Monthly News from Washington Park United Methodist Church |
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This past weekend, the WPUMC staff and I were able to take an overnight retreat to Breckenridge. In pre-pandemic times, I liked to take the staff on at least one overnight retreat a year for "out-of-the-box" visioning and dreaming that would propel us into new areas of ministry and strengthen the work that we do together for the church. But because of COVID, we had not been on a retreat since 2019! So it was more than time to be away together.
As we sat down to look at the summer and fall calendars for church and preschool, we realized that during the pandemic, planning has been difficult. Because of the uncertainty that has plagued our last two years, we have only been able to plan out activities, programs and offerings one season at a time. Now that things seem to be a bit more predictable, we felt we were able to look at the rest of the year and calendar some ideas with relative certainty that these things can happen. We look forward to food truck nights and courtyard concerts for the summer, a Rally Day barbeque and fellowship events in the fall, Advent traditions that we cherish!
Together as a congregation, we've done a great job of sticking together, keeping things going, staying connected with one another. And now that we can look hopefully into the future again, we have opportunities to be in ministry in new ways! Join us on Sundays in May to consider our sermon series, The Ministry of Ordinary Places, based on a book by Shannan Martin that encourages us to live lives of meaning in our ordinary, everyday places--like Wash Park.
As always, it is a joy to share this journey with all of you.
Rev. Sandi
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Sunday services can be viewed live at 9:30am on Facebook AND YouTube, or afterwards with the links found on the website and weekly emails.
May 8th—Love Like a Neighbor (Mother’s Day)
Mark 2:1-12
May 15th—Work Like a Neighbor
Jeremiah 29:4-7
May 22nd— Love Song for the Long Haul (Senior Sunday)
Colossians 3:12-14
May 29th—We Bloom
Isaiah 58:9-12
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BIBLE STUDY
Join Rev. Sandi on Wednesday nights in May (4, 11, 18, 25) at 5:30pm for a study on Adam Hamilton's book Why? Making Sense of God's Will. To participate, email Rev. Sandi at pastor@washparkumc.org.
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We are saddened to inform you of the passing of Rev. Dr. John Spangler. Rev. Dr. John Spangler was the pastor here from 1999-2001Dr. Spangler died peacefully on the morning of April 19, 2022, after a slow decline from cancer. Prior to his retirement in the 1990s, Dr. Spangler was a Pastoral Care and Pastoral Theology Professor at Iliff. Details regarding his memorial service will be shared with the Iliff community when we receive them. Read a statement from Dr. Cathie Kelsey regarding Dr. Spangler's passing here.
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OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
We are beginning our Habitat for Humanity build in May, and now is the time to make a difference to a hard-working family. To help you understand the difference YOU can make, click here to learn more about Manuel and Sarah’s story. (Warning: It made me get a little teary-eyed, and it may have the same impact on you!)
On the Habitat website, Sarah and Manuel also had this to say about their partnership with Habitat:
"Our ability to advance our child's station in life has been a lot more tangible now that we own our home. The joy of being able to give her everything Manuel and I didn't have has been made possible with homeownership. Here, she has the space and flexibility to be happy and well adjusted. She is a straight A student who can spread out to work on a school project, paint, or have a friend over. Our home has literally been a lifesaver... our lives are less stressful and more fulfilling because of our partnership with Habitat.”
This year we will build in the Aria development, which is the same area in which Manny and Sarah have their home. According to the Habitat website, “Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver is excited to be constructing 28 new homes in Aria Denver, a multigenerational, mixed-income community that supports simple, healthy living. Located eight minutes from downtown and one block from Regis University, these 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom homes are part of a 17.5-acre development featuring organic gardens, a playground and open spaces.”
The following dates have already been reserved for us to work at the Aria site. Mark your calendars and sign up soon!!
o Sat., May 14 from 8:45 AM – 4:30 PM
o Sat., June 4 from 7:45 AM – 3:30 PM (We start earlier in June and July to beat the heat.)
o Sat., July 9 from 7:45 AM – 3:30 PM
Note: Carol Nelson will be building on July 9. Won’t you join me???
o Sat., Aug. 20 from 7:45 AM – 3:30 PM
If you’d like to support the Habitat mission but prefer to work in air conditioning, we have the perfect opportunity! In the climate-controlled production shop, you’ll help by framing or painting house walls that will later be delivered to a Habitat site. The following date is available for the production shop:
o Sat., July 16 from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Note: If you would prefer to work a different day, please contact Carol Nelson, and I will see what I can do!
Volunteers with little or extensive building experience are encouraged to participate! To register, please go to this link for the Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver - Volunteer Hub. All participants must register online at least two weeks in advance so Habitat can conduct their planning. Once registered, Habitat sends you a reminder in in advance of your scheduled time.
If you would like to volunteer or want more information about Habitat, contact Carol Nelson at 303.810.4635 or at customtrainingllc@q.com. I’d love to hear from you!!
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Vacation Bible School 2022
Adventure Island!
The Children's Ministry team has a fun idea for summer break....Two Vacation Bible Schools this summer! Join Wash Park UMC at the end of summer break for VBS the week of Aug 1st-5th. Attend University Park UMC at the beginning of summer break June 6th-9th.
VBS-Adventure Island- at Wash Park will run for children 3years old and potty trained through completion of 6th grade, August 1st-5th, 9 -11:30 AM Mon-Thurs and 9-12:00 on Friday. Register now with the button below or on our church website. Anyone interested in helping to support this event by spending some time with our attendees, decorating or donating, please reach out to me to find out how you can be a help to us. One way we could use some help right now is to spread the word, invite neighbors, friends, cousins, grandchildren, you get it, tell EVERYONE!
We will be using all safety protocols recommended by the CDC and state health department for schools and childcare facilities to help guide us to host a safe and healthy Vacation Bible School. We look forward to seeing returning faces and new faces. My email address is childrensministry@washparkumc.org. I would welcome your time, thoughts and ideas.
Blessings,
Sheri Salis
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I Wonder..... if anyone else is as excited as me? We would love to see our churches work together to create fun and exciting VBS programs at both locations this summer and hope to work together more often in the future. We are always in need of volunteers, so youth group ages and adults, don't feel left out, we need you, too!
Patricia Clark is the Children, Youth and Family Ministry director at University Park. Please email her with any questions at pclark@uparkumc.org.
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Hello Wash Park Families!
We wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves and the programs we support here at Wash Park.
Sheri organizes our Children’s Ministry, offering Sunday School and VBS to ages 3 years old and potty trained through 6th Grade. In our Children’s programs, we learn about the basics of our faith and the stories of the bible. We learn about the unconditional love God has for all of us through learning the Beatitudes, the Fruit of the Spirit, the I Am Statements of Christ and the great women of the Bible.
Rev. Jamielee organizes our Confirmation classes and our Youth Program, God Squad, which centers service to our community and a deeper dive into the complicated themes of how faith and life intersect. Due to the nature of the topics we discuss, our classes are for students from 7th to 12th grade. We learn about the Methodist Church, it’s Social Principles and what they look like in our modern world, the history of the Christian Church and how scripture can help us decipher our lives today. We pair all our events with an act of service for our community, making meals for the homeless or helping local and national mission operations.
In both classes, we encourage students to find their way through by asking hard questions. We believe that curiosity and faith are values that make our community and our world better. While it may seem simple to teach kids the books of the Bible or who Jesus was, what we aim for is much higher. We want your children to feel deeply connected to a community of faith, where each student knows that they are beloved children of God, and so is everybody else. We want them to soar in love, and to give them a firm foundation from which to launch. In order to do that sacred work, we need your help.
The backbone of everything we do is relationship. We seek to be a loving and supportive community for your child to give them room to explore their faith. We want to know them well enough to make them feel safe and secure enough to dive deep into the difficult conversations and life-giving stories that form us. That kind of relationship can only come with commitment from each and every one of us. We have to commit to showing up, putting in the time for faith, and curiosity to grow.
The way these programs thrive is through the support of the families and volunteers. And most of all, they thrive when children attend regularly. They’re building relationship and community within their church to feel comfortable bringing difficult questions to their leaders. Consistency helps these programs function, without it they will fail.
We want our groups to thrive and be productive, but it requires consistency on the part of the leaders and our families. The ideal Sunday school situation would be to have three age groups—club 456, 1-3 graders and 3 year old’s through 1st grade. The ideal Youth Group situation would be to have a middle school and high school class, so content could be more tailored to what each group faces in their day to day lives. We are willing to make accommodations for students who are more mature, want to stay with their siblings or other reasons as necessary, as always we want children to feel safe in our spaces. But most of all, we need you with us. None of this work can be done without you.
Peace and Blessings to you!
Sheri Salis & Rev. Jamielee Demske
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There are lots of ways that you can offer your gifts in service to our congregation – looking for a way to be more involved at WPUMC? Here are a few opportunities:
*Ushering – online or in-person! We schedule individuals for a specific Sunday a month for their ushering “shift”. Online ushering doesn’t require you to be in the building, but to engage with online worship participants. In-person ushering requires your presence, and includes greeting people and helping with offering and communion. Email Rev. Sandi at pastor@washparkumc.org.
*New Baby Meal Team - Volunteers Needed!
Wash Park United Methodist Church and Preschool are organizing a team of meal providers from our church and preschool communities that would be willing to offer meals to preschool families that are welcoming new babies into their home. All of you know that when a new baby arrives, life can get hectic. We'd like to make sure that all of our families with new babies feel supported and cared for with the delivery of a meal or two. If you are interested in joining this team to provide meals--please contact Rev. Sandi at pastor@washparkumc.org.
*Sunday Morning Liturgist! If you’d like to help offer a greeting to our worship participants, lead the call to worship and read the scripture, email Rev. Sandi at pastor@washparkumc.org.
There are lots of other ways to volunteer at WPUMC – if there is something specific you’d like to share, or if you are interested in a certain area of leadership, please contact Rev. Sandi at pastor@washparkumc.org.
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May 01 Guy Scott
May 06 Dylan Goertz
May 06 Chad Meade
May 06 Kristen Welsh
May 08 Juliana Dickson
May 08 Nick Salis
May 13 Maryanne Baker
May 14 Monica Winkler
May 16 Char Elliott
May 19 Logan Glennie
May 19 Rhett Glennie
May 19 Blake Harber
May 20 Ella Bondy
May 22 Mary Katherine Pagels
May 25 Cathryn Salis
May 26 Lola Sehl
May 27 Charlie Daugherty
May 28 Joe Miklosi
May 31 Ryan O'Shaughnessy
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Altar Flowers 2022
If you’d like to sponsor Sunday morning altar flowers in honor of an occasion or in memory of someone, please sign up for a date below. The arrangements cost $45 ($35 for seniors) and you can take them home or give them away after service. We just ask that you return the vases to the Tea Kitchen so that we can reuse them. Make checks out to WPUMC and put altar flowers in the memo line or pay via Venmo @Michelle-Hoskins-17.
Please enter the occasion or person to be honored in the My Comment field after you click Sign Up.
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