A Moment for Mission
“Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us.” —Ephesians 5:1-2a, CEB
Gum Moon Residence Hall & The Asian Women’s Resource Center in San Francisco was founded in 1868 by Methodist women to provide shelter, education and vocational training for Chinese girls rescued from human trafficking. Over time, it became a home for low-income Chinese women who were either studying or employed, but who could not afford housing. Today, it serves women of all ages and all backgrounds experiencing difficult transitions in their lives.
In addition to the residence hall, where some residents are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or trafficking, Gum Moon also offers family-support programs: playgroups for children from birth to five years, support groups for parents and grandparents raising children, programs for elementary school children and weekend children’s art classes.
Last year, when California closed businesses and ordered in-home sheltering to try to curb the spread of COVID-19, Gloria Tan, executive director of Gum Moon Residence Hall, applied for and received an UMCOR COVID-19 grant to provide grocery and rent assistance, especially for families furloughed from restaurant and hotel jobs during the pandemic.
“My staff conducted wellness check-ins with families, and we devised virtual classes to make sure families had a way to talk about stress,” Tan explained. Staff also met online with children and their parents to continue art classes and other educational offerings.
On Women’s Ministry Sunday, United Methodists celebrate a variety of women’s ministries, women’s history and the contribution of women within and beyond the local church.
Adapted from “Faithful UMC Institutions Stretch to Serve Communities,” Christie R. House, Global Ministries website, August 2020. Used by permission.
Offertory Prayer
Loving God, help us to imitate God like dearly loved children. May we live with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. In your name, we pray. Amen.
From Discipleship Ministries: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost — Patient and Merciful God, we hear your call to live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. Our ears hear these words in our worship; our minds know what they mean; our hearts long to follow them; but we know that tomorrow we will be tempted to slip into the familiar life where we ourselves are at the center of our world and the needs we focus on are almost entirely our own. In our giving this day, help us strengthen our resolve to love as Christ loves us, for it is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. (Ephesians 4:25-5:2)
Newsletter Nugget
Annually, on a date designated by the local congregation, United Methodists have an opportunity to observe Women’s Ministry Sunday.
The special day is designed to celebrate a variety of women’s ministries, women’s history and the contribution of women within and beyond the local church. This includes, but is not limited to, chartered and unchartered United Methodist Women units, Emmaus communities composed of women, work teams, prayer groups, Bible studies, study and enrichment groups, Moms of Preschoolers (MOPS) units, and other places and organizations where women of The United Methodist Church gather for fellowship, nurture, spiritual development, witness and outreach.
Resources for Women’s Ministry Sunday may be available through a variety of organizations or may be developed through the local church, depending on the groups that choose to participate.
Every day, but especially on Women’s Ministry Sunday, consider your congregation’s ministries by, for and with women. Celebrate their vital roles in your church and beyond—and give thanks.
Adapted from The Book of Discipline 2016, Par. 264.5
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