Abundant Health for Women and Children
2017 Call to Prayer and Self-Denial

This annual observance gives local and district units a chance to study and reflect on a particular theme each year and to designate funds for ministries related to the theme for the year.

This Year’s Theme:  

Each year, nearly a quarter of a million women die worldwide from preventable causes relating to pregnancy and childbirth. Approximately 19,000 children die every day from treatable diseases such as diarrhea and tuberculosis. The women and children’s health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs 4 and 5) saw the least progress in the last 15 years. United Methodist Women, as a faith-based women’s organization, recognizes this issue as a critical area of concern and priority.
One hundred percent of the offering will go directly to fund these projects.

 2017 Call To Prayer and Self-Denial
    (English, Korean and Spanish in one PDF.)

 Get Call to Prayer resources through the e-store or download:

 Prayer Card   Program   Order Form  Poster 

Planning an Observance

We encourage you to commemorate A Call to Prayer and Self-Denial on one day during the first few months of the year.

Be creative. The following ideas offer some possibilities: 

• Plan a dedication service based on the   order of worship reproduced from the Program Book.
• Download a poster to invite members and others to the dedication service.
• Plan a quiet day or retreat for all members of your unit and anyone interested. Use the appropriate year’s Quiet Day Service in the United Methodist Women
   Program Book, available through the e-store.
• Plan a prayer vigil for your church or unit using the  Prayer Calendar along with the Quiet Day Service.
• Explore with your pastor the possibility of having your United Methodist Women unit lead a Quiet Day Service for a Sunday-morning worship service.
• Prepare a meal as part of a year’s observance.
• Distribute the Prayer Card to members who are absent. Order additional cards to give to friends.

Maternal and Child Health: Call to Prayer 2017 Worship Service

Giving Makes a Difference

By your sacrificial giving to A Call to Prayer and Self-Denial, you, United Methodist Women members and predecessor organizations over the years have:

• Built and equipped schools, libraries and clinics
• Trained rural and urban women for specialized ministries
• Provided nutrition and medical assistance for thousands of women, children and youth
• Offered relief to those uprooted by wars and other disasters
• Advocated for public policy changes to benefit women and children
• Produced long-term economic benefits through income-generation and other self-help projects