Inspire February 2018 Stories Worth Sharing HENNEPlN avenue united methodist 511 groveland avenue minneapolis, mn 55403 phone 612-871-5303 church.
5 Practices of a Fruitful Congregation Radical Hospitality... Passionate Worship... Intentional Faith Development... Risk-Taking Mission and Service... Extravagant Generosity... encourages Christians to offer the absolute utmost of themselves, their abilities, and their creativity to welcome others into the faith. explores how the ingredient of passion can transform a worship service and offers insights and ideas on how to have worship that deeply touches souls and changes lives. shows how high quality learning experiences for all ages mature the spirituality and faith of congregational participants. reminds us that by reaching out and taking risks, churches become the resources God uses to change lives and transform the world. shows how generosity enlarges the soul, realigns priorities, connects people to Jesus, and strengthens congregations to fulfill Christ s ministries. Our Mission To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Our Vision We will grow in our love of God and neighbor, reach new people and heal a broken world. Our Strategy We are committed to the five practices of a fruitful congregation A LETTER FROM PASTOR JUDY PG. 3 KNOTTY QUILTERS HAVE DONATED 2500 QUILTS PG.4-5 CHURCH CONFERENCE SUMMARY PG. 6 FRONT DESK EXPERIENCE PG. 7 DEVOTIONAL CREATION PG. 8 ART & SPIRIT RETREAT PG. 9 EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH: WARREN SETA PG. 9 WELCOMING JEN HATMAKER PG. 10-11 HOPE FOR CREATION PG. 12 Cover Photo: Photo by Mary Martin StreetSongMN performed on Sunday, January 28, at Bold Hope in the North, an interfaith celebration and fundraiser for the Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness Emergency Rental Assistance Fund. StreetSongMN is a volunteer choir made up of people who have experienced homelessness, together with their friends from Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church and the Basilica of St. Mary. You can support a StreetSong member by donating $40 to provide a choir t-shirt and transportation costs. And If you love to sing and would love to be a part of this novel experience, we would love to have you! Please contact John Cole at john.cole@haumc.org. 2 / Inspire
A Letter from Pastor Judy What a great way to start the new year! In just the first few weeks of 2018, we have welcomed 10 new members into our community. Make sure you check out their pictures hanging in Carlson Hall, and introduce yourselves to them. Every time I meet with prospective members I am reminded about why I love Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. Sometimes people come in to see our beautiful building, and when they do I always say, If you think our building is beautiful, you should meet our folks They are even better! We hope you will share the beauty of our church with your friends who are looking to be a part of a caring community and compelling ministry. This is the place to be! We are growing in love of God and our neighbors every week in our LYFE groups. We recently got all the LYFE group participants together for a party, and the stories they shared about how much joy they receive from meeting, playing and praying together are heartwarming. There is still time for you to join a LYFE group if you haven t gotten connected yet call Sally Johnson. This year, Lent will start on Valentine s Day, February 14th. What a great day to reflect on how much God loves us! This year s theme for the Lenten season is JustUs. During Lent, we reflect on how we can act more justly in our personal and professional We listen deeply to God s call for us to seek and defend justice for all of creation, and we know that it is up to us to be courageous doers and dreamers. Pastor Judy lives, in our families and with our friends, in our neighborhoods and around the world. We listen deeply to God s call for us to seek and defend justice for all of creation, and we know that it is up to us to be courageous doers and dreamers through whom the Holy Spirit works. One of the ways we do this is by providing radical hospitality to everyone who comes to Hennepin and that s a lot of folks! If 2018 is anything like 2017, we will host over 5000 events at Hennepin Avenue UMC. We ll kick off February by welcoming football fans from all over the country as Minneapolis hosts the Super Bowl. As we like to say around here, Sunday worship services are the best pre-game in town! And we could not be more excited to fire up the renovated kitchen for the first time on Super Bowl Sunday, when we ll host a very special Community Meal right here in our social hall. Feeding the hungry it s one of our very favorite things to do! Later in February, we are hosting Hope for Creation, an exceptional weekend of Environmental Justice workshops led by Rev. Dr. Timothy Eberhart. With our friends at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, we invite guests from all over the Twin Cities to gather for discussion, music, and worship that will explore practical ways that we can all care for God s creation. Just a few days later, we ll welcome the Moxie Matters tour, featuring well-known author Jen Hatmaker. Tickets for the evening program sold out in two days, and the matinee program is on its way to a sell out, as well. That means 2000+ people will come to Hennepin on February 20 alone! It will be a powerful opportunity to offer a warm welcome and an invitation to return. But caring for those who come to us is only part of how we live our mission We are reaching out to heal a broken world, too. Someone asked me recently, Is the world really broken? While there is incredible beauty and hope in the world today, there are also places that have been devastated by hurricanes, floods, and other disasters. For the survivors of those events, brokenness is all too real. At Hennepin, we are responding by sending teams to Sager Brown UMCOR depot to help assemble and distribute over 44,000 cleaning bucket kits and health kits real tools that help people get back on their feet. A team from Hennepin gave two weeks worth of this healing work in early January. The next time a Hennepin team goes, we hope YOU will be on it! In January, I shared with you some news of the mission trip Hennepin recently made to Baiwala, Sierra Leone in West Africa. We met Rev. Judith Banya, the United Methodist pastor in Baiwala. She has started a feeding program that provides 700 children a meal each day. While we were there, we took pictures of 38 children and took notes on their stories so we could bring back to you an amazing opportunity to sponsor a child s school tuition for only $150.00 per YEAR. You will be hearing more about this soon. All of this hospitality, engagement, faith development, and outreach are possible because of you! Hennepin ended the 2017 year in the black for the third year in the row. THANK YOU for your generous giving. We are starting the year with much to celebrate. People say to me, There is a great spirit at Hennepin! It s true! God is good. All the time! Rev. Judy Zabel Inspire / 3
Risk-Taking Mission & Service Knotty Quilters have Donated 2500 Quilts to People in 30 Years of Ministry by Ann Carlson Can you imagine how comforted you would feel if you received a cozy quilt from a stranger when you were in a vulnerable place in your life? That s what the Knotty Quilters do: they make all kinds of quilts that they give to people in need. Over their 30 years of ministry, Knotty Quilters have donated around 2500 items. WHO ARE THE KNOTTY QUILTERS? The Knotty Quilters is a 30-year-old outreach ministry of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, composed of 10 women skilled in needle crafts. They meet every week to construct pieced and tied quilts. They make and give away all sizes of quilts, from baby quilts to queen-sized bed quilts. Lucky recipients have included graduates of The Dignity Center; sick kids at the Children s Hospital; refugee families sponsored by HAUMC; women recovering from addiction living at Emma Norton Residence; teens being served by The Bridge for Youth; and graduates from the MNIC Charter School housed at HAUMC. Plus, every person baptized at HAUMC receives a quilted bear. In 2017, Knotty Quilters donated 100 items. HOW DID THE KNOTTY QUILTERS GET STARTED? The roots of the Knotty Quilters formed at Koinonia Retreat Center, when a group of women were at a retreat 30 years ago. John Lindeman, the Director of Koinonia at the time, noticed that many of the women were creating handcrafts. John asked the group if they d be willing to make a quilt to be hung in the stairwell at Koinonia. Rachel Dapkus, former Food Service Director, took John s challenge and organized the quilt making project. After that success, Rachel suggested the group meet to make quilts to give away to needy people. WHO ARE THE CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE KNOTTY QUILTERS? Marge Heggestad coordinates the work of the Knotty Quilters. In a recent trip to pick up quilts for the new refugee family, Marge told me that she spends all day, every day piecing together quilts. In the last year, Marge has made 99 projects. Marge explains, Making quilts to give away gives me a purpose. The 10 women in the group each have different roles in the quilt making process. In addition to Marge, Judith Pratt pieces together quilt tops. Christy Ranck cuts material scraps into squares; Anne Peterson pieces quilts together and irons; Maggie Berget sews and stuffs bears; Marie Hard cuts out bears and ties the quilts; Mary Wilcox ties the quilts; Jeanne Harkins irons and hems the quilts; Janelle Vaubel ties quilts and Dorothy Ann Williams hems. 4 / Inspire
WHAT KEEPS THE WOMEN DOING THIS MINISTRY FOR SO MANY YEARS? What keeps the Knotty Quilters participating in the quilt ministry for so many years? Marge and Judith said they enjoy the creativity of putting together the designs, as well as the satisfaction of giving the quilts to people who really need them. Marie, Judith and Anne mentioned how much they love the fellowship of working together on projects that benefit others. THE FUTURE OF THE KNOTTY QUILT MINISTRY IS UP TO YOU The group members mentioned that they are concerned that the Knotty Quilters ministry may not survive in the future. Three of the quilters are in their 90 s and the rest of them are retirement age. For the ministry to survive, the next generation of crafters, creators and Pinterest-lovers will need to become involved. The Knotty Quilters are eager to teach their skills to anyone who would like to learn how to quilt. Much of the work can be done on your own time at home. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more, call Marge Heggestad at 952-881-5990. THANK YOU, KNOTTY QUILTERS FOR YOUR MINISTRY OF CARE! Hennepin Church thanks the faithful Knotty Quilters for bringing comfort and joy into the lives of people through their donation of handmade quilts and bears. The Knotty Quilters are eager to teach their skills to anyone who would like to learn how to quilt. Much of the work can be done on your own time at home. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more, call Marge Heggestad at 952-881-5990. Inspire / 5
Congregants Approve Budget, Hear Building Committee update Total HAUMC Operating Expense Total HAUMC Operating Income $388,000 12% Generosity $532,000 16% Passionate Worship $85,000 3% Bequests/ Gifts $359,000 11% Restricted Grants $949,000 29% Mission/Service $549,000 17% Faith Development $697,000 21% Ministry Program $1,598,000 48% Pledges by Bobbie Keller $851,000 26% Hospitality $199,000 $235,000 6% 7% Investment Building Income Rentals $120,000 4% Non-Pledges Members of the HAUMC congregation gathered as a Church Conference January 21, approved a $3.27 million budget for 2018, and received a progress report on building improvements resulting from the Capital Campaign. Budget items are divided into the five practices of a successful congregation: Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-taking Mission and Service, Extravagant Generosity, and Radical Hospitality. Each category includes all anticipated expenses, including salaries of staff liaisons to those areas. Faith Nutz, Finance Committee chair, said that because we are one church, this is a unified budget, covering operations, The Dignity Center, Hennepin Foundation and Koinonia. She also reported that the church ended 2017 on-budget. Nancy Guy, Building Committee chair, said building improvements for Phase I are also on-budget and 75 percent complete. Work on the parking lot and the approved portion of the building envelope will be finished this spring. Phase II building envelope projects, including necessary tuck-pointing, have not yet been approved or funded. While making building envelope repairs in 2017, workers uncovered about $1.2 million in additional repair needs not previously anticipated, including disintegrated foundation wall fasteners and cracks in the tracery stone surrounding the sanctuary s north window. These need approval and funding. But HAUMC has already accomplished a lot, said Nancy. With a remodeled kitchen, updated education wing and new parking lot, we ve come a long way toward enhancing the mission and ministries of our church. Extravagant 6 / Inspire Generosity
Radical Hospitality by Courtney Kowalke As one of the receptionists at Hennepin, I practice offering radical hospitality every day. Radical hospitality is sometimes easy, as easy as a warm smile and greeting someone by name. Giving directions over the phone, or sharing details about an event at Hennepin is part of my routine. Making hot coffee each morning for our guests to enjoy is sometimes tedious, but it is not difficult. Helping people to various rooms around the building became easy once I learned them all myself! But sometimes radical hospitality is hard work. It s more than a small good deed of welcome and kindness here and there. We try to be like the best version of Jesus, and like all his apostles combined. As Christians, we recognize good deeds, and we recognize what we want to do. We all like to think we would go above and beyond our duty to do the right thing. I write want to do and want to think because we have limits. We re human. Sometimes, we fall short of our best intentions. It can be challenging to be hospitable, to stay poised and patient when people around us are demanding or rude, or when the stresses of the day get to be too much. We ve all been there! Fortunately for me, radical hospitality isn t about being perfect. Radical hospitality is about being selfless, though, and that s hard. It s tough to put others needs and concerns ahead of our own, especially when those efforts don t seem to be appreciated or when we are ourselves in need of some extra attention or kindness. I try, though, to do what is kind and good, simply because it s the right thing to do. I spend my week greeting guests and gathering information that might be handy. I know that when a staff member is standing in the cold digging for her access card to release the door, I can lift her spirits a little bit by unlocking it for her first. I know that when I answer a caller s questions over the phone, I am making their day a little better. I like making people happy. I want people to feel welcome, no matter where I am. Sometimes those small acts are a simple way to resist the hatred and indifference in the world, so it s not such a small thing after all when I show people I care about them. I ve learned while working at Hennepin that it s one thing to intend to help, but a different matter entirely to take action, to voluntarily put myself out there. I m human, and I won t get it right every single time, but each day I try to offer hospitality that really makes a difference. Inspire / 7
The Ministry of Devotional Booklets by Sally Howell Johnson When it comes to the creation of Hennepin s Advent and Lenten devotional booklets, Kent Peterson is a key leader. Eight years ago, he approached me, staff liaison to this seasonal endeavor, and asked to be involved in the process. He felt that he had gifts to offer and that this large undertaking could use extra hands. And what a gift he has been over these years. Kent has a relevant background for working with the writings of Hennepin members. He says he has been a writer for as long as I can remember. Though he was not an English major at St. Olaf College, he was a double major in Political Science and Religion, and did extensive writing in those fields. As a Master of Divinity student at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, Kent further used his love of words and skills as a writer fulfilling his seminary education. He has worked as a freelance writer, including projects for Lutheran Social Services, St. Olaf, and the Boy Scouts of America. When asked what he loved most about working on the devotionals, Kent says, the team of Sally Johnson and Jolene Roehlkepartain! He says that this small team is the best committee I ve ever been on. The work is very active and directed toward accomplishing a concrete goal. The team works to see individual submissions transformed into a finished project in a relatively short period of time. The devotional booklets are one of the many acts of intentional faith development which Hennepin creates throughout each year. Kent describes how devotional writers have the opportunity to wrestle with the seasonal theme and the Scriptures to be used in worship, and ask questions of what these words mean for them in their own faith life. They then work to integrate the theme with their own experience and craft that into a message to offer to the world. Readers are then able to read about the experiences and ideas that other members of the congregation have about the Scriptures and the theme a different experience than hearing these illuminated in a sermon. The rewards? Kent says, It is one of the more rich acts of faith formation that we do. And the devotionals travel far and wide. They are read not only by Hennepin members, but are picked up by people who come into the building during the week and are mailed off to family and friends throughout the country. Kent says he feels deeply rewarded by hearing from people how meaningful the devotionals are to them. Thank you, Kent, for your commitment and your gifts in this amazing ministry! Intentional 8 / Inspire Faith Development
From the Trees Come the Paper... From the Paper Comes the Art An Art & Spirit Retreat Join us on March 9-11 at the Koinonia Retreat Center for a retreat with Sandy Spieler from In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theater and Lisa Gidlow Moriarty from Paths of Peace. Paper is a gift to us from trees. As we give thanks to the trees, we will be led in the gift of art making from the simplicity of paper by Sandy Spieler, creator of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater. Sandy Spieler describes herself as Director, Designer, Conceptualizer, Sculptor, Painter, Performer, Teacher, Graphic Artist, Perpetual Student. As the creative inspiration behind the yearly May Day Festival, Sandy has taken the simple tools of paper and paint and spoken both protest and joy into the opening of the Earth s renewal. Sandy will share how the art she has created is an expression of Spirit in her life and her work and will lead us in art-making with paper. Also sharing in the retreat, Lisa Gidlow Moriarty. Lisa is a labyrinth maker, designer, consultant and creator of portable and permanent labyrinths from canvas to concrete, caretaker of 16 outdoor labyrinths and a fleet of canvas rental labyrinths, and the owner of Paths of Peace Labyrinths. She is an advanced Veriditas facilitator, Midwest Region Representative for both TLS and Veriditas, workshop and retreat leader, Veriditas Council member and Regional Rep Coordinator. Her activities also include being an artist, certified spiritual director, community peacekeeping circle advocate, mediator, swim instructor, and paralegal. The weekend will include music, worship, poetry, great food and a chance to gather friends old and new. Cost: $135. includes housing, food and materials. Register at www.haumc.org/events. Employee of the Month: Warren Seta by Sherry Shannon I would like to nominate Chef Warren Seta as Employee of the Month for January. Chef Warren joined the Hennepin team this past spring just as the kitchen was being closed for remodeling. This left Warren with a new job, a lot of meals to prepare, and no kitchen on site. Despite the huge challenge, Warren has come through. He has been able to plan menus, purchase supplies, and supervise the new kitchen set-up, all while working from the Dignity Center kitchen doing whatever was necessary to put things together and make it work. Besides that, the food has been delicious and he has kept his calm demeanor and sense of humor. I can tell he likes his job and I have learned a lot working with Chef Warren. He deserves to be Hennepin Employee of the Month! Inspire / 9
Passiona W I m proud of this church for walking with people on their faith journeys. Each of us has our own unique spiritual path to find and to follow. No one s journey is without obstacles, nor is anyone s better than another s, and dare I say I don t think we ll ever be done seeking God. Here s a vulnerable moment I recently had on my journey as one of your pastors. On February 20, Hennepin will host the Moxie Matters tour featuring bestselling Christian author Jen Hatmaker and singer/ songwriter Nichole Nordeman. It s going to be a big one, friends the evening show in the Sanctuary sold out in less than two days, and the matinee is on its way to a sell-out, too. I m proud we re hosting this tour. However, that s not where I started. When Jen s tour team reached out to Hennepin to ask if we would serve as a tour stop venue, I admit I was hesitant. True, I knew Jen s message more by reputation than by my own reading, but the reputation that preceded her didn t immediately suggest her message would be in line with Hennepin s mission. Her following was strongest within evangelical circles. This gave me pause. How would her tour play out with the community at Hennepin? Her books have been used by small groups in hundreds of churches, and Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life hit #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Nonetheless, my hunch was most Hennepin members haven t read Jen s work. Given our last year of reading books together by the likes of Brian McLaren, Rachel Held Evans, and Marcus Borg, I figured we might not necessarily see a lot of cultural or theological crossover from those writings to Jen s. With these thoughts in mind, I reached out to Jen s tour team to learn more. Her team listened to my concerns and walked with me as I talked about missional alignment. They offered insight into what the Moxie Matters tour content would be. We had good talk, but I still felt hesitant. Then, I got bold. I asked if I could speak with Jen directly to hear from her and, bless them, they said yes. In preparation for our conversation, I did some research. Turns out, Jen Hatmaker has had quite the year. Do an online search for her name and you ll find Jen Hatmaker vilified by evangelical circles after her recent comments on hotbutton topics, including same-sex marriage and the mixing of politics and Christian faith. If some people are concerned Jen isn t progressive enough, they have been drowned out by the tidal wave of angry, hate-filled ramblings dismissing her, dropping her, slamming the door on her. Church communities are no longer letting her speak in their sanctuaries. Christian bookstores are dropping her books. Longtime fans are turning their backs. 10 / Inspire
te orship Sometimes there is a gap between something we value and something we practice. I almost didn t practice something I deeply believe. Maybe you ve experienced something similar. by Rev. Nate Melcher It s appalling how quickly a whole movement of Christians appears to have simply rejected her for shifting theologically or politically from where they stand on the spiritual spectrum. That s when I realized I had done something similar. I d dismissed Jen by her reputation, one I wasn t necessarily informed about firsthand. I was considering closing our doors to her without hearing her story. And all mixed up in that was my valuing my place in the journey more than hers. Where was I leaving room for Jen to discover her way to God? I wasn t. Jen and I had a wonderful conversation. I am honored she took the time to speak with a pastor from Minnesota about his concerns. I am blessed to hear her story. And I m humbled to see where I could have done better. As we ended our conversation, I told her what was on my heart: I respect your journey, I am not your judge, and I can t dismiss anyone for being where they are on their spiritual path. What these other churches are doing is petty and wrong. They re slamming their doors to you. And our church does not slam its doors on people. We will gladly host you. I tell you this story as a reminder that we are all seeking our way forward, and we are walking with each other along the way. Sometimes there is a gap between something we value and something we practice. I almost didn t practice something I deeply believe. Maybe you ve experienced something similar. I m looking forward to February 20 so I can hear Jen s story in person. She ll speak to 1,000+ people about getting through the mess of life with moxie and Jesus. She ll talk about the year she s had. She ll talk about her journey and encourage us to do the same. And I ll do what our church does when we are at our best: I ll listen and walk with her, as Jesus would do for any of God s children. If you would like to volunteer to be on the Radical Hospitality Team on February 20 for Moxie Matters tour stop at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church (10:00am matinee or the sold-out 7:00pm evening show), please contact Pastor Nate Melcher, nate@haumc.org. Inspire / 11
HOPE FOR CREATION Exploring Practical Ways People of Faith are Engaging in Mission and Justice for the Good of the Earth Workshop and Worship Featuring Rev. Dr. Timothy Eberhart February 17-18, 2018 sponsors Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church 511 Groveland Ave Minneapolis, MN On Saturday, February 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dr. Timothy Eberhart, Assisant Professor of Theology and Rev. Dr. Timothy Eberhart Ecology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, will lead a series of workshop sessions that explore how Christians are called to share in the healing of creation. Participants will reflect on the spiritual implications of environmental degradation, examine the relevance of Christian beliefs to an ecological perspective, and explore practical ways people of faith are engaged in mission and justice for the good of the earth. Music performed by singersongwriter Leslie Ball will ground and uplift our reflections throughout the day. On Sunday, February 18, Dr. Eberhart will preach on these themes at Hennepin s 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. worship services. Singer-songwriter Sara Thomsen will share her soulful and poetic music during both services. The registration fee for the workshop is $15 per person and lunch is included for those who RSVP by February 13, 2018. Registration on the day of is possible with limited lunch availability. Free childcare is also available. To learn more and to register, go to: Garrett.edu/HopeForCreation HAUMC.ORG Garrett-Evangelical Garrett Theological Seminary redef ine seminary GARRETT.EDU The Hope for Creation workshop is sponsored by the Wilbur and Juanita Harr Lecture Fund at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary