Caring For the Soul

“Through turmoil and distress, anxieties and fears, external macro and micro aggressions, internal struggles, through inherited traumas and collective grief, sorrow or tears, we must be determined to find and hold onto the joy that is ours,” said Ebony Diaz, United Methodist Women’s executive for membership, nurture and development and one of the event planners, looking directly through her Zoom camera. “It is our birthright, even as the air we breathe. It is God’s gift to us, and we must receive it for ourselves. Joy is our theme song. Joy is our weapon to fight the battles ahead. It is our hope. It is our healing.“So welcome to this sacred space. This is your time of retreat and joy.”And so began Soul Care. As part of United Methodist Women’s strategic plan for growth, the organization surveyed more than 24,000 women over the age of 18 in United Methodist Women, The United Methodist Church and beyond, to get their say on everything from how they prefer to meet, how they prefer to give, what’s most important to them, and what they’re seeking. One need rose to the top across demographic differences: the need for soul care.---Visit http://www.UnitedMethodistWomen.org to read this article and more from response, the award winning magazine of women in mission.