PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE DECEMBER, 2016 Greetings to All Members of Atlanta Marietta District United Methodist Women, I hope that all of you are doing well in your local units of United Methodist Women. As I write this article, it is the middle of December, and Christmas is just around the corner. I am sure that you are all busy with preparations for this very special season of the year. I pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Our UMW Theme for 2017 is: “A Call to Community-To Do Greater Works.” This is based on our scripture passage in John 14:12. We are looking forward to a great year ahead as we are “Called to Community to do Greater Works for God.” We are ready and willing and able, and with God’s help, we will do greater works for God throughout our district and our conference. It has been my pleasure and honor to serve as the president of the Atlanta Marietta District United Methodist Women for the past four years, 2013-2016. I have been so honored to work with the wonderful women who have served on our Atlanta Marietta District UMW Executive Team. In addition, I have been honored to work with all of the leaders and members of all of the outstanding local units in our Atlanta Marietta District of United Methodist Women. Your tireless dedication, your unending faithfulness, and your extreme generosity have made our district exemplary. We have all worked together to carry out the purpose of United Methodist Women in so many different ways. I want to thank you for all of the love and support that you have shown me as we have worked and served together over these past few years. I appreciate each one of you, and I want to thank you for your dedication and your leadership as you continue to serve God through United Methodist Women. I would also like to thank you for the beautiful Special Mission Recognition Pin which was presented to me at our Atlanta Marietta District UMW Annual meeting. I appreciate this special gesture so very much! I also appreciate the beautiful tote bag which was presented to me by the district officers. You are all so very thoughtful and so kind! I will begin serving as the Spiritual Growth Coordinator for the North Georgia Conference United Methodist Women in January of 2017. I am asking for your prayers and your support as I begin serving in this new position. I am looking forward to seeing you at our district and our conference events for United Methodist Women. We would like to make it one of our goals to improve attendance at all of these special events. This is the way we learn and grow in our organization. We want to welcome Tamara Askew as our new district UMW president. I know that Tamara will do a wonderful job as our president, and I am sure that each one of you will give her your full support as she leads our Atlanta Marietta District United Methodist Women. We will keep Tamara in our prayers as she serves as our new president. Please make plans to attend these upcoming events in our district: January 15: Faith, Fun and Everyone Event at 2:30 at Bethany UMC. Leslie Peterson, our Membership, Nurture and Outreach Coordinator, is planning a wonderful day for us so please be there along with your friends! February 11: Mission Study at 9:00 at Smyrna First UMC. Sara Worden, our Education and Interpretation Coordinator, is planning our exciting study Climate Justice: A Call to Hope and Action” which will be led by Rev. Jacqui Rose- Tucker. March 26: Lenten Day Apart Service at 2:00 at County Line UMC. Lynda Teague, our Spiritual Growth Coordinator, is making plans for this event. Please join us for this special day of worship with our United Methodist Women friends from around our district. May God bless each one of you. I look forward to seeing you soon as we all work together to carry out our purpose of United Methodist Women. We want to continue to turn faith, hope and love into action on behalf of women, children and youth all around the world. Thank you for the many ways you serve God through the work of United Methodist Women! To God Be the Glory!! Carolyn Lee Wilson President Atlanta Marietta District United Methodist Women 770-427-6840 [email protected] Greetings in the name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! My name is Tamara Askew and it is with great pleasure that God has given me the opportunity to serve Him by serving you. I have served on the Atlanta Marietta United Methodist Women Executive Board as the Secretary, Vice President, and now the incoming President for 2017. I am a wife and mother of three children. My family and I are members of Leland United Methodist Church in Mableton Ga. Our theme and scripture for the North Georgia Conference United Methodist Women for 2017 is: John 14:12 says Jesus tells his disciples "the one who believes in me will do the works that I do, in fact, will do greater works." The Atlanta Marietta District of United Methodist Women, who believe in Jesus are being called to do greater works. The community is represented by women who are connected to each other and God. The semi-circle is the image of the letter "C" which is the first letter for Call, Community and Christ. Are you ready to do greater works? I am looking forward to living out our PURPOSE together. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. I pray that you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year! Peace and Love, Tamara Askew President (elect) 678-862-3277 [email protected] ATLANTA MARIETTA DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN 2017 DATES TO REMEMBER January 15 Faith, Fun Everyone Event, Bethany UMC, 2:30 p.m. January 15 Executive Committee Meeting, Bethany UMC 4:00 p.m. February 11 Mission Study, Smyrna UMC, (Saturday) 9:00 a.m. March 26 Lenten Day Apart Service, Leland UMC, 2:00 p.m. April Hands On Mission Project TBD April 23 Finance and Exec. Meeting, Trinity (Austell) UMC, 2:00 p.m. August 6 Finance and Exec. Meeting, Union Chapel UMC, 2:00 p.m. October 15 AMAR UMW District Annual Meeting, St. Andrew UMC, 2:30 p.m. November 11 District Leadership and Exec. Meeting, Powder Springs, UMC, (Saturday) 9:00a.m. 2017 North GA Conference April 28-29 Spiritual Growth Event/ Social Action, Rock Eagle, Eatonton, GA June 13-15 NGC Annual Conference, Classic Center Athens, GA June 14 UMW Breakfast, Classic Center Athens, GA July 21-22 Mission U, TBD October 7 Annual Meeting Griffin 1st, Griffin November 4 Leadership Development/Executive Meeting, Ousley UMC, ADOX Faith, Fun, and Everyone Event! On January 15, 2017, please make plans to attend our Faith, Fun, and Everyone Event which will be held from 2:30-4:30 at Bethany UMC located at 760 Hurt Road, Smyrna, Georgia 30082. This will be an afternoon of fun and fellowship with a chance to meet other women from our district. We have invited Sue Raymond, newly elected National UMW Director, to present one of her famous midrashes. If you have heard Sue Raymond do one of these before, you know how she can make Biblical characters come to life! Merry Christmas! Leslie Peterson Membership/Nurture/Outreach Nadine Lacy, Treasurer Season’s greetings, We are now in the season of advent and it is hard to believe 2016 is coming to an end. The year went by so quickly. It has been a great year in missions and Atlanta Marietta District United Methodist Women have made a difference. Thank you so much for the hard work and efforts put into doing what we do best, helping women and children, making life a little easier for them when and where we can. As we celebrate this time of family and friends, we can look back and be grateful we were able to make a difference in our world through our prayers, time and financial support. A few changes in our calendar year for reporting resulted in an extra remittance this year which will be due December 31st. I will be looking for your remittances for this 2nd quarter of the new reporting calendar with the 3rd quarter being due on March 30th and the 4th due June 30th which will need to contain all the areas of giving for the status your Unit has set to achieve. If you need help with this, please feel free to contact me and I will gladly assist you in this effort. For all local treasurers, those of you who are incoming for January 2017 and those of you who will continue serving in this position, there will be a training session with question and answer opportunity on January 11th at 10:00am at County Line UMC. We will have an opportunity to go into some details covering all the areas of giving available to your Units as well as completing the remittance forms. I will be sending a reminder in late December with a reminder and the address of the church. I look forward to meeting some of you for the first time and seeing those of you that I have had the priviledge of working with last year. Mark your calendars now and save the date. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all, Nadine Lacy Treasurer 770-428-3585 [email protected] Sara Worden, Education & Interpretation Dear Ones, (Women of the Atlanta-Marietta District UMW,) In this glorious Advent Season I hope we continue our Thanksgiving for the most wonderful gift we have ever been given, our gracious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This morning during my devotion time in our Prayer Calendar, one of the people we pray for is a staff person named Winsome. I love that word. I was reminded of the time I took a Lay Speakers Class from Dr. Gordon Thompson (one of the most wonderful ministers ever in Methodism). In teaching the class he said that we just need to be “winsome for Christ.” I have always remembered what he said and I pray that we all may be winsome for Christ. It seems to me the best way to gain new members and keep our present ones. Most people simply want to be loved and valued as a child of God. Now, down to business. Our District Mission U is coming up February 11th at Smyrna UMC. It starts with registration at 8:30a.m. We have a fantastic leader, Rev. Dr. Jacki Rose-Tucker. Our study is Climate Justice. A registration form is included in this newsletter. Please join us for this most interesting and educational social justice issue. I will be looking forward to receiving your registration. I thought you might like to know the North Georgia UMW giving for the 150th Anniversary/Legacy Fund. As of 10/31/2016 YTD giving for the North Georgia Conference was $35,728.67. The amount given at Conference Mission U was $139.69 and, at Conference Annual Meeting $2200.48. I want to personally thank everyone who has contributed to this fund that will assure that United Methodist Women will be supporting faith, hope in action for another 150 years! If there is anything I can ever help you with, please contact me at 470-298- 4559 or [email protected]. I have been having a bit of trouble receiving e-mails, so if I do not respond within a couple of days, please call me at above number…it is not long distance. Wishing you and yours have a blessed Christmas, Sara Worden District Coordinator Education & Interpretation 470-298-4559 [email protected] 2017 Atlanta Marietta District Mission Study Climate Justice: A Call to Hope and Action Led by Reverend Jacqui Rose - Tucker When: Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 9:00 AM (registration begins at 8:30 AM) Where: Smyrna First UMC, 1315 Concord Rd. SE; Smyrna, Ga. 30080 Cost: $10.00 per person (includes study and lunch) Registration deadline: Saturday, January 28, 2017 Study books are available and suggested. Please return the following completed registration form along with your check for $10.00 (made payable to AMAR District) to Sara Worden; 2820 Peachtree Road NW; Apt. 1309; Atlanta, Ga. 30305 Contact information for Sara: Phone 770-655-3110 or email [email protected] Please print clearly! Name________________________________________Church________________ Address____________________________________________________________ Town/City__________________________ Ga. Zip Code__________________ Phone______________________________ Email________________________ If childcare is needed, please complete and include with your registration: Names and ages of children and any special needs. Please bring a sack lunch for your child. ___________________________________________________________________ Lynda Teague, Spiritual Growth We are now in the midst of the Advent season and await with expectation the day we celebrate the birth of the tiny infant that changed all of our lives. We are also frantically rushing around to get ready for Christmas Day. There are presents to buy, trees to decorate, cookies to bake and planning for guests and family with whom we share this wonderful day. Then comes the New Year where we take everything down with a feeling of relief that it's over until next year. Or is it? Perhaps there's one more gift to give. Many years ago when my daughter was about 6 years old, Santa had left a few books wrapped up under the tree. In the chaos of Christmas morning, somehow these books ended up under the tree skirt and were not opened. As we took down the tree, Melissa discovered these presents and was absolutely delighted at those last gifts of Christmas. As you can guess, that became a tradition that Santa left a small gift under the tree skirt each year! Somehow, these last gifts of Christmas became as important as all the others. Later, she carried that same tradition on to her children as well. What is our last gifts of Christmas that we can offer that tiny baby in a manger? While the three wise men will leave gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense, we have a greater gift to present. We can offer ourselves. Let us always continue to renew our commitment to Him by sharing our faith, inviting others into our churches, and reaching more of those in need. While as United Methodist Women we work tirelessly for women, youth and children, let us continue that spirit and stretch ourselves further knowing that we serve that tiny newborn king! May you celebrate with joy the coming of our Saviour, Christ the Lord! Lynda Teague Spiritual Growth Coordinator 770-424-2260 [email protected]