Nashville College Student Selected To Promote United Methodist Women

Courtney Jones, 20, of Nashville, Georgia, will spend the next year encouraging young women to get involved in United Methodist Women. Ms. Jones has been named Genie Bank Intern for Teen and College/University Women. Her position is the first of three consecutive one-year internships named in honor of Genie Bank of Lexington, Mich., who served from 2000-2004 as president of the Women’s Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries.

Ms. Jones, who is a member of United Methodist Women, will promote and expand the organization’s work and visibility among teen and college-age women nationwide.

“I’m looking forward to working with our members in being more intentional about involving younger women in the organization” said Ms. Jones, a member of Nashville United Methodist Church in Nashville, Georgia, and a junior art education/communications major at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga.  “I hope to travel to conferences around the country to encourage young women to take hold of the opportunity to be a part of United Methodist Women. If young women know the opportunities they have to be in mission in United Methodist Women, they’ll want to be involved. United Methodist Women is a great way to find out what’s going on in the world, and how you can make a difference.”

Ms. Jones has served on the organization’s national Teen and College/University Consultative Group for the past six years and has participated in called schools of Christian mission as a child and throughout her teen years. Ms. Jones and her mother started a mother-daughter circle of United Methodist Women at their local church.    

“United Methodist Women has been a very important part of my life,” Ms. Jones said. “Through this organization, I have been surrounded with amazingly strong women of God who pray for me, encourage me, and have become my greatest mentors and dearest friends. I have learned about other cultures and social-action issues through education and hands-on involvement.”

Since 1972, the Women’s Division has honored its presidents by setting aside money to be used in programs of special interest to them. For Ms. Bank, that interest is reaching young women.