wfn.org | Women's Division Meets

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3237 notes).

Note 3237 by UMNS on Oct. 16, 1996 at 15:54 Eastern (3861 characters).

SEARCH: United Methodist Women, Women's Division, HIV/AIDS, Child
labor, exploitation, teenage, sexuality 
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT:  Linda Bloom                            523(10-71B){3237}
          New York (212)870-3803                     Oct. 16, 1996

Social, spiritual needs remain
focus of United Methodist Women

     NEW YORK (UMNS) -- From the dispatching of missionaries more
than 125 years ago to postcard lobbying as part of a recent
Campaign for Children, United Methodist Women always has come
forward "to meet the need of that particular day," according to
Sara Shingler, president.
     During the Oct. 11-14 meeting of its administrative body, the
United Methodist Board of Global Ministries' Women's Division,
those needs included addressing such issues as HIV/AIDS, child
labor exploitation and teenage sexuality.
     Women's Division directors approved a $15,000 grant to The
Balm in Gilead, a secular, not-for-profit organization that aims
to prevent further transmission of HIV/AIDS among African-
Americans and mobilizes the religious community to address that
issue effectively. The grant supports a Dec. 4 fundraiser, "Jessye
Norman Sings for the Healing of AIDS," at Riverside Church here.
     Directors also agreed to join a coalition of consumer, labor,
religious and child advocacy groups in what is being called the
"Foulball" campaign.
     The campaign targets the soccer ball industry, which imports
80 percent of the balls sold in the United States from a small
region in Eastern Pakistan, where child laborers work under
abusive conditions. "Foulball" calls upon the Federation
International of Football Associations to not sanction for use any
ball whose manufacturer has not been regularly inspected in
accordance with UNICEF guidelines.
     A $10,000 grant was approved toward the production of the
"Desire Documentary Video and Book Project" on teen pregnancy,
which will be aired on PBS at a future date.
     For a $100 contribution, directors decided to add the
organization's name to "Christians Call for a Shared Jerusalem,"
an effort being led by Churches for Middle East Peace.
     The result of that effort will be a full-page ad in the New
York Times sometime after the November elections, supporting a
negotiated solution for Jerusalem "that respects the human and
political rights of both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the
rights of the three religious communities."
     Much of the Women's Division meeting was devoted to
continuing orientation for new directors, emphasizing both the
practical and spiritual tasks ahead.
     Deputy General Secretary Joyce Sohl, in her report, reminded
directors that the Christian faith is "hope-filled" and called
upon them to be "transformative" leaders.
     "If we are to be leaders that are transformative, we must
over and over again articulate our vision of an alternative
society," she explained. "We must publicly express the hopes of
the oppressed and marginalized; we must 'hope for what we do not
see and wait for it with patience' (Romans 8:25) and, I would add,
persistence ... "
      Sohl added that directors must "carefully, thoughtfully and
prayerfully through education and action help our members and
potential members have the will, courage and energy to speak in
word and deed the message of hope and transformation needed in our
world."
     In a presentation on the "State of the World's Women," Sandy
Schilen, director of the National Congress of Neighborhood Women,
urged the division to work with grassroots networks such as her
own to advance women's leadership and partnerships in tackling
important social issues.
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