UMW News
Stay up-to-date on our latest news and events
Upcoming Events
2022 UMW Legislative Event
Children’s Underwear Drive
United Methodist Women (Joy Circle) will be collecting donations of children’s underwear in August for public schools here in Austin with substantial populations of underprivileged children, for use when a child has an accident or becomes ill at school. Please contribute new (preferably packaged) underwear for ages 4-12 (including pre-K students), both boys and girls. All sizes are welcome but sizes 4-8 are particularly needed. Look for the collection bins on Sunday mornings this August.
Breathe: 2021 UMW Virtual Legislative Event
Saturday-Tuesday, January 23-26, 2021
United Methodist Women’s Legislative Event will be online January 23-26. This annual event will still include keynote speakers, presentations from leading policy advocates, worship and opportunities for fellowship with United Methodist Women across Texas—but this year, you can enjoy it from the comfort of your home or office! All sessions will be recorded and available to registered participants for replay. The 2021-2024 UMW social justice priorities include: 1) mass incarceration/criminalization of communities of color, with a particular focus on interrupting the School to Prison Pipeline campaign and 2) climate justice, with a particular focus on the Just Energy 4 All campaign.
Register at https://texasimpact.org/umw2021central/.
UMW-2020-Legislative-Priorities
UMW Interfaith Maternal Health Forum
This two-hour program opened our eyes to the statistical impact of maternal mortality as well as the deeply personal human impact of pregnancy-related deaths or near deaths.The afternoon centered on a moderated discussion featuring a panel of experts that represented the multifaceted nature of the maternal health crisis and closed with a plan of action for people of faith to use their voice to amplify solutions and advocate for change.
UMW Circle Up Receives Grant Funding
Circle Up, a subgroup of United Methodist Women at First United Methodist Church Austin, has received a Just and Resilient Communities Grant offered through the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church. Circle Up was formed in 2018 to focus specifically on the UMW priority area of Maternal and Child Health and to advance the objectives of decreasing maternal mortality and developing a network of women’s health advocates.
Currently comprised of 19 members, Circle Up is committed to service, social justice, and supporting healthy motherhood. The circle will use these funds to facilitate a robust effort at developing a statewide interfaith coalition of laypersons, equipped to effectively advocate for maternal health improvements. As part of this effort, this November they will host an interfaith summit on maternal health in Texas.
The goals of the summit are to 1) increase awareness of maternal health outcomes in Texas, 2) build skills in the legislative advocacy process, and 3) form an interfaith coalition of lay persons whose members are equipped to engage in the advocacy needed during the 2021 Texas Legislative session. Congratulations to Circle Up!
The Joy Circle Welcomes You!
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
Zoom
Our United Women in Faith (UWF) Joy Circle invites all interested ladies to join us.