Nov./Dec. response: Member Profile

United Women in Faith President Jana Jones

“Just you wait,” her mother said. “Someday they are going to make you president.” 

But Jones shrugged it off.

“I said, ‘Yeah, no, Mom. That isn’t going to happen,’” Jones recalled. “She passed last year at age 100-and-a-half, and now I am picturing her in her favorite recliner, drinking her favorite Starbucks Mocha Latte, smiling and saying, ‘I told you so.’”

United Women in Faith’s new president, elected in July, is a retired registered nurse, a mother, a wife, and a dedicated member of United Women in Faith with a long list of service on all levels, including the Reading Program committee.

Tell us about your journey with United Women in Faith.

I grew up in The United Methodist Church in Lakewood, Colorado, where my grandmother, aunts, and mother were all part of the WSCS (Women’s Society of Christian Service) and later United Methodist Women. I remember being brought along as they all prepared for events, cooked and served dinners, ran fundraisers which included massive bazaar sales (which they collected and prepared for all year). I saw their dedication and service firsthand. What did not seem so interesting to me was my perception of the meetings, which seemed from a child’s eyes like a lot of sitting around talking. Imagine my surprise when I was invited to a (then) United Methodist Women circle meeting as a young mother—they offered child care during the meeting—and heard from a speaker about, if I recall correctly, alcoholism. I was shocked to think that they could be talking about such an important social issue and became immediately involved.

I later became our unit president, and during that time was called by a district CON (committee on nominations) member to see if our church would lift someone up to serve on district. I shocked myself by saying, “I am interested in serving.” I had not even considered it before. I think the Holy Spirit was speaking! Since that time, I have felt that push to say yes. So, I can only say I am trying to follow where I am being led by God.

What have been some of the highlights during that journey?

I have loved serving on every level. At the local level, we have a very active unit. Every September we host a women’s retreat at a retreat center in the mountains. I would say it has been our Soul Care Retreat for many years and probably where we see the younger women of our church engage most often. No cooking, a beautiful setting, a lot of laughter, and a wonderful opportunity to be in worshipful fellowship.

On the district and conference levels, I love meeting and connecting with the women who make things go. I remember going to my very first district meeting and being blown away by these strong women who were so passionate and knowledgeable and committed. I remain blown away to this very day.

Serving on the Western Jurisdiction helped expand my circle of friends. I started there serving as part of the CON but was asked to step up to vice president when the current VP needed to step back for personal reasons. I had never served as VP on any level, but those sisters assured me that they had my back and had faith that I could do it. And I was really blown away when my conference and the jurisdiction leaders encouraged me to run for director. 

I was not sure what serving as a director would be all about. It has been an amazing opportunity. I loved being a part of the Reading Program committee. I was that kid who read late into the night with a flashlight under my covers. Books open windows into the world, and I have been delighted to be a part of that transformational education.

I also served as a United Women in Faith director representative to the General Board of Global Ministries this last quadrennium along with directors Darlene Alfred and Debra Payne. I was part of the UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)/Global Health committee. It was an amazing experience to learn about the reach of the church in people’s time of crisis, and about how over a million children have been reached with life-saving medical interventions. The UMC is spreading God’s love in so many ways to people around the world. In 2023 I was able to go to Cambodia and meet and talk to some of the missionaries in Asia and visit places where the church is in mission. I got to meet Regional Missionary Emma Cantor there as well as Deaconess Joy Prim. It was my privilege to give each missionary a United Women in Faith pin made by Native American artists. 

How has your professional background helped to equip you for this new role?

I am a retired registered nurse who has always worked in pediatrics, including being a school nurse consultant the last portion of my career. In nursing, you have to learn to listen to what someone is really saying and understand that anger and frustration are usually not directed personally at you. You must have a lot of empathy to meet people where they are and attempt to help them meet their health needs. This includes anticipating what those needs might be and being ready for possible outcomes. It requires planning, creativity, training, practice, encouragement, patience, and a lot of faith. Just like belonging to a United Women in Faith leadership team!

I also did a lot of training and presentations, so that helped me to be more comfortable in speaking in front of people. I also learned to be prepared for all eventualities and how to have a backup plan and pivot when something happens, like no internet connection. Stay calm and carry on.

What do you most look forward to in these next four years?

Having just completed our program advisory group orientation meeting, I am really excited by the enthusiasm, commitment, and creativity of the incoming program advisory group. These are some powerful women who are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work to meet the goals set before us. They are preparing to answer the call!

My personal goal is to be a good communicator and cheerleader. I hope to spread the word about who we are to women who would want to be part of us but just don’t know it yet. We need to shout out our passion and story. I can’t believe they would not want to be a part of this amazing organization!

I’d also love to be able to personally reach out to women who perhaps feel like they have been left behind. Technology has been a challenge for many. We need to go on road trips and visit units that are struggling and give them some love and attention and support.

And finally, I want to deeply listen. When women have concerns and frustrations, they need to be heard and addressed. We won’t always agree, we may not have the answer they want to hear, but we can listen and try to come up with some ideas. 

What advice would you offer members about becoming more involved in United Women in Faith leadership?

If we think we can do something, then do it! Be resourceful! Use your imagination! If things don’t go as planned, reassess, reevaluate, and try it again. I remember reading a Max Lucado story whose point was that our job is to follow where God is leading us. If God wants something to happen, God will make sure it happens. 

Our general secretary and CEO has laid out our goals for the quadrennium. They are very specific, and very doable: Raise our mission giving to 2019 levels of $10 million a year, increase our membership to 500,000, and meet or exceed our Legacy Foundation goal of $60 million. This is doable! Doing nothing will achieve just that: nothing. We just have to step out there and make it happen. 

Do you have a favorite scripture, song, or hymn?

Micah 6:8: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” I think of it as a mission statement of sorts. And my favorite hymn is “Be Thou My Vision.”

What else would you like readers to know about you?

I love being part of a connectional church. I find myself wearing multiple hats and connecting the dots frequently. My local church helped sponsor my daughter and me to go on a UMC mission trip to Sierra Leone through Operation Classroom with Les and Hope Law. It was my first international mission trip, and quite the eye opener. There, we helped some children by sponsoring their school fees, including those of a local (then) United Methodist Women president’s daughter, Emelia. My husband and I continued helping her and a young man through the years, and then, fast forward, our local unit has continued to help Emelia as she entered university. The connection also got our unit involved in becoming a Days for Girls team, where we supplied reusable hygiene kits for girls at the school in Kabala, as well as for the local health clinic. 

I have two beautiful adult daughters of whom I am so proud, Kate Furrow and Kelly Porter. I made them come to the last Assesmbly because I wanted them to better understand why I am so passionate about this organization. 

I also want to give words of thanks, love, and appreciation to my thoughtful and tolerant husband, Darrell, who has told me that I have flunked retirement, but supports me anyway. 

Serving together

Jones also gives thanks for her fellow board members and the other newly elected officers with whom she will be serving for this next quadrennium. 

She joins Vice President Heidi J. Careaga of the Wisconsin Conference, Secretary Melba McCallum of the North Carolina Conference, Finance Chair Julia Paradine-Rice of the Michigan Conference, and
Governance Chair Mikele Haskins-Delmore of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

Get to know them in upcoming issues of response. 

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