The Chronicles
Brought to you by: Utah/Western Colorado District United Women in Faith Women's Team
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President:
Laura Lunsford
59 Knife Edge Place
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
(970) 398-1183
lunsfordUWF@gmail.com
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“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains
of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6
How are you practicing the Season of Lent this year? Have you given
something up or taken on a new spiritual practice?
For me Lent is a time to take up a practice that helps clear my head, to try to discern what is most important in my life. With new eyes I seek to see my community in a new way to shed light on who is oppressed and who has a heavy yoke. The scripture says that fasting will loosen the chains of the oppressed. For me, giving up chocolate doesn’t loosen the chains. However, giving up TV might give me more time to help at the food pantry or time to read a book on a social injustice and how I might help combat it.
So, pick your Lenten fast carefully, give up your time to a good cause or delve into scripture and pray to gain new understanding. If giving up chocolate helps you understand what it means to be deprived, then your empathy is a good practice too!
At it’s core Lent is a time to do something different. A time to make a change that shakes up our complacency and brings us closer to Christ.
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Your Sister in Christ,
Laura Lunsford, District President
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Incoming Treasurer:
Anna Ball
PO Box 4960
Pagosa Springs, CO 81157
(970) 903-7499
annaball7499@gmail.com
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Secretary:
Amy Gibbs
2510 El Corona Dr
Grand Junction, CO 81501
gnesiosgibbs@gmail.com
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Coordinator for Program Resource:
Sue Yeager
1335 Texas Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81501
(970) 245-5839
syeager@coloradomesa.edu
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Please join us for our
Monthly District Book Discussion via Zoom
EVERYONE IS WELCOME ANYTIME!
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This month's books and discussion |
Thursday, March 14, 2024
One: Unity in a Divided World
by Deidra Riggs
Jesus didn't say that the world would know we are his followers by our biting rhetoric, our political leanings, our charity work, or even by our knowledge of Scripture. He said the world would know us by our love for one another. Yet it's so easy to put others at arm's length, to lash out, to put up walls. Deidra Riggs wants us to put our focus on self-preservation aside and, like Jesus, make the first move toward reconciliation.
In One, Riggs shows readers that when Jesus offered himself up in our place, he was not only purchasing our salvation but also setting an example for us to follow. She helps readers understand that they are secure in God's inexhaustible love, making them free to love others lavishly--not just in what they do but in what they say, what they don't say, what they will endure, and what they will forgive.
Anyone who longs for unity in the church, in their family, and in their community will find in this book both inspiring examples of loving done well and encouragement to begin the often unnoticed hard work of building bridges with those around them.
A message from Sue: "No, we will not get to wave a magic wand and instantly make the world a better place. But the good news is that the author has a great perspective on how people function and how to go about communicating with those with whom one does not agree. I do recommend this book to you!"
Education for Mission (2019)
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Future Book Discussions for April - May 2024 |
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Our Strangely Warmed Hearts: Coming Out into God's Call
by Karen Oliveto
As John Wesley discovered his true spiritual identity, he experienced a strangely warmed heart. Through poignant stories and well-reasoned principles, Karen Oliveto discloses why and how spiritual renewal and a personal call to ministry emerge in the strangely warmed hearts of lesbian and gay Christians.
In The United Methodist Church (and other Christian denominations), it is difficult or impossible for lesbian, gay, transsexual, and bisexual clergy or laity to become a visible and outward channel for God’s saving grace. This book traces the history of the church’s struggle with homosexuality, highlighting critical incidents in the culture and church polity which shape the church’s response. The issues are deeply rooted in the way God’s people understand scriptures, which are interpreted as a means of grace for some and as a rule-book for others. This book includes first-person narratives of LGBTQ persons faithfully serving in a denomination that denies their calls and—in some cases—their presence. These stories will show how the coming out process is deeply spiritual as one grows into an authentic, God-created and graced self.
Leadership Development (2024)
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Thursday, May 2, 2024**
The Seed Keeper: A Novel
by Diane Wilson
**please note that this month's book discussion is taking place on the 1st Thursday of the month**
Rosalie Iron Wing has grown up in the woods with her father, Ray, a former science teacher who tells her stories of plants, of the stars, of the origins of the Dakhóta people. Until, one morning, Ray doesn’t return from checking his traps. Told she has no family, Rosalie is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato—where the reserved, bookish teenager meets rebellious Gaby Makespeace, in a friendship that transcends the damaged legacies they’ve inherited.
On a winter’s day many years later, Rosalie returns to her childhood home. A widow and mother, she has spent the previous two decades on her white husband’s farm, finding solace in her garden even as the farm is threatened first by drought and then by a predatory chemical company. Now, grieving, Rosalie begins to confront the past, on a search for family, identity, and a community where she can finally belong. In the process, she learns what it means to be descended from women with souls of iron—women who have protected their families, their traditions, and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss, through war and the insidious trauma of boarding schools.
Weaving together the voices of four indelible women, The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening, of remembering our original relationship to the seeds and, through them, to our ancestors.
Nurturing for Community (2024)
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Search UWFaith Reading Program Catalog 2024 to find the 2024 reading program |
Join us for our book discussions – come to one or come to all!
We would love to have you!
We meet at 7pm, the 2nd Thursday of each month (unless otherwise noted)
A Zoom link is provided in The Chronicles, as well as in an email that is sent a few days before our discussion.
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Coordinator for Education of
Mercy and Justice:
Robin Iles
2803 S. Niagara Circle
Grand Junction, CO 81501
(970) 200-2766 24fan3kids@gmail.com
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Committee on Nominations:
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Beth McCorkle
2534 Linda Vista Dr
Montrose, CO 81401
(720) 339-8290
beth.e.mccorkle@gmail.com
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Glenna Kyker Brayton
2492 Park Vista St. Unit E
GJ, CO 81505
(970) 683-8756
kyker.brayton@gmail.com
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Carol Phelps
555 East 5th St.
Delta, CO 81416
(970) 874-7310 (H)
(970) 596-0647 (C)
clphelps1@yahoo.com
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Coordinator for Spiritual Nurture: |
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Coordinator for Communications:
Elisa Stanley
1743 East 7th Street
Delta, CO 81416
(970) 589-6196
smithelisamarie@gmail.com
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If you are looking for a printable version of this month's edition of The Chronicles, please email Elisa Stanley at smithelisamarie@gmail.com to request one. There was too much good stuff in this month's newsletter that the file is too large to be able to upload with the newsletter. I apologize for any inconvenience, but I would be happy to email you or mail you a copy if you need one!
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We are now working on updating the directory for the
current year of 2024!
Thank you to everyone who has provided information! And as this is an ever-changing document, if you see any additional changes that need to be made, please email me so we can continue to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information!
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS |
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- Book Discussions 7:00pm on the second Thursday of each month via Zoom
- April 20 and 27, 2024: District New Member Development Workshops
- May 9-11, 2024: Western Jurisdiction UWFaith Quadrennial Event
- June 8, 2024: MissionU in Ogden, UT
- Sept 13-14, 2024: District Annual Celebration in St. George, UT
- Oct 10-12, 2024: Conference Annual Celebration in Highlands Ranch, CO
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President
Laura Lunsford
59 Knife Edge Place
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
970.398.1183
lunsfordUWF@gmail.com
Secretary
Amy Gibbs
2510 El Corona Dr.
Grand Junction, CO 81501
gnesiosgibbs@gmail.com
Treasurer
Anna Ball
P.O. Box 4960
Pagosa Springs, CO 81157
970.903.7499
annaball7499@gmail.com
Committee of Nominations
Glenna Kyker Brayton
2492 Park Vista St. Unit E
Grand Junction, CO 81505
970.683.8756
kyker.brayton@gmail.com
Carol Phelps
555 E 5th
Delta, CO 81416
970.874.7310 H
970.596.0647 C
Beth McCorkle
2534 Linda Vista Drive
Montrose, CO 81401
720.339.8290
beth.e.mccorkle@gmail.com
Coordinator for Spiritual Nurture
Position is currently open
Coordinator of Program Resources
Sue Yeager
1335 Texas Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81501
970.245.5839
syeager@coloradomesa.edu
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Coordinator for Communications
Elisa Stanley
1743 East 7th Street
Delta, CO 81416
970.589.6196
smithelisamarie@gmail.com
Coordinator for Education of
Mercy & Justice
Robin Iles
2803 S. Niagara Circle
Grand Junction, CO 81501
970.200.2766
24fan3kids@gmail.com
Event Coordinator for
Annual Meeting 2024
Karen Cole
1730 Stonebridge Drive, Unit 31
St. George, UT 84770
925.708.3655
karen.cole@att.net
Extended Team Members
Mountain Sky Conference President
Robin Ball
P.O. Box 4960
Pagosa Springs, CO 81157
970.946.1581
robinball1581@gmail.com
Mountain Sky Conference Treasurer
Connie Pittenger
126 Columbia Way
Montrose, CO 81401
970.417.1857
conpittenger@gmail.com
Mountain Sky Conference Nominations
Teresa Rivera
3788 W Hillsboro Circle
West Jordan, UT 84084
801.557.4319
rivera.slc@comcast.net
Ellie Young
2239 Stagecoach Rd
Grand Junction, CO 81505
970.245.8157 H
970.260.8312 C
ellie.umw@gmail.com
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Utah/Western Colorado District UWF | www.mtnskyumw.org | www.uwfaith.org |
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