2021 Summer: From the Corner of Grace

QUARTERLY

From the Corner of

r e m m u S

2021

August 9-13 & August 16-20 9:00AM – Noon

513-979-8191

www.hydeparkpreschool.org

Save the date!

WORSHIP IN THE PARK

JULY 11 Love One Another AUGUST 1 Back to School SEPTEMBER 5 Come Together

WASHINGTON PARK 1230 Elm Street, Cincinnati, 45202

@thewarehouseOTR

Letter from

the Communications team

Summer of 2021 is upon us! We’ve loved seeing you in person at worship services, helping at VBS last week, and volunteering at the Summer Camp reading program in OTR. In this issue you will find a feature article about Pastor Dave who will be retiring at the end of June with 22 years of service to God and to HPC. We hope you enjoy the warmer weather and longer days that the summer brings.

Table of CONTENTS Save the Dates

3&4

Summer Sermon Series

4

Celebrating Dave Weaver’s Retirement

5

Be Still: You are Beloved

7

Class of 2021

9

Summer Reading list

11

Stephen Minsitry

13

Shari Rust and Lisa Foley

SAVE THE DATE!

August 12, 2021 6:30-8:00PM

We’re celebrating the service and retirement of two amazing men of God! Please mark your calendars. Look for details to come in News & Happenings and our weekly eblast.

SAVE THE DATES!

August 22

Retirement Celebrations for Rev. Dave Weaver

September 19

Retirement Celebrations for Rev. Neal Hamlin

DAVE WEAVER & HIS 22 YEARS OF SERVICE

CELEBRATING

What does it mean to serve God? Serving God is a demonstration of your love for Him through loving service to others. Loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor, as Jesus Christ taught, is the essence of serving God. 1. What do you look forward to the most in your retirement?

Sleeping in a little late in the morning sounds appealing.

Really looking forward to some travel with Diane and more time with family. I’m hoping to learn to play pickle ball and I plan to dust off the golf clubs and go fishing.

I may take some Olli Courses at UC. My guess is (in time) I will engage in some new ways to be in ministry.

The call to ministry is still there but I’ll live it out differently in this season of transition.

2. Looking back on any events or happenings while you were at HPC, would you share a favorite memory?

Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter and many other wonderful worship experiences here at HPCUMC have inspired me. Through the years of teaching I’ve observed seeing people wrestle with then bloom and grow in their faith formation through a bible or book study. It’s awesome to watch. In pastoral care conversations there have been moments when I have seen God begin to heal the emotional hurt of others.

In the twenty-two years of pastoral ministry God has blessed me with so many rich and rewarding memories.

I cannot name only one favorite. What a privilege it’s been to serve this wonderful faith community.

3. What aspects of work will you miss the most?

I am very relational and have an outgoing personality.

Therefore, I will mostly miss the relationships and conversations with staff and church members on a regular basis. These friendships are a special gift in which I will deeply cherish. Also, I will miss leading or participating in worship and working with the class leaders on curriculum for the spiritual development of those they disciple.

4. What is the best part of growing older?

I would say gaining greater wisdom and trusting in the overall good of life. I think, or hope, I am aging gracefully. On a funnier note, I have noticed there is less hair on my head, I laugh at myself much more, and post-it-notes have become my favorite memory support system.

5. Who has had the greatest impact on your life?

My mom. She raised four children on her own after my father died when I was seven. She loved and cared for us while working two jobs. She was humble and had a heart for others. I so respected her and have acquired some of her traits. In regards to faith impact, my Granddaddy Weaver, a YMCA director, the Emmaus Walk experience, and several pastors here at HPCUMC before my call to ministry in 1998.

6. What is something most people don’t know about you?

Several things. I have a twin sister, Deb. I’m a UK basketball fan. I like watching T.V. cop shows. My favorite snack is eating popcorn. And lastly, I once played in a jug band.

6

Be still …You Are Beloved It is safe to say that we all have been walking through a type of wilderness over the last 16 months. It has been a time for slowing down from our busy schedules, for cleaning out closets that were long over-due, for connecting with members of our households in ways we haven’t connected before or maybe forgot. And it has been a time of great sorrow and grief, individually and collectively.

In her poem “Beloved is Where We Begin”, author and artist, Jan Richardson, describes what we may encounter in the wilderness and the one thing that will give us strength to endure, knowing that we are beloved. See how her poem speaks to you.

“Beloved Is Where We Begin” Jan Richardson If you would enter into the wilderness, do not begin without a blessing.

But I can tell you that on this path there will be help.

Do not leave without hearing who you are: Beloved, named by the One who has traveled this path before you.

I can tell you that on this way there will be rest.

Do not go without letting it echo in your ears, and if you find it is hard to let it into your heart, do not despair.

That is what this journey is for.

I cannot promise this blessing will free you from danger, from fear, from hunger or thirst, from the scorching of sun or the fall of the night.

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I can tell you that you will know the strange graces that come to our aid only on a road such as this, that fly to meet us bearing comfort and strength, that come alongside us for no other cause than to lean themselves toward our ear and with their curious insistence whisper our name: Beloved.

Beloved.

Beloved.

Questions for Reflection 1. What was the state of your heart as you entered this wilderness time? What is the state of your heart now?

2. What challenges have you encountered? Where have you found help and rest?

Comfort and strength?

3. What graces have you known during this time?

4. Who are you?

The Rev. Jan Richardson is an ordained pastor in The United Methodist Church; Director of The Wellspring Studio in Orlando, Florida; an artist, writer, retreat leader, and conference speaker.

“Beloved Is Where We Begin”© Jan Richardson from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons. Used by permission. janrichardson.com Christine McHenry, MD, MATS, May, 2021 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.

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ABBY ELLIS Anderson High School Ohio State University Marketing

REID FLESSA Walnut Hills High School Virginia Tech Forestry/Natural Resources

WILL GUY Turpin High School University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business

AGATHA HICKERSON School for Creative and Performing Arts Bowling Green State University Journalism and Film Production

ANDREY HUDEPOHL

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Goshen High School/Live Oaks Automotive Career, Performance Honda

BROOKLYN MEADOR Seven Hills High School Baylor University Apparel Merchandising

EVIE ROLLMAN Turpin High School University of Georgia Biology/Pre-Med

BENJAMIN THOMAS St. Xavier High School Mount St. Joseph Business and play soccer for MSJ

KEEGAN VERALDO Sycamore High School American University, CLEG (Communication, Law Studies, Economics and Government)

CLASS OF

Summer Reading List For those interested in learning more about Celtic Spirituality, here are several books by John Philip Newell for consideration.

Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality A New Ancient Harmony: A Celtic Vision for the Journey into Wholeness Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings

Right Here Right Now: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness

by Amy Oden It has been said that 50% of the time we are thinking about something other than what we are doing.

Mindfulness is about being present in the moment and not being enmeshed in the past or the future. Christian mindfulness, according to the author, is “…the practice of paying prayerful attention in the present moment to God’s abundant life.” It is about using our awareness with purpose and being real with God, right here, right now. The author discusses the history of mindfulness from a Christian perspective and provides a basic Christian mindfulness practice that can be used in our daily lives.

Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted

by Kristi Nelson Research has shown that gratitude has many benefits including decreasing stress and anxiety, decreasing depression and fear, increasing contentment and joy, and improving relationships, to name a few. In her book “Wake Up Grateful” Kristi Nelson gives us five guiding principles for making gratefulness a way of life and applies these concepts of grateful living to real world situations.

The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully

by Joan Chittister Sister Joan Chittister is an internationally known author and speaker. In her book “The Gift of Years” Sr. Joan encourages us to see older age as a special period of life that is “… both active and contemplative, productive and reflective, and deeply rewarding.”

An Interrupted Life and Letters from Westerbork

by Etty Hillesum This book has been described as “Unsurpassed in Holocaust literature” by The New York Times Book Review. Diary entries and letters written by a young Jewish woman from Amsterdam during the early 1940’s chronicles her ever deepening spiritual journey as the world is exploding around her. In the midst of deplorable conditions in Westerbork, a detention and transit camp in northeastern Netherlands, Etty is able to write, “Despite everything, life is full of beauty and meaning.”

GETTING OVER THAT MID-WEEK HUMP – Did you ever get to Wednesday and struggle to remember Sunday’s message or just need an uplifting prayer? Join an ever-growing group and receive, via email, a mid-week prayer. It may begin with a Scripture verse, a quote, or hymn lyrics. Then, a short prayer will follow on a theme from the sermon, life around us, and God’s love.

To receive this prayer, email Denise Harpring, deeharp24@gmail.com or Katie Baumann, kbaumann@hpcumc.org.

NOVEMBER 7, 2021

Damin

4pm

SPRITZER

MINISTRY

Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

GALATIANS 6:2

equips lay people to provide one-toone Christian care to people who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.

Stephen Ministries is a not-for-profit, transdenominational, religious and educational organization founded in 1975 by the Rev. Kenneth C. Hauck, Ph.D. Dr. Hauck is a pastor, formerly with St. Stephen Lutheran Church in St. Louis, and a clinical psychologist who trained laypersons in his congregation to provide distinctly Christian confidential one-to-one care to members of his church and also to the community. Since then, Stephen Ministry has become a large world-wide ministry in more than 150 different Christian denominations.

The name “Stephen” comes from St. Stephen who was the first layperson commissioned by the Apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need (Act 6).

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONATCT ONE OF OUR STEPHEN LEADERS: Rev. Dave Weaver (513) 484-6697 Bonnie Stowell (513) 984-5347 Karen Volk (513) 604-6019

In January, 1993, a team of four laypersons including Pat Jenkins along with Pastor Gary Batey traveled to Orlando FL to attend a two-week Training Class for Stephen Leaders to bring Stephen Ministry into Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church.

Also in this team was Bonnie Stowell who still serves as Referrals Coordinator. There followed an intense period to educate and explain the many benefits of this ministry to the congregation as well as recruiting, interviewing, and selecting the first class to undergo 50 hours of training. In December, 1993, 18 Stephen Ministers were commissioned in the sanctuary. Dick Manoukian was a member of that first class and still serves currently as a Stephen Leader.

To date, HPCUMC has connected 428 Care Receivers with one of our Stephen Ministers.

The Care Receivers included both our members and others in the city in caring, confidential relationships lasting from a few months to many years. We have trained 138 persons to be commissioned as Stephen Ministers. The church has sent 26 persons including the original team to national level Stephen Leader Training. This includes all clergy persons who as staff advised and led Stephen Ministry during all periods since 1993.

Currently, our 2021 Stephen Ministry Team has 16 members. This includes 11-commissioned ministers and 5-trained leaders.

You play an imortant role in our Stephen Ministry. Here’s what you can do: • PRAY for God to bring hope and healing to

hurting people through our Stephen Ministry.

• ACCEPT CARE from a Stephen Minister

during your time of need. God doesn’t expect you to bear your burdens alone.

• TELL A FRIEND, neighbor, coworker, or relative who is hurting about our Stephen Ministry.

• PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER becoming a Stephen Minister.

The Stephen Ministry logo symbolizes that we are all broken people—and that only Jesus can make us whole.

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2021 Vacation Bible School Thank You for your support & for making VBS a great success again this year!

Over 100 50 Participants Volunteers THANK YOU

GIVE US FEEDBACK

FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ISSUE Christine McHenry Dave Weaver Dana Calhoun

communication@hpcumc.org What did you think of this issue? We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on what you are interested in seeing in this quarterly magazine.

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

Associate Pastor

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

HPCUMC Office Hours 9:00am - 5:00pm Sunday In-person & Online Worship 9:30am & 11:00am

The Warehouse Sunday Worship 10:00am Online Worship 10:00am & 12:00pm