What is our Purpose? To 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; to expand concept of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.

Our Mission is to connect and nurture women – Together! Our Vision is to turn faith, hope, and love into action – Together! We are a sisterhood which seeks to provide space and community for women to experience God’s abundant love – Together! We are committed, “as individuals and as a community to follow Jesus Christ in word and in deed, and to struggle for the rights and the self-determination of every person and group of persons.” – Together! We deepen our faith and spiritual awareness, advance leadership skills, and act boldly through service and advocacy – Together!

Working together isn’t just about getting things done; it’s the catalyst that transforms individual potential into unstoppable collective power, turning isolated sparks into a wildfire of innovation and achievement, because “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” making shared success inevitable and individual limits irrelevant.

I look forward to our Leadership TEAM meetings and attending the District events as I hear about your planning and accomplishments.

Paula Nourse, Kinder6595@hotmail.com, 614-326-9062 (texting is good)

Greetings from Your Vice President/Program Coordinator

Hello, all. As Vice President/Program Coordinator for the West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith I serve in a very lonely office. Most of our UWFaith Units do not have a Vice President. The responsibilities/tasks of Vice President in the local units are handled by your President and in most cases by the entire Board.

I have had experience serving as Vice President when I was on the Columbus North District United Methodist Women Board—now known as the Olentangy River District UWFaith. It was fun—I worked closely with the President of the Board in planning programs and meetings—details I enjoyed.

Some of the formal responsibilities outlined for the role of Vice President/Program Coordinator include:

· Guiding the leadership team in its responsibility for planning and implementing program and events to strengthen mission and fulfill the Purpose.

· Actively observe and promote good environmental practices during gatherings (to the extent possible).

· Serve as contact person for district/local program coordination; provide resources; conduct training at least annually as determined by the leadership team.

· Serve as chairperson of the Committee on Program (if one exists).

· Serve on the following committees: Leadership Team; Program; Finance and others as assigned.

· Perform the duties of the President in her absence.

As Vice President/Program Coordinator for our West Ohio Conference UWF and as Dean of our West Ohio Conference/United Women in Faith for Mission u 2026, I want to make sure you are aware that we will be celebrating the 125 Anniversary of Mission u, which started in 1901.

What a proud heritage we have as United Women in Faith/United Methodist Women/Women’s Society of Christian Service/etc. We have been leading transformative schools of Christian mission—continuously—for 125 years!!!! That is to be celebrated—which we will, June 12-14, 2026 at our in-person Mission u this year at Bergamo Center for Life-Long Learning, in Beavercreek, Ohio. Hope you can join us. See our “Save The Date” flyer in this newsletter and information is on our West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith website at: westohiouwf.org—go to Upcoming Events and the Mission u 2026 tab.

There is a lot of other information on our westohiouwf.org website. Use the menu on the top of the page, or if on a phone or tablet touch the 3 lines in the top right to view your Conference and District newsletters, resources, Assembly 2026, Giving—check it out.

Be safe; Be happy; Be blessed!

Carolyn Johnson, Vice President, West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith

Dean, West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith Mission u 2026

(614) 565-4121 or cjohnson3253@yahoo.com

From Your Conference Secretary

Last week I attended training for secretaries and would like to share a few points I learned.

The preferred way to abbreviate our name is after the first mention as follows: United Women in Faith (UWFaith). I will try to incorporate this guideline in all my correspondence and documents.

The purpose of minutes is (1) to record the group’s decisions and actions, (2) to remind who was given assignments, (3) to provide evidence of deadlines, and (4) for the benefit of people who were absent when decisions were made.

I find it helpful to create a template from the agenda. Use the facts and keep the minutes clear and simple.

The preferred terms to use are (1) accept resignations; (2) adopt bylaws, resolutions, and budgets; (3) approve minutes, amend minutes, and approve amended minutes; and (4) receive reports.

I have contacted the district secretaries about any changes to the rosters. As changes happen during the year, please let me know.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Janice Deal, Conference Secretary

(740) 891-1510

jdeal@ideal-services.com

Updates from Your Conference Treasurer

The year is over, and the financial books are finally closed for 2025. The West Ohio Conference pledge for last year was $150,000. We achieved 87.36% of that goal (or $131,047.16). This amount will go up, at least a little, as some give directly to the National Office; and those figures will not be available until February. In addition to these undesignated mission giving monies, some local units designated some of their money for Call to Prayer and Self Denial ($11,303.29) and other specific mission projects ($4,255.040).

Just a word about designated giving. If your local unit’s designated project is a United Women in Faith National Mission Institution (NMI), send your donation to your District Treasurer. If it is an UMCOR (or Advance) project, you can either send your donation directly to UMCOR or to your District Treasurer. If the designated project is outside of the United Women in Faith umbrella (e.g., the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio), send your contribution directly to that organization. If you are not sure, contact your District Treasurer or me (Marsha Klingbeil, uwfmarsha419@gmail.com).

Thank you for all you have given this past year. I know we did not meet our pledge, but we were still able to help many women, children, and youth. Next year? Our pledge is $150,000 once again! Let’s meet it!

Oh, congratulations to the Maumee River District for meeting their 2025 pledge—the only district to do so last year!

Help Bring North Katanga Leaders to Assembly

We have received $710 in donations towards our request for $1600 to help bring North Katanga Conference Leaders to Assembly. North Central Jurisdiction along with our Conference UWFaith are attempting to sponsor four attendees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to attend our 2026 Assembly in Indiana this May. Help is needed for registration, housing, airfare and other expenses to assist these women. We have collected 44% of our goal so far. There is a place to donate on our website: https://www.westohiouwf.org/north-katanga-assembly. Any gift is appreciated!

Get Inspirations by Email - from Your Communications Coordinator

Monthly Inspirations is our West Ohio Conference United Women in Faith monthly newsletter. If you look at our Conference UWFaith website: https://www.westohiouwf.org, you can view past monthly newsletters under the menu “Newsletters” and click on “Monthly Inspirations”. The Monthly Inspirations is posted around the first of each month. You may choose to have the newsletter sent to your email inbox when it is posted. You can do this easily by going to the website and on the first page you can click the box “Subscribe to our newsletters.” Enter your email and click on “Submit” and you’ll start receiving the newsletter monthly. Keep up to date on the latest information from your conference officers!

Carol Waugh – carolwaugh6@gmail.com

Grace United Women in Faith on the Move!

Our small but mighty group of United Women in Faith is comprised of women not only from Grace UMC, but from a couple other churches that no longer have UWFaith units. We meet monthly and focus primarily on education and advocacy. This caring community thrives on learning more about what’s going on in the community and world and is bold in taking actions that make a difference for women, children and youth. We hope you enjoy reading about a few of our initiatives in 2025!

Educational Efforts:

Timely topics are addressed at each meeting through presentations by Grace members or community representatives. We also utilize programs in the UWFaith program resource book and Response. Two specific efforts in 2025 were:

Presentation by the Dayton Immigration Coalition about its work in the community. This gave us a glimpse of realities faced by many of our neighbors in the Dayton region and the challenges needing to be addressed.
Presentation by Bushra Shahid who is a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and co-leaders of the Interfaith Women’s Discussion group in Dayton. Bushra expanded our understanding of Islam and the role of women in this ancient religion. Grace UWFaith hosted the Interfaith Discussion in October 2025.

Advocacy Actions:

Our women actively engaged in social justice advocacy through letter writing to state and US legislators as well as meeting one-on-one with policy makers. In 2025, we focused significant effort on Ohio House Bill 29 which provides free menstrual products to all women in the criminal justice institutions and celebrated its passage at the end of 2025!

After hearing a compelling presentation about the thousands of persons in Ohio that are strapped with medical debt, we allocated $1,000 to the Medical Debt initiative in the Miami Valley and sent letters to our state legislators advocating for the passage of the Ohio Medical Debt Fairness Act. Our contribution eliminated $172,000 of medical debt.

Spiritual Growth Initiatives:

Soul Care Retreats - Sustaining ourselves spiritually and emotionally is an important tenet of UWFaith. Each year a Soul Care Retreat is offered for any woman at Grace UMC. This is a time for spiritual reflection and restoration which prepares us for the journey ahead. In 2025, Rev. Carla Stengel facilitated our half-day retreat focusing on the life of Hildegard of Bingen, a 10^th century mystic and saint.

Submitted by Linda Bales Todd, Co-President, Grace UWF, Dayton, OH

Day of Giving - Coming in March

Download Day of Giving Flyer

Black History Month: Pauli Murray and Faith That Refused Silence

Black History Month invites us not only to remember the past, but to listen closely to voices that still speak wisdom into our present. One such voice is Pauli Murray. She was many things: a poet, lawyer, Episcopal priest, educator, and civil rights pioneer.

Born in 1910, Murray challenged segregation, sexism, and exclusion at every turn. She was denied admission to graduate schools because she was both Black and a woman, yet she persisted.

Murray was an outspoken activist at the forefront of the civil rights movement, alongside such leaders as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. She coined the term “Jane Crow”, naming the ways Jim Crow laws harmed African-American women through the combined forces of racism and sexism.

Her legal scholarship proved foundational. When future Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, then with the ACLU, wrote her brief for Reed v. Reed, the 1971 Supreme Court case that extended the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause to women for the first time, she added Murray and Kenyon as coauthors in recognition of her debt to their work.

What makes Murray especially meaningful for United Women of Faith is her insistence that faith and justice belong together. She believed that honoring the sacred worth of every person was a holy calling, not a political trend. Her eventual ordination as one of the first Black women Episcopal priests was not a retreat from activism, but an expansion of it. She saw ministry as another way to proclaim dignity, equity, and beloved community.

In recognition of her impact, Pauli Murray is one of 20 women honored on the American Women Quarters. This selection affirms more than 50 years of achievements in social justice, women's rights, civil rights, and human rights.

United Women of Faith social principles call us to education, racial justice, and the full inclusion of women. Pauli Murray lived these principles boldly. She reminds us that change often begins with faithful persistence, even when recognition is slow or resistance is strong.

As we honor Black History Month, may Murray’s life encourage us to keep learning, keep speaking, and keep acting. Justice is not a destination we arrive at, but a practice we commit to, again and again.

Reflection Question:Where might God be calling us to speak or act with courage, even if our voices feel small?

Action Step: Faith in PracticeThis month, choose one way to honor Pauli Murray’s legacy:

Learn more about a woman whose voice has been overlooked and share her story with someone else.
Write a note or email supporting an organization working for racial justice or educational equity in your community.
Pray intentionally for courage to speak up when dignity and fairness are at stake.

Justice grows when learning turns into loving action.

Save the Dates for Mission u 2026!

Download Mission u Flyer

UWFaith Nominations Committees

It’s February already! And not too early to start thinking about the work ahead of you. Confer with your presidents and current officers to see who might need to be replaced in 2027. Local chairs, familiar with their own units, may already know women willing to serve. District chairs may want to start contacting local unit presidents for recommendations. Remember that although we always want to try to share the opportunity to serve, don’t be overly concerned about tenure. National has advised conference chairs “Don’t let tenure interfere with the work.”

The West Ohio Conference UWFaith Nominations Committee still needs a woman to serve as Membership Nurture and Outreach Coordinator for a two-year term starting this year (2026). If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Chair Nancy Argabright by calling or texting (740) 703-9054 or emailing argabright2@horizonview.net for a job description and/or more information. Thank you!

Springfield Groups Aid Haitian Immigrant Children

Springfield, Ohio, is preparing for a surge of children left without parents as Haitian immigrants face deportation under shifting federal immigration policies, raising fears of a child custody and guardianship crisis.

Local Catholic charity St. Vincent de Paul, led by Casey Rollins, has already seen nine children arrive in a single week after their parents were deported and is scrambling to secure passports, guardianships, and legal help.

Community groups, faith leaders, and local officials are mobilizing to protect U.S.-born children and support families amid misinformation, threats, and heightened immigration enforcement.

United Women in Faith Reading Program

Emily Jones, UWFaith Executive for Racial Justice says “One of the greatest gifts of reading, in my opinion, is the invitation to think slowly and deliberately, to tend to just one idea at a time, to immerse myself in the author’s world, and to be fully present.” The Reading Program has been a longtime tradition, and we are encouraged to participate because the book selections are focused on our Vision and Mission as United Women in Faith. There are titles in each of the five categories: Leadership Development; Education for Mission; Nurturing for Community; Social Action and Spiritual Growth. The books can be found at 1) Amazon, 2) a Library, or 3) bookshop.org/shop/uwfaith. Each year, there is a new list of books to choose from. The 2026 list and years before can be found on the uwfaith.org website.

Expanding Connections Book Club

We extend to you a wonderful opportunity to share your thoughts about particular books by attending our virtual book club, every third Tuesday at 7:00, hosted by Julie Carter. Julie has selected the books for 2026. They are from the 2026 Reading List and will help you complete your Reading Plan Certification. It’s a fun 1½ hours with sometimes deep conversations. Yes, we get off track, but Julie pulls us back together. To see the dates, times and title for each month, go to westohiouwf.org. Click on upcoming events and Expanding Connection Book Club. The link is there to sign you up. Come when you can.

Expanding Connections Book Club

UWFaith has many program resources for you. Browse the uwfaith.org website and see.

Questions can be directed to Molly Manring, Conference Program Resources: gmm@roadrunner.com.

Apply to Serve as a Reading Program Volunteer Evaluator

Dear United Women in Faith Members and Friends,

Did you ever wonder what goes into shaping the United Women in Faith Reading Program each year? At the heart of the Reading Program is the work of numerous volunteer evaluators.

Volunteer evaluators read and review assigned books, offering careful and candid feedback regarding the books' overall quality and alignment with our mission. Last year, 175+ volunteer evaluators read and reviewed a total of about 150 books. In 2026, we will be evaluating potential books for the 2028 Reading Program.

Are you interested in serving as a volunteer evaluator for the Reading Program? If so, please take 10 minutes to complete the 2026 interest form. Both new and returning volunteers should use this form.

We will consider interest forms on a rolling basis throughout the year, but completion by February 1 is preferred, as it allows us to plan appropriately for the spring cycle book assignments.

Peace,

Emily

Emily Jones

Executive for Racial Justice

United Women in Faith

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:

Community Development for All People (Columbus)

Wesley Dayton

Wesley Education Center (Cincinnati)

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.

Give Online

The Legacy Endowment Fund

Thank you to all who contributed the Legacy Endowment Fund in 2025. I am pleased to announce that at the end of October the Legacy Fund total was $52,455,923.00. 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.

West Ohio

February 2026

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