Friday, June 5, 2015
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Volume 5, Edition 49
Join us this weekend as we begin our sermon series “Road Trips 3: The College Tour.” We look forward to seeing you!
Early Response Team Assists Wimberley Flood Victims
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ive members of White’s Chapel’s Early Response Team went to Wimberley last week to give assistance to flood victims of that area. Carey Cockrell, Dave Houser, Ralph Manoushagian, Don Romer, and Chris Rowley spent two days in the flood-ravaged area. Early Response Team members are trained volunteers through UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Each volunteer is required to attend an initial eight-hour training session, followed by recertification every two years. Volunteers are trained on how to go into a situation that has been affected by a natural or man-made disaster. WC FaithWorks Director Rev. Dara Austin explained that the volunteers work in collaboration with homeowners in order to help them through the difficult cleanup process. “We have 32 UMCOR volunteers on our Early Response Team that have been trained. We are not allowed to go into an area without an invitation, but when we get that invitation, we send it out to all of our members. They have to be able to respond immediately. Last week there were five persons who responded to the Wimberley call, and we are anticipating another call in the next few days.” The volunteers left on Thursday and returned Saturday evening. “Not everybody can go every time with such short notice,” said Austin. “Our five-man team did an outstanding job; we received reports back that our guys were really workhorses. They had never seen anything like them!” The team took with them the FaithWorks trailer that has been assembled for such occasions as this. The trailer is completely stocked with generators, power washers, tarps, plywood, nails, RESPONSE cont’d on page 4
“There is no greater reward than when we truly go with a heart that's right without an agenda.
Family vacation photos
Bracelets become this summer’s “must have” accessory
Communion Offering to benefit Texas Flood victims
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he June communion offering will be appropriated to two different recipient groups, with an immediate goal of helping Texas flood victims, according to Dara Austin, director of White’s Chapel FaithWorks. Monies received will be used to provide supplies for WC’s Early Response Team, with the balance to be sent to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR. The White’s Chapel Early Response Team is an UMCOR-trained group of volunteer workers who go into affected disaster areas to help clean out and, in some instances, rebuild disaster-torn homes. Over thirty WC members are trained for this response, and five volunteers went to Wimberley, Texas, last week to assist flood victims. Volunteers assume their personal expenses, while FaithWorks provides their needed construction equipment and supplies. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is a prominent worldwide emergency relief organization. A nonprofit agency of the United Methodist Church, UMCOR reaches worldwide to provide relief in five core areas: hunger, health, refugees, emergencies, and relief supplies. Since 1940 UMCOR has served people in almost 100 countries around the world. The organization is designed such that 100% of all donations are channeled directly to the earmarked project or relief effort. Therefore, UMCOR does very little advertising and is not as well known as other relief organizations like the Red Cross or Catholic Charities. “We have some areas in our own conference that have been hit pretty hard,” said Austin. “We can designate the money to go to those areas or to other Texas areas where there is great need. When we designate where the money is to go, UMCOR sends those areas 100% of those funds.” UMCOR’s responsibility is “to provide immediate relief of acute human need and to respond to the suffering of persons in the world caused by natural, ecological, political turmoil, and civil disaster.
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here is your God is Big Enough Bracelet? If you can look down and see it on your arm, you aren’t alone. Thousands of the bracelets have been distributed since their debut in 2011 and the trend does not seem to be slowing down. This summer, White’s Chapel members will have the opportunity to share their bracelets through digital postcards on Facebook. “We are encouraging our people to take their “God is Big Enough” bracelets on their family vacations and to take pictures of those bracelets wherever they go,” said Dr. Todd Renner, WC Co-Pastor. “Whether in the metroplex, across Texas, across the United States, or across the world, it is our hope you will send those pictures back home by posting them to White’s Chapel’s Facebook page. Renner believes the bracelets are emblematic of the Great Commission: taking the gospel to all the world and preaching to all people. He also suggests that members remember to take some extras to pass out. “Even though we’re on vacation, I think it’s really important that we remember our
church and remember our faith and that we take those with us when we go.” The bracelets have already been around the world. They have been documented on every continent with the exception of Antarctica, and have been printed in four languages, including a dialect specific to our mission destinations in Ghana. They accompany all of our mission teams. Additionally, they have been spotted on television being worn by athletes during major sporting events, and recently on “Fixer Upper” a popular HGTV series. WC Deputy Chief of Staff Derek Bennett has managed the campaign for much of its duration, and reports that about 10,000 bracelets are distributed each year. Kyle Roberson, Online Community Director, will oversee the Facebook uploads and is “looking forward to seeing all the different places the bracelet will go.” “I can attest to the fact that every Sunday people are taking bracelets and spreading them all around the community. It’s a great way to open a conversation with strangers. Often I’ll ask them how or where they got the bracelet, and they will invariably tell me how it helps them through hard days to remember their faith. Many say that they have passed one on to people who are having their own issues.” “I know that there are many people in our church out there using these bracelets as an evangelism tool.” Additional bracelets are available at all information areas of the church and are free.
Agape Meal—June 25—Join us as we help serve the homeless via the Agape Meal at Broadway Baptist in Ft. Worth. We gather at our church in the reception area (The Commons) by 4:20 p.m. and leave White’s Chapel by 4:30 p.m. on the church bus to arrive between 5:15–5:30 p.m. Dinner is served at 6 p.m. For those who are new to serving, a brief training session is provided prior to the meal. Living Fully—Dying Well—Begins Wednesday, July 29, from 10–11 a.m.—This 8-week study invites participants to understand that living fully and dying well requires deep personal faith as well as an inviting, vital, supportive and nurturing community of faith. Facilitated by Rev. Betsy Godbold. Register online.
Friday, June 5, 2015
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The White’s Chapel Herald
The Community of the Church (RE-VISITED)
Dr. Todd Renner
Every so often, it’s important that we remember why we’re here. We’ve printed this article before; and every time that it’s appeared, we’ve received powerful feedback. So, with the completion of campus construction and with our fervent desire to meet the needs of our surrounding communities, we hope you enjoy this little reminder.
There. Do you see it? You may have to squint, but it’s there. It’s a steeple rising above the skyline. It’s a spire soaring amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. In the midst of almost every major city is a church—or several churches. From the earliest days of Middle Ages, in the era of great cathedrals and meager chapels, the Church (capital “C” Church) has been the heart of community. It has been the place men and women have gathered to grow and learn, to celebrate and to mourn. The Church has been the hub, the center, of the communal life of towns and villages and cities. The city of Southlake is no different. Built around a small white-framed chapel, the community that would come to be known as Southlake grew around White’s Chapel. More than businesses and farms, though, the Church built relationships. It laid a foundation upon which families could build lives; it empowered people to build homes for themselves instead of just constructing houses. The Church nurtured relationships; it formed connections; it bonded families together. In tough times, it was the Church that spoke the needed words of hope; it was the Church that inspired communities to rally together, to grow together, to dream together. Today, though, we struggle to keep our place and our voice alive. Our steeples have been overshadowed for decades now. Our bells have been hushed by the louder noises of life. We’ve forgotten what the Church is supposed to be. We are not just a place to come to find rest for our souls or to hear the glorious good news of God’s love for us, for if we stop there, we’ve doomed the Church to an agonizing death. If what we experience within these walls and upon this sacred earth does not change us to live any differently in our communities—our cities and schools and neighborhoods—then we’ve failed to be the Church. You see, the Church is not just a plot of land meant for members; it is a living organism that was fashioned by God’s own hands to bring the Gospel to every corner of the world. The Church was (and still is) called to change the ethos of community, to challenge the social mores of our time, to build stronger and truer relationships—relationships that actually breed real community (not just a vain reflection of it). To reclaim our position as community leaders, community builders, and community changers, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has remarked that, “Africans have this thing called ubuntu. It is about the essence of being human; it is part of the gift that Africa will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being able to go the extra mile for the sake of others. We believe that a person is a person through another person, that my humanity is caught up, bound up, inextricably, with yours.” The same can be said of the Church: We are shaped by the community that surrounds us—by its needs, its resources, and its challenges; our role (or “essence”) is determined by the community that we serve. However, what we must realize and accept is that ubuntu, this new way of visioning “Church,” is a twoway street. Inasmuch as we are shaped by our community, we must, in turn, do all that is necessary and required to be community shapers ourselves. If we are products of the cultures in which we live, then we have a holy obligation to play a role—a vital role—in fashioning the values and dreams of that culture. We, as God’s Church, as Christ’s Body, must find it within ourselves to stand up and speak up for the Gospel. We are called to be witnesses of God’s love and mercy and peace and justice to the brokenness of our world, yes, but living out that call must start at home, in the communities and social circles that shape us. We must refuse to get caught up in the popular currents of this world—its selfishness and greed, its superficial emphasis on appearances—and, instead, create new currents—rivers of love and grace. For it will be only then that the Church plays its rightful role in building and shaping community. It will be then that our steeples rise to their fullest heights and our message will once again be the heart of community.
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 May 31
4,051
Christian Education 1,923
financials
May Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
2015 $137,784 $248,899 $127,192 $147,295 $228,078
2014 $193,250 $123,282 $147,641 $235,155 $149,002
MTD Actual $889,248 MTD Variance $ (7,750)
$848,330 $ 93,230
YTD Actual $3,522,181 YTD Variance $(382,366)
$3,258,775 $ (23,395)
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
“Elvis” wowed the ACT 55+ group at the May luncheon.
Council of Bishops Pastoral Letter on Racism (Editor’s note: The letter included here, following comments by Bishop Lowry, was composed during the Council of Bishops meeting in Berlin, and referred to in Bishop Lowry’s column printed in the Herald on May 22. Here is the letter in its entirety.)
May 7, 2015 While I have been in Europe attending the Council of Bishops meeting in Berlin, we as the world-wide Council have lived with the ongoing news of racial strife across the globe. One regular aspect of the nightly news here in Europe has been the struggle of European countries to respond in humanitarian ways to the refugees from North Africa. (For those unaware, there is a veritable tide of refugees crossing the narrow parts of the Mediterranean seeking the safety and financial opportunities that Europe offers. Typically, they land in Italy. By analogy for Americans, this is very similar to the Cuban and Vietnamese boat refugees that the United States has experienced in the past.) We have also been following the news of continuing clashes over police action in places like Baltimore. We are constantly aware of racial and tribal conflict in the Middle East. However someone understands any given situation (whether in Italy, the United States, the Middle East or somewhere else in the world), it is clear that racism is a world-wide issue. We who follow a Lord and Master who reached out in love to all people are committed to love, justice and mercy for all people. All really means all! Thus as a Council we believe we are to offer pastoral leadership on this critical issue for the whole church. As such, our episcopal pastoral letter is also shared as a witness to the wider world. I am convicted by the love of Christ to vote for this pastoral letter to the church and the world. I am honored to join my sister and brother bishops in sharing it with the church and the world. “Grace and peace in the name of Jesus Christ! We, the bishops of The United Methodist Church, are meeting in Berlin, Germany, 70 years after the end of World War II. As we gather, we renew our commitment to lead, as together we seek to become the beloved community of Christ. We are a church that proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. On every continent, people called United Methodist are boldly living the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Yet, the people of our world are hurting, as injustice, violence and racism abound. Our witness to the dignity of all human life and the reign of God is needed now more than ever. Our hearts break and our spirits cry out, as we see reports of migrant people being attacked and burned in the streets of South Africa, note the flight of Jews from Europe, watch the plight of Mediterranean refugees and see racially charged protests and riots in cities across the United States that remind us that systems are broken and racism continues. The evidence is overwhelming that race still matters, that racism is woven into institutional life and is problematic to communal health. This reality impacts every area of life—in the church and in the world. Racism is prejudice plus intent to do harm or discriminate based on a belief that one is superior or has freedom to use power over another based on race. Xenophobia is an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange. Racism and xenophobia, like other sins, keep us from being whole persons capable of living up to our full potential. They deny the profound theological truth that we are made in the image of God with the handprint of love and equality divinely implanted in every soul. As bishops of the Church, we cast a vision for a world community where human worth and dignity defeat acts of xenophobia and racism. We acknowledge that silence in the face of systemic racism and community fears serves only to make matters worse. We commit to lead, model and engage in honest dialogue and respectful conversation and invite people of faith everywhere to join us. Let us repent of our own racial bias and abuse of privilege. May we love God more deeply and, through that love, build relationships that honor the desire of people everywhere to be seen, valued, heard and safe. As we proclaim and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, may we lead the way in seeking justice for all, investing in and trusting God’s transforming power to create a world without hatred and racism. As United Methodists, we affirm that all lives are sacred and that a world free of racism and xenophobia is not only conceivable, but worthy of our pursuit. We renew our commitment to work for a Church that is anti-racist and pro-humanity, believing that beloved community cannot be achieved by ignoring cultural, racial and ethnic differences, but by celebrating diversity and valuing all people. “This commandment we have from him: Those who claim to love God ought to love their brother and sister also.” 1 John 4:21 (CEB) RESOURCES A New Dawn in Beloved Community: Stories with the Power to Transform Us, Linda Lee, ed., Abingdon Press, 2012 Pan-Methodist Statement on Racism from the 72nd Consultation of Methodist Bishops Understanding and Dismantling Racism: the Twenty-First Century Challenge to White America
The White’s Chapel Herald
Friday, June 5, 2015
Chapel HIll Children’s School Graduation
2015 High School Graduation
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The White’s Chapel Herald
Friday, June 5, 2015
North Texas Food Bank June 30, July 7, & July 21 We need volunteers to work in their warehouse! The scheduled time for this shift is 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m. We will meet in the church parking lot no later than 7:45 am and carpool. All volunteers are encouraged to bring water, to dress comfortably and must wear closed toed shoes. Any student volunteers between the ages 8 to 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Please email us to let us know if you will participate with us on June 30th, July 7 & 21st. You can contact us at faithworks2035@ whiteschapelumc.com. Straight Talk about Healthy Dating Begins Wednesday, June 10, from 7–8 p.m. How would we define dating in society today, especially for those of us who follow Christ? It seems like there are endless steps in order to date somebody: the “talking stage,” the “goingout stage,” and then when we finally reach the “boyfriend/ girlfriend stage,” what boundaries and rulebook do we live by? What expectations do we have for the people that we date, and are there red flags that we should be paying attention to, especially if we plan to spend the rest of our lives with this person? This Bible study is centered around a book by Jimmy Evans and Frank Martin called The
Right One, which outlines many important and often overlooked elements of dating, including: l The Myths of Love l Expectations l The Right and Wrong Way to Date l Recognizing Red Flags l Communication l Shared Vision and Purpose Facilitated by Caitlin Coleman, this sixweek class beginning Wednesday, June 10 from 7–8 p.m. is open to anyone from high school age students to young adult dating couples. Register online. The book and study guide is available in our Circuit Writer bookstore. Contact Caitlin at caitycole7@ gmail.com or Tracy Christensen. The Screwtape Letters Summer Study Begins Monday, June 15 from noon–1 p.m. The secret’s out. You’ve stumbled upon a mysterious series of recorded conversations between two demons tasked with securing the demise of their human “patients.” If you’re interested in finding out just what those demons have to say, join Pastor Judy Hunt for this six-week class on Mondays from noon to one as she explores the delightfully disturbing (and often diabolically humorous) book The Screwtape Letters by noted author, C.S. Lewis. Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was a renowned scholar, Christian apologist and author of more than 30 books, including The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity. We hope you will join us as we explore this wry and insightful correspondence between an old devil and his younger apprentice. It’s sure to open your eyes and ears to the devil’s schemes—and to the One who has overcome them! Register for class online. For more information contact Tracy Christensen.
Caden Leonard eating lunch with Pastor John after saving 100 Believer’s tickets! Both loved sharing stories about sports as they ate yummy cheeseburgers at Freddy’s!
Early Response Team Cont’d from page 1
all types of power tools, anything you can imagine that can be used in a cleanup and construction situation. Austin states that money for this equipment was collected through earlier communion offerings, while the trailer was generously donated by a private donor at White’s Chapel. Each of the team members travel to the affected areas at their own expense; they typically pay for their own gas, lodging, and meals. “It is completely a work of love,” said Austin. “We were fortunate this time that Dripping Springs UMC provided lodging for our workers, so that expense was not incurred by them. They are doing this truly as a service and a gift from their heart.” Dave Houser, one of the WC team members, reported that he heard in a radio report in Wemberley that over 1000 volunteers had answered the call to assist the citizens of that area. “Just to look at the area and the location, it was amazing to think that they would ever get flooded as they did, but the gauge that
measured the flooding quit working at 48 feet above the regular waterline.” One of the people Houser spoke to was a woman who lost her husband during the flooding. “They had both crawled up to the roof to escape the water. The husband was disabled and was not strong enough to hold on. Unfortunately, she watched as he finally had to let go, fell into the turbulent water, and was washed into the river.” Interestingly enough, Houser said, the person at the first house told us that “he had had to go to his daughter’s school for a school event and the flooding occurred while he was gone. He says he believes that attending that school event probably saved his life.” Houser expressed a wish that more people were trained for the Early Response Team. Training is typically held on the White’s Chapel campus in Rawlins Hall. Anyone is welcome to participate. “This is something people do because they want to serve in this area,” said Austin. “There is no greater reward than when we truly go with a heart that’s right without an agenda. We are able to bless, but we are able to receive blessings as well.”
Visit wckids.org to sign up!
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision. And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also for the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. Nehemiah 2:17–18 You will recall how Nehemiah was commissioned by King Artaxerxes of Persia to return to Jerusalem and oversee the enormous task of rebuilding the walls of that city and her gates. Upon his arrival, Nehemiah took a ride around the city to inspect the wall. He wanted an up-close and firsthand understanding of the job that lay before him. You can read about his inspection report here in this chapter (vv. 13–16). I won’t say he was discouraged, but clearly he was under no false delusion that the task would be easy. Not only was there much work to be done, but there was the ever-present danger they faced from their enemies that lived right in their midst—enemies who were solidly against the rebuilding of the wall. But Nehemiah was a man of great vision and faith. He spoke to the people, challenged them with the task, reminded them of the faithfulness of God, and here we read of their response. And
they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. Despite the opposition and no matter the constant taunts of their enemies, the people rose up and applied themselves to the job. And a little later (4:6) we read: “So we built the wall. And the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” Oh, if that was the normal reaction we might see among the people of God today! What a blessing we’d experience if this was the dominant attitude within our churches! It really should be that way, shouldn’t it? Are we not all called to serve? Doesn’t the New Testament identify all the followers of Christ as “slave” or “servant”? And has not our Lord himself told us to lift up our eyes, for behold the fields are white unto harvest? And are we not commanded to pray that the Lord of the harvest will thrust forth more laborers into His harvest field? Then why is it that we witness so many who fall out of the ecclesiastical workplace? How about it? To what degree and in what measure are you actively giving of yourself unto the work of the church? What gifts do you bring? What talents and skills do you offer? What portion of your time do you make available for the ongoing work of the church mission? It is your responsibility to apply yourself faithfully to work for which you were created—joining with your brothers and sisters—until the work is finished. May God bless you all.
Doesn’t the New Testament identify all the followers of Christ as “slave” or “servant”?