The view from the audience at Turn It Up! The 2022 United Women of Faith Assembly in Orlando, Florida. Photos submitted by Emma McKirdy-Wilsey.

May 18-22, 2022, a delegation from all over the Dakotas came together in Orlando, Florida, as well as in their own sacred spaces of their homes, to attend Assembly 2022 – Turn It Up! – the quadrennial national conference of United Women in Faith, previously known as United Methodist Women. Over 3,000 women attended the event, in-person and virtually, over a four-day weekend, attending worship, going to workshops, listening to speakers, and participating in hands-on projects for local missions.

A significant part of the weekend was the unveiling of the new name and transition from United Methodist Women to United Women in Faith. The change in name is to better describe the modern organization and rebrand for a new generation. Much of the weekend was spent explaining how our current systems of local units, events, and opportunities still stand, but with new ways to participate in and be involved with the organization. The CEO of United Women of Faith, Harriet Jane Olson, was there to introduce the new name and new goals, and to speak to how and why the rebranding took place. The excitement and anticipation of the future of UWF was electric!

Each day we came together for Community Gatherings, where we had worship with a phenomenal band and a variety of speakers. These speakers came from UWF itself, as well as delegates from the United Methodist Church and leaders in national organizations and positions. They spoke about important issues such as climate change (we can believe in science AND God), gender and ethnic discrimination (privilege and prejudice are still all around us), climate justice and creation care (climate justice = social justice), and social action (faith without works is dead -- poor vs. wealthy, climate change, addiction, education, prisons – all are related and in need of our action, not just prayer). These women were powerful and persuasive in their discussions about how we are to live in the world and the responsibility we have to our communities to stand up for injustice and create systemic change.

The Dakotas delegation at the 2022 Women in Faith Assembly.

Everyone in the delegation got to choose two workshops from a long list of options spanning from how to interpret the Bible to how to organize in your local church to discussing our role in bridging theology and politics and relationships.

One powerful and practical workshop focused on the difference between charity work and justice work. The teacher highlighted ways for local churches to make systemic change, not just provide bandaids in a system that will continue to create wounds. She challenged us to listen to the oppressed and hear their needs instead of viewing the issues from only our perspective. She explained that silence is not benign but is malignant. If we are to truly make a difference in our world, we need to be fighters of injustice and speak for what is right and wrong. We need to be working toward abolishing the systems that are damaging and creating new systems that eliminate the issues at the root of the cause.

The whole weekend was a refreshing challenge to our country’s injustices, and a needed disturbance to our “Midwest Nice” attitude and often conservative outlook on important issues. We all returned with renewed fervor to work in our communities and churches and to spread the message and vision of United Women of Faith.