfeiffer University,48380 U.S. Highway 52NMisenheimer, NCHOUSING: Housing will be in College Dormitories. PfeifferStudent Leaders will be serving as Camp Leaders!The Church & Ministry toand with People withDisabilitiesNew for 2014 is the creation of a Resident Youth Camp.In the past, the WNCCUMW has hosted a one day studyfor high school students. This year Mission u is providingthe opportunity for up to 15 high school students toparticipate in study, worship, fellowship and hands-onministry!Theme: “Disabilities and Our Response”This is a study for young people regarding attitudes andresponses toward persons with disabilities. We acknowledgeall as children of God, each created in God’s image butunique. Each person brings different abilities anddisabilities to the community. In God’s kingdom, everyonehas a place. Youth will develop a new understanding ofpersons with disabilities.Leaders: Rev. Sherri Barnes and Sherry SinkCOST: 150 per student. The expectation is that thestudent will pay 50 towards the experience with theirlocal church/UMW unit paying the balance of 100.AGE: Mission u is open to high school students who havecompleted 9th grade through those who have completed 12 thgrade.SPECIAL NEEDS: If you have any physical conditions thatrequire consideration in room or classroom assignment,please explain on registration form or on separate sheet ofpaper stapled to your form.What to Bring: Your Bible (of course!!) Musical instrument if you play Toiletries (soap, sham

August 23: District Annual Meeting at Brooks Howell Home September 5-7: Conference Annual Meeting at Lake Junaluska October 18: Ubuntu Day of Service at Brooks Howell Home May your life be filled with faith, hope, and love that motivates you to action for women, children, and youth. Joanie Strohm, Blue Ridge District President