Spiritual & Theological Development
The Women's Division provides resources that support United Methodist Women members in their spiritual lives through spiritual growth web sites; Bible studies at events and online; yearly reading lists; and training events to explore reaching United Methodist Women through retreats and inspirational events.
Leadership Development
The Women's Division provides and supports leadership development of its members to give women of all racial, ethnic, language and economic groups the opportunity to realize their full potential and to participate in the life of the church and society. We offer leadership development programs for teen women and college/university women; leadership training programs for conference and district leadership; resources and training for Hispanic, Korean and women of other language groups; and computer-based organizational resources to help develop women as leaders in the organization and society.
Mission Education
The Division believes that mission needs to be carried out with education, preparation, action and advocacy, and mutual learning and partnerships. The Division's Ubuntu Explorers program enables women in the United States to partner with women around the world to experience others' lives on a short-term basis. The Division sponsors Schools of Christian Mission that educate 25,000 United Methodists each year. Books published by the Division educate members on spiritual growth, social issues, and geographic areas. The Division also offers a reading program with thought-provoking books for reflection and discussion and plans several national events incorporating education and action for lay women, including the quadrennial Assembly, legislative events, national seminar, a public education summit and more.
Finance and Resource Development
Division-supported mission programs and projects are possible because of individual women's gifts to mission through "undesignated giving," now called "Mission Giving." Close to $20 million comes from United Methodist Women annually to the Women's Division for use around the world. These gifts do not include another $5 million collected and used by individual units. The funding received through undesignated giving is disbursed by a volunteer board of directors who respond to emerging needs and explore historical, new and experimental mission programs with women and children. Undesignated giving (or Mission Giving) allows United Methodist Women to respond where the need is the greatest and to work in partnership with organizations doing similar work. Other mission funding includes the program of United Methodist Women; retirement benefits and pensions of mission workers; volunteer opportunities of United Methodist Women to empower them in mission work; advocacy in alignment with the denomination's stances on behalf of women and children; and international and national mission with women, children and youth.
Membership and Nurture
The Women's Division is committed to finding new ways to invite and involve women in our 135-plus year old organization with nearly one-million members. We work to ensure inclusiveness and racial/ethnic diversity at all levels of the organization; resource Hispanic and Korean-American members and other emerging language groups; and nurture teen and college/university women. Crossing geographic, demographic, and time boundaries, the Division will introduce an online community in summer 2006.
Racial Justice
Recently, we have witnessed an escalation of hate crimes and the incarceration and execution of a disproportionately high number of racial-ethnic prisoners relative to the total population. In a climate of increased racial hostility, distrust and discrimination, the Division has remained steadfast in its commitment to the eradication of all forms of racial injustice. Our efforts to build a community of women without racial barriers have led us to expand existing programs and assist United Methodist Women in implementing General Conference resolutions that address racial justice; covenant groups and self- monitoring processes within the Division; and racial justice emphases at all levels of the organization.
International Ministries
The International Committee on Women, Children and Youth established the following funding priorities for 2005-2008: leadership development; health, nutrition, and nurture; alleviating violence; church and gender issues; economic development; refugees and displaced persons; education, particularly of the girl child; exploitation of children; poverty; children of war and refugees; and networking and organizing youth movements.
National Ministries
The Committee on National Ministries with Women, Children and Youth focuses primarily on the nearly 100 National Mission Institutions. United Methodist Women are making a difference in the lives of millions of women, children and families served by these institutions through grants to community centers, women's residences, schools and colleges, residential child care centers, health care and counseling centers, student leadership development, and community ministries. Over the next four years, the Division will continue to support these institutions by training boards and staff of the institutions, strengthening the deaconess program, and communicating the work of national mission institutions.
Social Action/Advocacy
The Women's Division interprets the biblical passage from Luke 4:18 as both a model and a mandate for Christian social action and advocacy: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." In this quadrennium, the Division will continue its advocacy work on peace and justice, education, racial justice and immigrant civil rights, the environment, economic justice, women's health, the rights of children, media monitoring, human rights, and farm workers' rights, to name a few.
In all advocacy efforts, the Division supports its work with a scriptural basis and adheres to the denominational mandates in the Book of Discipline and Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church. Over the next four years, the Division's work will include environmental justice with Conference Green Teams made up of United Methodist Women from across the country; public education advocacy; advocacy for peace; monitoring of voter's rights; immigration issues; civil liberties; and the effects of globalization on women and children. The Division works in partnership with coalitions on many justice issues to extend its reach and not duplicate work.
