5/22/2019
United Methodist Women are an integral part of many Western PA churches, making a difference particularly by equipping women for leadership skills, supporting mission and working for justice. These women are usually well known in their congregation. The UMW's Conference Leadership Team also makes a difference through their support of mission and advocacy and providing leadership and connection for UMW units. In 2019, there are eight people in new positions on the Conference team. In February, ...
4/23/2019
“Creating opportunities for better lives through Christ-centered service” is the mission of Henderson Settlement. Mission Ambassadors Sandy McKee and Lynn Sibley share some additional experiences from their week there On Tuesday we volunteered to assist in the food pantry that’s open three days a week. Two local women who volunteer there on a regular basis showed us the ropes of bookkeeping, food distribution and neighborly kindness and hospitality. We’d been told that there is much food ...
4/17/2019
WPA Mission Ambassadors Lynn Sibley and Saundra McKee recently traveled to Henderson Settlement, near Red Bird Mission, in Kentucky to learn about ministry and mission opportunities there. They suggest it as a great place for local church or UMW mission teams to go. Here's a report of their experiences. It was a dark and stormy day as we headed out on the 550-mile drive to Henderson Settlement, in Frakes, KY. We’d been to Red Bird a few years back, but had little knowledge of Henderson. We’d ...
3/27/2019
Lynn Sibley and Sandy McKee of Manorville UMC are serving as the 2019-2020 Mission Ambassadors. Here's a report of their first official trip. We made our first trip as Mission Ambassadors to the Ruth M. Smith Center in Sheffield, PA, a ministry of the national UMW organization. We were so impressed with interim director Kim Adams, who took us around the campus, introduced us to staff and residents and answered all our questions. We immediately sensed the loving, caring and homey atmosphere ...
2/19/2019
The Mission Ambassador Program in Western Pennsylvania has been in existence since 1976. It has a long history that includes lay men and women, and clergy men and women called to service. These dedicated disciples commit to travel and learn, then itinerate in WPA and resource local churches and UMW units. Funded by the Conference Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Women, Mission Ambassadors also commit their own resources to the travel experience. Sandy McKee, left, and Lynn ...
11/21/2018
Nearly 100 years old, the Ruth M Smith Center began its ministry as an orphanage. When the need for an orphanage ended in the late 1960’s, the facility changed Of all the places i have lived, this feel like home - Karen McIntyre focus to provide treatment for troubled youth, one step before those youth might be sent to a “reformatory.” Beginning about 1982 a shift in government support led to the development of the Smith Center’s current outreach as a Personal Care Home facility for elderly ...
11/5/2018
All my life I’ve heard leaders refer to the United Methodist Church as a connectional denomination. As a result, when it’s time for a new pastor, a newly appointed pastor is in the pulpit the week after the old pastor moves on. Through our global connection, United Methodists are in ministry and mission in the United States, Africa, Europe, and Asia. We make decisions for the denomination every four years at a General Conference gathering where delegates pray and worship together, receive ...
8/22/2018
Take a break! Sit and rock on the porch and watch the lake. Enjoy leisurely conversations with interesting people around the breakfast table, eating a meal you didn’t have to fix or clean up after. Take in an incredible concert or stimulating lecture. During this last week of the season at the Chautauqua Institution, participants are enjoying these things in a setting that speaks of another time, a different pace, and values that are not always affirmed in today’s world. United Methodist ...
12/13/2017
‘Tis the season for gift giving! We know the ultimate gift to us was God’s Son. We also know how easy it is to get sucked up in the world’s value system, sometimes using gifts to try to prove our love. We live in a time of abundance – and of great need; for many, conspicuous consumption – for others, hunger and not enough to make ends meet. We are bombarded with so much information, it’s tough to sort it all out. So, many times we take the easy way out, ignoring what we say we believe. We ...
2/3/2017
February is Black History Month and presents a good opportunity to learn more about our denomination's historically black colleges and the ways our Conference UMW has helped to tell that story. The historically Black colleges and universities of The United Methodist Church are responsible for educating some active and popular leaders - from preachers, district superintendents and bishops to college professors and presidents to general agency staff, legislators and community leaders. These ...