We're Planting 100 Trees by April 24th

From Sis. Ruby Frazier, MI Conference 1st Vice President:

Welcome to an exciting opportunity to contribute to God’s earth providing a life giving force for ourselves and future generations to come. We ask each Area to commit to planting as many trees as you desire. Our Conference goal is 100 trees collectively on or before Arbor Day 2009. We ask that one tree per area be dedicated to the memory of Sister Mary Hatter who worked tirelessly in the Michigan Conference. Many of us have lost loved ones or a special member of our society over the year. You may choose to remember them by planting a tree in their memory also.


To help you with this goal here are a few tips to get you started:
1. On-line visit www.arborday.org You will find a wealth of suggestions and ideas about planting trees. One that may be fruitful for you would have your society join the Arbor Day Foundation. Membership is $10 and here is what you receive with this membership:

a. 10 Free Trees. The Foundation will send you trees to plant
wherever you choose.

b. You will receive 2 Give A Tree Cards and for every card you send
the foundation will plant a tree in one of our Nation’s forest that
has been devastated by fire, disease, or insects. The trees can be
planted in honor of your recipient.

c. The Foundation will plant 10 trees in your honor, or the honor of your recipient in a National Forest.

To read the entire letter and fil out a tree planting report form, contact your local society president who received the information by e-mail. The letter and form are also available on the Michigan Conference CD distributed February 28, 2009 and available by mail for $15. Get the order form here.

4th District Mid-Year Convocation

The Bishop's Mid-Year meeting is this week: Thursday, March 12 - Saturday, March 14, 2009 in Indianapolis, IN. Listed below is a scedhule of WMS activities and a few things for all stakeholders (missionaries, clergy, wim, laity and clergy family) to remember and consider:

Rev. C is seeking donations for AME India, which she will collect at Mid-Year. She is asking 200 women to give $15 to $25 each.

- If you would like to contibute ,but are not attending Mid-Year, please send your check to Treasurer, Orletta Caldwell. Make checks payable to: Mich Conf WMS and put AME India in the memo field.

- If you are planning to attend Mid-Year, you can either give it to us there and it will be included in the Conference offering. We are keeping track of how much our conference donates to District requests so that we may include that in our report at the end of the year. We want to show what we have done collectively as a Conference.

If you have not registered for WGI (Prayer Convocation), please do so by Mid-Year, if possible. Michigan must have 250 registered by Mid-Year. The cost is $100 for everyone, regardless of age. (Please contact Karen A. Davis if you need a registration form). This event is for all women of the 4th District.

Please secure your room for the WGI (Prayer Convocation) at the hotel. You don’t want to risk being bumped to the overflow hotel. Do it today!

WMS Schedule of Events
Mid-Year Convocation
March 12 – 14, 2009


Thursday, March 12th

10a.m. – 11:45a.m. WMS – Creating a Labyrinth Journey from the Gospel of John

12:00pm – 1pm Hour of Power – The Rev. Robert Brumfield, preaching

1p.m. – 2:45p.m. Lunch (On your own)

3:00pm – 3:45pm Report on Congo Women – Stacy Nichols

4:00pm – 4:30pm Creative Movement – Rev. Lyndetta & Mr. Charles Alsberry

5:00pm Dinner (On your own)

7:00pm Worship Service – The Rev. Terance Gray, preaching


Friday, March 13th

9:00am - 9:45am Effectual Intercession – Rev Esther Mitchell

9:45am – 10:00am President’s Word – Joyce Keys Garrison

10:00am – 11:00am YPD Report - Myesha Gholston

11a.m. – 11:15am AME India – Robyn Tyson

11:15am -12:00pm Biggest Loser Contest – Vickie McCullough
Nutrition & Weight Loss

12:00pm – 1:00pm Hour of Power – The Rev. Alene Glover, preaching

1:00pm – 3:00pm Lunch (on your own)

3:00pm – 3:45pm WGI Awards – Kelly Shelton

3:45pm – 4:30pm WGI Orientation & Mobilization Session –
Coordinators & Committee Chairs

5:00pm Dinner (on your own)

7:00pm Worship Service – The Rev. Jeffrey Johnson, preaching


Saturday, March 14th

9:00am – 10:00am Meetings of WGI Subcommittees /1st Vice Presidents Annual Day

9:30am Plenary Session: Stakeholders’ Reports

11:00am Closing Worship Service – The Rt. Rev. Samuel L. Green, Sr., preaching

On Behalf of the Michigan Conference Branch WMS and the WMS Leadership Team of the Fourth Episcopal District, thank you for all that you do in Kingdom Building. All I ask is that you do what you can. If you want to do something for AME India but $15 is not in your budget, then send a $1.00. If 200 people who aren’t planning to go to Mid-Year gave $1 each, that’s $200 more than zero. If they dug a little deeper and gave $2 each, that’s $400. Do what you can, but do something, because anything greater than zero is always acceptable.

Sis. Jacqueline Mitchell-Robinson, President
MI Conf. WMS

7 Prayer Initiatives for the Women's Global Convocation

From 4th District Worship Director, Sis. Mishca Smith:

I hope all is well and that GOD has been speaking to your heart as only He can do.

Under the direction of Rev. C, I have included a letter of invitation for you and all the people within your circle of influence to request their commitment to pray for one of the 7 prayer initiatives of the International Women's Convocation (letter included in this post). I have also attached a copy of the 7 prayer initiatives (click here for 7 Prayer Initiatives).

Along with asking women to pray we are also inviting them to join us in Toronto, Canada for the Intentional Women's Prayer Convocation. Please pass this information on to the area and local WMS Worship Directors within your conference.

The goal is to have 10,000 women from the 4th District regions committed to prayer for the initiatives. Please review the attached information and contact me if you have any questions.

I know the Lord has some awesome work ahead for us to do if we will only be obedient to his word. As Worship Leaders, we all need to promote the importance of a good and active prayer life. We need to move our sisters beyond praying for God to do things for us toward praying for direction for where God wants to lead us. We need to move beyond praying a prayer of CRISIS to prayer becoming a lifestyle.

I would like to thank you all for the work you do and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us in Toronto.

In His Service,

Mishca R. Smith

Go to www.wgi4.org for the 7 Prayers and to register for the International Prayer Convocation.

See the Women's Global Initiative website for the 7 Prayers.

7 Prayer Initiatives of the International Women's Prayer Convocation

(click on image to open)

Tips for a Successful WMS

Here is the first in a series of tips from MI Conference WMS president, Sis. Jacqueline Mitchell-Robinson:

Tip #1: Doing Nothing is Not Acceptable

Oftentimes we get overwhelmed and become paralyzed. The things that are being asked of you seem more than you can handle and so instead of doing something, you chose to do nothing and just stare at it.

God’s people are hurting. They need Jesus. They need deliverance. God wants to use you to draw His wounded to Him.

Don’t look at problem or size of the task, but keep your eyes focused on God. He is a big God who can handle big problems. Just pray and ask the Father what He wants you to do. Keep asking until you receive an answer.

And he will answer because there’s a lot of work to do. You can

- start a prayer meeting
- raise money for a Global Mission project
- encourage your friends to sign up and attend the Prayer Convocation in Toronto
- sponsor a child to attend the Sons of Success/Daughters of Destiny Youth Leadership Retreat at Camp Baber

- read a book off of the reading list to a sick and shut in member
- start a bible study class on the Book of John with young women
- change your diet so that you can become more physically fit to walk the 2K for Women Waging Peace

- gather some young kids together and make preparation to plant a garden and teach them how to appreciate what God has created.

God is calling you. Your gifts and talents are needed. Don’t ignore the call. Do something to make a difference in your community, your church, your job, your home and in your own life.

And to God Be the Glory!

Blessings and love to all,

Jacqueline Mitchell Robinson
President, Michigan Conference WMS

YPD meeting 03.21.09

From Sis. Ola McMillan, Flint Area YPD Director:

An important Flint Area YPD meeting will be held:

Saturday, March 21, 2009
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Quinn Chapel A.M.E.C.
2101 Lippincott Blvd.
Flint, MI 48503
ph.810 - 238 -5636

Lunch will be served.
Please contact Sis. Ola McMillan with a count of those attending from your church (needed for lunch preparation), and if you have questions.

Liturgical Dancers Needed

The 4th Epsicopal District is recruiting Litugical Dancers to minister and worship at 4th District events, including the Christian Education Congress in July. If anyone from your church is interested (they need not be members of the WMS or YPD), please contact Sis. Joyce Johnson, MI Conf. 2nd VP.

MI Conf. WMS CD & WMS Constitution

If you were unable to attend the Michigan Conference WMS Executive Board Meeting last weekend in Lansing, you missed a wealth of information, including Conference & District programs and registration forms. But don't worry, everything you missed is available on CD-Rom: Programs, Flyers, Registration Forms (including one for the Annual Convention in August), Reading Information, Calendars, Rosters and more - over 100 pages! You will also get a complimentary WMS mini-EcoBag with your order.

And... the newest version of the WMS Constitution and By-laws are available with legislation passed at the 2007 WMS Quadrennial and ratified at the 2008 AMEC General Conference (includes YPD, too).

Click on the form needed to order both the CD and EcoBag ($15) and the Constitution booklet ($12) included in this post. Deadline for orders for the Constitution booklets (inc. payment) is Friday, March 27, 2009.


Send the completed form to: Orletta E. Caldwell, MI Conf. Treasurer, at the address indicated on the form. Check should include "Conf. CD" and/or "Constitution" in the memo

All orders include shipping and handling, so you will receive them by mail. Constitutions and CDs will be shipped in separate packaging. CDs will be shipped within one week of receipt of payment. Please contact Karen A. Davis with any questions.

Don't miss out!

How to use your Michigan Conference WMS CD

After inserting the CD, open it from your designated DVD/CD drive. There will be (4) items:

- Folder entitled “Roster-xls”
- 2009-02-MI CONF WMS.pdf document
- 2009-WMS-Conn-ExecBD-Presentation
- 09 Annual Conference registration form

Open the 2009-02-MI CONF WMS.pdf document first.

o You must have Adobe Reader to access the file. If you do not have Adobe Reader software on your computer, you can download it for free at http://get.adobe.com/reader/

o When you open the .pdf file, you should see the Table of Contents.

o Look over to the left and you should see a “Bookmark” tab. Click on it, and you’ll notice that the same items listed on the Table of Contents are listed in order.

o You can read the documents in the order you’d prefer by clicking on each item in the Bookmark list.

o Print pages only as needed (part of our Eco-Initiative). You will need to print registration and pledge forms. To print only the pages you need:

- Click on the “Pages from” circle in the Page Range section of the Print box
- Type in the same page number in the “from” and “to” boxes (i.e., if you want to print the 7 Prayer Initiatives – p. 13 – type 13 in the “from” and “to” boxes and click “OK”).

Back to the Table of Contents: Listed under “4th District Information” is the 4th District Missions Presentation. This information is not included in the .pdf document, but is the separate PowerPoint presentation listed above.

o Open the PowerPoint presentation from the CD folder.
o When it opens, you should see the “Slide Sorter” page.
o Go to the bottom left corner of PowerPoint and click the “Slide Show” icon. The presentation should run automatically without having to click the slides forward. Each slide lasts 9 to 13 seconds, even if you see no movement/animation.

o This would be a great presentation to show your local society and church to inform them of WMS activities.

o Click the “Esc” key on your computer to end the Slide Show.

The registration form for the August 2009 Annual Convention is included on the CD.
o Open it and print out the number of copies needed.

The “Roster-xls” folder contains two (2) officer directories in MS Excel format. They are included because Excel software makes sorting the included information easier. Common uses include: making labels, hiding unnecessary information, making a phone directory, or sorting by office or location.

Missionary Emphasis Day at Vernon Chapel-Flint

The Cook Missionary Society of Vernon Chapel A.M.E. Church in Flint will celebrate it's Missionary Emphasis Day this Sunday, March 15, 2009, morning service. Michigan Conference WMS president, Sis. Jacqueline Mitchell-Robinson, will be the speaker.

Please support our sister society and our president, and join in a glorious time in the Lord!

Vernon Chapel AMEC
5802 DupontFlint, MI 48505
(810) 785-5721

Sis. Birdie Brown, president
Cook Missionary Society

Rev. Ernest Garrison, Pastor

HEALTH & WELLNESS: Salads that can make you fat

Last week, the Today Show (NBC) had a report of restaurants salads that are far from being healthy and nutritious. The salads include high level of fat and sodium, if eaten the way they are presented on the menu. Be careful what you order. Take note: one restaurant doesn't even make public some of their nutrition information. That should be a re flag. See 6 salads that could be making you fat - TODAY Health- msnbc.com

March 8: International Women's Day

Many non-profits and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are organizing events to celebrate International Women's Day. See the Have Fun, Do Good blog.

Women's Global Initiative - Women's Prayer Convocation

The International Woman’s Prayer Convocation
Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams Bryant, Episcopal Supervisor
September 16-20, 2009

The Michigan Conference is Pressing towards Toronto 2009 to pursue “The Depths of the Knowledge of God.”

Missionary Sisters,

The Michigan Conference is seeking your registrations to this convocation BY MARCH 11, 2009!! Within the next 9 days, if you reach these goals, prizes will be awarded at the next Executive Board Meeting in May!!

· Each Area Chairperson with 20 or more registrations in will receive a $100 Mary Kay Spa Basket

· Each Officer (Conference, At-Large, President, Life Member) who registers a minimum of two (2) new attendees will receive a $25 Mary Kay Gift Certificate (to be redeemed with Ruby for any item)

Registrations for all ages is $100. Make checks payable to: Women’s Global Initiative and mail to: P.O. Box 1543 Royal Oak, Michigan 48068-1543. Attached is a registration form. Those who have Information CD-ROM’s will find a form on your CD.

Write on your registration form your Area and any office you hold and make a copy for yourself and for the Conference to receive your award. This will be our tracking system.

CAN YOU GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS? Not only will you be registered for a convention that will bring Spiritual, Christian Women together under the uniting power of the Holy Spirit to pray - but your Conference will recognize your effort in meting this deadline with something special to pamper yourself as we enter a blossoming SPRING SEASON!

God Bless you as we go forth,
Ruby Frazier,
1st Vice PresidentMichigan Conference

Arrest Warrant Issued for Sudanese President

"The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir over his alleged role in crimes against humanity and war crimes in the western region of Darfur." See the Bloomberg.com article

The Flint Area Women's Missionary Society supports My Sister's Keeper, a humanitarian action group that is "focused on assisting, protecting, and advocating for" the women of the Sudan, encouraging their educational, economic, and physical enrichment.

Flint Area WMS Supports My Sister's Keeper

Our latest Newsletter, p. 1. Click the image to download.

Flint Area WMS Supports My Sister's Keeper

Our latest Newsletter, p. 2. Click the image to download.