First United Methodist Church of Tacoma December 2014/January 2015

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1 OUTREACH First United Methodist Church of Tacoma December 2014/January 2015 $40,000 Invite your friends and family to join us for worship on Christmas Eve at 7pm. We ll be joining with Spirit of Christ Community Church, the faith community that worships downstairs on Sunday afternoons, to celebrate together. Come and sing and tell the story of God s coming into the world, share communion, and candlelight singing of Silent Night. $35,000 If you can be on hand to provide simple fellowship of hot cider and cookies, please contact liz@fumcot.com. Inside this Issue Pastor s Page... 2 Reconciling Ministries... 3 Pantry Patter... 4 December Calendar... 5 January Calendar... 6 Guidelines for the Journey to Racial Justice... 7 Reflections by Vince Hart... 9 Prayers & Contact Info Challenge Update God is GREAT! Just one week into our $20k/ $20k matching challenge, and we have raised $14,100. We are over $35,000 towards our goal of $40,000. Let's blow past this challenge and make this mortgage disappear! Happy December/January Birthdays to our members and friends! Betty Troxell, Dec. 15 Gretchen Engle, Dec. 17 Jesus, Dec. 25 Bob Matthews, Dec. 26 Laurie Aleona, Dec. 27 Cynthia Lorch, Jan. 2 Bria Murry, Jan. 12 Shy uth Janzen, Jan. 13 Charlie Cook, Jan. 14 Ann Adkinson, Jan. 24 Maxine Strom, Jan. 31

2 Pastor s Page Peace and Joy be to you, for Divine Love is come to dwell with us! Amid all the questions of Christmastime... Who all is going to show up? If I mail it now, will it get there in time? How will we pay for this? Will I ever have the kind of Christmas/family/security I long for? it can be tough to find room for these questions: What does Divine Love look like in person? What does Divine Love look like in my person? Poet Christina Rossetti s words fill one of my favorite carols, Love came down at Christmas There are so many places in which we pray for love to come down or bubble up and be incarnated. We pray Love will take on the flesh of global medical efforts to relieve the suffering from Ebola, malaria, and cancer. We pray Love will take on flesh in our public servants of military, police, and court systems so that they serve and protect, and bring peace, not more war. We pray Love will take on flesh in God s churches everywhere, so that only living-giving words will be offered to those who gather in God s name. We pray that we will have grace, courage and determination to be people of reconciliation and hope in the face of pain and injustice. Worship we the God-head, Love incarnate, Love divine; worship we our Jesus, but wherewith for sacred sign? Wherewith is one of those lovely, archaic words I had to look up. It means the means by which something is done; a tool. Jesus is God s sacred sign Jesus is the tool by which God shows the world love. Jesus is our best model for what Love looks like in human form. Take some time this season to ask yourself, who is Jesus for me? When we worship our Jesus together, what particularly shines through him to you as God s Love incarnate? What is it about Jesus that speaks to you of Divine love? Maybe it s Love s vulnerability, coming as a human child into a war-torn world. Maybe it s Love s humility, coming to be one with a downtrodden people. Maybe it s Love s willingness to be in the messiness of a stable where there s manure, as well as angels singing. Love shall be our token, love be yours and love be mine; love to God and neighbor, love for plea and gift and sign. As followers of Jesus, what will be our token, our tattoo, our sign to the world? Love! Love takes many forms. Theologian Cornell West writes, Justice is what love looks like in public. Methodist Christians have long understood that love must be lived out BOTH in personal and public ways. We strive to live love in our hearts, personal relationships, and in society by advocating for justice for everyone. Love means listening to God and one another. Love means risking relationships with others. Love means revealing our spiritual experience, our questions, doubts, assurances, and hopes. Love means practicing forgiveness. Love means finding and using your voice as the Spirit prompts. Love is bubbling up in First UMC in the form of deepening ministries and beginning new ones. Hospitality and welcoming new members Genesis Process Recovery Mentoring Prayer Team and Congregational Care I feel full of love for this congregation and our neighbors. I feel grateful to God for bringing us to this place where we get to practice Love in all kinds of ways together. May the Divine Love of God be born again in us. May that Divine Love guide us into the coming year and empower us to transform the world. Merry Christmas! Peace and Love, Nativity 2 Studio Anneli Ann 2

3 RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK Tacoma First UMC BECOMES A TEENAGE RECONCILING CONGREGATION Thirteen years ago our congregation committed itself as a Reconciling congregation. Now, as a teenager, we continue live this out by showing our community that we really mean it when we say, All are welcome here, and in the even harder work of purging our United Methodist denomination of its tragic and cruelly erroneous declaration that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. The Church Council has designated Sunday, January 25 as the day for a birthday celebration during worship and Fellowship Time. The form of the celebration is yet to be determined. Volunteers with a passion for our Reconciling witness will be welcomed by Pastor Ann and the Worship Arts team as the design of the service is developed. The adult class at 11:00 will provide an opportunity to discuss ways to make our presence and witness more complete and effective. One goal, being asked of each Reconciling congregation in the Annual Conference, is the forming of a Reconciling Team to work throughout the year in strengthening the congregation s public witness and welcome to ALL. Vince Hart 3

4 BLESSED We are prepared for the last Pantry for 2014! The shelves are filled to the brim. Food and clothing donations arrive almost daily. A gift card from North Tacoma Grocery Outlet allowed the purchase of everything we needed for the ham dinner we will be preparing. Emergency Food Network has provided small whole chickens for distribution and Northwest Harvest has provided us with salmon fillets. Clients will get one or the other in their bags. Volunteers have been calling daily to offer their help. I m starting to fill volunteer dates in 2015! We are so thankful for all who donate their time. Recently a mother who homeschools her children came to rebottle and re-label liquid laundry detergent. We save drinking water bottles for this purpose. We have another family scheduled to repack rice and oatmeal. While we do not announce that gifts are available, we try to collect items for that purpose all year long. This year we will have hygiene kits, warm hats and gloves and some special toys donated by a Kohl s employee. Pictured are stuffed characters from the Mercer Mayer children s books called Little Critters. PROVIDING BLESSINGS A couple of days before Thanksgiving the following occurred: First a volunteer needing to do court appointed hours completed them. As I was typing a letter to the courts she began to tell me about herself. She is in counseling in part because she is a survivor of domestic abuse. After a broken nose and two eye surgeries she is away from her abuser for good. She wishes she could find work but has yet to find anything in her chosen field. In the meantime she likes volunteering here at the Pantry and wants to continue though she no longer needs court hours. I congratulated her on successfully leaving her abuser and praised her for being strong. Next a woman with two small boys came asking for groceries. She and the boys are currently living in a motel room in Fife. She and the boys walked to town looking for help. That s six miles! Along the way, she d asked about a food bank and someone told her to come to My Sister s Pantry. The person had also given her bus money for the return to the motel. The only cooking facilities they have is a microwave. Two shopping bags were packed with items they could use along with some paper bowls and plastic utensils. As they left all three had backpacks which were stuffed with their groceries. She looked so relieved and was grateful for what she received. GRATEFUL Thank you for all you provide to the Pantry. Whether it is food, clothing, plastic and paper bags, time, or money, the Pantry is so grateful for your support. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Pantry Patter By Martha Curwen 4

5 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat The noisy offering is taken on the second Sunday of each month. The December offering is for the Pastor s Discretionary Fund. 7 9:30 am Worship & Communion 5 pm Lights, Camera, Faith! First United Methodist Church December pm Tent City 5 pm Pantry 6:30 pm Trustees Mtg. 8 4 pm Tent City pm United for Peace :15 pm Finance 7 pm PFLAG pm Steve Lane s Memorial :30 am Worship & Noisy Offering 15 5 pm Pantry 7pm Micah Project :30 pm Micah Project Meal Prep 21 9:30 am Worship pm Christmas Eve Worship 25 Christmas Day :30 am Christmas Caroling Worship N-A Meets Noon & 12:00 a.m. Al-Anon Meets 5:30 pm Gamblers Anon. 5:30 pm 5

6 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat The noisy offering is taken on the second Sunday of each month. The January offering is for the Human Relations Day 4 9:30 am Worship & Communion (Revels Sunday) 5 pm Lights, Camera, Faith! First United Methodist Church January pm Tent City Info Mtg. 5 pm Pantry 6:30 pm Trustees Mtg. N-A Meets Noon & 12:00 a.m. Al-Anon Meets 5:30 pm Gamblers Anon. 5:30 pm 1 New Year s Day :15 pm Finance 7 pm PFLAG :30 am Worship & Noisy Offering pm UfPPC :30 pm Micah Project Meal Prep 18 9:30 am Worship (MLK Sunday) 10:30 COMMUNI- TY SERVICE at URBAN GRACE 11 am P.A.C.K. 19 MLK Jr. Holiday 4 pm Tent City 5 pm Pantry :30 pm Church Council :30 am Pantry 25 9:30 am Worship RMN Celebration Sunday 26 7 pm Micah Proj

7 Guidelines for Accompaniment on the Journey to Racial Justice By Janjay Innis Janjay Innis is a Global Mission Fellow and serves as a social justice advocate for Tacoma Community House. Innis offers some insights for those wishing to be allies in the movement for a more just world. I, like every black person in America, am angry. I am angry at the non-indictment of Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of unarmed, black teenager Michael Brown and I am angry at the consequent nonindictment of Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the strangling death of Eric Garner. I am angry that these two highly publicized cases are a microcosm of what happens to black people around this country every 28 hours at the hands of law enforcement. I am angry at the way that black lives continue to be disregarded based on the propaganda that the skin we are in is threatening to white existence, and so when I was asked to write a piece that humanizes both sides, I refused. My rage is not born out of some trivial pet peeve that can be resolved by agreeing to disagree on this matter. My rage seeks to overturn the status quo and is looking to partner with others who want to channel their anger into systemic and lasting change. I am here to work with those who realize that silence in the face of racism is acceptance and choose to no longer follow such a path. My vocation calls me to make sense of everything through the lens of faith. Therefore, I declare that God grieves at the grave sin that is racism but God is also in the chaos and will bring us to a new reality. Allies, I admire your commitment in bringing about a better world and for this reason, I offer these guidelines on your journey of solidarity with us. 1. Check your privilege It is my hope that all white allies who choose to join in the fight against racism know about and recognize white privilege; advantages afforded to white people (whether they are conscious of it or not) that allow them to speak as they please, act as they please, and go where they please without scrutiny because they are white. In the wake of this national movement to expose police brutality, I ve read countless stories on social media outlets of white people who have been with black people on the front lines of die-ins and protests all over America. While most of them know that their place is to walk alongside black people, there have been a few who 7 have chosen to go above and beyond, such as angrily yelling at and cursing out police officers during peaceful protests. While this seems to be a noble display of passion for the right cause, it is white privilege in action and a blatant disrespect to black people who are labeled as thugs or shot at and killed for their justified anger. White people, black people don t need you to validate their pain for it to be pain. Thus, to check your privilege is to be fully aware of the way your actions can be detrimental to the very cause you claim to care about. 2. Remember, black people are not the problem, racism is. While studying at Boston University School of Theology, the student group Association for Black Seminarians (ABS) became my lifeline. There, I bonded with other students of color in a way that helped to ease my anxiety at being in a predominately white institution. Thus, when rumors sprung from the student body that our sitting together in the lunch room was not welcoming to well-meaning white students who wanted to collaborate with us, I could do nothing but dismiss the assumption that black people are setting themselves back by gathering with their own kind. Segregation was an institutional means by which America kept blacks from upward mobility in all aspects of their lives. Thus, something that is for Continued on page 8

8 Continued from page 7 blacks only will never be problematic as things that are for whites only. Working together should be intentional and organic. Focusing on integrating black people into your circles and pointing fingers at them if they choose not to, is a distraction from the real issue at hand, racism. When we are exclusive, it s not for the purpose of shutting you out, but rather for the purpose of lifting ourselves up. To truly be about the task of dismantling racism through collaboration, ask for permission to be part of spaces that are intentionally all black. Listen and learn from them. State your intentions and wait to be invited. 3. Let black people lead. The events of late have sparked many conversations about race in America and out of the many conversations I ve attended in my city, only one of them have been led by black people. I affirm white people s desire to examine their biases and seek authentic ways of being in relationship, but, while white people have the luxury of discussing race for a season, black people must live the reality of microaggressions, overt and covert racism, daily. For these reasons, it s best to let black people set up and lead conversations and strategic actions against racism. This is in no way a dismissal of white people s efforts to have honest conversation about race, this is rather a call to be intentional about the way you talk about race. If you do plan a public conversation on race (and you should), do your best to have a representation of people of color. You may do your best to follow these guidelines and your invitation might be rejected because not every black person is an expert on race relations. Some people don t know how to talk about the ways they ve been wounded, yet their stories must be told. Allies have been doing this, but need to do more of it. My call is that you make every effort to reach out to, or better yet, join those who have been speaking loudly about race long before it was on your radar. 4. Teach other white people. I shouldn t have to explain to you why my life matters. It is exhausting and yet, I tell it because it is literally a matter of life and death. I tell it because I can t face the powers that be and demand change by myself. In working with allies on their respective journeys to find their place in this movement, the question often asked is, What can a white person, who will never fully understand the plight of black people, do? My response to this question has and will always be, Teach other white people. There are many roads that lead to combating racism and dialogue that exposes people to what they have been conditioned to ignore, is powerful. Our stories of how we ve overcome our greatest challenges are our most powerful weapon. White people who honestly confront their privilege, wrestle with it, and teach others to do the same, build strong bridges of rapport on the road to racial justice. 5. Learn to Live in Tension. We all would like to believe our passion for social justice, equality, and equity makes us good people. It is good to call ourselves good, but the danger in claiming to be good is that it sometimes makes it difficult to hear or see how we can be better. It s necessary that we examine the bold claims we make about ourselves, lest we fall short of them. In order to live into those claims all of our lives, we must be people who live in tension. To live in tension is to accept other people s pathologies even if it makes us uncomfortable. To live in tension is to always strive to be a better version of ourselves. To live in tension is to know that there is more required of us than what we have accomplished. To live in tension is to stand in the liminal space between tragedy and triumph and declare that triumph will prevail. God is in the tension loving us, healing us and leading us to a more excellent way. 8

9 First UMC needs YOU! There are many ways to get involved at First UMC and enrich the life of First UMC. The following are projects that need a caring shepherd or two. Do you have gifts or and time to serve? Create a Welcome New Members Bulletin Board Help us celebrate people making a commitment to First UMC by taking photos and gathering some conversation-starting details from our newest members. Arrange your design in the Parlor Fellowship area to help people get to know one another. (Talk with Liz or Pastor Ann) Organize the First UMC Prayer Chain - Prayer is an important way we connect and support one another in the body of Christ. Many people have expressed interest in being part of a prayer team, but we don t have a structure to sign up, request prayers, and get the needs communicated in various ways. (Talk with: Kay Hart, Gretchen Davis, Johnola Hughes) Photojournalist Team - Noteworthy moments of connection, ministry, and fun happen each month at First UMC, but they often fly by. Could you make a monthly goal of taking and sharing photos for the Newsletter, facebook page, and website? (Talk with Pastor Ann) Greeters Gang We all know what a big difference it makes when we offer a genuine and warm welcome to visitors and newcomers. How do we make sure it happens consistently every week, without fail? What best practices should we keep in mind? Help answer these questions so each person will be welcomed with the love of Christ and helped to connect here. (Talk with Kyle Janzen) Genesis Process Mentors Getting the Word Out We re about to begin a mentor-training group for people who want to grow spiritually and accompany others who are new in recovery from addiction. Do you know someone who might be interested in this ministry someone from another church or someone with longterm recovery? (Talk with Breck Lebegue, Sue Streutker) REFLECTIONS by Vince Hart SOMEBODY KNOCKIN AT MY DOOR. The choir sang that old Spiritual recently; and a few weeks back I had one such experience. It was unexpected, yet very clear: a quite conscious directive to shift some priorities and time allocations so that I could focus more fully on key passions in my life and hand off to others two of the weekly chores I have been doing around the church for several years. Those are: washing the dishes from the Sunday Fellowship Time, and recording the Sunday attendance data. The fact that each task has been somewhat hard on my aging body may have had something to do with it; but more important was the issue that letting go of those Monday morning tasks would allow me to stay home most of the day to think and write about some issues very much on my heart. Accomplishing the hand off is the first step, a goal I hope to reach by the end of January. Who in the congregation can commit the time each week for one or both tasks? Is somebody knockin at your door too? Neither task is arduous; each takes about minutes and a minimum of training. I am looking forward to the change and to the opportunity to engage more directly and frequently in the great debate within our UMC about LGBTQIA inclusion. The other form of inclusion which has gripped my passion recently is that of a more just and equitable distribution of wealth and essential life resources in this country and the world. SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTION OPPORTUNITY by Vince Hart TENT CITY TACOMA is a hope and a vision which is gradually gaining substance. For about two years a tiny team (4-6 persons) has been meeting regularly in our church building, working on the vital groundwork needed to eventually provide a safe and secure shelter for at least some of the homeless in Tacoma. A call has gone out to over forty churches in the city which have sufficient space for hosting a site. A broader call is in the works for churches and other agencies that can commit representatives to the TCT Development Team. Who at FUMCOT might join the team? On Monday, January 5, the TCT Team will host a 90 minute meeting in our building to introduce the project to a wider constituency, with the hope of recruiting more team members and encouraging careful consideration by those who might host a site. The meeting will be from 4:00 to 5:30. 9

10 We Offer our Prayers to God for: Our World: For a just peace in Israel and Palestine; for our sisters and brothers in Liberia and others suffering and combating Ebola outbreaks. Our Nation: For our President, Governor and all elected officials that they may make wise decisions. For the people of Staten Island, NY, and the families of Eric Garner and Mike Brown. For true reconciliation, justice, and healing from the violence of racism and prejudice. For communities and police working together for the dignity and safety of all. For our troops and their families. For a humane and moral solution to the refugee crisis at our border. Our Community: For the new residents of the MDC apartments. Our Bishop: Grant Hagiya; Our Superintendent: Cara Scriven; Our Pastor: Ann Adkinson Our missionaries: Janjay Innis, Sarah Mudge, and Sarah Roemer. Our Friends and Family: Pray for those who have requested our prayers, including Gretchen Davis and girls, Daryl Freeman, Barbara Prine (White), Crestina Merez, LeRoy Fuller, Tim Fuller, Craig Waterbury, Charlie Cook, Jonathan R., Meredith & Renee Campbell, Bob L. and Gretchen, Al, and Avery. Note: If there are prayers you d like added to this list, please liz@fumcot.com CHURCH CONTACT INFORMATION Pastor Ann Adkinson annadkinson@fumcot.com Office Hours: Tuesdays by appointment Thursdays 11 am-2 pm. Friday: Sabbath Day (no ; only emergency phone calls ) Church Administrator Liz Johnson liz@fumcot.com Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday 9:00 a.m. to Noon Music Ministry Ryan Enis, Choir Director Norm Seidel, Keyboard Worship Visit our website ryanjamesenis@gmail.com seidelnorm@gmail.com Every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Office Phone Lay Leader: Matt Patera Church Lay Leadership Church Council: Jim Weis, Chair; Gail Garnas, Secretary; Matt Patera, Samara Dienst-Philipson; Kyle Janzen; Sylvia Summers; Martha Curwen (Finance); Gretchen Engle; Ann Edwards; Claire Rowe; Ann Adkinson Finance: Kyle Janzen, Chair; Sylvia Summers, Treasurer; Martha Curwen, Secretary; Vince Hart; Kim Crow; finance@fumcot.com SPPRC: Claire Rowe, Chair; George Lewis; Amanda Lucas; Matt Patera, Lay Leader Trustees: Samara Dienst-Philipson, Chair; Maurice Lacunza, vice-chair; Robert Summers; Jason Searls; Hollis Duncan; trustees@fumcot.com This newsletter is a monthly publication of First United Methodist Church of Tacoma, located at 621 Tacoma Ave South, Tacoma, WA To update your contact information or remove your name from our mailing list, please contact us at: outreach@fumcot.com or call