FEBRUARY Chimes 2021 THE CHIMES Volume 2021 - Issue 146

Lent 2021 - noun: the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in or- der to get or do something else or to help someone

verb: to give up (something that you want to keep) especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone

In the last year we have learned what it means to sacrifice for the common good. It has been a painful and powerful lesson. We will never take the gift of community for granted again, but if we are honest, we remain vexed by all of the sacrifices we have had to make in order to protect one another from this deadly virus. We remember what our ancestors sacrificed during WWII, but we’ve forgotten the rhythms of living in a time where we could not have all that we want. What if, like our biblical forebears, we chose to look at our sacrifices in a more cohesive and positive light?

To be willing to sacrifice for the common good is a core Christian value. During the 2021 season of Lent we will be exploring the part that sacrifice has in our Gospel stories and throughout the span of biblical history. May we remember and live into the words found near the end of The Great Thanksgiving: ...And so, In remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, We offer ourselves as a holy and living sacrifice, In union with Christ’s offering for us, As we proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Erin

And the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from a BirminghamKyle Jail: But the judgement of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificialTina spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.

Blessings, Pastor Jen Stuart Pastor Jen

Message from Pastor Jen & Preaching Schedule...... Page 2 Children & Family Ministry, Bend Church Podcast & “Unlearning”...... Page 3 Open Door Café Update, Welcome Micheal Harris & UMW 2021 Update...... Page 4-5 Invitation to the Observance of Lenten Discipline ...... Page 6 Lent Walking Cards ...... Page 7-10 Lent 2021 ...... Page 11 A Message from Pastor Jen

 My Grandma Pike had half a lung removed in the 1980’s due to lung cancer. She never smoked.  In 1992, while Derek and I were still in college, his father died from pancreatic cancer one week after he was diagnosed.  In 1994 Derek’s mother died after a 10-year fight against breast cancer.  In the mid 1990’s my maternal aunt was treated for breast cancer.  In 2004 Derek’s sister died from breast cancer.  In 2005 my mother was treated for thyroid cancer.  In 2019 my sister had a double mastectomy with reconstruction because of breast cancer. We also found out that both of us were positive for the Chek-2 gene mutation.  In 2020 my father died from esophageal cancer.  In between these dates, I’ve stood with countless friends and church members as they faced their own cancer diagnosis and sometimes death.

I don’t note these things so that you will feel sorry for me. You’d be hard pressed to find a family that hasn’t dealt with a cancer diagnosis. I note them so that you have some understanding of how seriously I take the thought of cancer in my own body. Currently, the protocol for someone of my genetic disposition and family history is to have a mammogram every year followed six months later by a breast MRI, for the rest of my life. This is an expensive and anxiety ridden process. Every time they see something a little unusual I go in for a biopsy and hope that it is not cancer. Thus, after much prayer, and speaking with my genetic counselors, my husband, doctors and surgeon, I will be having a prophylactic bi-lateral mastectomy (PBM) with reconstruction in the coming months.

Scientists are learning more all the time about how our genes affect our ability to combat cancers. The CHEK2 gene is associated with autosomal dominant predisposition to breast, colon, thyroid and prostate cancers. I can watch my diet and live as healthy a life as possible, but removing my breast tissue will bring my now very high possibility of getting breast cancer down to less than 1%. I admit to a little sadness over saying goodbye to beloved body parts, but hey, they’ve done a good job all these years. They fed my children when they were babies, and helped me to love this body that God gave me. We debated whether I should have this surgery during COVID, but the truth is that I want to be healed and ready to be back at work by the time, God willing, our buildings open back up later this year.

I am fine. I have insurance that will cover most of the bills. I have family and friends that will be here supporting and loving me. I have this amazing church family, many of whom have gone through your own cancer troubles. I know that God is right here with me and whatever happens I will be held in love.

During my time away this congregation will be led by our gifted Associate Pastor Nicole Berry. You will also get to hear some great homileticians; Dave Beckett, Thom Larson, Debbie Pitney and John Pitney have all agreed to preach while I am away! I know that you will appreciate all they have to offer as I take time away to heal.

Pastor Jen will be out for most of Lent recovering from surgery, but she leaves us in the capable hands of Reverend Nicole Berry, along with many of our generous retired clergy.

Preaching Schedule: Transfiguration 2/14: Rev. Dave Beckett Mark 9:2-9 Ash Wed 2/17 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Lent 1 - 2/21: Rev. Thom Larsen Mark 1:9-15 Lent 2 - 2/28: Rev. Nicole Berry Mark 8:31-38 Lent 3 - 3/7: Rev. John Pitney John 2:13-22 Lent 4- 3/14: Rev. Debbie Pitney John 3:14-21 Lent 5- 3/21: Rev. Nicole Berry John 12:20-33 Palm/Passion 3/28: Scripture and Music Mark 14: 1-15:47, or Mark 15:1-39 Easter 4/4/21: Rev. Jen Stuart John 20:1-18

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Heart to Heart Reveal Party! Sunday Feb. 14th!

Our Heart to Heart Secret Pal Reveal Party will be on Zoom this year on Sunday, February 14th at noon. Julie will send out the Zoom link to all the participants!

Bible Blast! We are doing BIBLE BLAST Sunday School now! Each Sunday the kids will be getting the Bible verses to blast off the page and into their lives with art, games, skits and service opportunities! Julie Hanney will introduce the verses and blasting opportunities via email. Make sure to join us weekly at 8:45am on Sundays for the Sunday School Zoom Hangout. Please call Julie if you are interested in receiving Family News emails. 541-382-1672 Ext 6

In the last year we have discovered that there are “facts” that are not factual. We have held beliefs based on aphorisms and not shared experiences or expert knowledge. Based on the goals set by your Church Council we are taking time this year to deepen our understanding of issues facing our community. Join us for conversations around mental illness, homelessness and racism as we seek to “unlearn” harmful perceptions, challenge our assumptions, and listen well. Together with open hearts and open minds we can work as a community to make positive changes in Central Oregon.

February 20th - Dr. Wil Berry 2pm webinar "Persons with Serious Mental Illness in Oregon's Past and Present" A historical perspective on Oregon and America's treatment of persons with serious mental illness with a goal of understanding how we have arrived at our current moment.

March 21st - Chuck Hemingway 2pm webinar “Homelessness in Bend” Learn about the ways that this church is partnering with other community organizations to combat homelessness.

April 7th - 28th (Wednesdays) Book study of “Caste: The Origins of our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson Join Pastor Jen and New Member and retired Teacher Jeanine Black for a 4 week study of this Pulitzer Prize winning book. Wednesdays April 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th at 7pm via Zoom

"Commune: A Generous Conversation" podcast coming soon: What if, instead of leaving the worship space after communion, we all stayed around the table for conversation? All are invited to pull up a chair, share in sacrament, listen and engage with generous dialogue around topics such as, faith, grace, grief, and justice. Watch for ways to listen.

3 Open Door Café/Day Center

As it settles in emotionally and mentally that we have 2020 behind us and the whole of 2021 lies ahead, we are excited about what the year may hold for our Bend Church Open Door Café/Day Center ministry and for the outreach ministry of Bend Church as a faith community. Last year at this time, pre-COVID, we were hosting upwards of 150 guests each week in the Fellowship Hall for breakfast, showers, haircuts, mail, clothing and other needs. When 2021 comes to an end will we back once more to hosting guests inside? Having our building reopened once more and providing a space where our guests can decompress from the worries of the outside world, even if just for a few hours, is what we hope for. What we also hope for is guidance, discernment and enlightenment on other ways that our church community, through our Open Door/Day Center ministry, can fulfill other needs for those around us in our community who are most vulnerable. Pastor Jen, Skipper Lay and I have been part of a small group of Bend citizens who are actively exploring and working with the Bend city staff on getting a centralized, organized, managed camp set up for those experiencing homelessness and who currently live in scattered tent campsites in our locality. We have started working with Square One Villages of Eugene, a nonprofit with long and broad experience in setting up and managing homeless camps in Lane County and around the state. Square One is willing to come to Bend and work with us to get a camp set up here. We look forward to the opportunity to provide more information to our congregation as this possible expansion of our ministry progresses! Chuck Hemingway

Changes Coming for Open Door Café

“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear?” Matthew 25:37b-38

In August of 2019, my husband and I began unpacking our things in our new home of Bend, OR. The move was the culmination of many conversations and considerations that we had been pondering after we made the decision to close our adult foster home in McMinnville, OR and pick Bend as our new home. Neither one of us had jobs. Neither one of us knew anybody in Bend. We only knew that we were ready for a change in scenery and ready to build a life in a place to which we were drawn. Keith knew he wanted to resume his career as a Pharmacy Technician and I had no idea what I wanted to do. After living at my job for 15 years and being on-call 24/7, I only knew I was burned out and open to a new direction in my career.

Not long after landing in Bend, we began the search for a church home. I was raised as a Southern Baptist, but had doubts about finding a Christian church family that would accept and love me as a gay man without asking me to change or repent. My husband had recently converted to Christianity and was eager to nourish his young faith. I wanted a place that would encourage me to reconstruct the faith I had been deconstructing for years. I also hoped we would find a community that would welcome us as strangers and give Keith a positive church experience. We found that place here at Bend Church.

One of the ministries that drew me to Bend Church was the Open Door Café ministry. I was impressed that the church was willing to open its doors to those experiencing hardships and houselessness. I had never been a part of a faith community that sought to regularly meet the needs of the “least of these”.

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After having poor experiences at a counseling position I had accepted, I knew I needed to reconsider the professional direction I had chosen. I decided I had to talk with Pastor Jen about my struggles and the need I had to reexamine a “call” to the ministry that I had answered as an adolescent. I had placed this call on the shelf for many years believing that there was no place in the faith for me as a gay man. Pastor Jen helped me to believe that there was a place in the faith for me; so, in an act of faith and self-preservation, I gave my two-week notice at my counseling job. Soon after I was offered a part-time position at a local mental health private practice. This position has allowed me a great deal of flexibility and fulfillment.

Recently, Pastor Jen spoke with me about taking over for Chuck Hemingway at the Open Door Café. After prayerful consideration, I have decided to accept the position of Volunteer Coordinator for this vital and beloved ministry of Bend Church. I am humbled and full of gratitude to be entrusted with this position. I am excited for this chance to meet Jesus in the lives of those I serve at the Open Door Café. I hope that I can make all of you proud as I lead this ministry into the future. Micheal Harris

(will start his new position at Bend Church on March 1st)

UMW Update 2021 Happy New Year to you all. Let's hope this year is happier, safer, and more "social" than last year. I want to take this opportunity to update everyone on some United Methodist Women topics. We had an executive board meeting recently to determine how to spend our proceeds from the online bazaar and the pie sale. We raised $7,900 with the online craft sales, holiday chocolates, pie sales and sale of second-hand treasures. I think we were all equally surprised that we were able to raise so much when we couldn't hold our bazaar in person. Kudos to all our makers, sellers, and buyers! We hope to set our date for next year's bazaar as Saturday, Nov 13. Fingers crossed that will be an in-person bazaar. If not we will hold another online bazaar, starting on Nov 13. Mark your calendars and pray! There is a possibility we may hold another Pie Sale this spring. More information will follow if we decide to do so.

The local non-profits we will be supporting with our 2020 Bazaar proceeds are: Family Kitchen, Bethlehem Inn, Cascades Youth and Family Center/The Loft, UMCOR, Mountain Star Relief Nursery, CASA of Central Oregon, Saving Grace, Dawn's House, Grandma's House, and Furnish Hope. The Bend Church programs we will be supporting with our Bazaar proceeds are: Compassionate Care, Open Door Cafe and Day Center, and Prayers and Squares.

We plan to participate, as usual, in the Kits for Kids program. Kits for Kids is a service project where we donate hygiene items, laundry and dish soap, and paper products to get families-in-need ready for the new school year. The project includes churches across Central Oregon. Just like last year, we will be accepting monetary donations so we can order cases of the items necessary to fill the "kits". We will do a fund drive in the May/June timeframe (so we can purchase items by July) but you can send a donation to Janis Durham, our treasurer, at any time, indicating the donation is for Kits for Kids.

Later this spring we hope to get the crafters started on items for our Holiday Bazaar. It worked pret- ty well last year to send kits home for individuals to sew or assemble since we couldn’t meet in person. If that is what we have to do, we will do so again in 2021. Time will tell.

If you have any questions about the above, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Jill Gentry - UMW President

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Invitation to the Observance of Lenten Discipline Ash Wednesday - February 17, 2021

Dear Siblings in Christ: The early Christians observed with great devotion The days of Jesus’s passion and resurrection, And it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration There should be a forty day season of spiritual preparation. During this season converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins And had separated themselves from the community of faith Were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, And restored to participation in the life of the Church. In this way the whole congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness Proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ And the need we all have to renew our faith. I invite you, therefore, in the name of the church, To observe a holy Lent: By self-examination and repentance; By prayer, fasting, and self-denial, And by reading and meditation on God’s Holy Word.

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Ash Wednesday “walk” cards

One way to participate with your church family on this Ash Wednesday is to join in a prayerful walk. This walk can be done out of doors or indoors if being outside is not possible. Each card is a prompt to pause in your walk, participate in a particular practice and then continue walking.

As we participate together apart we trust that God’s Spirit offers us deep connection to one another. These cards may be used as a part of your Lenten practice as a means for pause, reflection, and prayer.

Card 1 - Breathe

As we begin this walk, pause for a moment and take a deep breath. Inhale and exhale for a count of three. Feel the air fill your lungs and then release. Consider the fresh air here in Central Oregon. Do you remember what it was like when the air was thick with smoke? Let us begin in gratitude for the clear, life-giving breath of God. (Resume walking)

Card 2 - Prepare In this next pause you are invited to focus your heart and mind. Choose one item in nature to turn your full attend toward. Notice the details of the leaves of a tree, or the distinct layers of sediment through a rock, or, if indoors, look upon a photograph of a loved one or a piece of fruit. Consider the life of this item. Do you feel the relief of focusing on one thing? Let us continue to hold our focus for a few moments more. (Resume walking)

7 Ash Wednesday “walk” cards

Card 1 - Breathe

Card 2 - Prepare

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Card 3 - Lament The practice of lament is holy, if difficult. In this pause you are invited to connect to the parts of your spirit that are pained. If you feel comfortable, speak aloud the sadness of your heart to God. Be specific. You may place your hand on your chest or open your palms in these moments. How close is the pain you are carrying to the surface? Let us authentically share our pain with The Divine. (Resume walking)

Card 4 - Prayer In this pause look up toward the sky. Let the magnitude of this vast, created space wash over you. What do you see? You are invited to read this prayer: We break from the doings of our day and make space to notice you, our compassionate God. You are always with us. As we begin this Lenten journey, we seek depth of spirit with the promise that we are not alone. May we look to the sky even as our feet touch the earth. Amen (Resume Walking)

Card 5 - Ashes / Dust In this walk, we have now arrived at our “beginning”. In this final pause you are invited to bend toward the ground and touch the earth. Feel the dirt or rock beneath you. If you like, let your hands get a little dirty. When was the last time you touched the earth? You may put a little bit of dirt on your hand or your forehead as is our practice on Ash Wednesday and remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Amen.

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Card 3 - Lament

Card 4 - Prayer

Card 5 - Ashes / Dust

10 Lent is a time to prepare for Easter. I commit myself to the following disciplines for these 40 days, in order to experience the depth and power of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. First check the one(s) you feel prompted to do. Then pray about it and circle the discipline(s) you will be able to follow through on.

INWARD AND PERSONAL DISCIPLINES Become healthier, body, mind, and spirit: _____ Spend time in solitude and prayer daily _____ Fast from food one day a week. Give the time and money to Jesus _____ Fast from a habit I need to give up _____ Read twice through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John _____ Join or start a study group _____ Get enough healthy food, rest & exercise _____ Only speak kind words about myself. No negative self-talk. _____ Reconcile with at least one person with which you are at odds _____ Attend all the Holy Week services to better understand Jesus’ sacrifice _____ Inventory your priorities and reorder them in the light of God’s love _____ Try to make your lifestyle and your bank account match your priorities _____ Give up a grudge _____ Forgive someone _____ Worship every week _____ Find a prayer partner _____ Pray for your enemies _____ Consider what sacrifices your ancestors made for you and what you are willing to sacrifice for others

OUTWARD AND SOCIAL DISCIPLINES Listen and respond to Christ's call to a ministry of service: _____ Write a letter of affirmation once a week to someone who is not expecting it, or someone who has touched your life _____ Share in conversation with someone you would like to know better. _____ Choose an action to reduce environmental harm (recycle, clean up trash, etc) _____ Bring a meal to someone who could use it _____ Volunteer to help with Open Door Ministries when it is safe for you to do so. _____ Say "no" to something that is a waste of money and time _____ Pray for the courage to share your faith story honestly _____ Keep your heart and mind open as you engage in conversations around racism _____ Read a book by an African-American author about racism _____ Attend Dr. Berry’s “Persons with Serious Mental Illness in Oregon's Past and Present” webinar on Feb. 20th _____ Learn more about homelessness in Bend by attending Chuck Hemingway’s online presentation on March 21st _____ Give more money away to organizations addressing poverty _____ Actively share words of kindness in place of judgement and criticism _____ Pray with someone/for someone _____ Seriously consider the membership vows to support the church with "my prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness," as catalysts for action in 2021.

Others: ______

As a way of being held accountable, I will find someone with whom I can covenant so that we can share our intentions and encourage each other's growth in Christ.

Signed ______

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680 NW Bond Street Bend, Oregon 97703 www.bendumc.org

The Chimes is a monthly newsletter published for the members and friends of Bend Church. Send correspondence and address changes to 680 NW Bond St., Bend, Oregon 97703; or email to [email protected]

CHURCH STAFF Senior Pastor: Jen Stuart Associate Pastor: Nicole Berry

Director of Children & Family Ministries: Julie Hanney Communications Director: Erin Buckley-Noonan Custodian / Building Administrator: Danny Lange Praise Band Coordinator: Julie Hanney Book Keeper: Kyle Steen Chancel Choir Director: Glenda Alford Contributions Clerk / Admin Asst.: Louise Lesher Bells of Praise Director: Shelley Giaier Day Center / Open Door Café Coordinator: Chuck Hemingway

Bishop of the Oregon-Idaho Conference: Elaine Stanovsky District Superintendent: Wendy Woodworth District Website: umoi.org

Bend Church - United Methodist 680 NW Bond Street, Bend OR 97703 [email protected] www.bendumc.org Phone: (541) 382-1672

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