This Week at Myers Park United Methodist Church | March 29-April 4 | Shifting Connections

THIS WEEK M A R C H 2 9 | 2020

MEMORIES OF GALVESTON by Chris Craft

www.myersparkumc.org 1501 Queens Road Charlotte, NC 28207

704.376.8584 info@mpumc.org

LIVESTREAM WORSHIP TIMES 8:45 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. | 11:00 a.m.

WE LCO M E To O u r C h u rc h !

We are the body of Christ, growing in faith and serving others.

CARING FOR OUR FAMILIES & NEIGHBORS B Y R E V. B I L L R O T H

OUR DIGITAL CONNECTIONS LENTEN DEVOTIONAL Our Stephen Ministers provide an annual Lenten devotional booklet for us, which is free of charge. They are available to view online and include essays from church members, clergy, and staff.

Rev. Bill Roth, our Pastor of Congregational Care, reflects with us about emotionally healthy ways in which we can care for ourselves and others during a time of crisis.

How do we help and care for each other in times of crisis?

Step one —Help people re-affirm their identity.

SUNDAY WORSHIP There are multiple ways to remain together even if we’re not in the same room with one another! With multiple avenues of accessing our worship services, we can join together each Sunday online at 8:45.

9:45, and 11:00 a.m. Access our livestream at the link below or on Facebook. We look forward to continuing to worship with you on Sunday! www.myersparkumc.org/watch-live

WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY Join us weekly for a time of Bible Study led by one of our pastors. We meet at 11:00 a.m. and at 8:00 p.m. for your convenience.

The Study will gather virtually at livestream.com/mpumc

VIRTUAL SMALL GROUPS VIA ZOOM We invite you to get involved and grow in your spiritual life during Lent as we stay connected via technology in this season.

We absolutely welcome newcomers to the study! Contact Rev. Uiyeon Kim at ukim@mpumc.org with any questions. To join, along with instructions for Zoom, click here.

Suffering and crisis often make us feel like we are somehow separated from God or no longer God’s children. Thus, we need to shore up the identity erosion that people start to have in such times. Who am I if I can’t work, I don’t have enough money, or if I get sick?

We all need to be reminded from time to time that we are still children of God. Step two — help people to acknowledge their difficult feelings.

This virus stirs deep feelings for all of us. Anger, fear, etc. So helping people to name or acknowledge emotions and give them permission to be with their feelings. This is healing and therapeutic.

Step three — help people to shift from trying to control the situation to making conscious choices that empowered them.

ASK: What do you want to choose in this situation?

(Could be things like courage, compassion, connection, hope, or kindness.)

What do you want to bring to this situation?

Who do you want to be?

How do you want to be with your family and friends in this crisis? A good answer would be, “I want to be a resource for others,” helping calm and regulate feelings and emotions.

Finally there is this, a calm and compassionate acceptance of our reality is very important to our wellbeing. When we resist reality we often increase our suffering.

Our staff knows that this is a challenging time for many of you and we want to support you through this. If you’re in need of care, reach Rev. Bill Roth at broth@mpumc.org.

BETTER TOGETHER

BY J U LI E WE NTZ & BRIT T YET T

GIVING AT MYERS PARK Although we are shifting connections this season, ministry and discipleship is still very much alive at MPUMC thanks to your continued support of the Operating Fund.

Your offering dollars enabled Sunday worship to reach more than 8,000 people.

In addition, virtual bible study and Lenten small groups reached over 800 people thanks to your generosity.

Make your gift today at www.myersparkumc.org/give or by mail to 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207.

UNPRECEDENTED TIMES The phrase “unprecedented times” seems to surface over and over again. This certainly has been true while we, as a Church, consider our approach to service and outreach. The scope of this crisis is large and more challenging than any we have faced. Our largest non-profit and government organizations are providing assistance where possible - utility relief, feeding school children and adults, and halting evictions - and we are seeing beautiful outreach amongst neighbors, whether it is running errands or checking on those most at risk. People are experiencing vulnerability in new ways - sometimes for the first time - and the demand for essential services is rising. As a church, we are trying to offer strategic solutions to fill the gaps both in the spaces the larger community structures operate and directly in our neighborhoods. And we want each dollar to create as significant an impact as possible. We have narrowed our focus to three initiatives: SUSTAINING DAILY OPERATIONS OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS The need for food security and shelter remain critical. Our partners, Loaves and Fishes and Men’s Shelter/Urban Ministry, are well equipped to meet that need on a large scale in our community, but depend on volunteers to perform critical roles. While they anticipate demand for their services to double or triple over the next eight weeks, they expect volunteer numbers to drop. We proposed a solution to hire temporary employees to fill volunteer roles as needed. The agencies identified several critical roles where this would be beneficial, such as forklift operators, warehouse assistants to sort and pack food donations, and food prep assistants to work in kitchens. Our goal is twofold: to ensure these organizations can continue to provide essential services to our community under stay at home orders and provide jobs when so many jobs have been lost.

MEALS FOR MCCREESH PLACE & BROOKHILL COMMUNITY There has been an amazing response from CMS and other organizations/restaurants to provide our vulnerable school children two meals a day while schools are closed. But there is concern for adults as well - adults who help care for many of our children, adults who have had hours cut or lost jobs altogether, adults who are immunocompromised.

They need access to food during this difficult time. We are partnering with South Tryon Community United Methodist Church, the Brookhill Community Resource Center, and local businesses to provide over 500 meals a week to our neighbors in these two communities.

SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS AT MARIE G. DAVIS Our scholars at MGD are in good hands. They have received an abundance of generous donations of food. On top of the daily option through CMS Nutrition services for breakfast and lunch, the school has received weekend food bags from our weekly MPUMC distribution, Park Road Baptist, and a generous donation from the newly formed Charlotte Responds team out of the CMS Office of emergency Management. Everyone involved has made the feeding of our children the highest priority. With the phenomenal teamwork, communication, leadership and continued generosity of so many faith based partners and local agencies, we are able to keep our kids fed for now. As this situation evolves and the school closing is extended, we will constantly reevaluate the need and these scholars will remain a priority.

Questions?

Contact Jamie Yearwood, Director of Development, at jyearwood@mpumc.org or 704-295-4808.

CHILDREN’S CARD MINISTRY

by Amy Harriman

During this Coronavirus pandemic, many of our homebound/facility-bound members are not allowed to have visitors or congregate with other residents. It can be a lonely time. Close to 100 MPUMC children are excitedly writing letters, making cards, and drawing pictures to send a little joy and love to brighten their new friends’ days.

CO N N E C T WITH US !

F o l l ow u s o n s o c ia l m e d ia @ my e r sp a r k u m c

V i s i t o u r we b s i te w w w. mye r s p a rk u m c .o r g to find small groups, ways to serve and engage, how to give, and plug in with other members of our church!

LEARN: SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE & RESTING IN GOD

by Rev. Nancy Watson The Christian journey for St. Augustine did not begin early in his life. In fact he was a man of “wine, women, and song,” nowhere near a saint. Already an extremely well-educated man who held the most prestigious academic position as a professor in Milan, it was not until he heard a voice telling him to “take up and read!” that he actually began to read the Bible for himself. And everything changed….

So many of us these days are content to let someone else tell us what the Bible says. We listen to sermons, we attend Bible study classes, we read books about the Bible, we watch shows on TV about the teachings of Scripture. All of which leads Dr. Timothy Beal, professor of religion at Case Western Reserve University, to write that, “the Bible is the most revered book never read.”

When we fail to read Scripture for ourselves we make it easy for others to simplify and politicize the message. Bible verses taken out of context become weapons used to condemn or excuses used to condone. We cannot challenge these erroneous, even vicious, uses of holy text unless we know for ourselves what it really says.

OU R CLE RGY Dr. James C. Howell Senior Pastor Rev. Nathan Arledge Pastor of Missions & Community Engagement Rev. Taylor Barefoot Pastor for Emerging Ministries Rev. Jessica Dayson Pastor for Young Adults & Lay Involvement Rev. Uiyeon Kim Pastor of Discipleship Rev. Bill Roth Pastor of Congregational Care Rev. Nancy Watson Executive Pastor

TALK WITH A PASTOR A pastor on staff stands ready to respond to your question or concern. Those needing immediate pastoral help should call 704-376-8584 and follow the prompts to the pastor on call.

Reading the Bible is not easy…the language is sometimes stilted, the cultural references are unfamiliar, and the ideas can be confusing. But that doesn’t mean we should just let someone else tell us what it all means. God never meant for his Word to be unintelligible. He does mean for us to make the effort, though. Dr. Stanley Hauerwas, who taught at Duke University, says never to study the Bible alone. That doesn’t mean we can’t do our own personal, private devotional reading and reflection. But when you read the Bible, use several translations, discuss it with others. Both reading scripture and discussing it with others are identified by Wesley as means of grace: ways in which God sends his grace to us.

If you want to enrich your own walk with Christ, if you want to deepen your relationship with God, if you want the Spirit to enlighten your journey then how about a new reading program for this “stay-at-home” time? Read the Bible! If you don’t know where to start, if you want some suggestions for what to read, check the links below. Or call me and together we will come up with something. Just make sure that one way or another you “Take up and read!” http://www.crivoice.org/lent2.html for daily readings http://www.lectionarypage.net/#march for daily readings and a collect (prayer) https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//lections.php?year=A&season=Lent for Sunday Lectionary readings

PLAY: CHILDREN AND YOUTH ENCOURAGE & CHALLENGE • Express yourself! Read a passage of Scripture. How does it speak to you? Express it through painting, drawing, sculpture, Play-Doh, Legos, etc.

• Have a Read-A-Thon – take this opportunity to read books you’ve been wanting to read or books of the Bible you’ve always wanted to read.

• Start a Prayer Journal – Journal your thoughts and prayers during this season of your life Youth Ministry’s 19 Day Covid 19 Challenge is off and running…uh, I mean walking (Challenge for Day 2). They launched on March 19th (that’s called symmetry folks) with 19 things to be thankful for. Look at the incredible collage by 7th grader Colin Murdock (attachment). Sarah Simmons worked through her list with her pup Nala (attachment).

Day 2 offered the challenge of taking a 19 minute walk. Here is 6th grader George Fisher, senior Beau Fisher (photographer) with their dog Murphy. Day 3 was memorizing 19 Bible verses that you can find at www.mpumcyouth.org and Day 4 was writing 19 letters of appreciation to important mentors and people you love. Look at 7th grader Abigail Bryant’s impressive letter assortment! Keep up the great work everyone and if this inspires you, please join in on the fun! Check out @mpumc_youth on Instagram and Myers Park UMC Youth on Facebook.