THIS WEEK M AY 3 | 2020
ORDINARY GLORY by Hilary Sibert www.myersparkumc.org 1501 Queens Road Charlotte, NC 28207
704.376.8584 info@mpumc.org
LIVESTREAM WORSHIP TIMES 8:45 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. | 11:00 a.m.
WE LCO M E To O u r C h u rc h !
We are the body of Christ, growing in faith and serving others.
Our Deepest Sympathy Elsa Taylor Kalmbach, mother of Ambrose Kalmbach, and grandmother of Brittany and Rebecca Kalmbach, who died on April 24.
OUR DIGITAL CONNECTIONS SUNDAY WORSHIP There are multiple ways to remain together even if we’re not in the same room with one another! With multiple avenues of accessing our worship services, we can join together each Sunday online at 8:45, 9:45, and 11:00 a.m. Access our livestream at the link below or on Facebook. We look forward to continuing to worship with you on Sunday! Watch live at: myersparkumc.org/watch-live
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY Wednesday’s live Bible study will be at 11:00 a.m. and led by one of our pastors. They will share with us insights that they've learned from the Bible. The Study will gather virtually at livestream.com/mpumc. Also, if you'd like to receive Dr. Howell's weekly emails, you can sign up here.
Back To Intentional Living B Y R E V. B I L L R O T H Pastor of Congregational Care
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s we continue to journey through this season together, we turn once again to Rev. Bill Roth, Pastor for Congregational Care, to learn about ways to build resiliency and to practice intentionality.
Many of us are getting triggered emotionally in to dysregulation by the pandemic. There's no shame in this, it is merely a result of our natural threat response as it functions to protect us. However, when our threat response is over adaptive, we tend to live reactionary lives, and thus we struggle to be the disciples that Christ has called us to be. So what can we do to get back to intentional living? THREE THINGS WE CAN DO: 1. Self-regulate 2. Make healthy lifestyle choices 3. Live intentionally (choosing to live by the example of Jesus Christ)
VIRTUAL YOGA We may be finding ourselves more sedentary as a natural side effect in this season and not one that should be matched with guilt or fear of physical decline. One of the ways you can join others in finding healthy movement opportunities is through our weekly Zoom Yoga classes taught by Meredith Starling. Classes are offered Mondays and Thursdays at noon and Thursday evenings at 8:00 p.m. These classes are for all skill levels. If you are interested in joining please email Meredith. If you have any questions about the ministry, please email Rev. Taylor Pryde Barefoot.
VIRTUAL SMALL GROUPS VIA ZOOM As we journey together after Easter Sunday, in this COVID-19 season, we recognize the continuous need for support and community. We invite you to join one of our virtual small groups led by the pastors of Myers Park UMC. You need not be a member of our church or a member of the United Methodist Church to join. We welcome all of God’s people who desire prayer, care, and family. We need each other and we are better together. Contact Christine mull at cmull@mpumc.org with any questions. Click here to join the small group and access instructions for using Zoom. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Doing these three things gives us the “antibodies” to fight the “dis-ease” that is we are all facing today. So focus on your body when you are triggered. Scan your body and relax your muscles. When as we are better regulated and calm, we can make the good and healthy lifestyle choices that make us more resilient. For example, we can make better diet, exercise, and sleep choices. Finally, as we get more centered and live healthier lifestyles, we can begin to shift out of reactivity and live “missionally”. Using scripture, practicing centering prayer, calling a friend, mindfulness, remembering our beliefs, or directly calling to mind that we are beloved children of God are all ways to assist in self-regulating. In these practices, we ask ourselves how we want to live as follower of Christ. When we self-regulate, make healthy lifestyle choices, and live in intentionally, we automatically move out of our protective fear-based responses into a calmer and more centered place where we can make good decisions, and exhibit the fruit of the spirit." In the coming weeks, join Rev. Bill Roth and the Congregational Care team for the following event Pandemic Resiliency: Enhancing Our Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Wellbeing: Join Lauren Smith and Bill Roth each Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. These online talks will deal with the stress of our current crisis. These talks can be viewed at 1:00 p.m. every Tuesday at Myers Park United Methodist Church here, or the recorded sessions can be viewed at a later time. This link is also on our Facebook page. Next week’s topic: Parenting During the Pandemic.
Pandemic Resilience BY L AU RE N SM ITH Parish Nurse
GIVING AT MYERS PARK Thank you for your faithful commitment to our church. Your support has made it possible for the congregational care ministry to provide virtual resources for our members, including workshops for emotional and spiritual health during the pandemic and weekly opportunities for yoga and prayer. Make your offering today by clicking here or by mail to 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207.
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uring this COVID-19 season, we have all found ourselves in very different times. These times are challenging, ever-changing, and fluid…although we may often feel that we are standing still as one day rolls into the next. Many of us have new work spaces, new school structures with virtual platforms, new challenges in connecting due to our social distancing, new aspects to consider when preparing for a simple grocery outing, and the list of “new” goes on and on….
In this delicate season, anxiety is at the forefront for everyone. We know that anxiety, stress, fear, and grief create many challenges in our overall health and wellness. It is a primary goal for each of us to be able to assess how we are truly feeling in our physical, our emotional, our mental, and our spiritual dimensions in order to create a healthier and healing space for ourselves, and for our loved ones. In this practice of assessing our overall wellness, we can begin to identify where we “carry” our stress, and the ways in which we can address those physical, emotional, mental and spiritual care needs. Thus, as we begin to address those symptoms in healthy ways, we may also learn to strengthen our own sense of resilience. Resilience is a word that we are now using more often in multiple arenas of healthcare. Our healthcare industry has studied and identified the many impacts that our level of resilience has on all dimensions of our health and wellness. We know that we will all face challenges and stressful events in life, but how we “bounce back” in our individual coping and recovery relates to our own level of resilience. With the many ways that we are virtually connecting and adjusting in our world during this time of pandemic, there are many great online resources and recommendations for activities to help us cope, manage our stress, and enhance our resilience. The activities offered can include simple ideas such as outside play, gratitude lists, exercise, journaling, goal-setting, etc. They are great ideas to help us recognize ways to enhance our own resilience, but also to help us support resilience in our families and loved ones as well. Children generally learn to self-regulate and cope with their own anxieties as they interact with their parents and caregivers. Calm responses and nurturing relationships are key aspects for the development of such resilience skills in our children. Thus, keeping wellness and resilience as a focus for yourself, and for your loved ones, is a helpful approach during this time of pandemic. Finding opportunities for connection, even in the midst of distancing, helps us all nurture our sense of community. We know that resilience is fostered and strengthened, and our overall wellbeing is enhanced, when we are in connection and community together. Thus, find new ways during this challenging time to stay connected, and to offer community to one another during this period of social distancing. As we are “present” together during this unusual time, we learn to both give and to receive the gifts of compassionate care. As we journey forward, it is that compassionate care that we must always remember to not only extend to others, but to also extend to ourselves. May all be well. PANDEMIC RESILIENCY TIPS 1. Start a daily gratitude journal 2. Learn and practice mindfulness techniques 3. Take a walk outside in the sunshine 4. Laugh more...incorporate humor and play into your day 5. Call someone you haven't talked to in a while to catch up
Questions About Giving Opportunities? Contact Jamie Yearwood, Director of Development, at jyearwood@mpumc.org or 704-295-4808.
11:00 a.m. | Sunday May 10 We want everyone to be involved in the life of Myers Park United Methodist Church, member or guest! If, however, you have thought about making a commitment to our church family, we would love to invite you to explore becoming a member of our congregation. During the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent stay-at-home restrictions, our Discover Myers Park newcomer orientation will be held online via Zoom at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 10. During this session, we will introduce you to our congregation and answer your questions about our church. This class provides a brief overview of United Methodist beliefs, practices, and ways to get involved here. To sign up and receive your Zoom invitation, please contact Rev. Uiyeon Kim, Pastor of Discipleship, at ukim@mpumc.org. There is no obligation to join. However, if you should choose to join, our next Presentation of New Members to the congregation at large will be held via pre-recorded sessions during service on Sunday, June 7. Recordings will be coordinated to occur via Zoom at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 24. To sign up for joining and this recording session, please contact Pastor Uiyeon Kim at ukim@mpumc.org.
CO N N E C T WITH US ! F o l l ow u s o n s o c ia l m e d ia @ my e r sp a r k u m c
V i s i t o u r we b s i te w w w. mye r s p a rk u m c .o r g to find small groups, ways to serve and engage, how to give, and plug in with other members of our church!
OU R CLE RGY Dr. James C. Howell Senior Pastor Rev. Nathan Arledge Pastor of Missions & Community Engagement Rev. Taylor Barefoot Pastor for Emerging Ministries Rev. Jessica Dayson Pastor for Young Adults & Lay Involvement
BETTER TOGETHER by Amie Rucker For The Love of Reading
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hose of us that serve For the Love of Reading likely joined this ministry because we feel that reading is a gateway to so much knowledge and opportunity for the Marie G. Davis second grade students. But throughout our time together, we have formed a special relationship beyond reading. Our FTLOR volunteers really have become passionate in their service and love for their reading buddies and the MGD students. Prior to COVID-19, our volunteers had not only been reading twice a week but providing the second grade with daily classroom snacks, uniforms, coats, and shoes, and serving as field trip chaperones and science fair judges. You name the need, and they show up! Now we are faced with this unusual time where we are unable show this commitment and check on our students’ needs like we once were. This is especially difficult as we developed this deeper understanding of our students and their needs. It’s heart wrenching not knowing how they are doing from day to day. Fortunately, we have been able to connect with them in a couple of different ways to let them know that we are still out here loving them and waiting to be with them again. Some of our volunteers have recorded themselves reading aloud. This is not the same as our FTLOR “read aloud” time but it is at least providing them with a familiar voice reading a familiar book they can follow along with. Over Easter, we were able to mail one or more personal cards to each of our reading buddies at their homes. We are blessed to have a great relationship with the lead second grade teacher who helped us address each of these. We are very excited to continue this and maintain contact with our reading buddies in this way. For many of us, FTLOR and serving Marie G. Davis is a big part of our pre-COVID-19, “normal” lives. We pray the students of Marie G. Davis are safe, healthy and happy at home; and we continue to count down the days until we can be together again.
FRAMING OUR GIFTS
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inancial support continues to be the most critical need. Please prayerfully consider supporting our ongoing initiatives and the upcoming grant season with a gift to Jubilee Plus!, our mission and outreach fund at www.myersparkumc.org/give.
Rev. Uiyeon Kim Pastor of Discipleship
Framing your gifts during the COVID-19 Response:
Rev. Bill Roth Pastor of Congregational Care
$200 Provides new books for Marie G Davis library
Rev. Nancy Watson Executive Pastor
TALK WITH A PASTOR A pastor on staff stands ready to respond to your question or concern. Those needing immediate pastoral help should call 704-376-8584 and follow the prompts to the pastor on call.
$50 Provides a month worth of snacks to FTLOR 2nd graders $1500 Provides funding for students to attend Freedom School Your donations are helping us frame our response during this crisis. We continue to focus on supporting community partners, providing meals for adults in vulnerable communities, and addressing the needs of CMS students but this crisis is forcing us to continually rethink our methods and delivery. We are grateful for your support! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.