United Methodist Women mark Iraq war anniversary

By Linda Bloom*

Directors Joan Johnson (left) of Dayton, Ohio, and Lisa Swett of Bangor, Maine, hold up a "ticker tape" that lists recent accomplishments of the Women's Division. UMNS photos by Cassandra Heller.

STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS)-United Methodist women across the United States are being encouraged to organize and participate in prayer services and peace vigils on March 19 to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

That encouragement comes from the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, which met March 7-10 in Stamford. The division is UMW's administrative body and is led by Harriett Olson. The Iraq war and the current crisis in Kenya were among a range of concerns addressed during the meeting,

Division directors asked UMW members to remember the U.S. soldiers, Iraqis and others who have died or been wounded, physically or emotionally, in the war.

The women also are encouraged to act for peace in Iraq and the region "through prayer, study, education, outreach, organizing and advocacy;" to post prayers for peace to www.umwonline.org/peacemakers and to read the Women's Division's "Steps Towards Peace in the Middle East," which can be found at http://www.umwmission.org/.

The Women's Division has always opposed the war in Iraq. Last year, the division opposed the escalation of the war, urged the withdrawal of all U.S. troops and supported legislative efforts to end funding for the war except to help troops safely withdraw. At the same time, division directors supported an increase in funding for veterans' benefits and humanitarian aid and reparations for Iraq.

Crisis in Kenya
Highlighting a recent crisis in Africa, Women's Division directors voted to respond to the situation in Kenya in several ways. The crisis began in late December because of a dispute over the presidential election, and violence continued for weeks. A political power-sharing agreement was reached Feb. 28.

The division will send a letter of solidarity to the women of the Methodist Church of Kenya and the United Methodist East Africa Annual Conference. Tangible support will be offered through mission giving to programs led by Kenyan women that provide both immediate humanitarian aid to women, youth and children and long-term efforts for healing and reconciliation.

Directors also will send a letter of support to the Women's Coalition for Sustainable Peace, a group formed by women's organizations in Kenya to respond to the current crisis. The coalition asks the Kenyan government to provide ways to monitor and implement political agreements and allow for the participation of all citizens in the implementation.

Women, in particular, need to be included in all political processes and should be appreciated as peacemakers, according to the coalition. Priority should be given to the special needs of internally displaced women as resettlement occurs.

United Methodist Women will be encouraged to ask members of the U.S. Congress to monitor U.S. economic and military aid to Kenya "to ensure that the aid supports the spirit of the agreement."

Two mission partners of the Women's Division in Kenya - GROOTS-Kenya and Daughters of Mumbi - have assisted during the period of crisis. GROOTS has tried to provide food and relocation help to women whose houses were burned down in Nairobi's Mathare slum. Daughters of Mumbi plan to organize meetings across regions and ethnic groups to promote sharing and healing and create food security projects with displaced families.

Diversity celebrated
The division's review and celebration of the 2004-2008 quadrennium gave Kyung Za Yim an opportunity to reflect on what it meant personally and organizationally to have a Korean-American woman serve as the Women's Division president.

She noted how the division's predecessor bodies had sent missionaries to Korea some 120 years ago to educate women and make them disciples of Christ. "Today, a fruit of that mission journey of our foremothers stands strong right here on this stage," she said.

Kyung Za Yim

"You are looking at a face of diversity in America," Yim continued. "This face may leave the Women's Division as of this fall, but faces like mine and other faces of color … will continue to be part of this organization."

She charged the division to continue to embrace diversity and continue to advocate for racial justice and immigrant and civil rights. "I am proud of the Women's Division for being on the cutting edge of confronting all forms of racism," she said.

Directors approved $60,000 for the establishment of the Kyung Za Yim Internship for Immigrant and Civil Rights, which will support the work of two UMW members on these issues.
In other business, Women's Division directors:

.Elected Martha Sherman Knight as the division treasurer and associate treasurer for the Board of Global Ministries, effective April 3. She has served as staff for the denomination's Baltimore-Washington Annual (regional) Conference since 1997, most recently as its chief financial officer.
.Called on UMW members to speak out on the negative use of race and gender by candidates, the media and the public during the 2008 election process.
.Decided to send a U.S. delegation to the 2009 World Social Forum, to be held next January in Belem, Brazil.
.Referred to the division's policy committee a recommendation that each annual (regional) conference UMW establish a position for a coordinator of teen and college women and young women under the age of 40.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.