News of the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Women March, 2013
Reflection We pray that we would fulfill our duty as Christians; our duty to serve, to give, to love, to forgive. When we pursue this other-centered living, we find our highest good. We experience happiness. May we allow our faith to make us truly happy.—Rev. Kim Wells, Lakewood United Church of Christ, St Petersburg, FL
Serve – for Lent The Great Day of Service Saturday, March 9, 9:00 am to noon The UMW’s timing couldn’t be better—our Great Day of Service is in the middle of Lent. While UMW hosts this annual event, we are ALL called to serve: men, women, young and old. So join us and bring your friends. We’ll gather in the vestry and work on a variety of projects that serve people locally and across the globe. Help put together health kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief, meals for the Salvation Army’s Grate Patrol or “bags of grace” for Friendship Place. Help design “care cards” for members of our church or help cook meals for our shelter residents. We’re open to other ideas. Continental breakfast and munchies will be provided. Let us know if there’s something else you’d like to do. Questions or comments? Contact Maura Porcelli at Maura.porcelli@gmail.com or Suzanne Vieth at msvieth@verizon.net.
Girls Rising, a film Girls Rising is a documentary that follows the stories of nine girls from nine countries and their struggles to claim their right to education, to self-determination and even the right to be free from bondage. At this time Girls Rising is in limited theatrical release; screenings are scheduled in our area at theatres in Silver Spring and Friendship Heights, to name a few. Later this spring the film is to be made available to local organizations to sponsor private screenings, and we will be exploring the possibility of having UMW sponsor such a screening in the future. In the meantime, we encourage UMW members to check out the film trailer and information on an upcoming local theatrical screening at http://10x10act.org/girl-rising/ . If you are interested in working to bring this film to UMW or have us partner with another local organization, contact Suzanne Vieth at msvieth@verizon.net.
The Clothesline Project March 23 on the National Mall My Sister’s Place, an organization that provides services to victims of domestic violence, is hosting The Clothesline Project on the Mall (between 14th Street and 12th Street). Survivors tell their stories of abuse, despair, hope, and empowerment by expressing their feelings and experiences of domestic violence through their own art on t-shirts. The shirts are hung on a clothesline. We need your help. Join us to break the silence, as a volunteer or a survivor willing to share your story on a shirt. Contact Jazmin Albarran, Outreach Coordinator, at jalbarran@mysistersplacedc.org or 202-529-5261 x313.