This Week at Myers Park United Methodist Church | May 24–May 30

THIS WEEK M AY 2 4 | 2020

BROKEN LINES by Janine Medlin 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

Caring For Our Bodies B Y R E V. TAY L O R P R Y D E B A R E F O O T Pastor of Emerging Ministries

Sigurd Dean Johnsen, husband of

Jane Johnsen., father of Katie Priester, and grandfather of Jack, Anna, Charles and Luke Priester, died on May 15.

Betty Jones Warren, mother of Dale

Warren, died on May 14.

A. Ward Peacock, father of Nancy Ike,

Steve Peacock, and Ward Peacock, Jr., died on May 13.

In Celebration

Amelia Rosemary Salazar, daughter of Sarah Miller & Pedro Salazar, and granddaughter of Amy & Allen Hendricks, was born on May 13.

Lottie Eve Mogensen, daughter of Laurel

& Dan Mogensen, sister of Ellis Hayes, Willow, and Poppy Mogensen, granddaughter of Tobie & Bob Holberton, was born on April 5.

Cora Branch Lilly, daughter of Robin & Will Lilly, and sister of Evvie & Harper Lilly, was born on February 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.

VIRTUAL YOGA : We may find ourselves more sedentary as a natural side effect of this season, but we should not feel guilty or fear 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.

MIDDAY MUSIC: Starting May 20, MPUMC's very own Jimmy Jones, Director of Music, and Evan Currie, Music Associate and Organist, will perform musical pieces for you! These live mini-concerts will begin at noon and will air on the first and third Wednesday of each month. We'd love for you to join us for Midday Music and we hope that these performances will bless you! To tune in, click here.

I

n one week, our entire routine was changed. We stocked our homes with food, stopped going to the gym, became increasingly sedentary, and then had to look at ourselves on video calls for multiple hours a day.

There are so many reasons why this season is especially difficult for those of us struggling with negative body image and a disordered relationship to food. We are inundated with fearful warnings about weight gain during this shelter in place and we find ourselves in stressful situations where we might turn to food as a comforting escape. On the other hand, we may find ourselves restricting food or over-exercising as we fight mental and emotional health battles through our relationship with our bodies.

Body dysmorphia and disordered eating are complex issues that often require therapy to address and time to heal. Today I invite you to take the first steps toward health and wholeness by being gracious toward yourself and your body.

May we silence the voices of the world that require thinness or lies to use that we can successfully eat our feelings, and instead listen to the voice of God.

When the tables were empty and the stomachs were grumbling, God feeds the masses Matthew 14:13-21. When the anxieties of betrayal overwhelm the dining room table, Jesus breaks off the bread and says “take this and eat” Luke 22:7-38.

May you invite this God to your table. God will not say “isn’t that enough food on your plate?” God will hand you more until you are full. God says, “here, eat what you want, there will be more next May we silence time, you don’t have to hide your binge cycle” the voices of the

world that require God says to you before you start your workout, “move because it brings you joy, move because thinness or lies to it gives you freedom, don’t use your body I gave use that we can you to punish yourself. Celebrate what it can do. successfully eat Do not hate what it can’t do.” our feelings, and

instead listen to God is standing next to you in the mirror reminding the voice of God. you that you are loved – that your body is good because God created it. God loves your body and all of its signs of life: the scars of playing, the stretch marks of growing a family, the wrinkles from smiling, and the softness of meals spent with loved ones. God is looking at you with love and admiration. God is comforting your fears and anxieties.

God desires our fullness, God desires our freedom. God wants us to have full bellies, bodies that move joyfully through the world, and a relationship to ourselves that is full of compassion and love.

May we all have the strength and grace to love the bodies God has given us.

Amen.

Better Together B Y R E V. N AT H A N A R L E D G E Pastor of Missions and Community Engagement

GIVING AT MYERS PARK Your ongoing support of our church Operating Fund and Jubilee Plus!, our church’s mission and outreach fund, has enabled MPUMC to continue serving the congregation and our most vulnerable neighbors near and far. Thank you for your faithful commitment.

Make Your Offering today at www.myersparkumc.org/give or by mail to 1501 Queens Rd. | Charlotte, NC 28207

S

o when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7 He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’ Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” Acts 1:6-14 When you dig through scripture, you surface mesmerizing gems contained in the words, phrases, and much, much more. One of those for me is the question asked of the disciples in todays scripture, “Why are you just staring up toward heaven?”

So let’s examine this question a little bit. If some friends and I were standing around and a great cloud came and swooped up our teacher and friend, I suspect I would stare off as well. Every bit of my heart and body would want to know what is going on. I suspect the disciples were like that, just jaw-dropped shocked at what just happened to Jesus. And they were frozen in place. Where does this question come to life for you? Where have you been caught flat footed by what God has done in your life? I hope there have been moments during this COVID way of living. Have you noticed the flowers blooming more than you normally would have? The longer conversations with loved ones? How about reconnecting with friends? In these and many more moments, stopping, gazing, and appreciating God’s work around us is important, though it’s not where we are to remain.

To think, if the disciples had remained flat-footed in the glorious moment and not left until something else miraculous occurred, they would have missed out on the opportunity to share the good news. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am willing to bet that you don’t stop to stare at a beautiful flower or moment in life and remain there. We are communal people; we want to share and reflect with someone about our experience. Currently this is where it’s tough, and we lament that we cannot physically be together, though we can still share the beauty of God’s work happening around us. Furthermore, we can do what the disciples did once they returned to Jerusalem: we can pray.

Through prayer we open ourselves up, revealing our truest joys and our most sorrowful pains, and in each expression God meets us right where we are. Having an active prayer life is beneficial and one of the ways that we can continue to move our hearts and spirits forward for the work of God’s Kingdom. Active prayer conversations with God will create, shape, transform, and illumine the paths of how you/we are to live for God’s purpose and not our own. And God’s presence and direction is what we need everyday. Knowing that we are on this journey together and knowing that we are all praying together offers peace in a restless time. So, I ask that you join me and many others in prayer. Don’t become flat footed but stay fully active in your prayer life, devoting yourselves daily. Pray, friends, and let's all keep on moving forward together.

Questions About Giving Opportunities?

Contact Jamie Yearwood, Director of Development, at jyearwood@mpumc.org or 704-295-4808.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ROOF ABOVE! Congratulations to our partners at Urban Ministry Center and Men's Shelter of Charlotte for moving forward in their mission to end homelessness in our area!

Liz Classen-Kelly, CEO, explained: "We are excited to move forward with a name that describes our combined work in a simple and aspirational way. 'Roof Above' tells you what we do. Whether through our shelters or our housing programs, we are committed to providing the safety, protection and dignity of a roof above."

GOING ALL IN FOR UMAR

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

MPUMC'S JEREMY COFFEY IS GETTING CREATIVE DURING QUARANTINE Jeremy Coffey, Founder and Director of Good Soles and a volunteer in the life of our church who works with our Youth Ministries, Missions, and Disciple Bible Study, is making the most of out our shelter-in-place orders. Jeremy has turned this season into an opportunity to maintain his active lifestyle while also fundraising for a cause!

Jeremy is raising money for people out of work by literally rowing half marathons (in meters) on a gym rowing machine. “My motivation is I’m a crazy person and I can’t help myself from seeing how far I can push myself,” he said humbly and jokingly.

“The gym I go to rented out equipment so members could continue to work out from home. I love to row and I love serving/helping others. So, I thought how I could marry the two? I looked up how far a half marathon is in meters and knew I could do it because I’ve rowed 5,000 before. I made a video where I promised on my birthday I would row a half marathon for the coaches at CrossFit Meck. After I finished I decided to do a different business/charity every Saturday until people were able to go back to work.”

Is he crazy? No. Passionate? Absolutely!

“I’ve just been calling it my Row-A-Thon,” Jeremy explained. It's really quite impressive and incredibly mindful of the struggles folks around us are going through.

Jeremy told us “I’ve raised a couple thousand dollars for CrossFit Meck, Community Matters Cafe, Block Love CLT, The Watchmen, Rattail Jimmy’s, LC Hair (last two are hair stylists), Second Harvest Food Bank.”

Once quarantine is over and life resumes as usual, what will Jeremy do? “My future plans are to keep serving the people around me in Christ’s name and just because it’s the right thing to do. It may not be by rowing half marathons anymore, but I will not stop using my spiritual and physical gifts to help those around me.”

Rev. Uiyeon Kim Pastor of Discipleship Rev. Bill Roth Pastor of Congregational Care 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.

LIVING DIFFERENTLY Many are seeking ways to engage with our neighbors and help repair the damage that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing our city. As a church, under medical direction, we are still not able to convene teams to go and serve. However, next week, the #livedifferently newsletter will list mission opportunities and individuals can assess the Non profit partner’s individual guidelines for safety instructions and proper physical distancing. If you don’t subscribe to the newsletter, click here to sign up.

If you have a story you'd like to share with us, email it to Director of Communications, Sarah Gibson. We love hearing from you!