april 2015 dwm spring newsletter
TRANSCRIPT
Joann Williams, President
Mary Evans, Vice President-Elect
Rev. Valerie J. Melvin, Associate Regional Minister
Rev. John Richardson, Regional Minister
North Carolina Disciples Women’s Ministries Christian Women’s Fellowship
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Disciples Women’s Ministries
Christian Women’s Fellowship P.O. Box 1568
Wilson, NC 27894
Rev. Valerie J. Melvin, Associate Regional Minister
144-years and still serving
Greetings NC Sisters! Winter is gone! As much as I love cold weather, I am quite happy for Springtime. As a February girl, who loves snow in abundance, I celebrate these breezy days with bright colors and the promise of newness. Oh boy, do we need a taste of newness! The twists and turns of life, often cause us to take pause; just as life happens, so does providence. God is guiding us even when it seems as if his GPS system is broken. Right in the midst of a test or trial, God will wink at us to remind us of his presence. A phone call, someone paying the lunch tab, a kind word from a stranger, a song or movie whose meaning draws a tear, or a drive to work that suddenly becomes a vista of natu-ral beauty we never noticed before. Unexpected and surprising, God winks! Our Theme: "Hope and Joy provides Strength for the Journey," speaks to the light-ened disposition Springtime brings. Reflecting light in darkness, it inspires joy when sad-ness is the order of the day. Our Scriptures (you may use one or all): Nehemiah 8:10, Psalms 28:6-7, and Isaiah 12:2-3, affirm our goal for 2015, which is to return to the joys and hopes of God’s word. The goal also seeks to align our focus on the immeasurable greatness of God’s power and unfailing love for his people! This issue of the newsletter is packed with God winks. So much so, that every woman in every church needs her own copy. Won’t you be a committee of one and email or share a photo copy of this material with at least one other Disciple Woman? This would insure that we are reaching the women with the news that God’s presence, in the mundane and even critical moments of our lives, has the potential to bring ever-lasting hope and frolicking joy. Extra! Extra! Read all about it! You’ll be glad you did.
Valerie- A big welcome to Pastor Marla Brock and our
2015 Fall Retreat planning team. They are well
underway to bring us what promises to be an
event to remember! Registration is open Now!
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To the Ladies of the NC DWM,
I am Joann W. Williams, your new NC DWM Pres-
ident. As I begin the work with the women of North Car-
olina, I look forward to traveling and visiting your func-
tions and getting to know more about your work in the
local churches. Prior to this post, I served on the cabinet
as the Nomination chairperson, which afforded me the
opportunity to meet many talented and creative Disciples
Women.
To add to my personal skillset, I previously served as the National Presi-
dent of Las Amigas (a national, public service, charitable, fundraising women’s organization since 1957), for two terms where several goals were accomplished
during my tenure. One that I am most proud of was obtaining our 501c3 in
education. I have been a member of this organization for 42 years.
I am married to Horace Williams who is presently serving as the Presi-
dent of the NC DMF. We have one child, Prophetess Dr. Felicia W. Williams
Redmon, pastor of A Church Without Walls, one son-in-law, Eddie Redmon
and a granddaughter, Joanna Astrop.
My home church is Mount Pleasant Christian Church in Greensboro,
North Carolina, where Rev. Ronald Glover is the pastor. I have served in
many capacities at my church, but working with the women of the CWF/
DWM and later serving as President for over four years, allowed me to work
closer with the women of the church as we grew together.
I am excited about what
God has for us to do together,
and I ask that you work with
me as we continue the work of
Disciples Women in NC.
Always,
Joann W. Williams
Joann W. Williams
2015 DWM President
Welcoming our New President Joann Williams - Mt. Pleasant CC, Greensboro,
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PRESIDENT
Joann W. Williams, Greensboro, NC
336.379.0274
VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT
Mary Evans, Kinston, NC
252.521.6074
RECORDER
Bonita Newsome, King, NC
336.983.9855
PR/SERF COORDONATOR
*Connie Hance, Winston-Salem, NC
336.813.7777
YOUTH/YOUNG ADULT
*Emily McLawhorn, Snow Hill, NC
252.814.5171
LEGISLATIVE COORDINATOR
Daisy Chambers, Winston-Salem, NC
336.725.6596
WORSHIP DIRECTOR
Angel Lorton, New Bern, NC
252.671.7551
STUDY DIRECTOR
Rev. Dr. Penny Ziemer, Goldsboro, NC
919.920.4192
SERVICE DIRECTOR
*Rev. Melissa Acres, Goldsboro, NC
919.738.8798
OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Ruth McCoy, Greensboro, NC
336.691.0951
WOMAN-TO-WOMAN
Lisa Belue, Ayden, NC
252.746.9631
THE DISTRICT COORDINATORS
ALBEMARLE DISTRICT
*Tina Whitney, Elizabeth City, NC
586.944.8676
CENTRAL DISTRICT
Joann Washington, Winston-Salem, NC
336.767.6157
*Josie Douthit, Kernersville, NC
336.817.9514
COASTAL PLAINS DISTRICT
Tonnette Artis
252.315.5306
MILL CREEK DISTRICT
Maere Kay Lashmit, Dunn. NC
910.892.2639
PIEDMONT DISTRICT CONVENTION
*Deborah Clark, Martinsville, VA
276.618.0937
*-Denotes New Cabinet Members
We are still in search for dedicated sisters to
serve in the following positions: NOMINATIONS
HOOKERTON DISTRICT
PAMLICO DISTRICT
SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT
WESTERN DISTRICT To secure a job description or submit recom-
mendations, please contact the DWM Presi-
dent. Help us secure a complete cabinet, so
that all of our region may be well served.
Thank you!
The 2015 NC Disciples Women’s Ministries Cabinet Effective April 18, 2015
Installation held during the 167th Regional Assembly, held at Hillyer Memorial CC, Raleigh, NC
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Memories of our time at our beloved Camp Caroline
Our Joys…
52 beautiful sisters
An ‘off-the-chain’ keynoter
Young blood
Good food from Elizabeth
City, Oak City & Camp
Volunteers
Camp Caroline Staff
Our New Building
Prayer and Communion
DWM Cabinet...Priceless!
Our Hope…
For your presence in 2016!!!
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“The Lock is Broken!” by Pastor Jolin McElroy, FCC, Charlotte
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The Lock is Broken! (cont’d)
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The Lock is Broken! (cont’d)
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A Child of the Church by Julie Richardson, M. Div., Advancement Associate, Lexington Theological Seminary
If my mind’s eye were a scrapbook, able to be taken down off a
dusty shelf and flipped through, I think probably one would dis-
cover that the images of my childhood and adolescence, as I’ve
stored them, would be wrought with the familiar corridors of the
churches that raised me, the pews of sanctuaries where I played
hide-and-seek or sat restlessly on a Sunday morning, the dessert
table at potlucks (my favorite!), the lifelong friends I made at
church camps, and the choir lofts that felt like a second home.
And if this imaginary scrapbook of mine had a soundtrack, it
would begin with “Beneath the Cross of Jesus,” the first song I re-
member my mother singing to me as a child; “Mansion Over the
Hilltop,” as I sang it with my sister at my great-grandfather’s old
upright piano; “Abide With Me,” as I first heard it at the funeral of
a dear family friend; “Be Thou My Vision” and “Come Thou
Fount of Every Blessing,” as they became the songs I would sing as testament, as hope, as pray-
er when nothing else quite made sense.
When I tell you that I am a child of the church, I mean it. I know no other thing that has shaped
me more constantly, held me more securely, frustrated me more mightily, disappointed me
more often, challenged me more fully or taught me what it means to love more completely.
Trace my family tree back as far as you can on either side, and you’ll find men and women who
built their lives on the bedrock of faith. And while their faith is not always mine, and I am sure
my ways of loving God and following Jesus might give some of them pause, still, they have
been part of who I am and who I am becoming as a child of God.
I’m a preacher’s kid, and this is not an easy thing. Some days I would not have wished it on an-
yone. And now that I’ve done the same thing to my daughter (a preacher’s kid twice over and a
preacher’s grandchild), I find myself wanting to give her both the solid roots that have sustained
me and the wings to fly on her own as she makes her way in life. I want her to know, as I have
known, what it means to be loved, simply because she’s God’s, even and perhaps especially
when she finds herself wondering and wandering.
I think I’m one of the lucky ones—taught early and well that there wasn’t anything I could do
to make God stop loving me. That Jesus taught about peace and compassion and justice. That I
was welcomed and loved. I know many people who aren’t so lucky, who, in fact, have been
profoundly harmed by supposed “good church folks.” And this perhaps as much as anything is
what keeps me at it, keeps me engaged in church—because I know that we can do better, that it
is possible to be what God has called us to be.
Because I believe in the wideness of God’s mercy. Because I believe the Table really is open to
all. Because I know, deep in my bones, that there is, as one of my favorite songs goes, “a love
that passes all our understanding watching closely over the journey.”
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From our Study Director Rev. Dr. Penny Ziemer
Greetings, Sisters!
I can tell you, my friends, that you have a treasure awaiting you! You will find it in the
2015 DWM Study curriculum from the Spring 2015 edition of Just Women entitled
“Women of the New Testament: Finding Their Voices.” Our own Marilyn Williams,
who has begun her leadership role as President of International Disciples Women’s
Ministries, invites us in the stirring introduction to this study to “experience, discover,
rediscover, renew, rekindle, and refresh” our “spiritual” quests through exploring the
lives of 8 New Testament women.
These women – Anna, the Bent-over Woman, the Women at the Tomb, Mary, the
Mother of Jesus, the Canaanite Woman, the Mother of James and John, and the Woman Who Anointed Jesus-
will challenge and comfort us. They will reveal things hidden in our lives and hearts we have forgotten or
never recognized before. They will call us to begin to “see” all of our lives together in fresh, new ways.
Marilyn Vos Savant , who once held the distinction of being the American with the highest recorded IQ, ac-
cording to the Guinness Book of Records, once wrote, “To acquire knowledge, one must study, to acquire wis-
dom, one must observe.” Study is never just about learning information or facts, although that is one dimen-
sion of it. Deep study invites us to stop and observe, watch, listen to, touch, connect with, and respond to.
Sometimes study unearths the wisdom of Richard Baxter who believed we should “study hard, for the well is
deep and our brains are shallow.”
One thing is sure. These lessons are not shallow! Our hearts and our lives together will be deepened and en-
riched by this study. Written by women from our denomination with expertise, experience and much wisdom,
each lesson includes an Introduction, a Bible Exploration, a Life Application, and some suggestions for Fur-
ther Action.
In addition, I am preparing some supplementary resources for teaching or worship which will be available at
the Christmount Retreat in August which include:
1. An Introduction to Approaches to Reading the Bible
2. Some monologues, dialogues and poems which complement the texts
3. Some samples of “Other Voices” all around us which resonate with these Biblical women
In the Introduction, Marilyn includes this excerpt from Maya Angelou, “You are the sum total of everything
you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us and
because of that, I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”
I can promise you that if you engage in this study together, you will discover that much
of what you have experienced or needed or longed for is “all there” in the lives of these
women. So come bring your lives together with their lives. Come dig in and delight in
this gem!
Subscription information is available at www.discipleswomens.org, JustWom-
[email protected] or Just Women, PO Box 1986, Indianapolis, IN 46206. Order
forms will also be available at Christmount.
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Fall Retreat 2015Fall Retreat 2015--Keynoters!Keynoters!
Kathy Daughety’s roots
run deep at Barton College.
The daughter of the late
Kathryn and Zeb M.
Whitehurst III of Wilson,
Kathy grew up on this
century-old campus. Her
father was an alumnus of
the College, then Atlantic
Christian College, and he
later served as the Director of Alumni Affairs, Dean
of Students, and Director of College Relations.
Kathy chose to continue her education at Barton,
then A.C.C., where she completed a Bachelor of
Arts degree in English, and Religion and
Philosophy, and met her husband.
She is married to R. Morgan Daughety, Ed.D., Dean
of College Transfer, Public Services, and Library
Resources at Wilson Community College and an
ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ), currently serving as the part-time
minister for Oak City Christian Church (DOC) in
Oak City. Morgan previously served 18 years at
Barton as chaplain of the College (13 years) and
Dean of Students (5 years).
For the past 28 years she has been employed at
Barton College, where she served her first nine
years in the Office of Admissions, moving up
through the ranks to become an Associate Director
of Admissions. In summer 1996, Kathy was named
the Director of Public Relations at Barton College, a
role she continues to hold.
A lifelong member of the Christian Church (DOC),
Kathy is a member of the First Christian Church
(DOC) in Wilson. She currently serves as a deacon
in the church, and has held past roles as a Sunday
School teacher and co-chair of the Membership
Committee.
Professor Liz L. Miranda
A licensed minister with
the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) in
Florida, professor Miranda
serves as the Associate
Pastor of Iglesia Cristiana
Discípulos de Cristo de
Miami.
A recording Christian artist and soloist for over
20 years, Liza has been able to spread the
gospel through music in countries like
Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic,
Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and
numerous cities in the United States.
Liza is also currently working in the academic
field as Adjunct Professor of Christian Worship
and Spiritual Formation at Wesley Seminary of
Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion,
Indiana. Her responsibilities include teaching
the Christian Worship and Spiritual Formation
core requirement course in the online M.Div.
program in Spanish. She participated in the
book called “Celebrating Justice & Liberation:
A Resource for Worship” from Chalice Press
2003 and has written various articles for her
denomination. Furthermore, she is developing
the Synergic Worship style, which makes
thoughtful use of the arts, technology and
culture in order to communicate the gospel
message in an applicable and effective way.
Education:
Master of Arts in Church Music
Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis
IN 2001
Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance
Chapman University, Orange, CA 1997
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Hello Disciples Women of North Carolina,
My name is Lisa Belue. I was your Woman to Woman Representative to France and Italy in 2014.
On Sunday, October 12, 2014 we landed in Paris. We started our journey with a walking tour of Par-
is and ended with a wonderful worship service at Temple du Marais that evening. This was the be-
ginning of a wonderful 10 day journey through Paris, Rome, Florence and Torre Pellice.
While in France, we visited CASP Eglantine Shelter. This will be the focus of our Woman to Wom-
an Worldwide 2015 Service Project. The Eglantine Women’s Shelter welcomes pregnant and single
women alone or with children facing significant need. They have the ability to house a total of 59
women and 89 children ages 0 to 16. Each family has a single room with a private bathroom. Fami-
lies are able to eat three meals daily in the Shelter’s common dining area. The Shelter has a large
multi-purpose room. This room welcomes resident organized events, after school tutoring courses,
theme nights, and other activities. This room has a kitchenette and a computer area. The Shelter
seeks funds to finance the remodeling of the multi-purpose room to better serve the residents. The
Disciple Woman-to-Woman Worldwide and Global Ministries welcome gifts for a remodeling pro-
ject that currently is underway for the multi-purpose room. The project includes:
· Installing an open eating counter area in the kitchen area
· Creating a reading corner with a library
· Creating a multimedia space with updated computers
· Development of a functional space for resident organized events
Gifts for our project may be sent to the NC Regional Office with W2WW Eglantine Shelter Project
noted in the memo line.
I look forward to sharing with your DWM/CWF all that we experienced. Please contact me at 252-
746-9631 or [email protected] to schedule a time for me to visit and share with you and your
group.
Lisa Belue,
2014 NC Woman to Woman
France and Italy
The Woman-to-Woman Tour for NC Begins April 2015-April 2016
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Breaking the Chains: ...Link by Link
The International Disciple Women’s Minis-
tries Executive Committee struggled,
prayed, consulted with you and discussed
among ourselves what our next social ac-
tion would be for 2014 through 2018. We
soon realized we have barely touched the
tip of the iceberg where human trafficking is concerned.
Women’s groups around the country feel they are just getting started working with this huge
social action emphasis. As we traveled around the country conducting workshops, leading re-
treats, and talking to you, overwhelmingly we heard you saying “we want to continue working
with human trafficking”. The Disciples Women’s Leadership Council (formerly Staff Wom-
en’s Fellowship) also voted to continue working with human trafficking.
It is with great hope we go into the next quadrennium with Breaking the Chains of Human
Trafficking: Link by Link as our social action emphasis.
We want to focus on three areas of human trafficking, three links of the chain:
Link 1. Sex Trafficking: our focus is on women, men, boys and especially our young girls
as young as 9 years of age, who are being targeted by traffickers every day.
Link 2. Labor Trafficking/Immigration: with this our focus is on the labor trafficking
that is at epic proportions and is closely tied to the immigration issues in this country.
Link 3. Demand: our focus here is to decrease demand. If there were no demand for sex
and labor services there would be no trafficking. Decrease demand and we decrease
Trafficking.
This web site was developed to give you some more tools to help you and your group to get
started or to continue your work on the social action emphasis. The information is not all inclu-
sive, and it is a work in progress. As we go along we will add more information.
For each Link we have included information, resources, links and suggested activities for each
area. We hope these pages are useful for you and we encourage your feedback. May God
Bless you as you work to Break the Chains of Human Trafficking: Link by Link.
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Rev. Melissa Acres - New DWM Service Director
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 919.738.8798
Look forward to her sharing much more helpful information
about projects for Disciples Women.
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NC Disciples Women, Continue to make a difference at Camp Caroline!
Three years ago, your cabinet was ap-
proached by the Camp Caroline committee
to seek our assistance with placing play-
ground equipment to attract more families
with children. Over an 18-month period, we
assisted with finding and securing equipment
and donations. Today, as you approach the
children’s playground, you see a sign mount-
ed on the fence acknowledging those who
helped to make the playground possible. The
name NC DWM gleams brightly on that sign.
What godly pride swells in my heart each
time I see that sign. I think of the women
across this region whom I personally know
that barely have enough for their own existence: sisters who have faced illness on all levels and
of every kind. Yet, these women and many others gave and sacrificed to help make this play-
ground a reality.
Once again, my sisters, I am asking for your help at Camp Caroline. This time, it is to
give a ‘face lift” to the Latham House, the
cottage on the left as you enter the site.
The Jack and Gladys Lee Building is
something grand to see, and it is already
attracting attention in the area, but is re-
veals the need for work to be done to the
other structures on site. The upgrade to
the Latham House will add to the aesthet-
ic and serviceable value of our site.
During our Day Apart Retreat and
our 167th Regional Assembly, we pre-
sented this project, and it gas been ap-
proved. Now it is time to begin our strate-
gy for the work. A repair and upgrade as-
sessment has been done to the house, and
now we are seeking bids for the work. As your cabinet, we will strive to keep all costs minimal,
while providing a quality upgrade. We do not intend to make this endeavor a hardship for any
one district, but will evenly distribute the cost, and your District Coordinators will work with
your churches to help with fundraising.
The five tenets of Women’s Ministries are still Worship, Study, Service, Outreach, and
Fellowship, and as we begin this work, I can hear the eternal and distant voice of Caroline Ne-
ville Pearre, Founder of the Christian Women's Board Of Missions, saying, “well done, NC Sis-
ters, well done!”
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THE 2015 WOMAN-TO-WOMAN QUILT
Winner
Louise Sawyer
Columbia, NC CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Who will be next to donate a Quilt for
our 2016 Raffle? Call us with your of-
fering at 252.291.4047 ext. 204 or
email [email protected]
UPCOMING EVENTS
FCC, Fayetteville-65th Church Anniversary (2-day cel-ebration)-May 16th-Meet and Greet Friends at 3:00pm / The Reunion-May 17th-11:00am followed by a Covered Dish Luncheon. Should you need hotel or other information, please call the church 910.484.2962. This is a great moment for a cabinet member to fellowship and make contact networks with women of the church. Mary Kay Hen-nessey and Helen Tucker are strong CWF workers. If you are planning to attend, they need an RSVP by May 2nd.
Morning Star Church of Christ, Rocky Mount, NC-CWF Mother/Daughter Spiritual Extravaganza-May 8th at 6:30pm-Semi-Formal / Prayer Breakfast, May 9th-9:00am ($30.00 for both events). May 10th "Women in White Walking in Victory" For more information, contact Elder Maggie Wilkins-252.446.4785 or Sylvia [email protected]. Maggie is a long time CWF leader in that church and friend to our cabinet. They too, ask for RSVP (to: 2405 Meadowbrook Road, Rocky Mount, NC 27801), and
you may pay at the door. Congratulations to Blanca Faasii, Gordon Street CC, Kinston, NC, for be-ing chosen as the 2015 NC Woman-to-Woman delegate to Israel/Palestine. Our Regional cabinet leaders recently approached her about serving, because they heard the report of her love and dedication for Women’s Ministries in her local church. This nomination was born out of our cabinet’s imperative that service to the region begins by serving at home! According to Rev. Dr. Mark Benson, Blanca’s pastor, she is deeply concerned for suffering people throughout the world. It is evident that Blanca’s faith is seeking understanding by the time she invested in study in the Barton College Lay Academy. Congratulations Blanca!
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The Blessing Box and Bag...they still Matter!
Women who use a Blessing Box tend to see God’s abundance and blessing more than scarcity and hardship. Come, join us.
For 60 years, the women of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have had a special way to express their gratitude to God for the blessings they have received – the Blessing Box. The Blessing Box was created in 1953, the result of a dream of the women who founded Christian Women’s Fellowship. Jessie Trout, who was CWF’s co-founder and first executive secretary, developed the idea as an over – and – above way to help fund the wid-er mission of the church. Since that time, Blessing Boxes have been kept in the homes and offices of women across the church to enable them to express their gratitude for everyday blessings by giving to others. In 2013, the Blessing Bag was introduced as part of this practice.
Thanks is given for a sunny day, a birth, a reconciling experience, a welcome phone call, a child’s smile, a beautiful snow fall, a flower in full bloom, relief from pain, a good book, a safe journey, and many other things. It is a way of saying “Thank you God, for your world and especially for people.
For those who participate, it is a spiritual discipline even more than a financial one. It helps keep a focus on gratitude to God and on the responsibility to share blessings with others. The amount put in may be a dime, a quarter or more. The amount is not nearly as im-portant as the discipline of regularly remembering God’s goodness through the acts of dropping in coins and praying prayers of thanksgiving.
Blessing Box: The cost is $7.50 for a package of 10 boxes (S&H $2)
or $60 for a package of 100 (S&H $10). Blessing Bag:
The cost is $15 for 5 bags (S&H $2) or $250 for 100 (S&H $10)
On the following pages, you will find the 2014 Blessing Box report for those DWM/CWF’s whose contributions were sent to the Regional Office. If you notice missing contributions, there is a strong possibility that you sent your contribution to the OGMP-Treasury Ser-vices in Indianapolis. While this channel for giving is fine, it means that your contribution
might not show up on in the Regional Office records for months.
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