The Messenger. Introducing Rev. Valerie Jackson: University Park United Methodist Church Denver, Colorado. March Inside this issue:

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1 The Messenger University Park United Methodist Church Denver, Colorado The UPark Core Values: Inclusive, Intergenerational, Interfaith, International March 2016 Our Vision: To be a community of Disciple leaders who practice stewardship and hospitality as we engage each other and the world around us. Introducing Rev. Valerie Jackson: We have a new pastor coming! A new pastoral appointment has been announced by Bishop Elaine Stanovsky and shared by our Staff-Parish Relations Committee with the congregation on February 14. This is very exciting. Rev. Valerie Jackson will be coming to University Park on July 1, 2016 after four years as senior pastor at First UMC in Aurora. She has also been serving as an Academic Advisor at Iliff School of Theology and as Adjunct Faculty for Iliff since Her ties to Iliff and her enthusiasm for preaching, leading and training will be a great asset in her ministry at University Park. She is described as wise and charming, energetic and a bridge-builder. On a personal note, I am relieved that the bishop and cabinet have chosen to send a pastor who has such fine background and personal qualities and who does not fit the same profile as I do or as Paul Kottke. The future of University Park will not be formed with more of the same. Valerie has been active in leading trainings and workshops and has participated with the Center for Health and Hope that focuses on HIV and AIDS which is the topic of our Mission Moment on March 13. For my last four months here, it will be my pleasure to meet as regularly as possible with Valerie to acquaint her with the amazing staff and outstanding lay leadership and incredible people she will be joining in ministry here at University Park. I will also work with your leaders and staff on ways to welcome and create a great space for Valerie to come in with you. I am concerned about the deficit in the budget and in the ways that I am able, I will help your leaders discern what must be done so that ministry is not compromised by it. I am grateful to your excellent Staff-Parish Relations Committee led by Tom Gonnella and your terrific finance leadership including Lori Colleran and Bob Metzger, your splendid Chair of the Administrative Council, Amy Flynn and your great Lay Leaders Jim and Jo Morgan and Larry Grauberger. All of these along with your great staff have shown solid character and wisdom in our transition time. Rev. Dale Beck Inside this issue: From Rev. Beck... 1 Our Church Family Holy Week Schedule... 4 Evanston Center... 4 Announcements... 5 Administrative Corner... 6 Disability Ministry... 7 UMW... 8 Christian Education... 9 Children s Program Youth Staff List... 12

2 Page 2 The Messenger, March 2016 Our Church Family Celebrations We celebrate the birth of Sloan Lee Laydon on February 25 to parents Luke and Nicole and big sister Elle. Carol Jansch was recognized at the 2016 Metropolitan District Annual Celebration as the UPUMC nominee for the Quiet Disciple Award. 243 food items (129.5 lbs) were delivered to DenUM as a result of the UNITED IN ORANGE food collection campaign related to the Super Bowl Game. DenUM served 31,185 individuals in 2015 and extends their gratitude in helping assist individuals and families in the Metro area. Good work, Broncos fans! Concerns Members and friends who have been ill or hospitalized since the last Messenger: Kathleen O Donnell who fell at home and sustained a broken nose, broken left wrist and an assortment of other bruises and contusions; she is now recovering at home. Hope Law is recovering from foot surgery. Janet Wolfer is home recovering from surgery. Condolences We extend our sympathy to the family and friends of Claud McLain who died on February 8; and of Kathy DieterichRurup who died on February 11. Our hearts are open to all church members, friends and family, as they experience the concerns and celebrations of life. Photos from the Candelight Dinner, held February 13th.

3 University Park United Methodist Church, March 2016 Page 3 Thank You! Many thanks to Robin and John Zemetra, Linda Schuyler, and Lisa Levitt who prepared, served and cleaned up for the January 31 Charge Conference and Annual meeting. Thanks also go to Robin Zemetra, Susan Livingston, and Anne Hunter who helped serve refreshments for the reception for the Dixie Spangler memorial service. Congratulations! We congratulate Diana Helper, a Constituent of UPark UMC who also sings in our Chancel Choir, on receiving the 2015 INC Lifetime Achievement Award. (INC is the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation of which the University Park Community Association is a part.) Diana has served for 35 years (and still counting) on the University Park Community Association (our church is located within the boundaries of this association). Diana and her husband, John, have been singing in our choir for the last two years. Diana recently provided a musical program for the Candlelight Dinner. She also recently encouraged residents of the University Park neighborhood to donate toys to a charitable cause as their children were clearing out their toy inventory. UPark UMC immediately shared with Diana that the Burmese refugee children would love to be the recipients of these toys. Financial Update At the Annual Meeting in January you asked for more transparency into UPark's financials, and we heard you. Following is a summary of the 2016 budget compared to 2015 actual results. ($ in thousands) '16 vs. '15 Budget Actual Results Variance Pledge Revenue $512 $590 -$78 All Other Revenue Total Revenue Staff Parish Relations Trustees All Other Expenses Total Expenses Net Income/(Deficit) ($83) ($6) ($77) Pledge Commitments # of Units $ $512 $617 -$105 *SPR Incl. $10K for the new youth assistant - Funded by donor

4 Page 4 The Messenger, March 2016 Holy Week Schedule Palm Sunday, March 20 8:30am Informal Worship, Wasser Chapel 9:30am Pretzel Making, East Fellowship Hall (No Sunday School Classes) 10:30am Palm Procession, UPark Neighborhood 10:30am Peniel Worship, Wasser Chapel 11:00am Traditional Worship, Sanctuary Chancel Choir sings: Requiem by John Leavitt Maundy Thursday, March 24 7:00pm Seder Worship, East Fellowship Hall Good Friday, March 25 3:00pm Stations of the Cross, Observatory Park 7:00pm Tenebrae Service, Wasser Chapel Easter Sunday, March 27 7:00am Sunrise Service at Evans Chapel Courtyard at DU 7:30am Pancake Breakfast, East Fellowship Hall 9:00am Easter Service, Sanctuary 10:15am Easter Egg Hunt for Children 11:00am Easter Service, Sanctuary Evanston Center for Spiritual Wholeness & Healing From Rev. Linda Bibb, Center Director Lakshmi Nair, Hindu Satya Yoga instructor, teaches her students the importance of complete surrender, relaxation, and peace. Her 21 students, all of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, or American Indian descent, practice releasing negative energy that they may have experienced as a result of racism or violence. They focus on learning to live a healthy and positive life-style. The 250 contact hour course, which began in September, will continue through April at the Evanston Center for Spiritual Wholeness and Healing.

5 University Park United Methodist Church, March 2016 Page 5 Announcements The Post Employment Group Seniors: This monthly meeting of seniors who gather for lunch, conversation, and a program will resume on March 9, 2016 at noon in the East Fellowship Hall. Robin and John Zemetra will cater lunch for $8.00 per person. Following lunch Duane Buys, the Director of Christian Education at UPark, will lead the group in assembling the Easter eggs to be used for the children s egg hunt on Easter Sunday morning. Let s get eggcited about getting together for this project! Kids Cans for Kids Bring Those Aluminum Cans! Thus far for 2016 we have recycled approximately 66 pounds worth of aluminum cans and other miscellaneous metals; for a total of $ NOTE: Contributors, please separate different types of metals as Atlas Metal & Iron Corp the recycle establishment we use requires that the different types are separated, weighed and valued individually. This relieves the volunteer (Sharon Sanita thank you very much) who delivers the metals to Atlas of having to do the separation before delivery. Thanks to all who cooperate with this request. We will continue to send these funds to the Children s Hospital Chaplaincy department to supply Bibles for patients and their families, including Spanish Bibles, and to supply other reading materials for their mobile interfaith book cart. New Greeters Needed Due to busy schedules, illness, and deaths, UPark needs about four (or more) greeters to complete our cadre of greeters before each week's 11am service. Greeters arrive about thirty minutes before the service and welcome all members and guests who arrive through the north and south entrances to the sanctuary. We need four greeters each week, but it only requires a commitment of three or four Sundays (or Christmas) a year. And greeting is FUN!. You are able to say hello to friends and strangers as they enter (or perhaps leave after Sunday School) the church. Greeting is EASY! Every one of us can smile and shake a hand and say "welcome." Won't you please consider greeting our congregation and visitors to worship three or four times a year? Please give this consideration and contact Diane Felt (dfelt@universityparkumc.org), or George Gramer (gkgjr@aol.com) if you want to join the greeter team or have questions. Pretzel Sunday A Tradition Continued at UPark March 20, the sixth Sunday in Lent will be designated Pretzel Sunday. Everyone in the church is welcome to come on down to the East Fellowship Hall and make pretzels. We really want this to be an intergenerational fun, learning experience. Lent is a time of sadness, reflection and repentance, when Christians feel they should suffer. For 40 days early church Christians ate no rich foods; no meat, cheese, eggs or even milk. However, what these early Christians did eat was fish, and they baked special bread shaped into arms crossed, a symbol of rest and meditation as Christians sadly contemplated their lives. They called this bread Bracellae, the Latin word for little arms. For the first five weeks of Lent they were preparing for the great banquet. Denying themselves in preparation for the feast, munching dry pretzels. After the fifth week they finished the pretzels and entered the great banquet hall, with the joyous events of Palm Sunday and Easter.

6 Page 6 The Messenger, March 2016 Administrative Corner From Diane Felt, Administrative Assistant Easter Lilies to Adorn Sanctuary Each year we order 48 Easter lilies to adorn the Sanctuary on Easter Sunday. The Easter lily sign-up sheet is posted on the kiosk in the foyer outside of the Sanctuary. You may designate your lily in honor or in memory of someone. The price remains the same as in previous years at $10. Please make checks payable to UPark UMC or pay by going to our website: Click on the Giving tab. This will take you to our secure payment feature. You may take your lily home after worship on Easter Sunday. If you have questions, please contact Diane Felt: dfelt@universityparkumc.org or ext Easter Spiff-Up Crew Needed As we prepare for Easter Sunday, it would be helpful to have someone organize a group of volunteers for a Spiff-Up Day. The date would be determined by the volunteer organizer. This would entail a good dusting of the Sanctuary, East Parlor, the entry, and the foyer. If you are interested in leading such a group, please contact me. For previous days such as this, we typically have 6-8 volunteers assisting with the project. I will provide beverages and Duffeyrolls! Thank you for considering this project. To volunteer to organize this project or to volunteer to be part of this crew, please contact Diane Felt: dfelt@universityparkumc.org or ext March 2016 Member Directory Look for the March 2016 Member Directory to be available on Sunday, March 13. Please take one per household. If you would prefer to have a PDF of the directory, simply contact Diane Felt. Any changes to name, address, home phone, cell phone, or address, need to be submitted by March 7. Please send them to Diane: dfelt@universityparkumc.org or ext Don t Forget to Spring Ahead! Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 13. On March 12, spring your clocks ahead before heading to bed so we don t miss you at UPark on Sunday! The deadline for April s Messenger submissions is later this month! Please submit articles to Diane Felt by Monday, March 21st at dfelt@universityparkumc.org. Our Messenger Editor, Elizabeth Boyer, will plan on saving space for Easter Sunday coverage.

7 University Park United Methodist Church, March 2016 Page 7 Disability Advocacy Ministry But you don t look sick., Part 2 By Liz Beindorff, lizbeindorff@gmail.com, Disabilities Advocacy Ministry In the last Messenger, I wrote about invisible disabilities those disabilities that aren t readily visible to people. My friends, Shanna Katz Kattari and Leo Kattari, have graciously spent time with me in person and on so that I may explore invisible disabilities and share the information with the people of UPark UMC. These types of disabilities range from chronic pain or immune system issues such as fibromyalgia and lupus, to neurological disorders like MS or traumatic brain injuries, to mental health disorders and developmental disabilities. Perhaps some of you experience an invisible disability. Or maybe you have a family member or friend who struggles with something not seen on the outside, and therefore is not recognized for the pain, discomfort, and effort it takes to get through day-to-day living. For Shanna, the pain started early. After an active childhood that included competitive figure skating and dancing, Shanna began having migraines and severe problems with her knees at age 12. She had the first of four (so far) knee surgeries when she was 16, based on what the doctors believed was osteoarthritis. But in her experience, the large number of doctor and specialist visits throughout Shanna s teens proved to be quite perplexing; no one could tell her or her family exactly what was happening. For several years now, she has been living with the debilitating symptoms of fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, migraines, and more. Now 30, she is a fervent advocate for herself and others living with invisible disabilities. In fact, she has dedicated her life to learning and teaching others about ableism, which is defined in Merriam- Webster as discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities. As noted in the February Messenger, ableism can show up as ableist microaggressions. These are described as generally unintentional sayings or acts that are hurtful to the person with the disability. Shanna is working on her Doctoral studies at the University of Denver s Graduate School of Social Work and is focusing on ableist microaggressions and how they manifest. Certainly, none of us wants to believe we could possibly be ableist. Last month, I offered some examples of how Shanna has experienced these microaggressions throughout her journey: people just don t believe she can t climb a few steps surely, 2 or 3 stairs are doable, and even doctors have questioned her selfreported pain level when she s been at the emergency room. This month, in honor of Lent, I ve decided to take on a challenge of noticing my ableist language. I ve included a simple starting point here, with the graphic 10 Easy Alternatives to Common Ableist Language. I often call things, situations, even people, crazy without a second thought. Many people use the word to describe outrageous ideas or hard to believe circumstances. I ve even heard someone describe the weather as bipolar. And many people joke about how they, or someone, forgot to take their meds that day. So for Lent, I m committed to replacing such words with other language when describing common everyday scenarios. Will you join me? Next month in the final piece of this series, I ll talk more about Leo s role as Shanna s partner and primary care giver, as well as some ideas on how we at UPark might support or reach people who experience invisible disabilities.

8 Page 8 The Messenger, March 2016 United Methodist Women Circles New Members Always Welcome UMW Bible Study: Wednesday, March 16, 9:30am in Osborne Parlor. Coffee and conversation and continuation of the study I Bought a House on Gratitude Street, led by Richard Nelson. Knitting or Knot: Mondays, March 7 and 21, 1:30 pm in Cornerstone II Classroom. Bring your knitting needles or other craft projects and join in good conversation! The Crosspoints meeting for March will be held on Thursday the 10th at 10 am at Spirit of Hope UMC. We will have a business meeting while enjoying refreshments and then our program will be on Poverty. Janet Nelson will be our presenter. This meeting is open to all women, so please join us. Kay Cowlishaw Church Women United will celebrate the World Day of Prayer on Friday, March 4, 9:30am at Calvary Baptist Church, corner of East Hampden and Monaco St. Plan to come and worship as this service circles the globe. District and Conference Events March 23, Day of Giving to support UMW Legacy 150. Donate online, text, phone, mail. On March 23, 1869, eight women gathered at Tremont Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston to organize for mission focused on the needs of women and children. They started the Woman's foreign Missionary Society, a predecessor organization of United Methodist Women, and through it raised money to send a woman doctor, Clara Swain, and a woman teacher, Isabella Thoburn, to India as missionaries to serve the women and girls of that nation. United Methodist Women is celebrating its 150th anniversary by strengthening and passing on its mission inheritance with The Legacy Fund. The forward-looking permanent endowment will provide a firm foundation for generation of United Methodist Women's grants, scholarships, mission personnel, leadership development and all other needs. Give a check or cash to Edie Fleet or Dorothy Musil for this UMW Legacy Fund. April 1-3 Spiritual Life Retreat, YMCA, Estes Park. Register by March 1. Forms are above the water fountain or online at "Holy Fools for Christ," will be led by Shelly Bowles, Local Pastor and Stephen Minister at Phillips UMC. Time to register is NOW! April 9 Metro District Spiritual Day Together at the Mother Cabrini Shrine. Pat Vestal will be featured, "A Road Well Traveled: A Look at Our Spiritual Journey." Registration fee, includes lunch is $ Form and fee on the bulletin board. This is a great opportunity to visit the foothills for inspiration. Carpools will be arranged. April is the Western Jurisdiction UMW Meeting in Salt Lake City. Talk to Dorothy Musil if interested. July Rocky Mountain Conference Mission u To be held at St. Andrew UMC in Highlands Ranch. Reserve the date for this school or one of the one day events which will be held around the district. Dates to be determined. King Soopers and Safeway Cards Thank you to the members who are using the King Soopers and Safeway cards. When money is added to your card before checking out the store, the UMW receives 5% of your addition. In 2015, the UMW received $3, from King Soopers and $ from Safeway. To begin this, purchase a card at the reception desk on Sunday and add to the card at the check-out counter, before you buy groceries, in any amount up to $500. It is a win-win for all!

9 University Park United Methodist Church, March 2016 Page 9 Christian Education Adult Forum will offer presentations from many speakers on diverse and interesting topics. Jim Fleet and Cal Neptune work together to facilitate this class which meets in Bryans Room. March 6 Jim and OliveAnn Slotta Faith In Action March 13 Alton Templin book review of Adam, Eve, and the Serpent by Elaine Pagels March 20 Pretzel Sunday No Sunday School March 27 Easter Sunday No Sunday School Journeys in Faith will meet in the East Parlor next to the Sanctuary. Come join us for some lively discussion. Continuing in March, "Head and Heart Discussions" making Christianity relevant in today's culture combined with inspirational stories from Belief, a groundbreaking seven-part documentary series exploring humankind s ongoing search to connect with something greater than ourselves. The facilitators will be Les Law, Tony Winger, and Richard Nelson. March 6 Discuss Acts of Faith March 13 View A Change is Gonna Come March 20 Pretzel Sunday No Sunday School March 27 Easter Sunday No Sunday School Cornerstone II is a class that is geared to the parents of young children although anyone can join us at anytime. The goal is to offer insights into parenting issues and to build relationships among parents and families. Class will be facilitated by Jeremy and Amy Long and meets in the Cornerstone II room. Come join us in March as we discuss whether science has eliminated humanity s need for God? Would the world be better off without organized religion? Adam Hamilton s God? Conversations with an Atheist. March 6 God and Suffering March 13 The Case for God March 20 Pretzel Sunday No Sunday School March 27 Easter Sunday No Sunday School Easter Helpers Needed As Easter approaches, the staff becomes somewhat anxious. We are offering several special events to make the celebration as special as we can. Each special program requires additional personnel. If you are willing to give a few extra minutes here and there to help out, please let Duane know. What can you do? The youth could use help in the kitchen to prepare breakfast or you could assist with stuffing Easter Eggs or help with the Easter Egg hunt!

10 Page 10 The Messenger, March 2016 Children s Programming From Christina Pacheco March 6 th, March 13 th, April 3 rd, and April 10 th the children of University Park will be participating in a four week Sunday school rotation entitled Easter: I am a Believer. Children will learn that Jesus Resurrection story gives them Faith, Hope, and Love. What does Easter mean to me? Is it chocolate bunnies and colored eggs soon eaten and forgotten? What is so powerful about the Easter story that it can transform my life forever? These are questions to which children will discover the answers. As a special enhancement, in each workshop the children will collect a different Jelly Bean Card to glue on to their Jelly Bean Card Book. Each Jelly Bean Card has a special scripture to remind them of living a life of Faith, Hope, and Love in Jesus. In the art workshop, children will hear the message of God s love for them through the Easter story. They learn that God is love, that God first loved us and commands us to love one another. Through creating a translucent art project, they will see how a closed heart that says no to others does not let God s love shine through. Next, they will make their art projects translucent and see how an open heart lets God s love shine through them and be given to others. Mission Here and Mission There: In the mission workshop, children will learn about compassion and the message of God s gift of love heard through the Easter story. Hearing of Jesus acts of compassion, they will learn that mission is love, compassion, and action. Children learn that they can be involved in mission both here and there. As they hear about the country of Haiti and the malnutrition among its children, they will offer ways that they can help. A mission calendar project will help them keep the hungry children of Haiti in their hearts, minds, and prayers daily as they save quarters for meals on their calendars. Their mission calendar will also help them focus on mission acts that they can do here on a daily basis. In the storytelling workshop, children will hear the Resurrection story and learn its important message of Faith, Hope, and Love. With a focus on Hope, children will listen to stories about two caterpillars, Hermie and Stripe, who both hope for more in their lives. Both caterpillars realize their hope for new life, as they become butterflies. Through a simple flipbook (Primary Children) and an activity (Intermediate Children), children will learn that their Hope is in Jesus who through the resurrection gives them new life. In the movie workshop, children will wait with expectation to discover the contents of a paper bag and will be disappointed when it is not what they hoped for. From this experience, children will learn that the Israelites hoped for a Messiah and were disappointed when he was not the Messiah they had hoped for. A second paper bag will point them to the meaning of the Resurrection and that our hope for a new life is through Jesus. Thank you to the volunteers of the Psalms rotation! Thank you to our teachers Petra Frazier, Eric Savacool, Mary Ernest: and shepherds Holly and Eric Miller and the middle school youth of UPark. Many thanks to the volunteers of the last rotation Beatitudes! Thank you to our teachers Kris Green, Rodney Brown, Kacey Wilkins, and Sharon Sanita: and shepherds Carole Rollins, Danielle Southwell, and Carol Bedin.

11 University Park United Methodist Church, March 2016 Page 11 United Methodist Youth Fellowship The youth group (all 6 th graders through 12 th graders) will continue meeting every other Sunday at 12:15 in room B03 and various locations. On February 1, we welcomed Brett Katte (right) to UPark UMC as our new Youth Assistant. Brett works with our Middle School and High School Youth. Please welcome Brett when you see him here on Sundays. Steve and Diane Felt, Larry Roggensack, and Duane will assist Brett as he becomes acclimated to our needs and provides his leadership. Youth Sunday School Class The 6 th 8 th graders will meet in room BO3 at 9:30 am with Bethany Hader while the 9 th 12 th graders will meet in the Wesley Lounge with Barb Eulenstein. THE GREAT EASTER EGG HUNT NEEDS YOUR HELP!! Plans are underway for the children s Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday from 10:15-10:25 am. We need donations of plastic eggs and candy. Please note: no candy with nuts or peanut butter can be used. There is a collection basket in the Main Foyer for your donations. If you are willing to assist in the Easter Egg hunt please contact Duane Buys at or dbuys@universityparkumc.org EASTER BREAKFAST: On Easter morning the youth will be preparing breakfast and asking for a donation that will help defray the cost of this summer s mission trips to Alamosa and San Diego. Great food great cause!!! VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL! Get it on your calendar! June 20 23, 9:00 to 12:00.

12 University Park UMC 2180 S. University Blvd. Denver, CO ~ 303/ upark@universityparkumc.org Pastor Rev. Dale Beck Minister of Congregational Care Rev. Debby Lawrence Administrative Assistant Diane Felt Director of Christian Education Duane Buys Assistant to Christian Education Christina Pacheco Youth Assistant Brett Katte The Foundation Campus Ministry Liza Stoltz Hanson Peniel Service Leaders Liza and Denton Hanson Peniel Band Leader/Studen Pastor Kevin Garman Director of Music/Organist JoAnn Gudvangen-Brown Assistant Organist/Pianist Renae Gudvangen Choirster Director Ana Spadoni Resident Caretaker/Building Liaison Josh Rousis Custodian Regino Pepe Espinoza Bookkeeper Sandy Schumm Wedding Coordinator MaryAnn Buys Messenger Editor Elizabeth Boyer Lay Leaders Larry Grauberger, Jo Morgan, Jim Morgan University Park United Methodist Church 2180 S. University Blvd. Denver, CO ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED The Evanston Center for Spiritual Wholeness and Healing 2122 S. Lafayette St. Denver, CO ~ evanstoncenter@gmail.com Director of Evanston Center Rev. Linda Bibb Administrative Assistant Marilyn Stranske Deadline for the April Messenger: Monday, March 21, 2016 Messenger Editor and Production Elizabeth Boyer Messenger Proofreader Barb Philipp Photos: Cindy Smith, Rev. Linda Bibb