First Pulse February 2017

February 2017 Edition

www.grandrapidsfumc.org

Febr uar y at First Church is focused For the month of February, our worship theme will focus on The Celebration of on “A Proverb for the Ages.” The scripture basis of the four the Arts. 2017 will Sundays is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your be the 44 th annual heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your juried sacred ar t ways acknowledge God, and God will direct your path.” show that attracts artists and patrons from all across Michigan. This year’s show begins with an artists’ reception on Friday evening, February 10, with the official opening of the gallery (in Wesley Hall) slated for Saturday, February 11. The Celebration of the Arts events run from the 11th through Wednesday the 22nd. There are two magnificent concerts scheduled for consecutive Sunday afternoons, February 12 and 19, so not only are our lives does not affect all areas of One of the hallmarks of First Church visual arts on display, but musical arts our lives.) The argument here is akin is our commitment to the arts. And my, to the segmentation that has happened how blessed we are as a result of that will be enjoyed as well. in our thinking about the practice of historic commitment. So use the month Historically, the visual and performing medicine: do we treat persons as though of February to invite people to enjoy arts have always been enhanced and they are body, mind, and spirit OR do and connect with God through the arts. developed by the community of faith. the emotional, spiritual, and physical It just might be their entry into our faith When we go back to medieval church dimensions of a person come together community! history, the church was at the center in a unified whole? After all these years, of each community. For centuries, the we are continuing to learn that there is For the month of February, our worship church was the center of education, inter-dependence in all facets of our theme will focus on “A Proverb for the art, music, creative thought, and lives. We cannot isolate one dimension Ages.” The scripture basis of the four Sundays is Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the writing as well as faith development. from the other.

Lord with all your heart and lean not on As church and society developed and we had the emergence of the age of the So it is absolutely fitting that the church your own understanding. In all your ways Renaissance, the Baroque era, and even asserts (or re-asserts) its influence in acknowledge God, and God will direct your into the Classical and Romantic eras, every way possible in society. And one path. there was an extraordinary partnership of the more striking ways that people between the church and community. of faith influence our world is through It is a beloved scripture passage that It is not possible to isolate church the arts. While public schools seem to many of us have committed to memory. history from human history. They were be de-valuing the role of the arts by So come and join in the journey of cutting funding for teachers of art, learning and developing our faith as mutually dependent on one another. music, creative writing, theater, and we delve into this Proverb, testing if In our more modern-day attempts dance, I believe that the church is called the ancient proverb will add value to of separation of church from state, once again to fill a void. Of all the our lives. we have arbitrarily tried to establish a characteristics that we teach about God, differentiation between those elements one of the most dominant of all divine Blessings to you throughout the month of life that have to do with faith versus characteristics is creativity. We need to of February.

Pastor Bob that which is societal, political or teach creativity, encourage creativity, governmental. (As if the influence of and then, celebrate the creative gifts of values that are shaped in one area of people within the community of faith.

inside

Intentional Faith Development

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Pastor’s Message

Radical Hospitality 1

Risk-taking Outreach and Mission

Passionate Worship 5

Extravagant Generosity 4

3 Congregational Care

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Intentional Faith Development “This was AWESOME!!!” “Can we do this again next year?” “How can we make a difference in our community?”

These are all comments and questions that we love hearing while working with our new group, Unplugged! Children from grades 3-6 and parents have taken joy from life by unplugging from the day-in day-out routine and getting involved in our youth group program here at FUMC. So far this year the kids have participated in geocaching, pumpkin chuckin’, Trunk-or-Treating, community engagement with Ingathering, making a Christmas canvas with the company Brush of Memories, and ice skating at Rosa Parks Circle.

We are so blessed to have had a wonderful turnout with each event and look forward to the remainder of the year, where we will be ice fishing, swimming at Goldfish Swimming School, enjoying an Easter egg hunt, and a goose chase scavenger hunt. If you know of a 3rd-6th grader who would like to join our group on any of these occasions, please contact Emily and Ken Mol at emilym@grandrapidsfumc. org so we can prepare you for memories that will last a lifetime!

Blessings,

Ken and Emily Mol

“This was AWESOME!!!” “Can we do this again next year?”

“How can we make a difference in our community?” These are all comments and questions that we love hearing while working with our new group, Unplugged!

Quotes from kids and parents: make more friends.” - Skylar Hiemstra, 3rd Grader “I like it because they have a little bit of everything. They have mystery stuff “[When asked,] the boys were a little (geocaching), activities like pumpkin torn on their favorite Unplugged: the chunkin’, and then there was also art. I pumpkin chucking and the Christmas really like the pizza. They give you some paints on canvas were both really free time to play with friends. You can fun for them. While they couldn’t really have fun there with friends and decide on a specific experience, they definitely liked the extra pizza at the paint on canvas. They also enjoy the kids (the more the better) and the youth leaders and they are looking forward to ice fishing on February 19.” - Brady Barden, dad to Gavin, 5th grader, and Grant, 3rd grader “Jonathan enjoys Unplugged for all of the fun activities and especially likes spending time with his church friends whom he doesn’t get to see during the week. He thinks Ken and Emily are really good teachers and make the experiences really fun. The food is also great and he thinks it’s a great way for parents to escape from their kids for awhile.” - Laurie VanHouten, mom to Jonathan, 3rd grader

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Passionate Worship This February marks the 44th annual Celebration of the Arts. An amazing and enduring legacy, this juried art show focuses on “sacred” art that speaks of God in our creative pursuits. All of us, as artists, are collaborators and full participants in God’s rich creation.

The arts find a rich and varied expression at this church. This February marks the 44th annual Celebration of the Arts.

An amazing and enduring legacy, this juried art show focuses on “sacred” art that speaks of God in our creative pursuits. All of us, as artists, are collaborators and full participants in God’s rich creation. At First Church, all are encouraged to express their art, be it music, song, all varieties of visual art, poetry, story-telling, dance, drama, and the art of living our lives in the context of a faith.

time we spend surfing and skimming and scanning online and multitasking and processing lots of interruptions, we begin to lose the capability to pay attention, to concentrate, to be contemplative and introspective.” This, it seems to me, is a direct threat to our creativity, and our ability to create and appreciate art, and, by extension, our participation in worship. We are beginning to recognize the need to get comfortable again with silence, contemplation, and even boredom.

Hoffman suggests “Start journaling, read a super long book, really savor It is interesting to ponder all of the your morning cup of coffee,” and changes that have happened since this I would add, take that long walk, show began in 1972, and, in particular, and spend time “dwelling” in the the way we view art and the role of Celebration gallery as an antidote to technology on that change. How has this internet brain that we are collectively the Internet changed the way in which developing. we interact in the world, how has it impacted our creativity, and how has “Celebration of the Arts” is a 13it affected the way our brains work? day festival of the arts, which began A recent book, How to Be Bored by Eva in 1972 and has grown to represent Hoffman, argues that being bored is one of the largest juried sacred art not necessarily a bad thing. In some shows in the country. This year, our ways, our culture has lost the ability to juror is one of the founders of this be bored, and the use of technology show, Marion DeVinney. It features is a cultural way of avoiding the feeling artists from throughout the region of being bored, while actually doing in a variety of media including oils, nothing. As Nicholas Carr says in his acrylic, watercolor, sculpture, fiber, 2010 book The Shallows: What the Internet photography, and more. Running from is Doing to Our Brains, “…the more February 11 to 22, 2017, the gallery is

open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM and February 22 from 10 AM to 1 PM. “Celebration” features many individual events including concerts and art activities. During this year’s show, we are featuring an amazing exhibit by the artist Linda Witte Henke, an artist and designer specializing in spiritually expressive work for liturgical use.

“Concerts at First” presents a variety of fine performances as well as seasonal concerts and services. The acoustically rich and visually inspiring sanctuary is an ideal venue for instrumental and vocal offerings alike. The mission is to make the arts accessible to downtown Grand Rapids. On February 12th at 3:00 PM, we present the Grand Rapids Guitar Quartet and on February 19th at 3:00 PM, we present The Choral Scholars, one of West Michigan’s premiere chamber ensembles.

And, because one of the proper uses of the Internet is retrieving information, you may find details about the particular offerings at www. thecelebrationofthearts.com. All are invited and welcomed at First Church, where the arts are alive.

Eric Strand, Executive Director of Worship and the Arts

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Risk-Taking Outreach and Mission

Your Coffee Can Dollars at Work Each month, we spend a few noisy minutes passing empty coffee cans down the sanctuary aisles. Children dump coins they’ve saved into the can.

Adults throw in coins or bills from their wallets. Sometimes people write a check. Those few minutes make a world of difference in the lives of people most of us have never met. In 2016 over $10,000 was collected and sent to ministries that feed the hungry and offer emergency relief.

Cuba Food Program Our sister church in Herradura Cuba provides Sunday meals for children, families in need, and the elderly. Food is prepared and served by members of the congregation. Your gifts of almost $1400 in 2016 will provide hundreds of meals to our brothers and sisters in Herradura!

Children dump coins they’ve saved into the can. Adults throw in coins or bills from their wallets. Sometimes people write a check. Those few minutes make a world of difference in the lives of people most of us have never met.

Flint Water Crisis The United Methodist Church has collaborated with other agencies to provide on going ministry in Flint.

Bottled water, filters, continuing education, and reassurance have been provided. Your gift of $2750 has helped make this ministry possible.

Haiti Hot Lunch This program provides hot meals three times per week to over 22,000 students. The program ensures access to nutritional meals, cooked on-site, to provide energy to learn throughout the day. $40 feeds a child 3 meals a week for a year. Your gifts in 2016 provided 3 meals a week for 11 children.

UMCOR Emergency Relief / West Virginia Flood Relief UMCOR provides humanitarian relief and disaster response in the United States and internationally. UMCOR’s efforts are targeted in places where natural disasters, war, or conflict have done so much damage that communities Heifer Project International By giving families animals, Heifer are unable to recover on their own.

Feeding America Feeding American of West Michigan empowers them to turn hunger and Your gifts in 2016 provided disaster distributes reclaimed food from poverty into hope and prosperity. Your relief in Jesus name. farmers, manufacturers, distributors, gifts in 2016 were the equivalent of 4 Thank you! You are a generous and retailers to food pantries, shelters, goats. congregation! and after-school programs in 40 Michigan counties. For every dollar Nicaragua Food Program Laure Mieskowski donated, 4 meals are provided. $21 can Our medical mission partner, Dr. Executive Director of feed a family of four for a week. Your Mir, feeds children who are in need Outreach and Mission gifts in 2016 provided meals for a week from her own home. Children are fed on Tuesdays and Thursdays; milk is for 31 families. provided on Sundays. $10 feeds one child 3 meals a week for a month. Your gifts in 2016 provided 3 meals a week for a year for 22 children.

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Radical Hospitality In the bleak mid-winter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, In the bleak mid-winter, long ago.

The messages that I heard brought a scripture to mind, “And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.” (John 1:10). That has become my personal mantra for the season I am in right now.

The bleak mid-winter is here! Rain is falling on the snow, making things very Our church also needs to be the light slippery. It’s grey, cold, damp, and dirty. that darkness of any kind cannot What can be bleaker than that? overcome. We do not know what “darknesses” other people carry, nor During the Advent season we heard do we need to. But we do need to be about “the light” a lot. It aware that it is there. was a great sermon series, When we voted on what looking at Christmas to do with the tower, I through the lens of the did not vote yes or no; Resur rection. I really only stated that it needed appreciated focusing on to be lit so that it could hope during the month of show to the community December. I was struggling that we are a place of to maintain a positive light, a beacon of hope. attitude.

Open yourself up to others; you will probably be surprised to find that when your light is shining, you will see it shining back at you. And that is what our congregation is all about!

So what does “being the light” look like? What does it look like to you?

What does darkness need to see to overcome it? A smile, a firm handshake, a hug, eye to eye contact; a “so glad you are here with us,” “please come again,” “would you like to go with me for a cup of coffee after worship,” “I’m participating in an adult class at 9:15 am, might you like to join me?,” “some of us are going for a bite to eat after church, might that interest you?”

Open yourself up to others; you will probably be surprised to find that when your light is shining, you will see it shining back at you. And that is what our congregation is all about!

Patsy McGillivray Director of Invitational Ministry

Extravagant Generosity One of life’s great pleasures for our little schnauzer is a long walk at Riverfront Park. If you’ve not been there, I’d encourage you to check it out. The park extends for about a mile along the Grand River with nice wide paved walkways for easy walking.

One of the things that strikes me about this place is the number of just plain “everyday people” out enjoying the park. On any given day, you will find families picnicking (well maybe not today), people fishing, playing frisbee golf, riding bikes, and plenty of others walking dogs. It is easy to see that all these people are not the “rich and famous” of Grand Rapids, but just regular people enjoying their day.

to God to give back generously. Some of the most generous givers to First Church are these regular folks of I t s e e m s s o m e o f u s, w h e n normal means who enjoy life to the contemplating how to spend our fullest while giving generously of their leisure time, think we need to plan time and treasure. exotic vacations, or spend a lot of money enjoying ourselves and forget Are you enjoying life’s simple pleasures?

Are you experiencing the freedom to about “life’s simple pleasures.” generously give back to God that comes As stewards of the many gifts God has when you discover how inexpensively entrusted to us, we are reminded to set you can find fulfillment? I hope 2017 aside God’s share first when making is the year where we can all put God our financial decisions. So many folks at the center of our financial decisions, in our amazing First Church family are which will enable our incredible doing just that! You can tell because ministry momentum to grow even of the generous gifts that flow into more! ministry every week.

Thank you for all the ways you give When we find ways to live a little generously! Oh, and we will see you simpler rather than feeling compelled at the park! to chase the elusive happiness that we Chris Hawkins think requires significant expense to Finance Committee achieve, we can honor our commitment

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Congregational Care The Power of a Prayer Ministry!

Have you ever thought about prayer being an integral part of Congregational Care? Prayer is important in a multitude of ways: to seek comfort, ask for guidance, heal and restore, express sorrow, celebrate joy, or give thanks. Most of us likely pray when guided in worship, before meals, when someone is ill or struggling, or maybe even before an exam or job interview. Others feel called to be more intentional in praying and have become members of our Prayer Ministry (currently known as our Prayer Chain).

Members of the Prayer Ministry Team receive prayer requests via email and then are in covenant to pray for each request daily for 2 weeks. Not only do we receive prayer requests from members of our congregation, we also receive them from participants in our Work Program and from all over the world though our website.

Suzy Wood shares why she is part of our prayer team: “I participate because I believe my prayers bring both the people I am praying for and myself closer to God. Some prayers are for those in our church family but often they are for people I will never know. I ask God to surround them with God’s love, and to know that others care and want the best for them. Praying for others is one way I can be a part of the body of Christ.”

Carole Kohns shares: “With so much chaos in the world and so many people in dire distress, I frequently feel powerless to make a difference. I have learned to focus my efforts to help in my little corner of the world. My prayer life is the same. I can pray for peace or healing for all people but again I feel overwhelmed so I focus my prayers on those whose names I know and hold them in my heart. For me, praying is not magic as God already knows the need.

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Every time you pray for someone who needs God’s guidance, comfort, or healing, YOU are in ministry! − Pastor Bob

It is my way of loving those I do or do not know and honoring them. The prayer chain helps me do this.”

George Bob says “Joining the prayer chain just seemed to be an extension of (my teaching in a Catholic high school and at First Church). The prayer requests I receive encourage me to pray more often and to also add others I am aware of … who need a prayer of support in their situation.”

is truly powerful and a reminder that God is with us and others care.

We are currently working on renaming the prayer chain and recasting a vision for our prayer ministry. Interested in learning more? Contact me at (616) 901-9224 or marjtimm@aol.com and we’ll talk!

And Jer Hon-Hawkins shares, being a prayer recipient: “Eleven years ago, our then 8th grade son, Grant, had brain cancer and delicate surgery. During Grace and peace, that intense time our family received Marj Timmerman RN hundreds of messages informing us Executive Director of that folks were praying for him: local Congregational Care friends, people known to us from various states we’d lived in, total strangers, friends of friends, an entire men’s prayer retreat of 10,000 in Texas, a study group in Africa. At a time when we anticipated feeling total panic, we felt incredible calm, a peace that passed all understanding! The prayers carried us, giving our family strength and confidence to face our ordeal. Since then, I take every opportunity to pray fervently for those requests sent out on our prayer chain…The power of prayer is great and I’m pleased to use it daily to pray for comfort for others.”

I, too, have been blessed by prayers said for me and my family, especially when I was too weary or grief-stricken to pray.

Knowing that others are praying for us

Wednesday, February 1 12:00 pm – Staff worship 6:00 pm – Disciple I 6:00 pm – Young Adults: Bible Study at The Cottage Bar 6:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels Thursday, February 2 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 6:00 pm – JFON Volunteer Training 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, February 3 10:00 am – Celebration Art Intake Saturday, February 4 10:00 am – Celebration Art Intake Sunday, February 5 Communion Sunday Blood Pressure Sunday 8:00 am – Infant/Toddler Nurseries 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Juror Sunday 9:15 am – Church School for all ages 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 5:00 pm – Disciple II Monday, February 6 10:00 am – Executive Team 11:00 am – Retiree Bible Study 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Tuesday, February 7 7:00 am – Work Program 5:00 pm – Celebration Art Hanging 5:30 pm – Staff/Parish Relations Committee Wednesday, February 8 10:00 am – Non-selected art pick-up 12:00 pm – Staff worship 6:00 pm – Young Adults: Grilled Cheese Game Night 6:00 pm – Disciple I

6:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels Thursday, February 9 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 9:00 am – Moms and Muffins Date 10:00 am – Non-selected art pick-up 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, February 10 10:00 am – Non-selected art pick-up 7:00 pm – Celebration Artists’ Reception Saturday, February 11 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 4:00 pm – Galentine’s Day Happy Hour Sunday, February 12 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 8:00 am – Infant/Toddler Nurseries 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:15 am – Church School for all ages 9:15 am – Gallery Walk 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 12:00 pm – “How Faith Develops” Teacher Training 1:45 pm – Gallery Walk 3:00 pm – Grand Rapids Guitar Quartet 5:00 pm – Disciple II, Jr High and Sr High Youth Group Monday, February 13 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 10:00 am – Staff 11:00 am – Retiree Bible Study 5:00 pm – Trustees 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training Tuesday, February 14 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 7:00 am – Work Program 12:00 pm – JFON Advisory Board

Mark your calendars 5:30 pm – Finance Meeting Wednesday, February 15 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 9:00 am – Caring Connection 12:00 pm – Gallery Walk 12:00 pm – Staff worship 6:00 pm – Disciple I 6:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels Thursday, February 16 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, February 17 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm Saturday, February 18 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 8:30 am – Feeding America 8:30 am – JFON - Refugee Clinic Sunday, February 19 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 8:00 am – Infant/Toddler Nurseries 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:15 am – Church School for all ages 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 12:00 pm – Unplugged: 3rd-6th Grade Adventures 3:00 pm – Choral Scholars Concert 4:30 pm – Babysitter Mixer and Dinner 5:00 pm – Disciple II, Jr High and Sr High Youth Group Monday, February 20 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 11:00 am – Retiree Bible Study 5:30 pm – Building Committee 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry

Tuesday, February 21 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-6pm 7:00 am – Work Program Wednesday, February 22 Celebration Gallery Open 10am-1pm 12:00 pm – Staff worship 4:00 pm – Off the Wall Party 5:30 pm – Young Adults: Tropical Volunteer Project 6:00 pm – Disciple I 6:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels Thursday, February 23 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 10:00 am – Art Pick-Up 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, February 24 10:00 am – Art Pick-Up Saturday, February 25 3:30 pm – Sledding Party Sunday, February 26 8:00 am – Infant/Toddler Nurseries 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:15 am – Church School for all ages 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 12:00 pm – Kenya Fundraiser 5:00 pm – Disciple II, Jr High and Sr High Youth Group Monday, February 27 11:00 am – Retiree Bible Study 11:00 am – Executive Team 1:00 pm – Staff 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training Tuesday, February 28 7:00 am – Work Program

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

First United Methodist Church 227 Fulton St E Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3236

Missions Luncheon

PERMIT #354 GRAND RAPIDS, MI

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Sunday, February 26 at 12:00 pm All proceeds will benefit the Ngoswani Community Maternal and Child Hospital in Kenya, a ministry of Dr. Marty and Hollee Graber.

Celebration of the Arts

One of the largest in the country!

artOpen exhibit hours: to the public

February 11 - 21 daily 10:00 am - 6:00 pm February 22 - 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Celebration of the Arts — Gallery Walk-Through Sunday, February 12 at 9:15 am and 1:45 pm and Wednesday, February 15 at 12:00 pm //Adults are invited to experience the show through the special insight of Nancy Clouse, artist and retired faculty member from Grand Rapids Community College.

Grand Rapids Guitar Quartet Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 pm //Comprised of four award-winning guitarists, this group has received an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences at their sold-out performances. Free-will offering.

The Choral Scholars Sunday, February 19 at 3:00 pm //Praised for their breathtaking intonation and stunning musicality, The Choral Scholars have established themselves as one of West Michigan’s premiere chamber ensembles. Their repertoire spans a variety of sacred and secular genres. Free-will offering.

Please help us spread the word about this great event!

For more information visit www.theCelebrationoftheArts.com firstchurch@grandrapidsfumc.org

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