The Spire. Celtic Evensong. & Communion Sunday, May 25 6 p.m. Christian Spiritual Formation. A Message from James C. Sprouse, Senior Pastor

Transcription

1 The Spire May 2014 Vol. 15, Issue 5 A Message from James C. Sprouse, Senior Pastor Christian Spiritual Formation Mysticism, disciplines, holiness, devotion, spiritual warfare, spiritual formation, spiritual direction, penance, confirmation, journaling, silence, fasting, covenant groups, directed retreats, purification, piety bookstores are brimming with works on spirituality. Many Protestant seminaries hasten to add courses on spiritual formation. Monastic guesthouses welcome thousands of exhausted go-getters every year. The deep craving for spiritual nurture reminds us of the inability of global capitalism to ultimately satisfy and save. People who struggle to gain footing in a multicultural world desperately grab onto whatever looks like it will provide some stability, some guidance, some map for directing them to a moment of silence among the sound bites. Within the Christian tradition, there is a bewildering abundance of spiritual offerings. In the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches, where the purpose of human life is intimacy with God, redemption and spirituality are closely linked. Deification, or theosis, is returning to a pure state of the soul in union with the Trinity, by a participation made possible through the incarnation. Salvation is a slow process of spiritual maturation in the purification of the soul; and because the process is slow, images, symbols, and sacraments aid illumination and transformation. In the Roman Catholic Church salvation is associated with avoiding the consequences of God s wrath. The spiritual life developed from penitential disciplines. People need to do something in order to quell their deep anxiety brought on by their anticipating the wrath of God. During the Middle Ages, the view was that through the sacrament of baptism, Christians regain their freedom to love and serve God, but much to their chagrin, they still fail to do so. Protestantism views certain devotional practices as suspect and we often turn instead to reclaiming the authority of Scripture for the Christian life, sort of interpreting and devouring the Word of God as Eucharistic food for the soul. The Reformers distinguished justification from sanctification more sharply, with salvation equated with justification and sanctification understood to follow classic Wesley. In the Calvinist traditions, sanctification became holding fast to the belief that God is merciful though we don t deserve it. Puritan spirituality was highly activist, focusing on individual integrity and sincerity of purpose and energetic execution of life s little tasks. All of us acknowledge the difficulty of cultivating a godly life in our current climate. A godly life requires tempering our appetites and desires, titillated by advertising and consumer overload. Centering at the foot of the cross and then standing at the empty tomb doesn t happen when 200 images per minute of booming, gyrating music relentlessly numb the soul. Life becomes an on-going music video. It is difficult to discover our desire for God so long as economic system requires that we crave money, sex (Continued on page 2) Celtic Evensong & Communion Sunday, May 25 6 p.m. Baptisms Emma Poppy Bomar Samuel Henry Bomar Death David Martin New Member Karl Wagner Transfers Alan and Jamie Bozeman Are you moving? If so, please send your new address to the church office ( or info@umtrinity.org). This will ensure that we have all the correct information to send news and contribution statements to the correct address. Thank you. If you are interested in joining the church or learning more about our ministries, please contact a pastor or the church office.

2 (Continued from page 1) and power. Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, once warned that spiritual health requires radically redirecting our desires. Perhaps in this light, we can admit that the orthodox East, the orthodox West and the full garden variety of Protestant expressions of faith, all offer us spiritual paths to a deeper relationship with God. Assuming that most who read this article on Spiritual Formation are United Methodist or some other Protestant expression of Christianity, exercise your devotional life by exploring the writings of East [Origen, Cyril, Ignatius, John Chrysostom] and West [Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Merton] orthodox theologians and enjoy your spiritual travels. Shalom, Feeling Called? by Amy Crisp, Minister of Education One of the things I love most about being a Deacon is the ability to help people see God in their everyday lives. Deacons are called to bridge the gap between the church and the world, helping to bring the world into the church, but also helping people to realize where God is in the everyday. I have been thinking a lot lately about the ways that God calls us to ministry. From the get-go, I should say that ministry is not something that only pastors can do. Ministry is the work of the Christian community. And ministry is far bigger than the box that we like to put it in. Everything that we do can be seen as ministry. The way we raise our children. How we talk and interact with one another. Our secular jobs. Tutoring elementary school children. Feeding the hungry. Mission trips and projects. All of these (and much more!) are ways in which we let the love of God flow through us into the world. All of us are called to minister to each other and the world around us. And none of our call stories is exactly the same. I encourage you to think about the ways that God is calling you. How do you do ministry in your everyday life? Are there ways in which you are letting God s love flow through you? Spring Cleaning for Those Who Hate to Clean by Eileen Gilmer, Associate Pastor Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 I hate cleaning house. No, seriously. I hate it. Ray will tell you that he knows when I ve been on a cleaning binge because I m cranky, to put it both mildly and delicately for a church newsletter. But I clean because I enjoy the results. I also know it s healthier for our family. (With a perpetually shedding Labrador, we vacuum a lot!) And, I know if I do some cleaning each day, it s easier to keep it from getting out of hand. I ve been told (but choose to believe it s an urban legend) that there are actually people who enjoy cleaning. Create in me a clean heart, O God I love this verse written by David. He needed to do more than a little spring cleaning of his soul. David had made some really bad life choices. He knew he had to get back on the right path and believed that started with a clean heart. If you look at different translations of this verse, you ll see where David asks God to create a pure (instead of clean) heart both mean one thing, a complete contrast to the dark life he was leading. and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Instead of a steadfast spirit, other translations have David asking God for a resolute spirit, a right spirit or even a loyal spirit. This is a prayer for cleansing and forgiveness. It is also a prayer of humility. This humble plea acknowledges that David alone is unable to fix his heart or his spirit. It will take an act of the Almighty to create and renew. Maybe we could take a cue from David and try a little spring cleaning of our souls in addition to our homes. Now that I think about it, there are some similarities: results to enjoy, a healthier family life, and a way to keep things from getting out of hand. Now, time to grab that spiritual Dustbuster and get back to work! PAGE 2 Responding to God s Grace THE SPIRE

3 Wish Upon a Star by Jerry Rich, Dir. Of Music Trinity's Music Ministry will present its annual concert on Saturday, June 7, at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Soloists Evan Ayars, Philip Keirstead, Doris Page, Catherine Wethington, Nadine Wethington, Kalila Zenk and Michelle Zenk will be joined by the Chancel Choir and Trinity Ringers, all under the direction of Music Director Jerry Rich. The theme is "Wish Upon a Star", and selections include Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning (Sacred Harp), Lost in the Stars (Kurt Weill), A Lovely Night (Rodgers & Hammerstein), Moonglow (Hudson & Mills), Neverland (Peter Pan), Oh, to Be a Movie Star (Bock & Harnick), Romance from L Étoile (Emmanuel Chabrier), Sing Out, Earth and Skies (Marty Haugen), Songs of a Disney Princess (selections from Aladdin, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Mulan, Pocahontas), Stars (Les Misérables), Stars and Stripes Forever (John Philip Sousa), Star Trek Medley (Alexander Courage and Jerry Goldsmith) and When You Wish upon a Star (Pinocchio). Admission is free. We All Have Dreams By Ellen LaCroix Register Today! Join our team for the Susan G. Komen 5K in D.C. on May 10 to help fight breast cancer. Can t join us? Then please consider donating to our team or individuals on our team ( Proceeds are used to support local programs dedicated to saving lives and ending breast cancer. The Tale of the Three Trees is an old folk-tale that has been passed down through generations. It tells the story of Jesus life from the perspective of three trees with big dreams. The first tree dreamed of becoming a beautiful treasure chest. He wanted to be polished to perfection so that he could hold a beautiful and grand treasure. The second tree wanted to be the mast of a sailing ship at the front of a mighty fleet. He wanted to be a part of such a strong ship that kings and mighty rulers would feel safe on board even during the roughest nights on the sea. The third tree did not want to be cut down at all. The dream of this tree was to grow to be the tallest tree in the forest so that anyone who looked at it would have to look up to God. These trees grew up to be tall and strong until one day when two lumberjacks climbed up to them in the forest. Sadly, they were cut down and built into something different than what they had dreamed of being for so long of becoming. Now, I can t tell you what they became because that would ruin the end of the Children s Choir musical on May 18 during the 10:30 a.m. service. But what I can tell you is that the dreams of the trees came true. God heard the dreams of these trees and met the true desire of their hearts in a way that the trees could not even imagine. What are the dreams in your life you have forgotten about because it seems impossible now for them to come true? I encourage you to return to these dreams and allow God to open your heart and your eyes to see the different ways that God is making these dreams come true, even if it isn t in the way you imagined. THE SPIRE Love Serve Give PAGE 3

4 Find a Group That s Right for You Children s Sunday School - Diving into the basic stories of our faith, Trinity s children will discover who God is and who we are as God s people. TEACHERS NEEDED - Our Children s Sunday School program is relies on volunteers, and we need your help to make this program a success. Please sign up to teach at or speak with Amy Crisp. Teacher Meeting, May 4 - Please join us in the Chapel for training and to touch base regarding our program. Girls Group - An opportunity to spend time with the other teen girls (grades 7-12). Join us for dinner and discussion, Thursdays from 6-7:15 p.m. in the Youth Room. Questions? Contact Catherine Wethington at carweth@gmail.com. Ladies Bible Study - Tuesdays, 6:45-8 a.m. meeting at McLean Family Restaurant. Contact Dianne Martin at dmartin@gwu.edu. Old Testament Study - Join Pastor Sprouse each week: Mondays at 10 a.m. or Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Room 403, for Prof. Amy Levine s series on the Hebrew Bible - she is a professor at Vanderbilt Divinity School and a member of an Orthodox Jewish synagogue. What We Talk About When We Talk About God - The way God is described today strikes many as mean, primitive, backward, illogical and at odds with many of the frontiers of science. Can we find a new to way talk about God? Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in Room 403, beginning May 4. Led by Amy Crisp. Young Professionals - Meets May 11 after the 10:30 a.m. service in the Library. Join us for food, fellowship and a lively discussion. Contact Matt Fillette at matt.fillette@gmail.com. Youth Group - Available for 7th - 12th Grades on Sunday nights at 5 p.m. for fellowship and study in the Fellowship Building. To volunteer to bring a snack supper or to help with Youth Group, please visit Transitions If you haven t heard by now, my last day at Trinity will be May 11. After three years of hard work, I ll be graduating from seminary and moving to St. Louis to be an associate minister. So as this chapter in my life comes to a close, I thought I would reflect on why I love working with your teenagers. In a place like McLean there are all sorts of powerful and influential people. And while sometimes we treat these people differently, at the core they re still just people who had childhoods and insecurities and obstacles to overcome. So when Sunday night comes around and I get to spend 90 minutes playing, eating, and talking with our teens, I like to pretend I ve gone back in time and I get the chance to nudge future leaders in the right direction. Every single one of these students will continue to age and grow and learn. They ll become adults and leaders themselves. But for now, they re still figuring out who they are and who they will become. This vulnerable stage in life is vital for kids who may have access to this much privilege. They will be tempted and lured in ways that are unique to an area with so much power, influence, and wealth. This isn t a bad thing necessarily, and it means tremendous good can come from these students. But with that potential is equal potential for, well, not-good. Youth Group isn t just about fun and games. It s about formation. So why is this the topic of my last Spire article? Simply put, while youth leaders come and go, you stay. And what you model for our young people will shape their formation. When you give, they re watching. When you help, they re watching. When you take your faith seriously, they re watching. When you show love and kindness, they re watching; but remember, they re also watching all the other times, too. As my time of influence comes to an end, I have no doubts that you will continue to show our students what it means to choose God and others over ourselves. God bless, thank you for all your kindness, and I will miss you! Let me know when you re in St. Louis. :) Does God Pick Sides? Chris Abel, Youth Director by Biscuit Gilmer, Trinity Church Mascot Hi, kids of Trinity. I hope you re having a great spring! I really enjoy the warmer weather and spending more time outside. It s also the time of year when a lot of sports teams gear up. The other day I was watching television with my family. They showed an athlete who thanked God for his team s win. Hmmm, I thought. Does he think God picks sides? If you re on a sports team, you might have prayed before the game. That s great. But, do you think it s OK to ask God to help your team win? The truth is that God doesn t care who wins or loses. That s not what s important to God. When God looks at the game, God doesn t see teams. God sees people! God s love is about what s inside everyone s heart, not what jersey is on his or her back. God doesn t care if you are the last person picked for dodge ball, or if you re a rock star athlete. God loves us all the same. Is it OK to pray that God will help you with sports? Yes, but make sure that your heart is set on letting God s love shine through. The Bible tells us, Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) That means whether at school, church or playing sports, we should be honest, fair, and respectful to everyone; and, at the same time, give thanks to God for all we have! Remember my motto: Paws for Jesus! Biscuit PAGE 4 Responding to God s Grace THE SPIRE

5 Church & Society by Kelly Slone April Collection Drive Thanks to everyone who provided donations of clothing for men for Christ House and all the juice boxes, granola bars and coffee for the Carpenter's Shelter. Christ House, located in D.C., provides medical and hospice care for the homeless. Carpenter s Shelter, located in Alexandria, is an 80-bed facility that provides food and shelter for homeless men, women and children, along with child care and employment assistance. Both organizations really appreciated your donations. May Collection Drive During the month of May, we re collecting cans of baby formula (with and without iron), jars of baby food (vegetables, fruit and meat), boxes of baby cereal and disposable diapers (any size) to help the families served by Fairfax Area Christian Emergency & Transitional Services. FACETS was created to respond to the many needs of homeless and low-income people living in Fairfax County. Please leave your donations in the collection closet located in the Fellowship Building. Martha s Table Pease be a part of this wonderful ministry. On the second Sunday of each month we make sandwiches to feed the hungry in Washington, DC. You can help by buying the bread, by delivering the sandwiches or being a kitchen helper. You ll find the sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Building. Interested in Volunteering in Our Community? The Church & Society Committee is seeking new volunteers and ideas on how Trinity can serve the community! Please contact Kelly Slone at kslone@nvca.org and find out how you can help make a difference. There are a variety of projects/organizations the Committee is actively involved in, including: tutoring children at Stanton Elementary; making lunch and visiting the homeless at Christ House; and working with SHARE, Martha s Table, Habitat for Humanity and ChildHelp. Honduras Trailer and Art for Humanity Update Trinity's ministry of collecting new or gently used clothing, shoes and household items for Art for Humanity has been a terrific one. As a congregation, supported by many others in our community, we have filled over 15 trailers in the last two years. Trailers are loaded about once a month into sea containers by volunteers and then shipped to Puerto Cortes. There those donations are distributed by truck to many communities in Honduras. These donations are used by Art for Humanity to provide direct support to many needy people in Honduras. People use our donated items for their families or sell them to help raise money to support their families. The ministry is working hard to move many poor people from dependency and hopelessness to self sufficiency and confidence. It is a ministry of Christian love. Some of our Trinity donations also go directly to The Leadership Center and to Heart to Heart Children's Village for their educational uses and comfort. For example, those of us on mission trips have been blessed to sit on a McLean donated sofa or our old Trinity Church folding chairs at TLC! Because of the recent customs changes since a new administration has come into office in Honduras, Art for Humanity has had some issues getting containers through customs; in a nutshell, it has become a time-consuming hassle and much more costly. For that reason, until things become more clear as to whether this is a temporary or permanent shift, we may need to cut back on donations as Art for Humanity may need to scale back considerably. For now, please do not donate anymore large furniture items in our Trinity trailer. Clothing, shoes and small useable household items are still encouraged and welcome. Please see the website of Art for Humanity for more information. The trailer that is at Trinity now will be loaded in a sea container on May 10. Thanks for your continued support for those in severe poverty in Honduras. THE SPIRE Love Serve Give PAGE 5

6 Trinity Round-Up Trinity's book club takes on a classic this month: A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway's memoir about Paris in the 1920s. We'll meet on Wednesday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the Trinity Library to discuss the book. And please join us on Wednesday, June 4, as we welcome our own Karen Loss, author of Trekking Through Cancerland, now available on Amazon.com. The book explores her diagnosis, acceptance, treatment, and how she has lived life fully with God s help. As you read, you will find moments for tears as well as moments for laughter and joy.come to the Library at 6:30 p.m. armed with a copy for Karen to sign--and hear her personal story about her determination to fight cancer with vigor and humor. For more information, contact Kathy Maher (Kathyngs@gmail.com). Crafts for a Cause will meet on May 12 and May 26 to work on bears, dolls and pillows for hospital patients, in addition to making gifts for the mission team to take to Heart to Heart orphanage in June. Newcomers are always welcome, no special skills required and materials are provided. Meetings take place on alternating Monday nights in Room 122. For more information, contact Molly Sprouse at or mollysprouse@gmail.com. Sunday, May 4: A Day of Appreciation - This will be a special day for Trinity Church to honor some of our former parishioners whose enduring gifts so positively impact our church life. A light brunch will be served during the Fellowship Time after the 10:30 service. Trinity's Trustees hope that everyone will join us to celebrate the generous vision of our friends in Christ. Are you or your child graduating from high school or college this year? We d like to recognize our graduates in an upcoming newsletter and during a Sunday morning worship service. Please send your graduate s name and school to Harriet at hlatta@umtrinity.org by May 15. Have you liked us on facebook? Are you following us on twitter? Did you know that our mission committee has a blog? We are looking for more interactive ways to use our social media. Do you have any thoughts? Please send us an at info@umtrinity.org. Don t forget to invite your friends to be a part of our community in person on Sunday morning and on our social media. Vacation Bible School - August (9 a.m p.m.) for ages 3 to rising 4th grade. This year s theme is Workshop of Wonders. Pick up a registration form in the Narthex or visit Divorce 101 Trinity UMC will host a 6-week series of public education seminars called Divorce 101 to help people contemplating divorce. Co-sponsored by New Beginnings ( and Pastoral Counseling of Northern Virginia ( the series will run Wednesdays, May 21 to June 25, 7-9 p.m., in Room 302, for a cost of $10/session or $50 for all 6, payable at the door. Each session will be conducted by prominent attorneys, counselors and financial advisors. Light refreshments will be served. Divorce 101 has been offered three times in Montgomery County, Maryland. This is the first time it will be offered in Virginia. For information or to RSVP, contact Carol Randolph at NewBCarol@verizon.net. PAGE 6 Responding to God s Grace THE SPIRE

7 May 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Greg Hardison 2 Brayden Smith Amy Taylor 3 Drew Briscoe Leah Horan Tommy Slade Christine Taylor David Taylor Jeffrey & Ann Kurzweil 4 Rex Blankinship & Janet Barnes Paul & Carol Wessel 5 Gabby Evans Dale & Zelia Harris 6 Mark Booth Andrew Crisp Arthur Wessel Larry & Abby Joseph Tim & Judy Wallace 7 Morgan Burner Glenn & Melissa Harris 8 Elena Calsyn Ignacia Moreno Nancy Pierce Emily Summers George & Una Mae Dailey 9 Philip Graves Chloe Lorenze Spencer Miller Ellin Smith Jan Totushek 10 Len Holmberg Donald Mutchler Sydney Yellen 11 Jessica Case Isobel Miller Jill Mitchell Colin Okster Tony & Janet Lee Bill & Sue Peine Martha s Table Sandwich Making 12 Samuel Bricker 13 Leslie Vorndran Elena Wight 14 Randy Weidman 15 Chip & Susie Coston 16 Kayla Sandelli 17 Bob Mittendorff Catherine Wethington Harry & Wanda Gehring Christ House 18 Edwin Kuhn Rex Wessel Phillip & Diane Barnard Steve & Lizzy Conroy Children s Musical 19 Carrie Garland Willow Schar 20 Bryan Wethington 21 Leslye Wakefield Paul & Sally Cusenza 22 Joel & Tasha Lewton Brad & Morgan Snyder 23 Nicholas Begotka Chris Salazar Luke Schuyler Violet Schuyler Neal Wise 24 Sam Huffard Eloise Lorenze Forest & Karen Bell Barry & Anne Ulrich Randy & Alev Weidman 25 Michele Colliver Evan Dozier Keaton Lee Christian & Jessica Faust Celtic Evensong & Communion 6 p. m. 26 Dylan Okster Laura Situmorang David & Janet Cope Office Closed 27 Tom Casey Peyton Sherwood 28 Molly Benson Trip Sherwood Annalisa Tiffany 29 William Salazar David Todd 30 Alex Blankinship Tom Endean Dat Tran Austin Verity Anthony & Constance Solina 31 Phillip Barnard Andrew Fuchs Eliza Kirchner Charlie Wegrzyn Ted & Rachel Georgelas Richard & Nikie Micheli THE SPIRE Love Serve Give PAGE 7

8 The Spire A Monthly Publication of Trinity United Methodist Church 1205 Dolley Madison Boulevard McLean, VA Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID McLean, VA PERMIT NO. 13 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED mailed April 30, 2014 Sent In Prayer To: Please Note: The next Spire deadline is the 15th of the month. Spire Editor: Harriet Latta. Submit articles to umtrinity@vacoxmail.com. Trinity United Methodist Church Sunday Morning Worship Services at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Adult Sunday School 9:30 a.m. (Sept June) Children's Sunday School 10:30 a.m. (Sept June) Wednesday Communion and Healing 12 noon Celtic Evensong & Communion 6 p.m. (last Sun. of month) Here to serve Christ and you: James C. Sprouse Senior Pastor Eileen Gilmer Associate Pastor Amy Crisp Minister of Education Chris Abel Director of Youth Ministry Jose Rivera and Leslie Vorndran Lay Leaders Jerry Rich Director of Music Ellen LaCroix Children/Youth Choir Director Harriet Latta Office Manager Jose Luis Nuñez-Ruiz Sexton Janine Whitfield Director of Parents Day Out Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Phone: Fax: info@umtrinity.org Web Site: umtrinity.org Facebook: Trinity UMC, McLean The Mission of Trinity United Methodist Church is to be a vibrant, growing church home for all who seek companionship, direction and inspiration in their lives as they develop a personal, relevant relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We are anchored in Scripture and energized by congregational commitment. Trinity Church fosters the Christian values of joy, faith, service, hope and love. Trinity extends the opportunity to experience the Grace of God through worship, discipleship, study and fellowship in the traditions of the United Methodist Church.