Pastor Karla. From the Wellspring. Marc h 20 14

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1 Marc h From the Wellspring Lent is the 40 days (excluding Sundays) which lead up to Easter. Christian communities have traditionally encouraged participants to "give up" something for Lent (starting on Ash Wednesday) to help them with their spiritual journey. For example, when someone fasts during Lent, hunger reminds that person to engage in prayer or another practice that brings life to their Christian journey. Traditional Lenten disciplines include fasting, giving of alms (charitable giving), and volunteering time. We encourage those participating in a Lenten discipline to either give up possessions which may be keeping you from being fully being in connection with God, or to add something to your life that strengthen your connection to God and the Christian community (like attending a Lenten House Church!). Here are a few suggestions for your Lenten Discipline: Take extra time to be with children, grandchildren, your spouse, friends, and others who are special to you. Ease stress and strengthen your relationships by connecting deeply with the ones you love. Break bread with others. Enjoy a meal together with family or friends at the table once a day or once a week to spend intentional time eating and enjoying one another. Focus on the joyful discipline of worship in community. Give yourself the time and rest you need to be able to attend worship each Sunday during Lent. Join a House Church and engage with others; after all, the spiritual journey is not one we can take alone. Take care of the Earth. The Awareness and Action section of this newsletter has several Earth-friendly resources for Lent from Earth Ministry. Lenten "discipline is really about doing what is good for yourself, those in your life, and your community. Examine the role of possessions in your life. Focus on one item per week or per day. Can you donate, re-purpose, or get rid of items that may be getting between you and God? Shalom, Pastor Karla Fast from an unhealthy food and replace it with something that is good for you. Many people give up sweets during Lent, but you can also express care for your body by taking in nutritious foods. This type of fasting is better for diabetics and others unable to do full fasts from food Incorporate a daily discipline into your life. Meditate, take a walk, lift weights, do yoga, or head to the gym to claim your body as the temple of God.

2 Lenten House Churches Lent is here and House Churches start this week. It s not too late to sign up! House Churches are a Lenten tradition at WUMC. These are small fellowships that meet throughout the season of Lent, typically to share a meal and study a common book. Starting the week of March 9 th our House Churches will be studying and discussing ideas from The Faith of Leap by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch (see below for more information). Be sure to sign up for the house church that will fit in with your schedule and needs!! Sign-ups are still open. Books are available for $7 on the table in the narthex for participants. The Faith of Leap: Embracing a Theology of Risk, Adventure & Courage by Michael Frost, Alan Hirsch Put the adventure back in the venture! So much of our lives is caught up in the development and maintenance of security and control. But as Helen Keller observed, "Security is mostly a superstition.... Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." And when our only experience of Christianity is safe and controlled, we miss the simple fact that faith involves risk. In The Faith of Leap, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch challenge you to leave the idol of security behind and courageously live the adventure that is inherent in our God and in our calling. Their corrective to the dull, adventure-less, risk-free phenomenon that describes so much of contemporary Christianity explores the nature of adventure, risk, and courage and the implications for church, discipleship, spirituality, and leadership. That we are all, individually or corporately, on a mission emanating from the heart of God is clear and unavoidable there is, biblically speaking, no such thing as a nonmissional church or disciple. And because we are that, we are part of the unfolding of the Story, and we must play our part and do it faithfully. To take ourselves out of the Quest is to block the purposes of the mission Dei as it flows through us, and is therefore blatant unfaithfulness to God and disloyalty to the grandest Causes. - Excerpt from The Leap of Faith Page 2

3 I n T h i s I s s u e... From the Wellspring... 1 Lenten House Churches... 2 Painting the Stars... 4 Coffee News... 5 Children & Youth at WUMC... 6 Lenten Carbon Fast Resources The Well at Queen Anne Festival of Preaching NW.11 Red Vine Theater CISPES Meeting Save-the-Dates The Refrigerator Door Small Groups Calendar Open Your Cupboards...and Feed the Hungry! WUMC Men s Group and Women s Group welcome your continuing contributions of food and incidentals to the "Grocery Cart" in the church narthex for the Wallingford (Family Works) Food Bank. They greatly appreciate these donations. The Family Works Food Bank provides weekly groceries to people in need of food who live in the following zip codes: 98103, 98115, and Essential Information The Wellwisher March 2014 Volume XIX, Issue III published monthly by Wallingford United Methodist Church 2115 N 42nd St, Seattle, WA Telephone: (206) Fax: (206) The deadline for the next issue of The Wellwisher is Wednesday, March 19 Pastor Rev. Karla Fredericksen Minister for Children, Youth and Families Rev. Deborah Tyler Music Director Louis Magor Office Manager, Editor Carrie Cates Wallingford United Methodist Church is a Reconciling Congregation, part of a growing network that consists of 298 congregations, 35 Campus Ministries, and 89 other Reconciling Communities and Ministries. There are over 80,000 Reconciling United Methodists. We seek to minister with all people, regardless of sexual/affectional orientation. We hope to heal the gulf between the church and people who have been alienated in the past. We affirm that everyone is a person of sacred worth. Page 3

4 When I have a terrible need of dare I say, 'religion'? then I go outside at night and paint the stars." -- Vincent Van Gogh Celebrating the communion of science and faith, Painting the Stars explores the promise of evolutionary Christian spirituality. The latest offering from Living the Questions, this 7-session program features over a dozen leading theologians and progressive thinkers. Bring your coffee (or tea) and join us in the Adult Ed Room Sunday, February 2 to kick off the series. We begin gathering and visiting at 9:45, and the program starts in earnest at 10:00. Hope to see you there! "Mystery is a condition of awe, of resting precisely in an unknowing, long enough for the silence to have its way with us. The goal of this curriculum is to create some space for us to inhabit this mystery more deeply, and explore the relationship between science, particularly evolution, and religion. Perhaps most importantly, the hope is that each participant will feel from the inside what it is like to be the presence of all this creativity showing up after 13.7 billion years as him or her. Without this felt sense of being one with the creative process that is ceaselessly animating life, the conversation will remain objective and academic. We invite you to engage these seven weeks with an awareness that you are not separate from the creativity that produced you." -- Bruce Sanguin, Author of If Darwin Prayed Page 4

5 News About Sunday Morning Coffee. Wallingford Connection agreed to coordinate Sunday coffee service a year ago. Yvonne Onouye has been the person who provides the 'how-to' details of making coffee. A big thank you goes to her for attending to the details, including taking stock of our supplies. Our concept was to ask the leadership teams and the larger ministry teams to host coffee service for an entire month. Thank you to the Women's group, Men's group, Sister Parish, and Board of Stewards for your assistance. We are pleased that the coffee hour is very popular and we are looking forward to continuing this service. Some changes: Individuals can sign up to host a coffee service. There is a line to sign up as volunteers along with 'scripture readers' and 'liturgist'. We will adjust the team assignments accordingly. Thanks to Jerry Jutting, we have a coffee cart and new equipment. We will update the 'how-to' instructions for providing coffee beginning February 2. Continuing: Meanwhile, the schedule for teams to host through June is: February - SPRC March-Wallingford Connection April - Women's group May - Men's group June - Board of Stewards If you would like to host and are not listed above, please contact me at mcoon337@msn.com. Marie Coon Wallingford Connection Ministry Team Page 5

6 March and April Sunday school: Lent and Easter from Living the Seasons at Home Dear Families, During the Season of Lent, which is 40 days long (not counting the Sundays, which are all considered little Easters ), the children will be exploring stories from the New Testament about Jesus temptation in the wilderness and Jesus encounters with Nicodemus, a woman drawing water at a well, a man born blind, and a friend named Lazarus. Here is a weekly prayer ritual for this season: Designate a prayer space and place a length of wide purple ribbon and a dish with six stones and six tealights in the space; each week invite a child to place one of the stones (symbolizing God s faithfulness) on the ribbon and help you light a tea light to place beside the stone as you say together, God was with Jesus. God is with us. Here are some activities your family could do together during Lent: Work together on an outreach project (children may be bringing home information for a coin collection project) Choose one thing your family could try and do without, or one thing your family might begin doing during this time. The Season of Easter following Easter Sunday (April 20) is 50 days long. During this time the children will explore stories from the gospels of John and Luke and the book of Acts about the ways in which Jesus followers shared God s love through words and actions. Consider reading each week s story again at home from a children s Bible: John 20:19 31, Luke 24:13 25, Acts 2:42 47, Acts 6:3 8, John 14:15 21, and John 17:1 11. Here is a prayer ritual for the Easter season: Place a length of wide yellow or gold ribbon and a candle in the prayer space. Invite a child to light the candle as you say, This light reminds us of the light of God s love in our lives as we follow Jesus, the risen Christ. Christ is risen. Alleluia! Here are some activities your family could do together during the Easter season: attend the Easter Sunday sunrise service held every year at Gasworks park, or get up before dawn on other days to watch the sun rise together, make hot-cross buns together to share with friends and neighbors, send cards or letters to those working overseas for the national church, expressing appreciation for the work they are doing to share the good news of the gospel. Pentecost Sunday (on June 8) marks the end of the Season of Easter. This is a day to celebrate the Spirit of God and the growth of the Christian community. Plan a picnic for this day with activities such as kite-flying or blowing bubbles to symbolize the winds of the Spirit. We will keep all of the Wallingford families in our prayer during these weeks. We ask that you and your child pray for us as well as we prepare for and lead the sessions each week. May this Lenten and Easter season be a time of spiritual nurture and growth for your child and your family. Faithfully, Pastor Deborah Suggested children s Bibles for using at home: The Family Story Bible or The Lectionary Story Bible, Year A (both also available with Audio and Art CDs). These are available from the publisher of Seasons of the Spirit at Page 6

7 Children & Youth at Wallingford UMC, cont d PrimeTimers Meets Sunday, March 16 th right after the 11:00 worship service. Children, youth and parents are welcome to join Steve Franco-Ross, Linda Condit, and Pastor Deborah in Taylor Hall for the making of bread for communion and a conversation about Lent and the Last Supper. Join us for lunch and our baking project! For more information, please contact the group s leaders or Pastor Deborah at youth@wallingfordumc.org. Youth Group Activities in March and Beyond Our North End Youth Cooperative will be meeting at First UMC downtown in March. Those dates are: March 16 th, 17 th, 23 rd, and the 30 th. April meetings will take place at Trinity UMC, in Ballard. There will be no youth group on Easter. Youth will be preparing for the Easter Sunrise Service over the next few week. Youth Group starts with dinner at 6pm. Our closing activity, Love Feast is over at 8pm. Join us for food, games and great discussions. For any information on the opportunities for our children, youth and families, please contact Pastor Deborah Tyler, Minister of Children, Youth, and Families at youth@wallingfordumc.org. At Wallingford United Methodist Church we have a commitment to our children and youth and value each one as a part of the family. We are committed to providing a safe place where youth can come together for fellowship and spiritual growth. While we provide youth programming, all youth are welcome and encouraged to be involved in the entire life of the congregation. Wallingford UMC has established a Children and Youth Safe Church Policy. The purpose is to demonstrate our absolute and unwavering commitment to the physical safety and spiritual growth of all our children, youth, and vulnerable adults. Copies of the policy are available in the church office. Will Hamp is a trained as Designated Safety Officer. If you have any concerns regarding the safety of our children, youth, or vulnerable adults, please contact either Deborah Tyler or Will. Page 7

8 Awareness and Action - Lenten Carbon Fast Awareness The spiritual practice of fasting, accompanied by prayer and meditation, moves us to be more open to the will of God in our lives. Fasting helps us listen to what God wants us to be and to do. During Lent this year, Earth Ministry and Washington Interfaith Power & Light invite you to try a 'fast from carbon,' that is, to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide you put into the atmosphere. Why should you consider a fast from carbon? A few reasons: 1. The carbon dioxide we are putting into the environment, in the form of greenhouse gases, is changing the climate of God's creation, our planet Earth. The sources of these greenhouse gases are largely produced by human beings and the society we have created. 2. The largest component of greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, which comes from the burning of fossil fuels during the generation of electricity and from the modes of transportation that we use. 3. Unless we reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases, the impact of these increases will be devastating for our planet, for its people -- especially the poor and vulnerable -- and for the plants and animals that have lived here for millions of years. Time is critical. 4. God created this Earth, declared it to be good, and expects us to care for creation and to maintain its goodness for future generations. Page 8

9 Awareness and Action - Lenten Carbon Fast, cont. Action As you think about how you would like to observe this coming Lent,please consider using one these practical tools: WAIPL's "2011 Carbon Fast for Lent" Calendar Suggests a practical, carbon-dioxide-reducing action for each day of Lent (e.g., "find the most environmentally friendly way to get to church today" and "run your dish washer only with a full load"). You can adjust the dates for Earth Ministry/WAIPL's "Caring for Creation: A Prayer and Action Guide for a Lenten Fast from Carbon" Seven prayerful reflections (for Ash Wednesday and the six Sundays of Lent) that include insights on regional impacts of climate change, Scripture readings and prayers, and actions of individuals wanting to reduce carbon dioxide waste. An excellent resource for weekly bulletin inserts, adult forums, and even personal devotions. Earth Ministry's rich collection of Lenten Devotions & Resources. "Powering Down:Suggestions for Caring for Creation during the Season of Lent" From the Oregon Interfaith Power and Light, this resource contains a lesson plan for youth, sample sermons, tips for saving energy, and more. "Stations of the Cross with All Creation" Produced by the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center ($2) -- "The 15 Stations consider the suffering of Jesus, our planet, and its people and envision resurrection and new life." Page 9

10 Coming to The Well at Queen Anne UMC March 2014 Calendar The Well at Queen Anne UMC is a place where nationally and internationally respected leaders facilitate conversation, offer presentations, and lad those assembled in respectful, engaged, and deep discourse. Artists perform and dialogue with the audience. Scientists teach about new and exciting discoveries, and they disturb with challenging data. And still, the holy and sacred in these gatherings arise from those who show up with open ears, discerning hearts, probing minds, and compassionate tongues. Come, join the conversation! Dr. Susannah Heschel, Abraham Joshua Heschel & Interfaith Relationships March 12, 7:00 PM * Tickets at qaumc.org/the-well/ Dr. Heschel s scholarship draws from the legacy of her father Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel s work in interfaith relationships. She teaches Jewish studies at Dartmouth College, and her area of concentration is on Jewish-Christian relationships during the 19th and 20th centuries. She is currently writing a book on European Jewish scholarship on Islam ( ). She will speak to Christian- Jewish-Muslim relationships, and how particularity deeply affects how people view the other. Frank Schaefer, Integrity in the Face of Oppression: Witness to Love with the LGBTQI Communities March 30, 4:00 PM * Tickets at qaumc.org/the-well/ Additional Appearances: March 29, QAUMC, 10 AM Service March 29, Open House Coffee for United Methodists, Woodland Park UMC Frank Schaefer was defrocked in December of 2013 for performing his son s same sex wedding several years ago. Love for his son trumped the rules of the church. What does it mean to maintain spiritual integrity in the face of pressures to act in a different way? How can the UMC have spiritual integrity with the rules it currently has? Frank Schaefer will speak about integrity, spiritual identity, and the importance of prophetic witness inside the church and throughout the world. Page 10

11 Festival of Preaching Northwest April 28 May 1 The Festival of Preaching Northwest 2014 investigates Preaching in a Post-Modern World this year from April 28 May 1 at First UMC downtown. You are invited to come hear from 12 featured preachers, including: Debbie Blue (MA, Yale Divinity School) is one of the founding pastors of House of Mercy, a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, that was once named the Best Church for Non-Church Goers. The church is regularly featured on Minnesota Public Radio and is known nation-wide as one of the first and most enduring emergent congregations. She is the author of Sensual Orthodoxy, From Stone to Living Word, and Consider the Birds: a Provocative Guide to the Birds of the Bible. José Morales resides in Denver, CO, currently serving as the Executive Regional Minister of the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a territory that includes Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, northern New Mexico, and southeast Idaho. José is a preacher, teacher and writer. He also is a resident DJ at a club in Denver. Jose is married to Daphne Gascot Arias, and they own a yellow lab named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Pastor Heidi Neumark currently serves Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan (ELCA). Trinity is a multicultural community with ministries that include: Mujeres en Progreso, a Latina support group, the Creative Learning Center after school program and Trinity Place, a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth. Heidi enjoys preaching three different sermons each Sunday (Wee Worship with puppets, one in English and one in Spanish). Presently, Heidi has just completed a book about her discovery of Jewish roots and her grandfather's death in a concentration camp. Tony Jones is the author of The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement and is theologian-in-residence at Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis. His blog, Theoblogy, is read by a quarter-million people per year. He s written a dozen books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, developed the iphone app, Ordain Thyself, and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary and St. Cloud State University ~Tickets and schedule at Page 11

12 R ED V iiiine THEATER A WALLINGFORD CONNECTION * PRESENTED IN MEMORY OF PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN DOUBT: a modern parable Written and Directed by John Patrick Shanley Saturday, March 15th, WUMC It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is trying to upend the school's strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear-based discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James, a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guiltinducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequences. - Miramax Pictures All are invited! DOORS OPEN at 6:00 POTLUCK at 6:30 FILM VIEWING at 7:30 RSVPs Appreciated: patnaumann@msn.com and a Good Time will be had by All! Page 12

13 Seattle Community in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) invites WUMC to a discussion: El Salvador: Will the Revolutionary Project Continue? Join an accredited election observer from CISPES for a discussion of what happens at the El Salvadoran polls on March 9th. What might it mean for El Salvador and the solidarity movement? March 17th, 7:00 pm, Adult Ed SAVE THE DATES! The annual auction will be held on Saturday, May 17 aboard the MV Skansonia The Board of Stewards is excited to announce that this year s auction will be held on the shores of Lake Union on the MV Skansonia! Mark May 17 th on your calendars for this annual fundraiser co-sponsored by WUMC and the Wallingford Child Center, and stay tuned for further details. Reserve May 2-4 for the all-church retreat! This year s retreat will be held on the Kitsap Peninsula in beautiful Indianola, WA. All are invited to spend this first weekend in May in good fun and fellowship. More information will be available in the coming weeks for both events. Stay tuned! Page 13

14 The Refrigerator Door February Birthdays 3/4 Kim Jackson 3/6 Silas Jones 3/7 Jane Reynolds 3/8 Marie Coon 3/8 Kathryn Jones 3/17 Kelly McBee 3/22 Dasha Rychkova 3/26 Carol Howell This piece of art was found in the pews. The finder of the work wrote, How wonderful!! Agreed! From the Prayer Chain... We ask you to remember the following in your prayers and meditations: Prayers for Health Concerns: Wayne Foster, partner of Catherine Erickson Vince Lyons Mary Ellen Maxell Pat Prinz Prayers of Support: Lucinda King & family Mary Latham Lori Pearson & family You are invited to place your refrigerator door items directly on the refrigerator door in the 42nd street hallway or them to the church office at: org Page 14

15 Winter S mall Group Meetings WOMEN S GROUP March 16 7:30 PM, WUMC Library We meet on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. All women are welcome. For questions, contact Karen Hansen or Mary Conrad, or just come! MEN S GROUP March 23 7:00 PM, WUMC Library Open to all men, we meet from 7:00 9:00 PM in the Church library on the 2 nd and 4 th Sundays of each month to share stories and challenges, and become friends. We also take bike trips, build campfires, go hiking, share meals, attend a ball game, and simply do those things that friends do with each other. Please join us. TEEN FEED TEAM March 26, 5:30 PM University Congregational Church, 45th & 16th Ave NE We re now hosting Teen Feed every other month, but still on the 4th Wednesday. Help feed between youth who live on our streets or in our shelters. Short on time? Join us for Setup, Cleanup or provide a dessert. For more information, contact John Zmolek (johhzmolek@hotmail.com), our new Teen Feed coordinator. We can always use help and/or donations of homemade cookies or bars without nuts. Contact Buzz Switten to donate a dessert. SUPPORT GROUP FOR CHILDREN OF AGING PARENTS TBD WUMC s support group for people whose parents are aging, wrestling with health concerns, or who have recently died. The group is open to WUMC members, or anyone outside the community who is looking for a place to share questions, thoughts, or to find support among others who are facing similar experiences. Light dinner provided. For more information, please Sue Sherbrooke or Nancy Speer. RACE AND SPIRITUALITY LEARNING GROUP Next meeting April 26 Our monthly meeting of a small and open group of Wallingford folks who have been diving into deeper learning about racial privileges and inequities that take place in our nation as well within our daily lives and communities. Updated WUMC Website We re in the process of giving WUMC s website a much-needed facelift. It s still under construction, but we d love to hear what you think. Check it out: If you have content to share please let us know! Page 15

16 Wallingford United Methodist Church Schedule subject to change. March 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 9 8:30AM Worship 10AM Sunday School, Adult Ed 11AM Worship 6PM MS & HS youth 7PM Men s Group 10 6PM Race & Spirituality Group 12PM Walk & Talk 1PM Peet s 4PM Childcare Board 11 7PM SPRC 7PM NA 12 7PM AA 7:15 PM Choir Practice PM Red Vine Theater 16 8:30AM Worship 10AM Sunday School 11AM Worship 12PM Primetime 6PM MS & HS youth 7:30 Women s Group 17 7PM CISPES Meeting 12PM Walk & Talk 1PM Peet s 18 7PM NA 7PM RESULTS 19 7PM AA 7:15 PM Choir Practice :30AM Worship 10AM Sunday School, Adult Ed 11AM Worship 6PM MS & HS youth 7PM Men s Group 7PM VLDT 24 12PM Walk & Talk 1PM Peet s 7PM A-Team 25 6PM Teen Feed 7PM NA 26 7PM AA 7:15 PM Choir Practice :30AM Worship 10AM Sunday School, Adult Ed 11AM Worship 6PM MS & HS youth 31 April 1 12PM Walk & Talk 1PM Peet s 7PM NA 2 7PM AA 7:15 PM Choir Practice 3 4 5