March 2017

UMW Newsletter THE METROPOLITAN CHURCH

March 2017 Metropolitan Memorial, St. Luke’s & Wesley United Methodist Churches 202-363-4900 (MMUMC office) MetroUMW@gmail.com

Mark Your Calendar March

pg

1W

Ash Wednesday

1W

Stations of the Cross Exhibit (through April 13)

15

2 Th

Stations of the Cross panel discussion (UM Bldg on Capitol Hill, 6:30pm)

15

Lenten Contemplative Service (7pm, MMUMC Sanctuary)

3

11 Sa

Early Bird registration for Epworth House Luncheon

5

12 Su

Discussion series: Women in Bible (2pm, Parlor)

3

12 Su

Concert & Art Show (3 & 4:30pm, Metropolitan)

12 Su

19 Su

March continued

pg

26 Su

Lenten Contemplative Service (7pm, MMUMC Sanctuary)

27 M

UMW Board Mtg (7:15pm, Parlor)

3

April 1 Sa

Great Day of Service

4

1 Sa

First deadline for benevolent giving nominations

7-8

2 Su

3

14

Lenten Contemplative Service (7pm, MMUMC Sanctuary)

5W

14

Lenten Contemplative Service (7pm, MMUMC Sanctuary)

3

Blue Zones Ping Pong Table Launch

8 Sa

5

Lenten Contemplative Service (7pm, MMUMC Sanctuary)

3

Epworth House Mission Project Committee Luncheon (11am-3pm, Holiday Inn, College Park)

9 Su

Palm Sunday

20 M

AARP Mtg (12;30pm, Vestry)

14

9 Su

23 Th

UMW Legacy Fund Day of Giving (donations matched)

4

Lenten Contemplative Service (7pm, MMUMC Sanctuary)

16 Su

Easter

25 Sa

Final registration for Epworth House Luncheon

5

24 M

UMW Board Mtg (7:15pm, Parlor)

5 Su

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

3

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UMW News

Reflections God made Man because He loves stories. ~ Elie Wiesel, The Gates of the Forest

A Message from Our UMW President Dear UMW Sisters, I am so GRATEFUL for the talent, dedication and work our UMW Unit at Metropolitan and Wesley! We are so blessed with the leadership skills in our Executive Board, both officers and Circle Leaders, and the work of volunteers who have helped our events be so successful.

Our Retreat at the beginning of February included 38 participants, the largest group ever!

Not only did we enjoy the wonderful Biblical Storytelling demonstrated by Tracy Radosevic, we also learned how to enliven our own telling of Scripture! And, of course, we enjoyed the beautiful Priestfield location, the good food, and the fun and fellowship with each other. Thanks to Suzanne Vieth, Janey Burkhart, Mary Rollefson, Debbie Gustowski and Melissa Chavez for their leadership! Don’t forget to check out the picture album in this issue!

You’ll find a report on our just-completed Book Sale. Congratulations to Anita Seline and Martha Mizroch! Their excellent planning and coordination once again led us to a record breaking success! Thanks to all the volunteers, both those who sign-up in advance, and those who just showed up. You make it happen.

As we move into Lent, there are opportunities to assist as greeters for the Sunday evening Contemplative Services. UMW receives the offering proceeds, which will be donated this year to the new LGBT Support Initiative of the church’s mission partner, Friendship Place. Or check out the program plans of our Circles. Visitors are welcome! And finally, start planning now to participate in our Great Day of Service on April 1. You’ll find details regarding all of these opportunities inside.

In gratitude and commitment to our UMW Mission! ~ Ellen Bachman

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News Lenten Contemplative Services Sundays, March 5, 12, 19 & 26, April 2 & 9, MMUMC Sanctuary, 7-8:30pm Hello Ladies, Lent is upon us and a lovely Lenten service opportunity has come our way again this year.

UMW has been asked to host the Sunday evening Contemplative Services from March 5 to April 9 (please see below). Not only do we get to support and take part in these peaceful services, but the freewill offering we collect will contribute to a mission of our choice. This year the offering will be given to Friendship Place for their 2-year pilot program to support LGBTQ youth in the DC region who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. According to Friendship Place, an estimated 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. Many have found themselves living on the streets or in unstable housing situations after being kicked out by their families.

How can you help? We need two women Sunday evenings to serve as greeters. We're asking for only two hours, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. It's to greet those who arrive.

If you can serve in this way, please e-mail to maryrollefson@starpower.net or call me at 202-333-0947. I'll give you the details and tell you how to connect with the service coordinator (our own Mary Jo Marchant) when you arrive to greet.

Thank you for blessing our congregation in this way! ~ Mary Rollefson, UMW Spiritual Growth Mission Coordinator

Discussion Series: Women and Leadership Sunday, March 12, 2pm in the Parlor On March 12, UMW Circle Six will offer the second of a fourpart discussion series on Women and Leadership. “Founding Mothers” led by Jane Ward, will build on the themes from the initial discussion of this series, the roles of women in Colonial/Revolutionary times as “behind the scenes” leaders, mothers, caregivers, and managers of property left behind as their men went to war, and attend the Continental Congress.

Discussion will be stimulated by the book, Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts. (Not necessary to read the book in advance, but likely would be helpful!) The series continues over the next several months, on Sundays May 7, and June 11, examining early women’s rights leaders, and contemporary issues related to women as leaders.

For more information contact circle leaders Mary Jo Marchant, mjmarchant@verizon.net or Ann Michel, amichel@wesleyseminary.edu.

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News UMW Legacy Fund We are 150 years young! United Methodist Women is celebrating 150 years of love through the Legacy Fund. You are invited to join the party that continues to 2019.

Please consider $18.69 (the year of our founding) or $150.00. We are ensuring our beloved UMW stays vibrant for another 150 years!

Day of Giving March 23 Donations accepted at any time, but your gift will be matched dollar for dollar on Thursday, March 23!

Three ways to give: 1)Send a check to: Office of the Treasurer, United Methodist Women 475 Riverside Drive 15th Floor-Finance New York, NY 10115 Make your check payable to United Methodist Women and note "project #301147 the Legacy Fund" on the memo line.

2) Visit www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/legacyfund to give online 3) Call 800-278-7771 (8am-6pm EST, M-F). ~ Barbara Tate, Education

Spring Great Day of Service Saturday, April 1, 8:30am to 1pm, St. Luke’s The Great Day of Service, when we gather together to help our neighbors, will be Saturday, April 1 at St. Luke's Mission Center.

Join us as we pack health kits for UMCOR, assemble backpacks for preschoolers who live in poverty, create gifts for congregation shut-in, work for Campus Kitchen, and much more.

Pyper Davis, executive director of Educare, a preschool program in DC, will be our feature speaker.

Details are still coming together but you can sign up now to join in on the fun and the work, April 1, 8:30 am to 1 pm.

Click here for more details: Great Day of Service sign up. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e4da8a6238-great1 Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News Epworth House Mission Project Committee Luncheon Saturday, April 8, 2017, 11am-3pm (Early bird registration due March 11; Final registration due March 25) Holiday Inn, 10000 Baltimore Ave., College Park, MD 20740 Dear GWD United Methodist Women: Attached is flyer announcing the Epworth House Mission Project Committee's annual benefit luncheon to assist Missioners-in-Residence with their studies at Wesley Theological Seminary. This year's delightful young Missioner-in-Residence is Heureuse Ayukwend Kaj from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. I recently had the great pleasure of hearing Kaj speak. She is scheduled to speak at the above luncheon.

As the flyer states the early bird special of $35.00 is through March 11 and after March 11 the cost will be $40.00. Final deadline will be March 25th. You will hear a Bell Choir perform. Join our "Hats on Parade" contest and win a prize.

The Epworth House Mission Project Committee is one of the BWC-UMW nine projects and is sponsored by the Greater Washington and the Washington East Districts.

Thank you for your consideration. Hope to see you on April 8th.

God Bless.

Gertrude White, President Epworth House Mission Project Committee trudytil@aol.com 301-656-9116

Book Sale Recap Many, many heartfelt thanks to all of the members of the UMW who helped us pull off a successful Book & Bake Sale last weekend.

We are proud to announce that the sale made more than $9,000! Proceeds will benefit Educare, a pre-school program serving DC kids living in poverty and American University Methodists traveling to West Virginia this month to work on homes to make them warmer, safer, and drier.

We had so many volunteers who posted flyers, contacted list serves, baked brownies, donated books, moved boxes, unpacked boxes, categorized books, packed up boxes, and moved them again. It was a true inspirational team effort. Thanks to you one and all. ~ Anita Seline, co-chair

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News Women’s Retreat 2017: NOT the Same Old Story!

For many Americans, the first weekend in February signals Super Bowl Weekend. For some of the women of Metropolitan and Wesley, it is first and foremost the annual Women’s Retreat weekend. This year a record 38 women from Metropolitan, Wesley and beyond (namely, Boston) gathered at Priest Field Pastoral Center in Kearneysville, WV for a weekend dedicated to “The Spirituality of Storytelling.”

Led by veteran biblical storyteller and seminary professor, Tracy Radosevic (below, left), the retreat focused on how storytelling permeates all of history, the Bible, and our own lives as well. We learned how to read Biblical texts to distill the essential elements of the story – and how to use the tools of storytelling to deliver it in our own unique voice. As always, there was ample time for fellowship, rest, renewal and fun.

This year nearly one out of every four participants was attending for the first time, which greatly enriched the experience for all. In addition, we were grateful that thanks to the generosity of donations from other attendees as well as funds set aside in the UMW budget, we were able to offer financial assistance to everyone who needed it in order to participate.

Mark your calendars for early February 2018 for the next annual women’s retreat! ~ Suzanne Vieth, Retreat Committee

For more photos, see Appendix

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UMW News Treasurer’s Trove Thank you, UMW!

In 2016, we were able to contribute over $20,000 to organizations that better the lives and wellbeing of women and children in our local community and around the world. Those gifts of grace were distributed in December, and we have received overwhelming notes of gratitude from those who were touched by your thoughtfulness and your financial contribution. I wanted to pass along the first of their thanks to you so that you would know what you mean to so many people around the world! I will continue to share more next month.

“Dear UMW, Your support helps us provide child-centered, enriching classrooms so that Educare DC’s children are safe, engaged, and ready to learn. It enables our dedicated teachers to grow professionally through regular one-on-one mentoring and training, so they can better serve the changing needs of their students. Your contribution empowers each child to reach his or her fullest potential. I am blessed to be part of such a supportive community. Thank you for your multi-faceted support of Educare! Sincerely, Pyper Davis” “Dear UMW Friends, On behalf of all of us at Just Neighbors, thank you for your recent donation! Our ministry to our immigrant brothers and sisters continues and we are so grateful for your support!

Blessings, Anne Ledyard” “Dear Friends, The Gaithersburg Beloved Community Initiative is blessed with your gift, which will go towards the continued development of relationships, crossing boundaries here in the neighborhood surrounding Asbury Methodist Village. … This year we are mentioning 26 third, fourth, and fifth graders. Our conversation group of nearly 20 Latino Moms now meets every week with Asbury residents so they can practice their English.

Each week, 16 high school students come to participate in activities and have conversations with Asbury residents. Courageous Conversations is a new project we stared this year which allows residents who have survived Nazi Germany, Japanese Internment Camps, and Racial Segregation the opportunity to share their stories with local high school students (including those who are Muslim…)…

Rev. Hal Garman” Thank you to each and every one of you for your incredible gifts of personal and financial resources! ……………………………………………………… …Continued on pg. 8 Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News Continued from pg. 7

An Exciting 2017! A Year of Discernment

Our year of discernment has begun. Through a thoughtful, step-by-step process, together we will determine how best to spend down the allowable portion of our endowment funds (approximately $30,000). We are undertaking this process largely to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus who taught us to give our resources to those in need rather than to keep them tucked securely away. Our “talents” should not be buried in the ground (or in our bank account!). They should go forth to benefit the women and children of our community and of our world. We are incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to give of these funds, and through this process, we will “dig up our buried talents” and let them serve! We hope you will participate in this exciting opportunity because we understand that spending down this significant portion of funds requires careful consideration and broad involvement of our members.

The first step in this process is to invite each of you to nominate an organization that you feel would be worthy of receiving a portion of our endowment gifts. I have attached the review form here so that you can begin to consider which organizations you would like to recommend. The initial deadline for submittal of nominations will be April 1, with the final deadline to follow August 1, 2017.

A full, step-by-step guide will appear in the April newsletter! Thank you for your interest and your patience!

Just as a note, these endowment funds and this discernment process are ENTIRELY SEPARATE and IN ADDITION TO our regular fundraising efforts and our regular giving.

Do you have a question about our UMW finances? Many people do! Below, you will see three of our most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). You may contribute your question next month!

Q: There are many district-level and regional-level UMW activities which require a registration fee. Can UMW pay the registration fee for me?

A:

…

Absolutely! We welcome your participation in these events, and are happy to partially or fully pay the registration fees. If you receive financial support for your attendance, we ask that you please provide a summary of the event for our UMW newsletter.

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

Continued on pg. 9

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UMW News

Continued from pg. 8

Q: I noticed at the Jewelry section of the bazaar and at the book sale that we now take credit cards! Great! But what about fees? Does UWM have to pay those?

A:

Good eye! We are now in the 21st century, due to Anita Seline’s helpful experience with PayPal. While we do pay a small fee to receive funds from credit cards via PayPal (less than 3%), the positive benefit FAR exceeds the cost of the fee. In fact, we raised well over $2,000 from credit cards at the book sale alone! Also, we ask that our customers pay a $0.50 service charge to use their cards, which means we do not pay any transaction fee. Most folks are delighted to be able to shop with us and happily pay the small sum so that we can do good work.

Thank you for reading Treasurer’s Trove! I am excited for the opportunity to bring this information to you, and I look forward to hearing from you about how I can better serve you as your Treasurer! Keep those FAQs coming! ~ Rita S. Guenther, Treasurer

March 1, 2017

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News

United Methodist Women 2017 Reading Program Plans FOUR READING PROGRAM PLANS Choose and follow one of the four plans. When you have read the required number of books and magazine issues, report your completion to Helene Lilly, Program Resources Mission Coordinator, at j718hel@aol.com.

PLAN I—5 BOOKS PER YEAR

PLAN II—10 BOOKS PER YEAR

• One book from each category: Education for Mission, Leadership Development, Nurturing for Community, Social Action and Spiritual Growth.

• Two books from each category: Education for Mission, Leadership Development, Nurturing for Community, Social Action and Spiritual Growth.

• Selections can be from the 2012– 2017 reading lists if not included in previous reports (including Children and Youth titles).

• Regular reading of response and New World Outlook magazines, if available.

• Selections can be from the 2012– 2017 reading lists if not included in previous reports (including Children and Youth titles).

• Regular reading of response and New World Outlook magazines, if available.

PLAN III—15 BOOKS PER YEAR

PLAN IV—20 BOOKS PER YEAR

• Two books from each category: Education for Mission, Leadership Development, Nurturing for Community, Social Action and Spiritual Growth.

• Plus five additional books from any category.

• Selections can be from the 2012– 2017 reading lists if not included in previous reports (including Children and Youth titles).

• Two books from each category: Education for Mission, Leadership Development, Nurturing for Community, Social Action and Spiritual Growth.

• Plus 10 additional books from any category.

• Selections can be from the 2012– 2017 reading lists if not included in previous reports (including Children and Youth titles).

• Regular reading of response and New World Outlook magazines, if available.

• Regular reading of response and New World Outlook magazines, if available.

(for 2017 Program books in Metropolitan library, see next page)

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News United Methodist Women 2017 Reading Program Selections 2017 Reading Program books purchased for the Metropolitan Library Education for Mission Boundless: What Global Expressions of Faith Teach Us About Following Jesus Bryan Bishop Through colorful firsthand accounts, the author explores how fresh expressions of faith from American youth, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Native Americans who are experiencing and following Jesus outside the boundaries of traditional Western Christianity can revitalize our own faith journeys.

Liberating Black Church History: Making It Plain Juan Floyd-Thomas This book bears witness to the transformation of black faith and culture from enslavement and emancipation, through segregation, civil rights, Black Power, and to the age of Barack Obama. Liberating Black Church History is an indispensable tool for understanding the African American religious experience in a historical and cultural context.

Leadership Development Falling into Place: A Memoir of Overcoming Hattie Kauffman From her humble beginnings to the bright lights of network television, Hattie Kauffman weaves a story both heartbreaking and redemptive.

Nationally recognized for her high-profile interviews and coverage of disasters and triumphs that affected millions, Kaufmann candidly shares the experiences that made her into a perceptive and award-winning newswoman.

An inspiring account of the Holy Spirit’s transforming power, Kauffman’s life is a true testament to God’s goodness.

Not Safe for Church: Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Jasmine Rose Smothers Congregations say they want to reach new and younger people, many of whom are simply turned off by church. To really connect, congregations have to start doing new things that are out of their comfort zones. F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Jasmine Rose Smothers give ten ways to help, providing tools to reframe the good news in nontraditional ways and move from merely stating your intentions to taking action. This book includes study questions for leadership teams.

Continued on pg. 12 Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News

Continued from pg. 11

Nurturing for Community Broken and Blessed: God Changes the World One Person and One Family at a Time Jessica LaGrone A little nod to those of us who are still feeling slightly half-baked: those with struggling families, cracked relationships, and a world that's showing a little wear around the seams. When God wants to create the remarkable, He chooses to work with the less-than-perfect.

Genesis is a book of beginnings. It is deeply concerned with the origins of things--of the universe, of humankind, of relationships, of sin, of civilization, of families, and of one special family created and chosen

by God to be the instrument through which He would bless the world.

That family is our family, yours and mine. Like all good family stories, it starts with not just a something or somewhere, but a someone.

Part memoir, part biblical inspiration story, Broken & Blessed is about how change begins when one person decides to believe God's promises and how that makes a change in a family, like ripples on water.

Slowing Time: Seeing the Sacred Outside Your Kitchen Door Barbara Mahany Beginning in winter and tracing the seasons through the year, Mahany celebrates sacredness that is gathered through the art of paying attention, savoring moments and cultivating stillness. By making room for God and finding Godly specks in the mundane, she pinpoints divinity in the nooks and crannies of our everyday world.

Social Action America and its Guns: A Theological ExposĂŠ James E. Atwood The Rev. Atwood, an avid hunter, contends that one cannot understand the 30,000 American gun deaths per year apart from our national myth and he cautions that an absolute trust in guns and violence morphs easily into idolatry. Having spent 36 years fighting against easy access to firearms, he uses his experience and theological understanding to document how Americans have been deceived into believing that the tools of violence, whether in war or in the bedside stand, will provide security.

Continued on pg. 13

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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UMW News

Continued from pg. 12

Class Lives: Stories From Across Our Economic Divide Chuck Collins, Jennifer Ladd, Maynard Seider and Felice Yeskel (editors) Class Lives is an anthology of narratives dramatizing the lived experience of class in America. It includes forty original essays from authors who represent a range of classes, genders, races, ethnicities, ages, and occupations across the United States. Born into poverty, working class, the middle class, and the owning class and every place in between the contributors describe their class journeys in narrative form, recounting one or two key stories that illustrate their growing awareness of class and their place, changing or stable, within the class system.

Together, these essays form a powerful narrative about the experience of class and the importance of learning about classism, class cultures, and the intersections of class, race, and gender. Class Lives will be a helpful resource for students, teachers, sociologists, diversity trainers, activists, and a general audience. It will leave readers with an appreciation of the poignancy and power of class and the journeys that Americans grapple with on a daily basis.

Spiritual Growth Fully Awake and Truly Alive: Spiritual Practices to Nurture Your Soul Rev. Jane E. Vennard Spiritual seeker, retreat leader and teacher The Rev. Vennard offers insights from various religious traditions as she illustrates the joys and frustrations of spiritual practice. Offering guidance for the journey with step-by-step exercises and meditations to practice caring for the body, rest, silence, solitude and community, she invites you to experience being alive and awake.

Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury After War Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini Research by Veterans Administration health professionals suggests that moral injuy, an ancient but unaddressed wound of war, may be a factor in the alarming rate of suicide among veterans. Soul Repair tells the stories of four war veterans from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan who reveal their experiences of moral injury and how they have learned to live with it. This book will help veterans and their families, communities and clergy understand the impact of war on the consciences of healthy people, support the recovery of moral conscience in society, and restore veterans to civilian life.

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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Metropolitan & Community News Concert and Art Show

AARP Meeting

March 12, 3pm & 4:30pm, Metropolitan

Monday, March 20, 12:30pm, Vestry

The Arts Council (all women!) invites its UMW sisters to a beautiful afternoon of music and art on March 12. At 3, Millicent Scarlett--a soprano with a very lovely voice--will sing Mahler, Strauss, Barber, and spirituals. This will be followed at 4:30 by a reception and the opening of an exhibition of watercolors by Karen Norman.

Carol Griffith, carolgriffith33@hotmail.com or Carol Schleicher, rschlei@verizon.net

Please join us on Monday, March 20 in the Vestry. Shannon Redd, Associate State Director, Advocacy and Outreach for DC AARP, will update us on the many programs and services provided by AARP and the DC state office. Come hear about Staying Sharp for brain health, the Fraud Watch Network, webinars, discounts, and more. Find out how you can have your say for senior services in DC. Social time is at 12:30 p.m., and the meeting starts at 1:00. Refreshments will be served.

Contact Bobby Turnbull, (301) 3204154, bobbyturnbull@comcast.net

Ping Pong Table Launch As part of Blue Zones Meeting Come Play!

Wednesday, April 5, 10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Vestry Launch of Ping Pong Table. Metropolitan has received a ping pong table, thanks to Penny Pagano’s ListServe connections, and it will be “launched” on Wednesday, April 5, at 10:15 a.m. in the Vestry. The launch will be part of the April Blue Zones meeting. Blue Zones are areas of the world in which researchers have found large groups of inhabitants living, and thriving, at ages greater than 100. One of the characteristics of these long-living people is “moving naturally”—for example, dancing, and walking, gardening, and playing sports.

At the meeting, a Tenleytown resident will describe his own happy journey learning to play ping pong, and give pointers on winning a game. Come and play ping pong yourself , try some games and exercises that boost your hand-eye coordination, and vie for a free ping pong lesson at the local table tennis center.

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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Metropolitan & Community News Stations of the Cross Art Exhibition March 1 – April 13, 2017, various locations around DC http://www.coexisthouse.org.uk/stations-2017.html The General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church invites you to a Lenten journey around Washington, D.C. From March 1 - April 13, 2017, the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill will be host to one of 14 pieces of the Stations of the Cross art exhibition across the city. This public art pilgrimage will take art lovers from the Mall, through downtown D.C., and up to the National Cathedral. The 14 works of art on display, one for each station, run the gamut from Old Master paintings, to national monuments, to newly commissioned art installations. Each work invites viewers to connect Jesus' Passion with the plight of people who are excluded and persecuted in society today. The piece at the United Methodist Building is entitled "Disrupting the Cradle to Prison Pipeline" and will be Station #1: Jesus is Condemned to Death. It is created by Ndume Olatushani, an artist and death row exoneree.

We hope you find time during Lent to come and view the piece outside of the United Methodist Building. We also invite you to several events at the United Methodist Building that will launch the Stations of the Cross exhibition. 

Wednesday, March 1 at 12:10 p.m. - Ash Wednesday service, with the imposition of ashes, at the United Methodist Building in Simpson Memorial Chapel



Thursday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m. - Stations of the Cross panel conversation and reception at the United Methodist Building featuring Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, Ndume Olatushani, and the creative directors behind the exhibit.

If interested in attending the launch event on Thursday, March 2 please RSVP by emailing Arrien Davison at stationsdc@gmail.com.

For map and more information, see http://www.coexisthouse.org.uk/stations-2017.html

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Metropolitan & Community News

Help Amara Legal Center Find Affordable Office Space To Meet With Survivors of Sex Trafficking

UMW Circle 10 member, Elizabeth Landau, is a Staff Attorney at The Amara Legal Center.

Amara began its work by advocating for policy changes that impact survivors of sextrafficking and raising awareness on the issue of domestic sex trafficking in the D.C. metro area. In the spring of 2014, Amara began to take clients for a variety of legal services.

Amara now provides free legal services to individuals whose rights have been violated while involved in commercial sex, whether involvement was by coercion, necessity, choice, or otherwise, in the D.C. metropolitan area. Elizabeth and Amara fight tirelessly to provide excellent legal representation to their clients, to connect survivors with vital social services, and to raise public awareness of the legal issues facing survivors of sex trafficking.

The Amara Legal Center is currently housed in a law firm downtown; however staff is not allowed to meet with clients in that office space. With over 200 clients, it is getting to be too difficult not have office space where Elizabeth and her team can work with their clients. Although Amara has tried looking at some of the office-sharing companies around town, they charge extra for letting clients come into the offices and the costs are prohibitive for this small non-profit.

If you know of organizations or persons who may be willing to donate office space to Amara or rent space to Amara at an affordable rate, please contact Elizabeth Landau at elizabethmlandau@gmail.com. Learn more about The Amara Legal Center at amaralegal.org.

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : March 2017

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Metropolitan & Community News MMUMC Green Team Re-Emerges!

We are beginning our renewal with several activities: 1. SHARING the LENTEN CARBON FAST CALENDAR for 2017—created by Interfaith Power and Light of DC/MD/VA and Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake: Journey through Lent with our Creation Care Calendar! See how creation caring can be easy & fun, even as it is rooted in faith traditions. Available at http://ipldmv.org/ 2. Establishing an annual “Green Champion” award- soon to be recognizing our first MMUMC Champion.

3. Supporting the Religion and Science Sunday School class 2 month study of the faith basis for Creation Caring/Stewardship of the earth- by reviewing the doctrinal statements and stewardship mandates from various faiths as well as current events demonstrating the national security, human and environmental health, and environmental justice impact of climate change.

4. Celebrating that our two MMUMC water fountains with bottle refilling ports have now saved a combined total of over 20,000 plastic, “throw-away” bottles- otherwise destined perhaps for the landfill or the giant Pacific Garbage patch!

5. Reviewing our name/mission/vision and recruiting new members (ALWAYS WELCOME)—if you are curious/interested—please contact either Jane Ward or Nancy Cherney (jane@rideforsaferoutes.com or nancy@nutritionmattersnow.com)

Lent, which begins March 1st, is a time when Christian communities pray, fast, and share as they listen more intently for God. This year, have your church join with many others in heeding the call to be stewards of God’s Creation. Each day calls on us to take a different action and each of these actions will help to preserve God’s great gift of Creation.

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Metropolitan & Community News

From Bill Potts The Executive Director of Operations at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church joined the Green Team for THE SAVINGS! “We have found excellent vendors through the cooperative as well as tremendous savings.”

Community Savings   

Electricity: Over $10K per year Waste: Over $21K per year Office Supplies: Over $200 per year

Food for Thought Wednesday evening adult Christian formation programs Dinner 6 pm ($8 per person); Classes 7 pm Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church

www.nationalchurch.org/Learning/Adult Topical Study: Immigration, Refugees, and Sanctuary March 8: The current shape of immigration/refugee law in the United States. Speakers: Beth Peters, international trade and immigration lawyer and partner, Hogan Lovells; and Elizabeth M. Landau, staff attorney at the Amara Legal Center and pro-bono asylum and immigration lawyer.

March 15: The Immigrant Experience. Speakers: Allison Kokkoros, CEO, Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School and students.

March 22: The New Sanctuary Movement. Speaker TBA March 29: Refugee Resettlement – the process and how church and individuals can help.

Speaker TBA Bible Study: The Parables of Jesus led by Rev. Dr. Charlie Parker and Bob Olson Jesus taught by telling stories called parables. Join us for an in-depth study of the parables – our old favorites and some of the less familiar ones. Led by Rev. Charlie Parker and Bob Olson.

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Circles

AU

The AU UMW Circle meets Fridays at 7:00 p.m. in the "AU Lounge" at Metropolitan.

Contact Tori Lynn Gilkeson at VP@aumethodists.org

1

Contact Helene Lilly at j718hel@aol.com / (202) 733-1876.

2

Contact Jane Cunningham, jtc3rd@aol.com, 703-821-3486 or Charlotte Carter, char.carter@cox.net, 703-442-0934

6

On March 12 at 2pm in the Parlor UMW Circle Six will offer the second of a four-part discussion series on Women and Leadership (see pg 3). “Founding Mothers� led by Jane Ward. Questions or suggestions, Mary Jo Marchant, mjmarchant@verizon.net, 703-4351715 or Ann Michel, amichel@wesleyseminary.edu, 202-885-8582.

8

Tues., Mar. 7th, at 7:30 p.m. we will meet in the Parlor for learning about Club Memory and Trust Circles, both are part of our Caring Pillar at Church. Pls. call Kelly at 202.210.2220, for more information or kellysclothes@aol.com.

9

Circle 9 will meet on Wednesday, March 1 at 10:30 a.m. in the Choir Room. Esther Barkat will speak with us about immigrant families and their issues, and her experience as a psychologist working with them. Please contact Bobby Turnbull, (301) 320-4154, bobbyturnbull@comcast.net.

10

We will go to Educare Fri March 24 from 8-11 am for a tour and work. Contact Caralee Adams caralee.adams@verizon.net (301-801-0553) or Suzanne Vieth msvieth@verizon.net

Next UMW Board Meeting Monday, March 27, 2017 Newsletter prepared by Alexandra McPherron. To add items to the next newsletter, email alexmcph@gmail.com by Tuesday, March 28, 2017.

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Appendix 2017 UMW Retreat: The Spirituality of Storytelling Photos by Connie Sommers, Ellen Bachman, Ann Cochran & Alexandra McPherron February 3-5 , 2017

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