A LETTER FROM SUDBURY UMC LEADERS TO LOCAL MEDIA MARCH 7, 2019

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1 A LETTER FROM SUDBURY UMC LEADERS TO LOCAL MEDIA MARCH 7, 2019 (This letter, written by Zack Moser, was sent to local newspapers after church leaders met February 27.) Elected leaders and ministerial staff of Sudbury United Methodist Church met on Wednesday night, February 27, to discuss how our congregation plans to move forward in light of a significant vote during the February 23 to 26 special session of the UMC s General Conference, called to legislate the world-wide denomination s official stance on human sexuality and gender identity. To summarize, General Conference delegates voted to prohibit same-sex marriages and the ordination of selfavowed practicing homosexuals. Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar of the New England Conference called the vote (I intentionally will not call this action a decision ) disheartening at best and despairing at worst (you can read his full statement at Congregations and clergy who do not affirm this stance by 2021 may be subject to expulsion from the denomination. A judicial review on this matter is anticipated (the United Methodist equivalent of the Supreme Court adjudicating the legislation s constitutionality) and another General Conference will be held in 2020, so there is time and opportunity for this action to be reversed. However, even if it is not reversed I can plainly and confidently state that Sudbury UMC will not affirm this stance, whatever consequences may come. We want to publicly reach out to LGBTQIA+ individuals and assure them that our congregation will continue to be a part of the Reconciling Ministries Network, a United Methodist movement aimed at the acceptance of everyone into the full expression of Christ s inclusive love. We steadfastly believe that all humanity is created in the image of God; sexual orientation and gender identity are simply parts of human diversity and therefore are to be celebrated. To those who are hurting because of the General Conference s action, we love you and we hurt with you. We want you to know that if you come through the doors of Sudbury UMC you will be welcomed with open hearts, minds, and arms. We have wept over this, and while the vote has garnered national headlines, we refuse to allow our connection (much less our congregation) to be defined by it. What is special about the United Methodist Church is its connectional polity, a structure that makes possible organizations such as the United Methodist Committee on Relief and United Methodist Volunteers in Mission. These organizations allow us to mobilize quickly and effectively during and after disasters and to maintain missional and humanitarian presence in impoverished communities all over the world. Moreover, we believe in the ideals of redeeming grace, intentional love, and a commitment to spiritual growth emphasized by John Wesley, the 18 th century founder of the Methodist movement. This is why we do not wish to leave the United Methodist Church but to transform it through radical and defiant love. After washing his disciples feet on the night before he died, Jesus told them, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35). This command to love is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. For a transcript of Pastor Joel s sermon on March 3, please follow the link Exodus for Everyone Page 1

2 CONCERNS AND CELEBRATIONS Page 2

3 DATES TO KEEP IN MIND March 11: Final Adult Formation Class rescheduled - From the Wisdom of the Enneagram to the Formation of the True Self March 13, 20, 27, April 3 and 10: Lenten Soup Suppers and Programming at 6:00 p.m. March 10: Spring Forward Move your clocks one hour ahead March 14: Magic Years March 17: Connexions Concert March 20: Health Ministries Cancer Support Group March 23: Memorial Service for David Parker March 24: Fourteenth Anniversary of Reconciling Ministries Vote Bishop Susan Hassinger A REQUEST FROM MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNITY LIFE The Lenten Soup Suppers and Programs will begin on March 13 and go through April 10. Oscar Harrell and his team are asking for pots of soup, loaves of bread, macaroni and cheese, and other items folks may wish to share. They also need to recruit coordinators and volunteers to set-up, clean, etc. Membership and Community Life is willing to take the first Wednesday, March 13 th, or another Wednesday, and they will support other persons or groups. Please call or contact Oscar Harrell at or owhtwo@msn.com if you can help with the preparation of soups and or set-up and clean-up for the five Wednesdays in March or April. Thanks for your support and participation. The Pease Trip to India Was a Great Success Wendy, Robert and David Pease are back from their missionary trip to India. The sights, smells, sounds and education were fantastic. Here's a thank you message from the hosts to all of you who generously donated! One day in the future, we hope to have Sister Carole, our tour guide and friend join us at SUMC to talk about the India outreach she's done for the past 6 years. Respected and Dear Friends, AME-India, The Hope Center Church and the Peddinys would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your wishes, love, generosity in sharing your resources, by way of money and materials, to support the work of God, to feed the poor, the widows, the children, the people affected with Leprosy and our family. We are so grateful to you for this gesture, that you have shown through the courtesy of Sister Carole, our common friend, well-wisher and dear Sister in the Lord. We assure you that the funds are being used for the very purpose they were sent. People are really grateful to you and thank you for your generous gesture. Your reward is due from God very soon. When you do receive please share (if you don't mind) so that we may join you in giving thanks to God and glorify His name. Once again THANK YOU very much with LOTS OF LOVE, HUGS and GRATITUDE. We look forward to the day when we meet, to express our gratitude in person. Stay blessed. Presiding Elders Abraham and Sarah Peddiny Page 3

4 LENTEN BLESSINGS AROUND THE WORLD This year s unifying theme for Lent 2019 at Sudbury UMC is the giving and receiving of Lenten blessings. When the children come to the chancel steps each Sunday morning to talk with the pastor, they will receive and then distribute to the congregation a small symbolic gift to be used at home during the coming week. Daily Worship at Home Bless This Lent edited by Rob Hammerton With the support of Sudbury UMC s members and constituents, Rob Hammerton has compiled a collection of daily Lenten blogs. Read one each day in a place at home designated for prayer. Here s the link: lentblogsumc2019.home.blog Services of Worship Sundays in Lent Lent I March 10: Bless This Fast Ethiopia s Tsome Hudade The Rev. Joel Guillemette Lent II March 17: Bless This Meal Ireland s Bianna Simpli The Rev. Joel Guillemette Lent III Mar.24: Bless These Strangers Mexico s La Samaritana Bishop Susan Hassinger Lent IV March 31: Bless This Tragedy Korea s Tongsung Kido The Rev. Joel Guillemette Lent V April 7: Bless This Sacrifice Germany s Bretzeln The Rev. Joel Guillemette Lent VI April 14: Bless the One Who Comes Slovakia s Kvetna The Rev. Joel Guillemette Wednesday Soup Suppers March 13, 20, 27; April 3 and 10 at 6:00 p.m. (Hawes Hall) Wednesday Evening Lenten Classes March 13, 20, 27; April 3 and 10 at 6:30 to - 7:15 p.m. Global Song: God s Multinational Choir Kevin Murphy, Music Director (Chapel) Rob Hammerton, Choir Director Adult Program: How Lent Blesses the World Joel Guillemette, Pastor (Choir Room) Teen Program: Around the World in Forty Days Zack Moser, Youth Dir. (Youth Room) Children s Program: Lent in Other Lands Wendy Guillemette (Children s Room) Services of Worship Holy Week April 14 at 9:30 a.m.: Palm Sunday Worship (Sanctuary) April 17 at 7:00 p.m.: Wednesday in Holy Week (Chapel) A Service of Global Singing and Reflection April 18 at 7:00 p.m.: Maundy Thursday (Sanctuary) A Service of Word and Table April 19 at 7:00 p.m.: Good Friday (Chapel) A Service of Scripture and Song Services of Worship Easter Sunday April 21 at 8:00 a.m.: New Fire and Baptism April 21 at 9:30 a.m.: Music and Proclamation April 21 at 11:15 a.m.: Word and Table Page 4

5 ANNOUNCEMENTS Food Health and Safety for Children, Families, and Staff Page 5 When events with food are held, we ask for your assistance in keeping children and adults safe while in the building. Sunny Hill has life threatening food allergies within our community, and we are sure within the Church community as well. The kitchen is peanut-free, tree nut-free, coconut-free, free from being processed on the same equipment or made within a facility that uses these items. It is imperative that food safety rules are followed to keep children, families, and staff safe from reactions. LEARN THE UPPER ROOM Upper Room booklets are available in the narthex. Please help yourself to a free copy for your daily devotional readings. Or look for daily readings online by clicking: Try starting your day by spending time with God it might make a world of difference by setting the right tone for the hours to come! THE MAGNIFIC MOMENT On Sunday, March 10, there will be a gathering for Sunday School families/parents immediately after worship in the young elementary school class. The purpose for this gathering is twofold: first, we want parents to get to meet and greet our new Sunday School coordinator, Zack Moser. Zack has been the Youth Director for over a year, but recently added Sunday School to his responsibilities after our former Christian Education Director, the intrepid Eric Magnuson, stepped away. The second reason for the gathering is simply to enjoy the company of other SUMC families, so come hang out! We will have light refreshments and a time of sharing about our goals and vision for our Sunday School program. We will aim to finish by 11:30am. In our previous Magnific Moment, we asked two questions. First, how easy or hard is it to talk to our children about God? Second, how could the Church staff and teachers help you to teach your family about the Christian faith? These would once again be great questions to start thinking about in advance of our gathering on March 10. Greetings from the SUMC Youth! Salkehatchie is coming back to SUMC! Well, more precisely, the SUMC youth (along with two adult chaperones, of course) are headed back to Salkehatchie this summer. Thirteen youth will travel to Dillon, SC July 6-13 for a week of hard work and Christian fellowship. Salkehatchie is a mission camp organized by the South Carolina Conference UMC where youth come together to fix homes in dire disrepair whose homeowners have neither the means nor physical ability to make the repairs themselves. A mission trip to South Carolina does take some fundraising. In addition to contributions from team members families and individual efforts by the youth, we are also having two in-house Salkehatchie fundraisers this semester that we would like SUMC members to put on their calendars. The first date is one that you ll already be here for Easter Sunday (April 21)! We will be holding our annual Easter Pancake

6 Breakfast, and any donations collected during the breakfast will go towards Salkehatchie. The second event will be a Silent Auction and Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday, May 19! This event promises to be a lot of fun, and we will have more details as we get a little closer to the date. Finally, we d like to thank all gracious church members and families who have provided dinner at youth meetings. We greatly appreciate your dietary contributions to our ministry, and would like to remind everyone that there are still open slots that you (yes, you!) could sign up for and help make youth ministry happen at Sudbury UMC. Just go to and choose your Sunday (or contact Zack and he will get you signed up). Parents, be sure to check your for news and updates on all things involving SUMC s youth program. If you d like to receive those weekly updates, contact Zack and he will put your address on the list. Join the Thursday Bible Study Sudbury UMC s Thursday Bible study group always welcomes new participants. Meetings take place at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays at the Panera Bread located at 21 Andrew Avenue in Wayland s Town Center, just two miles from Sudbury UMC! Each week s focus text is the next Sunday s preaching passage. Remember to bring your Bible and a few bucks for something warm or cool to sip. We will look ahead to the passages being preached during worship on: Mar. 10: Luke 4:1-13 Mar. 17: Luke 13:31-35 CONNECT Women s Fellowship to Meet March 18 The next meeting of the Women s Fellowship will take place on March 18 at 7:00 pm in Davison Chapel. Alice Chi and Eileen Stramaglia will share pictures of their 2017 two-week cultural tour of China with their daughters. They visited several cities, including Beijing and Chengdu and they also visited an orphanage. All women of the church are invited. Light refreshments will be served. Hope to see you there. Magic Years on March 14 A Celebration of St. Patrick s Day On Thursday, March 14, come to Magic Years to hear our very own Kevin Murphy, our church s Music Director and Organist, give an overview of Celtic/Irish history through word and song. You won t want to miss this month s enjoyable and engaging program. All seniors are encouraged to attend. To sign-up for lunch, contact Rev. Cho-Kim at pastorchokim@sudbury-umc.org or at (ext. 207). The Triumphant Return of Lenten Devotional Writing The online version of the Lenten Devotions Booklet is ready to launch! The grand old SUMC tradition, which was expertly shepherded by Nancy Sweeney for many years, is making the transition to electronic media. There will be a few paper copies made available by request (contact Shetal in the church office, or Rob Hammerton by rob@sudbury-umc.org. But the principal location of the Devotions will be a blog, which Page 6

7 can be accessed on the Web. Visit that URL listed below, each morning of Lent or subscribe to the blog to get new posts delivered straight to your inbox! lentblogsumc2019.home.blog It's a different sort of journey to Easter. Let's see how it works! I predict you'll find it worthwhile. -Rob Hammerton, 2019 Lenten Devotions Editor and Webmaster! Get Energized! Health Ministries Commission s Line Dancing Party! Connexion Concert III on St. Patrick s Day The Health Ministries Commission of SUMC invites you to a Line Dance party in Hawes Hall on Saturday March 30 from 7 to 9 pm. All ages and abilities are welcome. We ll have a professional instructor to guide us. Come to converse, dance, laugh and lift your spirits. Bring a drink or snack to share if you can (Please remember! No nuts!), and RSVP to Kay D Orlando by March 22. kjdorlando@comcast.net or The Wesley Winds will play during the Connexions III concert on St. Patrick s Day! Come join the fun. Rob Hammerton and Kevin Murphy invite all members of the Wesley Winds and any interested newcomers to play March 17, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. at Sudbury UMC. If you want to join us, sign up at Parents, you are welcome to sign up your kids! We love having "family units" in the band. We will rehearse each Sunday until 17 March in the choir room at SUMC at 11:00am until 12:00pm noon. i.e. 3/3, 3/10 & 3/17. Please attend all of these rehearsals if you can; it greatly improves everyone's comfort level if you do so. We will print all parts and have them on stands for rehearsals and the service if you would prefer not to print them yourselves. Parts are all PDF format; you could easily load them into your device of choice and read them electronically. I hope you will join us; we have a tradition of inviting the Wesley Winds to play this Connexions Concert and it has always been a great time! Sign up ASAP, since our planning is based on an accurate and early sign up. Hope to hear and see you soon! Stephen Ministers Offer a Listening Ear Sudbury UMC has thirteen active Stephen Ministers (caregivers). Ten are currently available to offer their support. They can walk with those needing kindness, a listening ear and distinctively Christian care-giving. If you know a friend including yourself who might benefit from a caring relationship, you can speak to Pastor Joel, Lori Granger or Richard Smith. And every Sunday morning, one Stephen Minister is available after worship in the O Reilly room. They are there to listen to your concerns and pray with you. GIVE Urgent Food Pantry Needs Many of the food pantries in our area are in urgent need of the following: Canned fruit, vegetables, soup, pasta meals, hash, beef stew, tuna, and ham. Pudding and Jell-O mixes, instant and ground coffee, cocoa, tea bags, white rice, instant potatoes and stuffing mix. Mac & cheese, pancake mix, syrup. Sugar, flour, and Page 7

8 sugar substitutes. Canned or jarred spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, jelly, jam, peanut butter. Laundry detergent, shampoo, deodorant, bar soap, mouthwash, feminine care products, paper towels, toilet paper and wipes. If possible, please pick up any of the above items on your next shopping trip and deliver them to the cart in the narthex. Thanks! COMMUNITY Drivers Needed for Meals on Wheels Our drivers deliver 3,000 healthy meals, every weekday, to elders and adults living with disabilities. They may deliver the only meal of the day to homebound clients while providing critical social contact a safety check. Additional drivers are needed to meet the increasing demand in a service area that includes eleven cities and towns. If you are interested in giving back to your community through this part-time job, apply today! Please call Sara at ext. 689 or visit our website Fresh Start Furniture Bank Furnishing Hope Fresh Start Furniture Bank is located at 16 Brent Drive in Hudson. Fresh Start Furniture Bank is a volunteer-based charity which provides free furniture and home goods to people in need. All of the items that we distribute have been donated. Store Hours: Tuesday: 10:00-12:00 Thursday: 10:00-12:00 Household Goods Needs Saturday: 9:00-12:00 Important items are in short supply; Can you Help? We are so thankful for all the wonderful goods donations we receive, but unfortunately, we are running very short on certain high demand items: Pots, Pans, Kitchen Utensils and silverware Queen size bedding (mattress pads, sheets, blankets, and comforters) Bring us items during our regular drop off hours (Tues., Thurs, Sat 9-noon) Host a drive to make kitchen starter sets. Contact Sharon Martens for more information. Choose items from our Amazon Wish List. It always has links to great deals on our current needs. Shopping on Amazon? Please go to Smile.Amazon.com and designate Household Goods to donate a portion of what you spend through the Amazon Smile Program. MetroWest Free Medical Program Seeking Volunteers Page 8 On Tuesday evenings, the MetroWest Free Medical Clinic provides healthcare services for people without insurance. Approximately 35 patients are seen on average, using the sanctuary at Congregation Beth El as the clinic site.

9 Volunteers are needed to put medical supplies and equipment away in a shed. Screens, exam tables, buckets of medical supplies, tables and chairs must be moved. With 20 volunteers, this can be done in 30 minutes. Interested? Contact Kim Prendergast at kim.prendergast@gmail.com. Page 9

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12 Sudbury United Methodist Church 251 Old Sudbury Road, Sudbury, MA Phones: (978) or (978) Fax: (978) Church Office: Website: Church Staff Lead Pastor: The Rev. Joel Guillemette Director of Adult Formation: The Rev. Dr. H. Cho-Kim Youth & Children s Ministries Director: Zachary Moser Music Director/Organist: Kevin Murphy, AAGO Sanctuary Choir Director: Rob Hammerton Business Manager: Michael Greb Office Administrator: Shetal Kaye Sexton: Joe Picorelli pastorjoel@sudbury-umc.org pastorchokim@sudbury-umc.org zack@sudbury-umc.org kevin@sudbury-umc.org rob@sudbury-umc.org michael@sudbury-umc.org sumc@sudbury-umc.org joe@sudbury-umc.org We are a Stephen Ministry Congregation We are a Reconciling and Welcoming Congregation Page 12