St. Louis was the place to be for the 2024 South Central Jurisdiction Quadrennial of United Women in Faith which took place on Jun 20-23. Over 300 women participated in the three-day event that spanned eleven conferences : Texas, North Texas, Central Texas, Northwest Texas, Rio Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Indian Missionary, Great Plains, Missouri, and Arkansas.
The scripture that guided the gathering was John 13:34, and the event opened with the scripture spoken and prayed in several of the languages spoken in the jurisdiction.
After a welcome message from Jurisdiction President, Ellen Lipsay, and a rousing chorus of We are Family, the group was addressed by United Women in Faith CEO and President, Sally Vonner, who reminded us that our ancestors lived through everything we have, but they kept the movement and mission moving forward, building hospitals and churches as they went–and they did it all with fewer communication avenues than we do.
Sally challenged us with the 2024-2029 Vision for Growth which aims to:
- Grow our membership beyond 500,000 members
- Generate $10+ million/year in revenue
- Meet and/or exceed the $60 million Legacy Endowment Fund goal from 2014
After attending workshops during the day, on Friday evening delegates were addressed by 18-year-old member Kaylen Svitak-Coleman, from the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. She spoke to us about her work with the Missing & Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) organization. Over 85% of Native Americans experience some sort of violence in their lives, and a majority of violent deaths of Native Americans are not logged in federal databases.
Kaylen was followed by Colette Pichon Battle of Taproot Earth in New Orleans who spoke on the 6 Pillars of Climate Justice
- Water
- Energy
- Land
- Labor
- Economy
- Democracy
Colette, a lawyer, reminded us that disaster laws are in place to protect property, and if you don’t have property (65% of African-Americans in New Orleans during Katrina rented their homes), there isn’t much help. She also warned of the increasing privatization of water resources, which often starts as a temporary solution after a disaster that ends up turning permanent.
On the second day of the event, members were treated to a live Voices from the Field with reports from Regional Missionaries from around the world, including Frieda Mwebe Mofya of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Grace Musuka of Zimbabwe. Elections were also held for members of the National Board of Directors. Women elected were:
- Kelly G Loeb, Missouri Conference
- Lynne Grandstaff, Central Texas Conference
- Patricia Dye, Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference
- Cynthia Harry, North Texas Conference
Cheryl Felder, New Mexico Conference, and Yolanda Faye Perry, Oklahoma Conference, were elected as alternatives.
Members also got to hear from four of the bishops from the Jurisdiction during Bishops Corner where they fielded a series of questions from former National United Women in Faith President, Dr. Yvette Richards.
Saturday night everyone, including Texas Conference delegates, attended a Sparkle Celebration, where new officers were feted, retiring officers were honored, and everybody got to dance the night away.
On Sunday morning, the final day of the event, a worship service was held led by the bishops. Bishop Delores Williamston gave the message followed by a Communion service for all.
Texas Conference 