South Central Jurisdiction
United Methodist Women
Volume 3 Issue 2
Editor: LaDonna Busby, SCJUMW Secretary
FALL 2015
Message from SCJUMW President Edna Brown Hickman
“The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from
or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit.' John 3:8
April 15-17, 2016 should be in your memory by now. These are important days for South Central Jurisdiction United Methodist Women. Your leadership team has worked non-stop to plan and put together
what we feel will be a life changing experience for you.
The main purpose for our Quadrennial Meeting is to elect directors for our National UMW Organization.
Elections will take place on Saturday morning. But as United Methodist Women, when we get together,
we know how to CELEBRATE, EDUCATE and PARTY in the name of Jesus. This is exactly what we are going to do. Here are a few of the things that you can expect to take place.
Our Bible Study Leader, Reverend Janet Wolf is a powerful woman of God and we know we will be
touched in a mighty way by what she will share with us from God on “A Fresh Wind Blowing” that will impact our lives for many years to come. She is known for her advocacy for people who are poor and pushed
to margins of society. She will minister to us on Saturday morning during Bible Study.
Our Music will be stimulating and rewarding as we will be led by Marcus Briggs Cloud, a Native American
from the Maskoke Nation. Marcus served as the choir conductor and composer in Rome, Italy for 2012
Vatican Canonization Liturgy of the first Native American Catholic Saint, Kateri Tekakwitha. We will sing old
familiar songs and new songs that will inspire and enlighten us.
Rev. Constance Saizon, pastor of St. Landry and Hughes United Methodist Churches in Gonzales and Baton
Rouge, Louisiana will serve as our Banquet Speaker on Saturday Evening. Formerly the pastor in New Orleans, she arrived in Baton Rouge after Katrina. God heightened Rev. Saizon’s spiritual gift of humor to serve
as a coping mechanism. So out of the disaster of Katrina, came a Christian comedy ministry. Get ready to
laugh your head off!
Article continued on page 2
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President’s Message continued from page 1
Expressive Worship Choir also from Baton Rouge, will minister to us and Praise God through movements
and dance on Sunday morning just prior to Communion. Dollene Sims is director and Reverend Dr. Derrick
Hills is pastor of St. Mark United Methodist Church.
We will be blessed by our national president, Yvette Richards, who will bring our Opening Keynote Address” on Friday evening. We will also be blessed by our General Deputy Secretary Harriett Olson, who will
bring our “Closing Keynote Address” on Sunday morning.
We have a number of workshops, tour of a mission agency and so much more on Saturday afternoon.
Read through these pages of this newsletter and learn about walking tours and sites that you can see within walking distance of the hotel and convention center. Create your own memories while enjoying the richness of this community. You will find so much to do and see but do not forget that you will see your old
friends and meet new ones. This is always a good time for fellowship, friendship and gives you an opportunity to catch up on what has happened since the last time you saw each other.
YOUNG WOMEN, we have not forgotten about you. An open mic will be on Saturday night which will be
only one of the events that will be planned for you. Please let us know what you want by contacting Cynthia Rives at: [email protected]. We want you involved, so help us to do that by letting us know what
you want.
In this newsletter we have the nominees for the South Central Jurisdiction Leadership Team for 2017-2020.
Our Committee on Nominations worked very hard and visited the various conferences to come up with
qualified nominees. Many thanks to the Committee on Nominations.
Finally, you can register on line to attend the meeting. Our Registration Form is on our website at: http://
www.umwscj.org and click on “Register Now For QUAD 2016. Before this process, you need certain information. Vice President Sue Sidney has made it easy for you. Please check out her instructions in this newsletter by reading the article entitled: “Registering Online Is A Simple Process”. Also visit us on our Facebook page. You can get to our Facebook page by: https://www.facebook.com/
SouthCentralJurisdictionUMW. We owe our thanks and gratitude to Erica Washington, PAG from Louisiana,
for our website and Facebook page.
This is our final newsletter this year so I wish each and every one of you Happy Holidays. See you next
year!
Edna Brown Hickman
South Central Jurisdiction UMW President
There will be one more issue of this newsletter before our meeting in OKC in
2016. This will be a special edition as it will contain bios and pictures of all the
nominees for National Directors and for the 2017-2021 South Central Jurisdiction UMW Leadership Team. So be watching for that special issue! In the
meantime, enjoy this winter issue. My prayer is that each of you and your families fill the up coming holidays with laughter, love and JOY! - LaDonna B, Secretary and Editor
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South Central Jurisdiction
Quadrennial Meeting
April 15-17, 2016
Oklahoma City, OK
The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the
wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the
Spirit John 3:8
The current South Central Jurisdiction United Methodist Women Leadership team is planning a wonderful celebration of
the PURPOSE of UMW at the 2016 Quadrennial Meeting. We are looking forward to having more than 400 women
gather in Oklahoma City as a fresh wind blows through the United Methodist Women. Our Bible Study Leader, Rev.
Janet Wolf, and our music leader, Marcus Briggs Cloud, promise to lead us to new understandings of the holy spirit at
work in the world.
We have been planning and planning and trying to figure out what our SCJ UMW members would like to have in a
quadrennial meeting!!
Many of the evaluations stated that they would like to have the hotel and meeting site be connected or close. Therefore
we have made arrangements with :
Marriott Renaissance Hotel / Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City
10 N Broadway Ave Oklahoma City, OK, 73102, United States of America, 888 734 8503
Marriott Rewards category: 6
We have blocked 200 rooms for each of the two nights we will be in OKC. Half of the rooms are King and half double/doubles.
There will be accessible rooms available also at these rates.
All guestrooms are run-of-the house unless otherwise set forth. Guestroom types cannot be guaranteed and rooms are reserved on a
first-come, first-serve basis.
The Rate that has been negotiated for Organization based on the number of rooms and the arrival/departure pattern is.
Room Type
Single Occupant
Double Occupant
King Room
$149.00
$149.00
Double/Doubles
$149.00
$149.00
Lee Meeting Planner Suite
$189.00
$189.00
Hotel room rates are quoted per room per night and are subject to applicable state and local taxes at time of check in. Taxes are
currently 13.875 %.
Phone: 1-405-228-8000; Fax:
1-405-228-2575; Toll-free:
1-800-468-3571
All reservations must be reserved on or before March 15, 2016 12:00 Midnight (the “Reservation Due Date”) to receive the
negotiated group rate
Check-in and Check-out: Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
ALL of this information is on the Registration form and will be on the website as we get closer to
the dates of our meeting.
Continue to “daydream” about your stay in Oklahoma City… 2016.
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South Central Jurisdiction
Quadrennial Meeting
April 15-17, 2016
Oklahoma City, OK
Renaissance Hotel by Marriott / Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma
City
10 N Broadway Ave Oklahoma City, OK, 73102, United States of America, 888 734 8503
Marriott Rewards category: 6
This is a charming hotel that connects with a walkway to the convention center (a shorter walkway
than what we experienced at Assembly in Louisville!). Their website says: “Discover the vibrant
charm of Okla-homa City when you stay at the Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center
Hotel by Marriott. This
downtown Convention Center hotel is located just steps from popular destinations such as Bricktown Enter-tainment District, Chickasaw Ballpark, Myriad Botanical Garden”. We were able to enjoy all of these sites when we visited OKC.
We have blocked 200 rooms for each of the two nights we will be in OKC. Half of the rooms are
King and half double/doubles. There will be accessible rooms available also at these rates.
All guestrooms are run-of-the house unless otherwise set forth. Guestroom types cannot be guaranteed and rooms are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Rate that has been negotiated for the Organization based on the number of rooms and the arrival/departure pattern.
Hotel room rates are quoted per room per night and are subject to applicable state and local taxes
at time of check in. Taxes are currently 13.875 %.
Phone: 1-405-228-8000; Fax: 1-405-228-2575; Toll-free: 1-800-468-3571
All reservations must be reserved on or before March 15, 2016 12:00 Midnight (the
“Reservation Due Date”) to receive the negotiated group rate
CHECK-IN AND CHECK-OUT: Check-in: 4:00 PM Check-out: 11:00 AM
INTERNET ACCESS
Guest rooms: Wireless, Wired
High Speed: Check email + browse the Web for 12.95USD/day
Enhanced High Speed: Video chat, download large files + stream video for 16.95USD/day
Lobby and public areas: Complimentary Wireless, Wired
Meeting rooms: Wireless, Wired
PARKING
Valet parking, fee: 25 USD daily
Off-site parking, fee: 10 USD daily
SMOKE-FREE POLICY
This hotel has a smoke-free policy
PET POLICY
Pets allowed, non-refundable sanitation fee: 150 USD; contact hotel for details
Visit the Explore Our Oklahoma City Page for more information
All reservations must be reserved on or before March 15, 2016 12:00 Midnight (the
“Reservation Due Date”) to receive the negotiated group rate.
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South Central Jurisdiction
Quadrennial Meeting
April 15-17, 2016
Oklahoma City, OK
WHO
YOU SHOULD BE DREAMING OF COMING TO OKC IN 2016?
When the South Central Jurisdiction meets for its quadrennial meeting in Oklahoma City in 2016 there will be 12 Conferences: Arkansas, Central Texas, Great Plains (Kansas East, Kansas West, Nebraska), Louisiana, Missouri,
New Mexico(which includes the part of Texas that is in the Mountain time zone ), North Texas, Northwest Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Indian Missionary, Rio Texas (Rio Grande, Southwest Texas), & Texas.
According to the 2013-2016 Constitution of the United Methodist Women in the Jurisdiction THERE SHALL BE A MEETING OF THE JURISDICTION ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED METHODIST W OMEN THE LAST YEAR OF THE QUADRENNIUM.
At that time the jurisdiction president, members of the jurisdiction leadership team and members of the board of directors of the United Methodist Women’s national organization shall be elected.
The VOTING MEMBERSHIP of the jurisdiction shall be composed of:
the members of the jurisdiction leadership team,
**three members elected by each conference organization,
members of the board of directors of United Methodist Women and
the members of the United Methodist Women Program Advisory Group within the jurisdiction;
a representative of the jurisdiction Association of Deaconesses, Home missioners and Home Missionaries; and
all the active bishops of the jurisdiction. (** a change from previous quadrennium)
MEMBERS of the jurisdiction leadership team will be elected to be members of a team comprising **four leaders: president, treasurer, secretary, and chair of the committee on nominations. (** a change from previous quadrennium)
OTHER leaders may be appointed for further expansion of specific areas or needed services for implementation of the
PURPOSE.
The jurisdiction PRESIDENT, by virtue of office, will serve as a member of the program advisory group of the United
Methodist Women national organization.
The QUADRENNIAL MEETING COMMITTEE will be composed of the jurisdiction leadership team, which will select a chairperson**. (** a change from previous quadrennium)
The quadrennial meeting will be designed to meet the needs of the women of the jurisdiction in harmony with the PURPOSE and with the plans and responsibilities of the United Methodist Women national organization.
It will be open to all members of the UMW.
It will elect directors to the United Methodist Women national organization
It will elect the jurisdiction leadership team & jurisdiction committee on nomination
It will educate for mission
It will celebrate the PURPOSE
It will provide skill building
At the Conference annual meeting preceding the end of the quadrennium each conference will elect **three (3) voting
delegates to the jurisdiction quadrennial meeting and will elect ** two (2) women as nominees and 1 alternate for
membership in the national organization and will elect ** three (3) women to be considered to serve on the program advisory group of the UMW national organization
Continue to “daydream” about your stay in Oklahoma City… 2016.
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Some personal thoughts from Rev. Ken Grenz (Treasurer Jeanette Grenz husband, who took
walking tours of OKC while we were in meetings)
Oklahoma City provides many tourist amenities for its visitors. Recently spending 2 days in the
Renaissance Hotel, I explored some of those within easy walking distance. First there is the Oklahoma City National Memorial at the Murrah Building site. It is just a six block walk and the Museum at the site can take from an hour to half a day. It includes many video stops. Also about six
blocks is the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. It is a relatively small gallery but it does generally
have a traveling exhibit. Its permanent galleries include some Chihuly glass works. As I walked the
streets, I also noted many temporary and permanent works of public art on display. Only a block
from the hotel is the entrance to the Brick Town entertainment district which includes many restaurants, miniature golf, sports stadium, etc. a small creek with tour boats flows through the district. At
the far end of the creek is the Oklahoma Land Run Monument consisting of 47 pieces of statuary 1
and 1/2 size covering 365 feet. At the near end is a beautiful Devon Fountain mosaic. I did not visit
the Myriad Botanical Garden, also only 3 blocks from the hotel. I see I need to make another visit! Ken Grenz (All photos on this page courtesy of Ken Grenz)
The Oklahoma National Memorial— Holy Ground
Tour boats along the creek that flows through
the city
Weeping Jesus, at the Memorial
One of many pieces of art on the sidewalks
of OKC
Only tree in the vicinity of the
bombing to survive!
The SCJLT thanks Ken for his photos and information.
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Let us move from “day-dreaming” about attending this important event, to planning and registering! …….
The other afternoon getting ready to go to the nursing home to
help with a little worship time I pulled out an
old Reading Program book: “may I have this
dance?” by Joyce Rupp. I had used it at one time to help me prepare a retreat on
“Dancing With God”. The next couple of days I used the meditations for my morning reading… First Day I chose the one for September, “Instruments of God”, and
the next day the one for May. May’s title is “A Rushing Wind” and begins with a
poem that has these lines:
Come, Spirit who is our light…
Come, Spirit who makes a home in us……
Come Spirit source of our Peace …..
The narrative following the poem begins with John 3:8. My heart jumped… I remember the day that I met
Rev. Janet Wolf at Scarritt Bennett in Nashville. Her first response to our invitation to teach on John
3:8 at our Quadrennial meeting was “Oh, the story of Nicodemus.” I was awed that she instantly knew
the scripture reference… I know that makes me sound scripturally illiterate … I was awed. Now I am
awed when I randomly pick up an old book and happen upon May the month of the “A Rushing Wind –
a fresh wind blowing….:
Why does God constantly have to visit me and make me re-member and react to God’s presence….. ? Why
does God bother with a scripturally illiterate me?
It is time to move from “day dreaming” about attending the SCJ meeting and start making plans to attend:
Make your travel arrangements
Make your hotel reservation at the Renaissance in Oklahoma City
Register online for the meeting (registration link is at http://www.umwscj.org/
Pack your walking shoes and your dancing shoes to be ready for all aspects of this meeting; this gathering of UMW family
I can’t wait to greet you there. So, stop “day-dreaming” and begin making plans ……
Registering Online Is A Simple Process.
Before you start the process be sure to know your travel plans as you will be asked your Form of Travel:
Air; Car, Chartered Bus; Train. You will also need to enter your Arrival Date; Arrival Time; Arrival Carrier if plane; Arrival Flight Number and the same information for your Departure.
You will also need to fill in what Workshops you will be wanting to attend – so check the registration brochure to read what is being offered. The workshops will be Saturday afternoon in two sessions. Only
one will be offered both sessions. The rest will be only one time and space is limited to 40 persons.
The visit to the National Mission Institution (Neighborhood Service Organization) will take the entire afternoon to visit its many locations in the city.
You will then be ready to begin.
Start by finding the Registration link on the South Central Jurisdiction UMW website: at
http://www.umwscj.org/
Continued next page
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Page 9
Be sure you fill in all the questions that have the (*) as they are required for your registration to be accepted. But not to worry as an error will occur and you will be told what you forgot to fill in.
When you get to the end you will be shown a list of what you yourself should pay. Then you will be asked
for Payment Method: (1) Register and Pay via Credit Card or (2) Register and Pay Later via Check…
Choose the method you desire and it will ask for the needed information.
At the end a receipt page will appear for you to print for your records. If you have given an email address you will also receive a receipt there.
I can’t wait to greet you there. So, stop “day-dreaming” and begin making this dream come true !!! ……
Sue Sidney, SCJLT Vice President
From the SCJLT Treasurer, Jeanette Grenz
We are so excited that you can now register for our Jurisdiction meeting in April
2016. I thought some explanation from the Jurisdiction treasurer about the
choices available on the first page of the online registration form might be helpful so here it is.
IF you are currently serving as a UMW Director/Program Advisory Group (PAG)
member, please click that choice – National UMW will pay your expenses to
attend.
IF you are a Deaconess or Home Missioner, please click that choice – your association will pay your expenses to attend.
IF you are a Bishop, please click that choice and your office will pay for you.
IF you have been nominated by your Conference to be a Director for the next Quadrennium (but are NOT
currently a director or PAG), click “Conference Director Nominee” so your Conference can be billed for
your registration fee.
IF you are one of three delegates elected by your conference to vote to elect Directors, please click
“Conference Voting Delegate” so your Conference can be billed for your registration fee.
Workshop leaders, nominees for the Jurisdiction Leadership Team (JLT) for the next four years, current Jurisdiction Leadership Team , and program guests who have not clicked one of the items mentioned above
will have their registration fees covered by the Jurisdiction – please click the appropriate category.
EVERYONE ELSE, and we hope many of you will be coming in this category, you can click “Meeting
Attendee”.
EVERYONE will have an opportunity on the last page of the registration to give a donation to United Methodist Women and to buy additional Banquet tickets (for instance if your husband wants to
come to OK City with you but not attend the whole meeting, he might want to come to
our wonderful banquet). If you have any questions about which category you should
click, email me at [email protected] and I’ll help you decide. Looking forward to seeing you in OK City.
Jeanette
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South Central Jurisdiction
Registration Tidbits
ALL registration is online - Not Computer Literate – there is a friend
nearby who will help.
Everyone MUST register – even if you’re not staying in the hotel or only
coming for one day.
Registration fee – covers breakfast and lunch on Saturday, Saturday banquet, and Sunday breakfast. (no Friday meal). This fee also helps to with the
cost of building use and inviting speakers along with other expenses involved in conducting the meeting.
Easy to Pay – use a credit card or mark “Pay Later” and bring a check with you to pay the Registration
fee.
Watch for the Deadlines – Children’s Registration must be made by February 15, 2016. No children
without Preregistration. Registration Deadline is March 15, 2016. (If you miss this deadline for the Renaissance you’ll miss the group rate.) After March 15 the registration fee goes up to $225.00. Registrations may
be transferred (please let the registrar know).
Refunds – will be made before March 15. From March 15 to April 2 half of the registration fee can be refunded. There will be NO refunds after April 2, 2016.
Register for the Renaissance Hotel by Marriot, Oklahoma City, 10 N. Broadway Ave.,
888-734-8503 SEPARATLY from the Quadrennial Meeting Registration.
Workshops – be sure to register for these. There are Great Topics and Super Speakers.
Registration begins at 1:00 p.m. April 15, 2016, on the Second floor of the Cox Convention Center,
which is attached to the Renaissance Hotel by a short covered bridge above the street.
Voting Delegate Orientation begins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 15 in Ball Room C, Cox Convention
Center.
Choir Practice begins at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15 in Ball Room C
Treasurers and Communion Servers training at 4:30 p.m., Friday in Ball
Room C
Come and Enjoy! For further questions about registration contact
Linda Elms
806-341-0874
[email protected]
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Page 11
2017—2021
PROP0SED SLATE
SOUTH CENTRAL JURISDICTION UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
LEADERSHIP TEAM
PRESIDENT: Charlotte Morrow—Great Plains Conference
VICE PRESIDENT: Carolyn Schumacher—Arkansas Conference
SECRETARY: Barbara Mobley—Rio Texas Conference
TREASURER: Carolyn Celestine—Missouri Conference
CHAIR NOMINATIONS: Patricia Kilian—Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference
COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS MEMBERS:
Alexis Robinson—Missouri Conference
JoEllen Reed—Oklahoma Conference
Louise Niemann—Great Plains Conference
Helen Emerson—Arkansas Conference
This slate will be voted on at the 2016 South Central Jurisdiction UMW Quadrennial Meeting
in Oklahoma City. The current Nominating Committee worked very hard during this process
by visiting all the conferences, getting to know ladies in the different conferences, calling,
asking and spending much time in prayer.
Sue Burgess, Chair Nominations Committee, 2012-2016, OIMC
Members: Anita Jost—Great Plains Conference
Cindy Johnson—Rio Texas Conference
Cindy Damon—Central Texas Conference
Linda Jackson—Missouri Conference
South Central Jurisdiction UMW
717 Sidney Street
Batesville, AR 72501
Phone: 870.307.1720
E-mail: [email protected]
8
The wind blows wherever it wants.
Just as you can hear the wind but
can’t tell where it comes from or
where it is going, so you can’t explain
how people are born of the Spirit
John 3:8
The Logo’s Story
As I pondered the scripture and the theme: A Fresh Wind Blowing, I immediately remembered one of my
first times to attend a UMW School of Christian Mission in SWTx when we were to describe “repentance”.
Another young woman and I decided that a pinwheel – which we had made often with our little children,
would be our symbol for repentance-turning around. We each made one …
A pinwheel seemed appropriate for this theme & scripture too. But then I pondered the “fresh” part … I
thought of the wind turbines that I love to drive near or to see on the horizon. I love Rt. 84 from Roscoe to
Lubbock where the turbines seem to loom overhead like the pine trees and maples of my youth in upstate
New York. This would be the image of the new wind… the familiar water pumping windmills found in so
many rural pastures in Texas and the new electricity producing turbines of today.
I gave these reflections to my friend, Mark How, who is an artistic creator of computer games and he returned with the logo. I see the pinwheel. I see the windmill in the center of the pinwheel. I see the cross
holding both of them steady as the dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, is blowing forth… truly a fresh wind
blowing across the south central jurisdiction UMW….. Thank you, Mark for this present.
Sue Sidney, Vice President