A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR JOEL MARCH 1, 2018 Dear Friends in Christ, A few weeks before my college classmates and I were expecting to walk across the stage in our caps and gowns, I received a letter from the school s comptroller that caught me by surprise. My account still had an unpaid balance of a few thousand dollars, the letter began, which I needed to pay before graduating. Failure to do so before graduation day, the letter warned, would mean taking part in a commencement that would hardly live up to the fullest sense of that word. Instead of going forth into the world with a newly minted diploma in my hand, the college s president would give me an empty folder. And, until my debt was completely erased, my graduation would be considered pending. No diploma. No transcript. No replies from my professors if I asked them to write letters of reference. Yikes! No one in my family had ever gotten so close to graduating from college before. I was the first, just as I have learned during many conversations at Sudbury UMC that many of you were the first college grads among your relatives. And, as far as I knew, no one in my family was able to scrape together a few thousand dollars to pay a balance I was not even aware of until I opened that letter. We were blue collar people at best. We lived pay check to pay check. Even borrowing a few thousand dollars felt like an unlikely possibility. In the mid-1970s, for the son of a single mom who would now be labeled working poor, it felt like graduation day was just one more impossible dream. Why bother going? I remember screaming at my mother. It s just one big farce. Somehow the balance was paid. My mother phoned me during final exams week to report that a friend had come forward with a check for the comptroller. A day or two after that, a note in my campus mailbox from the comptroller s office confirmed the good news. My debt had been paid. Graduation would not be one big farce. Like nothing I had ever experienced before, Commencement was a day of overwhelming gratitude and thanksgiving. But to receive the money, there was one condition: the name of my benefactor could never be revealed. For the rest of my life I would never know who to thank. Do you have any idea how that mysterious secret has shaped my life during the last forty years? Every time I have spoken with someone who was a successful adult in the mid-1970s, I have always been reminded by a quiet voice within that This could be the person who paid for your graduation. In other words, only one person paid my debt, but many people have received the courtesy and respect that only one benefactor truly deserves. And, for the last forty years, I have felt deeply unworthy of my sponsor s generosity. In whatever I say or do or in everything I fail to say or do an inner voice reminds me that I have a debt to pay by living my life in a way that is worthy of my sponsor s remarkable generosity. The only other person who seems to come close to feeling the way I feel is St. Paul. Again and again, he writes in his New Testament letters, lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Ephesians 4:11 NRSV). In his letters to the Philippians, the Colossians, and the Thessalonians, he says pretty much the same thing as though Paul is overwhelmed by the debt he owes to Christ and by the unworthiness he feels to be counted among the sinners God has forgiven and adopted as children. Do your words and actions pass the worthiness test? In your family, among your friends, and at our church, do your words and deeds reflect the debt you owe to God who has forgiven you and made you a member of God s family by the grace of Jesus Christ? To be honest, I am deeply concerned that too much of my speech and the speech I hear in the corridors of our church is not worthy of the love God has lavished on us. Friends, we can do better by making the worthiness test the yardstick of our lives. See you in church, Pastor Joel Page 1
CONCERNS AND CELEBRATIONS DATES TO KEEP IN MIND Mar. 4: Kids Concert Mar. 7, 14, and 21: Lenten Soup Supper and Programming Mar. 8: Magic Years Mar. 11: Daylight Saving Time Begins Mar. 11: UMCOR Offering Sunday Mar. 18: Social Justice Discussion Mar. 18: Connexions Concert Mar. 25: Easter Egg Hunt 2018 Lenten Schedule Daily Worship at Home - Thy Will Be Done by Ted Schroeder The Worship and Music Commission has purchased a booklet for each of our congregation s households. Booklets are available now at Sudbury UMC in the office, narthex, and Hawes Hall. Page 2
Services of Worship Sundays in Lent Lent III March 4: Mary: God s Will and God s Identity The Rev. Joel Guillemette Lent IV March 11: Saul: God s Will and My Worldview The Rev. Joel Guillemette Lent V March 18: Lydia: God s Will and My Response The Rev. Dr. Gwen Purushotham Ms. Nisha Purushotham Wednesday Soup Suppers March 7, 14, 21 at 6:00 p.m. (Hawes Hall) Wednesday Evening Lenten Classes March 7, 14, 21 at 6:30 to - 7:15 p.m. Acapella Singing: Thy Will Be Done Kevin Murphy, Music Director and Organist (Sanctuary) Rob Hammerton, Choir Director Adult Program: Thy Will Be Done Joel Guillemette, Pastor (Davison Chapel) Teen Program: Discerning God s Will Zack Moser, Youth Ministries Director (Youth Room) Children s Program: Saying Yes to God Eric Magnuson, Director of Christian Education Services of Worship Holy Week March 25 at 9:30 a.m.: Palm Sunday Worship (Sanctuary) March 28 at 7:00 p.m.: Wednesday in Holy Week (Sanctuary) Acapella Service of Music and Reflection March 29 at 7:00 p.m.: Maundy Thursday (Sanctuary) Service of Word and Table March 30 at 7:00 p.m.: Good Friday (Chapel) Service of Scripture and Song Services of Worship Easter Sunday April 1 at 8:00 a.m.: New Fire and Baptism (Chapel) April 1 at 9:30 a.m.: Music and Proclamation (Sanctuary) April 1 at 11:15 a.m.: Word and Table (Sanctuary) Request from Membership and Community Life The Lenten Soup Suppers and programs began on the 21st of February and continue for the remaining four Wednesdays until March 21. Please call or contact Oscar Harrell at 978-443-3821or email Owhtwo@msn.com if you can help with the preparation of soups and or set-up and clean-up for the remaining Wednesdays. Thanks for your support and participation. A Word of Thanks Thank you to the congregation for all their wonderful food donations for the collation following Ron Smith s funeral. We had double the people attending than we anticipated showing us all how much Ron was loved. We wound up having to add a third buffet table to accommodate all the food that you so generously donated. Therefore, we had no trouble feeding all who attended. Thank you to all who worked in the kitchen and those who offered to help but were not needed. Many hands make light work! Judy Aufderhaar Page 3
LEARN The Magnuson Moment In the January 11 th issue of The Chronicle I told about my reading the autobiography of Billy Graham, Just As I Am. I also started watching some of Rev. Graham s old telecasts. I want to share one of them with you if you have the time to watch it. The title is The Offence of the Cross, appropriate for Lent. The text for the thirty-nine-year-old evangelist s message was 1 Corinthians Chapter 1; a good review for those who participated in our recent Immersion Bible Study. This telecast was in San Francisco in 1958, around the same time that the excavation for the foundation of Hawes Hall was being undertaken. Even though the message was preached sixty years ago, it still has relevance for 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2cw76av5pk Prayer Pals. The key word for Week 25, Feb. 25-March 3, is: Protection, I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Psalm 91:2 Magic Years. Join us on Thursday, March 8th from noon-2pm in Davison Chapel for our next Magic Years event! Our special guest this month will be Rev. Cincy Maybeck. Rev. Maybeck will give a humorous, touching, and inspiring presentation titled: Wisdom of the Ages. All seniors are encouraged to attend. Contact Eric Magnuson at 978-443-4351 (ext. 207), or eric@sudbury-umc.org to sign-up for the event. Greetings from the SUMC Youth! This weekend, 15 youth and two adults are headed to Hebron, NH, for Camp Berea s Deep Freeze retreat. Please keep this group in your prayers for both travelling mercies and that the experience might truly be a retreat from the stresses and pressures of this world and into the presence of the Holy Spirit. Also, since most of our Bible study regulars and our Bible study leader will be at Berea on Sunday, the post-worship high school Bible study is cancelled for this Sunday. We ll start again next week. Parents should be sure to check your email for information regarding signing up for Salkehatchie, this summer s mission trip. Salkehatchie is a series of annual summer mission camps in poverty-stricken rural communities across South Carolina. Each year, the camp participants fix homes in dire disrepair whose homeowners have neither the means nor the physical ability to make the repairs themselves. They also visit homes from previous years to make sure those projects are still in good shape, so they get involved with the local community. For those of you who receive The Chronicle via email, click this link to see a short video about Salkehatchie. There will be no youth meeting this Sunday night. Meetings will resume next Sunday at 5:30 p.m. for high school youth and at 6:30 p.m. for middle school youth. See you there. Keep the Faith. The Upper Room The Upper Room booklets are available in the narthex. Help yourself to a free copy for your daily devotional readings. Or access it online by clicking here: https://www.upperroom.org/ Page 4
CONNECT An Usher s Remembrance of Ron Smith Ron contributed in so many ways to the life of our church. As one of the ushers I wanted to briefly reflect on his long-term service as the head of the usher teams, a task he did in his quiet and unassuming way. As our usher leader, Ron was responsible for ensuring that the more than 50 church services/year were fully staffed with ushers. Year-in and year-out Ron created the usher rotation schedules, provided detailed usher directions, managed turnover in ushers, and provided feedback on how we were doing. Ron performed these tasks practically as a lifetime commitment. Twenty-two years ago he asked me to join the usher team and I don t know how many years before that he had been serving in this role. Ron s presence is still with us ushers. On the bulletin board above my desk is Ron s last usher rotation schedule which takes us through to the 9:30 service on Sept. 9th. It was great to look around the Sanctuary during Ron s service and see so many ushers in attendance. As an usher I became more acquainted with Ron, a person who carried himself with quiet dignity. I remember calling him up a few years ago about switching ushering dates with me as I had a conflict. He responded not with his usually Yes but with a Maybe and calmly informed me that he had a chemo treatment coming up about that time. Having recently talked nonchalantly with him at church, I was surprised to learn about the seriousness of Ron s illness which he described to me as if discussing the weather. Afterwards from time-to-time, I would ask Ron how things were going and if he needed any help. Ron always responded to my inquiries in a positive fashion as he fought a courageous, long-term battle. I never once heard him complain or lose his composure as he adjusted the best he could to the cards life had dealt him. A final comment is that I and the rest of the SUMC community with miss Ron s trumpet. He had a sweet sound and could hit the high notes. For many years Ron played in his own brass quartet which enhanced our church services. He also played with brass players in our church, the Concord Band, and other organizations. I like to think that Gabriel has a new addition to the heavenly trumpet section. Bill Hoke SUMC s Continuing Journey to Inclusiveness SUMC will celebrate our Reconciling and Welcoming Anniversary, on March 18, at 9:30 a.m. The Rev. Dr. Gwen Purushotham (associate pastor at SUMC 1981-1986) will preach during worship; followed by a time of conversation in the Chapel led by her daughter Nisha. Refreshments will be served. In 1990, a task force developed a statement for SUMC that would be more inclusive of sexual orientation. Programs and opportunities to study and dialogue were held using the Methodist Quadrilateral (1) Scripture, (2) Tradition, (3) Reason, and (4) Experience. In 2001 the SUMC Social Justice Commission was formed. They sponsored a 6- part study of homosexuality using the Methodist Quadrilateral. SJC also conducted an opinion survey. In 2003 Vision and Mission statements describing SUMC as an inclusive community, welcoming to all was adopted by the Church Council. Page 5
On March 21, 2004, an all-church conference was held to allow members to vote whether to register our Reconciling and Welcoming Statement as a form of public witness and to become part of the Reconciling Ministries Network (a network that exists to enable the inclusion of all persons as full participants in the life of the church both in policy and practice). In 2014 the logo of the Reconciling Ministries Network was added to the Chronicle, Bulletin, and SUMC roadside sign to demonstrate our inclusiveness. The United Methodist Church continues to promote practices to exclude participation by homosexuals as outlined in our Book of Discipline. http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/para-304-qualifications-forordination While persons set apart by the Church for ordained ministry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition and the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the highest standards of holy living in the world. The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church. Self-avowed practicing homosexual" is understood to mean that a person openly acknowledges to a bishop, district superintendent, district committee of ordained ministry, board of ordained ministry, or clergy session that the person is a practicing homosexual. Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches. Social Justice Commission Please Join Us for the Kids Concert! Ciaran, Cecelia, and Kevin Murphy invite you to join us on Sunday, March 4 th, at 12:00 p.m. in the sanctuary, where the kids of SUMC will perform in the 2018 Kids Concert. Please join us at the preceding potluck lunch, located in Hawes Hall after worship, then we will walk to the Sanctuary to hear the young musicians here at SUMC do their musical thing. There will be a freewill collection for MetroWest Free Medical Program, housed just down the street from us at Congregation Beth El. We look forward to seeing you there! Contribute to the Kids Concert Potluck! Food is still needed for the Kids Concert Potluck, immediately preceding the Kids Concert on March 4th (see Please Join us for the Kids Concert! ). If you are planning to attend, please contact Nancy Hammerton at hammerdn@ix.netcom.com or 508-358-4613. We look forward to seeing you there! Book Donations for MetroWest Free Medical Program Did you ever read a book in the waiting room at the doctor s office as a child? I am collecting books for patients at the MetroWest Free Medical Program so that every child may also have this experience. Children will be able to read books while they are waiting and will have the opportunity to bring a book home to enjoy. I am looking for donations of all types of gently used children s books, including: Board books & picture books Early readers Older elementary & middle-school age books. I also hope to buy a storage unit for books and some books in Spanish and Portuguese to be sure that families can read together, so financial contributions to the clinic for that purpose are welcome. Thank you for your donations and support! Cecelia Murphy Page 6
Hello Dominica from Sudbury United Methodist Church SUMC! Thank you again for participating in the development of a video to send our prayers and love to our Brothers and Sisters in Dominica. The video is absolutely wonderful and we hope you will take a few minutes to click on the link below and watch it for yourselves. Rick, Matt and Heather went to Dominica last week but were able to send ahead the video to those that they could reach, and also brought hand held options to share when they arrived. Please continue to keep them all in your prayers, and please enjoy the Video! https://youtu.be/4slrplshw6c *** Exciting Update: SUMC received the following online feedback from our friends in Dominica after being able to view the video on YouTube! We are so humbled and blessed by their response. Thank you again for your part in making someone s life just a little bit better! New comment on "Hello Dominica from Sudbury United Methodist Church" (from YouTube post): Nikki Thank you very much! We know that you guys love us cause you have shown it countless times! We love you more here in Dominica, especially Ebenezer (Wesley). Thanks very your well wishes and prayers!! God BLESS your entire church and family... Very touching. Thanks for the message pastor SUMC s Outreach Commission Prayer Shawl Ministry On Sunday, February 11, yarn, needles and instructions were available in Hawes Hall to knit prayer shawls. Finished shawls will be presented for consecration on Health Ministry Sunday, April 29, 2018. For those of you who are new to the congregation, Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo designed the pattern adopted to knit the shawls while they were students at Hartford Seminary. Now we are adding a pocket prayer shawl. It is small enough that it can be put into your pocket and carried with you. The pocket prayer shawl is an excellent alternative for those of you who would like to participate in the prayer shawl ministry but would find it difficult to set aside time to knit larger shawls. The shawls are called prayer shawls because knitters offer prayers and blessings for potential unnamed recipients while they are knitting. This ministry reaches out to those in need of comforting. Many recipients of the larger shawls report feeling embraced by the love and caring that were lifted up by the knitters. We are just beginning to knit pocket prayer shawls and anticipate a similar response from recipients. Knitting prayer shawls can be a great way to spend a cold winter evening. Help is available for beginners or rusty knitters. If you have questions contact Sophia Harrell at sbaileyharrell@msn.com or 978-443-3821. For more detailed information on the larger prayer shawl go to http://www.shawlministry.com. For those of you in the process of completing shawls, thanks for your diligence and dedication. Sunday Morning Sound Samaritan(s)! In coming weeks, music director Kevin Murphy will begin working with liturgist coordinator Leslie Bell to augment the amplification of liturgists in the chancel during services. As always, Kevin would love to have Page 7
some extra hands to help with this ongoing need. If you have an interest in helping with the audio system and the archiving of SUMC s audio materials, contact Kevin. All help, small or large, is welcome! 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. 4: Exodus 20:1-17 Mar. 11: Numbers 21:4-9 Mar.18: Acts 16:6-10. 13-15 The Winter Season Is When Friends and Neighbors May Need Stephen Ministry Sudbury UMC has thirteen active Stephen Ministers (caregivers). Ten of our caregivers are currently available to offer their support. They can walk with those who need kindness, a listening ear, and distinctively Christian caregiving. The darker days of winter and even the holidays can sometimes trigger loneliness, sadness, or anxiety. This is especially true if a loved one has suffered a loss, a sudden change, or a difficult life transition. Perhaps you have a family member, friend or neighbor who could benefit from a caring relationship. 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. Mar. 4 Mar. 11 Connexions Concert Linda Cooper John Fraize Mar. 18 Mar. 25 Diane Hammond Lori Granger The next Connexions Concert is approaching quickly! Be sure to mark your calendar for Sunday afternoon, March 18, at 3:00 p.m. We can promise you another varied and eclectic program featuring our own home-grown SUMC talent and guests from outside the church community Maybe you even have a hidden musical talent that you would like to share on the program! You can always sign up for future concerts at <http://www.sudbury-umc.org/sumc_v1/music/connexions/> Contact music director Kevin Murphy if you would like more information about the Connexions Series. We always take a freewill offering to help various needs around our community this time we will contribute to the Pastor s Emergency Fund. See you there! Page 8
COMMUNITY Free Medical Program Seeking Volunteers Page 9 On Tuesdays, about 20 volunteers gather to provide healthcare services to people without insurance. The program serves an average of 35 patients, using the sanctuary at Congregation Beth El as the clinic site. Volunteers are needed to help put the medical supplies and equipment away in the shed behind Beth El. Specifically, people are needed to help move the screens, exam tables, buckets of medical supplies, as well as tables and chairs. With enough volunteers, this can be done in 30 minutes. This is a great job for high school students looking to finish up their community service hours or anyone who wants to get an extra 30 minutes of exercise! When? Tuesdays, 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Questions? Contact Kim Prendergast at kim.prendergast@gmail.com. News for 2018 from Household Goods At the end of every year, we update our donation guidelines based on the items our clients need most. We also review how to minimize incurring disposal expenses for items clients do not take. Many well-meaning donors bring us things that "someone could use," and are surprised when we turn them away. Please understand that due to space and resource constraints, we must limit what we take to items clients will also take -- items they need to furnish very small apartments. Outdated technology (VCR's etc.), office furniture, and oversized items are a few things we must refuse. All items should be clean and in good enough condition that you'd be proud to offer them to a friend. See our website's 2018 Donation Guidelines page, and a one-page printable pdf of the guidelines here. A Great New Year to Volunteer - Come to an Orientation Soon Our volunteers work hard and have a lot of fun along the way. Come join us for an upcoming Volunteer Open Orientation (see the schedule here) and learn about the possibilities - and how YOU can help people make a home! Drivers Needed for FISH and Meals on Wheels 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 our homebound clients in addition to providing critical social contact a safety check. Today additional drivers are needed to meet the increasing demand for home delivered meals in our service are that includes 11 cities and towns. If you are interested in giving back to your community through this part-time job, apply today! Please call Sara at 781-324-7705 ext. 689 or visit our website www.mves.org/join-us/.
FISH - Deb Galloway, director of the Sudbury Senior Center, reports that FISH (a network of volunteers that provide transportation to medical appointments to anyone in need, regardless of age or ability level) needs volunteer drivers. Volunteers use their own vehicles to transport Sudbury residents to and from medical appointments. Interested in volunteering or learning more? Please dial 978-443-2145. Multi-Faith Book Discussion Coming to Wayland March 4 YOU ARE INVITED TO A COMMUNITY INTERFAITH DISCUSSION Recognizing the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week THE INTERFAITH BOOK CLUB of the Islamic Center of Boston, Wayland invites you to a discussion of SACRED GROUND; Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America by Eboo Patel Reading the book is not a requirement to join the discussion. DATE: MARCH 4, 2018 TIME: 3:00PM-5:00 PM LOCATION: ICB Wayland, 126 Boston Post Road, Wayland WHAT: Discussion and fellowship with people of diverse faiths and backgrounds For questions and to RSVP: bookclub@icbwayland.org Page 10
Family Concert at Community UMC in Wayland Page 11
Sudbury United Methodist Church 251 Old Sudbury Road, Sudbury, MA 01776 Phones: (978) 443-4351 or (978) 443-6785 Fax: (978) 443-3052 Church Office: sumc@sudbury-umc.org Website: http://www.sudbury-umc.org Church Staff Lead Pastor: The Rev. Joel Guillemette Christian Education Director: Eric Magnuson Youth 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 eric@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