F irst Pulse
First United Methodist Church Grand Rapids | grfumc.org
March 2018
Enclosed are stories from First Church and the impact on the lives of our community.
F irst Pulse March 2018
Barbara Groat made a trip to Cuba for the 90th Anniversary Party on December 2, 2017 A
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Unplugged (3rd - 6th grade) ice skating fun in February B
We welcomed Bishop Laurie and Pastor Gary back to First Church on January 28! C
On the Cover: Rembrandt | Return of the Prodigal Son D
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OUR MISSION
INCLUSIVITY
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that enables all persons to participate in the life of the Church, the community, and the world; therefore, inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination.
OUR PURPOSE To fulfill the call of Christ to be spiritually alive in the city while embracing the world. 2
First Pulse | March ‘18
The humorist and writer Garrison Keillor once said, “March is the month God created to show people who don’t drink what a hangover is like.” I thought of that quote as I write this article from Springfield, Missouri. I am checking on my parents for a few days. When the plane landed on Monday afternoon, it was 68 degrees. Tuesday we began the day at 67 degrees, but throughout the afternoon the temperature kept dropping, and by supper time, it was 28 degrees with freezing rain. Today, (Wednesday) it has been cold, and Thursday when I fly home, it will be in the mid-50s again. Next week, it is supposed to be 70! In Missouri at least, spring is showing some early signs of arrival, but it is a rather up-and-down kind of journey. In Michigan, March is more fickle. In March, most everybody tends to yearn for winter to be over just as we long for spring to come. Theoretically, spring begins on March 20th. That is what my calendar says anyway, but we who live in Michigan know that March 20th and spring are not necessarily synonymous. I think that is why I love “March Madness.” I tend to be a sports fan anyway, but college basketball makes March bearable for me. It is something of an “escape” from the realities of March to watch (endlessly) basketball tournaments. I enjoy the human interest stories, the Cinderella stories, and the underdog teams that sometimes win against the “Goliath” type teams. March and Lent seem to go together, don’t they? The journey to Easter and the celebration of the resurrection is fraught with spiritual challenges. Forty days from Ash Wednesday to Easter is like going through the process of moving from winter to spring. Spiritual growth is always complicated, frustrating, exhilarating, and ultimately rewarding. Easter and the ultimate joy of spring makes going through March worthwhile. As we enter the month of March, it is already the third week of Lent. Hopefully, we are living “in” to this holy season of prayer, reflection, penance, and reconciliation with purpose and discipline. For me, the Lenten journey is my favorite spiritual season
because it is so deeply meaningful. Historically, I feel like I grow more during the Lenten season than any other time of year. I hope and pray that is true for you as well. As a congregation, we will continue to focus on the story Jesus told called The Prodigal Son. I remind you of the sermon titles over the month of March that will all be based on Luke 15:11-32. March 4 Homeless ― Communion Sunday March 11 Home-Sick March 18 An Awakening March 25 Welcome Home ― Palm Sunday Our Holy Week journey includes Maundy Thursday Communion. This year, we are returning to the sanctuary for Holy Thursday, March 29, with a service at 7:00 pm. There will also be a fellowship meal offered one hour before the service. Our Community Good Friday service, March 30, is being re-imagined. Pastors have worked together to make it a one-hour worship service from noon to 1:00 pm. We will once again join at Central Reformed Church, but will begin a rotational model of having different downtown churches host each year. In 2019, our congregation will host the Good Friday service. Finally, our Easter services will be held on Sunday, April 1, both in the sanctuary at 9:15 and 10:45 am. The 9:15 am service will include readings, hymns, and special music. The 10:45 am service will include music with the choir and the congregation singing the Hallelujah Chorus by George Frederick Handel. It will be a morning to remember! As I finish writing this article, news was just released about the death of Rev. Dr. Billy Graham. At 99 years of age, his influence for good is beyond measure. I have read many of his books and read several biographies of Mr. Graham, and while we are theologically very different, I have admired and respected this giant of the faith. I had the opportunity to meet him at a city-wide crusade in Tampa in 1979. He was personable, gracious, and kind. His presence in the world has made a positive difference. His influence will be missed. Grace and peace to you as we all work our way through March. Pastor Bob First Pulse | March ‘18
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Radical Hospitality Where is the bread?
That is a great question! The bread ministry was a vital ministry that worked really well in the 80s and 90s and into the early 00s. For those new to our church family, the Bread Ministry “knocked the socks off ” our visitors because often they would get home from church and a loaf of bread would be hanging on their door (dropped off by church members on their way home from worship). If the visitor was home, the deliverer was instructed to thank the guests for joining us in worship, give them the bread, let them know we hoped they would return to First Church, and leave. Then the housing market changed. We saw a transition from visitors living in single-unit homes to apartments, condos, and gated communities. This change didn’t allow for leaving a bread bag at the door. So we transitioned to mailed notes with a Biggby gift card to everyone who signed the friendship pad for the first time. It
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was a nice gesture, but didn’t have the same impact or communicate our story.
previously given out during Membership Exploration classes.)
This series of information tells As our downtown guests who we are. It area continues to gives us the means change and grow, to communicate we’ve found that more about First In a culture what people Church’s DNA, that wants to be are looking how we are for is more intentional in informed, this is as information. our welcome to fulfilling as bread… What makes all and in our First Church ministries. It also just fewer calories. unique? allows visitors the time to read Now, through a and reflect. In a series of mailings, our culture that wants to visitors receive: be informed, this is as First Church’s Vision fulfilling as bread…just fewer Statement, Letter of Full calories. If you would like copies Inclusion, and A Theological of any of these materials, please Description of First Church, email me at: patsym@grfumc.org. our strategic plan, most recent conference report, the Social Patsy McGillivray Principles, and UMC Handbook. Director of Invitational Ministry In the last mailing, regular visitors receive John Wesley’s Covenant and Quadrilateral and Membership Vows. (Information that was
PASSIONATE WORSHIP Music and Arts Ministry
There has to be a song... There are too many dark nights, Too many troublesome days, Too many wearisome miles, There has to be a song. There has to be a song, To make our burdens bearable. There has to be a song, To make our hopes believable. To transform our triumphs into praise, There has to be a song. Somewhere down deep in a forgotten corner of each man’s heart, To release the chains of past defeat, There has to be a song. Like a cool, clear drink of water, Like the gentle warmth of sunshine, Like the tender love of a child, There has to be a song.
Text by Bob Benson
On Sunday, February 18, The Girls’ Choral Academy sang a setting of this poem in church. These words were picked up on in the pastoral prayer, as Pastor Bob recalled the horrific mass shooting at a Miami high school of the previous Wednesday. (February 14th - both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day). After looking into the poem a bit more, I discovered that it was written by Bob Benson, the father of Robert Benson who was our guest speaker and presenter during Holy Week last year. Like all good poetry, the words invite the reader into deep reflection: reflecting on what is said, and upon what is not said. This poem expresses something mysterious about the nature of music, and, ultimately, the nature of God.
The mystical French composer of the twentieth century, Olivier Messiaen said that “Music goes beyond words, which are too precise.” Perhaps another way of thinking about this is that music often expresses that which cannot be put into words. In difficult situations, finding the right words are often nearly impossible, and, in fact, are often counterproductive. Benson, who is both a musician and poet, doesn’t say “there have to be words.” Messiaen knew difficult times, and knew first hand how music can be inspired by the darkest of circumstances. One of his most famous compositions, Quartet for the End of Time, was written and premiered while he was in a prisoner of war camp, Stalag VIIIA in Gorlitz, Germany, in the years 1940 and 1941. The quartet features the instruments and players available to him at the time: a three-string cello, violin, clarinet, and piano. The piece is dedicated “in homage to the Angel of the Apocalypse, who raises his hand towards Heaven saying ‘There shall be no more time.’ ” The whole piece is an unbelievable expression of longing, and is at once serene, and incredibly complex. Messiaen was liberated from the camp, and became one of the most important composers of the twentieth century. His influence today only seems to be gaining steam. One of the remarkable aspects of his music, is his ability to play with the notion of time, and timelessness, as hearing his music often suspends one’s experience of passing time, hinting at the notion of “eternity.” So it seems to me that Benson and Messiaen are preaching to each other, and both have the sense that “there has to be a song.” For me, the key to the poem is found in the final stanza, with the three “like” lines. (“Like a cool, clear drink of water…”) To paraphrase, there has to be a song “like” these things: water that satisfies thirst, the sun that allows us to grow, and unconditional love. To know the need is also to know that which satisfies that need. How would we know the satisfaction of water, if we didn’t know thirst; how would we know the sun’s warmth if we didn’t know dark and cold nights? Jesus said “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” Eric Strand Director of Music and the Arts
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March 2018 Thursday, March 1 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, March 2 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast Sunday, March 4 Communion Sunday Blood Pressure Sunday 8:15 am – Nursery 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Church School for All Ages 10:15 am – Children’s & Youth Choir 10:15 am – Coffee & Connections 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 11:50 am – Kindness Collection Session 5:00 pm – Jr & Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Thinkers, Writers and Sojourners Class Monday, March 5 9:30 am – Worship Design 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training Tuesday, March 6 7:00 am – Work Program 5:30 pm – Staff Parish Relations Committee Meeting A
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Wednesday, March 7 12:30 pm – Staff Prayer Service 5:30 pm – Moms’ Group Lenten Book Study 6:00 pm – Young Adult Group Stories and Acts of Kindness: Lent 2018 Thursday, March 8 9:00 am – Moms and Muffins Date 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, March 9 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast Saturday, March 10 9:30 am – Feeding America Sunday, March 11 Daylight Saving Begins: Spring Forward 8:15 am – Nursery 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Kindness Collection Session 9:15 am – Church School for All Ages 10:15 am – Children’s & Youth Choir 10:15 am – Coffee & Connections 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 11:45 am – Worship Support Team: Church Renovation Discussion
12:00 pm – Interment Service: Helene Hill 5:00 pm – Jr & Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Thinkers, Writers and Sojourners Class Monday, March 12 9:30 am – Worship Design 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 1:00 pm – Staff 5:00 pm – Trustees 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training Tuesday, March 13 7:00 am – Work Program 5:30 pm – Finance Meeting Wednesday, March 14 12:30 pm – Staff Prayer Service 5:30 pm – Moms’ Group Lenten Book Study 6:00 pm – Young Adults Volunteering with Well House Thursday, March 15 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, March 16 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast Friday & Saturday, March 16-17 4:00 pm – Women’s Retreat at Gull Lake (4pm to 4pm) Sunday, March 18 8:15 am – Nursery 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Church School for All Ages B
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10:15 am – Children’s & Youth Choir 10:15 am – Coffee & Connections 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 5:00 pm – Jr & Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Thinkers, Writers and Sojourners Class
Friday, March 23 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast Saturday, March 24 10:00 am – Palm Sunday Brunch Set-Up Sunday, March 25 8:15 am – Nursery 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Church School for All Ages 10:00 am – Palm Sunday Brunch 10:15 am – Children’s & Youth Choir 10:15 am – Coffee & Connections 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 11:45 am – Palm Sunday Brunch
Monday, March 19 9:30 am – Worship Design 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 11:15 am – Kindness Collection Session 12:00 pm – 60+ Luncheon 12:00 pm – MLK Spring Outing Prep 6:00 pm – Kindness Collection Session 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training 7:00 pm – Leadership Council
Monday, March 26 9:30 am – Worship Design 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 1:00 pm – Staff 5:30 pm – Building Committee 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training
Tuesday, March 20 7:00 am – Work Program 6:30 pm – Missions Commission Wednesday, March 21 9:00 am – Caring Connection 12:30 pm – Staff Prayer Service 5:30 pm – Moms’ Group Lenten Book Study 6:00 pm – Young Adult Group Stories and Acts of Kindness: Lent 2018
Tuesday, March 27 7:00 am – Work Program Wednesday, March 28 12:30 pm – Staff Prayer Service 5:30 pm – Moms’ Group Lenten Book Study
Thursday, March 22 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir
Thursday, March 29 3:00 pm – Offsite: Holy Thursday Service at Clark Retirement 6:00 pm – Soup and Salad Bar Before Worship 7:00 pm – Holy Thursday Worship with Communion 8:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, March 30 12:00 pm – Offsite: Community Good Friday Service at Central Reformed Church 3:00 pm – Offsite: Good Friday Service at Clark Retirement Sunday, April 1 Easter Sunday 9:00 am – Coffee & Connections 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Sunday Worship 9:15 am – Children’s Chapel 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room
Our confirmation class had the opportunity to help prepare this year’s ashes. A
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Puerto Rico Mission Trip Team (March 2-11)
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The River Rogues in worship
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Intentional Faith Development Prayer Night Life is inherently loud. On a day-to-day basis so many things are fighting for our time and attention. We have jobs to go to, errands to run, and families to take care of. The same is true for teenagers who have homework to complete and exams to study for, all while holding after school jobs and attending extracurricular activities. In the midst of all of this busyness it can be hard to stop and find time to pray. On January 29 we dedicated an entire evening of youth group to giving students a place to pray without interruption. We began the evening, as we do each week, eating dinner together. Only this time we ate dinner in the church office. As we finished dinner, we asked all of the students to leave their phones behind so their sole focus would be on praying. We headed downstairs to The Vine where we had set up nineteen different prayer stations for them to visit during the night. The Vine was illuminated by lit candles and white Christmas lights, and students were greeted by the sounds of Gregorian chanting as they walked into the room. All of this was done to provide students with an atmosphere that encouraged them to tune out distractions and focus on what they were praying for. Praying for a long period of time can often be intimidating because it can be hard to think about what to pray for and how to go about praying for something. Each prayer station told students what to pray for and gave them instructions on how they should pray. At one station a student could be found praying for MLK students, teachers, and tutors using M&Ms while another student was writing a prayer of healing for someone on a band aid. Nearby, 8
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a youth leader drank a cup of juice that represented the fruit of the spirit they most needed in their life. Around the corner, one more student was writing a burden they felt on a rock and placing it inside a cross while asking God to release them from that burden. Simultaneously, adults and teenagers were dedicating time to pray for our weaknesses, the world around us, and our church. At the end of the night we came together as a group to discuss the experience. We were pleasantly surprised to hear the youth enjoyed having a space where they could pray, and were disappointed they did not have more time to visit each of the prayer stations. It was a night that reminded each of us that we need to set aside time to pray; and that there are so many people, places, and situations that desperately need our prayers. Emily Uebbing Director of Junior High Youth Heather Yzenbaard Director of Senior High Youth
Risk-Taking Outreach and Mission
90th Anniversary I had the honor of representing First Church in Herradura, Cuba, for the 90th anniversary of our sister church, Iglesia Methodista De Herradura, on December 2, 2017. It was a very special event, with planning starting over three months prior. Upon arriving at the Havana airport outside, about three rows back, was Pastor Cesar jumping up and down, waving wildly at me, as only he could! He and a friend from the church picked me up in a 1961 turquoise vehicle with orange upholstery. Sure, windows were cracked, springs were shot, the door handle in the backseat didn’t work – BUT, the driver was so proud of it! On the drive back we went to the pastor’s home, which was abuzz with activity, everyone getting ready for the anniversary party. I greeted those I knew from my April 2016 mission trip, which took longer than it may seem as each person greets you with multiple kisses on the right cheek. That evening the power went off, so instead of having dinner, the driver drove Pastor C and me to a hotel 30 minutes away. “Judy” at the front desk spoke a little English so I could find out the rate for the room, the Cuban exchange rate, and at what time I would be picked up in the morning, 8 am. The next morning off we went to pastor’s home. Everyone at the house was busy in preparation for the party. Doors were being painted, sewing costumes, ironing tablecloths, cooking, repairing
the light fixture in the living room, etc. We eventually walked to church and blew up balloons, covered structures with fabric, added ribbons, and began preparing the church. For the next two days, everyone worked tirelessly getting everything prepared for the 90th anniversary party on Saturday evening. Every detail was addressed. The two-ply napkins were separated so they’d go twice as far, the rice was sorted (any discolored kernels were removed), the tablecloths were ironed, the dancers’ costumes were completed, skewers were prepared, etc. The church was ready, dinner was set, tables with multiple tablecloths, and chairs with covers held together with straight pins adorned the outside space at the pastor’s home. The dinner before the service was quite an event with over two dozen people. The Bishop of the Methodist Churches of Cuba pulled up in his motor home. Many guests were with him including the District Superintendent and his family, as well as many other pastors and missionaries (and photographers). It was a sit-down dinner prepared by their wonderful cook, Suni, and served by young professionals from the church. They had raised the hog that provided the main course. After dinner we all walked the few blocks to the church.
The service included words from Pastor Cesar, an address by the Bishop, and lots of singing and music. Then we were entertained by a drama. After the service, 450 people returned to the pastor’s home for refreshments! It was a stellar celebration. The next day was Sunday morning service. Pastor Cesar must have “Ever-Ready” batteries, because he never stops moving. (I wish each of you could experience a service with him. He is singing, dancing, and preaching as well as encouraging the congregation to clap, dance, and participate. It’s a real experience!) Afterward, items which had been borrowed for the celebration, pots, pans, dishes, silverware, glasses, etc., were sorted and checked off the list. Monday continued with folding tablecloths, napkins, and so on. It was 11:30 pm before we returned to the pastor’s home. We had to be up by 4 am for the drive to the airport and my flight home. In spite of not speaking Spanish, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I look forward to going back to greet my friends! What wonderful, friendly, and industrious people. Thank you, First Church, for letting me represent our church! Barbara Groat
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EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY Resource Development
Are you joyfully using your talents in ministry? Being a part of First Church is a wonderful thing. Worship services are inspiring, opportunities for faith development abound, and many options exist for everyone to be involved in hands-on ministry. On Sunday morning as you sit and enjoy worship, do you ever try to think about what has gone in to creating the worship experience? Do you ever reflect on the hours upon hours of time that has gone into creating the worship experience we have come to expect at First Church? The fact is that many people give of themselves each and every week to provide these experiences. The same can be said for all of the other programs and opportunities at First Church. Someone, often behind the scenes, is pouring themselves into each and every ministry. When it comes to giving, have you ever asked yourself if you give as much to the church as you take from the church? Does your financial giving and your investment of time match up with what you are getting out of being a part of our amazing congregation?
Look around while you are at church. If you see something hanging on the wall, imagine who might have put it there. If you read about a new program or mission opportunity, think about who might have been inspired to initiate it and lead it. When you drop your kids off at Sunday School, remember that someone has been called by God to teach them. When you enjoy a fellowship meal, make note of the people bustling about preparing and serving the food. When you hear a beautiful anthem, take note of the folks using their musical gifts to provide it. Then after taking this all in and becoming aware of all that you enjoy because of the generosity of all of these folks, ask yourself, “Am I giving to First Church as much as I am taking?” Are you joyfully using your talents in ministry? Does your financial giving match your ability to give? We have so many among us who are Extravagantly Generous! Can you count yourself among them? Chris Hawkins Finance Committee
We are so fortunate at First Church to have so many generous people who have recognized that God has led them here. Their faith is being fed and they feel fulfilled through their experiences and participation.
Are you joyfully using your talents in ministry? 10
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Congregational Care offering to drive them to the doctor, pharmacy, or taking them out for coffee or tea, running errands, When prayer concerns are announced, Pastor offering to pray with them as well as for them, Tim and I are often asked by members of dropping off a fun movie, sitting with our congregation what is going on and their ailing loved one so they can have The how they can help. While we need a break, or sharing a daily devotional Servant Song to maintain confidentiality about with them. It’s all right if they say Brother, sister, let me health concerns, we appreciate no the first time you offer; wait a serve you. Let me be as that you want to reach out in a while and offer again. meaningful way. Here are some Christ to you! Pray that I may ways you can support someone Their response to you will have the grace to let you be my going through grief, a major likely depend on your prior servant too. I will weep when health challenge or decline, relationship with them. Respect you are weeping. When you divorce, or another significant that the person may not handle laugh I’ll laugh with you! I event. I am including some the situation as you would and will share your joys and suggestions from Gilda’s Club as honor their choice of how and sorrows ‘til we see this well as my own. when to communicate information. journey through. You do not need to know exactly Be There – Reach out by phone or by what kind of surgery someone is having sending a card, note, or email. Do this even or the cause of death of a loved one to if you don’t get a reply. support them through a tough time. Keep what Be Silent – Listen. You don’t need to say much. Do they do share with you confidential and let them be not share your own story or others you have heard. the one to share the news with others unless they It’s about them! specifically ask you to do it. I remember an incident Be Aware – Offer specific support that will be helpful where someone posted a condolence note on such as grocery shopping, mowing the lawn, etc. Facebook before the person’s entire family had been Be Present – Stay the course! Treat them as normally notified he had died. What the person thought was as possible knowing that things will change. helpful was exactly the opposite. Be Patient – It takes time to adjust to changes and a new normal. Honor their journey. I love these two verses of The Servant Song which remind us that through Christ and with each other, we Avoid saying things like “it was God’s will” or even can journey through most anything. We are blessed to “I know how you feel” as you really don’t know. Ask be a blessing to others! how they are doing instead of saying “this must be hard.” And always remember they don’t want to hear Peace and joy, about your miscarriage, how your grandparent died, Marj Timmerman RN, Parish Nurse or your neighbor’s cancer treatment. While some journeys may have similar components, each is unique.
Congregational Care Done Well!
In addition to signing up to provide a meal, other ideas might include walking their dog, shoveling the driveway, picking up or dropping off kids from school or other events, First Pulse | March ‘18
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Access of West Michigan
PALM SUNDAY BRUNCH
WALK FOR GOOD FOOD
HEALTHY - GREEN - FAIR - AFFORDABLE
M AY 6, 20 1 8 P RO C E E D S R AI SED W ILL SUP PORT T H E SE N IO R HIG H MISSI ON TRI P TO K ENO S H A, WIS C ONSIN THIS S UMME R .
Learn more and join the team at grfumc.org/hungerwalk.
Join us for the Access Walk for Good Food (formerly the Access Hunger Walk) at Park Church 10 East Park Pl NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 at 1:30p. The Walk helps to raise money to support local non-profits who work to reduce poverty in the West Michigan area. There are many ways to get involved!