United Women in Faith shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative support fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.

Each month, we gather on the second Tuesday of the month at both at 9:30 AM and 7 PM. Brunch refreshments will be in the Cafe Area and then we will meet in the Chapel. Interest Groups meet every month with the exception of May and December. Hope you can be with us.

United Women in Faith is distinguished by its focused mission to improve the lives of women, children, and youth through faith-based action, advocacy, and an interracial, and intercultural network. It combines spiritual growth with social justice, offering "All-Access" membership to women of all backgrounds.
St. Mark's UWFaith raises funds for both local and global missions, raising over $20,000 last year, all going to missions.

MORNING INTEREST GROUPS
CULTURAL and LIFE INSIGHTS – Room G/H
Each month Oct.~Nov. and Jan.~ April, a different travel location or extremely unusual career or life experience will be shared during the monthly AM Interest Group.

• March – Living in Saudi Arabia, a Culturally Different Country (Carol Blackwell)
  Our family of four, lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for one year for my husband’s work. He sold pumps, engines and agricultural equipment while working with the Saudi company. I will share the beauty of the desert country, with photos, and talk about our experiences.
• April – Chaplaincy in Daily Life (Missi Koenig)
  God calls us to love our neighbors. Missi Koenig will share lessons she has learned as a chaplain that can help each of us be in relationship with our neighbors.

BOOKWORMS - Library
Gail Lee, Facilitator
Bookworms discusses both fiction and non-fiction works from a faith-based perspective. 

• March: “The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict
• April: “Tell No One” by Harlan Coben

SPIRITUAL GROWTH - Room B/C
Pastor Karla Elliott, Facilitator
Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering the Many Faces of Christ
This fall, the UWF Spiritual Growth Interest Group invites you to journey together through Freeing Jesus, an insightful and uplifting book by Diana Butler Bass. In a time when our understanding of Jesus can become boxed-in by tradition, culture, or personal experience, Bass invites us to rediscover the dynamic, expansive, and personal ways we know Jesus.Bass, a noted theologian and author, encourages us to engage with Jesus beyond the boundaries we might unknowingly set. Through exploring six aspects of Jesus—Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence—Bass challenges readers to consider how these familiar images can gain fresh significance in our lives today. This study will offer a supportive, engaging, and thoughtful setting to explore together how we have understood Jesus throughout our spiritual journeys and how we might experience Jesus anew in community.
Join the UWF Spiritual Growth Interest Group as we gather to share, discuss, and learn from one another in community. Your voice, perspective, and questions will enrich this exploration of a Jesus who is bigger, more inclusive, and freer than we might have imagined.
Come rediscover Jesus together this fall—we look forward to seeing you there!

MORNING AND EVENING INTEREST GROUP
HELPING HANDS - Room J/K 
Steph Mabe, Facilitator
Our missions and educations departments will provide us with projects that need to be made or assembled for the church. We will also help assemble the Ribbons of Hope bags whenever possible.
Each month, we will be provided with a bin of projects that have been selected according to priority of urgency from those departments. Things like making flannel blankets for the homeless, assembling supplies for the Sunday school rooms or even making PBJ sandwiches for E. 16th street might be among projects needed to be done.
This will be a time to gather with UWF friends ( old and new) while doing good for others. We are excited by the possibilities it brings!

EVENING INTEREST GROUPS
BOOKMARKERS
Deb Skinner, Facilitator
This group reads a variety of subjects. Haven’t read the book, then come for the discussion and fellowship.
March – The Memory Library by Kate Stoney
April – The Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier
May – The Berrypickers by Amanda Peters
August – The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

One of the ways you can help support our UWF mission projects locally and around the world for women, children and youth is through your annual pledge. For questions, contact Peggy-Anne Hoy, Treasurer, at pahat664@gmail.com.
The St. Mark’s United Women in Faith donates to the following organizations supported through fund raising efforts, personal giving, and collections of needed items:

• Brightwood Center www.brightwoodcc.org
• East 10th Street Children’s Center east10th.org
• Fletcher Place fletcherplacecc.org 
• Family Promise After Care familypromise.org
• Hope Center Indy: www.hopecenterindy.org
• Hamilton County Kids Coats kidscoats.org
• Vida Nuevo UMC / Abundant Harvest UMC abundantvidanueva.org
• Lucille Raines Residence (owned and operated by United Women in Faith of Indiana) https://lucillerainesresidence.org/
• Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home: www.iumch.org  
• Heart and Soul Free Clinic heartandsoulclinic.org
• Operation Classroom, Inc. Partnership with the UM Churches of Liberia/Sierra Leone, W. Africa www.operationclassroom.org
• Use What You've Got Prison Ministry usewhatyouvegotministry.org/
• Changing Footprints  www.changingfootprints.org

Thank you for your support of pledges and volunteerism. With God’s help and our faithful workers and supporters we were able to raise $20,230 for local, district and national mission projects thru our pledges and fundraising events.

Many hands are need to help with organizing, planning, working and attending the UWF fundraisers. Each of our fundraising events is made possible by the work of a fundraising chair and committee. If you are interested in helping chair one of our wonderful events, please reach out to Steff Mabe, our UWF President.

Dessert Extravaganza – Join us on February 8 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM for a sweet opportunity to make a difference! Our Dessert Extravaganza isn’t just about enjoying delicious treats—it’s about supporting a great cause – United Women in Faith Mission work. Pay by check, cash or Zelle.
Come and purchase a variety of homemade baked goods, from decadent cakes and cookies to pies and pastries. Every dollar you spend goes directly to missions, helping us share hope and make an impact for women, children and youth.
We will be collecting baked goods on Friday, February 6 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. And on Saturday, February 7 from 10:00 am to noon. There will be a cart outside of the office. Desserts and sweet treats of all types are needed.

Trinkets & Treasures – NEW DATE AUGUST 2026
Giant indoor yard sale open to the public! Shop Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM and Saturday 8 AM to Noon. All proceeds go to Missions.
Wonder what to do with  all the tools, appliances, decorating items that you will never use. TRINKETS AND TREASURES is your answer.
T&T which happens is St Mark’s UWF biggest fundraiser of the year and we need your donations. We accept all housing/garage items except clothes and large exercise equipment. No Christmas items please.

Pecan Sales – November 2026

Arts & Crafts Marketplace  – November 2026
Plan to shop at our annual Arts and Crafts Marketplace! All crafts and art work will be home-made either by area artisans or by members of St. Marks United Women in Faith. Refreshments will be available at the Candy Cane Café as well as the bake sale table.
St. Mark’s Crafters may also donate handcrafted items to the United Women in Faith craft table. Popular items in the past have included matching knit scarves and hats, aprons, ornaments, American Girl doll clothes and jewelry. ALL proceeds go to support missions.

Each discussion is focused on one of the Reading Categories. All meeting dates are on a Monday.  The group meets in the church library from 7pm-8:30pm:

• April 27, 2026  – LD  * Leadership Development
• June 29, 2026  – NC * Nurturing for Community 
• August 24, 2026  – SA  * Social Action 
• October 26, 2026  – SG  * Spiritual Growth

All women of the church are invited to participate in the United Women in Faith National Reading Program “Your Window to the World”. Book Discussions take place 5 times a year in the church library.
Visit the Reading Program website https://uwfaith.org/resources/reading-program/ for a list of eligible books. The UWF magazine response is also available as a physical and digital magazine. Click here to find out more.
For more information or to be added to the reading program email distribution list contact Kathy Lentz at kathylentz@gmail.com
The next question you may be asking yourself is how do I get these books? Answers:

• Some of them may be available in the St. Mark’s UMC library.
• Some of them may be available in your public library.
• Purchase them from online booksellers, i.e. Amazon, Cokesbury, Barnes & Noble, etc.
• Purchase them from a local bookstore.
• Share with other readers.

If you do order books through Amazon, please remember to visit smile.amazon.com, Amazon’s charitable giving page, and select “United Methodist Women” as your charitable organization. For all eligible purchases made on smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate 0.5% to United Methodist Women.