From The Desk of Pastor Steve

Transcription

1 January, 2019 From The Desk of Pastor Steve meridianstreet.org Welcome to 2019, a year in which many exciting things will happen at Meridian Street marks our 198 th anniversary of the founding of Meridian Street UMC and preparations for our celebration will continue throughout the year. The Bi-Centennial celebration will officially begin in November or December of 2020 with the publication of a new history of Meridian Street Church being authored by Andrea Neal. Andrea has been working hard to develop a book that will be a keepsake for years to come. In reflecting on what I have learned over the past two and a half years as your pastor, I have decided that 2019 would be a great year for us to Re-Discover Jesus. The challenge with this task is not in coming up with the appropriate topics for Matt and me to preach on this next year, but in helping each of us to move from a head knowledge of Jesus to a heart experience of him. Meridian Street UMC is blessed with people of extremely high intellect, and while that is a blessing; it is also our curse. For many of us we strive to know Jesus: we learn about how he lived, what drove his ministry, and how he ultimately died. But he often remains like a character in a Gresham novel; interesting, maybe even inspiring --- but often not life changing. What does it mean to fall in love with Jesus? If there is any question I hope to answer this year that is the one, not strictly in a knowledge way but in an experiential one as well. We will begin this quest by preaching through the Biblical story starting with the major themes of the Hebrew Bible (Creation, Sin, Covenant, Exodus, David, Prophets, and Exile). During Lent, we will journey together through the Gospel of John seeking to understand who this Jesus is and why we should fall in love with him. Since John excludes most of the parables found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, following Easter we will spend time looking at what Jesus is trying to teach us in the wonderful parables. My hope is that by the end of 2019, we will have re-discovered Jesus in new ways especially with our hearts will also be a pivotal year in the life of the United Methodist Church. As many of you are aware, in February the General Conference of the UMC will gather in St. Louis with only one item on their agenda: responding to the recommendations on the Commission on the Way Forward. While on the surface the issue seems to be about the inclusion or exclusion of people who identify as LBGTQIA, I believe the underlying issue is about much more. I will hold some listening sessions on Wednesday evenings in February if you want to know more, or to share your views about the conference. Wishing you a very Happy New Year, Pastor Steve 1

2 Journey to Israel with Pastor Steve Pastor Steve will be leading an adventure to the Holy Lands departing January 20, We will visit many of the major sites talked about in the Biblical stories. I am convinced that you will never read the Bible the same once you have visited Israel. We will have an informational meeting about the trip on Wednesday January 16 at 6 p.m. Brochures are available outside the church office or feel free to contact Pastor Steve with your questions. January Mission Focus Family Promise In last month s Messenger, a story was shared about a mom and her three children who stayed at Meridian Street earlier in They were able to move into a new home in early November in time for Thanksgiving and the Holiday season. We hear stories all the time about how the numbers of homeless people and those living in poverty are growing. Yet we also hear stories like this one. Another family in the Family Promise program had a dream to find housing. The kids had no clothes but what they were wearing. They had been sleeping in their vehicle for weeks. They wanted a place to sleep and to wash clothes. That s when Family Promise and the faith congregations stepped in and made a difference in this family s life. You can be a part of making one of these stories a reality for a family in Be a part of Family Promise/Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) the week of January 20, 2019 as we welcome 14 homeless children and their caregivers into our church home at Meridian Street. During the day, the children attend school while the adults are working or searching for jobs and housing, applying for child care vouchers, and perhaps completing classes with the assistance of the case manager and staff at the Day Center. Coordinators: Sheila Akinleye, Ginny Stauffer and Emily Webber. To sign up for a specific role, click on this link: Meridian Street to Host the MLKCC Founder s Breakfast Meridian Street is glad to host the 2019 Martin Luther King Founder s Breakfast again this year on Friday, January 11 at 8 a.m. This year will have been Dr. King s 90 th Birthday. As we remember and celebrate Dr. King s life and legacy, we will also gather to celebrate the great work and outreach of the MLK Community Center. We will hear about the impact they are making on the lives of youth in our own neighborhood and throughout midtown Indy. This means that we are making an impact on the lives of youth through our partnership and support of the MLKCC as a church. We have supported the MLKCC through the generosity of the Otto Legacy and Hansman Grants, countless donations, and many volunteer hours. Most recently, we celebrated the Holiday season with a Family Holiday Party at the MLKCC. We have also hosted the Founder s Breakfast the last few years including paying for breakfast so all the proceeds of the breakfast can benefit the great work of the center. You can be a part of this great event too. If you would like to greet, serve food, or help set up or clean up, we would love to have your help. The breakfast begins at 8 a.m. and will end around 9:30 a.m. Please contact Pastor Matt, mlandry@meridianstreet.org if you can serve in anyway. Thank you for being a part of living out Dr. King s dream for our neighborhood and city through our collective support of the Martin Luther King Community Center. 2

3 The Dream Run in Butler Tarkington Neighborhood on January 19 The 2 nd Annual Dream Run will be going through the streets of our neighborhood on Saturday, January 19. The Run is named for the dream of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose life is remembered that weekend around our nation. Meridian Street is a proud supporter of this great event for the second year through our Hansman Grant funds. The funds that were raised during last year s event went toward the creation of a new Butler Tarkington Neighborhood Association (BTNA) Community Grant. Pastor Matt, who serves on the BTNA Board, also serves on the Community Grant Committee and on The Dream Planning Team. The 2018 Community Grant supported the following community organizations: The Martin Luther King Community Center s Teen Work Crew Initiative. Sharp Community Garden, located at 46 th and Illinois, to install a new water hookup and system in their garden. Boulevard Place Food Pantry, located at 42 nd and Boulevard, purchased a new freezer dedicated to storing fruits and vegetables for their guests. Heritage Place, located at Common Ground Church at 46 th and Illinois, received funds for new hand weights for their fitness classes for seniors. The Indy Steelers football team received funds to sponsor 10 Butler Tarkington youth to participate in the season. We celebrate our church partnership with BTNA. We also celebrate this great event that exists to bring the neighborhood together on the same weekend we remember Dr. King s Dream and the way the event supports our neighborhood. Join Pastors Matt and Steve as they run (you can walk too) to support our neighborhood on Saturday morning, January 19. The race begins at 9 a.m. at the Martin Luther King Community Center. Here is the link to register: Puerto Rico Mission Trip Hurricane Maria Relief May 11-18, 2019 The Mission Team of Meridian Street would like to invite you to work with the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico and UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) to repair damage from Hurricane Maria. Actual tasks to be performed may not be known until arrival in Puerto Rico, but could consist of clearing debris, installing tarps, general cleaning, building repairs, light construction, etc. We will stay in a retreat camp or a local church with three meals provided every day. This is a great opportunity to get to know other people from Meridian Street while helping the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico! Cost: Approximately $400 per person (includes lodging, meals and transportation) plus airfare (approximately $500) and group insurance. Group limited to 13 people. Must be 18 or older. We already have several people committed to going, so if you are interested or would like to learn more, please contact trip leader David Baker at dbaker8170@gmail.com 3

4 Family Advent Events What a blessing it is to share the joy of Christmas with children and help them learn more about the birth of Christ! This Advent included many special moments with our wonderful volunteers and children. On November 28, we prepared for Advent with Advent Workshop: One Starry Night. We had just under 70 people here for a very fun and meaningful evening of fellowship and family time. Fellowship Hall was turned into a Bethlehem marketplace and the stable with Mary and Joseph, the library became the Inn, and everyone could sign the register for the census. We also visited the Starry Hill and learned about a special star, then the Fields where we met some great shepherds. At each spot there was an activity to do or craft to make which helped us experience the night Jesus was born, with souvenirs to take home. Thank you to the amazing volunteers who donned costumes and embraced their roles as Bethlehem townspeople to teach our children. Then on December 17, we had a very fun Christmas party with our friends at the MLK Center. The groups of kids rotated around stations with cookie-decorating, coloring a Christmas stocking to take home, and playing Christmas Bingo and Minute-to-Win-It games. Then we ate pizza before enjoying a Silly Safari program with animals including a rabbit, turtle, lizard, pigeon, and a very popular baby reindeer! Thanks again to our caring volunteers who provided all of this fun and interacted and encouraged the kids in their activities. Thanks also to all of you who give to the church so we can bless children and families. Yoga at Meridian Street Do your New Year resolutions include fitness, or goals for your physical, emotional, or mental health? Yoga at Meridian Street can help. Our regular weekly classes will continue on Monday, January 7 at 11:45 a.m. in the library. Regular class participants include church members, Children s Day In teachers and parents, and community members. The one hour class is taught by Marsha Pappas, who has taught yoga in Indianapolis for more than 20 years. Church member Susie Cumming says We are most fortunate to have Marsha Pappas as our teacher. Marsha has a reputation as one of the best yoga teachers in the city. She has trained countless yoga teachers in our city. Her style, Hatha, is safe and beneficial for flexibility and balance. It s a gift you can give yourself...it always fits! We want to invite people to come and join us, whether they re new to yoga, or already have a regular practice. Teacher Marsha Pappas says, The class is designed for those looking for a way to juice up their joints, improve their strength and balance while releasing both physical and emotional stress. I m loving the dynamics of the group we re creating. The energy of the space and participants are ideal for the healing that yoga practice can offer. Childcare is provided, and yoga mats are also available. Everyone is welcome, including all ages and abilities. For questions, please contact Bethany Scott at bscott@meridianstreet.org. 4

5 Confirmation Update Eleven confirmation students began their confirmation journey on September 9, and since then have spent their time in room 308 during the 9:15 service on Sunday mornings. The students have tackled subjects meant to help them develop relationships, learn about church history, and growth of the Methodist movement. In addition to participating in confirmation class, each confirmation student has been paired with a mentor. The mentors are volunteers who aren t related to the student they are paired with, and are planning ways to spend intentional time with the student they have been paired with. Both the confirmation mentors and the parents of confirmation students have also been participating in Re:Confirm. Re:Confirm is a conversation based meeting that addresses the same material the confirmation students are covering. The Re:Confirm group meets in the parlor at the same time as the confirmation class meets upstairs. All are welcome join in this conversation. Confirmation and Re:Confirm are on a holiday break, but will begin meeting again on Sunday January 13. The confirmation students and their mentors are listed below. Please continue to pray for students and their mentors as they continue to explore their faith and consider confirming that faith this spring. Confirmand Hadley Barr Hanna Barr Ethan Huffman Will Loftus Megan Mybeck Darrem Odinga Sadie Sheetz Sawyer Sheetz Ryan Sibbitt Harrison Smith Nathan Smith Mentor Stacy Schroeder Marilyn Templeton Tom Plimpton Dan Long Nancy Conger John Marshall Wendy Sibbitt Dan Fairley Brian Boak Jim Miller Phil McAlister Youth Mission Trip to St. Louis This Summer The youth will be headed to St. Louis this June 16 through June 22. The group will be staying at the St. Louis Urban Mission, and will participate in a variety of service opportunities as well as conversations about poverty, diversity, and racial reconciliation. This trip will feature a day off to explore St. Louis and enjoy some of the city s fantastic tourist attractions, and provide a great chance for the youth group to continue to bond. The youth group will leave by van on Sunday June 16. Priority pricing will be available for youth who sign up before February 24. Secure the best price for the trip of $175 by turning in a $50 deposit and trip registration form into the office. For additional information contact Rick Belbutoski at rbelbutoski@meridianstreet.org or click here for the St. Louis Mission trip Packet. Pacers Faith and Family Night Saturday, February 9, 2019 Join on Saturday, February 9 for Pacers Faith and Family Night! Tickets are $20, in the upper balcony, and all who attend will receive a Pacers branded hat, a food voucher and have a chance to shoot a free thrown on the main floor following the game. A fun event for all! Contact Mary Sue in the church office by January 9 to reserve your tickets. 5

6 Chili Cook-off to Benefit Missions A delicious event is being planned on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3 and by the time we re finished, someone will be crowned Meridian Street s Best Chili Cook AND we ll make a big contribution to the mission trip fund! The Chili Cook-off will begin following the 10:30 a.m. worship service. You can have lunch with your church family, vote for the best chili, donate to the mission trips being planned, and still make it to any Super Bowl parties you may be attending. If you would like to enter your chili in the cook-off, please contact Mary Sue in the church office by Wednesday, January 29 to allow time for set-up planning. Look for more details as we get closer to the event but for now, put the date on your calendar. This is sure to be a fun event for all! JAG Students attend National Student Leadership Academy This fall, many people in the Meridian Street family supported an effort by member Julie Flint to send students in the JAG (Jobs for America s Graduates) program to the National Student Leadership Academy in Washington D.C. Julie wrote that the students had an amazing experience. They participated in multiple leadership worships, toured monuments, visited Arlington Cemetery, and explored two Smithsonian Museums. Julie went on to say They worked hard every day and showed such gratitude and enthusiasm the whole time. I believe those who donated could not have bestowed a better gift on a more worthy group of young ladies. Thank you for your support, love, and prayers. Thank you, Julie, for being a terrific mentor to these well deserving students. 6

7 Advent and Christmas at Meridian Street 7

8 5500 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Indiana fax meridianstreet.org First Class Postage January 11 January 19 January 19 January February 3 February 9 February 17 SAVE THE DATE! Martin Luther King Community Center Founders Breakfast Martin Luther King Community Center Dream Run Youth Lock-in Interfaith Hospitality Network at Meridian Street Chili Cook-off Pacers Faith and Family Night Serve at Soup s On at Roberts Park Learn about these and other programs at meridianstreet.org 8