Key points:
- Leaders of United Women in Faith, the United Methodist women’s organization, held their first in-person meeting since before COVID-related closures in 2020.
- The women’s organization kicked off plans for Assembly 2026 in Indianapolis.
- Those gathered also heard a rousing call to redouble efforts for racial justice amid a new presidential administration’s efforts to dismantle racial diversity, equity and inclusion.
United Women in Faith observed International Women’s Day during a weekend of meetings at Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville that included an announcement of Assembly 2026 and a strong call to eliminate institutional racism.
A March 6 board of directors meeting followed by the United Women in Faith Program Advisory Group meeting March 7-9 marked the first in-person board and program advisory group meetings of the United Methodist women’s organization since early 2020. United Women in Faith is governed by a 25-member board of directors. Every U.S. conference is represented in its 60-person program advisory group. The directors and advisory group members serve four-year terms.
Among several reports and business action items, participants celebrated a marketing kickoff for Assembly 2026 with the theme “Dream it! Believe it! Do it!”
Assembly 2026 is scheduled for May 15-17, 2026, in Indianapolis. Additional information will be available online at uwfaith.org/assembly. Early online registration opens Sept. 1 this year.
“At United Women in Faith’s 2026 Assembly you can dream it, believe it, do it,” said assembly steering committee chair Abby Gutierrez of the Rio Texas Conference. “Be nurtured by deep soul care experiences, be equipped by cutting edge workshops, be inspired by top women experts in their field, become influencers through networking opportunities and make an impact through action for justice.”
Author and activist Garlinda Burton, an advisory group member and deaconess in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference with more than 40 years of work in denominational and justice ministries, called on United Women in Faith members to act for justice now. During an Eliminating Institutional Racism address, Burton said she is retiring and “moving on to other Jesus work.”
“This will be the last time that I will be presenting anything on racism for United Women in Faith, and I’ll tell you why: The time for talking has passed. The time to act is now. And I’m specifically speaking to my white sisters,” Burton said.
“But to all of us, what are we willing to do in this fraught and dangerous time?” she asked. “I believe that United Women in Faith can make a difference because we’ve been making a difference for 241 years. Before there was even a United Women in Faith, there were Methodist and United Methodist and [Evangelical United Brethren] women who were shaking up the system.”
Burton reminded participants that racism is a rejection of the teachings of Jesus Christ and that institutional racism and the struggle for racial justice are parts of the Methodist movement’s legacy.
“We’ve been working, and I’m proud to say that the women of the church have been on the front lines of battle since our inception, and I’m very proud of that. … We're still not there, though,” Burton said.
“We're still not there because of women of color are still doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to confronting, naming and acting to expel institutional racism and its enabler, white supremacy,” she said. “After all our book studies, our talking groups, our meeting groups, our supper clubs, our prayer vigils, we still see a disproportionate amount of the work being laid on women of color to fight the battle of racism.”
Burton called on white women to “move to the front lines of Christian anti-racism” by educating white children about racism, demonstrating for immigrant rights, intervening when wrong happens, supporting reparations, patronizing Black, Indigenous and people of color-owned businesses and voting against racism.
“If you vote for a candidate who spouts racism, you’re voting for racism. Vote for candidates who speak love and speak inclusion and speak diversity,” she said. “Challenge those who disparage (diversity, equity and inclusion) and bust the myth of meritocracy. … Now, white sisters, at this uncertain moment in our world history, it is your turn.”
Burton’s address also included a list of women vital to making strides against racism in United Methodist history, including those involved with Scarritt Bennett Center, the site of the weekend’s meetings.
Sally Vonner, the top executive of United Women in Faith, called the meeting location “the place of our legacy.”
Owned by United Women in Faith, the 100-year-old campus is formerly home to United Methodist-related Scarritt College for Christian Workers and Scarritt Graduate College. The college became a leader for racial integration in the South when it desegregated its student population in 1952.
Participants acknowledged the property was also once a sacred place to Indigenous people, and a portion of the March 6 board meeting was devoted to an Indigenous Boarding Schools initiative.
“Part of the dark history of the United States and the Church, including The United Methodist Church and its predecessors, is their intent to erase Native American culture, traditions, languages and more by taking their children and attempting to assimilate them into the dominate culture. The truth is the children were socially, emotionally, spiritually and culturally devastated by their experiences in these boarding schools,” Vonner said. “Today the truth continues to unfold.”
United Women in Faith, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History are working together to fund and investigate more deeply to get to the truth regarding church roles in Indigenous boarding and mission schools, Vonner reported.
Devotion moments and plenary sessions throughout the weekend continued themes of standing up for social, racial and climate justice and sharing the story of faith, using Psalm 78:4 and Joel 1:3 to encourage members to continue telling stories of God’s goodness and their own stories to future generations.
“The story we want to tell when we leave here is about faith and boldness — the courage, strength and resilience of our foremothers and United Women in Faith today,” Vonner said. “We have come a long way. Every generation has left their mark on the church and society.”
Vonner cited United Women in Faith’s racial justice timeline as she pointed out positive changes.
“This is Women’s History Month,” Vonner said. “In our foremothers’ day, women were valued through dependence on a man. … Their independence was limited and yet they found a way to navigate unjust systems and boldly stand up for their rights and the rights of others. … This present day is still causing us to navigate patriarchy and unjust systems that try to control rather than invite the gifts of women to address the most challenging issues of the day.”
In a Sunday morning devotion, Lisa Maupin of the Great Plains Conference called on members to continue acting as boldly as their United Women in Faith foremothers.
“Challenge the injustices of this world,” Maupin said. “Stand out when it is time. Stand up when you are called to do so. Be the person of faith that responds when the world is crying.”
National President Jana Jones told those gathered this is their time “to be bold, to step up and to act.”
“It is our turn,” she said, “joining our foremothers, creating a solid foundation for generations to come. The baton is in your hands to move forward.”
Further coverage of board and Program Advisory Group meetings will be available at uwfaith.org and in response magazine.
Audrey Stanton-Smith is editor of United Women in Faith’s response magazine.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free daily or weekly Digests.
