A Moment for Mission
“Return the joy of your salvation to me and sustain me with a willing spirit.” —Psalm 51:12, CEB
United Methodist churches have a variety of ways to reach out to women in the church and community including through organized United Women in Faith units, women’s Emmaus communities, work teams, prayer groups, Bible studies and study and enrichment opportunities. On Women’s Ministry Sunday, we celebrate women’s ministries, history and contributions within and beyond the local church.
Women have been influential throughout our Methodist history. They have been authorized to preach since 1787! Women have fought for full inclusion in the life of the church, overcoming ordination bans and sexism. Women now serve as bishops, clergy, deaconesses and missionaries, as well as strong lay leaders, helping to expand the ministry of the local church. All are faithful witnesses of the love of God displayed in Jesus Christ.
As we celebrate Women’s Ministry Sunday, your generosity and continued giving to the World Service Fund sustains vital women’s ministry across our denomination. Thank you!
Children’s Message
Today, we celebrate Women’s Ministry Sunday with hearts full of joy and gratitude. Who are some of the women leaders in our church? (Consider inviting some of the women forward ahead of time to share a sentence about the ministries they lead.)
In Psalm 51:12, we’re reminded to ask God to “return the joy of your salvation to me and sustain me with a willing spirit.”
Just like a treasure, joy is a precious gift from God. When these women gather in our church, they reflect the joy that comes from knowing God’s love. They share this joy with others. They remind us that together, we create a world where joy and love abound. Today let’s offer praise in celebration of these faithful and strong women leaders in our congregation.
God, thank you for the ways you call women to lead us and serve you. We are blessed by them and the many gifts they bring to the church. Amen.
Prayer
With holy reverence, we remember irreplaceable women, O God. We honor those who nurtured us and taught us to honor and love you, O God. May their example of Christian faith help transform us into your image. We honor all those who stand alongside and for these women. We bless those who encourage them to dream, who bring out the best in them, who help them bear their burdens and who love them rightly, O God. Watch over and keep all your people, these women and all who love them, with your care, gracious God. Consecrate this day for your glory. In the name of the Triune God, the one who parents us and creates us, who redeems us, and empowers us forever. Amen. —Adapted from Litany in Honor of Women Here and Around the World: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/litany-in-honor-of-women-here-and-around-the-world
Offertory Prayer: Discipleship Ministries
God of the ages, we share our tithes and offerings this day with, but we acknowledge that most of the time, we are clinging tightly to what we have, afraid we might lose something we need and afraid somehow there won’t be enough to live our lives. The scarcity mindset overtakes us, and it robs us of the joy of our days. Remind us that Jesus has called us to be ready to let go of this life so that we might claim the abundance of life eternal. In our redeemer’s name, we pray. Amen. (John 12:20-33)
Newsletter Nugget
“Return the joy of your salvation to me and sustain me with a willing spirit.” —Psalm 51:12, CEB
During her time in Texas, Glenna Kyker, a Choctaw woman from Oklahoma, had served as director of Native American Ministries for the Texas Conference. When she moved to Colorado, she found that other United Methodist Women felt as passionately as she did about nurturing relationships with Native Americans. They began visiting, listening and learning with the Navajo United Methodist churches in and around their district.
The unit began buying, selling and promoting traditional bead-weaving to raise money for United Women in Faith and to return to their Indigenous neighbors. The unit became the primary source for the thousands of pins purchased by the national office of United Women in Faith that will be handed out at General Conference 2024. (Adapted from “Colorado women’s ministry with Native Americans features beadwork.”)
As we celebrate Women’s Ministry Sunday, your generosity and continued giving to the World Service Fund sustains vital women’s ministry across our denomination. Thank you!