THE SPIRIT OF THE COLUMBIA DISTRICT

June 2016 “Growing In Blessedness”

Presidents Letter June 2016

Greetings Everyone, I hope you are feeling as blessed as I am. We have a great district team full of dedication and excitement for the work that the UMW does. Our second District Event, Partners In Mission Dinner, was very successful as you will see mentioned later in this newsletter. Brian Ferguson, of Under the Tree missions, which he and his wife founded in 2009, do various work in providing for those in great need. Not only in Alabama but all around the US, Mexico and hurricane ravaged places such as Haiti, all the while sharing the love of Jesus and making disciples. The one thing I had heard about their work was they provide water filters for clean drinking water. They do so much more. As a speaker, Brian was very inspirational and the love of Jesus and his desire to make disciples everywhere he serves was obvious. I want to encourage all unit presidents and any other officers who can come, to attend the President’s Round Table on June 25th at 10:00am at Thompson Station UMC and we will finish no later than 12:00 noon (11:30 if possible). We need your input and ideas, what your unit is doing and your success. The enthusiasm generated at this time is contagious. Any unit officers who wish to attend are most welcome. A pot luck lunch will immediately follow and the Executive Committee meeting will begin at 1:00pm.

I hope the unit presidents are sharing the Conference newsletter, The Call, with their unit members. There is valuable information in this newsletter. The latest edition which came out in May contains the registration forms for Mission U, July 14-16 at St. Mark’s in Murfreesboro, and Spiritual Life Retreat, September 9-11, at Beersheba Springs.

The mission studies for Mission U and leaders are excellent. I attended a planning meeting May 21st and am excited about these studies. Conference wanted us to know that Mission U is open to all United Methodists, not just active UMW members. Some of the clergy have remarked that UMW has the most well rounded studies and the rest of the church is missing out.

The Conference Spiritual Life Retreat is shaping up to be another great experience and spiritual boost; a great time for learning and fellowship with time to appreciate God’s Creation. The study book is, “All Creation Sings, The Voice of God in Nature”, written by J. Ellsworth Kalas. Books will be available at Mission U and at Beersheba. Joyce Clark will be our leader. The District has some $100 scholarships available for first time attendees for both events. Check with Peggy Owen for more information and forms. There were scholarship forms in the Presidents packet mailed in January. Some Columbia District units are holding events and inviting all of us to join them. Please be sure to check these out elsewhere in this newsletter. God’s Grace, Blessings, and Peace, Sue Nelson President Columbia District UMW

931-381-2913 931-505-0506 nelsonlynn@att.net

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HELPFUL WEBSITES AND OTHER INFO Columbia District UMW: coldisumw.weebly.com. Tennessee Conference UMW site: www.tnumw.org

National UMW site: umwomen.org

Program Resources: umwmissionresources.org.

UMC Columbia District Office Email: coldist@tnumc.org

VICE PRESIDENT

District Annual Meeting Plans Underway

District Annual Meeting/ September 17, 2016/ Lewisburg United Methodist Church/ Lewisburg, TN

This year’s theme is Growing in Blessedness. I hope to acknowledge in some way an example of how each unit

has been blessed or been a blessing. During the year please make an effort to recognize an experienced blessing received

and shared. Reminders will come in later news letter and a registration form will be included.

Lois Azar, Columbia District Vice President

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EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION

Please make sure you are keeping your Living the Vision information up to date. Have it ready to report in August. Forms are due August, 15th.

Patsy Elliott, 212 Foxley Ct., Nolensville, TN 37135.

Pelliottquilter@comcast.net , 615-283-8785

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TREASURER

Partners In Mission Dinner: Approximately 70 people attended the District Partners in Mission Dinner/Program. Everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner and the warm hospitality of the United Methodist Women at Columbia First United Methodist Church. We had really good participation by the pastors in our district.

Brian Ferguson of Under The Tree Missions delivered a heartfelt and uplifting message about his work. We collected a love offering for his work in the amount of $1,033.00

Our thanks go out to everyone who helped make this event a success. We especially appreciate the work of Judy Davis in organizing this evening. Unfortunately, she was unable to be with us due to the death of her Father. Please keep her in your prayers.

Peggy Owen, Columbia District Treasurer

1116 Maddox Road

Centerville, TN 37033

931-729-5687 owenpeggy@gmail.com

Corrections and Additions to District Directory

1. Dee Stewart, Spiritual Life Coordinator, New e-mail address padstewart1940@yahoo.com 2. Carol Perryman, address change: 875 Hull Ave., Lewisburg, TN 37091 3. Penny Christoph, Social Action Coordinator, address change: 337 Hickory Circle

If there are other corrections please contact me at tonybeyer@yahoo.com.

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Mission Studies & Mini-Spiritual Retreat Lewisburg First United Methodist UMW: Mini-Spiritual Retreat/”Faith, Hope, and Love”/ June 11, 2016/Pot Luck/ 9:30 – 1:00 Columbia First United Methodist UMW: Spiritual Growth Mini Retreat/ August 22, 2016 / Leader/Speaker: Majorie Black/Registration 8:30-9:00 am. There will be light refreshments consisting of coffee, juice, muffins and fruit in the morning and again at break. The retreat will end at 12:00 noon. No pot luck.

Franklin First United Methodist UMW: UMW Mission Study scheduled for July 30, 2016; 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.: “Created for Happiness, Understanding Your Life in God”. All interested women are welcome to attend. Angela

Overstreet will facilitate. We will serve a box lunch for $10.00. You will need to pre-register on our website so we have

a count for lunch & any dietary restrictions. Pay at the door. In order to preregister we will need your church name &

district name. We will not have childcare. The website to preregister is www.franklinfumc.org. The preregistration link

should be live by June 10th. The study will be held in Asbury Hall at Franklin First UMC main campus at 120 Aldersgate

Way, Franklin, TN 37069. Questions regarding registration, call Debbie or Jody at 615-794-2734.

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2016 DISTRICT CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

DATE TIME EVENT LOCATION

Sat, Jun 25, 2016 10:00 AM Presidents Round Table *Thompson Station UMC directions on back pg.

Sat, Jun 25, 2016 1:00 PM Dist. Executive Team Mtg. Thompson Station UMC

Sat, Sep 17, 2016 9:00 AM Columbia District Annual Meeting Lewisburg First UMC

(Reg. 8:30-9:00 AM)

COLUMBIA DISTRICT OFFICERS: Pres: Sue Nelson, 125 Sunnyside Lane, Columbia 38401, 931-381-2913, nelsonlynn@att.net V Pres: Lois Azar, 408 Lookout Dr, Columbia 38401, 931-381-0829, loisazar@bellsouth.net

Sec: Jennifer Scoble, 1200 Holly Hill Dr.,Franklin 37064, jenniferscoble58@gmail.com

Treas: Peggy Owen, 1116 Maddox Rd, Centerville 37033, 931-729-5687, owenpeggy@gmail.com Soc Action: Penny Christoph, 337 Hickory Circle, Lewisburg, 931-359-6768, thegypsy@onemain.com

Sp Growth: Dee Stewart, 211 SE Forrest Ln, Chapel Hill, 37034, 931-580-7689, dee_stewart422016@outlook.com

E I: Patsy Elliott, 212 Foxley Ct., Nolensville, 37135, 615-283-8785, pelliottquilter@comcast.net MNO: Judy Davis, P. O. Box 1016, Spring Hill, 37174, 931-486-3233, jldavis71391@att.net

Prog Res: Beth Chunn, 413 S Horton Pkwy, Chapel Hill 37034, 931-364-2604, bethchunn@hotmail.com

Com Co: Nancy Beyer, 1686 Franklin Pk., Lewisburg, 37091, 931-359-3262, tonybeyer@yahoo.com Nom Ch: Betty Ann Ogilvie, 834 Galloway St, Lewisburg, 37091, 931-359-4474, ogil@mcis.us

Nom ’16: Carol Perryman, 1450 Kent Cove Lewisburg 37091, 931-359-4993, Ralph_perryman@bellsouth.net

Nom ‘17: Tina Kester, 4831 Bethesda Rd, Thompsons Station, 37179, 615-268-8790, kestert@yahoo.com Nom ’17: Aline Wesley, 1508 Covington Dr, Brentwood, 37027, 615-370-3080.

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Conference Dates to Remember June 12-15 Tennessee Annual Conference Brentwood UMC, Nashville

July 13-16 Mission U Event Day Classes @ St. Marks UMC, Murfreesboro

Night Classes @ Gordon Memorial UMC, Nashville

August 6 Executive Meeting Centertown UMC/

Cookeville District

September 9-11 Spiritual Life Retreat Beersheba

October 15 Annual Meeting Centertown UMC/Centertown,TN

3 Cookeville District

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Conference Officers for 2016

President: Margaret Fisher, 1558 Barrett Dr., Clarksville, 37043, mboyd@clarksville.net

Vice President: Jerlean Bass, 4965 Alexis Dr., Antioch, 37013, jerleanb@hotmail.com

Secretary: Eva Byard, 2467 Antioch Church Rd., Clarksville, 37040, ebyard1959@bellsouth.net

Treasurer: Karen Maynard, 1600 Lakeshore Dr., Murfreesboro, 37160, karenabmaynard@gmail.com

E&I: Beverly Duke, 240 Raven Bluff Rd., Lawrenceburg, 38464, beverlyduke@charter.net

MNO: Mary Swafford, 353c Cummings Ln., Gallatin, 37066, swaffos@att.net

Soc. Action: Aquilla Lillard, 6700 Arno Allisona Rd., College Grove,37046, annaquilla@gmail.com

Sp. Growth: Olive Davenport, 710 Hill Ave., Lot 7, Nashville, 37210, treenorris02@gmail.com

Prog. Resources: Ester Sims, 204 New Rock Creek Rd., Tullahoma, 37388, auntejs@yahoo.com

Communications : Sheila Suddeth, 3225 Masonwood Drive, Nashville, 37207, suddeth40@hotmail.com Nominations Chair: Donna Dilts, 72 Beverly Hills Circle, Crossville, 38555

Gift Legacy News Letter

Greetings from United Methodist Women! For almost 150 years United Methodist Women has been faith, hope, and love

in action on behalf of women, children, and youth around the world.

“From those women who have money, much is expected, for in their hands lies the power to make the dumb speak; the

power to make the silent pen use its magic force; the power to scatter far and wide the knowledge of our demands; the

power to bring together the eloquent voice and the listening ear; the reading eye and the written word. From those women

to whom much has been given, much is expected…” Matilda Joslyn Gage, “A World of Work,” National Citizen and

Ballot Box, May 1880, p. 2

Ms. Gage edited The National Citizen and Ballot Box, which was the National Woman Suffrage Association newspaper.

She wrote those words in 1880, when not a single United States woman with money had made a serious pledge to

women’s rights in the thirty-plus years of the movement’s existence.

Our predecessors in the mission movement had already been hard at work for 11 years, however, asking women to give

and pledge what they could to meet the needs of women, children, and youth. Some of those women could give as little

as 2 cents a week. Some of them had already established permanent funds – funds which still generate more than $1.3

million a year in interest to support our mission work today.

Much has indeed been given to each of us. Much is still needed from each of us, because the needs of women, children,

and youth are yet not fully met.

To help you learn more about ways to meet those mission needs through planning your giving – perhaps planning a gift

to United Methodist Women -- there is a great deal of information on the website, http://umwgift.org/. Please contact the

National Office if we can be of assistance to you in any way (swilder@unitedmethodistwomen.org; 512-773-8078). On

behalf of the people we serve, thank you!

Sandy Wilder

Major and Planned Giving Program

United Methodist Women National Office

Thank you for your interest in United Methodist Women and in planned giving. To access any of our resources, please go

to our website.

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News from Franklin First United Methodist Women:

The UMW will join with the Creation Care team and offer a Social Action recommended study for six weeks called “A

Hopeful Earth – Faith, Science, & the Message of Jesus” starting June 8, 2016.

The UMW supported the “Run for Missions” by providing baked goods & running. The money raised will benefit the

“Meals on Wheels” program.

We have a new circle; they chose the name Ruth. This brings us up to 6 Circles.

We had a table at the Connect Groups Fair and 15 women indicated interest in the UMW.

The UMW will be supporting “Project Transformation” by donating books for their reading program and by being

readers. We will also be providing food for Family Fun Night at one of the locations.

The Quilting Circle has made over 85 quilts for new born babies here at Franklin First UMC.

PURPOSE

The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose

PURPOSE is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to

develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through

participation in the global ministries of the church.

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Directions to Thompson Station United Methodist Church: Address: 1517 Thompson’s Station Road West Directions: From Columbia go north on Hwy. 31 through Spring Hill to Thompson’s Station Rd.

and turn left. The church should be on your left.

Directions from I- 840: From west, exit I- 840 at Hwy 31 and go south to Thompson’s Station Rd. and turn

right. From east, exit I- 840 at Hwy 31 and go south to Thompson’s Station Rd. and turn right. Church should

be on left.

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