United Methodist Women:  Joy Circle

Joy Circle is the name of Dingmans Ferry United Methodist Women's Group. The United Methodist Women (UMW) is a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in local and global ministries of the Church.

Joy Circle membership is open to all women of the church.  We vary the time of our meetings so that more people have the opportunity to attend.  We typically meet between services at church or at a local restaurant for lunch or dinner.  Joy Circle focus is on mission and service projects, fundraising and support of church ministries and fellowship.

Missions and Service Projects

• Safe Haven - Safe Haven provides free and confidential services to victims or survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other serious crime.  We support Safe Haven by providing gift cards and monetary donations.

• Ecumenical Food Pantry at St. John's in Milford - Every 5th Friday of the month, Joy Circle members come to volunteer at the food pantry. We greet clients and help them as they select their pantry items.

• Tri-State Pregnancy Center - This group provides free testing, counseling and material aid to women and their families.  Joy Circle supports this group by making donations.

• Pike County Humane Society - Joy Circle supports this group by making donations and some members also volunteer here.

• Scholarship Fund - Each year we award a $100 scholarship to a college student from the church (or sometimes split the award between two students) based on an essay that is submitted.

Fundraisers and Activities

• Afternoon Tea - We host an Afternoon Tea as a fundraiser each fall to raise money for our Joy Circle group.  The money is used to support Joy Circle service projects for the church and local ministries.

• Giant Cookie Walk - We bake cookies to sell as a fundraiser for the church.

• Fundraiser parties - We have done a variety of fundraiser parties in the past such as Pampered Chef, Thirty-One Bags, Tastefully Simple, Making Clay Pins, etc.  The money is used to support Joy Circle service projects for the church and local ministries.

• Christmas Party - We have a Christmas party at a member's home and share appetizers and desserts.  We also bring a wrapped gift ($15 values) for a gift exchange game.

• Joy Circle Picnic - We have a pot luck picnic in August.