December 20, 2024



Dear Centenary family,

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is upon us. I hope you’re making plans to join us for one of our Christmas Eve worship services. Our 3 p.m. service will provide an opportunity for our children to participate. Our 8:30 p.m. service will be a service of Christmas Lessons and Carols (a different service from our recent wonderful Advent Lessons and Carols Service). We’ll sing the great Christmas Carols as we remember the good news of Christmas recorded in Scripture. And we’ll hear beautiful music from our choir. One of the pieces you’ll hear at 8:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve is based on a wonderful poem written by Howard Thurman called “The Work of Christmas.” The beautiful musical setting of this text will help us make the connection between God’s great gift of Christmas and our response to that gift of boundless love. It also reminds us that Christmas is not just a single day on the calendar, but a way of life. I like to think that Centenary is a church that understands Christmas. Here’s the text to the poem:

When the song of the angels is stilled,

when the star in the sky is gone,

when the kings and princes are home,

when the shepherds are back with their flocks,

the work of Christmas begins:

 to heal the broken,

to feed the hungry,

to release the prisoner,

to rebuild the nations,

to bring peace among the people,

to make music in the heart.

I also want to introduce you to Rev. Dr. Marg Kutz who will be coming to be the interim pastor here at Centenary beginning on February 1. (see below) Marg is a good friend and as you will read has an outstanding record of service and accomplishment as a pastor. She has valuable experience in the role of being an interim pastor. Just as we learn from each other as we do ministry together in the local church, we clergy also learn a lot from our colleagues. Marg is one of those people I’ve learned a great deal from. She is just the right person for this season in Centenary’s mission here in downtown Richmond and I know you will love working with her. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. I firmly believe Centenary’s best days are still ahead!

Christ has come—and Christ will come again. Christ is coming to us and our broken world even now. And that’s the best news possible!

Peace,

Matt

Welcome Rev. Dr. Margaret T. Kutz

(Kutz rhymes with “puts”)

Marg was born in Pennsylvania to a family of seven children. She graduated from Clarion University in 1971 with a degree in Elementary Education, Wesley Theological Seminary in 1976 with a Master of Divinity Degree, and Virginia Union University Samuel Proctor School of Theology in 2007 with a Doctor of Ministry. She was ordained a deacon in the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1974 and an elder in 1977.

Beginning in 1976 Marg served as pastor of six United Methodist churches in Virginia including Round Hill in Loudoun County, Trinity in McLean, Sleepy Hollow and St. Luke’s in Falls Church, Wellspring in Williamsburg, and Chester in central Virginia. She retired in 2013 with 39 years of service, the longest serving clergywoman in the history of the Virginia Conference. Since her retirement she has served as interim pastor at St. Stephen’s in Fairfax County (for a year), Brandermill (for 3 months), Pender in Fairfax (for 8 months.), Wesley in Hopewell (for 5 months), and Calvary in Arlington (for 3 months). Her most coveted award is the Harry Denman Evangelism Award which she received in 2008.

Marg fulfilled her life-long call of teaching in Africa when she went to South Sudan in the fall of 2013 and opened a secondary school, teaching the first five weeks. She continues to work with the Lost Boys of Sudan and Abukloi Foundation, a non-profit in Virginia, in their work to improve the lives of people in South Sudan through education and opportunity. The secondary school she started now has nearly 700 students enrolled. 

She has recently published her first book “Nevertheless, She Preached: Story of the First Two Methodist Clergywomen in Virginia.” It is available from Amazon in paperback, Kindle and audio. Proceeds go toward female education in South Sudan and in Virginia. She is currently working on a second book about a clergywoman in Pennsylvania.

Marg and Bob have been married for 52 years and have two children and four grandchildren.   Marg’s hobbies include gardening, bird watching, walking, reading and art.

Sundays at 10:30am

In person and online.

Estimate of Giving Cards

There is still time submit your pledge for 2025. To learn more about pledging, you can read the entire stewardship letter here.

You are invited to pledge using the Estimate of Giving card that was sent out earlier this month. If you don't one, some are available on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary. You can fill it out and return it in the offering plate.

Or you may pledge online using the simple online pledge form. REMINDER: if you give online, pledging online does not change your online giving. If you have changed your pledge and you give regularly, you will need to update your online giving.

To pledge online, click here.

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Thoughts from the Finance Team

As you prayerfully consider your pledge commitment to Centenary for 2025, please think about completing your pledge for 2024. Below is an update of our total pledges for 2024:

Total amount pledged for 2024              $315,115.64

Total pledges paid as of Dec. 19, 2024  $294,044.70

The newsletter will be taking a holiday break

and will return on January 3!

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