14th World Assembly Workshops

REDUCING POVERTY: Workshop 1:
Advocating Project Proposal Writing: Reducing Poverty Through Spiritual, Social and Economic Growth

Women around the world form the larger population but are often left on the margins. This workshop will help women address poverty in their communities through spiritual, social, and economic growth. Reducing poverty starts with knowing God, self, and others, and having life skills. The workshop contents include: an introduction; goals and objectives; connecting with God, self, and others; life survival skills; and simple steps in writing project proposals and sourcing grants and funds. Women will go out bearing fruit in their family, community, church, nation, and the world at large

REDUCING POVERTY: Workshop 2:
“How do you understand this phrase: poverty at every step often has a woman’s face . . .?”

Supporting other people is an essential part of the mission and vocation of service for each one of us. No one can eradicate poverty alone, but we can help each other to do so. The work of the churches, institutions or movements cannot replace the efforts of each individual person. Helping people in need is not just a matter of money. Many of us want to contribute in other ways, but sometimes we don’t know how. This workshop will attempt to give another vision of poverty and how to help in a way that is not just ‘patching over’ the problem with silence or actions.

GENDER JUSTICE: Workshop 1:
Gender Justice

You and I cannot only be defined by a social construct, by gender; we are defined by God, by the gift of the power of the image of God, so that we can help, support, and protect people who are in need. This workshop will look at what it means to be like the ‘Bent-over Woman’ in John 13:10-17. We will listen to
the voices of women throughout history around gender issues and reflect on their experiences.

GENDER JUSTICE: Workshop 2:
Equality: Reconciling the Reality and the Practice

Women created equal with men, in the image of God. Reality. Sin distorts this reality in the practice of the world systems which foster and promote inequality, and within men and women who propagate this untruth through thought and practice: men treating women unequally, with women regarding themselves as unequal and other women in the same way. Through the study of God’s word this workshop will look at the ways Jesus restored this equality both before His death, through His interaction with women, and then through the Holy Spirit after His ascension, and how we can live it in both reality and practice. We will hear from three women in different parts of the world about their experiences of gender equality or inequality.

HEALTH & WELL-BEING: Workshop 1:
Living in Abundant Health

As a woman who has struggled for 50 years with food – endless dieting, losing weight, gaining more – and experiencing defeat, ill health, and constant condemnation, Melanie is discovering the freedom of health, vibrancy, and restoration through eating whole foods that our Creator has made. She is absolutely passionate about sharing truths that canset us free from oppression, from the theft of our health and life as the children of God, through simple changes and truth! Melanie believes with her whole heart that we are made for more, and that our Lord desires for us to walk into abundant life! In this workshop she will share from her own experience how we can finally find victory and health!

HEALTH & WELL-BEING: Workshop 2:
Building Good Relationships

Jesus teaches us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves. In this workshop we will look at how we can maintain a good relationship with God and with others, even when those relationships are difficult or cause us stress. We will also think about our relational circles and how to invest in those relationships that will build us up and to let go of those that are destructive.

ELIMINATING VIOLENCE: Workshop:
Eliminating Violence, Working Towards Peace and Reconciliation

This workshop is in the form of a discussion with Hedva, a Jewish believer in Christ, and Shireen a Palestinian Christian. They share their experiences of violence and of being women involved in a movement towards eliminating violence through peace and reconciliation. Hedva and Shireen share how their relationship as a Jew and Arab developed into a deep friendship of respect and love for one another. They challenge us through their stories and experiences to be women of God who, not only pray for peace, but are active in non-violent responses as a means towards peace and reconciliation.

CARE FOR CREATION: Workshop 1:
A Reflection on COP 26

During this workshop we will reflect on the United Nation’s Climate Change Conference, COP26, which took place in November of 2021. Mollie will be considering whether or not the conference was a success, how it impacted wider society, and why it became a reason to put climate ‘back on the agenda’

CARE FOR CREATION: Workshop 2:
Why care about carbon footprints?

This Workshop will explore why, as Christians, we are called to care for creation. Caroline will give a brief overview of the current global environmental crisis, and the biblical mandate to be good stewards of creation. Using the work of Climate Stewards as an example, she will describe how to measure, reduce and offset your carbon footprint, focusing on some of Climate Stewards’ partner projects in the majority world.

CREATIVE: Workshop 1:
Making the most of websites and social media

This will be a workshop based upon how to improve and encourage engagement in the online spaces of the WFMUCW, such as: the World Federation website, Facebook page, Twitter profile, as well as any other online or social media that the WFMUCW currently uses or will use in the future. The workshop will cover: content that can be added to the website and social media; how to encourage the use of these online resources; and how the website and social media can be improved
overall.

CREATIVE: Workshop 2:
How shall we sing in many strange lands at once?

We are online and pre-recorded. We are in different time zones. We sing in different languages. We know this new con-COVID world is strange. Methodists sing in community. We are not soloists nor passive observers. We sing as people of God, singing for the sanctification of our communities and the sake of the world. In this Workshop we will look at how to use technology to share and participate in the Wesleyan tradition and practice of singing courageously. We will be challenged to think about how the mission-field is opening up to us in new and exciting ways. We will rethink and reimagine worship.