July 2018 Volume 29, No. 3 nationalchurch.org
the
messenger
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Favorite Stories of the Bible*
July 1 – September 2, 2018
Welcome to National UMC! by Caralee Adams
Living out our call of radical hospitality, the Sharing Ministry Team has been expanding how we can be an inviting and open congregation.
Welcome Table
Sunday, July 15
Dinner with Friends
Rev. Michael Chamberlain Sunday, July 22
Christmas in July
Rev. Michael Chamberlain Sunday, July 29
Desperate Housewife Patrick Landau Sunday, August 5
Shipwrecked
Rev. Michael Chamberlain Sunday, August 12
The Good Samaritan Rev. Michael Chamberlain
Continued on the next page
A new Welcome Table has been set up outside the Great Hall at the Metropolitan Memorial campus and at Wesley in the back of the sanctuary. Team members are staffing the table and sharing information about upcoming events at the church. Please make an effort at worship to greet visitors and encourage them to stop by the table to learn more about how to get involved.
Parking Lot Greeters Why not welcome visitors before they step in the door? The team is exploring having parking lot attendants greet people as they arrive. If the lot is full, they could also direct drivers to alternative spaces at Horace Mann School or American University’s parking garage. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the church office.
Attendance Pads You may have noticed that the pew folders have updated attendance sheets to capture important information about members and visitors alike. Please take the time to complete the forms during worship, modeling the practice to visitors so we can get vital contact information to extend a further welcome. Look at who signs in next to you and help us greet them with the same warmth that you received as a visitor and led you to join. New efforts are underway to follow-up with visitors, as well as members who have not been attending regularly. Continued on the next page
Favorite Stories of the Bible*
Welcome
Sunday, August 19
Name Tags
continued
The Prodigal Son Rev. Frances Stewart Sunday, August 26
Mary & Martha
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 ____________________________________________________
continued from front cover
To help us get to know one another better, please remember to wear nametags at church. For visitors and those who have forgotten theirs at home, look for a new bucket of temporary nametags that will be available as you enter the sanctuary.
Thinking about Joining? or Learning More About Being Part of the Church? So glad you are interested in learning more about being a part of our community. Please contact Helen Simon, at hsimon@nationalchurch.org, about the next brunch for prospective members where you can meet members of the church and find out ways to get involved. Anyone on our Sharing Pillar would be happy to visit with you during the Coffee Hour at the Welcome Table outside the Great Hall. Perhaps you'd like to make meals for the homeless at Campus Kitchen or visit a Bible Study. We can pair you with someone to serve as a "shepherd" to introduce you and help you discover which ministries and volunteer opportunities are a good match for you. We can arrange a tour of the church so you can learn about our history and figure out how to navigate our three campuses. Whatever we can do to answer questions or acquaint you with our community, we are ready and eager to help.
New Member Celebrations A brunch for prospective members was held in April, which led to several new people joining the congregation. If you know of regular visitors who are considering membership, please invite them to our next new member brunch slated for Sunday, September 23, at noon, in the Great Hall on the Metropolitan Memorial campus.
Inviting Opportunities
Please note the summer hours for NUMC's offices, now through Labor Day: Monday-Thursday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Friday: 9:00 AM – Noon Saturday: Closed Sunday: 9:00 AM – Noon
As we hope to draw more people into the church, the team is exploring new activities such as a storytime for preschoolers, a World Cup watch party, a walking Bible study, and other events. The September 9 Fall Picnic will be a great chance to encourage friends, neighbors, and coworkers looking for a church to learn about our welcoming community. If you have other ideas about how we can be more welcoming church, if you’d like to volunteer for an activity or be a part of the sharing ministry team, please contact Caralee Adams at (301) 801-0553 or caralee.adams@verizon.net. ______________________________________________________ Have you or your children visited the new Arts & Crafts table in Metropolitan Memorial’s Great Hall during Coffee Hour? We hope it is an exciting and creative way for our children to share what they are learning in Sunday School!
Summer Adult Sunday School Class Schedule Inspired Parenting: on hiatus until Labor Day. Questions of Faith Meets Sundays, at 10:05 AM, during July in Metropolitan Memorial’s Conference Room Lecture and discussion group. Join us as we search for a more complete comprehension of Jesus’ legacy. Contact: Diane Moody, billanddianemoody@comcast.net
Christmas in July! This summer’s worship series is based on suggestions from members of their favorite Bible stories, which ranged from Adam & Eve to The Prodigal Son. But virtually everybody’s favorite story in the Bible is the story of Jesus’ birth. When we celebrate in December, we are typically frazzled from Christmas shopping and worried about the possibility of snow and ice. Well, what if we celebrated Christmas in July?! So, on July 22, we will have a full-blown celebration of Christmas in July – with a pageant and a Christmas tree and singing Christmas carols and eating Christmas cookies after worship! Mark the date on your calendars and invite your friends and family and neighbors – it is likely the only Christmas party to which they will be invited this summer! Then dig out your Christmas hats and jewelry, bake some Christmas cookies, and come prepared to experience the telling of the Christmas story in a whole new way!
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. ____________________________________________________________
Jazz at Wesley Saturday, July 28, 6:30-8:30 PM the Wesley campus 5312 Connecticut Avenue, NW 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.
Next on the schedule is:
Aruna & Friends Aruna Rao (at left), and guests Alison Buchanan and Priya Kvam, will per-form jazz, blues, and other delights; with Gregory Colin Chambers on piano, Steve Arnold on bass, and Tyler Leak on drums. ________________________________________________________
Love, Peace, and Justice Rally Scheduled Sunday, August 12, 2018, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM Location on U.S. Capitol grounds to be announced 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. Watch for details
Music Ministry in the Community
Vacation Bible School for Children By Rev. Janet Craswell
NUMC’s Men's Ensemble led the National Anthem for the annual Palisades' Fourth of July Parade and Picnic.
Wow! What a week we had with the Treasure Hunters! During National UMC’s week-long Vacation Bible School, we learned that God has treasure for all of us, and that we can find it in the Bible. The children and their middle school counselors sang, danced, went on scavenger hunts, created maps, did lots of arts and crafts, learned some American Sign Language, and learned to find the treasure in God’s Word and God’s world. Thank you to all the adults who helped out. Extra thanks to Kris Oberdick, who wrote original curriculum for this year’s VBS, and to Courtney Leatherman, who recruited and coordinated our wonderful team of adult leaders.
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!
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A block of tickets will be available for purchase beginning the first week of August.
National UMC Supplies Backpacks for Homeless Children in DC
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It may seem like the school year has just ended, but our friends at Friendship Place are already working to assemble back-toschool supplies for more than 250 formerly homeless children in their Neighbors First program. On Sunday, June 17, young and old gathered in the Great Hall to fill 2 dozen backpacks for the first graders with notebooks, pencils, crayons, and rulers. And the packs have already been safely delivered to the Neighbors First office in Northeast DC! If you’d like to supply a backpack to a child in need, there are still a few available. Sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0c4ca da628a4fc1-backpack.
Mark your calendars:
by Ann Michel
Stretch with Carolyn in Metropolitan Memorial’s Vestry 11:00 AM – Noon Carolyn Gichner’s class is continuing for two sessions during this summer: Thursday, July 18 Thursday, July 25 If you want to join the class, please contact Carolyn at cgichener@aol.com, or at (202) 362-4393.
Gentle Yoga continues in the Summer The Gentle Yoga Class, sponsored by the Caring Pillar, continues to meet through the summer on Thursdays, 4:00-5:15 PM, in the Great Hall. This small and committed group class is open to all, on a drop-in or 8-week session basis. Join us any time! No prior experience required. Please contact Cathryn Pethick, C-IAYT, at Cathryn@yogawellbeing.com or 301-946-7045.
Metropolitan Nursery School News: Welcoming a New Director In June, the Nursery School said good bye to its long-time Director, Linda Smith, who retired after ten years of serving the students and families of National United Methodist Church. The Nursery School families and staff wish Linda a fond farewell as she begins her much-deserved retirement. The Nursery School is pleased to welcome its new Director, Kristen Maxson, in June as well. Kristen was selected from a highly talented pool of applicants, after a thorough search process that engaged many members of our community. Throughout the process, the search committee was impressed by Kristen’s vision for early childhood education; her care for children, families, and teachers; and her commitment to the values at the heart of Metropolitan’s mission. During her time with the search committee and church representatives, she quickly connected and impressed all with her inclusive, supportive leadership style. In Kristen, the search committee and board found the right blend of experience, ability, and leadership to guide Metropolitan Nursery School in the coming years. Kristen has been working in education for almost 18 years. Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, she has taught or been on the administrative faculty in schools in Lexington, Ann Arbor, and Atlanta before landing in DC with her husband and two, now teenage, children. Within months of moving to DC they found a home in AU Park and she began her work at St. Columba’s Nursery School, where she was a teacher for one year before moving into the role of Assistant Head of School and Inclusion Coordinator. For the past two years she served as the Executive Director of Janney Plus Programs, helping create the non-profit responsible for all of the out-of-school time programs at the elementary school where her own children attended. Even though she greatly enjoyed the experience and challenge of creating a new non-profit, she is thrilled to be returning to her true calling: the education and support of Nursery School children and their families. She is incredibly excited to be joining the Metropolitan Nursery School and NUMC family. We are blessed to have found such a fine leader and feel confident that she has the heart, mind, and energy needed to guide our nursery program forward. Please join us in welcoming Kristen and her family to our community!
By Anita Seline
Project Transformation DC, a summer literacy camp for children living in poverty, has begun to make a positive impact on the lives of children living in Ward 7 and 8 in our city. Volunteers from our congregation are helping to support this vital program: about 60 people from our congregation, most of them on multiple days, volunteered to read with children at Brighter Day UMC last month. Even more volunteers are getting ready to help campers at Hughes Memorial UMC July 23-26. Earlier this year, National UMC decided to partner with Project Transformation, a 20-year-old United Methodist program. As a partner church, we are expected to provide: • reading volunteers for one week at each of the camps at Brighter Day UMC in Anacostia and Hughes Memorial UMC in the Deanwood section of northeast DC, • two meals for the college interns running the camp, • help in running two community events, and • funding. Volunteers have enthusiastically stepped up to help out! Each morning the week of June 25, the church van loaded up with eager readers and drove to Brighter Day. There, they received a short training session and then read with the campers who had just finished breakfast provided by the DC government's summer meal program. Some volunteers also worked with campers in arts and recreation. Later that week, NUMC’s United Methodist Women’s Circle 6 organized dinner for the Family Fun Night, when families of the campers came to Brighter Day for carnival games. Other members of the congregation have provided arts supplies for the program. As the camp continues through August 9, we are still seeking donations of packaged single-serving snacks. These can be dropped off at the collection boxes off the main foyer at Metropolitan Memorial and in the back of the sanctuary at Wesley. Our week of volunteering at Hughes Memorial is coming up July 23-26. Just a few more slots for volunteer readers remain. We also seek help with Family Fun Night on Thursday, August 2. You can sign up to help with both opportunities at sign-up genius. Please consider helping a child preserve and improve their reading skills this summer. The experience may transform your life, as you help children transform theirs.
Serving the Hungry: National UMC’s Hunger Ministries by Bill Schofield & Cynthia Pugh
We invite you to learn more about our Hunger Ministries and to join us in feeding our less fortunate neighbors in and around our city.
Campus Kitchen DC
This program creates healthy meals for the hungry using food from MOM’s Organic Markets and farmers’ markets that would otherwise go to waste. How does this work? Several times a week, volunteers (and our new part-time driver) pick up fresh produce and other donated food and deliver it to our Campus Kitchen facility at St. Luke’s Mission Center.
There are several ways to help with this ministry: • Volunteer to help Chef Anthony in the Kitchen on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 4:00-7:00 PM, or on Saturdays from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM. Chef Anthony will be ready with clear instructions for even kitchen novices! Help is needed especially during the summer while local colleges are on summer break. • Help deliver meals to Methodist Churches in North East, DC, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays. You can drive yourself or help another volunteer driver to carry the food and share the conversation. For details, email service@nationalchurch.org.
Grate Patrol is a partnership with the Salvation Army that serves meals to the homeless from a van that travels around the city. We conduct Grate Patrol the first Sunday of each month and the last Sunday and Monday of the month. Our volunteers staff the Grate Patrol van to distribute meals prepared by Campus Kitchen and, at the end of month, sandwiches prepared by the Metropolitan Memorial and Wesley congregations. Grate Patrol continues through the summer, and we welcome new volunteers. On Sunday, July 29, we will make sandwiches in Metropolitan Memorial’s Vestry at 11:00 AM and at Wesley at 12:30 PM. The van to deliver the meals departs from St. Luke's Mission Center on Monday, July 30 at 6:45 PM. In August, we will make sandwiches in Metropolitan Memorial’s Vestry at 11:00 AM and at Wesley at 12:30 PM on Sunday, August 26. The van leaves St Luke's on Monday, August 27 at 6:45 PM.
There, NUMC’s own Master Chef, Anthony Mickens, works with teams of volunteers to create delicious, healthy, and appealing meals that include several courses. Three times per week, more volunteers deliver these meals to Methodist Churches located in parts of our city and nearby suburbs where hunger is a daily issue for many. These churches host community meals, free for all who are hungry, serving our Campus Kitchen meals.
We also have volunteer slots available for the Grate Patrol van delivery on Sunday, August 5. Sign up to volunteer at signupgenius.com.
Shelter Meals St. Luke’s House, our men’s shelter at St. Luke’s Mission Center is at capacity with six residents who are working to transition from homelessness to a home of their own. Metropolitan House, our woman’s shelter on our Metropolitan Memorial campus soon will have three residents who are also transitioning from homelessness. Calling all cooks! We seek volunteers to provide dinner for our residents each Saturday and Sunday evening. The meals can be dropped off at the shelters between 6:00 and 7:00 PM. You can sign up to provide a meal for either site – or for both! This is a great opportunity for chefs of all ages, and a wonderful way for families to get involved in our hunger ministries. For more information and to sign up, go to Shelter Meal Signup or email -service@nationalchurch.org
GVP Team . . . on the move! By Lois Weaver
June:
Lois Weaver (and supportive husband, Kent) attended an event in West Virginia in support of the ASK campaign promoted by the Brady Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence. ASK stands for “Asking Saves Kids.” Parents are encouraged to ask: “Is there an unlocked gun where my child plays?”
Don't Forget About NUMC . . . During the summer, many of our members travel more often. However, you don't have to be present to support the ministry of our church! Please continue to be in prayer for our community and our ministries. Please also do what you can to continue to embody regular, intentional, generous giving so that the church can stay current with its numerous financial obligations. Every contribution makes a difference! As always, you may send your contributions to the church via the U.S. mail, or you may choose to make your payments electronically. To confirm your electronic giving, or to create a new account with the church, please feel free to contact Pam Murdoch, NUMC's Finance Coordinator, at finances@nationalchurch.org, who will be delighted to hear from you.
Free trigger locks were distributed, too, as another promotion. It was an encouraging sign that all 50 locks were given away before the event was over! While at the event, Lois’ No Gun Violence button was so popular, the Brady rep asked for 20 more to give out at the next Brady event. July: GVP volunteers (and friends and family) will be making GVP ribbons and buttons at the UMW mid-Summer mini retreat July 14 from 10:00 AM2:00 PM. The goal is 200 each! Can YOU help? Silence the Violence Concert – Mark Your Calendars Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 7:30 PM Metropolitan Memorial’s Sanctuary Concert to benefit the TraRon Center, a Ward 8 non-profit dedicated to using arts and activism to heal families affected by the trauma of gun violence. Come hear Augmented Eight (and others!) sing out for gun violence prevention!
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