Every unit of United Methodist Women is encouraged to become a Mission Today Unit. The purpose is to:
1) Encourage the use of mission resources throughout the organization;
2) Increase contact between units and mission personnel and project, thus helping units understand
where their money goes;
3) Expand concepts of mission including social justice as mission;
4) Energize United Methodist Women to be more involved in mission through prayer, study and
action.
In the North Carolina conference, there are three levels of recognition for Mission Today Units.
In order to be a Mission Today Unit, do one of the following:
1. Complete 12 of the following items, including 4 of those marked with an asterisk (*), to be a BasicMission Today Unit.
2. Complete at least 3 additional items to be a Silver Mission Today Unit.
3. Complete all 20 of the items to be a Gold Mission Today Unit.
Note: For units with 15 members or less, a Basic Mission Today Unit would complete 10 items;
a Silver Mission Today Unit would complete at least 14 items; and a Gold Mission Today Unit would complete at least 18 items.
For all levels, these must include at least 4 items marked with an asterisk (*).
ITEMS FOR COMPLETION:
- * Use the Prayer Calendar or Children’s Prayer Calendar at each general meeting of the unit
to pray for persons in mission and mission work.
- * The unit will use two programs from the Program Book during the year.
- * The local unit or circle will participate in at least one mission study each year.
- * The unit will implement the Charter for Racial Justice in at least one way during the year.
Possibilities are:
- Have members read books and articles about other races and cultures.
- Sponsor an inter-ethnic event between two or more units.
- Recruit women of color to be members or officers of the unit.
- Write to elected representatives to support legislation affecting issues such as immigration, affirmative action, low-income programs, civil rights, etc.
- Participate in a Hands on Justice event.
- * The unit will make and meet its Pledge to Mission.
- * The unit will be a Seven Star Unit, contributing to seven avenues of undesignated giving.
- The unit will increase its Pledge to Mission for the coming year.
- * The unit will have at least 2 members subscribing to Response magazine.
- Each unit and circle meeting will include a “Response Moment” where an item from
Response magazine or New World Outlook magazine will be lifted up as a way to tell the
mission story.
- * Members will correspond with five persons listed in the Prayer Calendar.
- * The unit will add a new member to its roll.
- At least one member of the unit will attend the Conference School of Christian Mission.
- At least two members of the unit will attend the District and Conference Annual Meetings.
- At least one member of the unit (other than a conference or district officer) will attend the
Conference Spiritual Enrichment Retreat.
- The unit will have or the unit will sponsor at least one person at the Mother/Child Retreat
and/or 39 & Under Event.
- The unit will have at least one person joining the United Methodist Women’s Action
Network to receive and respond to legislative information at least 3 times per year.
(To join,
contact UMW Social Action Network, Women’s Division Washington Office, 100 Maryland
Ave NE, Box 57, Washington, DC 20002. Include your email address.)
- The unit will co-sponsor, with the local church, a Children’s Sabbath. This is a worship
service highlighting the needs of children. The Women’s Division and the Council of Bishops
support this effort.
Contact the Children’s Defense Fund for materials at 25 E St. NW;
Washington, DC 20001, or phone (202)628-8787.
- Each unit will either contribute to or participate in a District Mission Event by contributing to
or visiting the site of a mission project in one of the following categories on their own:
- A national project supported by funds from Women’s Division
- One of the projects listed on the North Carolina Conference Project Sheet.
- At least two members of the unit will participate in the Reading Program.
- Each unit will provide at least three school, health, or sewing kits to at least one of the
mission projects on the North Carolina Conference Project Sheet.
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