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Sisters from all over the world: Assembly aims to help women put faith, hope, love in action Mary Jacobs, Mar 19, 2010
PHOTO BY PAUL JEFFREY
A woman sings with praise during the opening worship celebration of the 2006 United Methodist Women’s Assembly in Anaheim, Calif.
By Mary Jacobs Staff Writer
When more than 6,000 women from around the world convene in St. Louis for the United Methodist Women’s quadrennial assembly April 30-May 2, they’ll be dazzled by an array of high-profile presenters, interactive programs, workshops and new exhibits.
But Harriett Jane Olson is looking forward to something very basic: the sound of women’s voices, singing in unison.
“It captures something that’s hard to describe, about how our spirits mix and blend and echo when we’re together,” said Ms. Olson, deputy general secretary of the Women’s Division.
Just as they have every four years since 1942, thousands of United Methodist Women will gather for worship, learning, fellowship and celebration at Assembly 2010. Among them will be UMW members from 26 countries—including Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Brazil, the Bahamas, Cambodia and Korea.
“It’s like meeting with the whole world,” said Nazgul William, a UMW member and deaconess who will attend her fourth Assembly this year. “You are gathering and worshipping with your sisters from all over the world.”
United Methodist Women say the gathering helps them renew their commitment to mission and stay abreast of the organization’s work to improve the lives of women and children.
“What always amazes me is the range of gifts, experiences, ages and geographic origins of the women we’ll be sitting among and seeing on the stage,” said Ms. Olson. “It’s a representation of the people of God. It’s overwhelming.”
Love in Action
The theme of Assembly 2010 is “Faith. Hope. Love in Action.” and participants will start living out those words before the first speaker takes the podium.
“The first thing we will do is an Ubuntu Day of Service, something we’ve never done before,” said Andris Salter, a Women’s Division executive who is coordinating the event. “Ubuntu” is a Zulu concept that sees every human being as part of a community. It means, “I am only because we are, and since we are, therefore I am.”
More than 600 attendees will fan out across the city of St. Louis on April 29, the day before the Assembly opens, to help with projects at battered women’s shelters, homeless shelters and community gardens. The Ubuntu Day of Service will begin with a commissioning ceremony for the volunteers.
Other pre-conference events include an already-sold-out symposium, “Mission Forward: Lay Women, Vocation and Calling,” and an evening service for Deaconess/Home Missioner Commissioning.
On April 30, the Assembly 2010 Experience Hall will open with an array of interactive displays and programs, including panel discussions, film screenings, affinity groups, exhibits, workshops and performances.
“We envision the Experience Hall as a place for interactive learning and engagement, where experiences are self-created by participants, for participants,” said Jennifer McCallum, co-chair of the Experience Hall team. “We are allowing each participant to create her own Assembly.”
Affinity groups will connect women with others with similar interests or challenges, such as grandmothers raising grandchildren, or caretakers of family members with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The goal, Ms. McCallum said, is to create a network of support that will continue after the Assembly is over.
The official program begins with worship on the evening of April 30. Presenters will include Bishop Joaquina Nhanala (Mozambique), Africa’s first female prelate; former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders, a United Methodist and advocate for health education; broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff; and Erica L. Williams, deputy director of Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress.
A Faith Music Festival on May 1 will feature Grammy Award-winning gospel singer CeCe Winans, Christian indie rock performer (and UMW member) Sheri Carr and Lila Downs, a “Mixtec” vocalist whose music speaks powerfully to immigration issues embraced by United Methodist Women.
The Rev. Anita Phillips, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and an elder in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, also will be among the speakers.
Translators will be available during the plenary sessions for French, Portuguese, Spanish and Korean speakers.
Workshops—many offered in Spanish or Korean—will provide opportunities to learn more about economic and environmental justice, advocacy, education, families, health care, human rights and spiritual growth.
Two of the youngest workshop presenters are UMW members Karen Lucarelli, 17, and sister Jamie, 15, both UMW leaders in the Pittsburgh, Pa., District, who will talk about how to host “green cleaning parties.” These events help women learn about environmentally safe, homemade cleaning products and assemble them using household materials.
“They will talk about how our choices—what we buy—do have effects on the environment and the world,” said the girls’ mother, Joan Lucarelli.
Despite the current economic climate, organizers say it’s more important than ever to gather. Some attendees have been saving up for the past four years or have made other sacrifices in order to attend Assembly 2010. One UMW member posted on Facebook that she was willing to collect aluminum cans, if needed, to raise the money for her registration and travel costs.
“I know it’s a difficult time for people,” said Sarah Brockus, stage director for the Assembly. “But we all need a message of hope right now. It’s worth the investment to get that message of hope.”
To help keep costs down, the event schedule was pared to three days, starting on a Friday night rather than Thursday night as in previous years. About 15 percent of the event’s $2.6 million budget is paid through the Women’s Division; the rest is covered by registration fees, sponsorships and in-kind donations.
Organizers say there’s no substitute for being there in person.
“Imagine the impact of thousands of women praying together for God’s good purposes to be seen on earth,” Ms. Olson said in a message to UMW members. “We’ll experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our midst and moving on the earth, just like the Spirit moved in the creation.”
Clothed in prayer
Even if they can’t travel to St. Louis, many United Methodist Women will be “present” at the Assembly through the prayer shawl program. A call was issued in December inviting members to create prayer shawls and baby blankets for display at the assembly. As of March 12, more than 3,300 shawls and blankets had arrived at the Women’s Division offices in New York, up significantly from the 2,000 collected for the 2006 Assembly.
“The women have responded in such an overwhelming way,” said Linda Douglas, staff recording secretary for the Women’s Division. “We have been receiving shawls, blankets and quilts of all shapes and sizes every day.”
Women pray while knitting, crocheting or sewing the shawls, which will be distributed after the Assembly to ministries in each of the five U.S. jurisdictions, including health-related organizations, institutions and prison ministries that impact the well-being of women, children and youth.
“The shawls are given for comfort, for people who are ill or who are undergoing some kind of transition—the loss of a child or a divorce,” Ms. Douglas said. “It’s a form of mission. It’s also a way for a lot of women who are not coming, for whatever reason, to be a part of the assembly.” For those who would like to attend in person, there is still time to register. Visit www.umwmission.org for information.
“I think this Assembly is going to be absolutely phenomenal,” said Ms. Salter. “I know we say that every four years, but with such great speakers and so many opportunities, I truly believe that, once again, it’s going to be better than ever.”
PHOTO BY PAUL JEFFREY
On April 30, the Assembly 2010 Experience Hall will open with an array of interactive displays and programs, including panel discussions, film screenings, affinity groups, exhibits, workshops and performances. 
A Faith Music Festival on May 1 will feature Grammy Award-winning gospel singer CeCe Winans, Christian indie rock performer (and UMW member) Sheri Carr and Lila Downs, a “Mixtec” vocalist whose music speaks powerfully to immigration issues embraced by United Methodist Women. 
Two of the youngest workshop presenters are UMW members Karen Lucarelli, 17, and sister Jamie, 15, both UMW leaders in the Pittsburgh, Pa., District, who will talk about how to host “green cleaning parties.” These events help women learn about environmentally safe, homemade cleaning products and assemble them using household materials. 
To help keep costs down, the event schedule was pared to three days, starting on a Friday night rather than Thursday night as in previous years. About 15 percent of the event’s $2.6 million budget is paid through the Women’s Division; the rest is covered by registration fees, sponsorships and in-kind donations. 
