Monthly News from Washington Park United Methodist Church |
|
Have you ever wondered to yourself, ‘What would Jesus have been like if he had come today instead of 2000 years ago?’ If we throw aside all the other implications that come along with the absence of Christ in history and consider just the person of Christ, I think we may be surprised at what we would find. Many moments in Christ’s ministry were designed to make you feel awkward, uncomfortable, or even just downright shocked. Jesus was a man who knew how to get into trouble, perhaps some might even call it Good Trouble, and showed us that each and every one of us is worth the trouble. While we so often soften the edges of Christ, I think it’s time we took a closer look at what made Christ such a rebel for his time.
For our next sermon series, join Rev. Sandi and I as we explore the rabble-rousing rabbi called Jesus and his many (yes, many!) bad habits. We will be reading from “The Bad Habits of Jesus” by Leonard Sweet and diving in to all that shenanigans our Lord and Savior got into, from spitting to partying to cursing and hanging out with the wrong crowd…it promises to be a thrilling time!
My prayer for you this season is that you find new ways to follow our redeemer wholeheartedly. Teresa of Avila once believed that Christ told her to “See yourself in me.” May you come to see yourself more clearly through the eyes of a rambunctious and human God-on-earth, and be moved to adopt some of Christs habits. Maybe even the bad ones!
Love and Blessings,
Rev. Jamielee
|
|
Services can be viewed live at 9:30am on Facebook AND YouTube, or afterwards with the links found on the website and weekly emails.
If you were unable to join us yesterday, you can view worship here:
April 11th
The Bad Habits of Jesus: Jesus Spit
Mark 8: 22-26
April 18th
The Bad Habits of Jesus: Jesus Loved to Party
John 2: 1-11
April 25th
The Bad Habits of Jesus: Jesus Entered the Danger Zone
Luke 19: 45-48
|
|
COMING SOON! HYBRID WORSHIP!! |
Starting April 25th, we plan to begin HYBRID WORSHIP—meaning that we will have sign-ups for 30 participants in worship on a Sunday morning, in addition to continuing to livestream on Facebook and YouTube. Sign-ups will be available each Monday for the following Sunday.
Participants will need to agree to stay masked and socially distanced (even if you’ve had the vaccine), and stay home if they feel sick.
Additionally, when the weather is nice, we will encourage BYOC (Bring Your Own Coffee) Fellowship time after worship in the courtyard!
We’re so excited to welcome you back into the sanctuary!!
|
|
Post Pandemic: Lessons Learned
It’s hard to find too many blessings or a silver lining when looking back on the impact COVID had on our community this past year. In a blink of an eye, all of our lives were turned upside down…we were forced to adjust to a new way of living and required to embrace a situation that none of us were 100% mentally or emotionally prepared for. That said, our WPUMC community rallied over the past 12 months to make the most out of a very difficult situation. Our staff and volunteers have gone above and beyond to keep our congregation engaged and informed – our mission continues on, stronger than ever, regardless of the obstacles in our way.
The pandemic has also caused WPUMC Finance Committee to take a step back and reevaluate the financial position of the church and preschool, but, more importantly, put together contingency plans and protocols to ensure we are protecting the church, its members, and employees while venturing through these unchartered waters. We’ve sharpened our pencils regarding our investment strategies – focusing on protecting, while improving, the cash position of our investment/ rainy day accounts. Additionally, we have financially modeled downside preschool closure scenarios to assess the order of magnitude these potential extended shutdowns would have on our financial position and how best to manage our way through those possible outcomes. To help offset this potential downside, WPUMC applied and received a second round of PPP funding for the church and preschool. Staff has also found other grant opportunities to help pay for PPE supplies. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. I feel good about our preparations, but also fully appreciate that this is an ever-moving target and we must be vigilant about our plans going forward.
I wanted to leave this discussion letting you know that WPUMC is in excellent hands as we manage through this environment– we have an accomplished and robust Finance Committee (Michelle Hoskins/ Accounting; Kristiana DeYoung/ Budget and Financials; Steve Moats/ Investment Oversight) which has gone above and beyond this past year. I’m extremely grateful for their service and commitment to WPUMC and its congregation. I know we all look forward to seeing one another soon, and when we do, please thank all the staff and volunteers at WPUMC for their diligent work during these unprecedented times.
God Bless,
Mark Warren
Finance Chairman, WPUMC
|
|
Monday, May 3rd will be our first day of registration for Vacation Bible School. Our theme this year is Knights Of the North Castle. We will run VBS Monday August 2- August 6. The hours of the program will be Mon-Thurs, 9:00 - 11:30 and Fri 9:00-12:15. Friday is the end of the week celebration.
If you are interested in helping the Children's Ministry team by recording a video for a Children's Message to be played during the church service, please email Sheri at childrensministry@washparkumc.org.
|
|
For the God Squad, April is a month of fun and gathering! This month we will be finishing our series on Dilemmas by talking about our value systems and how they help us to navigate our day-to-day struggles. We will begin our new series called The Life, where we’ll be talking about 4 core aspects of a Christian—involvement in church, prayer, generosity, and sharing the faith. This month, we’ll tackle being involved in church, which is even difficult for adults in the pandemic! We will also, God willing and the numbers stay steady, have an in-person Sunday Funday! Keep an eye out for in-person sign-ups coming soon!
If you have any questions or would like to register your youth to participate, please email Rev. Jamielee at Youthgroup@washparkumc.org.
April 4th –Easter Sunday, No class!
April 11th—Valuing Values (Zoom 11 am- 12 pm) What are our values? What do they matter to us every day?
April 18th—Church Life (Zoom 11 am- 12 pm)
April 25th—Sunday Funday! Yoga Sunday! Join us for a relaxing and socially distanced stretch and meditation.
|
|
(Click on image to be linked to the cookbook) |
|
|
|
April 01 Jim Dillon
April 01 Ben Jankowski
April 02 Judy Shaver
April 04 Lauren Burger
April 06 Deb Dowling-Canino
April 06 Ryan Hoskins
April 07 Tom Mann
April 08 Chris Mikesell
April 13 Luke Warren
April 14 Zach Casey
April 17 James Hunter
April 20 Misty Meade
April 20 Monica Smith-Acuna
April 24 Sandi Dillon
April 26 Jaime Bromley
April 26 Liam Poirier
April 27 Katie Daugherty
April 27 Emelia Winkler
April 29 William Pagels
April 30 Brett Casey
April 30 Winnie Quick
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
