By Katherine Kim

United Methodist Women from Korean UMC of Santa Clara Valley assemble hygiene kits for UMCOR relief and education programs.

If you were in a disaster, had to suddenly leave your home without any personal belongings, and stores were not open for business, how would you take care of your basic hygiene needs?

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has developed standard hygiene kits, which provide basic necessities to people who have been forced to leave their homes because of human conflict or natural disaster.  Hygiene kits are also used as learning tools in personal hygiene, literacy, nutrition, and cooking classes. 

The UMW group of Korean UMC of Santa Clara Valley assembled 100 UMCOR hygiene kits, and sent the kits to the UMCOR Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana in September, 2021.   After the first shipment was sent to UMCOR, a group of Korean United Methodist Church women donated enough money to make another 100 hygiene kits, which we sent to the UMCOR Depot later that same month.

We were all very happy to do the work to help those who need the hygiene kits, and it was a good chance to get together during this time of Covid.

The contents of UMCOR Hygiene Kits are:

• One hand towel 
• One washcloth
• One comb
• One toenail or fingernail clipper
• Bath-size soap (3 oz. bar or larger)
• One adult tooth brush
• 10 adhesive bandages
• One one-gallon size resealable bag

We also include a check for the total amount of hygiene kits times $2 per kit, for the cost of tooth paste and shipping to Sager Brown.

More information about UMCOR Hygiene Kits can be found at https://umcmission.org/umcor-hygiene-kit/.

By Lynn Hermoso

El Camino Real District sends our congratulations to Dion Roberts, Director of Mary Elizabeth Inn for her 10th Year Anniversary with MEI.

Dion is a United Methodist Woman and has kept the UMW vision alive.   Her passion, dedication, and willingness to deal with all the administration duties in order to keep MEI running has been a blessing to the residents.

Mary Elizabeth Inn, in San Francisco, is one of our UMW National Institutions that ECRD supports.

To learn more of MEI: www.meinn.org

Dear Lynn,

Thank you so much for acknowledging my 10-year anniversary with MEI in the El Camino Real District newsletter.  I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness.  I am pleased to have achieved this many years with MEI.  The UM women from both the National Office and the local level have been immensely supportive of the organization and a great encouragement to me.   At times when I am able to, I have shared how coming to work for MEI provided more than just professional fulfillment, but also spiritual and personal fulfillment due to the sincere mission of the UMW to help women in need.  I am honored to serve alongside the UMW.

I appreciate the entire MEI board for recognizing my tenure with a bonus, beautiful plants, and cards filled with words of encouragement.

With much gratitude,

Dion Roberts
Executive Director
Mary Elizabeth Inn

by Katherine Kim

United Methodist Women from Korean UMC of Santa Clara Valley and New Creation UMC (Campbell, CA) made warm fleece scarves for people in need around the world.

The UMW groups at Korean UMC of Santa Clara Valley in San Jose, and New Creation UMC in Campbell, CA. joined together in mission to make and send over 730 hand-made items, including over 650 fleece scarves.  These scarves will keep people warm in cold weather for the people of Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, Arizona Hopi Indians, and Kazakhstan. 

As our UMW groups were making scarves together, we all shared our love with our group as well as helping people to whom we are sending the scarves.  We were all happy to serve. 

We had been planning this project for a while, so I had purchased much of the fleece material through the year at good prices.

We donated fleece scarves and other warm items to the following organizations:

1. Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference:  We shipped to a local representative 465 fleece scarves, 10 knitted baby sweaters, 17 knitted hats, 4 knitted scarves.
2. Arizona Hopi Indians (Navajo Nations):  My church Senior Minister Rev. Kwon and our Mission Committee chair visited Arizona Hopi Indians in November 2021. They brought 70 fleece scarves, 10 knitted hats, 5 knitted scarves.
3. Kazakhstan: The missionary Ms. Helen Park is returning to Kazakhstan in late November 2021 after recovering from COVID19. We have sent two boxes of items for her to distribute, with 120 Fleece Scarves, 20 knitted Hats, and 10 knitted scarves.

Isaiah 58:7 says: …When you see the naked, to clothe him…

I think God wants us to do good deeds, not just do rituals like fasting in a meaningless way.  Thanks to be God.

By Nancy Olson, First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto

Have you heard of United Methodist Women? Did you know that it is an organization that works beside The United Methodist Church? And that to be a member, a woman must just decide she wants to belong to and participate in the global mission of the church through United Methodist Women, and to commit herself to the PURPOSE*.  (Membership in the church is not required!)

You might never have attended a UMW small group activity, or read a book in the UMW Reading Program, or really given much thought about the organization.  But by deciding to be part of UMW, you are part of:

• a large national organization,
• global mission projects in remote lands as well as programs across our own country in support of women, children and families,
• district and state organizations working on women’s rights, racial justice and climate justice.  

Augustinho Indigenous Public School, Bororó Village, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Photo © Nile Sprague 2017

WOW – that’s a lot.  What’s more, the work goes on day after month after year.  No stopping for pandemics.  The UMW has an impressive, historical record for supporting women’s rights.  And it is all being done in YOUR name!

In many individual United Methodist Churches, there is a small group of women who come together in a social gathering to carry on the work of the organization by supporting mission projects, and by educating ourselves.  So much more could be done locally, with your help.

Did you know that the UMW Reading Program promotes reading current books in specific areas?  We are annually encouraged to choose to read books

• promoting Spiritual Growth (books to bring personal comfort in times of stress),
• on different geographical areas of the world (so we understand news stories in the world)
• on social action (so we understand needs outside our own experience, and can take appropriate action – like writing action letters or voting)
• a book of the Bible (to keep us attuned to God’s word and relevance today)
• on leadership development (women should not remain silent in the church)

We are encouraged to join women across the United States who are reading similar books in an effort for Methodist Women to be educated on many subjects so we can speak and act with knowledge.

Right now our Methodist Church is going through an identity crisis.  Within the next year there will be a final vote that quite possibly will split the denomination.  During all the deliberations and disagreements, the UMW has remained steadfast in keeping a unified group, welcoming ALL God’s children.

I am so proud and humbled to be part of this great organization.  Please consider joining us.

Nancy Olson
First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto

(Article adapted from original version published in FUMC Palo Alto newsletter.)

*The PURPOSE of United Methodist Women:  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.