May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Please join us as we talk with Dr. Cari L. Jackson, author of Sisters in Mourning, and countless other titles, to discuss ways we can care for ourselves and loved ones. In this edition of Faith Talks, we will also give an update on Mission u 2023. For this segment, my guests will include DeLyn Celec, Chaplain in the Office of Spiritual Life at Shenandoah University in Virginia, and Jay Godfrey, Transformative Education and Training Specialist for United Women in Faith, and lead developer of the Mission u curricula and training events.

Faith Talks commemorates Mother’s Day with a panel on the importance of supporting mothers. Guests include:Brittany K. Barnett, attorney, author, and founder of Girls Embracing Mothers, a nonprofit helping women in prison and their daughters to break the cycle of incarceration and lead successful lives with vision and purpose.Devin Long, community outreach specialist for New Beginnings, Navajo United Methodist Center, a United Women in Faith supported National Mission Institution in Farmington, New Mexico.Mollie James-Vickery, interim CEO of United Women in Faith.

The 2023 theme of Earth Day is Invest in Our Planet. Join us for a lively discussion of this important topic.Our guest panelists will include:*Sabrina Chapa, a proud Xicana and co-founder of Ties to La Tierra, an ecological justice organization caretaking Earth by promoting Indigenous, anti-colonial, and transformative methodological practices, research, and community building. She has a M.S. in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management with a focus on Ecological Justice, and a B.S. in Geography and Environmental Resources.*Ilka Vega, United Women in Faith Executive for Economic and Environmental Justice. She holds a B.A. in Sustainability, Culture, and Social Justice and a B.A. in Business from Southwestern University and a M.Sc. in Innovation, Human Development, and Sustainability from the University of Geneva.*Nora Asedillo Cunningham, Spiritual Growth and Formation Specialist for United Women in Faith national office. She has a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where she studied Christian social ethics and postcolonial and liberation theologies

Faith Talks continues our Women’s History Month celebration of everyday sheroes in a segment dedicated to Women and Our Finances. Historically, women have earned less than men but have often found a way to do more with their money. How can women today take control of our finances to build the lives we want for ourselves, family, and world?Our guests are financial experts:*Cecilia Malm, Director of Development for United Women in Faith and*Karen Manczko, Director of Institutional Relations, and Krystal Holmes, Plan Sponsor Relations Manager, of Wespath Benefits and Investments, a company serving The United Methodist Church for over 100 years and maintaining one of the largest faith-based pension funds in the world.

March is Women’s History Month! Faith Talks kicks off the celebration honoring the invaluable impact of “Sandwiched Caregivers” and the history they make every day in their workplace and in their communities while juggling responsibilities for children, youth, and aging parents. United Women in Faith-related National Mission Institutions around the nation provide needed help support to many of these women. Our guests will include:Cathy Capo Stone, Executive Director, Cornerstone Family Ministries in Tampa, Florida.Yvette Richards, our former national president, a certified life coach and Director of Community Connections and Missions for St. James United Methodist Church, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Each year United Women in Faith members prepare for faithful living and action by engaging in transformative educational experiences at Mission u events. We are pleased to interview authors of the 2023 Mission u studies on this episode of Faith Talks. Guests will include:Riva Tabelisma, author of Living the Kin-dom: Exploring the Lord’s Prayer as a Spiritual Practice for Social Transformation, the adult study; andRachel Mosher, author of Seek and You Shall Find: Living in the Kin-dom, the youth study.Host: Jennifer R. Farmer

On this episode of Faith Talks we discuss COP27, the monumental climate summit which occurred Nov. 6-18, 2022, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. United Women in Faith’s Executive for Economic and Environmental Justice Ilka Vega attended the COP27 climate negotiations and will share her insights and recommendations during the live recording of this podcast episode. Since empowering women and girls is ranked second among 76 solutions for curbing global warming (Project Drawdown), this is a timely conversation especially for an organization committed to women and children. Vega said, “I’m thankful to have met and learned from incredible women advancing climate action such as Marina Silva, environmentalist and former Ministry of the Environment of Brazil; Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland; and young activist and artist Ayisha Siddiqa from Pakistan. Their intergenerational wisdom and commitment to climate justice provides encouragement that the work we are doing through our Just Energy for All campaign is empowering more women.”

Advent is a season of anticipation and preparation as we make room to receive Jesus the Christ anew our lives and world. How can we prepare to receive Christ today? How can we sharpen our spiritual senses so that we recognize Christ in the physical world today?Our guests for this episode in observance of Advent include the Rev. KATHLEEN STONE, an educational program developer, former chaplain of the Church Center for the United Nations, and author of United Women in Faith’s 2022 Advent online reflections; and JAREN KEATON, executive director of Alliance Center for Education (formerly Bethlehem Center of Charlotte), a National Mission Institution in North Carolina.

As the year winds to a close, it is an ideal time to celebrate God’s many blessings and the ways we’ve shown up for one another throughout a challenging year. So, think about a blessing you’ve given or receive—big or small— and how it impacted your life.

Visit our website at http://www.uwfaith.org to find out more.

On this episode we will be honoring Hispanic Heritage Month and learning about the issues impacting Latino and Hispanic communities in the U.S. We’ll also dive deep and learn about the ways that several National Mission Institutions, such as Wesley-Rankin Community Center and McCurdy Ministries, are serving Latino communities in New Mexico and Texas.

Join a special Faith Talks recording with author and former pastor Rebekah Simon-Peter. We’ll discuss her new book “Forging a New Path,” a groundbreaking guidebook for the church in this post-pandemic period. As the prophet Ezekiel surveyed a valley of dry bones, God asked him, “Can these bones live?” His prophetic vision hinted at the lifelessness of worship hundreds of years ago. But today, we are grappling with this same question; “Can these bones live?” I believe they can and so does Rebekah Simon Peter.Faith Talks are monthly conversations with United Women in Faith hosted by Jennifer R. Farmer, Spotlight PR. Each conversation explores themes and resources that empower us to put faith, hope and love into action.

Gun violence is a rising crime in the United States. From mass shootings, to intra-communal violence, to suicide by gun, far too many families have been impacted by gun violence.Guests:REV. RHONDA THOMAS, executive director of Faith in FloridaTAMEKA GREER, executive director of Memphis Artists for ChangeHost:JENNIFER R. FARMER, Spotlight PRFaith Talks are monthly conversations with United Women in Faith hosted by Jennifer R. Farmer, Spotlight PR. Each conversation explores themes and resources that empower us to put faith, hope and love into action.

The past few years have brought challenge and pain for working people in the United States. Women were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic with many forced to balance work and child-rearing. Consequently, a number of women left the labor market during the pandemic, and others struggled to work part-time, work full-time and assist children who were mostly learning from home. But that’s not all.Last fall, there were so many strikes or threats of strikes that October was referred to as Striktober. From Amazon to Starbucks to Apple to major health systems, workers across the nation grew tired of laboring under unsafe working conditions or without wages that allowed them to care for themselves and their families. Many responded by fighting for the right to collectively bargain. These workers sought safety and security on the job, but also a strong voice for themselves and the people they serve.Guests:NEHA MISRA, who represents the Solidarity Center in the Alliance to End Slavery and TraffickingJENNIFER (JJ) ROSENBAUM, executive director of the Global Labor Justice – International Labor Rights ForumSHANNON LEDERER, director of Immigration Policy, AFL-CIOHost:JENNIFER R. FARMER, Spotlight PRFaith Talks are monthly conversations with United Women in Faith hosted by Jennifer R. Farmer, Spotlight PR. Each conversation explores themes and resources that empower us to put faith, hope and love into action.

In the wake of the Uvalde school shooting, communities around the country are rushing to “harden” schools with increased police presence. But will these efforts really make school safe for students of color who are already over-policed, or will it strengthen the school-to-prison pipeline? Guests:Sheri Brady, Vice President of Strategy and Program for the Children’s Defense Fund, a nonprofit national organization fighting for children, families, and communities for more than 40 years.Emily Jones, United Women in Faith Executive for Racial Justice and Interrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline Campaign lead.

On this episode of Faith Talks host Jennifer R. Farmer will interview Brittany Barnett, founder of the pioneering organization (GEM). GEM is dedicated to breaking the cycle of incarceration for daughters of incarcerated mothers.GEM supports women and girls impacted by the criminal justice system through empowerment-based programs that strengthen the relationship between young girls and incarcerated mothers. It also offers reentry-based training for mothers who are incarcerated. GEM’s goal is to break the cycle of incarceration and support girls and women in their efforts to lead healthy, healed, and whole lives.In addition to Barnett, Farmer will interview Emily Jones United Women in Faith’s executive for racial justice, who will discuss our work interrupting the school to prison pipeline and our support of GEM.

Assembly 2022 featured a Faith Talks Town Hall on Women and Leadership that we’re excited to share with in this special edition of the Faith Talks podcast. Faith Talks host Jennifer Farmer moderated the Assembly Town Hall panel that included: *Emma Cantor—Deaconess, Regional Missionary from Philippines serving in Asia/Pacific Region. *Gail Douglas-Boykin, Deaconess, former board member, United Methodist Women, coordinator ministerial services for New York Annual Conference. *Sung-ok Lee, Deaconess, Connectional Officer, United Women in Faith *Alzira Isaac Machauene, Women's Executive Secretary, Mozambique North Annual Conference.

To sustain relationships, one must learn forgiveness. To live well, one must learn forgiveness. To enjoy emotional freedom, one must forgive. Forgiveness does not mean re-engaging in toxic and unhealthy relationships; it is a means of freeing us from the harm done to us. During this segment we will talk with Amanda Hoyt and the Rev. Cheryl Taylor of St. John AME Church.Visit https://uwfaith.org/ to find out more about United Women in Faith.