UMW Names New Reading Program Director
United Methodist Women, the only organization for women within the United Methodist Church, has named Emily Jones the director of its popular reading program. Previously executive for racial justice for UMW, Jones hopes to deepen UMW’s commitment to lifting up diverse voices and promoting diversity, inclusion, equality, and antiracism through the reading program, which features books for readers of all ages that encourage spiritual growth as well as engagement with social issues.
“The reading program is beloved by members,” Jones says, describing the book selections as “a way for members to experience a broader world, unlike their own, as well as stories that feel familiar.”
The 2021-2022 combined reading list consists of 40 titles in five categories from a range of publishers as well as self-published books, including: Anxious to Talk About It: Helping White Christian Talk Faithfully About Racism by Carolyn B. Helsel (Chalice, 2017), The Living Gospel: Reading God's Story in Holy Lives by Robert Ellsberg (Orbis, 2019), and Adamant: Finding Truth in a Universe of Opinions by Lisa Bevere (Baker, 2018). For the full list of titles, click here.