Issuu

QUARTERLY

From the Corner of Spring

2021

2021Vacation Bible School

JUNE 14-18 PRESCHOOL

ELEMENTARY

9:30-12noon

6-8:30pm

(Must have attended a preschool in the 2020/2021 school year.)

(Grades K- 5)

Visit our website www.hydeparkchurch.org to Register today or use the QR codes provided above!

Preschool

Elementary

Volunteer to help

Letter from

the Communications team

Table of CONTENTS Maintaining a sense of community and connection has been difficult this past year. We hope that in the coming months as we resume inperson worship you are able to attend one of our Sunday services and/or participate in one of our classes or events. We are blessed to continue to connect through social media channels such as livestream worship (YouTube & Facebook), our weekly email newsletter and the It is Well prayer & reflection videos.If you cannot connect in person know that there are opportunities available to stay connected. Although it seems that everything has changed, God is still the same. Take opportunities as they arise and we hope you have many blessings in the months ahead.

Shari Rust & Lisa Foley The Communications Team

Sarah Putman: Fulfilling a Call to Serve

Servant Leadership Board

Getting to Know Ben Owen

And The Music Plays On

Covid-19 Task Force

God Moments: Lon Kaylor celebrating retirement of over 35 years serving

FLICK Endowment Distributions

The Warehouse Wins 2nd Place for their Vision

Reflections: Be the Bridge

Be Still: For Time Like This

Reading List: Working on a Just Heart & Mind

Our Official In-Person Launch

Save the Date!

June 6, 2021 | 1:00 pm Washington Park & our Church We will have a time for the children at 12 noon. We hope you will be able to make it. We will also have outdoor worship and service experiences (weather permitting) on July 11, Aug 1, and Sept.5. After over a year of waiting, NOW is the time!

Virtual Night of Worship My Heart’s Desire Friday, April 30th | 7:30 pm With Worship Director, Robert Johnson

Over the Summer,

the music department will host some events with food for the community out of The Gathering Place on the first floor...so stay tuned.

9:00 AM – Noon | Ages 3-5 Cost $130 Register online at www.hydeparkpreschool.org

Sarah Putman

FULFILLING

A CALL TO SERVE September 2020

Sarah Putman, our missionary in Cluj-Napoca, Romania works with young adult orphans as they age out of the orphan system - helping to build independence skills, both practical and emotional, so that they may find success living on their own. She also works in a music therapy program inside 3 of the orphan houses for those who are differently abled, bringing joy through song. Sarah has been stateside since March, working to strengthen future plans before returning to Romania once it is healthy and safe to do so. International mission partnership is all about teamwork and working together to fulfill the calling God has given us. Sarah is looking to build her prayer and financial team for at least the next three years of her ministry. “I want to make sure not to leave out anyone who may feel called to partnering in ministry to the orphans in Cluj.” If you would like to partner with Sarah, would like to receive her newsletters, or have questions for her, please contact Sarah at sputman@ newinternational.org. Fi binecuvântat (be blessed)!

OUR SERVANT LEADERSHIP BOARD Leading Our Church Forward

Jason Abbott

Dave Harpring

Denis Larrick

SLB Chair

SLB Vice Chair Property Team

Mark Rhodus

Shane Brown

John Fillion

Property Team

Finance Team, Chair

Finance Team

Drea Osterbur

Marietta Garber

Mackenzie Fahey

Personnel Chair

Personnel team

Property Team, Chair

Personnel Team

Cathy Johns

Doug Johns

Dave Weaver

Senior Pastor

Pastor of Discipleship

Kate Smith

Pastor of Mission & Outreach

Shari Rust Communications & Creative Design Director

Sadell Bradley

Sherman Bradley

David Baker

Pastor, The Warehouse

The Warehouse

Get to Know Our

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC Ben Owen September 2020

Q. What are your favorite aspects of being a music director? A. For me, one of the most attractive aspects of directing church music is creating “meaning-full” worship services. I love choosing hymns, choral anthems, and instrumental music that accentuates the service’s scriptural and thematic content. When the music, scripture, prayers, and preaching are in tune with each other, a deeper and broader worship can be achieved that extends beyond going through the motions. I also really enjoy working with church members! Q. How did your education/background/interest in music lead you to ministry? A. I grew up singing in the choir loft at my hometown church where my Mom was the music director and I’ve always had a music ministry job on the side since my high school years. I’ve been feeling a call to full-time music ministry for a few years and decided to act on it after graduating with my master’s from the University of Iowa. I like the fast paced nature of church music (we do a LOT of music) and that it is all sung or played for a reason. Q. How do you like Cincinnati so far? A. I love it!! I have already visited the zoo and I’m a little obsessed with Jungle Jim’s. Living in Fairfax is the perfect blend of the quiet small town feel and proximity to the church/downtown for me. My partner, Paul, is excited to move out here in May after he finishes his master’s degree. Q. Is there something people might be surprised to learn about you? A. I had a barbershop quartet in college! I can also tell you anything you need to know about: 1. The temperance movement’s influence on choral music; 2. Choral Singing in Greenland. Q.Who has had the greatest impact on your life? A. Faith wise? The entire staff at Ewalu Bible Camp in Strawberry Point, Iowa where I worked for four summers. David Glenn-Burns, Tim Ensworth, Sherrie Ilg, and Jonathan Heifner are all important pastors in my life. Musically? Maureen Pollpeter and Karl Wolf at my hometown high school, Tim Stalter and David Puderbaugh at the University of Iowa, and my parents. Personally? Definitely Paul. Q. What is your favorite thing to do on your day off? A. I love to get in my car and get lost. There’s a lot of interesting stuff tucked away in the city or on the back roads.

And the Music Plays on…

Contributors to this article in order: Ben Owen, Matthew Covert, Brenda Portman, and Jenny Cauhorn (aka our Music Ministry Team)

Our Music Ministry Team shares how they have adjusted over the last year to continue to bring the love and joy of Christ through music to our congregation and beyond. Each in their own words tell how they’ve adjusted and have been inspired to continue to make a difference through music.

Ben Owen, Director of Music One of the many challenges we have faced as a music ministry in the time of Covid is maintaining our sense of community and connection. The “full experience” of worship – the full choirs and ensembles, the filled pews, and the weekly ritual of connecting with your siblings in Christ – cannot be fully replicated under our current circumstances. We can feel confident in saying this: there will come a day when the choirs are singing together again, the full carillon choir is ringing, and the band doesn’t have to sing with masks on. We just don’t know whether this day will come sooner or later. We do know, though, that the music that we will make together on that day will be among the most powerful, meaningful, healing, and worshipful music we have made in our lives. So, don’t worry! Like Christ, we will come again in glory; maybe not to judge the living and the dead, but certainly to uplift each other and participate in deep worship together. In the meantime, I want to make sure you are aware of the music ministry’s adaptations during our “extended detour.” Since the beginning of this pandemic, weekly online hymn sings, two hours-long hymn marathons, and an increased YouTube presence have been introduced through the church’s social media channels. Both traditional and contemporary musicians joined together to lead our outdoor worship, Park n’ Praise, from August to October. Brenda and I presented an organ symphony along with the Canterbury Brass in November. During the Advent season, many were able to follow along with our online Christmas Carol Advent Calendar and sing carols together safely at Ault Park.

Matthew and the Praise Band continued to offer first-rate contemporary music in the 11:00 service as well as in the joint live-streamed services that were broadcast over the summer. Brenda continues to offer high-quality organ and piano repertoire throughout the year. The Organ Concert Series, under her leadership, has maintained its status as the finest organ series in the region. Despite the difficulties presented by the pandemic, Brenda adapted the series to include online broadcasts and safe in-person attendance. Jenny has retooled the bell ensemble into small groups and soloists to allow for safe and quality musical offerings in our services. Stan and Janice Kummer delivered their gorgeous newly restored harpsichord to the church and Jan Heiden continues to perfect our music library system. Perhaps best of all, we have left no service unsung throughout this crazy year thanks to the many volunteers willing to learn music quickly, sing solo or in quartets, and sing in not-always-comfortable masks. A HUGE thank you to those who have sung or played in our livestreamed services as well as those offering support through prayer and encouragement from home! God has truly blessed us, even in times of difficulty.

Matthew Covert, Worship Leader In this season of change having a team that is “on board” is such a blessing. With the pandemic Worship@11 has undergone some real changes. We, as a team, have adapted to these changes sometimes on the fly and sometimes thinking well ahead. At the outset of these changes we were blessed to participate in a blended service with our traditional service partners. We adapted our “sound,” going from electric guitars and big drums to acoustic guitars and hand percussion. The musicians who are a part of the Worship@11 Praise Team are the best singers and instrumentalists. They perform and play at a very high level. This allowed us to seamlessly adapt to the needs of a different sort of service.

As things progressed we started a Worship@11 Live Stream. The music returned to a bigger, more modern sound; drums, electric guitars and keyboards. The response on line has been wonderful. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of the Worship@11 Praise Team. They have committed to the congregation of Hyde Park Community UMC. We love our congregants and can not wait to worship with you in the same room. Until then know that you are loved and in our prayers.

Brenda Portman, Resident Organist & Director

of Organ Concert Series The Organ Concert Series has continued despite the pandemic. Through this time of difficulty we had to reimagine the concerts and began to offer them both in-person (following covid-19 guidelines) and virtually. Broadcasting the concerts through social media has allowed us to not only continue the series but hopefully reach a new and wider audience spreading joy beyond the walls of our church. When the pandemic started, I had to adjust to a different routine in order to accommodate school-at-home for my 3 children and my work preparing for worship each week. I thought that being together so much would result in more frustration and arguing, but by the grace of God, it was actually pretty harmonious and we managed just fine. We even created a family newsletter that we sent to our extended family to keep connected with them, and the kids enjoyed writing articles for it.

Jenny Cauhorn, Carillon Choir Director Restrictions put in place due to COVID presented some unique challenges for the handbell ministry. First, we needed more space for setup to make sure we could provide a socially distanced environment for rehearsals. Second, we had to find music that would work for smaller ensembles, with no sharing of instruments. Finally, we had to consider the varied levels of skill and experience among the ringers. A few of our members had just started learning to ring when we had to stop full rehearsals and smaller ensembles require more independent ringing which could be a challenge for less experienced musicians. We set each ringer at their own table and provided distance between them. With the Queen City Bronze residency, we have access to two additional sets of bells so each ringer had their own bells with no need to share. I was able to adapt a full-choir arrangement to a small ensemble of bells providing accompaniment for flute and guitar, which allowed us to include our praise team leader, Matthew Covert. This was a wonderful collaboration early on when we were still offering a blended service. I also provided a couple of handbell solos to keep bells a part of worship. Through this challenge, the participating ringers have continued to develop their skills in musicianship and handbell techniques in new ways that will help us be an even better ensemble when we are able to meet as a full choir again.

Music, Once admitted to the Soul, Becomes a sort of Spirit, and Never Dies. - Edward Bulwer-Lytton

COVID-19 Task Force

September 2020

Hyde Park Community is blessed with a group of physicians who have been gathering with our senior pastors since late March. After one face-to-face meeting in late March, the group has convened by Zoom each month. The group has been monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and providing helpful input to the Servant Leadership Board regarding the shaping of safety protocols for church gatherings, including resuming in-person worship. Current assessments and trends, specific to Hamilton County, are discussed at the meetings. The group is committed to being a vessel of God’s love and care for our church family and community. Multiple things have been discussed including the risk factors for some of our church family and the age of the sanctuary and its ventilation system. Because the virus is unpredictable, they have been reevaluating the statistics each month.

Members of the COVID-19 Task Force: Bev Connelly Bruce Hamilton Al Painter Susan Pinney Warren Webster

Their expertise in the field of infectious disease is substantial and we are thankful for their ministry.

Albert F. Painter, Psy.D. I am a clinical psychologist who has spent 45 years in academic medicine including UNC-CH, Emory University, and Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine where I currently serve as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. I have been impressed by the talent and commitment of our Task Force members and our concerted efforts to discern God’s will for our congregation in these challenging times. Also we have been inspired by Pastor Cathy and Doug and their dedication to listening to congregational members who are trained scientists in this deliberation.

Bruce Hamilton I retired from the practice of medicine last December. Throughout my medical career I specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease problems, chiefly in patients who were hospitalized. It has been gratifying to serve on the Task Force with a group of distinguished medical professionals. Their expertise and concern are helping us to develop Covid-19 policies for the church, which we believe will enhance the safety of Hyde Park parishioners and staff. The issues regarding mitigation of the pandemic are complex, and I must say that in the course of this effort, I have gained some humility.

Susan Pinney 1. What is your background? It’s a joy for me to share my gifts as a scientist with my church. I am a member of the faculty of the UC College of Medicine, as a Professor of Epidemiology. Although I am primarily a genetic and cancer epidemiologist, we all have focused on COVID-19 and the best public health approaches to minimize the suffering caused by COVID-19. I have been a member of Hyde Park Community Methodist since 1975 (can’t believe that it has been 45 years). 2. What have you gained from your experience of being on the Task force team? Maybe “gained” is not the right word, but I certainly have come to appreciate the wonderful pastors that we have, their true concern for both our spiritual and physical health, and their willingness to be guided by the members of the task force in making decisions about how we can best continue our worship in the time of COVID-19. I am genuinely so fortunate to be a member of the task force – and to serve with the others who are not only experts in infectious disease, but also very kind and caring 3. Anything else you would like to add? Wear your mask and be extra kind to each other.

Bev Connelly

Warren Webster

I am a retired pediatric infectious diseases

I am now retired but worked as an internal

pediatrician. For more than two decades I directed the infection prevention and control program of Cincinnati Children’s which led efforts to reduce healthcare associated infections and collaborated with local health officials and other hospitals to reduce the spread of influenza and other respiratory pathogens in newborn care units. I have been happy to add my experience to that of others on the team to minimize the potential for COVID-19 spread in our church family.

medicine physician for 35 years and spent 25 of those years as a consultant in infectious disease. My experience on the task force has allowed me to work with some very smart and caring people who have the best interest of our church members in mind. It has also given me stimulus to study the COVID-19 pandemic.

Warren and Karen Webster and friends.

Susan, her daughter Sara, her grandson Ian.

GOD MOMENTS

Lon Kaylor celebrating retirement of over 35 years serving locally & globally through Hyde Park Community UMC

Janet and I came to HPCUMC from a small UMC in Anderson Township in 1986. I had held most lay leadership positions in our church, including UMYF counselor and Sunday School teacher. We came to HPCUMC at the suggestion of a long time church member and neighbor, Ann Burrows. We were looking for a church where we could find more spiritual teaching (Bible and adult studies) and I had a heart for outreach, but being in a small church there was not much of an opportunity to serve. I felt that the Lord had blessed me and I wanted to give back. At that time Ann Burrows was the chair of the Missions Committee and invited me to join that committee. I have been a member of the Missions (Outreach Ministry) ever since until I recently retired in January 2021, about 35 years! Working with so many people from all walks of life over the years helped me to grow in my love of God and people. I chaired the Project 5000 Ministry for over 30 years, including delivering hundreds of Project 5000 boxes and bags to many food pantries all over Greater Cincinnati. At the same time I was asked to help our church form a church committee to support building low-income housing in support of Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity. This church project (Shalom Project) soon became the Shalom Coalition, where several other churches joined with HPCUMC to build new houses in low income neighborhoods of Cincinnati in partnership with Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity. Together we built over 25 houses. I not only served on the Shalom Coalition Board but served as a weekly construction volunteer for over 30 years. I also served on 3 mission teams with our church, one as a construction volunteer with a Cincinnati District UMC Mission Team to the New Orlean’s area after Hurricane Andrew. More recently, I went to Haiti twice with our church’s Haiti Mission Trips to volunteer at the Faith Academy School. During this time I also taught Sunday School for 6 years, 4 - 6th grade ending with the 4th grade. This led me into volunteering at Wesley Chapel Mission Center (WCMC) and I volunteered weekly there for 13 years, and also serving on the Board of Directors for 12 years. I had previously retired and prayed to God what I could do to serve Him. I feel that working with at risk, inner-city children

in OTR was the answer to my prayers. I am a member of a Men’s Sharing Group that have been meeting for many years and with the encouragement of our prior Senior Pastor, Rev. Tim Bias, we decided to start a weekly tutoring (mentoring) opportunity for our church membership. Since I was active with the children of OTR, I contacted the principal of Rothenberg Academy (Pre-school 6th grade Cincinnati Public School) and we set up a partnership with them for a weekly mentoring program, starting with one grade at a time. We signed up about 40 adult church members and started with the second grade class. Our hope was that the mentors would stay with their students until they graduated from the 6th grade or left the school. We tried to recruit more mentors at the start of each new school year to increase our student/mentor relationships. I left after my student graduated from the 6th grade. The Rothenberg/HPCUMC partnership still continues today. I have been blessed in my life, just knowing that by serving those in need is what God has called me to do. I especially feel that I have a heart for children and feel the love of the Lord when I am in the presence of children, be it in OTR, HPCUMC or Haiti. My favorite times would be whenever I would be at Rothenberg School, just walking in the halls, I would hear” hi Mr. Lon” and several kids would run up to give me a hug! These would be the kids that I worked with when volunteering at WCMC, they would be excited just seeing me at their school. These were definitely “God moments”!

MINISTRIES SUMMARY 1988 - 2018 Shalom Habitat House Coalition Building Ministry: Organizing committee and Coalition Board Member, weekly volunteer 1988 - 2020 Project 5000 food Ministry: Ministry chair 2006 - 2020 WCMC Board Member and weekly volunteer 2012 - 2018 HPCUMC Vacation Bible School: volunteer 2016 - 2019 Summer Reading Camp: HPCUMC joined the local non-profit Summer Reading Camp Organization providing a site and funding, weekly volunteer

Mission & Outreach

Funds used or distributed to support COMMUNITY MINISTRY PARTNERS thanks to the FLICK Endowment: $250 $5,000 $1,500 $12,000 $10,000 $11,000 $10,000 $3,000 $2,000 $8,020 $3,000 $400 $2,500

$68,670

20/20 Prison Ministries Habitat for Humanity Cincinnati (Shalom Coalition) HPCUMC Preschool Scholarships Interfaith Hospitality Network of Cincinnati Madisonville Education and Assistance Center Center for Respite Care Wesley Chapel Mission Center Wesley Education Center Rothenberg Preparatory Academy Meals on Wheels State Ave. UMC Fleece Blankets Hyde Park Center for Older Adults total used for direct aid for our neighbors in Cincinnati through our partnerships!

Some highlights & impacts from our partners: Funds received are used to support the “From Medical Recovery to Independence Program” – the daily service to residents at The Center. The endowment also covers monthly restocking of the pantry for the residents. You can support this partner by providing part of a meal to be delivered a few times a month to The Center during COVID protocols and eventually back to serving and eating with the residents. Contact Mary Sheldon (msheldon@zoomtown.com) to find out what is needed for future meals or contact Barb Fillion (bdfillion@gmail.com) to help with shopping/ drop off of pantry items.

Construction begins on the 26th house for the Shalom Coalition in June! Funds given this year will go towards the construction materials needed for the house build and with the new house being in Evanston, volunteers are needed to help. Contact Pete Jankovsky pete.jankovsky@gmail.com for more information and directions on how to volunteer.

Due to COVID, we have not been able to host the two weeks we’ve had scheduled in the first half of the year so $2,500/per week extra has been given to cover the cost to house, feed, and care for families. We hope to begin hosting families again at the church in the fall. Contact Laura Warren if you would like to help with hosting families by providing food or through your presence (lwarren11@cinci.rr.com)

Fleece Blankets: A dedicated group of women from the church lovingly made fleece blankets this last year for residents at The Center for Respite Care, for children of the HPCUMC Preschool and Wesley Chapel Mission Center, and women from Off the Streets program at Anna Louise Inn. If you are interested in serving in this way, contact Janet Kaylor at janetkkaylor@fuse. net.

Last month it was announced that Meals on Wheels of Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky merged with Cincinnati Area Senior Services (CASS) to better serve local seniors. This partnership and our support will allow Meals on Wheels to serve more than 10,000 local seniors in 2021! This year, the Thanksgiving Basket pies will come from Meals on Wheels and we will be a sponsor for their Bust a Crust fundraiser which benefits seniors. Be sure to plan to order YOUR Thanksgiving Pie through Meals on Wheels Bust a Crust in October!

THE WAREHOUSE

Wins 2nd Place for their

VISION

Virtual Edition of West Ohio’s Greenhouse Shark Tank September 2020

Brad Aycock Director of Greenhouse posted: “I will follow you into the future if you paint for me a vivid picture of what’s around the corner.” Today ten leaders from across West Ohio shared their 60-second vision for their new ministry to 30 United Methodist leaders from across the state, including former Governor (and UM pastor) Ted Strickland and Bluffton University president Dr. Jane Wood in our Greenhouse Shark Tank. $10,000 was on the line to be awarded to the top three. Congrats to all of the Greenhouse leaders for the hard work they’ve put in over the past 6 months working on this vision to be launched next year. Mary Carmen Padilla and her vision for a multi-cultural church in Fremont took first, Sadell & Sherman B. Bradley and their multi-ethnic church with Hyde Park UMC in Cincy took 2nd, and Kabamba Kiboko and her vision for a new ministry to reach young kids via a school took third. THANK YOU to the 30 sharks from Gen-Z to Baby Boomers for investing in these emerging leaders and the future church. And THANK YOU to the United Methodist Foundation for the generous contribution to the first virtual edition of West Ohio’s Greenhouse Shark Tank. Also good to have Bill Poland from Iowa and Sam Hubbard from Louisiana with us as guest sharks.

“Sherman B. Bradley and I are grateful to be participants in the Greenhouse 2020 cohort and to have been awarded a $3k grant for The Warehouse Church OTR through their ‘Shark Tank’ pitch event yesterday. Glory to God!!” - Sadell Bradley

Reflections

Be the Bridge September 2020

Kelsey Crookes Over the past few months, I participated in a book study on racial reconciliation with a number of young adults from across the state. The silver lining of the pandemic allowed us to host our sessions via Zoom and therefore include people who otherwise would likely never be in the same room together. This allowed for more diversity of thought (and race) than we would have ordinarily had in our usual HPCUMC Young Adult studies. As we got going, the group immediately created a “brave space” for self-reflection, verbal processing, and discussion. We wasted no time diving into the hard hitting questions. Right after intros we headed straight into describing our ethnic culture – what we love about it and what we would change. This question stumped me, as a white person I never really thought about what my “culture” is, it just “is”. I thought my culture was the same as my other American peers with maybe slight variations based on any family history or immigration. This was just the beginning of recurring examples of “no I have never had to consider that before” due to my white privilege. I shared with the group in the first week that the reason I joined the study was because when I first received the initial invitation email I clicked away. I thought, “that would probably be uncomfortable, and I won’t know all the answers”. This made me immediately go back and sign up. I decided that I can’t turn away from uncomfortable scenarios anymore. I also have to be okay not knowing everything; as a type A/ enneagram 1/ oldest child, this is difficult for me. I cannot overstate how impactful it is to be part of a group of people who is so willing to hear you out and not worry about having all of the “right answers”. We were all simply there to push ourselves to have conversations we wouldn’t normally have to grow in our own self awareness. Something that continued to surprise me is the realization that the Church (with a capital C) can quickly be either the biggest helping hand or passively stand by when things get tough. Fear and pride get in the way of us taking our own steps forward in educating ourselves, or attempting to

Kelsey Crookes

understand the perspective of someone else. As church goers we become very comfortable in our bubble with the same people who look like us every week. I’ve found that the Methodist Church has taken many steps to be more inclusive, but those things don’t just happen organically. Jesus sought out people who were different, he didn’t wait for them to come to him. If this study taught me anything, it’s that there is no more time to just sit around, we need to act. My favorite band Casting Crowns has a song called “Start Right Here” that I think does a great job of capturing some of these issues of the heart that the Church is facing (some of the lyrics are below). As Christians, we want to continue to help others, but sometimes this is only when it is convenient or there may be a side benefit for us. We give an offering but are not willing to walk in someone else’s shoes. We need to be the ones setting the example by truly loving our neighbor. Hearing this song over the weekend had an even bigger impact on me after reflecting on all of these learnings.

Reflections

Be the Bridge

“We want our blessings in our pockets We keep our missions overseas But for the hurting in our cities Would we even cross the street? But we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel The walls fall down and our land be healed But church if we want to see a change in the world out there It’s got to start right here It’s got to start right now What if the church on Sunday Was still the church on Monday too What if we came down from our towers And walked a mile in someone’s shoes” This study on reconciliation pushed me: to further enhance my own education, to start consuming different media, to not only increase my own awareness of issues, but find ways to talk about it more. I hope you choose to say yes to an opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Find ways to expand the bubble that you inhibit. Join a study where you may not know everyone in it. Read, watch, or listen to something that may be from a different perspective or life experience than yours. Just reading one book doesn’t mean we’ve checked the box and the problem is solved. My journey, as well as that of many of my peers, is just beginning. My eyes are more open than they have ever been and I hope you consider ways to expand your own way of thinking for the betterment of all God’s children.

immediately began to think how I am likely the least creative person in our group. I knew that there was no way that I could do almost anything from that list well, and was trying to think what would make sense for me to do. At first joking, I thought to myself, as an accountant, how can I relate this to accounting, which is such a big part of my life. A major theme of our study was “racial reconciliations” and “account reconciliations” are an important part of accounting. In accounting you take two different sources of data that don’t agree and add/remove items that are the disconnect to bring the sources in to balance, so that they reconcile. This is an exercise that should be completed regularly, often monthly. The longer you go without reconciling, the further out of balance you can become and the more difficult it becomes to reconcile. I then started to think, how can I reconcile where I currently stand with racial relations to where I should be? How do I make sure

CREATIVE REFLECTIONS for Be the Bridge Study Eric Bodge During our “Be the Bridge” study we were asked to “Create something – a simple drawing, a poem, an essay, a painting, a mosaic, a sculpture, a song, or whatever else comes to mind – that reflects how God is working in your heart through this study.” I

Eric Bodge

that I am intentional about reconciling where I am with where I should be. Because I know, if I’m not intentional that I risk growing further out of balance. If I wait too long to act, it will become harder to reconcile. So I started to ask myself, what do I need to add/remove? If I want to move from where I am to where to I want/ need to be, I need to: • Add education • Add awareness • Add diversity in to my conversations and daily experiences • Add a willingness to make honest mistakes and to learn from those mistakes • Remove making assumptions based off of only a headline or past experiences • Remove the instinct to talk first and listen second • And so much more Reconciling is not a one-time act. It is a constant exercise. But you have to start, you have to take that first step. Otherwise the thought of reconciling can become intimidating. The more I thought about it, the more I realized, I was no longer joking. Even though creativity is far from being a strength, God was working through my heart by helping me take something extremely important and helping to understand and express myself through something that was a strength. Poem (inspired by Hamilton) written by Kelsey Crookes History has its eyes on you. Those in your circle of influence have their eyes on you. How will you use that influence? How will you make the world better and leave it better than how you came into it? You have no control over the level of privilege you start off with or where you stand in the rank of society. What you do have control over is your own actions. What do you do with your inherent privilege? How do you choose to treat others? Those who can realize these distinctions are the ones who better the world?

“We need to be the ones setting the example by truly loving our neighbor.” Kelsey Crookes

Reflections

Be the Bridge

You have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story. And maybe it’s not just your story, but the story of your family, your community, your culture. You also don’t get to decide who writes our collective story as a human race. If you’re fortunate enough to have a chance to hold that pen, how will you write history? *no title – by Kate Warren Make me brave Can You make me brave? I can learn and read and pray I can talk and I can listen I can be still- but can I be brave? When You call me out, will I come? Will I leave the shore to join You in the waves? I learn and read and pray I talk and I listen- I am still and now I say yes I will step off the shore, toes in wet sand as the tide pulls me closer to You I find I am brave

RJ Wright Ode To The Forgotten Kid In The Back Of The Class – by RJ Wright, co-leader of the Be the Bridge Study Abstract minded What do you feel As you stare paralyzing out the window Fear? Anxiety? You’re in this room by yourself No one looks like you You grip your pencil tightly Anger? Rage? The teacher poses a question Your attention averted A smirk makes an appearance on your face Happy? Excited? Do you know the answer? You were wrong And you retracted back into your shell Tears started to form Sad? Embarrassed?

Kate Warren

What’s going on In that enigma of a mind, to which I can’t relate You’re here, but you’re not present Isolated? I should leave you alone

BE STILL

For a Time Like This

Over the last 6 months we have heard our elected leaders, political commentators, and others refer to this time as unprecedented. And so it is. We are in a time between what we have known and what is to come. Such a time can be very unsettling, disorienting, and anxiety-provoking. I don’t know about you but I have had a range of emotions and feelings from fear and anxiety about my health and the health of those significant to me; to anger and despair over the lack of concern of some for the welfare of others; to a sense of resignation that there is not much I can do other than try to keep myself safe; to gratitude for those on the frontlines of healthcare, essential services, and nonviolent action for justice; to hope for the possibilities of inclusion, equity, and justice for all. The positive feelings of gratitude and hope help to lighten the burden of the negative emotions and feelings. But when caught in one of the negative emotions or feelings, what can be done? For me, the answer lies in trusting in God’s presence, love, and grace, knowing that God’s grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12: 9) and that all things work together for good for those who love God (Romans 8: 28). This is expressed beautifully in a poem by Denise Levertov, a 20th century American poet, entitled “The Avowal”. (1) In a few short verses Levertov takes us to these deep eternal truths of God’s presence, love, and grace. During this time of change and uncertainty and unrest, see how this poem speaks to you. As swimmers dare to lie face to the sky and water bears them, as hawks rest upon air and air sustains them, so would I learn to attain freefall, and float into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace, knowing no effort earns that all-surrounding grace.

As you face the uncertainty of the times and the many emotions and feelings that accompany this uncertainty, what and who are “bearing you up and sustaining you”? In what ways is this occurring? Just as swimmers trust the water to bear them up and hawks trust the air to sustain them, are you able to trust in God’s presence to support and to uphold you? How are you learning to “freefall, and float into Creator Spirit’s embrace”? What are the things you need to let go in order for this to happen? What are the things you need to accept? How are you experiencing God’s “allsurrounding grace”? Where are you seeing God’s grace at work in the world? The Book of Psalms also speaks to these and other deep eternal truths. The Psalmist describes many of the characteristics of God that when remembered can be helpful to us in a time like this. Hear these words from Psalm 145: 8-9; 13b-14. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.

Another Psalm that may provide comfort in a time like this is Psalm 91. Here the psalmist acknowledges his fear but also remembers powerful and comforting images of God. God is a shelter, refuge, fortress, and shield. In times of trouble, God will sweep us up into God’s warm, strong, soft wings where there is shelter and safety. Many of you, I am sure, are familiar with Michael Joncas’ “On Eagle’s Wings” which is based on Psalm 91. The refrain says, “And God will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of God’s hand.” When faced with anxiety and fear about life circumstances, I would encourage us all to envision being held in the palm of God’s hand and to rest there knowing that God is our refuge and our strength. During this time of upheaval in the world, it is my prayer that we have eyes to see and hearts to know God’s love and grace at work all around us in family and friends, in the healthcare and essential services workers, and in those peacefully calling for justice and equity, and that we may all know God’s love and grace raising us up and holding us, giving us strength and courage and hope for the days ahead. God’s joy and peace to us all.

(1) www.allpoetry.com

The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The Lord is gracious, merciful, good, steadfast, loving, compassionate, faithful, upholding. WOW!

Written by Christine McHenry Christine has been a member of HPCUMC for over 35 years. She is a retired pediatrician with a masters degree in theology from United Theological Seminary. She is a trained spiritual director and supervisor, a trained labyrinth facilitator, and a retreat leader. 18

READING LIST: WORKING ON A JUST HEART & MIND

LIST PROVIDED BY HPC JUSTICE MINISTRY

Last summer, the Justice Ministry discussed two books: White Like Me by Tim Wise and How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi. There are many books that can enlighten and educate us to the historical background of racism in America with the hope that we can be agents of change and bring justice to our land. Here are a few more to choose from! • America’s Original Sin by Jim Wallis • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates • Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration by Emily Bazelon • I’m Not Your Negro by James Baldwin (also a documentary) • I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown • Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson • Sacred Resistance: A Practical Guide to Christian Witness and Dissent by Ginger Gaines-Cirelli • So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo • Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi • The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein • The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone • The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas (also a documentary) • The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander • The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson • Things That Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennett • White Awake: An Honest look at What It Means to be White by Daniel Hill • White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo • White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson

2020-2021

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FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ISSUE Christine McHenry Sadell Bradley Ben Owen Matthew Covert Brenda Portman Jenny Cauhorn The Justice Ministry

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1310 Race St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 871-1345 www.thewarehousechurch.org

1345 Grace Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45208 (513) 871-1345 www.hydeparkchurch.org Senior Pastor

Rev. Dr. Cathy Johns

Senior Pastor

Rev. Doug Johns

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Rev. Dave Weaver

Pastor of Mission & Outreach and Young Adult Ministry

Rev. Kate Smith

Pastor of The Warehouse

Pastor Sadell Bradley

Pastor of The Warehouse

Pastor Sherman Bradley

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