Gathering Matters: A Glance at The Year Ahead

G AT H E R I N G M AT T E R S a gl a n c e at t h e year ah ead

G AT H E R I N G M AT T E R S Rev. Nathan Arledge

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on’t you have a saying, ‘Four more months and then it’s time for harvest’? Look, I tell you: open your eyes and notice that the fields are already ripe for the harvest. Those who harvest are receiving their pay and gathering fruit for eternal life so that those who sow and those who harvest can celebrate together.”

- John 4:35-36 Often in the life of the church, we can become so consumed with what happened last week or where we are headed in 6 months. In this pace of life, we overlook what is right before us, the fruit. Low hanging fruit in fact. Fruit that would hit you right in the head if you were walking beneath an apple tree. There’s discipline to be had in these situations. We have to be attuned to where the Spirit is connecting and affirming our connection with those in our midst.

Again, the Spirit is in us, part of our DNA. As we grow closer together as community, our hearts will instinctively begin to notice the fruits of the Spirit within one another.

This is the beauty of God’s movement within us, we are drawn to the Imago Dei within the other. This also might feel as a curse for us too because we will most likely be drawn to someone(s) we don’t see eye to eye with but isn’t that the beauty of our world and mission? The biggest gift we have in this world is each other. When we begin

to realize and comprehend that we can and do accomplish greater change together, the stronger we will be.

Jean Vanier offers this as it pertains to gathering in community, “A human heart is either progressing or regressing. If it’s not becoming more open, it is closing and withering spiritually. A community which refuses to welcome – whether through fear, weariness, insecurity, a desire to comfort, or just because it is fed up with visitors – is dying spiritually.” The God which we serve is a God of welcome, inclusion, and gathering. And, for us, this is what we are to journey towards as well. Gathering matters because when we do, we harvest the fruits in our midst; we gather what is before us and there’s pure beauty in this. The beauty in you, in me, in our neighbors, and in our enemies is all of God and for God. We have to do our best to draw on that beauty hourly, for it is in the beauty of a gathered body that we see the mosaic of love and peace draw together. In each one of us, there is the same desire for compassion, mercy, grace, love, friendship, and communion.

As the beautiful hymn says, Let us Break Bread Together on our Knees, I pray this is our posture and our desire. I hope that we may gather faithfully with our full community seeking to harvest the love from

within and to watch that transform our community one person at a time for the sake of God’s Kingdom. Church family, how about it? Will you gather with me this year in service with our sisters and brothers?

Rev. Nathan Arledge Pastor of Missions &Community Engagement

This is the beauty of God’s movement within us, we are drawn to the

Imago Dei

within the other

$274,000

donated through JubileePlus!

$9,000 BEDS FOR KIDS

$37,500

$7,500

$6,000

URBAN MINISTRY / MEN’S SHELTER

PROJECT AGAPE (ARMENIA)

EDUCATIONAL & CULTURAL GROUP (THE LAMB)

$14,045

NC MED ASSIST

$15,000 CARE RING

$20,000

$8,000

$24,000

$5,000

COUNCIL FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

GBGM CAMBODIA

FAITH MINISTRY

QC FAMILY TREE

CENTER FOR COMMUNITY TRANSITIONS

$15,000

$25,000

$37,500

IGLESIA METODISTA PUERTO RICO

CRISIS ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES

$150,000

$11,250

IGLESIA METODISTA BRAZIL

$40,000

ZOE EMPOWERS

$124,750

given locally

given globally

GENEROSITY of our resources

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ocal Outreach grants supported: Beds for Kids, CareRing, Center for Community Transitions, Council for Children’s Rights, Crisis Assistance Ministries, NC Med Assist, QC Family Tree, and Urban Ministry / Men’s Shelter. We are grateful for t he mut ually intent ional par t nership t hat we have wit h Sout h Tr yon Communit y UMC. T his year, we re-imagined our local grant-mak ing process. Each grant recipient was asked to include our neighbors in t he Brook hill Communit y. In December of 2019, we all gat hered to break bread at t he Communit y Resource Center in celebrat ion.

Wesley Foundation grants supported: Baby Bundles, CareRing, Charlotte Rescue Mission, Faith Ministry, Florence Crittenden Services, Harvest Center, Hope Haven, Lily Pad Haven, Loaves & Fishes, NC Med Assist, Pat’s Place, Project Agape (Armenia), QC Family Tree, SafeAlliance, South Tryon Community United Methodist Church, Supportive Housing Communities, The Learning Collaborative, UMAR, and Zoe Empowers.

World Outreach grants supported: Project Agape (Armenia), GBGM Cambodia, Iglesia Metodista Puerto Rico, Iglesia Metodista Brazil, Faith Ministry (Mexico), Zoe Empowers (Kenya), and Educational & Cultural Group (The Lamb).

Special Offerings supported: Disaster Relief, School Partnerships, Anuvia, Charlotte Rescue Mission, and Zoe.

School Partnership funding supported: Marie G. Davis K-8 School.

SCHOOL PA R T N E R S H P S Julie Wentz

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ur CHAMP program at Dilworth Elementary – Latta campus, led by our dynamic youth and their leadership, meet on Mondays with 25 scholars and 25 youth. This year we are proud to have an addition to CHAMP. On Thursday’s we now have a CHAMP group at the Brookhill Resource Center with 8 scholars from Marie G Davis. Marie G Davis is our newest school partnership strengthening the long lasting relationships with have with the South Tyron, Brookhill and Southside Community.

Forty volunteers read for an hour twice a week with 20 second graders, developing a friendship and a relationship that goes far beyond an hour of reading.

Our in-house reading program, For The Love of Reading meets every Tuesday and Thursday. Forty volunteers read for an hour twice a week with 20 second graders, developing a friendship and a relationship that goes far beyond an hour of reading. At Marie G. Davis this year, we also started our Weekend Food Bag program. We send home close to 500 bags of food every Friday to each scholar at Marie G Davis. Each week costs roughly $900.00. The bags cost right at $3.50 a scholar or $150.00 for the year. Thanks to the generosity of the UMW and all Women’s Circles at MPUMC,

$4,000.00 was raisedto help with costs associated with the food bags. The Philoptochos Society of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church donated $2,000.00 and several generous donations from individuals, enabling us to host a church-wide food packing event.

Loaves and Fishes donated close to 7,000 cans of soup and more importantly, they donated their time and expertise to help plan the day’s event. Because of their continued support and purchasing power, we were able to order the large quantities of food and have it delivered.

Marie G. Davis School now proudly has a Beta Club. We initiated over 40 scholars last year thanks to the continued generous support of time and treasure for our scholars by our church family. This year we anticipate initiating another 20 into the Beta Club.

We are proud to support the Teacher of the month and Scholar of the month in various ways.

Our other community partners at Park Road Baptist Church, Food Lion, Coca-Cola, Chick-Fil-A SouthEnd, Promising Pages, Read Charlotte, and Johnson & Wales allow us to provide books, tutoring, and snacks for scholars and their families for family engagement nights and for staff support. The first curriculum night at Marie G. Davis had over 200 people present and engaged.

Freedom School will again host 50 scholars this summer at Marie G. Davis. We have approximately 40 volunteers who faithfully come each week to DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) with the scholars. We have another 20 some volunteers who sign up to chaperone field trips and supply snacks to the team for Freedom School.

The Learning Collaborative received funding from the Wesley grants. We also support them with volunteers and time and talent on their Board of Directors.

We support the Children of the World Learning Center at our sister church, Central UMC in East Charlotte. Again, donations of time, talent, and treasure helped us support their annual dinner/fundraiser and contribute $2,500.00 to the scholarship drive.

Also, Goodness Gracious Gifts has done incredible work in order to give money and resources such as book bags, socks, and underwear to schools with scholars who need these items.

Julie Wentz School Partnership & Local Outreach Coordinator

photo by Lisa Howell

photo by Lisa Howell

BROOKHILL COMMUNITY CENTER Lisa Howell

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ur partner congregation - South Tryon Community United Methodist Church - exists in a neighborhood where I may have never ventured to go without our church partnership. What a gift it has been to me to build relationships at South Tryon and the adjacent Brookhill Village community!

Over the past few years, I have been welcomed into worship on Sundays at South Tryon UMC and also into the larger Brookhill community. Through being present and active in the community, I have been blessed with a harvest of relationships with people I love who love me back. Most Sundays I worship at Myers Park UMC at 9:45 a.m. and then head over to South Tryon Community UMC for 11:00 a.m. worship. If I am running a little late to 11:00 a.m. worship I am still welcomed in - but I don’t want to miss the “Passing of the Peace,” though, where the welcome is truly felt with lots of hugs and handshakes.

The neighborhood adjacent to the church, Brookhill Village, is a community of affordable rental homes originally built for African

American families in 1951. Due to the uncertain future of the neighborhood (related to new development in South End), many of the homes have been allowed to decay over time and some have been demolished in the last few years, displacing people in the process.

In order to address the needs of the changing community in Brookhill Village, South Tryon Community UMC helped start a Community Resource Center to connect residents with resources they identify as needed. Each week I spend time with Debbie Williams, Executive Director of the Resource Center, as her “sidekick” to help her with getting the work done in partnership with the Brookhill community. Other Myers Park UMC members have also jumped in to support the mission of the Resource Center.

Building relationships with our neighbors enriches our lives, broadens our understanding of others, helps us to see the beauty in one another, and leads us into creating the kind of community that Christ calls us to build.

OUR GLOBAL PA R T N E R S Jack Hankins

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s a congregation, we believe we are called not only to serve our brothers and sisters, but to be in relationshp with them. Inevitably, those who are led to travel on mission trips later describe the experience as life changing and enriching. Typically, this isn’t because we’ve renovated a home, or built a chapel.

Rather it is because we are in relationship with others. By showing love to others around the world, we demonstrate the love of Christ.

2019 was a year of gathering with our brothers and sisters in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and along the U.S.Mexico border. In April, we sent a team to Costa Rica to help with construction of a playground. This marks more than twenty consecutive years of sending teams to Costa Rica, often twice a year. Two teams went to Reynosa, Mexico, including a college team in May and a high school team in July. It is heartening to hear these young people return and talk about the relationships they established and the desire they express to do more!

We sent a team to Kenya in February and again in July to learn more about Zoe Ministries, one of the most empowering

programs imaginable. These teams traveled to connect and to learn. Myers Park UMC sponsors eight teams, which help orphaned youth learn to become self-sufficient and support their younger siblings, keeping families of orphaned children together in a family unit.

Twelve teams that included Myers Park UMC members gathered at the border in McAllen, Texas during the year.

They were there to offer fellowship and hospitality to children, women, and men trying to enter the U.S to escape extreme violence, persecution, and poverty.

Two exploratory trips took place during the year. In January we visited Cambodia, traveling throughout the country learning about the Methodist Church and where we, as a congregation, might be called to serve. Cambodia has a tiny, but growing, Christian population and through a variety of programs, we are able to offer assistance. We also visited Brazil and spent time with the Methodist Shade & Water project along with The Lamb, Educational and Cultural Group.

As we look forward to 2020, we are again excited about the opportunities

to demonstrate Christian love to others around the world. Our third trip to Armenia is scheduled for July and we will travel to Costa Rica in April. Trips are planned to Zoe Kenya in February and July, and also Zoe Malawi in September.

Our inaugural trip to Cambodia is planned for late September, and a trip to Brazil is on the drawing board for fall. Information about upcoming trips is available at myersparkumc .org/beyond-thewalls.

Myers Park UMC has a great tradition for going into the world, as Jesus has called us. How can our members be involved?

Getting out of one’s comfort zone and taking a trip is an obvious option. If this isn’t realistic, consider moral support, or even financial support for a family member to travel. Consider increasing your Jubilee Plus Mission Giving.

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said: For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

Let us all gather with our brothers and sisters globally in 2020.

R AC E R E C O N C I L I AT I O N John Clarkson

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ass the Peace “feasts,” established

by Rev. Otto Harris and cosponsored by St. Marks UMC and MPUMC, began in 2016 and for 2 years focused on small group meals including black and white youth and adults gathering with CMPD police officers for meals and conversations to express “you matter to me.” More than 100 participated in these meals. In 2019 the focus changed to larger gatherings to “Chat Chew and Play” at the Stratford Richardson YMCA with conversations between youth and police regarding proper behavior in real life situations such as a traffic stop. More than 100 adults youth and police gathered together to dialogue and participate in field day games.

PTP leadership also worked with several community-wide organizations to support the Charlotte Mecklenberg Library’s Community Read Program for “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas. We recruited the youth leaders from Myers Park churches for training to facilitate youth group discussions of the book.

Deep South Pilgrimage Oct 23-26, 2019. Several MPUMC members and staff joined with folks from Sanctuary

and Dilworth UMC to travel to Atlanta, Birmingham, and Montgomery to revisit the work of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights initiative of the 1960’s. Several prominent features of the excursion were visits to the 16th Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, where a bomb killed four young black girls, a crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, and a rousing recitation of MLK’s career at his first church, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church delivered by Wanda Battle, our tour guide.

Our final stop in Montgomery also featured a visit to the Museum for Peace and Justice (Lynching Museum) established by Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. The journey was both inspiring and full of lament as we realized how little true progress has been achieved.

Revolution of Values by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (JWH). On November 18 nearly 200 individuals gathered in Jubilee Hall to participate in a discussion of Rev. Wilson-Hartgrove’s recent book which calls for a revolution in our nation’s value system presently tainted by a pervasive undertone of white supremacy. The setting was a circular “fish bowl” configuration with JWH and featured speakers who addressed the role faith has played in their advocacy. Those

attending sat in concentric rings around the inner circle.

Those individuals and their topics were as follows: Jessica Schorr-Saxe, MD - Universal Health Care through New Improved Medicare for All. Pamela Grundy, Author of “Color and Character” Equity in Education.

Rachel Humphries, Refugee Services- Immigration issues.

Support

Seven Cohen, JD - Affordable Housing advocate.

Willie Ratchford, Executive Director Community Relations, Charlotte - History of racial tensions in Charlotte.

Monte Witherspoon-Brown, Candidate for School Board and community activist Education and race relations.

Each spoke eloquently and with candor regarding the role their faith plays in their advocacy. JWH facilitated a question and answer session.

HOW CAN YO U B E C O M E E N GAG E D? Britt Yett

ohn Wesley called us to “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” John Wesley doesn’t say exactly where, when, and with whom to do all the good, but it is clear that we are called by God to love and serve one another and to gather with our brothers and sisters to affect positive change in our world.

So how do you find the right opportunity to serve?

First, pray. Ask God to guide you towards a place, an organization, a gathering that matches with your interests, your strengths, and your curiosity. Pray that God continually reminds us that we are simply a conduit through which He loves others and that service is not about us.

Next, notice. Notice where you are called. What stories intrigue you? What stories break your heart? What stories call you to action? Are you called to do work locally or are you drawn to global missions in Kenya or Armenia? Are you concerned about social justice issues, food insecurity, equity in education?

Research. Once you begin to notice where you are called, do some research. Use the guide in this booklet for an overview of existing service opportunities with local organizations or to explore the trips that are on the calendar to Kenya, Armenia, Costa Rica, and Malawi. Contact the missions department to explore new options, to get recommendations or guidance, or to connect with others who might join you on a service team.

Once you have identified an opportunity, prepare, participate, and PURSUE. Prepare for the task at hand, have any supplies you might need, and be on time, whether it is reading to children or attending a church service in Kenya.

Participate in planned activities even if it means you fight through some embarrassment or discomfort. Vulnerability

equals accessibility – to those gathered together and to our God. Finally, and most importantly, Pursue relationships with those you serve and those with whom you serve. We are all here doing life together, in community.

Any works of service should be about bringing God’s people together in communities. Whether it is your first step or the 100th step, there is a place for you in this community. The goal of the missions office is to support and encourage your ideas and callings. Don’t hesitate to contact anyone in the office if you have questions.

Britt Yett Local Missions Coordinator

R E A DY T O SERVE? Ongoing Opportunities For the Love of Reading Work with children developing their love of books and reading on Tuesday or Thursday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at Marie G. Davis School. Contact Amie Rucker at amierucker@gmail.com to learn more.

Salvation Army Center of Hope Help prepare lunch for the women and children at the Salvation Army Center of Hope. Teams meet the third and fourth Tuesdays of each month from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. To get engaged, Contact Suzanne Johnson for at 704-491-3915 or shj422@gmail.com or Dawn Milgrom dawnmilgrom@gmail.com.

Men's Shelter of Charlotte There are two opportunities each month to prepare and serve at the Men's Shelter of Charlotte: the first Wednesday of each month at the Men's Shelter at 1210 N. Tryon St. and the second Tuesday of each month at the Men's Shelter at 3410 Statesville Ave. You'll serve with a team of 6-8 other MPUMC members for about an hour and a half. Contact Robin Lilly at robinlilly4@gmail.com with questions.

Crisis Assistance Ministry Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds support projects and programs that meet families’ basic needs, help our neighbors pursue economic mobility, and engage the community in understanding the impact of poverty in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. You have the opportunity to work in their free store, serve breakfast, or work the front door. To get engaged contact, nathan@mpumc.org.

Other community partners always welcome your time and energy. See the list below or contact the missions office for recommendations for an opportunity that matches your interests.

Housing Urban Ministry/Men’s Shelter Provide safe emergency shelter to end homelessness. To get engaged contact, volunteer@urbanministrycenter.org.

Florence Crittenton - Provide health, education and social services for single pregnant and non-pregnant adolescents.

To get engaged contact, Raeshawn Palmer (704 -372-4663) Hope Haven Provide life skills for homeless and chemically

dependent. To get engaged contact, Kristi DeMeritte 704-372-8809 x290 or email kdemeritte@hopehaveninc.org.

QC Family Tree Intentional Christian community providing affordable housing. To get engaged contact Britt Yett, britt@wrapribbon.com.

Supportive Housing Communities Develop & operate permanent supportive housing for families overcoming homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse or other disabling conditions.

Opportunities include shooting pool, cooking meals together and watching various major sports games with. To get engaged contact Richard Harrison, rharisson28@carolina.rr.com.

Food Insecurity Loaves & Fishes Mission: Provide a week’s worth of nutritious groceries to people within our community facing economic hardships.

Year round collection. Population Served: At-risk individuals and families. A team sorts monthly at LF warehouse, which Laura Weller coordinates. Reach her at laura0weller@yahoo.com to learn more.

Urban Ministry Every third Monday at 9:00 a.m., a team gathers in Jubilee Hall to make sandwiches for Urban Ministry. For further details, contact Martha Abbey at 704-264-6892.

Friendship Trays Mission: Deliver daily, in a caring and friendly manner, balanced meals to individuals in the community who are unable to obtain or prepare their own meals because of age or infirmity. Population Served: Individuals in need, elderly, handicapped, and convalescing people.

To learn how to become engaged, email mcochrane@ friendshiptrays.org.

Social Justice Refugee Support Services Mondays and Tuesdays 9am-1pm Here’s another RSS opportunity: Serve with children at Refugee Support Services as RSS expands their ESL (English as a Second Language) program. Volunteers are needed on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9am-1pm to help play, do crafts and serve snacks while their parents attend classes. Questions? Contact Anne Banks at

annebanks@refugeesupportservices.org or 803-981-3240.

Lily Pad Haven Provide transitional housing for women and children survivors of human trafficking. To get engaged contact, 704-312-2011 or lilypadhaven@gmail.com.

Pass the Peace Feasts: Breaking Bread, Building Bridges Purpose: To gather around the table, share a meal and begin to know and respect each other. Our common humanity dictates a desire for connection. Drawing upon these ancient and modern, sacred and secular practices, Pass the Peace Feasts invites youth, young adults and police from different backgrounds and ethnicities to gather for a meal and trust-building conversation.

Contact: passthepeacefeast@gmail.com.

Race Forward Racial reconciliation is about open, honest conversation and engagement in quest of racial equity and justice, and a beloved community. Any time is a good time to join the journey. To get engaged contact Ron Knape at ronknape@icloud.com or John Clarkson at JClarkson@med.miami.edu.

Education Marie G Davis School For the Love of Reading, Teacher Support, Providing Meals, Packing weekend food bags. To get engaged contact Julie Wentz, jwentz@mpumc.org.

Urban League Provide education, skills development and job placement for at-risk, undereducated minority adults. To get engaged contact Dennis Haydanek, Dheydanek@aol.com.

The Learning Collaborative Provide free tuition and preschool education for at-risk families. To get engaged contact, Julie Wentz, jwentz@mpumc.org.

Freedom School Want to learn how you can serve with our scholars and interns by coordinating snacks, planning celebrations, sharing your talents through classroom activities and more for 2020, then read information below. To get engaged contact, Susan Scott at sgsphotography@gmail.com or Julie Wentz at jwentz@mpumc.org.

M I S S I O N S AT M Y E R S PA R K our philosophy

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t Myers Park United Methodist Church we are the body of Christ, growing in faith and serving others.

In the Missions Ministry we strive to educate, empower and move people to #livedifferently beyond our church walls: locally, nationally and globally.

Our Core Values:

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Visible Love for God and Others • Sustained Commitment Inclusive Welcome • Generosity of Our Resources Transformational • Intentional Listening Enhanced Relationships

It’s not a matter of being national, local or international. It is a way of life, a commitment to walk with neighbors, and to respond with the love and passion of Jesus Christ, in order to close the gap between the way things are and the way they ought to be.

We follow the three simple rules from John Wesley: • Do no harm. Seek what our neighbors need – don’t assume. Listen first.

• Do Good. Do ministry with our neighbors. Remember that we are not just doing good, we are doing what we do as an extension of God’s energy.

• Stay in love with God. Begin with prayer and continue conversation with God. We live out our Baptismal Covenant by giving generously of our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness with the neighbors with whom we form relationships. We don’t just lead teams to do good. We are in the world as disciples, seeking ways to spread God’s love, develop meaningful relationships, and experience transformation through the teachings of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

We want to work with partners who: • Listen well • Incorporate the practice of empowerment • Work cooperatively with other partners What we call success:

• Members of our church family are developing broader and deeper engagement with our neighbors, enriching their own lives as well as the lives of those they meet as disciples spreading God’s love.

• We strive to make a difference in our community and in our neighbors’ lives, working toward God’s vision of a fair and just world.

1501 Queens Road | Charlotte, NC 28207 | 704-376-8584 www.myersparkumc.org/missions