Events – Page 3 – Texas Conference

October 24, 2023November 6, 2023 txconfumw Events, Fall Meeting, Uncategorized

2023 Annual Fall Meeting Takes Place at Lakeview

“We’re back!”

Those are the words heard many times during the 2023 Texas Conference Fall Annual Meeting. The two-day gathering, which took place Oct 6-7 at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center, was the first face-to-face annual meeting since the pandemic.

Friday night members celebrated homecoming, with many in attendance wearing shirts from their favorite college and university. The speaker for the college-themed night was Rev Tabitha Rankin, Director of the Wesley Foundation at Texas Southern University. Rev Rankin brought us up to speed on all that is happening with college ministries inside the state of Texas and challenged us all to find a way to offer support.

The next morning began with a blessing of the Hands-On Mission Kits by Education and Interpretation Coordinator, Kathy Kraiza. After the welcome, greetings, and prayer calendar, Treasurer Kathy Aubin lit the mission candle in honor and memory of those lifted up by their units.

A special mission recognition was given to Valerie Adame, for her many years of work across the conference and the South District. If you’ve attended any event in the past several years that required registration or Zoom–which is just about every event–you can thank Valerie and her ability to navigate online technologies for making the experience so easy.

Vice-President Stacie Hawkins gave an update on the Legacy Fund, and then Bishop Harvey blessed us with a talk about all the good things happening within the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.

During the business meeting that followed, Ella Aubin and Carren Rogers were elected and installed as the 2030 class of the Nominations Committee. Stephanie Pounds and Dorothy Ringer-Sumner were elected as nominees for the National Board of Directors, and Paulette Moore-Hall was elected as a nominee for the National Program Advisory Group. The 2024 budget was adopted and the pledge service completed.

After lunch Christine Riggle, Facilities Manager of the Mission Center of the Texas Annual Conference, thanked everyone in the Conference for their support of the Hands-On Mission Kits, and described the new Feminine Hygiene Kit that we will be making next year.

The event ended with a hymn, communion, grateful hearts for the chance to see each other again, and a promise to meet back again next year.

You can check out our album of pictures from the event here!

September 1, 2023 txconfumw Jurisdiction Quadrennial, South Central Jurisdiction, Videos

Registration for 2024 Jurisdiction Event in St Louis Now Open – Get Together!

South Central Jurisdiction President, Ellen Lipsey, invites you to the 2024 Quadrennial Event

Registration is Open for the 2024 Quadrennial Event in St Louis Missouri to be held June 21-23, 2024. Click here to register.

Early Registration – 9/1/2023 through 11/30/2023: $300
Regular Registration – 12/1/2023 through 4/30/2024: $350

Registration does not include hotel cost. Hotel reservations will open September 15th. Please do not call the hotel before that date.

August 15, 2023August 30, 2023 stephaniepounds Fall Meeting, Hands-On Project

2023 Fall Annual Meeting Registration is Open

Join us for Fall Annual Meeting, our first in-person event since the the pandemic. Our scriptures for the weekend will be Mark 8:27-30 and Ephesians 4:2-4. Bookmark this page to check for ongoing updates.

Registration

Registration should be completed by September 12. If you are registering by mail, the treasurer should receive your check by September 12.

Agenda

Friday

Gather with your friends from across the conference for an evening of fun and inspiration. Our theme will be Homecoming, and our guest speaker will be Pastor Tabitha Mock Rankin.

Saturday

We’ll begin the day with worship and be blessed by the words of Bishop Cynthia Harvey. We’ll also learn more about how our Hands-On Project donations will be used from Christine Riggle. It will be a full day of workshops, voting, business, and sisters in action.

Voting

On Saturday, we will be voting to approve our 2024 budget. You can see the proposed budget here.

We will also be voting to elect two new members to the Committee on Nominations. Nominees are:

Ella Aubin
Carren Rogers

Note that all women are invited to join us at our Fall Meeting (invite your friends!); however, non-members will not be able to vote.

Housing

There are two options for housing this year.

Dorm Housing – Many people to a room. You’ll need to bring your own bed & bath linens, pillows and a flashlight.
1st Class Housing – Single or double occupancy. Linens & pillows are provided.

Food

There will be three meals available–a Friday meal, a Saturday breakfast, and a Saturday lunch. Your registration can include meals or you can provide your own.

Speakers

Bishop Cynthia Harvey

Cynthia Fierro Harvey serves as bishop of the Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, having been assigned there in November of 2022. Previously Harvey served as associate pastor of The Foundry United Methodist Church in Houston from 1992-1996 and as executive pastor for Memorial Drive UMC in Houston from 1996-2008. She then moved to the position of Director of Missional Excellence for the Texas Annual Conference, serving from February of 2008-May 1, 2010. Just prior to her election as a United Methodist bishop in 2012, Harvey served as Deputy General Secretary for United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, where she earned a Master of Divinity and The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism.

Bishop Harvey was born on May 5, 1959, in Big Spring, Texas. She and her husband, Dean Alan Harvey, were married in 1981. Dean is a financial advisor and owns his own firm. Their daughter Elizabeth Grace Harvey is a design specialist and makes her home in Dallas.

Pastor Tabitha Mock Rankin

Pastor Tabitha Mock Rankin is an Ordained Elder and has served within the Texas Annual Conference of the UMC for 10 years. She is currently serving as the director of the Texas Southern University Wesley Foundation. Other full time appointments have included Chaplain, Wiley College, Director, Tyler United Wesley Foundation, and Pastor, St. Paul/Pleasant Grove, Huntsville.

Pastor Tabitha is the mother of six beautiful children. Nyah – 21, Taylor -18, Zora – 15, Isaiah – 8 and twin girls Kennedy and McKenzie 7.

Pastor Tabitha loves to spend time with family, travel, eat crawfish and dance for fun! Ministry has taken her many places, however her most memorable experience was serving in Nairobi for 10 days. Her favorite scripture is Philippians 4:13 and she frequently recites this scripture.

Pastor Tabitha is a graduate of Sam Houston State University, Gammon Theological Seminary and is currently working towards earning an Ed.D in Christian Education Leadership.

Christine Riggle

Send any questions to txconfuwf@gmail.com.

August 15, 2023October 18, 2023 stephaniepounds Fall Meeting, Mission Giving

Mission Candle to burn at 2023 Annual Fall Meeting

Each year Texas Conference United Women in Faith and their units honor the memory of members of their congregations and families by donating to the Mission Candle. Members and units send Mission Candle funds to their district treasurer through the remittance process, and the candle burns during the Annual Fall Meeting. The amount of money donated determines how long the Mission Candle will burn. In 2022 over $3000 was donated, which resulted in the Mission Candle burning for a little over 2 ½ hours.

How is the burning time calculated? Each year the National office calculates how much money United Women in Faith spends each minute on national, international, and partner missions. This is known as the Mission Minute. In 2023 the Mission Minute is $16.56. So a donation of $16.56 to the Mission Candle fund ensures that the candle will burn for a minute–and a minute of missions is funded. A donation of $33.12 ensures the candle will burn for two minutes and two minutes of missions are funded, and so on.

This year, units and districts should download and complete the form below to send the names of individuals to be recognized and the amount donated to the Conference Treasurer no later than September 23, 2023. District Donation checks should be sent to the Conference Treasurer by October 14, 2023, with the district’s third quarter’s remittance report. Since the 2023 Annual Meeting will be in person at Lakeview on October 7, it will great to be able to see the candle burning during the morning session.

6texas-conference-uwf-mission-candle_23 Download

August 15, 2023 stephaniepounds Mission u

Mission u 2023 Digs Deep into The Lord’s Prayer

Women from around the conference joined together virtually on July 7-8 for the 2023 Mission u study, Living the Kin-dom: Exploring the Lord’s Prayer as a Spiritual Practice for Social Transformation. Leader Linda Elms challenged us to rethink each line of the prayer that most of us have recited since childhood. The study was enhanced each day with a worship service highlighted by music provided by the national office.

Thanks to Jane Frantz for serving as the 2023 Mission u Dean. Mission u curriculum is still available for purchase. It can be adapted to a variety of settings outside of the Mission u format, including Sunday school and other church school settings.

June 2, 2023June 5, 2023 stephaniepounds Annual Conference, Events

Officers Meet During 2023 Texas Annual Conference

Texas Conference officers met twice during the 2023 Texas Annual Conference in Houston to plan programming for the next year and to report on the previous year.

President Theresa Graham leads Officer Meeting

During the program meeting on May 29, officers worked on the theme and activities for the upcoming Fall Festival, which will take place Oct 6-7 at Lakeview, our first in person fall meeting in several years.

Officers also decided to hold two Ubuntu Days of Service. The first one will be in August at the Wesley Community Center in Houston, one of the United Women in Faith National Mission Institutes. UWF members from across the Texas Conference will be invited to spend the day volunteering at Wesley. Stay tuned for more details. The second Ubuntu day will be held in the Spring.

District presidents and Conference officers listen to reports

On Tuesday, May 31, District presidents joined Conference officers for a meal and to hear reports from each of the officers.

June 1, 2023June 5, 2023 stephaniepounds Annual Luncheon, Events, Guest Speaker, hazel decker

Annual Luncheon Returns in Force

Vice President Stacie Hawkins welcomes attendees to the annual luncheon

Hugs and handshakes filled the ballroom at the 2023 Annual Luncheon in Houston on May 29. After several years of not being able to meet in person, nearly 80 UWF members from across the Texas Conference greeted each other warmly as they met to share a meal during the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

UWF members and their guests were treated to an address by Rev Hannah Terry, Community Pastor of Westbury UMC and Founding Executive Director of FAM Houston – a 501c3 nonprofit organization with the mission to work for justice by building empowered community with resettled refugees, immigrants, and local Houstonians.

Rev Terry encouraged us to explore the goodness of mutuality–being with someone and listening to them without trying to “fix them.” True mutuality with another person, she said, is something that can “spring you from the prison of myself.”

During her talk Rev Terry showed videos from FAM Houston, including one that highlighted the Pamoja initiative, a program that pairs refugee and immigrant families to Houstonian families to learn from each other and create mutual aid groups. Interested volunteers are encouraged to check out Pamoja.

Lue Wenzel, Spiritual Growth Officer, leads the group from the Prayer Guide

A highlight of the luncheon was when President Theresa Graham presented the 2023 Hazel Decker Award to Wilodyne Hooper. Hooper, a long-time member who has served in several levels of UWF, expressed surprise at honor. “I never believed I did anything special enough to deserve this. Thank you so much,” she told the group.

When the luncheon was over, the room was filled with hugs again as everyone expressed the hope that they would see each other again at the next Annual Conference Luncheon.

April 17, 2023 stephaniepounds Annual Luncheon, Uncategorized

Annual Conference Luncheon – Register Today!

Click here to register

Photo by Maria Orlova from Pexels

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April 10, 2023April 10, 2023 stephaniepounds Annual Luncheon

Texas Conference Annual Luncheon

March 22, 2023 stephaniepounds Events, Spring Retreat

Spring Spiritual Retreat 2023

Make plans to join us at our upcoming Spring Spiritual Growth Retreat, Saturday, March 25, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. We have an amazing line-up of workshop facilitators, and our keynote speaker will be Dr. Yvette Richards, Past National President of United Women in Faith.

As we prepare for our time together in a virtual format, we want to invite you to join us from 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. for Morning Glory. Many of us recall the great time we had at Lakeview for Morning Glory at the Tabernacle. Well, we expect this time of Morning Glory to offer nothing less. This will be a time of Praise and Worship, and you definitely don’t want to miss what the Lord has in store for you! This time together will set the tone for the day, and you will want to set your alarm a little earlier to make sure you are in the number.

We will Gather to Sing at 8:45 a.m., followed by our Opening Plenary at 9:00 a.m. After the keynote address, you can choose from two (2) workshop opportunities, which will be followed by our Closing Plenary. Our workshop facilitators include