Conference Walk for Mission Raises More Than $8,100
When Western North Carolina United Methodist Women held its annual meeting in September at Lake Junaluska, N.C., participants raised more than $8,100 during an early-morning Walk for Mission. More than 70 walkers circled the lake starting at 6:30 a.m. in keeping with the event’s theme: “Rise! Shine! Glorify God!”
The theme and the walk echoed United Methodist Women’s national Assembly in May in Anaheim, Calif.
“We were trying to pattern our event after Assembly,” said Amy Johnson, the conference’s United Methodist Women president. “Linda Baity, mission coordinator for membership nurture and outreach suggested our wake-up walk become a Walk for Mission to raise funds for Mission Giving.”
A similar walk at the Anaheim event raised more than $30,000 for Mission Giving.
An early-morning walk wasn’t new for the conference, but the number walking was more than a tenfold increase from six walkers in 2005. And it was the first year walkers gathered pledges.
The walk was first announced at the conference United Methodist Women’s spiritual-growth retreat in June. It was also announced on the conference website and ListServ.
“We encouraged local units to have their own walks if they could not come to Lake Junaluska and join us,” Ms. Johnson said. “Some units did just that and submitted their pledges to Conference Treasurer Sharon Smith.”
Among parallel walks was one at Brooks-Howell Home, a United Methodist Women-supported retirement center for deaconesses and missionaries in Asheville, N.C.
“The unique thing about their walk was that they were in their wheelchairs and on walkers,” Ms. Johnson said. “The ‘Strollers and Rollers’ raised close to $300.”
Two Brooks-Howell residents were among those who walked around the lake. Deaconess Barbara Campbell, retired staff of the Women’s Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, and Deaconess Betty Letzig, retired staff of the board, raised more than $1,000.
“How inspiring that these former mission personnel are serving in their retirement years,” Ms. Johnson said.
Mission Giving supports the mission outreach of United Methodist Women with women, children and youth across the United States and around the world.
