United Women in Faith’s Board of Directors celebrated the success and diversity of Assembly 2026, elected a new national vice president, and prioritized social justice training when they met at their fall meeting in early October.
They also worshipped; heard staff, officer, and investment reports; approved the 2027 budget; and participated in an interactive work session for implementation and innovation of the organization’s strategic plan and Unstoppable growth campaign during their October 2-3 virtual meeting.
“This year the focus is on being influencers,” CEO and General Secretary Sally Vonner told the board, which is in the third year of its quadrennium. “Your inspiration and passion witnessed at Assembly is what we still need now to make the impact I believe and know is possible.”
She called on directors to influence others through United Women in Faith’s social justice campaigns and to pursue being a General Conference delegate.
“We need women’s voices in decision making more than ever as this new structure is defined,” she said, referring to The United Methodist Church’s regionalization plan and what regionalization will look like in the United States. So far, of the 11 annual conferences that elected General Conference and jurisdictional delegates, United Women in Faith is well represented with 24 members on nine delegations.
Vonner also celebrated in-person and virtual Mission u events across the Connection, that the recent Assembly exceeded fundraising goals, a renewed focus on social justice campaigns, and her recent trip to Liberia, where she presented at the Africa College of Bishops meeting and met with the Liberia Conference United Methodist Women who carry out their mission on United Women in Faith property.
“Even in this season of change and uncertainty, there is inspired hope over the future,” Vonner said. “We are not who we once were. We have been reshaped by history, and … church turmoil, organizational shifts, pandemics, changes, and refreshing. But God … has given us who we are now, and that gives me hope and inspiration.
“The landscape and the mission field before us is full of possibility, with women, children, and youth seeking and longing for God’s ever-present boundless grace, for belonging, for transformation,” Vonner continued. “What we do together in practicing hope with action during the next two years can and will impact generations to come.”
National President Jana Jones echoed Vonner’s sentiments when she compared the organization to a ship.
“Our foremothers had the insight to put together an institution that, with God’s help, has withstood many catastrophic storms,” Jones said. “It has weathered racial strife, attacks on her assets, and so much more. They built this ship to be strong, yet nimble enough to assess, evaluate, and restructure as needed to continue to work for the glory of God on Earth.
“And this ship has a superpower — its membership,” she continued, “women who believe that love in action can change the world. … When we row together, in the same direction and with a shared purpose, we create momentum and success.”
Assembly 2026
Members witnessed that success in May, during Assembly 2026 in Indianapolis.
“When two or more, or nearly 3,000, are gathered, dreaming, believing, and doing happens,” Director of Events Management Sarah Brockus reported.
Among her highlights: Assembly’s diverse attendance. Assembly-goers were 38 percent represented by diverse communities. Fifty-five percent of those attending were White; 29 percent were Black; 4 percent Asian or Asian American; 2 percent Latina/o/x or Hispanic; 1 percent were Native American or Alaska Native; 1 percent multiracial; 1 percent Pacific Islander; 1 percent used a write-in option; and 1 percent preferred to not answer. Those percentages demonstrate greater diversity than the UMC membership at large.
“This is because of our continued intentional work around racial justice and inviting diverse communities to be a part of who we are and valuing diversity,” Brockus said. “We increased diversity from 2022. We went from 28 percent diverse to 38 percent diverse, so that’s great in a climate of a divided nation. For us to increase diversity in this time and space is amazing.”
Brockus also pointed out that age demographics were similar to the last two assemblies, with around 45 percent between the ages of 71 to 80, 36 percent between 51 and 70, 12 percent ages 81 and older, and 7 percent under 50.
Assembly-goers, 94.5 percent of whom were members and 37 percent first-time attendees, cited connection with other members, speakers, worship, community gatherings, worship experience, and workshops as reasons for attending. And many cited UWFaith Digital as the place where they learned about Assembly.
For the first time ever, no subsidies from mission dollars were used to support Assembly, Brockus highlighted. And total giving during Assembly increased by 270 percent from 2022.
Budget
Total conference giving through August was up by $138,000 or 7 percent compared to August 2025, reported Treasurer/CFO Tamara Clark.
Clark’s proposed budget for 2027 included an expected decrease of $300,000 in bequests, trusts, and other long-term gifts; non-recurrence of significant Assembly income and expenses; a decrease of $120,000 in publications revenue; an increase of $425,000 in income due to expected grant income; and additional funds for in-person board and staff meetings next year, all factors relevant to a proposed 2027 budget.
She proposed, and the board approved, a 2027 management budget with operating revenue of $8,063,966; operating expenses of $13,348,090; and non-operating sources of $5,309,125; as part of a total master budget with operating revenue of $20,114,307, total operating expense of $25,205,591; and total non-operating sources of $6,139,078.
The approved 2027 budget reflects an increase for conference giving, as well as an increase of $300,000 in interest income, an increase of $481,513 in rental and service fee income, and decreases in publications and other income.
Development
Deaconess Christi Campos, executive for Development and Donor Relations, celebrated that Mission Giving and The Legacy Endowment Fund received more than $426,258 at Assembly 2026.
After recapping Assembly’s giving-related workshops, interactive booth, humorous Mission Giving skits, the 1869 Society Breakfast, and the Legacy Banquet, Campos informed the board that as of the end of August, The Legacy Endowment Fund total was $57,532,677, including planned gifts and major gift pledges with market fluctuation.
“We can most definitely reach and surpass our $60 million goal by the end of the quadrennium,” Campos said, adding that Mission Giving though August 2026 totaled nearly $2 million, an increase of $135,000 or 7 percent in comparison to August of 2025.
Campos said the Development Office has been working to re-engage Mission Giving and encouraged members to check out the Legacy page and updated Mission Giving resources on UWFaith Digital. She also encouraged every unit to participate in Pledge to Mission, World Thank Offering, and Call to Prayer and Self-Denial.
Audit and Investments
Board members received a clean 2025 audit report from Crosslin and welcomed a positive investment performance review and report from Wespath.
Wespath representatives reminded the board of Wespath’s commitment to apply John Wesley’s three simple rules — do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God — when discerning investment strategies in its Social Values Portfolio, which holds fewer fossil fuel assets than other options.
The portfolio also prioritizes issues such as affordable and environmentally friendly housing, alternative energy, and micro finance. It pays attention to the ways human rights violations or climate change might impact returns and retirements. And it avoids investing in tobacco, private prisons, and other things misaligned with United Methodist values.
At the same time, noted Wespath’s Lucas Schoeppner and Meagan Tenety, the investment company is staying up-to-date and having conversations with companies about emerging concerns, such as the impacts of data center growth, the blending of technology and defense technology, and rollbacks on rules regarding carbon reduction commitments.
Net Zero
United Women in Faith remains committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across all operations, facilities, and investments by 2050.
“Our strategy has been to actively engage Wespath to create truly fossil fuel-free investment options aligned with our mission,” shared Operations Officer Deaconess Mollie James-Vickery. “While our engagement helped prompt the creation of a portfolio with minimal fossil fuel exposure, it does not yet meet our request for being fully fossil-free, so we must continue pressing for even better choices.”
The report reinforced the continual shifting of investments toward renewable energy and other future-facing industries and toward companies concerned with strengthening social responsibility and emissions reduction.
“Continuing this advocacy is one of the most direct ways we can align our investments with our values and accelerate a just energy transition, especially as the Social Values Portfolio has demonstrated strong performance alongside its reduced fossil fuel exposure,” the report stated.
United Women in Faith will continue building a just, equitable, and sustainable world for generations to come by measuring and lowering operational emissions through travel tracking and data analysis; upgrading facilities with energy-saving improvements; and advocating for full investment alignment with Wespath.
Newly Elected and Other Business
Heidi Careaga, who was elected as the board’s vice president in 2024, took the vacant staff position of executive assistant on September 8. The board elected director Abby Gutierrez to replace Careaga as vice president.
Via mail ballot, the board, since its April meeting, elected Camille Rambague to the program advisory group; approved a $20,000 grant to the Neighborhood House, a National Mission Institution in Wilmington, Delaware; and elected Lois Moreland-Dean of the Northern Illinois Conference to the board of directors to fill a vacancy.
The board also:
- Approved Call to Prayer themes for 2028-2030, including the 2028 theme of “Caring for Creation, Pursuing Justice;” the 2029 theme “Empowering Women to Lead, Earn, and Thrive;” and the 2030 theme, “Faith in Action: Breaking the Cycle of Hunger.”
- Approved the date and location for the 2027 deaconess and home missioner consecration as April 24, 2027, at the Church Center for the United Nations.
- Elected Board Secretary Melba McCallum to serve a second three-year term on the Bennett College Board of Trustees.
- Elected Mikele Haskins-Delmore and Holly Neal to the Scarritt Bennett Center Board of Directors.
- Elected Lois Moreland-Dean to the Governance Committee, to fill a vacancy.
- Approved legislation for the Global Book of Discipline language for Part VI, Chapter 5, regarding women’s organizations and the Office of Deaconess and Home Missioner.
- Learned that “Faith Talks” will be shifting to rotating hosts.
- Heard a report on the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women (more in the January-February 2027 issue of response).
- Participated in an interactive session to inform impact, relevance, and effectiveness of the strategic plan and to highlight successes connected to the Unstoppable growth campaign.
Audrey Stanton-Smith is editor of response.
This content was originally published by United Women in Faith; republished with permission by ResourceUMC on November 3, 2026.