S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 NATIONAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH THE MESSENGER www.nationalchurch.org September 11th Remembrance IN THIS ISSUE Autumn Worship Pages 2-3 Silence the Violence Honk Jr. Page 4 Food for Thought page 5 You are invited to a Prayer & Meditation Service commemorating the 20th year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. The Metropolitan Memorial Garden @ St.Lukes Update sanctuary will be open from 5-8 pm on Saturday, September 11 for you to Farm Market Recovery participate in individual experiential prayer stations at your own pace. Page 6 Learning Opportunities Our clergy will be available for personal prayer throughout the evening. A Pages 7-9 short communal liturgy will be offered on the portico at the beginning of UMW Sunday each hour. The meditation stations will be open throughout the 5-8 pm Page 10 timeframe. You are welcome to come just as you are, whatever you are feeling (or not feeling) as you recall the events of 9/11 and beyond. You Jazz@Wesley Page 10-11 can come for 5 minutes or stay the whole time. All are welcome. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Ali DeLeo ([email protected] | 202-744-6440). An Invitation to Autumn Worship from Pastor Doug The outdoor worship service at Metropolitan Memorial was drawing to a close when this bright yellow butterfly hovered overhead during one of the hymns. A bumblebee had passed earlier in more of a direct line, but this butterfly seemed to linger there as the hymn “In Christ Alone” echoed across campus. It seemed to enjoy the song as much as I did: In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song; This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I stand The butterfly departed for a moment, then American University Chaplain Rev. Bryant Oskvig rose to offer the benediction and as he did, the same butterfly swooped down to the back row of worshippers where I was seated, looping down to each one seated there. Some of us held out our hands imagining it might land but it moved continuously all the way down one aisle then banking hard left, passing along the row in front of us. Hands were opened there as well. Then it turned right and seemed to tap each head—"duck, duck, duck, goose.” All summer we have reflected together on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts and dozens of ways that Spirit was manifest in town after town as the apostles declared Christ as their hope, light, strength, and song. This Sunday, at the conclusion of the series, it seems God provided a visual aid! Many of us have experienced the touch of that Holy Comforter in the midst of this pandemic, “firm through the fiercest drought and storm.” Sundays in September and October we will celebrate church groups which have been a particular source of strength during this time. The choir has been this yellow butterfly not only for those of us who delight in what we see and hear week after week, but also for each one recording their individual track. Some musicians have suffered tremendous loss and sadness, yet each week a director meets them with a new song, a new pattern to follow, and glory be to God, all of these individual voices are woven into holy harmony! (9/12) Renowned composer Mark Miller joins NUMC Virtual Hymn Sing Spiritual study groups have also brought heavenly beauty down into this pandemic for many. One group met to discuss David Finnegan-Hosey’s “Grace is a Pre-Existing Condition” in which the author wrote, “By going first with my own story of mental health struggle, mental illness, and long path to recovery, I could help create space for others to share their own stories and particularly to empower faith communities to be places where people could bring their whole selves to God and to each other, could be brave and vulnerable and honest about their struggles in a space where such sharing could be met with care and grace and solidarity.” Zoom classes have created these brave, vulnerable spaces. (9/19) Page 2 The circles of United Methodist Women and Thursday Men’s Meditation group have opened the hands of women and men during this past year, inspiring members to deliver life-giving services and support for those in need. Although Zoom gatherings initially felt like an impediment for the Men accustomed to early morning prayer gatherings in the Metropolitan Memorial chapel and to women enjoying comfortable gatherings in homes, both have now been able to welcome long-distance participation! God is doing a new thing in our midst! (9/26) Connie Sommers and Martha Mizroch prepare caring bears for distribution. Youth ministry activities continued this year through such things as side-walk chalk at Wesley Campus, capture the flag games at St. Luke’s Mission center, and food and bike donation programs at Metropolitan Memorial. But the moment when the bright butterfly of the Spirit seemed to move most completely in our midst happened during the course of Confirmation. As a pastor I relished weekly check-in sessions with parents and mentors sharing theology and I cherished long walks with our young people around the church parking lot as each shared what shape the Church might take in their lives. (10/4) The NUMC Racial Justice Team met consistently throughout the pandemic, bridging divides and pursuing justice together. We gathered to hear stories of our origins and ancestors as well as the longings of our young people who insisted our work stretch beyond performative posturing. We will hear some of these voices on Indigenous Persons Sunday, October 11th, and we the congregation will be invited to claim new heights of love and depths of peace. (10/11) Katie, Rita, Judy, Robin, and Jeanie “March On Washington” for Voter Rights. The Transitional Housing Board recently concluded operation of transitional housing spaces in St. Luke’s Mission Center and Metropolitan Memorial. Last month, board member Ann Michel wrote on behalf of the group: “When St. Luke’s House and Metropolitan House first opened their doors, there were literally no other homeless services available in upper Northwest DC. In the face of this urgent need, St. Luke’s UMC, Metropolitan Memorial UMC, and other churches took the bold and courageous step of sheltering people within their church buildings. Since our shelters first opened in the early 1990’s, homeless services have become more professionalized and more available. New initiatives, such as permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and robust efforts to address veterans’ and family homelessness have changed the landscape of needs and services and introduced new standards of care. Against this backdrop, all the other congregations in Northwest that once operated shelters have brought their ministries to a close. We are proud to have helped lead this movement that ultimately gave rise to the development of other types of services, while providing safe and secure shelter to hundreds and hundreds of individuals over the years.” On the day of the Tyler Rusch Walk to End Homelessness we will honor those volunteers who have tended this ministry all of these years including young Tyler, we will celebrate all of those transitional residents who felt the touch of grace and dignity in these spaces, we will raise money to support Friendship Place’s advanced initiatives for rapid rehousing, and we will tour the MetroHouse shelter which is currently empty, awaiting its next assignment. The same Spirit which circled our worship service this summer will lead us into the next chapter of God’s story for our church! (10/19) These next six Sundays prepare us to welcome a surprising guest! The same Christ who met us these past several months through these circles of safety and networks of need is still on the move, hovering and swooping. The moment comes in every service where we are invited to depart to serve a risen Lord, rising to be the hands and feet of Christ. Sometimes when we least expect it, the Spirit comes down, touches us on the head and heart, and leads us out! Page 3 ALL SAINTS SUNDAY November 7, 2021 One of the traditions of the church on All Saints Sunday is to name and celebrate the lives of our loved ones who have finished their earthly journey during the past year. Our All Saints tradition is to read the name of each loved one, light candles to remember their lives, and hear the tolling of the church bells in their memory. This year, our All Saints worship services will be on Sunday, November 7th. Please send the name(s) of your loved one to Dona Collary at [email protected] or call 301-452-9222. Silence the Violence DC Strings Sunday, September 26 Tickets are free, with a suggested donation of $20 per person 100% of donations go to the TraRon Center. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/silence-the-violence-2021- tickets-168788556115 The TraRon Center vision is to provide a safe, supportive space for affected members of the community to express themselves- such that it fosters an environment of Honk Jr. Needs You! openness, honesty, and critical reflection of the factors contributing to gun violence in our communities. By openly Our youth and children’s music ministry is preparing to addressing gun violence, they empower community present Honk Jr and we need YOU! We still have many parts members to collectively engage in dialogue that will produce to cast, and youth and children in K - 12th grade are viable solutions for gun violence prevention.