December 2016

December 12, 2016 Volume XXVI, No. 12 Nationalchurch.org

The Messenger

METROPOLITAN CHURCH

A MULTI-SITE UNITED METHODIST COMMUNITY

After the Fear … the Hope and Joy of Christmas

Christmas Eve Services Metropolitan and Wesley Saturday, December 24 5pm - Family Christmas Eve* Service with Live Nativity 7pm - Candlelight Communion* Service at Wesley** 7:30pm - Candlelight Communion Service* 10:30pm - Musical Prelude 11pm - Candlelight Worship Service of Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 25 Celebrate the story of Jesus’s birth through short Bible stories and beloved carols.

10am - Metropolitan Memorial* 11am - Wesley**

Kwanzaa Celebration Sunday, January 1 11am - Wesley**

Join us at Wesley as we celebrate the principle “Imani” (Faith) of Kwanzaa with the Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers, Libation: Baba Melvin Deal and the “Rockin” Wesley Choir and Combo. *Infant care provided **5312 Connecticut Ave., NW

to feel a full and untrammeled joy is to have become fully generous; to allow ourselves to be joyful is to have walked through the doorway of fear…

- Consolations — The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words

by David Whyte

Throughout Advent we have heard messages about fear; from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words, “we have nothing to fear, but fear itself;” to the more than 400 entries of the word fear in the Bible… "fear not, do not be afraid, do not fear.” In Drema McAllister-Wilson’s sermon on the first Sunday in Advent, she shared words from Peter Gomes’ sermon “When Life Begins.” He wrote, “everybody is fearful, terrified of some public or private demon, some terrible unnamed fear that gnaws away even in the midst of our joy." He continues with “every one of us is a hostage to fear.”

If Advent is a time of searching and facing our fears; this Advent, in particular, we are being bombarded daily, even hourly, with news and fake news, with tweets and posts, and endless conversations post election, of so many things we have fear about (health care, immigration, racism, sexism, climate change). Drema challenged us in her sermon, “What will we do with the fear?”

In David Whyte’s essay on “Joy,” quoted above, he continues with, “Joy can be made by practiced, hard-won achievement as much as by an unlooked for, passing act of grace arrived out of nowhere; joy is a measure of our relationship to death and our living with death, joy is the act of giving ourselves away before we need to or are asked to, joy is practiced generosity. If joy is a deep form of love, it is also the raw engagement with the passing seasonality of existence, the fleeting presence of those we love understood as gift …”

As we travel through this Advent of Fear, we have the opportunity to practice joy, to face our fears, to give of ourselves before we are asked. In our search for joy in the place of fear, we may find ourselves kneeling at the manger, filled with hope, looking into the face of love and there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18).

May this season of Advent draw us together, to strengthen each other as we face our fears, to give of ourselves just a little bit more, and to be open to love.

Blessings, Patrisha S. House

January Sermon Series: The Good News of Hamilton Every January, we focus our sermon series on some topic that has a particularly broad appeal; this is an effort to bring people into our church who do not have their own faith community yet, but might be interested in that subject. This January, we will spend the month exploring “Hamilton,” the phenomenally successful musical about the life of one of our nation’s founding fathers. Alexander Hamilton’s life -- and the musical -- offer some wonderful opportunities to reflect on important faith issues and how we live out our faith in the world. We will be talking about how stories shape our community, how we say “goodbye” to important parts our life during transitions, how we commit ourselves fully to living out of our gifts, and how we go about the process of forgiveness. Our choirs are preparing some very special music for the month, so be sure to join us for this exciting series. And bring a friend!

Life at the Metropolitan Church Changes to the Sunday Morning Worship and Learning Schedule As you know, we launched a new Sunday morning schedule at Metropolitan Memorial on September 4 with the understanding that we would live into it for a few months and evaluate it at the January Church Council meeting. Some of the key forces driving the change were to develop a schedule that would allow one person to preach at the two services at Metropolitan Memorial and at Wesley; to create a schedule for Sunday School that would allow the Wesley children to go to Sunday School at Metropolitan Memorial and be finished in time to get back to worship at Wesley; and to return to having a coffee hour time at Metropolitan Memorial. All of these goals were achieved, but not without some costs in several areas. In addition, at least one of the driving forces (having one preacher at all 3 services) has been eliminated with a different preaching model that involves a rotation schedule for preaching, but no preacher ever doing all 3 services.

Worship Survey: When we began to get feedback on the new schedule, there was a not insignificant amount of concern about the impact that the schedule was having, both in our worship and our learning ministries as well as impacting folks across the age spectrum from our youngest to our senior members. Rather than wait until January, we decided to solicit quantifiable feedback from the congregation last month, and received 166 responses to a survey that we distributed both in hard copy and on line. Such a robust response indicated that we clearly had touched on an area of great interest and concern. We received an enormous amount of very valuable information, and a very strong preference for pushing back the start time of the second service. Building on that feedback, the Church Council unanimously approved modifying the Sunday morning worship and learning schedule beginning on January 8, 2017, to the following: At Metropolitan Memorial: • 9am – 10am: Dayspring Worship Service, including the times for the Children’s Choirs that are currently in operation • 9am – 10am: One option for adult Sunday School classes to meet • 10am – 11am: Coffee Hour • 10:05am – 10:55am: Sunday School for children and youth; a second option for adult Sunday School classes to meet • 11am – 12pm: Chancel Worship Service, including an enrichment time for children; Youth Choir rehearsal; and a third option for adult Sunday School classes to meet At Wesley (this schedule remains the same): • 11am - 11:15am: Musical Prelude • 11:15am – 12:30pm: Worship • 12:30pm: More than Coffee Hour We believe that the proposed schedule addresses virtually all of the concerns that folks have about our current schedule. I am very grateful to all of the folks who provided input through the worship survey or shared their thoughts in other ways. We heard you and responded in a way that we believe will strengthen our Sunday morning worship and learning times.

We look forward to celebrating the blessings of Advent, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day with our Metropolitan community of faith.

Blessings,

Charlie

2016 Contributions Please note that your 2016 contributions must be received or postmarked with a 2016 date on the check by midnight on December 31, to be considered a 2016 contribution for tax purposes. If you have any questions, please contact Bill Potts, wpotts@nationalchurch.org.

Sermon Podcasts Were you unable to attend worship on Sunday? If you miss any of the sermons in our sermon series, you can listen to the audio version of the sermons on our website at nationalchurch.org/ Praising/Sermons_Podcasts.

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Life at the Metropolitan Church

A Season of Giving Annual Christmas Coat Drive Now - January 1st!

We are collecting new (and used in good condition) coats for the children at our partner church Brighter Day UMC in Southeast DC and for other children in need in Brighter Day’s community. Coats in all sizes are appreciated. A collection bin is located in the business office lobby at Metropolitan Memorial and in the narthex area at Wesley UMC until January 1st. Receipts will be available at the collection box. Although we encourage you to donate coats, cash contributions are also welcome and we will shop for you.

Please make checks payable to Metropolitan Memorial and annotate on your check that it is for the Coat Drive.

Please give your check to the church office, and your receipt will then be mailed to you if you so desire. Many thanks for your gifts that will help keep children warm this winter. Contacts: Cynthia Pugh, cynthia.pugh1@verizon. net or Martha Mizroch, martha_miz@hotmail.com.

Sharing Holiday Joy with Residents of Metro House and St. Luke’s House As the holidays approach, you can help assure that our guests at Metro House and the St. Luke’s House experience the joy of the season.

We are seeking donations of gift cards for their stockings.

Gift cards of any amount for local grocery or drug stores, coffee houses, or fast food restaurants would all be much appreciated. Put the cards in an envelope marked “shelter gifts” and drop them in the church office or in the offering plate.

United Methodist Women Alternative Gift Market Sundays in December 10am, Vestry Looking for that perfect gift? On Sundays in December, shop at the UMW Alternative Gift Market table during the fellowship time in the Vestry. It’s a wonderful, creative way to support worthwhile charities in our area and abroad. In exchange for your purchase, you will receive a greeting card that you can present to the person you want to honor. Any contribution will be passed on directly to one of the following organizations that you select. (Receipts available for tax purposes). The beneficiaries include: Bright Beginnings; Gaithersburg Beloved Community Initiative; Mabel Lossing Jones School, Sitapur, India; The Ballet Studio; Capital Partners for Education; Women and Community; Tree of Life Ministry; Courtney’s House; Sasha Bruce Youth Works. Learn more about these organizations at our Alternative Gift Market Table!

The Christmas Story Pageant Sunday, December 18, 11am, Wesley* Join Wesley UMC for a joyous Christmas Pageant of story and song. The Wesley Combo and Choir will perform music composed by the famous a cappella singing group, Sweet Honey in the Rock, to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

Members of the congregation, along with the Wesley children, will have roles in re-enacting the Christmas story from the account in Chapter 2 of Luke’s Gospel. Come help us celebrate this blessed birth. *5312 Connecticut Ave., NW. Longest Night Service Wednesday, December 21, 7pm - 8pm, Wesley* We understand the Christmas season isn’t joyful for everyone. Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one or the loss of a job, or you just want to find a time of peace in the midst of the hectic season, there is a place where you can seek comfort and prayer. The Longest Night service will be a quiet service of prayer, reflection, and Holy Communion. *5312 Connecticut Ave. NW. What Are You Doing Christmas Eve? Saturday, December 24

Help spread the holiday joy! We are in need of greeters and ushers for all three Christmas Eve Services. If you can help us out, please email Bruce Weber, bvweber@msn. com, Derek Stone, derekstone@mindspring.com or Mary Jo Marchant, mjmarchant@verizon.net. Thank You!

MY FINANCIAL COMMITMENT FOR 2017

After prayerful consideration, I (we) pledge an annual total of $______ for calendar year 2017.

NAME PHONE E-MAIL SIGNATURE

MY FINANCIAL

COMMITMENT FOR 2017 Did you know that we are in the middle of our stewardship season for our 2017 Operating Budget.

It is so important that we hear from you as soon as possible. Your pledges are an important component of the development of our church budget. Your MY FINANCIAL response will help us gauge what types of programs, COMMITMENT FOR 2017 ministry, and operations we will be able to cover for the 2017 budget. Submit your 2017 Pledge online at nationalchurch.org/Giving/Annual_Campaign.

After prayerful consideration, I (we) pledge an annual total of $______ for calendar year 2017.

NAME

PHONE E-MAIL

SIGNATURE

After prayerful consideration, I (we) pledge an annual total of $______ for calendar year 2017.

NAME

PHONE E-MAIL

SIGNATURE

Serve Now! Sign up for our many service activities with our online volunteer scheduling system at nationalchurch.org/ servenow.

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The Arts at the Metropolitan Church Music and Art in the New Year - Sunday, January 29 Navy Band Brass Quartet 3pm, Sanctuary The Arts Council is proud to present its first program of 2017! At 3pm, in the Sanctuary, the Navy Band Brass Quartet will perform.

We've loved hearing this splendid ensemble before and are certain to love hearing it again. Then at 4:30pm, in the Great Hall, we will immerse ourselves in "Art in Kibera: Images of the Place, People, and Art from the Slums of Nairobi, Kenya." Be sure to save this fifth Sunday afternoon in January for a concert, an art show, and of course a reception.

Art in Kibera 4:30pm, Great Hall When the AIDS epidemic was developing, one of the regions most affected was sub-Saharan Africa. About 10 years ago, Margaret Halpin, Arts Council member and Studio Artist at Glen Echo Park, joined a group of colleagues at Georgetown University who work with The St. Aloysius Gonzaga High School for AIDS-Affected Children and other projects in Kibera.

Located in Nairobi, Kenya, Kibera, with an estimated million people, is the largest urban slum in sub-Saharan Africa with many children orphaned by the epidemic. Since Margaret has an MA in Art Education, her participation was vital for the development of an art program. Thus began a journey for Margaret and a GU Colleague, in collaboration with the Jesuits and the school.

A Tribute to Bruce Caviness This January, Bruce Caviness, our beloved organist and choirmaster of the Chancel Choir, will be away from the console and the director’s podium for a well-deserved and long overdue sabbatical leave. It is hard to overestimate the contribution Bruce makes to our church on a daily, weekly, yearly basis. He is always present for Sunday morning services, additional worship as scheduled, weddings, funerals, rehearsals, sing-alongs, and piano accompaniments. He can also be found many evenings, nights and other unscheduled times practicing at the console. Although he is an expert in contrapuntal music and a remarkable organist, and has played the organ skillfully for some fifty years of his life, he is always striving to improve, perfect and hone his skills.

Bruce first came to Metropolitan in September 1977, and was hired to work with Geoff Simon as the assisting organist.

He sang in the bass section, led the choir (sometimes from the balcony) when asked and played the organ for special occasions. While he was assisting with rehearsals and Sunday morning choral work, he also worked with the children of Metropolitan and led a youth choir for children in kindergarten to grade five. The kids loved the choir and the age limit kept rising to accommodate those who just didn’t want to “age out” of the choir. As an aside, some of those children joined the Chancel Choir as they grew and continued to offer their voices in worship as adults.

In the summer of 1984, Bruce took on the primary responsibility as Music Director for Metropolitan. We have been blessed by his leadership ever since. Those who have had the privilege of singing with/for Bruce know of his vast knowledge of music theory, rhythm, music history and conducting expertise. He is truly a gift to the church. He has a vast and varied repertoire and stretches the choir regularly to experiment with and experience music of all genres.

Bruce has been an active participant in myriad productions and events at Metropolitan. He has appeared in several Metro Players productions and treated us all to his rich bass tones last year at Christmas as he played the role of Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors.

All this has been accomplished while Bruce was teaching instrumental and choral music to middle school students in Montgomery County. He retired three years ago, but was able to manage a full school schedule as well as meeting his myriad responsibilities at the church for more than thirty six years.

Bruce Caviness and the temperamental organ at Metropolitan Memorial have a close relationship that is sometimes contentious. Bruce has often climbed up into the pipes and diagnosed and/or made a temporary repair that allowed worship or a special event to go forward. He would love to have a new instrument and is exploring possibilities for the future with several organ companies. His commitment to worship for God’s glory is boundless.

Bruce is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and has trained with international organists. Bruce, however, considers Metropolitan his home and the Chancel Choir his family. He is the choir master, but also a master at caring and supporting choir members, as well as other church friends. He has a remarkable memory for dates, birthdays, special occasions and is always first to acknowledge landmarks in the lives of his “family.” As any choir member will tell you, he can recount a story that is amusing, but has a message of love.

Bruce will be missed during the month of January, but we wish him well and hope that a short time away will be refreshing and rich with possibilities. We love you, Bruce.

- Carol Bartlett

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The Arts at the Metropolitan Church Metropolitan Baptist Church 69th Annual Handel’s MESSIAH Sunday, December 18 5pm, Sanctuary The historic Metropolitan Baptist Church will perform Handel’s MESSIAH here at Metropolitan Memorial on Sunday, December 18. Please join us for this wonderful holiday concert. To see last year’s performance go to youtu.be/JuvKHSgP3ts.

Sing with the Dayspring Choir!

If you want to join in the fun of singing and serving together, Dayspring is open to all, regardless of ability or prior experience. Contact Melissa Chavez, Dayspring Choir Director, mchavez@nationalchurch.org for more information.

New Bell Ringer Needed!

You’re invited to join a fun and forgiving group of dedicated ringers (high school age through retirement) who rehearse Sunday evenings and ring once a month in Sunday morning services. For more information, contact Susan Staines, staines@rcn.com.

Jazz@wesley Saturday, January 28 6:30pm, Wesley* Jazz@Wesley presents “The Rick Alberico Jazz Project.” Saxophonist, Rick Alberico, has electrified audiences throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Caribbean. This charming musician and composer is now causing a stir in the D.C. region with his new group, performing straight-ahead jazz featuring a dynamic blend of bebop, blues, ballads, and original compositions. Rick is known for his unique sound and expressing the call of his soul through his horn with a powerful alto saxophone sound. Don’t miss this exciting night of music! Tickets available at the door and at instantseats.com. Entry $10 I $7 Seniors I Children 12 and Under Free. For more information email wesleyinfo@ nationalchurch.org or call 202-966-5144, ext. 325. Bring a non-perishable food item to jazz up someone else’s life. *5312 Connecticut Ave., NW. Metropolitan Book Club Monday, January 16, 7:30pm, Parlor Join us in the New Year as we discuss The Past by Tessa Hadley, a novel about a family visiting their relatives’ place in the countryside. It is in the style of Anne Tyler & Alice Munro’s writing. For questions contact, Joan Topalian, topajoan62045@gmail.com or Suzanne Clewell, reader1021@aol.com.

~~~ Flowers and Greens Gracing the Church ~~~ Celebrating the Arrival of the Christ Child

The Christmas season is a time of joy and peace. Honor your family and friends while beautifying our church with a donation The Christmas season is a time of joy and peace. Honor your family and friends while beautifying our church with a toward the flowers and greens that wrap the Sanctuary, building and halls of the church in the living colors of the season. donation toward the flowers and greens that wrap the Sanctuary, building and halls of the church in the living

The greens and flowers in the church are totally supported contributions. The Poinsettia are available for a donation colors of by theyour season. of $25. Any donation amount is welcome.

All donations will be recognized in the Bulletin on Sunday, December 25, 2016.

The greens and flowers in the church are totally supported by your contributions. The Poinsettia are available for a donation of $25. Any donation amount is welcome.

All donations will be recognized the pew racks.

Plants may be taken after the Christmas Day Worship Service.

Envelopes for donations are located ininthe Bulletin on Sunday, December 23rd.

Remembering Others at Christmas

Plants may be taken after the 11:00 pm service Christmas Eve. Envelopes for donations are located in the pew racks.

Name: _________________________________________________Phone:____________________ Remembering Others at Christmas _________________________________________________Phone:____________________ Address: Name: _______________________________________________ Email: ____________________ Address: _______________________________________________ Email: ____________________

DonationDonation of $______, for #___ Poinsettias. not___bebe taking the plant(s) after the Christmas Day service. of $______, for #___ Poinsettias.I will I will___ ___ will will not___ taking the plant(s) after the Christmas Eve service.

In Memory of ________________________________________in Honor of ____________________________________ In Memory of ______________________________________________________________ Mail, drop off or donate online at nationalchurch.org/greens by December 18th . No phone orders please.

Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016

In Honor of _____________________________________________________________

Mail, drop off or donate online at nationalchurch.org/greens by December 19th . No phone orders please.

Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016

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Serving at the Metropolitan Church Campus Kitchen at Washington, D.C. is Growing through Partnerships As our Campus Kitchen at Washington, D.C. (CKWDC) program has expanded this year, there have been a number of questions about how it is organized. Some of the confusion has been around how our Metropolitan program is related to a couple of our important program partners.

One of those partners is a larger national organization called The Campus Kitchen Project (CKP). The Campus Kitchen Project is a national effort of over 50 programs around the country that reclaim food and prepare it for hunger ministries. The national CKP was a spin-off of DC Central Kitchen, and provides wonderful resources and guidance to Campus Kitchen programs around the country. Our Campus Kitchen at Washington, D.C. is an affiliate of this large national program.

Our second important partner is Inspire DC. Inspire DC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created by the Greater Washington District of the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. So it is sponsored by our Annual Conference, but operates relatively independently. InspireDC has three primary focus areas:

Learn More About Inspire DC Wednesday, January 11 7pm, Great Hall You may have heard something about Inspire DC, one of our ministry partners in the food recovery work at Campus Kitchen DC, and wondered, “Who are they?” On Wednesday, January 11 at 7pm in the Great Hall, Christie Latona, one of the codirectors of Inspire DC, will bring us up to date on this 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit Organization created by the Greater Washington District of the United Methodist Church that is working in three areas (see article on left).

To learn more about Inspire DC go to inspiredc.org/#we-are-inspire-dc.

1. Hunger Ministry. Many churches in our Greater Washington District have a commitment to hunger ministry, and Inspire DC helps to coordinate that work. They have set up pantries in several churches in the District. They also provided a couple hundred turkeys to needy DC families this Thanksgiving. Inspire DC has also been a critical partner to our Campus Kitchen ministry, helping to deliver the food we prepare to churches and institutions that need it. More recently, they have also been helping with pickups of food from the grocery stores and restaurants that donate food to our kitchen.

Reflective of this growing partnership, we now have a staff person at Campus Kitchen DC – Sharene Harris -- who splits her time between our food recovery ministry and Inspire DC. 2. Affordable Housing. Inspire DC is also exploring ways that churches in the Greater Washington District might promote the development of affordable housing through the purchase of residential real estate that could be rented at below market rates. There are currently discussions about whether Metropolitan might support this in some way.

3. Young Adults Faith Communities. Inspire DC also has a mandate to reach younger adults through new expressions of ministry, including new worship communities. They have worked this past year with Asbury UMC downtown to kick off a young adult service on Sunday evenings.

Through these vital partnerships our Serving Pillar’s CKWDC has grown dramatically over the past couple of years.

We work to repurpose food that would otherwise have been thrown away and turn it into meals for those in need.

In the last year at our Campus Kitchen at Washington, D.C. almost 40,000 meals were served using over 1000 volunteers and more than 53,000 pounds of recovered food that would otherwise have gone to waste!

Moving into 2017, our goals include: 1. Developing a deeper student leadership aspect.

• This stems from the fact that the typical CKP model is run not only on a University Campus but also with student leaders.

2. Facilitating regular volunteer appreciation days.

• We want volunteers to know that their service is not going unnoticed.

• We also want to offer our volunteers a convenient time to ask questions and provide feedback on their experiences.

3. We want this ministry to continue to grow not only in working to eliminate food insecurity, but also in working to build bridges in the community with the people we serve, especially those in Wards 7 and 8.

We would like to complete all of these goals while remembering the importance of volunteer and agency partnership enrichment; it would be beneficial for people to feel consistently engaged in activities in which they are participating. *We will be discussing InspireDC at a special program on January 11th at 7pm at Metropolitan Memorial (see sidebar), and we invite you to attend.

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Serving at the Metropolitan Church St. Luke’s Mission Center Kitchen Renovation The main kitchen at the St. Luke's Mission, which is the home to Campus Kitchen ministries and a command center to combat hunger in our city, has undergone a make-over in recent weeks.

Stainless steel backsplashes to ease clean up after meal preparation are one new feature. New refrigerators and freezers, which will be used in prep work, have been installed. A green dishwashing system which recirculates steam to heat water used to sanitize dishes, also has been added to the kitchen.

The renovations, financed by the church capital improvements budget, will help volunteers work more efficiently and effectively.

On November 11, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced to those gathered to celebrate WIN’s 20th Anniversary a $16 million restoration of the Parkway Overlook housing project in Southeast DC. Metropolitan, Brighter Day, and WIN have long advocated for this change.

Washington Interfaith Network Briefing Wednesday, January 18, 7pm, Great Hall On Wednesday, January 18, Jennifer Knox, lead organizer for the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN), will lead a session in the Great Hall describing how WIN approaches community organizing work and how you can get involved. This year, WIN observed its twentieth anniversary and Metropolitan Memorial can be rightfully proud of the instrumental role it has played over the past two decades in WIN’s work to bring our city’s faith community together to stand for the common good.

Washington DC is a stronger and more equitable city than it was twenty years ago due to WIN’s many victories in affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, homeless services, public education, and jobs. Come learn how you can be part of positive change in the next twenty years!

Gun Violence Prevention Group (GVP)

Are you concerned with gun violence? Want to make a difference? Join our Gun Violence Prevention Group as we explore actionable steps to address the complicated problem of gun violence. We need many voices.... young and old, gun owners and non-gun owners, victims and survivors. If interested, contact pastorsoffice@ nationalchurch.org.

Home for Christmas Help the Homeless Transition into Homes of their Own This Christmas Eve Each year, Metropolitan Memorial seeks to keep Christ and his ministries central to our Christmas observances by dedicating all offerings received at our Christmas Eve services to help others. This year our Christmas Eve offerings will be used to help residents of St. Luke’s House and Metropolitan House transition into permanent housing.

Former St. Luke’s House resident Charles A. moved into his own apartment and reunited with his wife with financial help from the Residents Assistance Fund.

For many individuals ready to move beyond homelessness the upfront costs associated with becoming a renter – such as security deposits or required payment of first and last month’s rent – can be a major stumbling block, even if they can otherwise afford a home of their own. Often, a relatively small amount of money is all it takes to help these individuals take that important first step beyond homelessness.

In 2002, Metropolitan Memorial established a special reserve fund in honor of Dick Schleicher to help those ready to move out of Metropolitan House and St. Luke’s House with these costs. But as the residents have been moving out more quickly, there has been greater demand for this kind of assistance, and the funds on hand have dwindled. Your generosity on Christmas Eve will help assure that funds are available to meet this need going forward. Help give someone in need a home of their own this Christmas Season!

Well Wishes from Campus Kitchen at Washington, D.C.!

We want to let everyone know that the kitchen will be closed from December 22 – January 2 for the Holiday season. This means that all cooking shifts will be cancelled during this period; we will also not do food recovery until December 28. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at squammen@nationalchurch.org. Thank you for all of your help during the 2016 year and we look forward to working with you in 2017!

Blessings, Stephanie Quammen

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The United Methodist Women UMW Book and Bake Sale Saturday, February 25, 8am - 3pm, Vestry The UMW Book and Bake Sale is set for Saturday, February 25! Book donations may be dropped off in the new year, but we encourage all donors to hold off bringing their book donations in until the week of set-up, February 19 - 23, so that books can be organized more efficiently. If you MUST get your books out of your house, you may drop off your donations, in small boxes please, in front of the UMW closet at the end off the hallway off of the Vestry in January. Please do not donate cassette tapes, VCR tapes, textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, and travel books published before 2012.

The UMW will hold a special collection drive at Metropolitan Memorial on February 19 and 20. Drive into the church parking lot with your books and volunteers will off load your boxes of books and give you a receipt.

You do not need to be a member of the UMW to assist with this sale. We welcome all who would like to help us set-up and organize the 1000’s of books we receive. A web-based sign-up has been created for volunteers to easily sign up to help the week of the sale. If you do not feel comfortable using this electronic sign up, please contact the book sale organizers who will be happy to tell you what shifts are available and sign you up. The link to sign up is SignUpGenius. com/go/70A0E4DA8A6238-book.

Pass the word to your friends, family, and neighbors. The sale will run from 8am to 3pm with an abbreviated leftovers sale Sunday, February 26, after which clean up begins. Please contact Anita Seline, amseline@aol.com or 202-8413453 or Martha Mizroch, martha_miz@hotmail.com or 202-421-5150, if you have any ideas, resources, or energy to assist. The UMW Book & Bake Sale: it may not be the Bazaar, but we promise it will be a lot of fun!

Women’s Retreat 2017 Save the Date!

February 3 - 5 The annual Women’s Retreat will be held February 3-5 at PriestField Pastoral Center in Kearneysville, WV (near Charles Town). Our leader this year will be acclaimed Biblical Storyteller Tracy Radosevic. Stay tuned for further details and registration info; in the meantime, mark your calendars, line up your dog-sitter, and save that date!

Caring Ministries Lunch and More “Your Favorite Christmas Memory” Thursday, December 15 Noon, Great Hall Join Lunch and More for a Christmas Celebration! After our festive meal, we’ll share our favorite Christmas stories and memories, read the Christmas Story with Christmas Carols, and end with Silent Night. Facilitated by Drema McAllister-Wilson. If you would like to bring a side dish or dessert (coleslaw and rolls are already provided), contact Phyllis Kokus, pkokus@aol.com or Mary Jo Marchant, mjmarchant@verizon.net.

AARP Luncheon Monday, December 19, Noon, Vestry Please join us for our annual holiday luncheon. We will have a delicious meal of turkey and all the trimmings, followed by singing of holiday songs. The cost is $15 per person, and reservations are necessary. Contact Bobby Turnbull, (301) 320-4154, bobbyturnbull@comcast.net by December 15 to reserve your spot.

Our prayers go out to: • Janet Kelley on the death of her husband Mike Kelley on December 4.

A Memorial Service will be held at Metropolitan Memorial on December 16 at 11am.

•

Linda Fort on the death of her husband Bill on November 26.

•

Alex McPherron on the death of her husband, Barry Spargo, on November 16. A Memorial service will be held at Metropolitan Memorial on January 10 at 11am.

Congratulations To Susan and Geoff Brown on the birth of their granddaughter, Olivia James Gelatt on November 12.

Parents are Kate and Charlie Gelatt.

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Children & Youth Ministries Playground Renovation!

Dear Metropolitan Families, I am excited to announce that the renovation of our playground has begun! The non-profit organization Kids Around the World arrived last week and removed the old play structure.

This wonderful organization recycles play equipment and then finds a new home for it in one of 60 countries across the world. Kids Around the World tells us that since 1994, the goal was to provide safe play equipment for children that found themselves in situations where it was difficult to just be a “kid”. Children find themselves as victims of situations out of their control: victims of economic stress, victims of political injustice, victims of natural disasters and worst of all, victims of war. It was for these children that Kids Around the World began.

“We have been fortunate to partner with many organizations and foundations that would agree with us, that we need to do all we can for kids. We are grateful for organizations like Rotary International Foundation, the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation, Salvation Army, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, plus many other foundations and organizations that join us to provide quality play equipment for children. We are also thankful for the many individuals that partner with us and give their resources and time to travel to foreign countries and construct a playground.”

Once Kids Around the World finds a new home for our play equipment, they will share the details with us and maybe some pictures!

Custom Park Services will do the site work and installation of our new Kompan equipment. Our plan is to start the week of December 5th. Our best estimate for installation is two weeks. While we are watching our playground come together, Coach John Jenkins will keep us moving in the Vestry on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We also hope to go across the street to Horace Mann’s playground in the mornings when the weather permits.

One thing is certain that at the end of this busy holiday season, Metropolitan will have a newly renovated playground for our children. What a joyful gift! Thank you all for your generous support. It is truly a blessing to be a part of this community Best, Linda

Our Mission: Building an inclusive, caring Christian community that invites all into a deepening relationship with God and challenges all of us to grow as disciples, seeking justice and joy for the transformation of the world.

Our Vision: Extending radical hospitality, transforming lives, and pursuing justice.

Reconciling Statement: Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church affirms that all individuals are of sacred worth without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, education, marital circumstances, economic status, physical and mental condition, or criminal history. We declare ourselves in support of the reconciling movement and welcome the full participation in the church of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered persons and their families, as a reflection of God’s unconditional love. At the same time, we recognize differences of opinion on issues of sexuality and seek to journey together in faith toward greater understanding and mutual respect.

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Pastoral and Administrative Staff - 3401 Nebraska Avenue, NW, DC - 202.363.4900 www.nationalchurch.org - Pastoral Emergency Number - 202.510.8555 Rev. Dr. Charles Parker –– Senior Pastor, ext. 108, cparker@nationalchurch.org Rev. Drema McAllister-Wilson — Minister of Congregational Care, ext. 104, dwilson@nationalchurch.org Rev. Janet Craswell—Director of Christian Education, ext. 115, jcraswell@nationalchurch.org Princess Bethea — Office Coordinator, ext. 102, pbethea@nationalchurch.org Bruce Caviness — 11a.m. Organist-Choirmaster, ext. 152, bcaviness@nationalchurch.org Melissa Chavez — Dayspring Choir Director/9am Worship Leader/Youth Choir Director, ext. 151, mchavez@nationalchurch.org Jeff Clouser — Director of IT and Communications, ext. 113, jclouser@nationalchurch.org Dona Collary — Pastoral Care Assistant/Wedding and Funeral Coordinator, ext. 106, dcollary@nationalchurch.org Patrisha House — Director of Worship, Music and Arts, ext. 114, phouse@nationalchurch.org Patrick Landau — Director of Youth Ministries/AU Campus Ministries, ext. 112, plandau@nationalchurch.org Pam Murdoch –– Finance Coordinator, ext. 103, finance@nationalchurch.org Bill Potts –– Executive Director of Operations, ext. 101, wpotts@nationalchurch.org Stephanie Quammen — Serving Pillar Coordinator, ext. 111, squammen@nationalchurch.org Rafael Reyes — Director of Building and Grounds, ext. 116, rreyes@nationalchurch.org Helen Simon — Executive Assistant to Dr. Parker, ext. 109, hsimon@nationalchurch.org Linda Smith — Director of Nursery School, 202.362.8746, lsmith@nationalchurch.org Non-Staff Ministry Partners Rick Sullivan — AU Associate Chaplain for Community Engagement, rick@aumethodists.org

The Messenger is published by The Metropolitan Church - A Multi-site United Methodist Community Metropolitan Memorial - 3401 Nebraska Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20016 Tel: 202.363.4900 St. Luke’s Mission Center (3655 Calvert St., NW)/Wesley UMC (5312 Conn. Ave., NW) Fax: 202.686.2056 E-Mail: jclouser@nationalchurch.org website: nationalchurch.org

NEXT ISSUE: January 9, 2017

NEXT DEADLINE: Noon on January 3, 2017