Registration is now open for the Texas Conference Fall Annual Meeting to take place at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center outside Palestine, TX on September 27-28. We are excited to announce that the General Secretary and CEO of United Women in Faith, Sally Vonner, will join us as our keynote speaker.
To show our appreciation for all that Sally has done during her first year as General Secretary, the Texas Conference will present her with a Special Mission Recognition Award. During the registration process, individuals are invited to contribute to purchasing the pin Sally will receive. Units can also contribute by contacting treasurer, Kathy Aubin.
Our theme this year is Food, Faith, and Fellowship. You are all invited to wear your best apron and bring a recipe to share during our Friday night fellowship time. Don’t have an apron? We’ll have some for sale with the UWFaith logo! Stay tuned for more details.
Rev. Ellen Thornburg, Associate Pastor at Love UMC, Rev. Eleanor Colvin, Senior Pastor at Westbury UMC, and Rev. Jennifer Hodson, Pastor at Bryan Community Church, round out our list of dynamic speakers and workshop leaders.
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.
President Ellen Lipsey opens the meeting
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.
Sisters dance to ‘We Are Family’
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 Vonner challenges us with goals for the new quadrennium
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 Svitek-Colman and Texas Conference Language Coordinator, Ashley Mayho
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.
Colette Pichon Battle addresses attendees
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.
Newly elected Board of Directors
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.
Stephanie Pounds, Carolyn, and Dorothy Ringer-Sumner shine during the Sparkle Celebration
Nikole Jackson and Lillian Martin show off their sparkles
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.
Bishop Delores Williamston leading the worship service
The South Central Jurisdiction Quadrennial kicked off with a Day of Ubuntu across the St Louis area. One of the projects was at Epworth Residential, a United Women in Faith National Mission Institute. Epworth was founded in 1864 and continues to provides services, counseling, and housing to youth ages 11 through 18 who find themselves in the foster care today.
On arrival Epworth took members on a tour of their beautiful tree-shaded campus which includes dining and learning facilities, along with a a dorm and a pool.
The pool was the focus of the task for United Women in Faith that day. Two days later Epworth was hosting a rubber duck race as a fundraising effort, and UWFaith members attached numbered stickers to over 600 ducks! A good time was had by members from across the jurisdiction as we joined in fun and fellowship (there might have been a few verses of “Rubber Ducky” sung), and a few may have even joined in to adopt a duck with a chance to win!
Texas Conference President Theresa Graham’s group went to the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House. The community center is a multi-purpose, faith based community center in relationship with the United Methodist Church. Their mission is to empower individuals and families to move out of poverty and achieve self-sufficiency.
Day of Ubuntu participants helped clean tables and chairs in five classrooms–and found enough time to sneak in a few snuggles, too!
On June 10, 2024, women from across the Texas Conference met to break bread–cheese bread to be exact–and fellowship with their sisters during the Texas Annual Conference. The Annual Luncheon was held in the Rose Garden Room of the Westchase Marriott, and more than 60 women attended.
President Theresa Graham welcomed all to the table, and Deb Wroblewski, Program Resource Officer, delivered the devotional.
President, Theresa GrahamDeb Wroblewski, Program Resource Officer
Carla Cardoza, President of the Lydia Patterson Institute (LPI) in El Paso, stepped to the podium next to share the story of their school. LPI has a rich history of nurturing academic excellence and spiritual growth, and they are looking to partner with women from the Texas Conference. You can learn more about the great work being done by the Institute in this video. If you would like to contact Ms. Cardoza to discuss ways to collaborate, her email is c.cardoza@lpi-elpaso.org.
Carla Cardoza, President, Lydia Patterson Institute
Following that Theresa introduced the very-deserving recipient of the 2024 Hazel Decker Award, Stacie Hawkins. Stacie currently serves as the Vice-President of the Texas Conference and she recently served as a delegate to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church. In addition, she has been nominated as President of the South Central Jurisdiction of United Women in Faith, with the election coming up at the end of June.
Stacie Hawkins, Hazel Decker Award Recipient with President, Theresa Graham
In her acceptance speech, Stacie spoke of her long association with United Women in Faith and how she was nurtured by the women at Windsor Village UMC.
Keynote speaker, Rev. Romonica Malone-Wardley, who currently serves as Assistant to the Bishop, based her talk on Acts 10. She asked us to consider how Peter and Cornelius might have wanted to “other” each other, but instead, by working with people with whom they might not normally work, they became witnesses to the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit.
Rev. Romonica Malone-Wardley
Theresa closed the meeting by presenting Romonica with a Special Recognition Pin, and Romonica closed us all in prayer.
Make plans now to attend Mission u 2024 on July 12-13 via Zoom. Register today!
What is Mission u? Each year, United Women in Faith develops three justice-focused Biblical curricula for adults, youth, and children, all on a common theme. In 2024, our theme is The Kin-dom Is Among You: Drawing Closer to God and One Another, and the adult curriculum is entitled Welcome Home. The eight-part series was written by Neomi Fletcher who will be our Texas Conference Mission u leader this year.
Mission u will take place over two days, Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13. Each day will last from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and will include worship and study time. The event will be broadcast via Zoom. You can watch the Zoom at home, or you can make plans to watch it together with your unit! The registration fee is $20 per person whether you watch by yourself or with a group.
You may remember when Memorial Drive United Women in Faith were featured on this website last year for their sewing prowess. For two hours each Monday afternoon, 25 to 30 Circle members meet to stuff and sew closed heart-shaped pillows and animals that have been cut out, washed and ironed, and sewn by other volunteers working from home. Others crochet and knit lap blankets, hats and scarves. The ladies turn out approximately 75 pieces a week.
The story was picked up by the national office, and now appears in the May/June 2024 issue of response magazine. Well done, Memorial Drive!
Pink-shirted members of Windsor Village United Women in Faith hosted Southeast District’s Spring meeting on Saturday, April 13.
Acting Southeast District officers called the program “Love in Action,” and shared a list of volunteer activities suitable for Texas Annual Conference’s Ubuntu Day of Service on April 20. These ranged from supporting women’s shelters and food ministries to building programs such as Habitat for Humanity and Sleep in Heavenly Peace—they build beds!
Ron Parker, director of Baytown Meals on Wheels, spoke on the role of volunteers in his organization.
At the program’s conclusion, attendees sat down to enjoy box lunches and to celebrate a return to post-Pandemic in-person meetings.
The room at Trinity UMC was full of high expectations as the women of the Metro District met for the first time in person since the pandemic on May 4, 2024, to gather and regroup. Led in conversation by Conference President Theresa Graham, women from each unit represented gave a short description of the state of their unit and the activities they are involved in. (It was a lot!)
Tables of handouts and sign-up sheets for various activities were available, and Conference officers introduced themselves and gave quick reports on each of their areas. Delicious snacks were provided by United Women in Faith, Trinity UMC unit.
A three-person convening committee was formed to set the date for a future meeting where new officers will be solicited. Are you interested in serving as a Metro District officer? Contact Theresa and let her know!
We are excited to announce a special gathering of the women of the Metro District taking place on May 4 from 2-4 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church. This event promises to be a wonderful opportunity for fellowship, connection, and community building. We welcome all members and friends to join us for this special occasion. There will be engaging activities, meaningful conversations, and of course, refreshments to enjoy. We look forward to seeing you there as we come together to celebrate and strengthen our bonds.
The Texas Annual Conference will be here before you know it and that means that the United Women in Faith Annual Luncheon is right around the corner. The luncheon will take place on Monday, June 10, at noon at the Marriott Westchase. The cost of a ticket is $50. Click here to purchase tickets..
This year’s speaker is Rev. Romonica Malone-Wardley. Ordained as an Elder in the Texas Annual Conference in 2010, she has served as an associate pastor, senior pastor and district superintendent. Currently, Malone-Wardley is working as Assistant to Bishop.
Photo courtesy Texas Annual Conference
Malone-Wardley has also held posts as General Conference Delegate, member of the Strategic Mapping Team and the Board of Ordained Ministry in the TAC. In addition, she served on the nominations committee of the South Central Jurisdiction of the Black Methodist for Church Renewal and on the South Central Jurisdiction Mission Council.
United Women in Faith members are encouraged to invite their clergy to join us for the event.
Texas Conference 