Following a Tradition of Women in the Church

     Good morning! I am trying out a different font today, and making it larger. My eyes have trouble reading small fonts, and I thought that maybe others also have that trouble. There are some blogs that I have been trying to read, but the fonts are too small for my eyes. 
     My mamma was always a member of the United Methodist Women (UMW) at our church, as were my Granna and my aunt. This organization means a lot to me. Before my family church was closed, I became a member of our UMW. Then, I became the president and tried to keep the unit going. This group of women meant a lot to me. I am now attending a new church, and I am serving as president this year. I have also taken on the office of Secretary for our District. My mamma was a District Treasurer for many years, so I am once again following in her footsteps as a District officer. 
     The UMW is a wonderful group of women who focus on Missions and helping others. As a young girl, I couldn't wait to become old enough to join a "Circle", as the groups used to be called. Actually, the organization was once called the Women's Society, but the goals were the same - helping women and children through missions. The story of the founders is a great one. Six women were determined to help young girls in India to become educated and to receive good medical care. Two women, whose husbands were missionaries to India, began the whole process of raising funds to help girls in India. It all started on "a dark and stormy night", as the story goes. There is a little skit that has been written about the women who began to organize the Women's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1869. The story is awe inspiring, and the skit is done in a fun and informative way. 
     Our Methodist denomination has evolved over the years from  Methodist Episcopal, to Methodist, and finally into the United Methodist Church, after joining with the United Brethren Church in 1968. One thing that has remained constant, however, is the women of the church and their dedication to helping others. I have added a link here that will take you to the skit about the beginnings of United Methodist Women. I think you will enjoy reading it. The skit is really fun to perform, with the audience participation and sound effects! I hope you enjoy it!
https://wnccumw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Skit-That-Handful-of-Women.pdf 
     This past week, the UMW unit of my church had a Soup Sale. We do this twice a year. As always, the money earned goes straight to support missions throughout the U.S. and the world. Many of our members choose a soup that they would like to make, and we take orders from our members. I made about 12 quarts of vegetable beef soup this time, and I took 10 to church. I enjoy cooking and baking, and I love soup!  Usually, I do not have any leftover to taste! I made ten quarts of chicken noodle at our last sale, and it all went to the church. This time, however, I had enough leftover to keep about two bowlfuls. YUM! 
      For two mornings this week, I got outside early and took a morning bike ride. Getting out early like that helped me to feel refreshed and helped me to be more productive throughout the day. It was nice to be outside with nature and to enjoy the sunshine, the quiet, the peacefulness, and the calmness of the morning hours. On Tuesday, I went about 3 1/2 miles around the neighborhood. Yesterday, I rode 5 1/2 miles! I ride very slowly, but I really enjoy it. Today's sky looks gray and rainy, so I m glad that I got some long rides done early in the week! My tricycle gets me where I need to go, and it keeps me safe and healthy. It is nice to be able to stop and rest when I need to do that. With a three wheeled bike, it is possible to just stop and keep sitting, without having to get off the bike and stand. I saw a lot of azaleas and camellias beginning to bloom. Savannah is very beautiful in the spring, when all of the azaleas are in bloom. The whole city is a sea of pink! I will be sure to post some pictures of the beautiful azaleas!
     I took pictures of some of our awesome overhanging trees and Spanish Moss yesterday. I just couldn't help trying to capture their beauty! Here is one of the pictures that I took. There are many more streets with bigger trees, so I will take more pictures on my next ride. We have many wonderful, and very old, trees in our beautiful city. They are a sight to behold!
I will see you again soon. Have a great day!