UMW Newsletter THE METROPOLITAN CHURCH
May 2016 Metropolitan Memorial, St. Luke’s & Wesley United Methodist Churches 202-363-4900 (MMUMC office) MetroUMW@gmail.com
Mark Your Calendar May 9M 10-20
Highlights pg
Board Mtg (7pm, Conference Rm)
Daughter’s Tea, p. 2 Greater UMW and UM conferences, p. 3
General Conference (Portland, OR)
3
12 Th
Registration due for GWD Prayer Breakfast
3
15 Su
Pentacost
16 M
AARP (1pm, Vestry)
10
28 Sa
GWD UMW Prayer Breakfast (Hughes UMC, Wheaton, MD)
3
3
W-F
BW Annual Conference (Wardman Park Hotel, DC)
Notes on the Equal Justice Initiative by Helene Lilly, p. 11
4 Sa
Daughter’s Tea
2
Circles, p. 12
16-18
Northeast Jurisdiction UMW Quadrennial Meeting (Syracuse, NY)
T-F
F-Su
Nominations for December Recognition Luncheon needed, p. 6 New Feature: Joys & Concerns, p. 6 Notes on the Epworth House Luncheon by Jeanie Mah, p. 6-8 Book review, p. 9 UMW Directory updates, p. 9
June 1-3
Great Day of Service recap, p. 4, and photos, Appendix p. 13-26
July 11-15
Vacation Bible School
10
Mission U (Pooks Hill Marriott, Bethesda)
3
M-F 29-31 F-Su
December 4 Su
Recognition Luncheon
6
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UMW News
Metropolitan / Wesley United Methodist Women Cordially invite you to a Daughter’s Tea Because we’re All Daughters Saturday, June 4, 2016 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm Wesley United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall 5312 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC Come celebrate with Family and Friends Enjoy a cup of Tea, Savory and Sweet Treats And Live Music
Hats and Gloves are encouraged but not required Suggested Donation $10.00
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UMW News General Conference: General Conference, the quadrennial gathering of the world-wide United Methodist Church will take place May 10 to 20 in Portland, Oregon. Our own Charlie Parker is a delegate from Baltimore Washington Conference. Many important issues will come before the conference. Of deep concern are the proposals to restructure the denomination is ways that might take us to a denominational split over inclusion of LGBT persons, or that would seek to maintain unity AND eliminate the discriminatory effects of the "incompatible" clause. Please check the information posted on Metropolitan's "Blogspot" for links to more information, and suggestions to ways you can be in prayer and action during the upcoming weeks: http://nationalchurch.blogspot.com/2016/04/actions-you-can-take-for-general.html ~ Ellen Bachman UMW President
Other UMW & United Methodist Upcoming Events May 28, 2016, Saturday 9:00am-12:00pm Greater Washington District Annual Prayer Breakfast Hughes UMC, 10700 Georgia Ave, Wheaton, MD 20902 Topic: Confirming the Christian Worldview as God’s Message to the World Register by May 12, 2016, $10/person (see attached registration form) June 1-3, 2016, Wednesday – Friday Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington DC July 29-31, 2016, Friday – Sunday Mission U at (formerly School of Christian Mission) Pooks Hill Marriott Hotel, 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, MD 20814 As usual, there will be youth and adult courses with this year’s focus being Latin America: People and Faith, Climate Justice, and The Bible and Human Sexuality. Cosponsored by the B-W Conference UMW and the General Board of Global Missions. October Greater Washington District Annual Meeting Date and location TBD Late November UN Seminar sponsored by the B-W Conference UMW New York City. Date TBD Early December Greater Washington District Leadership Training. Date and location TBD Experienced UMW officers coach newer officers in their roles. Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : May 2016
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UMW News Great Day of Service Recap Thank you to everyone who joined us for our annual Great Day of Service. We had a wonderful breakfast, provided by Chef Anthony, and then got to work at the St. Luke's Mission Center. Three people headed off to Grand Oaks to arrange flowers, play games and sing songs with the residents. Another three people headed over to the DC Diaper Bank to be a part of the distribution of the 3 millionth diaper to families in need. Those of us who stayed at St. Luke's built 150 UMCOR health kits, 200 hygiene kits, and 36 school backpacks for Educare, an early childhood program in DC. We also gussied up 60 teddy bears for the Wendt Center on Loss and Healing's summer camp for grieving children. And we created 46 birthday cards and 21 care cards, sewed stoles, signed letters and sorted food bags for Metro House and St. Luke's Shelter. Please join us next year as we love our neighbors by helping our neighbors. Photos courtesy of Anita Seline (above) & Jeanie Mah (below)
~Anita Seline For more photos, see the Appendix
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UMW News
Sharing our Joys and Concerns:
Joys & Concerns:
One of the moving moments at each month's UMW Executive Board Meeting is our sharing of Joys and Concerns. While some of what is shared is personal, this time also permits your leaders to share news of life events affecting others known to us. For me, it is a Holy remembering of our caring for the well being of all of our UMW Sisters. In the past month, Circle 6 has used email to share concerns about some of our members, as they or loved ones experienced medical challenges, and gradually made progress toward renewed health. I imagine that this also takes place among other UMW Circles.
Ellen Bachman asks for prayers of support for members of Circle 6 experiencing health issues. She also requests prayers for all of the delegates and volunteers at General Conference, May 10 to 20 in Portland, Oregon, who will be making critical policy decisions for our denomination.
Alex and I have been considering whether could also share news of Joys and Concerns in this Newsletter. Doing so would mean that we need to balance our loving impulse to build our connections with each other with or against the right of each member for privacy concerning difficult events in our lives. It's one thing to share sensitive information with a dear friend, and another to see that information in print that is shared with our broad membership.
A note shared to the membership of a UMW Circle stays in the Circle.
Here's the basic guideline: which are suggested by our Caring Ministries: Any information shared about another person must be at their request or with their permission. I suggest that when we learn of another's concerns, we ASK if we may share that information, with the Board, with one's Circle, with the membership. We can also inquire as to the degree of detail that is shared. Perhaps it's okay to share that (name) asks for prayers. Perhaps the person for whom we're seeking prayers is willing to share the nature of the request--health issues, a stressful job, a change in life circumstances. Or perhaps it's okay to share additional details. Our respect for the information shared is part of our Caring for that person. With all of that in mind, we are prepared to include a Joys and Concerns section in our newsletter. Please share! ~ Ellen Bachman UMW President
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UMW News Recognition Lunch Sunday, December 4th, 12:30 p.m.
Each year the UMW of Metropolitan Memorial hold a Recognition Luncheon honoring women who have made a significant contribution to the church the nation, and the world. This year the luncheon will be held on Sunday, December 4th at 12:30 p.m. We are seeking nominations of outstanding women to honor this year. Please submit nominations to Beverly Fleming at Beverly.fleming@gmail.com.
Intelligent Life Beyond Our Local Unit: Notes from the Annual Epworth House Mission Luncheon By Jeanie Mah, former UMW President As timing would have it, the 2014 UMW Quadrennial Assembly happened to fall during the early part of my term as unit president. Wanting to feel competent and connected to my new role and honestly not knowing how, I figured that maybe going to Assembly in Louisville, KY, would somehow help me “get it”. I’d never been to Louisville and was girded with my newly-minted title, so I thought, “If not now, when?” When I got to Louisville, I noticed a sizable contingent of women wearing red sashes that indicated they were from the Baltimore-Washington Conference. I wondered who these women were, what
Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : May 2016
churches they were from and what their experiences of UMW were. Let me be clear that our unit’s cup runneth over with women who have immense gifts for leadership and mentoring, and that I have perpetually leaned on their wisdom and the firm foundation they have built for our unit. But the United Methodist Women is a national and global movement that never rests from the work of social justice and expanding the roles of women in Christ’s church. As my time at Assembly went on and I heard about the creative and inspiring ministries that women created to address problems in their communities, I found myself wondering, “Don’t they ever get tired?” “How do they keep from getting to the point where they’re just running on fumes?” After Assembly, I realized that maybe if I attended some of the UMW events Continued, page 7
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UMW News Continued from p. 6
beyond our local unit, some of these women’s faces wouldn’t look like strangers’ faces to me. And again, as timing would have it, our Greater Washington District President, Geraldine Whitley, asked if our unit would take a turn hosting the May 2015 District Prayer Breakfast. I could already see myself, running on fumes from trying to fix this lady and about 70 others strangers breakfast. But when I finally met Geraldine, her gratitude melted my heart, and I could see that she had worked far harder in planning this special event than I had, and with immeasurably more grace. When I saw Geraldine again that summer at Mission U, I began to feel less like a stranger among a sea of faces. The current UMW Board is proposing that our unit sponsor at least one member to attend each District or Conference UMW event throughout the year. Connie Sommers attended the District’s Legislative Seminar in Silver Spring back in February. On April 2, I attended the annual Epworth House luncheon in College Park, co-sponsored by the Greater Washington and Washington East districts.
women’s prison ministry. Another was helping to plan Bishop Matthews’ retirement celebration. Yet another was being honored that day at age 92, as this was her last year on the luncheon planning committee. Don’t these women ever get tired? But I also heard them admonish and encourage one another to take care of themselves, not to feel like they had to do it all, and suggesting others who could share their load. I signed up for the luncheon not expecting to know a soul. Yes, Geraldine was there, of course, and so was Rev. Drema’s husband (whom I had never met), there to introduce the featured speaker, Suka Joshua. But I felt immediately accepted and embraced by the ladies at my table who didn’t know me from Eve. Taking a deep breath and stepping outside of your comfort zone to a place of vulnerability offers its unique blessings. At Assembly, I went to a session given by an organization called “Showing Up for Racial Justice”. Sometimes we are called to be leaders, movers and shakers. Sometimes, all we’re called to do is show up.
Arriving about 10 minutes late, I was invited to sit with a group of women, some of whom were leaders of the event, at the front of the ballroom. (You know how guests who show up on-time are too polite to take a seat at the front of the room.) They asked me what church I was from and directly set to work in making me feel welcome. They definitely had heard of Metropolitan-Wesley-St. Luke’s but seemed surprised to see me.
The Epworth House Mission supports housing and scholarship funding for an international female student studying at Wesley Theological Seminary. This year’s Epworth House Mission recipient is Suka Joshua, an educator from India. Suka gave a heartfelt witness about her childhood and the challenges she and her mother faced because of her mother’s Christian faith and decision to raise Suka as a Christian.
As I passed the salad dressing and dutifully ate the chicken breast, one woman talked about the training she was going through to be involved a
“I lost my father when I was one year old. My mother was then twenty five years young. My mother was a Christian
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UMW News Continued from p. 7
and my father a Hindu. Life of a widow in India [in] those days was nothing but a tale of tears, rejection, hurts and humiliation. But my mother was a determined woman, [a] woman of strong faith in Jesus. We lived in a Hindu joint family and amidst heavy opposition, she brought me up in Christian faith, fed me with the love of the Lord and the Word of God. She believed the gospel and a sound education are the greatest investments any wise parent would make on their children.”
“Six months later, the same woman asked to meet with the medicine woman and was extremely upset. ‘What is wrong?’ the medicine woman asked. The woman answered, ‘I did as you instructed and acted as if I loved and cared for my mother-in-law three times a day whenever I served her a meal. But my mother-in-law believed my acting and started to act in a more loving way toward me. In time, as a result I also came to truly love her. And now I need you to give me an antidote to the poison because I do not want my mother-in-law to die!’”
~ Jeanie
uka Joshua, Epworth House Mission Recipient Suka also shared this anecdote: “There once was a woman who hated her mother-in-law and asked the town medicine woman for a poison with which to do away with her. The medicine woman agreed and gave her a bag of poisonous herbs, but with very specific instructions: ‘You must only sprinkle a pinch of these herbs on your mother-inlaw’s food each time you serve her a meal. Additionally, each time you serve her her food, you must pretend that you love her and are devoted to her, and you must act as if you care about her every need. In this way, your mother-in-law will gradually be poisoned to death and you will not be suspected.’
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UMW News Book Review from the UMW Reading Program Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption By Bryan Stevenson Bryan Stevenson and his book, “Just Mercy” have touched me deeply. I have spoken of this on several occasions when we gather as United Methodist Women and promised to write a review for our Newsletter. However, I received a note from Joan Davenport who has read “Just Mercy”. She reviewed the book more eloquently I could ever express. I share that now with you:
“I have just finished reading “Just Mercy” a story of justice and redemption. It is on the U.M.W. reading list for 2016 under social action. It definitely should come on your reading list for books of racial understanding. It is in our library for checking out. If you don’t have a chance to read it, at least read the last chapter, “The Stonecatchers’ Song of Sorrow”. The author, Bryan Stevenson, has done so much good work getting juveniles off mandatory sentences for life without change of parole. He and his organization, the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) have done so much for poor people (both black and white) by representing them and getting them freed from incarceration after being falsely accused of very serious crimes. We all need to learn more to bring us together to gain a better understanding of these issues.” Stevenson writes that if we acknowledged our brokenness, we could no longer take pride in mass incarceration, in executing people, in our deliberate indifference to the most vulnerable. When you experience mercy, you learn things that are hard to learn otherwise. You see things you can’t otherwise see; you hear things you can’t otherwise hear. You begin to recognize the humanity that resides in each of us. ~ Helene Lilly UMW Program Resources Mission Coordinator
Directory Updates – Corrections Dear UMW Sisters, The UMW Directory 2016 is now ready both in hard copy and electronic versions. For those of you who do not have email and want a copy of the directory, they are in a box in the business office copier room with a sign-up sheet on top. Please sign out if you take a directory. Any questions please contact Phyllis Kokus (pkokus@aol.com) or Caralee Adams.(caralee.adams@verizon.net) ~ Caralee Adams and Phyllis Kokus, Membership Co-chairs Note corrections to the print directory:
Recognition, Addie Owens Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : May 2016
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Metropolitan & Community News March AARP Meeting Monday, May 16, 1pm, Vestry Please join us on Monday, May 16 in the Vestry. Writer, lecturer and tour guide Garrett Peck will discuss his book “Walt Whitman in Washington, D.C.: The Civil War and America’s Great Poet.”
Vacation Bible School—We Want YOU to Help Save the Date: July 11-15; 9am till noon You may think VBS is not your thing. You’d be wrong. This year’s program is all about food and faith and feeding the hungry. To help, Contact:
Social time is at 12:30 p.m., and the meeting starts at 1:00. Refreshments will be served. Contact Bobby Turnbull, bobbyturnbull@comcast.net.
Courtney Leatherman: c_leatherman@ix.netcom.com;
Food for Thought Wednesday evening adult Christian formation programs Dinner 6 pm; Classes 7 pm Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church
www.nationalchurch.org/Learning/Adult Food for Thought: Every Wednesday, Every Week Every Wednesday evening, everyone is welcome to a community dinner in the Vestry between 6 and 7 pm. Enjoy a chef-prepared meal with friends old and new. Dinner is $8 per adult, $5 per child, with a maximum of $20 per family. AU students pay what you can. Reservations are appreciated for planning purposes; to reserve your meal, go to http://www.nationalchurch.org/Learning/Adult#wednesday. After you feed your body, feed your mind and soul with a mid-week study. Food for Thought features two different study opportunities: a Bible study and a topical study. Studies change monthly, so you can choose a Bible study one month and a topical study the next, without missing pieces of either. The Bible study is led by Bob Olson, co-chair of the Learning Pillar, and Rev. Charlie Parker, the senior pastor of the Metropolitan Church. Topical studies will be led by different individuals throughout the year. Continuted p. 11 Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : May 2016
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Metropolitan & Community News Continued from p. 10
Session 8: May 4, 11, 18, and 25 Bible Study: 1 Corinthians Led by Patrick Landau. The apostle Paul founded the Christian church in Corinth. It was multicultural and made up of people from all different economic classes. In later years, he wrote a series of letters back to that church, encouraging them in their faith but calling them to task for their hypocrisy too. What does this letter to a diverse, conflicted Corinthian church have to say to our diverse, conflicted church today? Topical Study: Embracing Forgiveness. A study by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton. Led by Rev. Janet Craswell. Forgiveness is not a job or task; it is not a conditional act to earn God’s love. It is a spiritual gift given freely by a God who simply wants to connect with us. Author Barbara Cawthorne Crafton shows how forgiveness can remove the tumor of anger from our hearts to become a means of grace that gives us back our humanity. Crafton’s thoughtful insight allows participants to weight the transforming power of forgiveness in their own lives.
Information about Equal Justice Initiative: The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is a private, nonprofit human rights organization. EJI helps the poor, the incarcerated, the condemned, and children. Our work with children is focused on providing legal assistance to juveniles condemned to die in prison; challenging the placement of youth in adult jails and prisons, where they face an elevated risk of assault and sexual violence; and challenging the prosecution of very young children as adults. In the last several years, EJI has won several reforms that aid children caught in the American criminal justice system. EJI is currently seeking to end the adult prosecution of any child under age 14; to end the placement of any juvenile under age 18 in an adult jail or prison; and to abolish life imprisonment without parole and other excessive sentences imposed on children. www.eji.org ~ Helene Lilly UMW Program Resources Mission Coordinator Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : May 2016
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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.
2
For our May 11th meeting, Circle Two will be at the home of Carolyn Clewell for our annual “Book Club”. It’s an opportunity for us to share books that we have recently enjoyed. Contact Charlotte Carter, char.carter@cox.net.
6
Please join us on May 1 as we enjoy the latest performance of the Metro Players, Rumors! The play is at 2:00, after the performance we will share a meal together at Al Dente, please RSVP to Mary Jo, so we can make a reservation for our circle. Join us as we test-drive our new format of quarterly gatherings. Questions, Mary Jo Marchant, mjmarchant@verizon.net or Ann Michel, amichel@wesleyseminary.edu.
8
We will meet on Tuesday, May 3 at 7:30 to about 9:00 p.m. in the Parlor. We will be reading the Book of Ruth, Chapters 3 & 4. If you can bring your Bible, it makes it a lot more interesting. Our Hostesses will be Marilyn and Alison Daifuko and Devotions will be given by Marilyn. Contact Kelly D’Angelo at kellysclothes@aol.com.
9
Circle 9 will meet on Wednesday, May 4 at 10:30 a.m. in the Choir Room. Mary Rollefson will tell us about the rain garden and landscaping she helped install at the church. Please contact Bobby Turnbull, bobbyturnbull@comcast.net.
10
Circle 10 – Sunday, May 15 @ 5:30pm in the MMUMC Parlor for a book discussion of “The Dovekeepers” by Alice Hoffman. All welcome! RSVP to Jeanie Mah / msjcmyu1@gmail.com.
The next UMW Board Meeting is Monday, May 9 Newsletter prepared by Alexandra McPherron. To add items to the next newsletter, email alexmcph@gmail.com by Friday, May 27, 2016.
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Appendix Photos from the Spring Great Day of Service By Jeanie Mah and Anita Seline
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