April 2026
- West Ohio UWF
- Apr 1
- 8 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
United Women in Faith of West Ohio
April Inspirations
We believe love in action can change the world.
Contents:
From Your West Ohio Conference President
I am enjoying my favorite season of the year. Easter. When I was teaching in a public school, I loved my Spring lessons about New Life. My room was decorated with pictures of baby animals, spring flowers, and rainbows. Ohio winters are so depressing. I wanted you to be able to walk into my room and just feel the freshness of the day. I finished a lesson one day, and my teaching assistant said, “That’s the best Sunday School lesson I ever heard, and you never used the word God.” (I wasn’t allowed, you know). What is your Easter like? I led a retreat one time on the theme of “Resurrection”. We focused on our individual resurrection. What is yours? Holy Week has so many parts. Are you stuck at Palm Sunday? Did you make it through Maundy Thursday? How did you feel on “Good Friday”? Easter morning for me is what Christmas morning is to many. I can’t wait to sing “Up From the Grave He Arose”. That’s where my life begins. As we move forward as United Women in Faith, we are enjoying our District Spring events and anxiously awaiting Assembly 2026. Check the website for all the information.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Paula Nourse, Kinder6595@hotmail.com, 614-326-9062 (texting is good)
From Your Vice President
Hello, all. As Vice President of our West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith, I continue my work with our President, Paula Nourse, on programming and planning for our meeting with our East Ohio Conference UWF on August 15th, and our 52nd Annual Celebration on October 10th. I am also working on the t-shirt project for our upcoming Assembly in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 14-17th and our Mission u 2026 school to be held in-person June 12-14th and virtually in July.
As a reminder, our Assembly t-shirts for our West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith group can be ordered using the following link: https://undergroundshirts.com/groups/west-ohio-conference-united-women-in-faith.
As Dean of our West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith Mission u 2026, Kim Hoessly, Assistant Dean, and I continue to work on details for our meeting - we hope to see you ALL there. As part of our meeting, Becky Ruple and Vicki Barnes have made plans for us to purchase Mission u t-shirts - which can be ordered by using the following link (when ordering, indicate "pick up" and not the "shipped" option: The shirts are available now and can be ordered through June 1st via the following link: https://www.dmcreationsink.com/products/2026-mission-u.
Looking forward to seeing you at Assembly and at Mission u 2026 - until then, be safe, be happy, be blessed!
Carolyn Johnson, Vice President, WOC UWFaith
From Your Secretary
Standing Rules
During the breakout session for secretaries at the Leadership Development workshop, the topic of Standing Rules came up.
Standing rules are policies that usually relate to the administrative details of our organization. Standing rules are not included in the bylaws and cannot conflict with them. They are flexible to accommodate changing needs and are adopted or amended by a simple majority vote. They remain in effect until rescinded.
Last year, the Standing Rules Committee made changes to conform to changes identified in the United Women in Faith Handbook. Those changes were approved on October 11, 2025, at Annual Celebration. You can find the 2026 Standing Rules of the West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith on our website.
The Standing Rules Committee will review and recommend changes for the 2027 Standing Rules in the next few months and present those changes to the Leadership Team in August. Once the Leadership Team approves the changes, the membership will vote to accept the changes at the Annual Celebration meeting in October.
If you have any questions about Standing Rules, please contact Janice Deal at 740-891-1510 or jdeal@ideal-services.com.
Mission u Registration Form
Download the registration form for Mission u 2026 in either PDF or Word document format using the buttons below.
Scioto River District Event
Legacy Endowment Fund
The Legacy Endowment Fund total at the end of February was $55,210,922.
Day of Giving was March 23, and that amount will be increased. Thank you to all who gave from God’s abundant grace. Your gifts will ensure the future of our vital mission work to improve the lives of women, children, and youth at home and around the world.
Janice Deal
Legacy Fund Liaison
From Your Communications Coordinator
Help Your Communications Person
Most of our districts have moved from paper communications to email notices of district events or newsletters. Please help your Communications Coordinator by making sure all of your current officers are receiving the district newsletter. Also, you can help your coordinator by notifying them of anyone who has passed or members who are now in another district (due to redistricting) that can be removed from the mailing list. Anyone in your unit can be on the mailing list (as well as officers). Check at your circle meetings for anyone who might like to receive the newsletter and notify your district President or Communications Coordinator. Remember, district newsletters can be found on the West Ohio Conference UWFaith website under the Districts tab.
While you’re checking with circle members about receiving district information, you can also encourage them to go to the West Ohio Conference UWFaith website and sign up to receive the Conference newsletter by email. https://www.westohiouwf.org.
Don’t forget those who would enjoy receiving your district information and do not have access to email. Assign someone in your group who would be willing to print out the information and provide to those members.
Communications Coordinator – Carol Waugh; carolwaugh6@gmail.com
Let me introduce you to a very special place—my church, RiverPoint Ministries United Methodist Church. It’s the friendliest, most diverse, and busiest congregation I’ve ever been blessed to be part of.
We’re located on the northern edge of Ohio, right along the beautiful shores of Lake Erie. Although officially in Toledo, our neighborhood is known as Point Place—a boating and waterfront community that brushes right up against the Michigan border. Our area is a vibrant mix of people from every walk of life.
Our church shares its property with Mustard Seed Outreach Ministry, which serves the 43611 community. Mustard Seed provides food, clothing, and referrals to other local agencies. RiverPoint owns and maintains the building where Mustard Seed operates, and our congregation actively supports their mission. A grocery cart in our narthex is always ready for donations, which are regularly wheeled across the parking lot to help restock their shelves. We’re not alone in this—other Point Place churches also contribute through ecumenical food drives.
In the past two years, RiverPoint has also launched its own food ministry, Feed My Sheep. Each month, members prepare about 130 hearty, microwavable freezer meals. These are delivered to Mustard Seed to bless families in need and are always received with gratitude.
Another beloved outreach is our Monthly Drive-Through Community Dinner. Volunteers come together to prepare a full meal, complete with dessert, for anyone who stops by—no questions asked. In just one hour, we often serve over 200 dinners! As cars pull up, Pastor Amy greets guests with a smile and offers prayer for those who’d like it.
During the school year, Wednesday nights are especially lively. We host Bible study classes for children, tweens, teens, and adults. Before class, a warm dinner is offered on a free-will donation basis—a highlight for many, not just for the delicious food but for the fellowship it brings.
Our women’s ministries are thriving. The long-standing Ruth Circle meets during the day, focusing on mission work and supporting the Friendly Center. For those with busy schedules, SALT —Serving and Learning Together—meets in the evenings. SALT is hands-on with fundraisers and community events, including the ever-popular rummage sale.
Being near the water, we even have a new Fishing Ministry—just call, and you’ll have a fishing buddy ready to go. Our men’s ministry meets for breakfast every Sunday before worship, tackling everything from faith to the “world’s problems” over coffee and eggs.
We may not be a large congregation, but our hearts are big, and our hands are ready to serve. If you ever find yourself up north, we’d love for you to stop in. You might just leave feeling like family.
National Mission Institutions
National Mission Institutions are community-based organizations and social service agencies that were almost exclusively founded by women in the 19th century to serve marginalized communities and populations across the United States. Today, United Women in Faith remains connected to these community centers, colleges, and residences, providing vital services in vulnerable communities. National Mission Institutions empower women, care for children, support seniors, educate youth, provide housing for domestic violence survivors, and offer residences for special needs children and youth. National Mission Institutions also advocate for the women, children, youth, and families in the communities they serve.
Learn more about the Mission Institutions in West Ohio—their histories, missions, and how you can serve and support the vital work they do:
National Events, News, & Resources
The National Office has many interesting events and gatherings such as Faith Talks, Voices of the Field, Podcasts, and Webinars. Go to the United Women in Faith website to find out more and to subscribe to their digital communications to stay up on the latest scoop by clicking here.
Important Information
Join us in celebrating all the ways we inspire, influence, and impact our churches and communities with our 2023 Annual Report. We will share the 2024 Annual Report once it is made available.
The United Women in Faith Board of Directors approved the organization's 2025 budget at its fall board meeting. Check out our report.
United Women in Faith continues to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Middle East. Read our statement.
We join our friends at the General Commission on Religion and Race to condemn false claims against migrants and call for action against racism and xenophobia. Read the full statement.
Support United Women in Faith
Please consider increasing your Pledge to Mission, both individually and from your local unit! Gifts to Mission make it possible for United Women in Faith to carry out its vital work to connect and nurture women through Christian formation, leadership development, creative fellowship, and education so that they can inspire, influence, and impact local and global communities.
The Legacy Endowment Fund
Thank you to all who contributed to the Legacy Endowment Fund in 2025. I am pleased to announce that at the end of February, the Legacy Fund total was $55,210,922. The amount increases each month, and I am certain that we can reach the $60 million goal by the end of 2028. Please continue to contribute as you are able. If you have any questions, please contact me at (740) 891-1510 or jdeal@ideal-services.com. To learn more about this fund and how you can give to keep United Women in Faith strong for the future, go here.
Janice Deal
Learn about All-Access Membership
All Access provides easy online availability to resources nationwide. Customize your experience and access more ways to put love in action. Because love in action can change the world. Learn more.
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