June event will teach women to advocate for justice
On June 21, United Methodist Women will offer a Social Justice Event in Oklahoma City at The Christ Experience UMC, 1006 N.E. 17th.
The three presenters are skilled in arenas that include working for racial justice, strengthening ethnic congregations, and advocacy to stop human trafficking. Leader for the day will be Janis Rosheuvel from the UMW National Office.
The event embodies the UMW theme of "Turning Faith, Hope, and Love into Action."
"I pray all of us will take a very serious look at how we as Christian women can advocate for the most vulnerable in our Conference and beyond," wrote Oklahoma Conference UMW President Cindy Hull in the group’s newsletter.
The program is made possible through the Conference UMW’s Charter for Racial Justice Committee.
About the presenters:
• High school student Amanda Hawthorne of Wilburton is concurrently enrolled at Eastern Oklahoma State College. She is an Ambassador Girl Scout, with hundreds of hours of badge work and community service.
Active at Wilburton UMC, she attended a United Methodist-sponsored United Nations/Washington D.C. Seminar that emphasized awareness about human trafficking. That sparked her interest in this justice issue, and she has made numerous presentations.
• Carlos Ramirez is the coordinator for Hispanic/Latino Ministries in Oklahoma, on missionary assignment through the General Board of Global Ministries, and an associate director in the Conference Office of Mission. Born in Puebla, Mexico, he counts in the fourth generation of Methodists in his family story.
Rev. Ramirez previously pastored Heavener Hispanic Fellowship/Howe UMC and was an associate at Elk City UMC.
He holds a Master in Theological Studies, in New Testament.
• A native of Guyana, South America, Rosheuvel serves in the National Office as executive secretary for Racial Justice. She has wide experience in social justice work. It ranges from time as an Americorps volunteer, assisting women seeking asylum in the United States, to lecturing on migration and crime at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
As a Fulbright Scholar, she supported and documented social movements organized by migrants, shack dwellers, and other working-class activists in South Africa.
She serves on the boards of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.
Rosheuvel has a B.A. in international studies and master’s degree in conflict resolution.
The sessions on June 21 begin at 9:30 a.m. Closing worship, at 3 p.m., will be led by Semaj Vanzant, pastor at The Christ Experience; April Coates, pastor at Wilburton and campus minister at EOSC; and Ramirez.
Cost, $20, includes lunch provided by The Christ Experience United Methodist Women. Advance signup for childcare is required by June 7.
To register for the Social Justice Event: www.okumc.org/umw — Programs — Brochure/Registration.