Friday, July 17, 2015
Join us this weekend as we continue our sermon series “Suburban Legends.” We look forward to seeing you!
Volume 6, Edition 1
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Wizard of Oz
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he White’s Chapel Arts Academy is pleased to announce the production of the Young Performers’ Edition of The Wizard of Oz as the 2015 summer musical, according to Academy Director Kyle Austin. The performance is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, July 23–24, at 7 p.m. in the Bridge. Admission is free. Rehearsals for the annual summer play began on July 6 and will continue daily through the 21st under the direction of Lindsey Goldapp. Lauren Franklin is one of several volunteers who will assist. The show was cast in June, and is described by Austin as a “quick cyclone of music.” “We put the production together in a very short time,” he said of the process. “The kids have been working on memorizing the material for several weeks. It’s always fun to watch them come begin production when they are a little bit more prepared. It allows the time they use in rehearsal to really be used to bring their characters alive using the sets, the blocking, and the choreography instead of simply trying to work on lines.”
God Is Big Enough
You are taking the message that God Is Big Enough all around the community, the state, and the world. Keep up the great work and make sure to post it on the White’s Chapel Facebook page or send it to kroberson@whiteschapelumc.com.
Pews still available for Grace Chapel
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he opportunity to be a part of the dream that will be Grace Chapel is almost gone. Construction is close to completion in this final part of our recent building campaign, and worship in this sacred place is near reality. Within Grace Chapel there are 32 pews, and purchase of these have been offered to members of the congregation as a way of remembering or honoring someone special with a commemorative plaque on the pew. A total of 64 plaques were available
for this special remembrance, and only a few are left. The plaques left are for end-of-aisle placement and are available for $1,000. All center aisle plaques have been sold. This is a beautiful way to say thank you to a special family member or friend. We hope to have all plaques sold by August 1. If you or someone you know is interested in purchasing one of these limited plaques for Grace Chapel, please contact Linda Spence. Linda Spence | lspence@whiteschapelumc.com
Women’s brunch celebrates Faith through the Generations
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hite’s Chapel women will celebrate the diversity of women from ages 12 to 102 in the annual summer brunch scheduled for July 30. Rev. Jo V. Ponder will be the guest speaker at the event planned for 10 a.m to noon in the Bridge. “This is a great time for women just to get together and reconnect over the summer,” said Leila Carlson, WC Director of Women’s Ministries. “This year we want to really focus on intergenerational fellowship and dynamics. The idea is to celebrate that all generations can really learn from each other and grow in their faith through those relationships. As Christian women we have a very important voice in sharing our stories and supporting each other in our Christian walk.” The goal for Rev. Ponder is to encourage and empower those attending, both young and notas-young, to share their faith stories with each other and to use these shared experiences to grow closer to God. BRUNCH cont’d on page 4
“It’s pretty remarkable to see what a group of kids and a couple of adults can do in that period of time. I really enjoy the summer productions because I don’t have to wait so long to see the end result.” Austin stated that though summer productions usually tend to have a limited set design, luck lent a hand with the help of this year’s Vacation Bible School. “We always try to maximize our resources as best we can,” he said. “Because VBS had a jungle theme, we were able to pull some of those WIZARD cont’d on page 3
Supply Drive will be “Easiest Ever”
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f filling a basket with late summer bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils is one of your favorite things to do, then just open your eyes in any local store and the opportunity is there. But if those three little words—Back to School— don’t really do it for you, one part of the annual ritual may be a little easier. FaithWork’s annual Back-to-School Supply Drive just became a bit more donor friendly. Each year FaithWorks, with the help of a lot of faithful White’s Chapel members and Angels’ Attic, WC’s local resale/mission store, provides much-needed school supplies for many who cannot afford this expense.
“We are going to try something a little different this year,” said Joan Sears, WC Coordinator for Missions and Outreach. “We will be asking families to purchase prepackaged kits that have most of the essential items for students in each designated grade. Packets are available according to year in elementary grades all the way through high school. We are hopeful that the kits may even be available online for quick order, making it the easiest drive ever.” The FaithWorks drive will culminate on Monday, Aug. 10, when donors are requested SUPPLY cont’d on page 3
“We are going to try something a little different this year.”
Christians Facing Cancer—July 14—6:30 p.m. in room 3102 of the Adult Ed. Building. Special guest will be Ananya Hatley, Medical Massage Therapist from Spa on the Square, who will speak on “Therapeutic Massage for Current and Post Cancer Patients.” Contact Sherry Wermuth for more information. 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 17, 2015
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The White’s Chapel Herald
Pastoral Care adds newly appointed Macalik
Who (and what) are Methodists?
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rom time to time, we like to take an opportunity to help people understand who we are as a faith tradition. We know that during these summer months we get the opportunity to host many first-time guests—many who’ve never experienced a Methodist church before. As one who made this journey some years ago, I’ve found it incredibly helpful to know where we’ve been in order to know where we’re going. First, we need to know that our denomination started out as a revival movement within the Church of England. John Wesley, who was ordained as an Anglican priest, saw the apathy and staleness that permeated his Church and wanted—no, he yearned for—something more. He knew that the call of faith existed in more than just the sterile and irrelevant rituals that languished within the walls of country chapels and soaring cathedrals. He knew that faith demanded more, that faith deserved more. Holding true to this conviction, in 1729 he began to meet with several other students (including his brother, Charles, who wrote over 6,000 hymns, including “O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and “Hark! The Herald Angel Sing”) at Oxford University in what came to be derided as the “Holy Club.” They met not out of any sort of judgmental piety, but to take the call of the gospel message seriously. They were an early-formed accountability group; they studied the Bible and visited the prisons and cared for the poor. They owned Jesus’ message of a practical piety that bursts forth from a vital relationship with God. And because of their disciplined and methodical approach to this life, they were mockingly called “Methodists”—a name that stuck. Firmly grounded on a theology of grace, United Methodists still strive towards perfection—for a personal holiness that gets lived out in social holiness. It’s this two-fold approach of taking the Gospel seriously that defines our movement that still reaches forward today.
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 July 12
3,174
Christian Education 1,952
financials July Week 1 Week 2
2015 $140,805 $168,749
2014 $145,177 $148,241
MTD Actual $309,554 MTD Goal $326,552 MTD Variance $(16,997)
$293,418 $271,230 $ 22,188
YTD Actual $4,429,098 YTD Goal $4,960,640 YTD Variance$ (531,541)
$3,997,209 $4,003,460 $ (6,251)
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
If you attended the recent Meet the Pastors cookout, you probably discovered an extra pastor who you were not familiar with. Because of a late appointment through the Central Texas Conference, we are pleased to introduce her now. Rev. Tolli Macalik was born in Indiana, but has lived in Texas for over 40 years. She grew up on the west side of Fort Worth. Macalik did her undergraduate work at Dallas Baptist University in Business Management. She is expected to earn her Master of Divinity at Perkins (SMU) in Pastoral Care next year, with graduation pending completion of her internship that begins here at White’s Chapel this fall. Macalik became a licensed local pastor in 2011 and has worked as a hospital chaplain for the past several years. She and her husband, Frank, are “a blended family with two daughters, two sons, and their spouses.” They have three grandchildren, with a fourth on the way. The Macaliks live in N. Arlington.
Report on the Core Leadership Team/ Cabinet Retreat In the last week of June, the Central Texas Conference (CTC) Core Leadership Team and Cabinet met to begin work on the seven recommendations adopted by the Central Texas Conference in the Exodus Project Evaluation Report. With the adoption of the Exodus Project Evaluation Report, the CTC Core Team and Cabinet promised to begin work on the seven recommendations adopted by the Central Texas Conference in the Exodus Project Evaluation Report. By way of recall, the seven recommendations that came out of the Exodus Project evaluation were: Recommendation 1: Develop a New Process to Guide Programming Decisions Recommendation 2: Formalize Resourcing to Leverage Local Expertise Recommendation 3: Focus Disproportionately on “Select” Churches Recommendation 4: Invest in Leadership Development Recommendation 5: Create Transparent Evaluation Processes that Align with Exodus Recommendation 6: Re-emphasize Peer Learning Recommendation 7: Clarify the Role of the DS Dr. Mike Bonem, our Conference consultant for the Exodus Project evaluation, led us through a process of focusing on the top two or three recommendations. There was a clear consensus that all of the recommendations are important and need to be addressed; however, our work recognized that we must begin with a focused intent on a smaller list. There was close to unanimous consent (with some 20 people in the room, both lay and clergy leaders) that the item of first importance was recommendation #4: to invest in leadership development. Likewise there was close to unanimous agreement that recommendation #3 was second on the list in order of importance. Much improvement in leadership development was noted. Last year, the Conference made a heavy investment in lay leadership development with the addition of Dr. Kevin Walters to work with Kim Simpson (Conference Lay Leader) and Georgia Adamson (Executive Director of the Center for Leadership Development). The HCI Lay Leadership Development groups have proved to be a strong part of lay leadership development. A variety of other leadership development options were noted for clergy—High Octane Preaching, Board of Ordained Ministry Residency, HCI Pastoral Leadership groups, various continuing education events, etc. What the group wrestled with was the need for a more coherent and cohesive process of leadership development (as differentiated from episodic learning opportunities). The Core Leadership Team and Cabinet noted critical elements of leadership development: Self-evaluation, Orthodox theology, Emotional intelligence, Constantly develop preaching, Learn to handle stress, Staffing/administrative leadership, Evaluation based on performance. The list is in no way exhaustive but rather suggestive of the lines of development needed for growing clergy leaders. A group of selection criteria were established for implementation of recommendation #3, “Focus disproportionately on ‘Select’ Churches.” Some obvious questions that beg answering are: Who selects the churches? What is the criteria by which a church is to be considered select? How will this “focus” be implemented? The critical answer to who or what is a “selected” church is that our focus will be on “the coalition of the willing.” Churches will self-select by how they engage in the ministry and mission of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Some of the self-selection criteria involved will be: Ability or willingness to grow. (How would we know?—by a church’s response) (1) Readiness 360, (2) Capacity; (3) what they do/how they vote, (4) intervention (?) Evidence of new energy, commitment, etc. Exercise demons (resolving past disputes and control issues)—willingness to engage in intervention when needed, etc. Crucial location/situation The third issue we looked at was Recommendation #1, “Develop a New Process to Guide Programming Decisions.” We noted some preliminary issues. The need to develop a clear set of decision-making criteria and communicate better. We raised the question, is there value to have a budget review committee external to the Conference Center? We focused on three key convictions/commitments: 1. Clarify decision-making process for programs (& resources), 2. Communicate better; 3. Don’t tolerate silos…. Work on ending silos. “Is it a problem to be solved or a tension to be managed?” (Andy Stanley). This begins the process of learning and implementation of the next steps facing the Central Texas Conference. The Evaluation Report for the Exodus Project is found in the Pre-Conference Journal beginning on page 29. As we worked together, we could sense the Holy Spirit guiding our efforts. I invite and urge lay and clergy who are a part of the Central Texas Conference to join in the journey.
The White’s Chapel Herald
Friday, July 17, 2015
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Pastors Meet and Greet
The Wizard of Oz Cont’d from page 1
flowers and trees in for Munchkinland. Colorful rainbows and butterflies were easily recycled and sometimes repainted to give us a much more elaborate set than we typically have for our summer musical.” Several new actors will be introduced to the White’s Chapel stage while also utilizing young people who have become WC performance veterans. Newcomer Abigail Balson will portray Dorothy, while Sydney Reardon will also be introduced as the Cowardly Lion. Veterans will include Mercer Schulte as Toto; Skyler Gerard as Auntie Em; Zach Lacy as Uncle Henry/the Ozian Guard; Annie Garcia as the Scarecrow; and Sarah Lacy as the Tin Man. Rounding out the cast will be Parker Periera, Isaiah Blalock, Honor Pearson, Reagan McBride, and Chloe Ritterbusch. Numerous others will comprise the chorus, dancers, Munchkins, Ozians, and Flying Monkeys. “It’s a very busy show! The movie is wonderful, but the play is wonderfully busy. There is a lot going on, what with flying monkeys and witches and all those trips down the yellow brick road.” Music will include numbers that those familiar with the story have come to know and love. Austin assures that “Over the Rainbow” will make you melt. “Abigail does a wonderful job; she has a beautiful young voice.” “The Wizard of Oz was always one of my favorites growing up,” added Austin. “I remember seeing it for the first time and immediately when it was finished I started watching it over again—all the way through a second time. Personally, I always related to the cowardly lion for some reason. Though now I feel like I have gained a bit of courage over the years, that to me was the funny comic relief in the story that I always enjoyed.” The summer musical has become a tradition at White’s Chapel. The play, in addition to being a welcome relief from the heat, is also a treasure of entertainment for families, neighbors, and friends. All are welcome!
The performance is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, July 23–24, at 7 p.m. in the Bridge. Admission is free.
School Supply Drive Cont’d from page 1
to bring the supplies to a designated area at the church for collection and distribution. In addition to the basic supply kits, FaithWorks will purchase bulk items of commonly used supplies such as tissue, spiral notebooks, pencils, and paper with monies provided by Angels’ Attic. “We are very lucky,” said Rev. Dara Austin, FaithWorks Director. “We apply annually for a grant from Angels’ Attic for this very thing. We have been fortunate in that thus far, each year we have applied we have been given that grant money. It has always allowed us to fill in gaps in the areas of need that are lacking. Angels’ Attic has continued to be very, very gracious in supporting us in this.” “We are hoping this new plan—purchasing basic prepackaged kits—will work really well. We are looking for ways to keep the costs minimal.” Austin suggests that supplies purchased be put into the large plastic bags used earlier in the year for the Baby Blessing drive. “That drive was so successful and so easy!” she said. “We are encouraging our people to do the same with school supply packs, and to label them with the grade for which their completed list was designated.” Completed supply bags will be taken to numerous locations, one of which is White’s Chapel’s adopted church, El Buen Samaritano United Methodist Church in Fort Worth. Church leaders there will distribute the supplies to their children in need. Additional bags will be distributed to El Buen’s neighborhood school, TA Sims
Elementary. The supplies will be available for any child who walks into school the first day without supplies; supplies will be distributed discreetly through the counseling department to the child or the child’s teacher. Austin adds that an additional focus has been added this fall to our local schools. “We want to collect enough so that we can help some of the schools, students, and families in our local areas,” she explained. “We know that there are schools in GrapevineColleyville, Keller, Birdville—and, yes, even Carroll ISD—where children have a need for these basic supplies. This is our ministry area and we want to make sure that we take care of our local people and our local parish. While we don’t often think that there’s a need here, there really is. We need to be taking care of these children and families as well. School counselors are usually aware of needs and are able to help as needed.” “It is our earnest goal to make sure that all children have what they need to get a good start in school this year. We’re trying to broaden our recognition of need to include as many children as possible. Families and individuals interested in participating in this will be able to go online on our website and see just how many kids depend on us for this service.” The supply drive began July 15. Austin emphasized the August 10 deadline so that all children are guaranteed supplies by the beginning of the school year. Donations can be dropped off at the Administration Building during the week.
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The White’s Chapel Herald
Friday, July 17, 2015
Women’s Brunch Cont’d from page 1
Kids and Crayons By Aug. 10 We are once again asking folks this year to support our back-to-school drive. We will be providing basic kits to children at El Buen Samaritano UMC, T.A. Sims Elementary School in southeast Fort Worth, and our adopt-a-school, plus some schools in our local area that have a need. A very basic kit is requested and they are due back to WC no later than August 10. The supply list will be on the FaithWorks web page beginning July 15 and you can sign up for whichever grade you would like. For more information contact Rev. Dara Austin. AGAPE Meal July 23 We will be going to Broadway Baptist for the Agape Meal for the homeless on Thursday, July 23. We’ll gather at the church in the Commons area at 4:15, leave at 4:30 p.m., and return around 8 p.m. We will have the church bus for those who do not wish to drive themselves to Broadway Baptist in Ft. Worth. For more information, contact Jane Grazer at janegrazer@hotmail.com or 817726-6379.
Men’s Fall Mission Trip October 2015 ATTN. MEN: Be an agent of God’s Kingdom and a source of hope to the people of San Antonio this October! On October 22–25, WC Men’s Ministries is partnering with Blueprint Ministries to serve the poor of San Antonio by making homes safe, warm and dry, as well as by building relationships, in a city recognized as having the highest percentage of substandard housing of any
major city in the U.S. Men (18 yrs. and up) of all skill levels are encouraged to attend this three-day experience in one of the most beautiful cities in Texas. Cost is $220 per person, and a T-shirt is included. So, dust off those work boots, grab a hat and join us! To register & pay go to whiteschapelumc. com and click on Payments & Registrations. For more information contact Jay McMeans at jay@mcmeans.us or Jim Stalder at jim@ stalder.com. For more information about Blueprint, visit www.blueprintministry.com. Join us for WC Young Adults @ Group Dynamix Saturday, July 25 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Are you looking for a fun way to get to know other young people between the ages of 19–35? Are you looking for a welcoming, fun group to connect with and unwind with? Do you like rope courses, glow in the dark dodge ball, archery tag and other team building activities? This is the event for you! Cost is $15 per participant and covers snacks and admission. We’ll meet at Group Dynamix (1215 Trend Drive Carrollton, Texas 75006) at 8:45 a.m. Please register online. For more information contact Young Adults Pastor, Rev. Owen McKnight at omcknight@ whiteschapelumc.com.
“We are very excited about this new focus,” said Carlson. “It is our hope that people will be encouraged to bring their moms, sisters, daughters, and teenaged or older granddaughters to celebrate this multi-generational sharing of faith. We also hope that women will bring their best friend or will come and make new friends. We will do our best to see that you are at a table where you are comfortable and can share in this delightful occasion. It will simply be a celebration of friendship, fellowship, and fun.” This will be Carlson’s first event as Director of Women’s Ministry since moving from her leadership role in the Children’s Department in June, an area she had been a part of for many years. In her own words, the move was “bittersweet.” “I’ve been on staff in Children’s Ministries for 15 years,” she explained. “I was so fortunate in that John allowed me to do so many crazy projects, renovate Sunday school programs and start all kinds of new things. I was able to try all kinds of different programming and it has been and was an honor. The children, the volunteers, and the parents have always been so lovely and I enjoyed every minute. I was also so humbled to work with such a dedicated and talented Children’s Ministry staff; I could not have asked for more devoted people.” Carlson believes God “has been calling me to stretch myself a little bit, and for a while I did not know what that meant, but now I know. I am very excited to jump into this new opportunity to come alongside the women of White’s Chapel and work with leadership in additional areas of service.” Dress for the brunch is summer casual. The $5 fee covers all costs of the lunch. Registration forms may be picked up at the informational kiosks located around the entrances of the church. Online registration, however, is preferred and can be found on the White’s Chapel website under Payments and Registrations. Additional questions may be answered by contacting Carlson.
It will simply be a celebration of friendship, fellowship, and fun.”
Leila Carlson | lcarlson@whiteschapelumc.com
So you want to get involved at White’s Chapel, right? And you have two hours a week to have FUN, right? Then check us out! Bring a friend and join us! No experience is needed, just a willingness to have fun and make a difference! Where would YOU like to help? Donation Center: Take in and sort donations Store: Display merchandise, greet and help customers Stop by the store at 1635 & 1639 W. Northwest Hwy. in Grapevine, and chat, or contact Debbie Adelt at Debbie@adeltmail.com to get on the weekly email list.
Take a break and join WC for a Midweek Meditation at noon on Wednesdays. Worship with us in person or online at whiteschapelumc. com/media/live
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different Spirit from the one you received, of if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough… for you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 2 Corinthians 11:3–4, 20
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ccording to Greek mythology, sirens were beautiful, elusive creatures, portrayed as females, who would use their enchanting voices to lure mariners to their doom, shipwrecking them upon the rocks. I fear that we still live in such times, for dangerous sirens remain among us, intent upon luring the untrained, untaught, unprepared believer unto his or her ruin. The Apostle Paul clearly expressed his own fears for the spiritual well-being of the believers of Corinth. He had a great love for these people, a “godly jealousy” (v.2) for them, many of whom he had led to faith in Christ. These were his spiritual children, and he was alarmed to see that some were being led astray by the false and error-filled teachings of others. I am not referring to congregations today which are afflicted with bad theology. While the flawed doctrinal position of these groups
is sad indeed and necessitates the church’s patient tolerance, we yet recognize them brothers and sisters in Christ where there is a firm commitment to the gospel of grace and the absolute authority of the Scriptures. The real danger we face lies with other cults and pseudo-Christian groups that, while possessing much of the outward form, possess nothing of the truth or the power of the true Church of Jesus Christ. These are nothing more than modern “sirens” intent on plundering the weak among the flock of Christ. Now, as then, these devilish sirens put forth “another Jesus” other than He who is held up for us in the gospels. Theirs is a Jesus innocently stripped of His deity, authority, and glory. Their Jesus may be recognized as a “good man” or a “holy prophet,” but he is not honored by them as the Only Begotten of the Father, God in the flesh in whom all the fullness of the Godhead rested. Their Jesus is not the supreme and final word of God as seen in the book of Hebrews and the one in whom and by whom the believer is justified by grace alone, through faith alone. The Apostle Jude exhorted us “to contend for the faith once for all handed down to the saints.” We must study God’s Word and prayerfully ask Him to apply His truth to our hearts and lives. Equipped thusly, no song of the sirens around us will succeed in luring our hearts away from the Christ who died for us and was raised for our justification. May God bless you all.
We must study God’s Word and prayerfully ask Him to apply His truth to our hearts and lives.