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ECHOES!The!Newsletter!of!
Atlanta6Emory!District!
Spring!2013!
From%the%President!! !! ! by#Barbara#Garrison#([email protected])!! We!serve!a!risen!Savior,!Halleluiah!!!What!a!heart!wrenching!week!leading!up!to!a!
glorious!Easter!Sunday.!!It!was!awesome!realizing!that!Christians!around!the!world!worshiped!and!celebrated!Jesus'!triumphant!rising!from!the!grave!confirming!once!again!that!we!serve!a!living,!risen!Savior.!!I!never!get!tired!of!remembering!and!celebrating!Easter.!
Spring!is!here!–!Spring!is!just!the!best!time!of!year.!We!plant!bulbs!and!tulips!bloom,!daffodils!unfold,!the!dogwoods!bloom,!along!with!the!red!buds!and!tulip!trees,!and!
we!see!the!miracle!of!new!life!after!winter.!!What!an!affirmation!God!gives!us!of!His!beautiful!world.!
There!are!lots!of!UMW!activities!coming!up,!from!the!District!Social!Action!Event!at!Duluth,!to!the!Conference!Spiritual!Growth!Retreat!at!Simpsonwood,!to!the!Conference!UMW!breakfast!at!Annual!Meeting!in!Athens!–!I!hope!that!many,!many!of!you!will!plan!to!attend!these!activities.!!We!spend!a!great!amount!of!time!and!effort!in!preparing!these!events!for!you!6!please!plan!to!attend!these!events!and!bring!a!friend!or!two!with!you.!These!events!will!take!us!through!the!summer!–!see!pages!7!and!8!for!dates.!
Your!District!Board!continues!praying!for!you!and!your!church!activities!–!invite!us!to!your!events!and!we'll!be!there!with!bells!on.!!!!!In!God's!love!and!service,!!Barbara!!
Don’t!Let!AMRY!UMW!History!Be!Lost!!
United!Methodist!Women!have!a!rich!heritage,!and!it!is!the!responsibility!of!our!historians!to!see!that!our!unit,!district!and!conference!events!are!recorded!for!generations!to!come.!!
Unfortunately,!the!Atlanta6Emory!District!is!currently!without!an!historian.!Are!you!willing!to!be!our!district!historian?!Let!Barbara!or!Sue!know.!!
Even!if!you!don’t!sign!up!to!be!our!historian,!please!help!us!record!our!history!by!taking!pictures,!keeping!notes!on!attendance,!speakers!and!ideas!from!your!unit!activities.!We!need!each!unit’s!help!!!
We!hope!you!enjoy!this!edition!of!Echoes.!It’s!a!better!newsletter!
when!we!all!share!what’s!going!on!and!what’s!coming!up.!!
!Send!your!submissions!for!the!next!Echoes!to!Judy!Campbell!via!e6mail!
[email protected]!or!mail!your!submission!to!2869!Umberland!Drive!Doraville,!GA!30340.!
!The!deadline!for!submissions!for!the!Summer!edition!is!June!1st.!
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!Echoes! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Spring#2013!
From%the%Vice0President!! !!!!!!!!!!!!! !by#Sue#Ownbey#([email protected])!! Doing!a!New!Thing!–!our!goal!for!2013!
United!Methodist!Women!over!the!years!have!helped!me!do!a!new!thing!often.!!2013!has!brought!into!my!life!one!more.!!In!February,!four!women!and!one!youth!from!Embry!Hills!UMC!headed!down!to!the!State!Capitol!for!a!day!with!our!representatives!sponsored!by!Interfaith!Children’s!Movement.!Due!to!a!computer!glitch,!we!were!unable!to!begin!our!preview!as!early!as!set,!but!we!had!time!to !chat!with!others!who!had!headed!to!the!Capitol!with!the!interest!of!children!at!heart.!!Several!were!
UMW!from!other!districts,!several!from!other!faith!settings!and!we!all!were!truly!a!group!wanting!to!enable!all!children!to!have!a!better!life.!
We!had!been!told!that!the!best!way!to!ensure!a!visit!with!your!representatives!was!to!make!an!appointment.!!However,!since!this!was!my!first!time,!I!was!not!ready!to!go!that!far.!!Jo!Pittman!and!I!headed!out,!though,!to!the!offices!of!our!representatives!with!a!letter!prepared!by!ICM!and!a!little!box!of!Valentine!candy.!
We!were!able!to!sign!the!letter!with!our!email!address!and!mail!address.!!We!stopped!by!Jo’s!representative!and!she!was!very!open!to!our!visit!and!chatted!with!us!about!upcoming!legislation!concerning!children.!!Wow!!!We!then!moved!on!to!the!offices!of!our!representatives.!!Unfortunately,!it!was!lunch!time!and!the!others!were!not!in!their!office.!!We!left!the!letter!and!candy!and!headed!home!with!ideas!of!keeping!in!contact!with!our!representatives.!!By!the!time!I!got!home,!an!email!from!my!house!representative!greeted!me!telling!me!he!was!sorry!to!have!missed!me!but!he!would!keep!in!mind!the!following:!
1)!Juvenile!Justice!Reform!(HB!242)!2)!Current!Anti6Human!Trafficking!and!Commercial!Sexual!Exploitation!of!Children!Legislation!3)!Family!Care!Act!(giving!parents!the!needed!time!to!take!care!of!their!children)!4)!Quality!Pre6K!from!60%!to!80%!of!our!children!5)!Keeping!children!safe!in!our!day!care!centers!by!requiring!background!checks!6)!Taking!balanced!approach!to!our!state’s!budget!and!realizing!that!our!children!will!not!thrive!by!cuts!alone!
A!couple!of!days!later!I!received!a!letter!from!my!State!Senator.!!Throughout!the!session!ICM!let!us!know!who!to!contact,!about!legislation!coming!up!and!to!express!thanks!to!our!representatives!for!listening!to!us.!!!It!was!a!“new!thing”!for!me!to!do!this!year!!!I!can!continue!with!this!as!a!focus!as!I!strive!to!help!children.!
I!look!forward!to!times!when!we!as!Atlanta!Emory!United!Methodist!Women!gather!and!share!the!“new!things”!being!done.!
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Jo!Pittman,!Sue!Ownbey,!and!Susannah!Bales!didn’t!let!rain!stop!them!from!Interfaith!Children’s!Movement’s!Day!at!the!Capitol.!!Not!pictured:!Lori!Avirett6Mackenzie!and!her!son,!Henry!Avirett6Mackenzie.!
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“Happy%Sacks”%Help%Needy%Children% !!!!!!!! by!Terrie!Adkins!Duluth!UMW! !! ! !
Oak%Grove%UMW%Held%“Baby%Celebration”%March%3rd!!!!!!!!!by%Vicky#Graves ! !Continuing!a!tradition!of!hosting!a!welcoming!party!every!year!for!each!and!every!baby!born!to!Oak!Grove!Methodist!members,!Oak!Grove!United!Methodist!Women!held!our!annual!“Baby!Celebration”!on!March!3rd.!We!are!a!growing!church!and!have!had!as!many!as!41!babies!born!in!a!year!and!as!few!as!17!!The!“Baby!Celebration”!took!place!in!the!sanctuary!with!introductions!of!each!baby,!parents,!and!family!members,!and!a!UMW!member!was!assigned!as!a!sponsor!for!each!baby.!After!a!welcome,!prayer!and!music,!Kim!Cody!shared!a!few!words!on!the!many!opportunities!for!our!babies!and!young!children!to!become!a!part!of!OGUMC.!Photos!were!taken!of!the!entire!group!as!well!as!individual!photos,!which!became!part!of!the!gift!from!the!UMW.!In!addition,!we!gave!a!gift!to!missions!for!each!child.!Following!a!short!service,!there!were!refreshments!in!the!Parlor!with!a!chance!for!these!couples!to!meet!others!and!mingle!while!their!“sponsors”!helped!with!“baby!sitting”!duties.!A!good!time!was!had!by!all!
Echoes! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Spring#2013!!
Homelessness!and!other!aspects!of!poverty!are!growing!in!our!country!and!our!neighborhood.!!There!are!approximately!825,000!people!in!Gwinnett!County,!and!between!5!and!10%!are!living!below!the!poverty!line.!That!is!between!40,000!and!80,000!people,!many!of!whom!are!children,!who!do!not!have!sufficient!income!to!meet!basic!needs.!!
In!an!effort!to!help!some!of!the!children!in!our!community!who!do!not!have!sufficient!food!over!the!weekend,!the!members!of!United!Methodist!Women!of!Duluth!UMC!have!started!an!outreach!program!to!help!children!who!are!not!eating!sufficiently!over!the!weekend.!These!children!may!not!want!to!go!home!on!Friday!afternoons!and!cannot!wait!to!get!off!the!bus!for!breakfast!on!Monday!mornings!because!they!are!given!nutritious!meals!at!school,!but!not!always!at!home.!Programs!like!this!are!springing!up!all!over!Gwinnett!and!surrounding!counties.!We!are!honored!to!be!a!part!of!the!solution!to!this!problem.!(Continued!on!page!4)!
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“Happy%Sacks”%(continued#from#page#3)!
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We!provide!up!to!25!Happy!Sacks!each!Friday!to!3!local!elementary!schools!to!be!distributed!to!children!identified!by!the!school!counselors!as!being!in!need!of!extra!food!for!the!weekend.!The!Happy!Sacks!are!plain!brown!paper!sacks!containing!a!variety!of!single!serving!nonperishable!food!items!that!our!church!members!donate.!!The!food!items!in!each!sack!are!nutritious,!low!sugar,!ready6to6eat!snacks!such!as:!
! Fruit!Roll!Ups!! ! Cheese!or!Peanut!Butter!Crackers!
! Fruit!Juice!Boxes! ! Nonperishable!milk!
! Fruit!Cups! ! ! Applesauce!Cups!
! Dried!Fruit,!Raisins! ! Granola!Bars!
! Fruit6filled!breakfast!bars! 100!calorie!snack!packs!(Goldfish,!crackers,!etc)!
! Spaghettie6O’s,!Ravioli,!Mac!&!Cheese!(single!serving,!ready6to6eat!units)!
We!are!not!allowed!to!provide!any!religious!information!in!these!Happy!Sacks,!BUT!before!and!after!each!packing!session,!we!pray!over!the!sacks!and!for!the!children!who!will!receive!them.!!Groups!who!sign!up!for!a!month!at!a!time!pack!the!sacks,!and!it!takes!less!than!30!minutes!each!week!to!pack.!!Our!packing!groups!include!UMW!circles,!our!confirmation!classes,!adult!Sunday!School!class!members,!and!even!the!kindergarteners!in!our!pre6school.!
We!feel!this!mission!has!been!a!blessing!to!all!of!us!and!we!are!grateful!to!our!God!for!the!privilege!of!reaching!out!to!needy!children!in!this!way.!
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Echoes! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Spring#2013!!
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"DOING!A!NEW!THING"!as!your!new!treasurer!for!the!Atlanta!Emory!Distrct.!!I!have!been!working!diligently!with!Beth!Benefield!to!make!the!transfer!of!the!treasury!functions.!!My!heartfelt!THANKS!to!Beth!for!all!of!her!time.!!She!has!done!an!outstanding!job!as!treasurer.!
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!The!first!quarter!went!well!with!all!of!you!local!treasurers!sending!in!remittances.!!As!you!know!the!Supplemental!Giving!for!first!quarter!was!for!Murphy!Harpst!Children's!Center.!!Atlanta!Emory!District!sent!$1626.75!to!Murphy!Harpst!!!!!The!second!quarter!(March!16May!31)!Supplemental!Giving!emphasis!will!be!Wesley!Community!Centers,!Atlanta.!!I!will!be!waiting!for!all!of!your!remittances!by!May!31,!2012.!!Do!not!hesitate!to!e6mail!([email protected])!or!call!me!(404629269278)!if!you!have!any!questions.!!!Peace!and!Love,!Linda!Parrett!!
From%the%Treasurer! !! ! ! ! by#Linda#Parrett#([email protected])!!
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Echoes! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Spring#2013!!
%%Prospect%UMW’s%New%“Circle%of%Love”!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by!Kathy!Blocker! !!
At!Lawrenceville's!Prospect!United!Methodist!Church!we!recently!realized!that!we!needed!a!circle!that!could!meet!in!the!daytime!in!order!to!grow!our!unit!and!meet!the!needs!of!the!women!in!our!church.!We!started!on!February!8th!at!10am!with!22!ladies!in!attendance.!!
The!name!of!the!group!is!"The!Circle!of!Love,"!and!our!intention!is!to!follow!the!mandate!of!the!United!Methodist!Women:!To!know!God,!to!develop!a!creative,!supportive!fellowship!and!to!expand!the!concepts!of!mission.!In!other!words,!faith,!hope!and!love!in!action.!We!meet!at!10am!on!the!second!Friday!of!each!month!with!service!projects!(called!Random!Acts!of!Christian!Kindness)!in!between!the!circle!meeting!dates.!The!programs!during!our!meetings!will!be!designed!to!help!us!grow!in!our!spiritual!life,!and!the!acts!of!kindness!are!a!big!part!of!that!as!well.!We!start!with!refreshments!and!fellowship!because!it!is!important!for!women!(especially!those!who!are!new!in!the!church)!to!develop!friendships!and!a!strong!support!system.!We!take!our!coffee!and!sit!in!a!circle!in!our!fellowship!hall!so!that!it's!a!relaxed!and!casual!setting.!We!have!a!program!that!encourages!and!inspires!us!in!our!Christian!walk!and!then!discuss!what!we!want!to!do!for!our!service!project.!!
Our!first!program!was!on!"The!Pursuit!of!Happiness"!and!we!discussed!how!our!happiness!is!closely!related!to!showing!kindness!and!sharing!our!love,!and!God's!love,!with!others.!Our!first!Random!Act!of!Christian!Kindness!in!February!was!to!a!local!women's!and!children's!shelter!to!take!a!check!and!three!large!boxes!of!toiletries!that!were!donated!during!our!UMW!sponsored!girl's!tea!party!in!January.!On!March!15th!we!met!to!put!together!gift!bags!and!Easter!cards!and!then!split!up!into!teams!to!deliver!them!to!some!of!our!members!at!home!and!to!others!in!nursing!care!facilities.!!
Many!other!ideas!are!being!discussed!so!we!can!show!God's!love!within!our!church!and!community.!The!enthusiasm!for!this!new!group!has!made!it!evident!that!there!was!an!interest!and!a!need!to!include!all!the!women!who!want!to!be!involved!in!the!United!Methodist!Women66adding!a!day6group!was!just!one!more!way!to!do!that.!!!
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Betty!Baker!and!Joyce!McElfish!deliver!toiletries!and!teddy!bears!to!the!Salt!Light!Center!in!Lawrenceville!that!we!collected!at our!Tea!Party!for!Little!Girls.!!
Jackie!Welch,!Betty!Davis,!Kay!Mazzaferro,!and!Betty!Baker!prepare!gift!bags!to!deliver!on!our!visits!to!our!members!at!home!or!in!nursing!facilities.!
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Jane!Marie!Colomb!Boyer,!age!75,!of!Lilburn,!passed!away!on!Monday,!December!24th,!2012.!Funeral!services!were!held!at!11:00am!Friday,!December!28th,!2012!at!Harmony!Grove!United!Methodist!Church.!Rev.!Debbie!Carlton,!Rev.!Norton!Campbell,!and!Rev.!Jim!Landis!officiated,!and!burial!followed!in!the!church!cemetery.!!
Jane!was!born!in!New!Orleans,!Louisiana,!on!November!19th,!1937.!Jane!married!Kim!on!July!29th,!1978!and!moved!to!Lilburn,!and!the!new!couple!joined!Harmony!Grove!United!Methodist!Church.!In!1979,!Jane,!in!concert!with!other!churches!and!the!Lilburn's!Women!Club,!led!an!effort!to!sponsor!a!Cambodian!family!of!refugees.!!
Jane!joined!the!United!Methodist!Women's!organization!and!served!in!1984!and!1985!as!president!and!then!again!in!2006!and!2007.!She!served!for!nine!years!in!the!Atlanta!Emory!District!as!secretary!and!on!nominations.!!
Jane!always!considered!herself!a!city!girl!and!had!a!heart!for!urban!ministries.!She!volunteered!at!night!shelters,!preparing!meals!on!site.!She!served!as!the!Trinity!Soup!Kitchen!coordinator!at!Harmony!Grove!for!eleven!years!and!was!the!liaison!to!the!board!for!AIDS!Gwinnett.!Jane!was!also!one!of!the!first!at!Harmony!Grove!to!take!leadership!training!in!the!Stephens!Ministry.!!
Jane!worked!for!thirty!years!as!a!paralegal.!After!retirement,!she!belonged!to!the!JOY!club!and!devoted!her!time,!among!many!things,!to!Meals!on!Wheels,!Sisters!of!Charity,!and!Gift!of!Grace!hospice.!!
In%Memorium%
Echoes! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Spring#2013!!
Beautiful!Woman!(In!Memory!of!Jane!Boyer)!
By!Kay!Seymour!!!!
Beauty!walked!among!us!for!many!years!She!spent!time!caring!and!wiping!tears!If!someone!was!ill!she!would!care!
If!someone!had!lost!hope!she!would!be!there!Her!volunteering!to!help!those!she!did!not!know!
The!hours!of!dedication!to!those!in!need!she!would!go!The!laughter!in!her!eyes!when!she!helped!others!with!care!The!sweetness!in!her!voice!to!everyone!she!would!share!
Her!love!for!her!family!was!always!on!her!mind!The!strength!to!reach!out!to!help!so!gentle!and!so!kind!!Helping!others!without!a!thought!of!personal!gain!Forever!giving!hope!to!those!who!were!in!pain!Her!life!will!be!a!tribute!of!love!to!those!in!need!The!care!for!those!hurt!or!hungry!she!would!feed!Her!memory!will!always!part!of!all!the!best!Her!loving!care!surrounds!we!are!blessed!
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2013!AtlantaNEmory!District!UMW!Events!!
DATE! ! ! TIME!! MEETING! ! ! ! LOCATION!APR!20!(Sat)!! 9:00am! Social!Action!Event! ! Duluth!First!SEP!14!(Sat)!! 9:30am! Spiritual!Growth!Event! ! Kings!Memorial!OCT!20!(Sun)! 2:30pm! Annual!Meeting! ! ! Embry!Hills!
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Echoes! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Spring#2013!!
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!2013!North!Georgia!Conference!UMW!Events!
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DATE(S)! MEETING/LOCATION! ! ! ! REGISTRATION!DUE!MAY!364!! NG!Spiritual!Growth/Simpsonwood!! April!19th!JUNE!12! ! NG!Annual!Breakfast/Classic!Ctr!Athens! June!1st!JULY!19620! Mission!“u”!(former!CCMEE/Athens!First)!June!20th!(or!late!fee)!OCT!5! ! NG!Annual!Meeting/Douglasville!First! September!16th!NOV!2! ! NG!Leadership!Training!/Buford!First! N/A! !!!Are!you!going!to!Simpsonwood!May!364?!Don’t!forget!to!bring!items!to!complete!either!a!layette!kit!or!school!bag!for!UMCOR.!Just!1!sweater!and!2!sleepers!or!gowns!will!complete!a!layette!kit,!and!3!packs!of!1506count!lined!paper,!1!pair!BLUNT!children’s!scissors,!and!6!pencils!will!complete!a!school!bag.!Everything!else!for!these!UMCOR!kits!is!already!on6hand.!Let’s!show!UMCOR!how!much!we!in!the!Atlanta6Emory!District!UMW!want!to!help!!! ! !!!!
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Echoes! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Spring#2013!!
King’s%Memorial%Remembers%Curties%Victoria%Phillips%Ransom!
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Phylissis!Ransom,!writing!about!the!beginnings!of!King’s!Memorial!United!Methodist!Women,!shares!her!mother’s!story.!
In!her!adult!life,!she!moved!to!Hogansville,!GA!and!joined!St.!Mary’s!Methodist!Church!and!became!a!member!of!WSCS/!Wesley!Service!Guild.!Upon!moving!to!Atlanta,!GA,!she!
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joined!Fort!Street!UMC,!where!she!served!as!a!member!of!WSCS/!Wesley!Service!Guild.!
When!the!family!moved!their!membership!to!Kings!Memorial!UMC!in!1980,!she!was!asked!by!Rev.!Gray!to!establish!a!UMW!unit.!She!pursued!the!project!passionately.!!
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She!learned!about!UMW!by!studying!all!of!the!materials!she!could!obtain.!Under!her!leadership,!the!Kings!Memorial!unit!attended!meetings!and!Mission!events!at!Simpsonwood,!participated!in!furnishing!the!first!parsonage!for!the!Korean!church!at!Skyland,!and!made!contributions!to!the!Phyllis!Wheatley!YWCA’s!shelter!for!Women!of!Domestic!Violence.!
She!took!the!unit!to!every!district!and!conference!meeting!possible.!When!someone!would!complain,!she!would!say,!“Hopefully,!God!will!treat!us!better!than!we!treat!Him.”!
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Atlanta0Emory%District%Combined%President’s%Brunch%/%Leadership%Training%a%Hit%with%the%Attendees!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!by!Judy!Campbell!!! !!The!Executive!Board!decided!to!try!a!new!thing!in!January!and!combined!the!President’s!Brunch,!our!traditional!January!event,!with!the!leadership6training!event,!previously!held!in!November.!The!response!was!overwhelmingly!positive.!
On!January!26th,!Tucker!First!hosted!our!inaugural!combined!event!in!their!Wesley!Center,!which!was!wonderfully!decorated!with!paper!stars!and!cute!winter!decorations.!Each!table!had!an!adorable!snowman!centerpiece.!The!ladies!of!Tucker!First!were!friendly!and!welcoming,!and!they!provided!us!with!a!delicious!spread!of!breakfast!foods,!which!we!ate!while!listening!to!our!district!officers!and!Tucker!First!UMW’s!warm!welcome.!
The!round!tables!allowed!us!to!share!easily!with!our!tablemates,!and!everyone!shared!their!unit’s!success!stories!and!event!ideas.!Then,!a!representative!from!each!table!shared!the!best!ideas!with!everyone!in!the!room,!so!that!we!were!all!enthused!and!energized!by!all!of!the!wonderful!ideas!from!other!units.!!
We!then!broke!out!into!groups!based!on!our!leadership!position!at!our!local!church.!Handouts!were!available!for!each!leadership!position,!to!enable!those!United!Methodist!Women!wearing!multiple!hats!back!at!their!local!units!to!get!information!for!all!positions,!even!if!they!could!only!visit!one!break6out!session.!
The!feedback!about!combining!the!two!events!was!universally!positive,!with!many!affirmative!comments!about!seeing!everyone!excited!about!United!Methodist!Women.!We’re!looking!forward!to!repeating!this!experiment!next!January!!!
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ECHOES!
Atlanta-Emory District
2869 Umberland Drive Doraville, GA 30340
!!!!!!!!Doing#a#New#Thing#
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Behold,!I!am!doing!a!new!thing,!now!it!springs!forth,!do!you!not!
perceive!it?!I!will!make!a!way!in!the!wilderness!and!rivers!in!the!desert.!
Isaiah!43:19!!
Are!you!on!Facebook?!!
Share!what’s!going!on!in!YOUR!unit!at!http://www.facebook.com/amryumw.!!!
Don’t!forget!to!“Like”!our!page!!
Save!the!Date!!
United!Methodist!Women!Assembly!2014!!
April!25627,!2014!in!Louisville,!Kentucky!
