Friday, July 3, 2015
Volume 5, Edition 51
571870
Join us this weekend as we begin our sermon series “Suburban Legends.” We look forward to seeing you!
Red and White, but the Wrong Blue on this year’s Fourth of July By Debbie McKellar
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WC saluted our military and celebrated our many blessings as a free country during our Patriotic Services on June 28. Happy Fourth of July!
July 5
Communion Offerings Benefit Two FaithWorks Ministries
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he communion offering for July will be divided equally between two of White’s Chapel’s FaithWorks ministries, according to Rev. Dara Austin, FaithWorks Director. July 5 communion offerings will benefit “Cooking With Care,” a WC ministry assisting a local Ronald McDonald house, as well as the White’s Chapel soldier ministry. “Cooking with Care” is a ministry begun at White’s Chapel by Claudia Jenkins, and currently coordinated by Kim Disasto, Susan Gregg, and Kristi McIntosh. Volunteers are coordinated bi-monthly to provide home-cooked meals for families overwhelmed by debilitating childhood diseases. All food and ingredients needed for the meals are provided by “Cooking with Care.” The meals, as required, are cooked on site at the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Worth. They offer a quiet, comforting relief to the people staying there, giving each family one less thing to worry about. The House maintains a caring, comfortable atmosphere where families can share love and emotional support from others who are experiencing similar situations. Guests of the House receive a bedroom with private bathrooms, two queen-size Tempur-Pedic beds, and access to many amenities, including a dining room, family area with state-of-the-art entertainment equipment, an outdoor play area, fully equipped and supplied laundry rooms, and a communal computer area. The Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth opened its doors in a stately historic mansion on 8th Avenue with 11 family bedrooms in 1981. By 1996, demand was so great that a new 20-bedroom House was built just one block from Cook Children’s Medical Center and Harris Methodist Hospital. As those hospitals grew, so did the need for services, so in 2004, the RMHFW expanded to serve 38 families each night. In addition, a Ronald McDonald Family Room was opened inside Cook Children’s Medical Center. RMHFW opened its latest 20-bedroom expansion in August 2013. The House can now serve up to 58 families each night. COMMUNION cont’d on page 2
At one church-wide event, over 400 soldier boxes were packed and sent.
t is the weekend of our nation’s birthday, the Fourth of July, but I must admit, I’m blue. It is hard, this year, to celebrate. After all, what is the Fourth without the honoring of tradition? And what Texan in their right mind would consider a traditional Fourth of July without that staple, that dominant, basic, chief menu item . . . Dare I say those two words? BLUE BELL. Little did any of us know the depths of despair and suffering we would be facing back in January, when first reports of a problem came in. The news was seemingly so insignificant that the story was buried in a newspaper on a back page in section Z. No one dreamed of even Googling “….problem with Blue Bell ice cream” because the thought was not rational. Even in February, when a second story was reported, we were busy planning things like Valentine’s Day and lives. I mean, it was February and the thought of a summer without Blue Bell was still unimaginable. The first real indicator that there might really be something wrong came on March 13. That is when the public really began to take notice. Because on that day, Blue Bell was actually removed from some grocery shelves. The concern at that time, or at least in my household, was still minimal. This was happening somewhere else. It was in Oklahoma, right? It wouldn’t, couldn’t touch us here. The McKellar household would not suffer; like all rational people, we had, at that time, a concealed carton of Blue Bell hidden in the freezer. We were safe for the crisis. I probably should back up and explain the Bluebell policy in the McKellar household. It “isn’t” allowed. The “Rev. Dr. John” has supremely and decisively stated that I am not to bring Blue Bell into the house. Ever. Of course, when it is on sale, like any sane person, I ignore the policy. Two cartons for six dollars is worth taking the risk. So of course, I purchase and hide it in the depths of the outside freezer, behind something rarely touched, like Brussels sprouts. But of course someone always discovers it. I know this because on the special occasion calling for its retrieval (you know, company or midnight, whichever comes first) I discover that numerous bites have been taken directly out of the carton. I’ve tried everything I
know to keep this from happening, including a total prohibition of John’s favorite flavors of all time (Homemade Vanilla, Strawberry). I purposely get flavors that I am certain—or hope—he doesn’t like. Flavors that, let’s face it, I probably shouldn’t imbibe upon either. For me it’s things like Cherry Amaretto Cordial, Southern Blackberry Cobbler, or Strawberry Cheesecake. Maybe Banana Split, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Chandler’s longtime favorite), Moo-llennium Crunch, Pecan Pralines and Cream, or Ultimate Neapolitan. Perhaps year-round favorites like Birthday Cake, Caramel Turtle Cheesecake, Chocolate Covered Cherry, Happy Tracks, Mocha Almond Fudge, Peaches and Homemade Vanilla. Or Banana Pudding. (Before I continue my saga, I just want to add a note here. Are you the reader aware
that there are actually real-life people who have listed tasting all the different Blue Bell flavors on their bucket list? It’s true. It’s on the Internet.) It wasn’t until John and I agreed that Banana Pudding was our actual family favorite that the presence of Blue Bell truly became a McKellar household crisis. Anytime I bought Blue Bell, if Banana Pudding was available, that became one of the given flavors of choice. I still hid it, of course, but it became rather a moot point. Which leads us back to the disaster at hand. Life continued and March came and went, as you may recall. I was still not personally concerned until April 1. I remember the date well, because it was opening day for the Texas Rangers. I had promised my two-year-old grandson Jack that we would get ice cream, and it was the first promise to him I had to break—ever! Because no matter what name the ballpark in Arlington goes by on any given year, one thing that never changes is that the only ice cream sold there is Blue Bell. And there wasn’t any. Alarm bells began to ring in my head. A feeling of doom and uneasiness settled in the empty pit of my stomach—that spot that is RED, WHITE cont’d on page 4
Red Cross Babysitting Training Course—July 17—Receive your Red Cross Certification in just one day! Ages 11 and up. $69 per person. Contact Dorothea Christ. Midweek Meditation—Through August—You are invited to join us on Wednesdays at 12 noon throughout the summer for a 30-minute message and communion, followed by a light lunch in Evans Hall. Midweek on July 8 will be in Founder’s Chapel. Stewardship —We hope you have a wonderful time relaxing and traveling this summer! While you are away please don’t forget us! We have many ministries that are operating at full capacity during the summer and your tithe or offering helps make it possible. You can give on-line or text 41444 to complete your tithe!
Friday, July 3, 2015
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The White’s Chapel Herald
Communion Offerings Cont’d from page 1
Hear Our Prayer By Dr. John McKeller
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ach week one of our staff members leads us in prayer for the worship that particular weekend. Pastor Betsy wrote a powerful prayer to prepare us for our Patriotic services last weekend. I want to share it with us; it will be a wonderful guide for us this week:
“In light of the recent weeks where lives have been taken, let’s take a few moments to reflect on a few words from our Baptismal Covenant that we make with the families as they bring their little ones to receive the name Christian. “May we so order our lives after the examples of Christ that we may be living examples of that love to all the world. Amen and amen.” God of all places and peoples, as we approach the celebration of the birth of our nation, may we once again be acutely aware of the freedoms which are ours, for the endless opportunities open to us, for a land where abundance goes unnoticed. Forgive us for taking so much granted. Particularly for those hard-fought-for freedoms to live in a country where we are free to be as God created us, and a country where we may worship as we please. Save us, God, from the destructive behaviors which St. Paul outlined: enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissension, factions, envy, and all that would undo us. Lead us instead to be instruments of your peace so we might strive to develop loving behaviors which demonstrate care and compassion for all peoples. Help us know that life is never quite as serious as it might seem so we might embrace each moment as precious and holy. Help us, in our too-busy lives, to develop spiritual disciplines that help us see you in all things and in all peoples. Help us to demonstrate kindness to all. May we be intentional in preparing our hearts so we will easily see Christ in another, and they in turn see Christ in us. Help us above all to be faithful, gentle, and allow you to be the guiding light of our lives so we might live beyond our small selves. O God, raise our national vision. Give us tolerance and understanding for all, and may we ever hold dear for all people the freedoms we cherish. Hear our prayer we offer in the name of Jesus, who teaches us how to live and love in a spirit of generosity, joy, and peace. Amen and amen.
Next week we will not publish an issue of the Herald. During the summer we will publish the Herald every other Friday. Enjoy your week!
attendance
Week Worship Ending June 28
4,006
Christian Education 1,904
financials
June Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
2015
2014
$168,362 $144,714 $168,910 $115,376
$149,002 $ 92,851 $149,863 $123,831
MTD Actual $597,363 MTD Variance $(132,178)
$515,547 $(88,533)
YTD Actual $4,119,544 YTD Variance $ (514,544)
$3,579,960 $ (4,250)
Church office—(817) 481-4147
Editor Debbie McKellar Managing Editor Derek Bennett Copy Editor Cathy Watson Graphics and Design Susanna Cunningham White’s Chapel Herald USPS 25541 is published weekly except for the second week of March, and then changes to alternate weeks beginning the Friday after Memorial Day, changing back to weekly the Friday after Labor day, and skips the week between Christmas and New Year, by White’s Chapel United Methodist Church, 185 S. White Chapel Blvd, Southlake TX 76092-7308. Periodicals Postage is paid at Grapevine, TX and additional mailing offices. Subscription rate: $10 for one year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to White’s Chapel UMC, 185 S. White Chapel Blvd, Southlake, TX 76092-7308
Susan Tanner has been mailing items of support to soldiers since before the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. When the AnySoldier website was established in August of 2013, she was able to use that website to find the names of deployed soldiers and has developed this service into an official White’s Chapel ministry. Tanner sends letters and boxes on an ongoing basis, relying on the church communion offerings to pay for postage as well as some of the box items, which range from snacks to hygiene items to magazines to socks to bobby pins, “basically almost anything that Walmart or Target sells,” she says. “With the drawdown of troops, post exchanges are closing rapidly and the troops are relying more heavily on care packages for their daily supplies,” said Tanner. “Back when I started doing this, postage was $8.95. It is now between $12–$18 per flat-rate box, so the church’s financial support is extremely important for this ministry.” The ministry began with Tanner’s visit to Wonderful Wednesdays with Women
meetings, reading letters from soldiers and requesting donations for books and magazines to send in the boxes she packed for the soldiers. In time, the women in the meetings wanted to do more, and donations of other items started pouring in. Box packing expanded to other groups, including the UMW Circle of Light and Circle of Friends as well as the Singles Sunday school class and Aggie Moms. At one church-wide event, over 400 soldier boxes were packed and sent. Over the years, the ministry has set up soldier trees at Christmas with FaithWorks, had VBS collect shoes for Iraqi citizens at the request of an American soldier, made blankets for soldiers’ expectant wives, sent toys and school supplies for soldiers to distribute to Iraqi and Afghan children, and welcomed soldiers home at DFW airport. Additionally, over 1000 handmade cards have been created by talented White’s Chapel women, and drawings have been sent by the Chapel Hill Preschool. One hundred percent of communion offerings are sent to the respective designated ministries each month.
A Christian Response to Hate-driven Violence June 18, 2015
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s I sit down to write my blog for Friday, June 19th, my heart is heavy with grief and sadness over the shooting that has taken place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a historic black church in Charleston, S.C. I had planned on writing about the retreat our CTC Core Leadership Team and Cabinet conducted Wednesday. As had been promised in the Conference Core Leadership Team’s report, we met to begin work on the seven recommendations adopted by the Central Texas Conference in the Exodus Project Evaluation Report. With the news of the Charleston tragedy, I choose instead to share a brief word on “A Christian Reponse to Hate-driven Violence.” My first instinct mirrors that of most people of good will. It is heartfelt anguish and grief. On our Conference Website, I invited the churches and people of the Central Texas Conference to offer up prayers of support and healing for the members of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, especially those who lost loved ones, and the people of Charleston. First, foremost, and always, let us all be a people who offer our pleas of hope and healing before God in trusting prayer. May each church and each individual Christ follower related to the Central Texas Conference set aside special time for such prayer. As I meditate in a deeper level spending quiet time with the Lord, I have come to see that our prayers must include prayers of confession. For too long and in too many ways, we have celebrated violence as a solution to our problems. Crime dramas saturate television. We laugh over rewriting the 23rd Psalm. (“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, because I’m the biggest meanest *@#! Expletive in the valley.”) We grit our teeth and shake our fists at others, even if only inwardly. We must confess that culturally we have worshipped at the altar of violence. A “tweet” challenges us to live the better nature of the Christian faith. “As the #Charleston police deem this horrific act a hate crime,” the King Center tweeted, “we pray vigorously that this person’s hate does not cultivate more hate.” Our Lord calls us instead to be a people of peace. “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). I believe there is a second element we must add to our prayers of confession. We must confess our complicity in racially motivated hatred and misunderstanding. At the recent meeting of the Central Texas Annual Conference, we listened to teaching and preaching presented by Rev. Rudy Rasmus (Senior Pastor of St. John’s UMC in Houston) and Dr. Erin Hawkins (General Secretary of the Commission on Religion and Race for the United Methodist Church) shared with eloquence and true depth. In keeping with the best understanding of Methodist theology, they challenged us to live in a greater way the gospel of love and grace. Both social and personal holiness begin in prayers of petition and confession. The tragedy of the shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina call us back to the center of our faith. Their teaching can help to guide us into a better, more Christ reflecting way of living. We are challenged not only to accept Christ but to follow Him in the way we live. Let the admonishment and advice of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians be received in committed discipleship as well. “Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4–7).
The White’s Chapel Herald
Friday, July 3, 2015
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Middle School Mission Trip
“Missions” concept becomes real for WC Middle School Students By Maggie Chappell
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hen going on Middle School Mission Trip, you expect a lot of things. You expect the question, “Are we there yet?” multiple times on the bus ride there. You expect someone to lose their phone or their money (sometimes both). You expect a week of high energy, long workdays, and fun. During the week of June 15–19 we took our middle school students to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to work on community outreach programs with the Tulsa Dream Center. We slept in classrooms, we scrubbed toilets, and we organized donated clothes. It was not an easy or glamorous trip. And while our students could have complained, they took on whatever task was given to them with joy and a servant’s heart. They met and befriended people who can’t afford to buy food or who struggle to provide clothes or school supplies for their children. They played basketball and hula-hooped with kids, walked shopping carts of food out to families in need, and organized clothes for people who don’t have them. Over the course of the week, we talked about the last few things Jesus tells his disciples and what importance those words have on our lives. In Matthew 22:36–39, he tells us the most important of God’s commandments. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And
Senior Experience 2015
Senior Experience brought our incoming high school seniors together with Co-Pastors John and Todd to have some fun and also talk about how to prepare for the leadership role that comes with being a high school senior.
he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” As we talked about this in worship, our students applied it to the people of Tulsa. They opened their hearts to the people they met and helped the Dream Center in loving their neighbors as themselves. By interacting with these kids and families, they learned so much about what it means to be in need and how you can still have joy and hope in the midst of that. In helping people who have so little, they realized how much in their own lives they took for granted. Hannah Holmes, an incoming eighth grader, summed up the week like this: “This week, the middle school mission trip has been so incredibly amazing. I feel so blessed for all the many things that (to be honest) I tend to take for granted. The little kids from the Dream Center have taught me not to sweat the small stuff, but that there is a bigger picture in life. I believe that Jesus brought me on this mission trip for a reason and completely impacted my life. Not only did I grow in my faith, but I also grew in my community. I am so glad to have met so many new people who I can now call my friends, knowing that they are my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am so thankful for WC Students and this trip.”
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School Supply Drive July 15 We are asking people to provide school supplies for children in need. Check the WC website beginning July 15 for the supply list and to sign up! Supplies will be distributed to members of El Buen Samaritano UMC and T.A. Sims Elementary (our adopt-a-school), and designated schools in the Northeast Tarrant County. Volunteers will also be needed to help deliver the supplies! The deadline returning supplies is August 10. Contact Rev. Dara Austin in FaithWorks. Health For Me Diabetes SelfManagement Workshop Begins July 21 Learn better ways to live healthy with diabetes or take care of someone who has diabetes. Health For Me workshops were developed by Stanford University School of Medicine to help persons cope more effectively with diabetes. It is offered by different organizations that have been licensed by Stanford University and their group leaders trained in Stanford’s methodology. It is offered free through funding from United Way of Tarrant County and its Area Agency on Aging. This program will be offered at WC in a series of 6-weekly workshops starting on Tuesdays, July 21–August 25 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Each workshop is two and one-half (2.5) hours long and available to any adult
The White’s Chapel Herald
Friday, July 3, 2015
in Tarrant County who has diabetes, is at risk of having diabetes or is a caregiver of someone with diabetes. People with diabetes and caregivers attend classes together. Topics addressed include planning healthy meals, preventing diabetic complications, skin/ foot care, low blood sugar issues and other relevant subjects. Class size is limited to 20 adults who have preregistered before Thursday, July 16. To register or for more information, contact Mary Ann Zrake mzrake@whiteschapelumc. com or 817-481-4147 x 241. Classes will be held in AE 3102. If childcare is needed, contact dchrist@whiteschapelumc.com.’ The Virtual Dementia Tour® Hosted by James L. West Alzheimer’s Center Thursday, July 23 The Virtual Dementia Tour® is an interactive experience which gives the participant firsthand experience of what it is like to walk in the shoes of someone with dementia as well as some of the physical symptoms associated with aging. This simulation experience gives hope and understanding to caregivers by providing tips and tools necessary to create an environment that supports their loved ones needs. Over 1 million people have participated in VDT® and 94% said they felt it was crucial to undergo the training in order to provide good care to those with dementia. The Virtual Dementia Tour® can help you experience what it feels like to have dementia only briefly but you can gain empathy that stays with you a lifetime. The Tour will be offered upstairs in the Adult Education Building 1 to 4 p.m. by appointment only by contacting Mary Ann Zrake @817-481-4147.
Red and White Cont’d from page 1
only satisfied with ice cream. On April 6, the official recall came and by now, we were all taking notice. It was the first recall in 108 years! Rumor had it that one carton of Blue Bell was going for $10,000 on the black market! Summer was coming, after all, and a summer without Blue Bell? We greedily gobbled the promise that it would be back on the shelves by June. And yet, here we are. Facing July 4th with no end to the crisis in sight. I mean, really! How long does it take to clean a silly machine? I have bleach! I have spray bottles! I’m here, ready to volunteer! You know, I’ve always heard that desperate times lead to desperate measures and I’m here to say, I know a lot of people who make things
“These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; and after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines. Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite.” 2 Samuel 23: 8–12
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efore us are three names of David’s mighty men, who are singled out for their courage and bravery. Joshebbasshebeth was the captain of the captains. Eleazar stood beside David, when all the rest of the fighting men of Israel had fled away. Shammah had the audacity to take his stand all alone. You know, it takes great courage to stand alone and fight a fight that all others have abandoned. It isn’t easy to go against the tide of public sentiment or defend some thing simply because your principles won’t allow you to give up. But this passage reminds us that there is a right and wrong, a good and evil, and there are some things worth fighting for, worth defending. Tomorrow, as Americans, you and I celebrate our nation’s birthday. We pause and remember those who bravely took a stand, in times of great peril, and fought for free doms and blessings they esteemed to be of more value than their own lives. David’s mighty men were like that. They displayed great courage in the face of overwhelming odds, against enemies more numerous than they, but they stood their
happen—who get things done. Here at White’s Chapel alone, I know people who have been around the world solving major problems. You have skills! You have talent! You have deconstructed and reconstructed, dug down deep. You have cleaned and painted and nailed and done tasks that are quite possibly unimaginable. You are my friends and I am quite aware of what you are capable of. So I’m asking now: Who’s with me? I realize this may seem slight to some. But for all that we as Americans do, don’t we deserve a little bit of joy? A small scoop of tradition? Unfortunately, we may not be in time for this Fourth of July. But life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness does not end at midnight on that day. There is, after all, a lot of summer still left to consider. And the fall. And the winter.
ground and gave their all for the cause. Thus, they are remembered as heroes for their deeds of valor and loyalty. As Americans, we remember the great number of individuals whose life stories play such an integral part in our nation’s history. That list consists of explorers such as Lewis and Clark, Boone and Crockett. It includes fierce fighters and competent military strategists such as Washington, Jackson, Patton, MacArthur, and Eisenhower. That list includes statesmen such as Adams, Jefferson, and Lincoln. The list goes on and on, men and women who took a stand in their day, a stand for what was right, what was good, what was worth defending. These individuals have left us an example to follow, an example of courageous determination that challenges us to do likewise in facing the struggles of our own day. And do not fail to miss the focus of the passage. As great at David’s mighty men were, it was God who gave them their victories. It is God to whom we must look today. We need His wisdom to pick and choose our battles. We need His strength to give us the courage to stand and fight at times when the matter before us appears to be a lost cause, and we feel all alone in the struggle. Let us remember, one person with God by their side is a majority! We can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us. Let us never surrender in the battle for good and right. Let us press on and look to our God for the victory only He can secure. May God bless you all!
As Americans, we remember the great number of individuals whose life stories play such an integral part in our nation’s history.