The Messenger
March 10, 2014 Volume XXIV, No. 3 Nationalchurch.org
Grace and peace to you through our Lord Jesus Christ,
I am Janet Craswell, your new Director of Christian Education. I joined the staff at the beginning of February. I am thrilled to be part of this dynamic community of Christ, and I am looking forward to being in ministry with you.
Metropolitan in the Community
It is always gratifying to know that we are reaching others outside our doors. Considering there are only six degrees of separation… members of Metro Players have a story to tell. Last Saturday, Carol and Dick Schleicher met Julia King at Tables of Eight. She is the assistant principal of DC Prep, a charter school near Benning Road (and the 2013 DC Teacher of the Year winner!). When the Schleichers saw her in church on Sunday, she mentioned that they were decorating the school with a jungle theme. Dick said, “Do you want a tree?” He showed her the one that Carol had made for “To Kill a Mockingbird” and she loved it. The next day Carol and Dick delivered and installed it in the school. They met the 4th graders and their teachers and were given a tour of the school by students, Valencia and Shanna. Dick and Carol report, “it was a fun experience for all.” One of the Bishop’s goals for our churches is to forge relationships with local schools. What a wonderful example of our small groups building relationships that reach into our local community. Join us for the next Metro Players production “Romance & Relationships.” See page 3.
The Director of Christian Education is a new position for Metropolitan. I am responsible for coordinating all activities of the Learning Pillar, for all age ranges, across all three sites. I will be working with children’s ministry, campus ministry and adult learning. Patrick Landau remains responsible for the youth program; we will be working together to make the children, youth, and adult programs a coherent whole. The goal is to develop a transformative Christian education program, one that gives life-long learning opportunities that engage the head and transform the heart and equip hands for service. I am excited to see the wonderful learning opportunities already in place at Metropolitan. This community is intellectually engaged and thoughtful. I am also very excited to see the number of enthusiastic volunteers and teachers. And I am so grateful for the radical hospitality that you all have extended! The children and youth ministry team hosted a delightful welcoming reception for me, and everyone has been so friendly and patient as I get myself oriented. We will have many opportunities to get to know one another better in the coming years, but for now here’s a little bit about me: I am a native of Washington state, where my brother, sister and parents still live. I live in Rockville with my husband, Gene Beye, our sons David (20) and Noah (17), our dog Zorro and our cat Sula. I am an ordained United Methodist deacon. Deacons are called to specialized ministries of Word, service, compassion and justice; my call is the specialized ministry of Christian education, using education as a means of equipping people to serve in the world, to work for justice, and to show God’s extravagant love. Before entering full-time ministry, I worked in the field of international development studies and anti-apartheid advocacy. It was through Christian education that I discerned my call to ministry. Because I had a toddler at the time, I was asked to do children’s messages at my church. I was reluctant – I worked with agricultural economists and World Bankers all day long, what did I know about children’s sermons? – but the children’s message very rapidly became the best five minutes of my week. Gene and I were taking Disciple Bible study during the same period. As I delved deeper into scripture in that class, and as I spent more and more time in children’s ministry and in teaching adults, I became aware that God was calling me to this ministry full-time. When Noah was ready for full-time school, I quit my job and entered seminary. After seminary, I served at Salem United Methodist Church in Brookeville, Maryland (just north of Olney) as their Minister of Spiritual Formation, doing much of what I will be doing here at Metropolitan, only on much smaller scale. When we are intentional about learning, we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s work of transforming us from the inside-out. This is a source of deep joy. I look forward to enjoying this journey of discovery and learning with you. Blessings, Janet Craswell
Lenten Contemplative Services Sunday Evenings, Now - April 13, 7pm, Sanctuary
Join us for a series of Contemplative Communion Services on the six Sundays of Lent. During this Lenten journey, centered on Breath as a Transformative Path to God, Rev. Dr. Charles Parker and Rev. Drema McAllister-Wilson will explore how to maintain balance in an unbalanced world through practices of breath, music and prayer within a supportive spiritual community.