A message from our Nationals.

Over the past five years, the United Methodist Women census has moved beyond just a numbers-reporting tool to more of a questionnaire about the health and vitality of United Methodist Women units. As a result, we now call the census the unit survey. This year, we are asking unit presidents to select the area(s) in which their members and units are thriving. This will help define what it means to thrive at the local and district level and inform the national office and conference leadership on strengths and areas for improvement. Please promote the 2020 Unit Survey through all of your channels and encourage district leaders to get their units in the database, as this is our last reporting before the 2021 General Conference. The deadline is March 30, 2021. The 2020 Unit Survey link is unitedmethodistwomen.org/census2020.

Precarious Working Conditions

In this passage, Saul is searching for guidance.  His main source of guidance, the Prophet Samuel, has died.  He cannot go to the priests because of his own past actions.  He ends up going to a woman who fears for her life.  She works as a medium, one of the occupations banned by Saul.  By staying and working, she is risking her life.  She has to wonder if this is a trick to catch her up.

Because of his own actions, Saul can't get advice from the usual sources, he also feels that he is cut off from God at this point.  So, to get the advice he seeks, Saul goes behind "enemy lines" and against his own laws to inquire from a medium. 

To feel safer, Saul is disguised. He asks her to contact Samuel for him.  She realizes exactly who he is and tells him he has lied to her.  In spite of her justified fear, she helps Saul.

Ruled by Compassion

When Saul receives word from Samuel that he faces certain death, he fall to the floor in fear.  Instead of abandoning him to his fear, the unnamed woman cares for him.  She has him put to bed, has her servants slaughter a fatted calf, bakes unleavened bread and feeds him this meal after he has rested.  

Where Saul is ruled by fear, the unnamed woman at Endor is ruled by compassion and hospitality.  She exhibits courage in calling out Saul for lying to her and strength in doing her work with dignity.  She shows caring and compassion when Saul collapses.  In spite of all the obstacles placed in her way, the woman continues her work and her care for those in her household, extending that care even to the one who sought to end her work.

Finding work, and the requirements needed to work, have changed over the years.  Think back to what your first job was. What was required of you at that time?  Could you find a job with those same skills today?  Would it be the same type of application process?  What new opportunities have opened for women?

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action -. . . . .- in part

"Women's poverty is directly related to the absence of economic opportunities and autonomy, lack of access to economic resources, including credit, land ownership and inheritance, lack of access to education and support services and their minimal participation in the decision-making process.  Poverty can also force women into situations in which they are vulnerable to sexual exploitation."

Resources from the program book

• UMW has a "Living Wage" Map to help you explore our state's minimum wage rate and how much a person would need to make per hour to earn a living wage.  www.uitedmethodistwomen.org/living-wage-map
• A click through link from the UMW "Living Wage" Map is the MIT Living Wage Calculator. From experience, for those in Clark county, you can also check out the "Portland Metropolitin Area" in which we are included.  Looking at both areas that overlap gives a better picture of what is needed.
• The "Affordable Housing" tool that allowed you to explore your zip code or metro area to find out how many households pay more than 30% of their income for rent is no longer available.  The domain is up for sale.

Book of the Month

LET’S WORK!:
MEXICAN FOLK ART: TRABAJOS
CYNTHIA WEILL AND BRYANT BOUCHER
CINCO PUNTOS PRESS (2019)
This early-concept bilingual book brings every kind of job to life,
including the work of the dedicated palm weavers of Flavio Gallardo’s
workshop, whose miniature palm weavings illustrate this playful book
while teaching words for “work” in two languages. You can hold the
woven illustrations in the palm of your hand—most pieces are no
bigger than a dime! (Please use caution with children under three.)

Another good read that fits with this month's program but no longer qualifies as part of the reading program is Nickle and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

Date Reminders

CALENDAR 2020 - these are tentative and subject to change as circumstances change.

These are the dates from the Conference Calendar:

2021 PNW UMW Conference Calendar

• January 16, 2021 Winter Conf. UMW Exec Meeting Zoom  9 a.m. – 12 noon
• January 28-30, 2021 Conf. UMW Leadership Dev. Days Zoom
• January 30, 2021 Spokane Legislative Conference Zoom 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• February 11, 2021 WA Interfaith Advocacy Day Zoom
• February 23-24, 2021 Idaho Legislative Event Boise FUMC Boise, Idaho
• March 19-20, 2021 Spring Spiritual Day Apart Zoom meeting - details to follow.
• June 10-13, 2021 UMC Annual Conference TBD
• July 28-29, 2021 Summer Conf. UMW Exec Meeting Selah UMC, WA (?)
• July 29-August 1, 2021 Mission u Wesley UMC, Yakima, WA
• September 2021 Puget Sound Missional District TBD Annual Meeting
• September 2021 Crest to Coast Missional District TBD
• Annual Meeting
• September 18, 2021 Inland Missional District Annual Mtg. TBD
• September 18, 2021 Seven Rivers Missional District Chelan, WA   Annual Meeting
• September 2021 SeaTac Missional District TBD
• Annual Meeting
• October 14-15, 2021 Fall Conf. UMW Exec Meeting TBD
• October 15-16, 2021 Conf. UMW Annual Meeting TBD
• May 20-22, 2022 Assembly Orlando, FL
• 2024 Western Jurisdiction Quadrennial Mtg. TBD

If you have any other information that you want me to put here, please let me know by calling (360) 609-0503 or emailing me at lmilner2016@gmail.com .

Final Thoughts

Keep working on your "knit together" project, whatever you (or your group) chose to work on.

You can choose for this to be the beginning of sharing about the importance of women's work, advocating for women who work, working to stop the human trafficking of women who just want to work in better conditions, etc....... 

To what extent are you going to get involved?  How far will you go for the dignity of women's work? 

The choice is up to you.