{"id":12634,"date":"2016-05-12T18:09:37","date_gmt":"2016-05-13T01:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/?p=12634"},"modified":"2016-05-12T18:09:37","modified_gmt":"2016-05-13T01:09:37","slug":"umw-day-water-and-witness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/umw-day-water-and-witness\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW Day: water and witness"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Linda Bloom<\/strong>
\nMay 12, 2016 | PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS)<\/h4>\n

Nearly 150 years later, members of United Methodist Women \u201care living out the same commitments as our predecessors\u201d for spiritual growth, service and advocacy for women, children and youth, says Harriett Olson, UMW\u2019s top executive.<\/p>\n

Those commitments will be highlighted throughout the day May 16 at General Conference 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are providing opportunities to women of every generation, all races and ethnicities and every first language to participate and serve,\u201d Olson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn United Methodist Women Day, this will be demonstrated in consecrating deaconesses and home missioners, in the rally for clean water as a human right and in the celebration of our historical impact and the breadth of our current work.\u201d<\/p>\n

UMW\u2019s upcoming 150th<\/sup> anniversary will be recognized in a seven-minute presentation just before 4 p.m. on the floor of General Conference.<\/p>\n

The day begins with the 8 a.m. consecration in the plenary hall; continues with the lunchtime public witness on water rights outside on the Oregon Convention Center Plaza from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. and finishes with a meet-and-greet with UMW delegates, staff and members from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Oregon Ballroom, Room 203.<\/p>\n

The actual anniversary, which occurs in 2019, commemorates the March 23, 1869, gathering of eight women at Tremont Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston to organize the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society.<\/p>\n

UMW is using the 150th<\/sup><\/a> as a rallying cry for \u201can ambitious, organization-wide challenge to provide even more resources to meet the needs of the women, children and youth often left out of God’s feast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safe water for all<\/strong><\/p>\n

The public witness, \u201cDon\u2019t Poison Our Water: Water is a Human Right,\u201d\u00a0<\/a>is linked to a UMW General Conference petition entitled \u201cProtection of Water\u201d and the UMW 2016 mission study on Climate Justice.<\/p>\n

Carol Barton, a UMW executive, pointed out that safe drinking water and proper sanitation are universal needs, \u201cbut we\u2019re particularly focusing on environmental racism and how communities of color are affected,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Speakers at the rally will offer examples of ways that government or corporate neglect has had a negative impact on the health of those communities. Among the speakers are:<\/p>\n