Pastor's message To My Amazing Church Family, Hello everyone! It is so wonderful to be back from maternity leave. Jordan and I cannot even begin to tell you how much we’ve missed being with you and how excited we are to share our joy with you now that our family has grown. We’ve been following along with the summer sermon series “Songs of Our Summer” and thinking about all the songs that have been important to us over the years. When I first met Jordan, our friendship was long distance. I met him by complete happenstance, although he lived 3 hours away, and we started a friendship even though we were many miles apart. One of the ways we connected over that space, beyond an excessive amount of phone calls and text messages, was music. We made playlists, sent songs, watched music videos, and hummed melodies over phone lines. The music we played formed the soundtrack to our friendship which started a relationship that made a family. Now, we’re humming some of our favorite songs to June, making them the melodies that soothe her to sleep every night. Music has a powerful way of making us recall what is most important to us, sometimes memories, and sometimes hopes for the future. We all have different favorites, different songs that move our hearts, but we are all moved by music in one way or another. As we continue in our sermon series, I am excited to explore more songs with you and the ways that they speak to our hearts. I can’t wait to be with you again in worship! WORSHIP LINKS If you were unable to join us live yesterday, you can still worship by following this LINK. To hear the scripture, Jim Dillon reading Deuteronomy 4: 6-9, please click Play below. Grace and Peace, Rev. Jamielee (assocpastor@washparkumc.org) Courtyard Worship We’ve been having a great time at Courtyard Worship each Sunday- continuing throughout September- in addition to streaming worship live on our Facebook page. Don’t wait to sign up! Remember to look for the sign-up link each Monday for the following Sunday. To Sign Up for September 6th Courtyard Worship, please click HERE. Worship Schedule For September, we will be continuing the Songs of Our Summer Sermon Series. We’re stretching it out just a bit because we’ll have a very exciting celebration on Sunday, September 27th during worship: The Schoolboys in concert! Many of you know and love this classics cover band (of which Steve Bondy is a member) who have offered evening concerts in the courtyard in prior summers. This year, due to COVID, we were unable to host the same summer activities as in the past. But we’re excited The Schoolboys will join us for Courtyard and Virtual worship on 9/27! Watch for more info later in the month. Sept 6: SONGS OF OUR SUMMER: Listen to the Music (by the Doobie Brothers), Deuteronomy 31:30-32:3 Sept 13: SONGS OF OUR SUMMER: Fire and Rain (by James Taylor), Deuteronomy 34: 5-12 Sept 20: SONGS OF OUR SUMMER: I Can See Clearly Now (by Johnny Nash), Joshua 1: 5-9 Sept 27: Songs of Our Summer Celebration! Schoolboys in Concert Youth Group Update Hello Youth Families, I am so excited for the start of our 2020-2021 Youth Group Year! Although our meeting will be different due to Coronavirus precautions, I am no less excited to spend time together learning and growing in our relationship with God and each other. This year’s theme is “Purely Practical: Living our Faith, Every Day”. This fall, we’ll begin with a 6-week study of the book of Micah, an Old Testament prophet who has a lot to teach us about a God who restores us when we go astray. Then we’ll be diving into learning about our character and how who we strive to be makes a difference. Before we commence all that learning, we need to make time for fun! Look for information on our Youth Kick Off Event happening on September 13th! A lot of our planning for this year is dependent on how healthy it is for us to meet at any given time, so be sure to keep up with what’s going on by reading our weekly emails. If you’re interested in participating in the youth program and would like to receive these emails, please follow THIS LINK to sign up your child. We’re also looking at how we would like to meet for confirmation this year! Confirmation is an opportunity to respond to the grace of God available to us, as acknowledged in baptism, and to promise to live as a person of faith. The intent is to remember that you are baptized. “It is not the particular event that you are remembering,” clarifies the Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards, Director of Worship Resources with Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church. “It is what has happened to you because of it—what God has done in you—that matters.” Confirmation is open to anyone 5th grade and older. At Washington Park UMC we aim to teach students the history of their faith- what makes it unique- and how they can apply what they have learned in practical ways throughout their lives. If you are interested in hearing more about confirmation, voting on when/how we would like to meet, or if you have any questions about the youth program in general, please email Rev. Jamielee at youthgroup@washparkumc.org. Volunteer Opportunity: Habitat for Humanity Robert Ingersoll said, “We rise by lifting others.” Please consider volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in September. Volunteering is a great way to support an excellent organization and do something good! There is an opportunity to volunteer at the Habitat ReStore that you may know and love if you’ve ever dropped off or acquired gently used furniture, cabinets, appliances, and the like there. It is a valuable fundraising vehicle that helps pay for Habitat’s infrastructure. The work can vary by preference, and Habitat will have protocols to ensure safety and comfort. Additionally, this is a half-day shift rather than a full day and is located in Littleton. Volunteer opportunities are currently available on Thursday, September 24th from 1:30 – 5:00 p.m. Please contact Carol Nelson at customtrainingllc@q.com or 303.810.4635 to ask questions or volunteer. September Book Study: Almost Everything - Notes on Hope Join Rev. Sandi for a time of reading, reflection, and search for hope in these uncertain times with Anne Lamott’s book, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. We will be gathering for discussion on Wednesday evenings at 5:30pm via zoom starting on September 2nd, and continuing throughout the month. Sign up HERE.  Anti-Racism Conversation - Continued
Our first book study on White Fragility went so well that we are preparing to tackle another book on anti-racism work. This time we’ll be reading a book written by a non-white author. So, join us in reading How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi. We will read the book in September and gather in groups for discussion in early October. If you are interested in joining us, please email Rev. Sandi at pastor@washparkumc.org. I also invite everyone to participate with me in September for 30 Days of Anti-Racism, a resource offered by the UMC General Commission on Religion & Race, click HERE for more info. Comments are closed.
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