Purpose of Promoting the Mission Today Unit is to:
| Encourage use of mission resources throughout the organization |
| Increase contact between units and mission personnel and mission projects, thus helping units understand where their money goes; |
| Expand concepts of mission including social justice as mission; |
| Energize United Methodist Women to be more involved in mission through prayer, study and action. |
To become a Mission Today
Unit, the unit must meet ten of the following criteria, including five of those
marked with an asterisk (*). The criteria are to be fulfilled each year.
Please check those criteria the unit completed.
*1. Use the Prayer
Calendar at each general meeting of the unit to pray for people in mission work
with women, children, and youth.
*2. The unit will make and meet its pledge to mission.
*3. The unit will add at least two members to its roll.
*4. The unit will have at least two members subscribing to Response
magazine.
*5. The unit will use two programs from the Program book.
*6. The unit, circle, or subgroup will conduct at least one Mission Study a
year.
*7. The unit will implement the Charter for Racial Justice Policies in at least
two ways during the year.
Some suggested plans of action:
·
Plan a joint unit meeting with a unit
of a different racial/ethnic background, using programs from the Program Book.
·
Develop bi-racial/cultural or
multi-racial/cultural Koinonia groups.
·
Hold a joint Vacation Bible School.
·
Hold pulpit exchanges.
·
Share joint worship services on special
occasions.
·
Encourage the church to sponsor a
refugee family.
8. At least one member of the
unit (other than a conference or district officer) will attend the conference or
district School of Christian Mission.
9. At least two members (other than a conference or district officer) will
attend the district or conference annual meeting.
10. The unit will have at least one person join the United Methodist Women’s
Action Network to receive and respond to legislative information.
11. Members shall write to five people listed in the Prayer Calendar at least
twice a year.
12. The unit will participate in the Campaign for Children in at least two
ways.
Possibilities for action:
·
Help sponsor a church or community
program related to children and youth needs.
·
Sponsor a Children’s Sabbath promoted
by the Children’s Defense Fund.
·
Get involved with children in
mentoring, tutoring, and “big sisters” programs.
·
Write letters, e-mail, or call
congressional representatives and/or others in government regarding children’s
issues.
·
Visit your local schools.
·
Attend a school board meeting.
·
Learn how our schools are funded.
13. The unit will be a Five
Star unit, contributing to all five channels of Undesignated Giving.
14. The unit will select a project from the Women’s Division’s Material
Resources for Mission Catalog and will contribute the needed materials to the
mission project.
15. Each unit, circle, or subgroup will include a Response moment where
an article from Response magazine will be lifted up as a way to tell the
mission story. New World Outlook magazine provides another way to tell
the mission story.
16. Have at least two people from the unit, circle, or subgroup complete one of
the Reading Program Plans and report on one of the books read, encourage all
members to complete Plan One, have a book review program.
17. The unit will invite a district or conference officer, other than that of a
member of the unit, to one of the unit meetings during the year.
A printable form to report success is available by clicking here: (PDF) or (DOC).