Our Purpose: The organized unit of United Women in Faith (formerly known as United Methodist Women) shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in global ministries of the church. Membership is open to any woman who indicates her desire to belong and to participate in the Global Mission of the Church through United Women in Faith.
UWF welcomes all women in the church and our activities include six circles (including a teen circle and an e-mail circle), a Bible Study, a monthly hands-on mission group “Service4Others”, the “Creative Hearts, Creative Hands” sewing group (which includes the Prayer Shawl Ministry), an annual Women’s Retreat, and the Maranatha Singers. For more information on any of our activities please Patti Keppler at pattikeppler@gmail.com.
Service4Others (S40) will be collecting the following much-needed items for the Lamb Center: Men’s new boxer briefs (all sizes), gently used or new washcloths, and men’s or women’s t-shirts (all sizes). Drop off will be before October 22 at Cindy Sbrocco’s home or pickup can also be scheduled with Cindy via the St. Stephen’s Connect page at www.ststephensfairfax.org/connect. A sign-up genius link makes it easy.
For more information contact us via the St. Stephen’s Connect page at www.ststephensfairfax.org/connect.
New Dimension Circle: Please help spread the word! This group is for all women of our church – in any season of life – who might not be able to participate in UMW in person or on a regular basis, but who would like to feel connected to current UMW activities at St. Stephen’s, in our District, and beyond. We invite you to help us grow – you can join and encourage others to join the New Dimension Circle email list for a monthly update and occasional emails about specific events, opportunities, or prayer concerns. Contact Laurie Perry via the St. Stephen’s Connect page.
Creative Hearts, Creative Hands: The Prayer Shawl/Comfort Quilt sub-group is busy sharing our handiwork with those who have experienced a serious illness or death in the immediate family. We would LOVE to have additional people assist us in making knit or crochet shawls or lap-gans (lap-sized Afghans) and lap-sized sewn Comfort Quilts for both men and women. Please contact Judy Ryan with questions or nominations for helpers via the St. Stephen’s Connect page.
Wednesday Women’s Bible Study: Evolving social times allow us to be interactive with others in different ways and it’s exciting! Surprisingly, the Bible has a lot to teach us about relationships and how boundaries are so important to help with our problems and our successes. Using Drs. Cloud’s and Townsend’s Boundaries, (as a sort of Biblical relationship resource) we explore topics like “myths” of boundaries and developing “healthy boundaries.” Various facilitators allow for everyone in the group to learn from shared experiences. Come join this supportive and fun group. The class may be on Zoom (or in-person AND also on Zoom) as announced in the group email. Contact coordinator Patti Keppler via the St. Stephen’s Connect page.
MW Reading Program: The Giver of Stars, by Jojo Moyes. A woman from England marries an American man and relocates to Kentucky. When she experiences neglect and abuse in her marriage, her friends in the new traveling library provide support to her. At the end of the book, there is a murder mystery, where the person accused may or may not have committed the crime, and the mystery is solved. This is not on the recommended reading list.
UWF Board Meeting: The UWF Board will meet by Zoom, Monday, November 15th at 9:30 am. For information Contact Patti Keppler via the St. Stephen’s Connect page at www.ststephensfairfax.org/connect. We welcome: ideas, suggestions, or questions about UMW, please contact Patti if you have any of those.