August 2018 Volume 29, No. 4 nationalchurch.org
the
messenger
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Favorite Stories of the Bible*
Sunday, September 9, 2018 With Glad and Generous Heart
See details below. Sunday, August 12
The Good Samaritan Rev. Michael Chamberlain Sunday, August 19
The Prodigal Son Rev. Janet Craswell
September 2, 2018 10:00 AM
Favorite Stories of the Bible: It’s a Beginning Rev. Michael Chamberlain
September 9, 2018
9:00 AM, Worship on the Plaza
With Glad & Generous Heart
Sunday, August 26
10:00 AM
Mary & Martha
11:00 AM, in Metropolitan Memorial’s Sanctuary
Rev. Joey Heath-Mason Sunday, September 2 Labor Day Weekend
It’s a Beginning
Rev. Michael Chamberlain
* Summer Worship topics at Wesley to be announced. Regularly scheduled service at 11:00 AM, at the Wesley campus Followed by “More Than Coffee Hour” afterwards
Sunday School Open House With Glad & Generous Heart 12:00 PM
Homecoming Picnic on Metropolitan Memorial’s Plaza and Front Lawn Rev. Michael Chamberlain
September 16, 2018, at 9 & 11 AM UMW Sunday Lucinda Kent
September 23, 2018, 9 & 11 AM Bible Sunday
Rev. Janet Craswell
September 30, 2018, 9 & 11 AM
Introducing Rev. Frances Stewart
Scouts BSA
Girls to be Welcomed into AllGirl Scouts BSA Troops The Boy Scouts of America will welcome the formation of all-girl Troops for girls, ages 11-17, starting in February, 2019. “Scouts BSA” will become the new name of the Boy Scout program, which will then begin including separate boy and girl troops. NUMC’s allboy Troop 666 will continue as is. A group of DC parents and other adults interested in proposing a new all-girl troop will meet in Metropolitan Memorial’s Vestry on Saturday, August 18, from 10:00 – 11:00 am. Parents of eligible girls and other adults potentially interested in learning more are invited to attend this open meeting. No Scouting experience is required. For more information send your contact information to:
ScoutsBsaDcGirls@gmail.com
Mark Your Calendars!
Silence the Violence Concert Benefitting The TraRon Center Helping those affected by gun violence heal through the arts and activism. Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 7:30 PM Metropolitan Memorial campus 3401 Nebraska Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20016 Tickets (tickets available at the door): $20 General Admission Children 12 and under: FREE Ample Parking available at NUMC and at American University Enjoy the Music of: Augmented Eight Children’s Chorus of Washington Selected Vocalists from Capitol Hill Chorale National UMC’s Men’s Ensemble and more !
A Presentation of National United Methodist Church and its partners: Adas Israel Congregation Temple Micah Temple Sinai, Washington, DC Washington National Cathedral _____________________________________________________
The Work of the Commission of the Way Forward By Ellen Bachman Many thanks to those who attended the recent informational session regarding the work of the Commission on a Way Forward, and the decisions that may be made at the special session of General Conference (GC 2019), to be held in St. Louis next February. The issues before our denomination are serious, and we will be offering additional information over the next several months, to keep you informed. We recommend that you also follow the work of the denomination at UM Insight, at https://um-insight.net, an online compendium of news and views from progressive perspectives. Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) and the Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC) are encouraging United Methodists to be in prayer for the future of the denomination, and to consider attending GC 2019 as volunteers or observers, to help witness to our hopes for a denomination that more fully affirms God's expansive love for all, including LGBTQ persons. Please contact Ellen Bachman, at ellenbachman@comcast.net, or Kerm Towler, at flautobasso@yahoo.com, if you would like to explore participation in such a delegation, or if you can help think of ways to support those who might wish to go.
Adult Sunday School Class Schedule
Jazz at Wesley
Inspired Parenting: on hiatus until Labor Day.
Please join us for Jazz at Wesley! Featuring local, national, and international jazz musicians and vocalists, these engaging concerts provide entertainment for the whole family. All events run from 6:30-8:30 PM. Each program will feature a dance demonstration or instruction starting at 6:30 PM. $10 entry fee; $7 for seniors; $5 for students; and Free admission for 12 and under. Sweet and savory items available for purchase.
Questions of Faith: on hiatus until Labor Day. The class will resume on September 9, with a new video series from The Great Courses: Thinking About Religion and Violence. The lecturer is Jason Blevins, Professor of Religious Studies at North Carolina State University. “We live in a world where religious violence seems more prevalent than ever, but the truth is that religion and violence have been intertwined since the dawn of the world’s great faiths. The course explains how different religions view concepts such as human sacrifice, martyrdom, penitence, and means of violence; the ways religious violence can be directed toward specific races, genders, and cultural groups; concepts such as heresy, demonology, and witchhunting; and more.” Science & Religion Meets Sundays at 9:00 AM in Metropolitan Memorial’s Parlor This summer, the class will discuss “The Theology of Star Wars.” Contact: Kent Weaver, kenthweaver@gmail.com In the Biblical Sense: on hiatus until Labor Day.
Saturday, August 25, 2018; 6:30-8:30 PM Fellowship Hall at the Wesley campus 5312 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Next on the schedule is:
Greater U Street Jazz Collective The Greater U Street Jazz Collective is a Washington, DC, based jazz ensemble, inspired by the powerful legacy of the Greater U Street neighborhood, its luminaries and ordinary citizens, that pays homage to the neighborhood's venerable history while engaging its ever-changing challenges and dynamics. Over the years, they have performed with many jazz greats, and their 2013 recording, Ballin’ the Jack, received several nominations in the 29th Washington Area Music Association Awards.
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Love, Peace, & Justice Rally Scheduled Sunday, August 12, 2018 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM On the National Mall, near 4th Street, NW
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling and the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church are organizing a Love, Peace, and Justice Rally – planned as a prayerful response and call to action on the anniversary of the Unite the Right rally that was held in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year. Faith leaders, musicians, politicians, and other local activists across lines of difference are asked to gather in DC to uplift the human spirit and unite for love. For more information, visit www.unitedtolove.org.
Nationals’ Faith Day Game Saturday, September 22 Game start time at 4:05 PM Mark your calendar now for an all-church outing to the Nationals Faith Day game on September 22nd! A block of tickets will be available for purchase beginning the first week of August. __________________________
Have you or your children visited the new Arts & Crafts table in Metropolitan Memorial’s Great Hall during Coffee Hour? We hope it is a fun way for our children to share their creativity!
National United Methodist Church 3401 Nebraska Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20016 202.363.4900
NUMC consists of three campuses: Metropolitan Memorial Campus 3401 Nebraska Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016 Location of Metro House Shelter
St. Luke’s Mission Center
3655 Calvert Street, NW Washington, DC 20007 Location of St. Luke’s House Shelter, Campus Kitchen of DC, and Shalom Place Retreat Center
Wesley Campus
5312 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20015 For a complete listing of our ministerial and administrative staff, please visit our web site:
www.nationalchurch.org
Watch for the September, 2018, Issue of the Messenger coming on September 14! It will be chock full of information about Sunday School classes (for children and adults), workshops, concerts, service opportunities, art exhibits, and much more. To make sure your event is in this informative issue, please submit your article and photos – by the deadline of Wednesday, September 5 – to:
communications@nationalchurch.org.