January 12, 2024

Beginning the Dream Like Jesus Process

The past 18 months in Creating a Culture of Renewal, I have been learning much about how we can create a culture open to renewal in the church. This has involved learning about personality styles, learning to listen more deeply, learning to re-frame difficult circumstances to see where God might be working even there. I have learned how to observe more keenly where God is moving in our congregation. There’s still much of this I want to share with you and others.

We’re now at the point in this process where we begin to put these tools into action by doing three things over the next 18 months: 

1. Developing a new vision. 
2. Aligning resources (facilities, staff, volunteers, finances) to move toward that vision. 
3. Executing that vision.

I welcome your thoughts about who might be willing to be part of a team to work on the first part of this: Visioning.

The visioning process seeks to envision something big—a Jesus size dream. Here are the five elements of a Jesus size dream.

1. The vision expands assumptions about what is possible.
2. The vision is bigger than you are.
3. The vision scares you.
4. The vision is about the flourishing of the Kingdom or the community, not the survival of the institution.
5. The vision inspires and unifies. So a vision is an imagined future condition of the community that reflects the Five Surprise Elements of a Jesus-like dream.

By contrast a mission is the reason your church or ministry exists. The mission may remain constant over many years.

Values, on the other hand, are the qualities your congregation or ministry demonstrates as it lives out both its mission and vision. There are two types of values: lived and aspirational. 

Questions to begin our reflection

• Given what you know now about mission, vision, and values, what is our congregational mission. What is the reason we exist at this time?
• What are the lived values of our church? (What really guides in making decisions?) 
• What are our aspirational values? (What values would we aspire to honor and allow to guide us?) 
• Given the needs of the community and longing of the people, what vision might emerge from our mission and aspirational values?

You’ll be hearing more about this in weeks to come. In the meantime, if you’d like to be part of the visioning process we’re about to engage in, I’d love to discuss that with you. Email me at srpastor@centumc.org.

Peace, Matt 

Sundays at 10:30am

In person and online.

All Day Singing and Dinner on the Grounds

February 11 ar 10:30 a.m.

Our United Methodist heritage in America is a curious combination of the liturgical worship of the Church of England, in which John Wesley served as a priest all his life, and the revival tradition of the Camp Meetings on the American Frontier. On February 11, we’re going to tap into a tradition well-known, particularly in the South, All Day Singing and Dinner on the Grounds. In many churches these events were day long experiences where people gathered to sing their favorite hymns and eat great food together. After all, as someone has quipped, “Eating and singing are two things we love to do.” Or to put it another way, two things that bind is together in community are worshiping God together and sharing in times of deep fellowship where we encourage one another in our faith journey. 

Our worship service on February 11 will be a time of singing some of our favorite hymns along with some old hymns some folks grew up on but have perhaps been forgotten. Dinner together will follow worship. Here’s how Mary E. Vetrovec, our Gathering Team chair has described this day which builds on our Centenary Connects theme for the year:

Question: How do I become a Methodist?

Answer: Easy 

1. Believe in Jesus Christ
2. Own a 9 X 12 casserole dish

Join mid-winter fun! Let's celebrate Nostalgia with n old-fashioned hymn sing followed by a meal in the church basement. Think "All Hail the Power..." with casseroles and Jello salads! Bring your favorite, casserole, main dish, salad, or dessert to share. Family recipes are welcomed. If you are new to old time hymns or pot lucks Mr. Google can help! And check out this interesting article about this tradition: All-Day Singing and Dinner on the Ground

We invite you to share with us your five favorite hymns. Watch for an email next week with a form to help you submit those hymns as well as opportunities in worship to turn in your suggestions.

With so many people in the world in danger of starvation, it is incumbent on all of us to do everything in our power to help to elevate this problem. In the past Centenary has participated in the Rise Against Hunger program by coming together to package meals for shipment to countries where hunger is a huge problem. We have packaged over 120,000 meals and on Saturday, January 20 we will add 10,152 meals to that total. This event has always been a popular and exciting time to get together with friends and families for a worthwhile cause and can be done by people of any age or physical condition.

The actual packaging begins at 10:00 but we ask that everyone arrive by 9:30 for instructions and assignments and to help in setting up. We need about 50 people for 2 hours to accomplish our goal so invite family, neighbors and friends to come together for this opportunity to serve others. See you on January 20!  

The Smethie Circle, UMW,

Women in Faith

January 31 ~ 1:00 pm at

Ginter Park UMC

1010 W. Laburnum Ave

(There is a nice parking lot there.)

Please plan to come and meet our new co-leaders,

Sharon Steele and Judy Johnson,

along with other new members from Ginter Park. 

This is an exciting new adventure! Don’t miss it !!

We meet Sundays at 9:00 am in Fellowship Hall. Join us!

Estimates of Giving

We will continue to receive your Estimate of Giving. You can submit your estimate online, drop it in the offering plate or mail it to the church.

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If You Give and Pledge Online

Please remember that submitting your pledge online does not

update any scheduled giving that you set up in the past.

You will need to adjust your automated/scheduled giving separately.

Zoom Bible Study

Wednesdays at 10:00am

We are back on January 10.

An email with more information and the Zoom link is sent out every Tuesday.

If you would like to join us, contact the church office to be put on the email list

for all the details.

Brethren

In concert TONIGHT (Friday, January 12)

7:00 pm at Bon Air UMC

1645 Buford Road

The group Brethren was officially founded in 2006 with 12 singers and a desire to share their music ministry with the people of the DC/MD/VA area. They didn't know what opportunities lay ahead for this new venture, but they stepped out in faith. They are directed by Pat Vaughn, Director of Worship at Annandale UMC and Director of Choirs at Annandale High School. Their CD's include The Hymn Project, How Sweet the Sound, Then Christmas Comes, Prayers and Praises, and Homeland. 

Though the choir has over 30 vocalists hailing from different regions of the country, their concerts typically feature 12 to 15 performers at a time. This is due to the fact that many members hold demanding full-time jobs, including professional military musicians (from the US Army Chorus, Navy's Sea Chanters, and Air Force's Singing Sergeants), freelance artists, financial planners, educators, church musicians, surveyors, defense contractors, park rangers, flight attendants, and even a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York City. You can hear a sample of their music here.

A Service of Death and Resurrection

for Ronnie Clements

will be held here at Centenary on Saturday, January 13, at 2 p.m. A light reception will follow. Please continue to keep Ronnie's family and friends in your prayers. You can read his obituary here.

The Serving Team would like to thank all of you for sending Christmas cards to our Veterans in McGuire VA Hospital. We had more cards than ever for our veterans this year.The guests from our Friday lunches also sent cards.

2024 ALTAR FLOWERS DATES

It's that time of year again, the weekly altar flower calendar is being set up. Time to choose that special date to honor or remember friends and family or recognize a special event. You may sign up in any of the following ways:

1. Select a date from the list placed in the office hallway
2. Request a date using our online form. You will be contacted to confirm the date.
3. Call the church office and chose your date the "old fashioned way" in person.

You may select any date that is open. First come is first served. Costs. $44.00 for the first Sunday Communion Sunday (2 arrangements). $22.00 for all other Sundays (1 arrangement). You can pay online here. Please choose Flowers-Altar from the pull down menu.

The church office will be closed on Monday, January 15

in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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