UMW Newsletter

KASKASKIA TIDINGS - NEWSLETTER OF THE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

KASKASKIA RIVER DISTRICT

May, 2013

May 17 Treasurer’s remittance is due. If sending quarterly. Send to Vicki Storey,

Secretary of KRD.

June 5-8 Illinois Great River Annual Conference at Perioa.

June 12 KRD Book Study, Sandoval United Methodist Church. Bill Kreeb will led

the study on Poverty.

July 16 KDR Executive Committee meeting at Boulder UMC 9:00a.m.

August 2-4 Weekend mission u (formerly School of Christian Mission) Springfield KDR Executive Committee meeting at Lancaster UMC 9:00 a.m.

August 4-7 Week day mission u

Compile a list of members lost by death for the Memorial Service at Annual Meeting in September. Send list to District Membership , Nurture & Outreach officer Dixie Stonecipher

President Diane Goff President

Once again, the times they are a’changin’. And it seems as if things are changing so swiftly that for many of us it is nearly impossible to keep up. As a United Methodist Woman each of us is expected to be “A Woman for All Seasons” but it is much more difficult to be “A Woman for All Generations”. We simply cannot learn and then get up to speed with all the gadgets and concepts that young people grow up assuming have always been the norm. For one thing, I can’t move my thumbs that fast! And my thumbs move a lot faster than my brain. Conversely some of my grandchildren can’t grasp the concepts of “before we had television” or “when not all persons in America had equal civil rights”.

We know that the principles and ideals that we hold so dear and have struggled so hard to bring to fruition are critical for any generation, so we concern ourselves with how we might possibly pass on all the knowledge and experience we have accumulated to those who will follow us. We can’t. All we can do is our very best and, having done our best, accept that others will do their best as well and that they can build on and accomplish things that we ourselves did not. To that end we speak out when we disagree with what is being done; we select representatives whose policies best reflect our own or whose talents best complete our own. We serve where we can serve and we do all we can to encourage those who serve with us. Eventually we accept that God is able to accomplish amazing things - - without our direct involvement or instructions. Radical concept!

Our district has presented some excellent programs this year: identifying issues, making available information for assistance, and promoting resolution to underlying systemic problems. Have you done your best to pass that information on to those who might need it? We still have some excellent programs coming up. Have you made plans to attend them? There are numerous positions available on the district mission team. Have you volunteered or have you nominated someone who reflects your own policies and principles?

Maybe there are still things you can do. With God’s help, be an instrument of change, not a victim of it.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Goff 618-375-7824 dianegoff@hotmail.com

Agnes Koehler Vice-President

I don’t believe it! I had my first experience as vice- president of the spring UMW meeting. After an amazing day at the Grace UM Church in Salem I actually found myself reliving every moment of the day and wondering why ! I was sure I would collapse and die from fear of failure. Thanks to everyone who so graciously helped me with my insecurities. Now I feel a little stronger and plan on moving forward with great tenacity. If that wasn’t enough our Pastor gave us the sad news that July 1me wrong will be his final day as Pastor. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for them just sad for us. Clayton and Joyce Coffey have been with us for ten years. We have built some strong ties that I hope will bind us together even when they are gone. God has a way of fixing all things. So we are looking forward to a new minister and the plan of action for the future he or she has for us. God knows our needs before we ask. I just received the best news. Two of our district’s officers are going to the Emmaus walk for women this weekend. I know they are going to enjoy themselves. That is one of those experiences you can’t explain. If you have the opportunity to go on the walk in the future, you owe it to yourself to go. God bless you Karol Brown and Lois Tate. I’m expecting great things to happen in our UMW because when you are living the Heart of Jesus great things WILL happen

Agnes Koehler 618-594-8078 tap39@sbcglobal.net

Kathy Kelley District Secretary

I hope all of you are enjoying the arrival of spring. It is coming slowly, but the feeling of renewal is still present.

My knowledge of my job description is slowly coming along. The one thing I do know is that it is never too early for you to send me changes in members contact information. We want to catch these changes early because we do not want to lose touch with our members. Every member is blessed and a gift from God. We want to be there for everyone so we must keep our member information up to date.

Enjoy your spring! I’m including all of my contact information to make it as easy as possible for you to contact me:

Kathy Kelley 618-242-3828 (cell- 618-214-4121) mrsdeke4132@msn.com

3509 Oxford Ave., Mt. Vernon, IL, 62864

Vicki Storey District Treasurer

Does it seem to you that spring, winter, and summer have been all mixed up these past few weeks? I feel like spring is off to a slow start. And speaking of slow starts, as of the end of the first quarter we have only reached 17% of our 2013 pledge of $45,000 so we are also off to a slow start this year. But I am confident that in the coming months we will all work to meet our goals. In preparing for the District Spring meeting last week I did some research and from the UMW website I found out that United Methodist Women raise up to $20 million dollars each year to fund programs and projects related to women, children and youth. How awesome to be part of that.

I have a couple of reminders for you. If you plan on ordering Special Mission Recognition pins this year you might want to do that as soon as you can. It will take some time for those to be delivered to you. Also, when you send in your checks they need to be accompanied by a remittance form. If you don’t have a copy of this form you may download it in a PDF or Excel format at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umw/give/forms/ (Treasurers Remittance Form - For all treasurers) or you can call or email me and I will send you a copy. Lastly, the due date for the next remittance is May 17. Thank you for your commitment to the UMW.

Blessings,

Vicki Storey 618-244-5892 vstorey@charter.net

Dixie Stonecipher Membership, Nurture, & Outreach

Greetings,

At last spring is here. Everything is so beautiful with flowers and trees. Even the

Dandelions are pretty!!!

May is going to be an extra busy month with Mother’s Day Programs, Graduations,

and all those May Birthdays to celebrate.

This is also the time we start to look at Fall Programs.

In the Unit Presidents Packed given to your unit at the Spring Meeting is a suggested

Program to observe UMW Sunday Sept. 15, Also some suggestions you might use

for other meetings.

We will be observing a Memorial Service for those members we have lost by death

at the District Fall meeting to be held at Xenia on September 19. Please try to get those names to me by Aug. 15,

I am available to help you in any way by e-mail or phone.

Enjoy you summer.

Dixie Stonecipher 618-266-7491 stonecipherd@hotmail.com

Suzie Hosick Spiritual Growth

Greetings,

What a lovely day we had in Salem at the Spring meeting. For those of you who were unable to attend, you missed a great day of food, fellowship and wonderful speakers. Mark your calendar now for the Book Study in Sandoval on June 12, 2013. Our study on Poverty will be led by Bill Kreeb. You don’t want to miss out.

I’m sure many of you are getting ready for your Mother/Daughter Banquet, so I thought I would share some Mother’s Day Trivia with you.

1. The Proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day was signed by what President?

2. What is the official flower for Mother’s Day?

3. What is the highest recorded number of children born to the same mother?

4. What year was the first Mother’s Day celebrated?

5. On what day of the week are the most babies born?

Answers to Trivia questions

1. President Woodrow Wilson

2. Carnation

3. 69 In Russia, the first wife of Feodor Vassilyer gave birth 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets.

4. 1914

5. Tuesday

Have a great Mother’s Day and I’ll see you in June.

Suzie Hosick 618-678-2808 suzhosick5@hotmail.com

Lois Tate Social Action

What a beautiful spring. This is the season of hope. Amidst all the tragedy of today I can look out my window and see the dogwood and redbud blooming as well as the new leaves springing forth on the trees and in these I see the love of our Savior and the hope that only he can provide. This is so important in this day when there is so many things that are happening in the world, our country and our neighborhoods. One wonders where the love is that we as Christians know to be so important. But then we can see it in all the things around us including the ladies of the UMW. Let's be sure to spread our love around today and every day. You may extend love today to someone who doesn't know what it is to be loved.

Our spring meeting was a great success. We heard how love is being spread to the children of Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House . There are so many people involved in this wonderful work of our Lord and Savior. It was truly a blessing to hear of the wonderful work going on. This could not be done without the sacrifice of many, a wonderful love mission. The donations from so many units were certainly another sign of love.

Cunningham Children's home continues to do the work of love. So many young lives are changed through the work being done there. This is a wonderful example of social action. People bringing justice for a life filled with love and opportunity to so many.

Our speaker for the afternoon on the topic of Human Trafficking was superb. Her knowledge and passion on the subject was so evident. Hopefully we all left the meeting thinking of more that we could do to spread the love of Christ to others. We must always be vigilant of what is going on around us. Kristen Eng, our speakers, spoke on a topic that could touch any one of us, and it does. It is heart breaking to know that young girls can be caught up in a world of slavery while seeking a better life. I am reading the book, In our Backyard, and it is something that we all should read. It is not an easy book to read because it is so sad, but it will sharpen our awareness that not all are able to have the freedom that we experience. The book is one of the UMW reading program books.

Kristen Eng has volunteered to send addition materials that we might need. If you want more materials, please let me know and I will get in touch with her. Units that did not have a representative there, if you would like some material on human trafficking, please let me know.

Be happy, Be loving and serve the Lord with Passion!

Lois Tate 618-755-9472 hikrynuthl2@aol.com

Ramonda Wilson Program Resources

Have you been reading? Me too. I packed a book as we headed out on a vacation recently. The book was good. It was funny and yet serious. It was one I didn’t want to put down. Planes and Mickey Mouse couldn’t keep me from this delightful book. A good change from the usual Reading Program books. The title: Love in a Headscarf. I was worried that it would be boring. It is an autobiographic piece. A college educated, London born, Muslim girl is looking for her prince charming, “The One” as she says. She always wanted Prince Charming to come along and swoop her off her feet IF John Travolta didn’t come knocking at the front door to ask her to marry him.

Love in a Headscarf traces the author’s search for her soul mate, her husband. She explains the modern “arranged marriage.” Shelina Zahara Janmohamed, the author and adventurer, opens her heart and faith to the reader as she attempts to find a husband. Shelina is a professional woman. She has a job. She wears a headscarf as an external sign of her strong Muslim faith. Most fascinating was her explanation of why she believes so strongly in her modest dress and her head scarf.

Shelina and her family enlist the assistance of the Aunties, a matchmaker, and even their Iman(pastor) in the search for her Prince Charming. She shares some of the meetings with the reader. Some of the meetings were done in the home with both families present as is tradition. But since she was getting older (now 25) Shelina began meeting possible candidates for coffee. The perils of meeting even with this proper environment proved to be a disaster.

I won’t tell you how the book ends. But it is good reading. Enjoy it.
Let me know and you can even borrow my copy.

Don’t forget I’ll be glad to come and share with your group. All it takes is an invitation from you.
Have a great summer. AND keep reading.

Ramonda Wilson 548-2918 ramonda@ramonda.us

Susan Smith/Leona Thacker Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House

Greeting from Susan Smith and Leona Thacker

Leona Thacker and Diane Goff made a trip to LBDNH on March 5th. We

were there for information on the up coming year. We were told about

the Caring Neighbors program. You can send donations on a quarterly, monthly, and yearly basis. The annual book bag giveaway has been changed this year, and they are asking for monetary donations only. They will purchases all of the supplies and build the book bags with all of the school supplies. With a $10 Sponsor they can supply one book bag, with a $25 Sponsor they can supply 3 book bags, with a $50 Sponsor, they can supply 7 book bags, with a $100 Sponsor, they can supply 12 book bags. The Annual Neighborhood House Dinner is Saturday, November 9, 2013. We are asking for gift baskets like we did last year. We would like for them to be brought to the Fall Meeting. If you are interested in going you need to let Susan Smith or Leona Thacker know. We had a very good meeting April 16th at Salem. Bill Kreeb spoke to the group on the many programs that LBDNH offers to the people in the area. We would like to thank everyone for the many gifts that were donated. The following items were brought in 407 tooth brushes, 218 tooth paste, 27 denture cream, 10 prayer shawls, and 46 other items. There was a total of $105.00 in money and gift cards. I hoped all enjoyed the spring meeting.

Susan Smith 618-547-7406 Leona Thacker 618-947-2039

kssmith62@yahoo.com lrthacker@bspeedy.com

Karol Brown/ Dana Hampton Cunningham Children’s Home

A TIME OF CELEBRATION

We have much to celebrate!! The 2013 Festival of Quilts has come and gone and what a great event it was. Dana went for the first time and was very impressed with the beautiful quilts, the shopping at the craft store, the full campus tour and the lunch at the Patchwork Cafe. New this year was the Patchwork Cafe, which served a full lunch as well as coffee and snacks. It was held in Spalding Hall which is the cafeteria for the Cunningham kids. It is colorfully decorated with art work by the Cunningham kids, and the group I had lunch with enjoyed the variety of prayers that were posted on the wall. In case the wonderful lunch and fellowship were not enough to delight in, students from the Vocational Education program were greeting visitors and helping in the cafe. They politely and efficiently kept the tables clear and ready for the next guests. Also new this year were formal campus tours, guided by Cunningham staff, providing a wealth of sights and information to visitors.

The Cunningham staff has reported that the Festival of Quilts had a net gain of $48,000, which was $8,000 more than the 2012 Festival of Quilts. There were 1,244 in attendance, which was an increase of 230 over the 2012 Festival of Quilts. 89 visitors took advantage of the campus tours and gave positive feedback in spite of the cool, windy day on Friday. Congratulations to the staff and volunteers on such a successful Festival of Quilts!!

We are also celebrating the items received for Kids Needs First at the Kaskaskia River District Spring Meeting. Thank you to all 16 units who brought items. 103 lotions, 2 lip balms, $255 in gift cards, $140 in cash contributions, and Boxtops for Education were collected. THANK YOU!!

Dana and Karol remind you that they are available to present programs for your groups or churches. We will be traveling to Cunningham for the next meeting on June 14, 2013.

Did you know that The Circle of Courage resiliency model provides a therapeutic framework for Cunningham services? It focuses on bringing dignity to the lives of children by fostering the values of Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity. Now, we can really celebrate that!!

Karol Brown 618-643-2066 Dana Hampton 618-548-1853 drad48@yahoo.com

Elizabeth Wilson Nominations Chair

The executive committee of the KRD is still needing to fill some positions for the 2014 year. Let us pray that the committee will be able to fill the slate of officers for 2014. If you know of someone that you think would make a good committee person, please contact me soon so that I can talk to them about serving.

Thank you for your help.

Elizabeth Wilson 618-755-4619 gramlib@hotmail.com

Jeannie Malone Communications Coordinator

The KRD Executive committee would like some input from you on a discussion that we had at our last meeting. The topic was putting our newsletter in the form of e-mail to each unit. The cost of printing and mailing the newsletter continues to increase and when someone has moved the newsletter cannot be forwarded, so that also cost the district. We understand that there are units that do not have computer access. We would continue to mail them a newsletter. Please let us hear your unit’s opinion.

Please keep me informed if there are any changes of addresses of the members of your unit that are to receive a newsletter. Each time a newsletter is sent back undelivered it cost the district $.50. My home address is 300 West Warmoth, Salem, IL 62881 or you may call me at 548-5019.

Jeannie Malone 548-5019 lemalone45@hotmail.com

Has your Shepherdess contacted you? If not, contact her to visit your meeting.

Have you ordered your Gift in Mission Cards? These are available at all District meetings or by contacting Vicki Storey, KRD Treasurer.

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

Book Study

Poverty

Presenter

Bill Kreeb,

Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House

SANDOVAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

101 East Missouri, RT. US 50

Sandoval, IL 62882

Registration and Fellowship begin at 9:00a.m.

Study will begin at 9:30a.m.

Registration can be sent to Agnes Koehler, 951West Lake Terrace, Carlyle, IL or phone 618-367-3609

Deadline for reservations is May 31, 2013. The cost is $7.00.

_____________________________________________________

LUNCH REGISTRATION FORM

Unit Name________________________________

Persons Attending: ______________________________

________________________ ______________________

_______________________ ______________________ _______________________ ______________________

Number Attending________ Enclosed Amount ______

Kaskaskia River District