Annual Conferences Focus on Missions

Rio Texas UMW Calls for Support for Migrants

by

Annual conference season can be fraught with excitement, emotion, and – let’s be honest – long stretches of sheer boredom. There’s one thing, however, that virtually every United Methodist conference around the world does at its annual session, and that’s a mission project.

This year, one of the most urgent mission projects takes place in Rio Texas Annual Conference, which shares the U. S. border with Mexico. San Antonio-based Rio Texas has borne much of the migration impacts from people seeking a better life in the United States. A massive increase of immigrants – for example, some 490,000 migrants crossing into Laredo so far in 2019 compared to some 220,000 migrants in 2018 – has strained United Methodist resources there to the maximum.

As a result, Rio Texas United Methodist Women issued a missions call for the 2019 conference session: creating tote bags of hygiene supplies to be distributed at two UMW National Mission Institutions in Texas, Holding Institute in Laredo and Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville.

Located in downtown Laredo, Holding Institute is in covenant relationship with United Methodist Women, the conference newsletter reported. Lately, upwards of 100 persons have been sleeping at Holding nightly. The Good Neighbor Settlement House, also related to UMW, is a non-profit multi-service agency in Brownsville that provides basic necessities such as food, clothing, showers and hot meals to needy people. Today, they offer respite to migrant asylum seekers daily.

On June 7 during the annual session in Corpus Christi, Rio Texas UMW will gather tote bags containing shampoo, soap and body wash, men’s and women’s deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, wash cloths, feminine hygiene products, lotion, lip balm, disposable wipes, facial tissues and non-perishable snacks. Gift cards to Target and Walmart are also welcome.

Grace Perez, Rio Texas Conference UMW president, told United Methodist Insight by email that the best way for those outside the conference to help is to mail supplies directly to the two mission institutions.

Good Neighbor Settlement House, Attn: David Stine, Interim Director, 1254 E Tyler Street, Brownsville TX 78520 (956-542-2368).

Holding Institute Community Center, Attn: Michael Smith, Executive Director, 1102 Santa Maria Avenue, Laredo TX 78040 (956-718-2070).

Those who wish to support all migrant mission projects in Rio Texas may send checks payable to Rio Texas Conference to the conference office, 16400 Huebner Road, San Antonio, Texas 78248. Designate “Migrant mission” on the memo line.

A sampling of conference missions

While Rio Texas is engaged in a headline-news kind of mission, other United Methodist conferences in the United States are also working to relieve human suffering and lift people’s spirits. A sampling of projects from the five U.S. Jurisdictions:

From Northern Illinois Conference website: This year's mission challenge will be to collect bulk items for Dignity Kits for the Midwest Mission Distribution Center south of Springfield, Ill. Each district has been assigned a list a products to collect such as bath and hand towels, adult toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo. Northern Illinois will meet June 2-4, 2019 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, in Schaumburg, Ill., where the kits will be collected.

From Iowa Conference website: “This year’s theme is ‘Creating Difference Makers: In Ministry with the Poor.’ Faith communities are invited to participate by collecting gift cards for restaurants, local convenience stores and gas stations, and grocery stores. Half of the gathered cards will remain ‘at home’ with the church to distribute to persons in need in their local communities or through food pantries, hospitals, shelters, social service agencies, fire and police departments, or through other local partners. The other half of the collected cards will be brought to the Annual Conference session. Prior to the Saturday lunch break the lay and clergy present at the Annual Conference will be invited to hold their cards high as the cards are dedicated to a shared ministry. During the course of the June 7-11 gathering, the members of the conference will be invited to give the cards to their hotel housekeepers, servers at restaurants, and persons in need that they meet.” Iowa Conference will meet at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, Iowa.

From Michigan Conference website: The Michigan Conference collects offerings during its opening worship, which occurred this year on May 30, for its mission partners and special needs. “The majority of the Opening Worship offering will benefit our covenant partners, The Methodist Church of Haiti and The Liberia Annual Conference. A 10% tithe of the opening worship offering received will go to the Michigan Disaster Response and Recovery fund as recommended by Bishop David Bard. This fund allows the Michigan United Methodist Church to initiate response to disasters within the state and to begin mobilizing our response to disasters outside of Michigan,” says the conference website. Contributions to Methodists in Haiti benefit Grace Children’s Hospital & Pediatric Clinic which treats children and families suffering from TB, HIV/AIDS, and chronic illness. In Liberia, funds go Bishop Judith Craig Children's Village in Liberia which provides basic needs, education, counseling and healthcare to orphaned children. 

From Mountain Sky Conference website: The former Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone conferences, meeting together as the new Mountain Sky Conference, will put fun into mission with an annual Tug-o-Love. Says its website: “The annual conference tradition of Tug-o-Love will take place on Friday night, June 14 during the Mission Celebration. Teams will raise money to support the development of suicide prevention resources for local congregations and [for] Angola pastors. … Each team will have 10 members, but only 2 are ‘freebies.’ For every $150 raised by the team, another person will be added to the actual ‘pull.’ The goal will be to raise at least $4,800 for each ministry.” Mountain Sky meets June 13-16 in Billings, Mont.

From South Georgia Conference website: United Methodists in the South Georgia Conference are emphasizing cooperation with the mission agencies within their conference this year. They plan to fill “mission boxes” during the 2019 session with personal supplies specifically requested by local agencies Magnolia Manor, Methodist Home, Open Door, Vashti, Wesley Community Centers, and Wesley Glen. South Georgia meets June 2-5 in Columbus, Ga.

From New England Conference website: United Methodists in New England will support the United Methodist Committee on Relief this year by creating and gathering hygiene kits, school kits or cleaning buckets for UMCOR’s response efforts. “Kits and buckets are in demand now as severe weather and tornadoes hit the Southeast in April; the Midwest faces continued flooding, and the spring snow melt progresses here in the Northeast,” says the conference website. The conference “disaster trailer” will be at the Manchester, N.H., meeting site, the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, to receive donations. New England Conference will meet June 12-15.

Has your annual conference held a 2019 mission project? Send details to United Methodist Insight. Please include contact information in case of questions.