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Dear Centenary Family,
This has been a very meaningful Lent for us. I'm so grateful to all those who have prepared delicious meals for our Wednesday night gatherings. And I'm very grateful to our excellent speakers. Thanks to Nancy Hundley, Patsy Wilson, and Molly Monaghan! And, we look forward to hearing Phyllis Stump when we gather for worship in the chapel this Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. Our focus will be on the meaning of Holy Communion in our journey as disciples of Jesus Christ. And our young adults will be preparing dinner.
I'm also excited about the upcoming covered dish luncheon led by our Serving Team this Sunday following our 11:00 a.m. worship service. Please bring a covered dish and join us. We always have a great time of fellowship and are looking forward the opportunity to hear about possible new opportunities for mission and service as well as to brainstorm together about the ways God may be calling us to serve our city and world. I hope you'll plan to join us.
I'm also excited about opportunities for all of us to care for one another. I hope you'll consider Rev. Rita Callis's invitation to help us connect with our older adults. Please see the note below.
And, I look forward to Holy Week and Easter Sunday with you.
I hope you'll consider how God is calling you-and all of us together-to worship, learn, grow, and serve together. With God's help we can be part of the mission God has given us-"to change the world through love!"
Peace,
Matt
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This Weekend at Centenary
Sunday, March 18, Fifth Sunday in Lent
8:40 a.m. Informal Worship
10:00 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship
This week, Dr. Bates will preach
"Never Too Late for a New Beginning.
"
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Church meals live in legendary lore-Sunday dinners, church picnics, circle suppers, etc. The "Wednesday Night Supper" is a time honored Methodist tradition. These meals strengthen and forge friendships, entertain strangers, and celebrate God's goodness.
Join Centenary's Wednesday Night Lenten Fellowship for food, learning and discussion. We begin with a brief time of worship in the Chapel at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner and conversation at 6:30 p.m. in the Social Hall.
Here is the theme for the last of our four gatherings, as well as the menu for this week:
March 21--The Rhythm of the Table: Eucharistic Living (Pizza)
Our study will be based on a book by Daniel T. Benedict, Jr. entitled "Patterned by Grace: How Liturgy Shapes Us."
It's not mandatory for you to have the book, but if you'd like to purchase it and read it during this Lenten season, we certainly invite you to do that.
We hope you'll join us for this journey-and share it with someone else who is searching for God's presence and a loving Christian family.
***Promising homemade goodness or a good phone app for pizza. A donation basket will on the table.
Take a peek at these pictures from our worship night this past week! Thank you so much to Florence Clay Bishop for providing our beautiful winter picnic and to Molly Monaghan for her wonderful discussion on Living out our Baptism.
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Upcoming Special Services
Holy Thursday Service- Thursday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Good Friday Service- Friday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday Services- Sunday, April 1:
- Sunrise Service at Chimborazo Park at 7:00 a.m.
- Informal Worship Service at 8:40 a.m.
- Easter Egg Hunt for Children/Youth at 10:00 a.m.
- Traditional Worship Service at 11:00 a.m.
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We are so grateful for the generosity through donations of both monetary gifts and service hours shown throughout the year by our Centenary family and friends. Our Easter Offering this year will continue with last year's fund for the replacement of the tile flooring in the Fellowship Hall; with the strikingly impressive recent improvements of our church facilities, this much-used area will benefit greatly with a needed renewal. You may use your Easter Offering envelope or write "Easter Offering" on the memo line of your check. Thank you in advance for your continued support of the church and its mission.
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A Challenge from Bishop Lewis to Read the Bible with Her in 2018
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Bishop's Convocation on Race and Reconciliation:
Bishop Lewis has called a Convocation on Race and Reconciliation on Saturday, April 14, 2018, at Annandale UMC. The convocation will empower participants to become lifelong, learning disciples who will be able to conduct the difficult conversations we all need to have related to issues of racial division, justice, and God's call to ministries of reconciliation and peace.
Visit this link to sign up for this event.
The Next Big Thing:
What's the next big thing in mission and outreach for us here at Centenary? What is God calling us to do? Where is God calling us to serve? What kinds of resources is God calling us to deploy to help us fulfill our mission of changing the world through love?
The Serving Team (formerly Outreach) invites you to help us begin to discern answers to those questions THIS UPCOMING
Sunday, March 18,
after our 11:00 a.m. worship service. Bring a covered dish and learn about missions "here, there and everywhere." (Beverages will be provided). We will hear of some mission opportunities from our Serving Team and then brainstorm together about new possibilities.
CARISTAS at Centenary:
We will be hosting CARITAS the week of Saturday, April 21- Saturday, April 28, here at Centenary. Please put that week on your calendar. We need a variety of volunteers to help support this mission. We have listed the types of volunteers that will be needed and feel free to sign up for any or all of these on the bulletin board across from the kitchen.
- Dinner: We need volunteers to provide, prepare, and serve a hot dinner for our guests. Dinner needs to be ready to be served at 7:00 p.m., so your arrival time is dictated by your preparation time. The Centenary kitchen will be available. If you need help with the appliances, we will try to pair you with someone who is familiar with the kitchen. This is a great event for groups such as Sunday school classes, families and friends, civic groups, Walk-In Ministry cooking groups, or other churches.
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Lunch Bag Prep: We need volunteers to prepare bag lunches for our guests. The lunches consist of sandwiches, chips, fruit, a drink (boxed juice or water), and a dessert. All supplies will be at the church as we will be soliciting donations of these items from our congregation. The duties include preparing the sandwiches and packing a bagged lunch for our guests. The time of day is flexible as long as the bagged lunches are prepared and ready the night before they are distributed the next morning.
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Overnight: Volunteers are needed to stay overnight in the church from 9:30 p.m. until the guests leave the next day at 7:00 a.m. CARITAS staff will be present at all times. You may sleep in a separate area of the church behind closed doors, but you are there as an additional safety factor. Duties are setting up the cold breakfast for guests in the morning, distributing the bagged lunches, and securing the church facility after the guests have left for the day.
Adopt a Church Friend:
Please consider being part of a new ministry to help us care for one another. Here is a possible job description: After accompanying me on your first visit to meet a senior member (who may or may not be confined to home in varying degrees) a younger member would continue in making contact with their new "Church Friend." I would offer a "training class" in regards to ways to develop an ongoing and mutually blessed relationship. We could decide together the best ways to keep in touch, including determining how often to visit, the helpfulness of sending notes between visits, and other ways to be in relationship with our new "Church Friend." The amount of time that would be required to maintain a good relationship would be determined on an individual basis. As a part of the "training class," we would discuss appropriate limits and guidelines for "Church Friends."
As this new mission continues to unfold, please open your heart to explore this new opportunity to share God's love. I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me at (804) 356-6860. I look forward to our ministry together.
Sincerely,
Rev. Rita Callis
Palm Sunday: Sunday, March 25:
You won't want to miss this special day with a Pancake Breakfast starting at 9 a.m. and a special Palm Sunday Celebration at 10:15 a.m. at Second Presbyterian (
5 North 5th St, Richmond, VA 23219
) with other Downtown Community Ministries churches.
Easter Egg Hunt:
All children and youth are invited to join us for an Easter Egg Hunt on
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 1, at 10 a.m.
in the upstairs Children's Sunday School rooms.
Caregivers of preschool children are encouraged to stay and help with their children on the hunt.
Theatre Tickets:
We have two new opportunities for free theatre tickets. The first performance is "Lucky Me," on
Sunday, April 8,
at 2:30 p.m. and performed by the CAT Theatre. The play will take place at The Playhouse, located at 319 North Wilkinson Road. The second play is "Romeo & Juliet," on
Sunday, April 15,
at 2:00 p.m. and performed by the Quill Theatre. The play will take place at the VMFA Leslie Cheek Theatre, located at 200 North Boulevard (the theatre is on the lower level of the museum). If you are interested in any of these performances, see the bulletin board across from the kitchen to sign up, or contact Barrett Brown at
[email protected].
The 2018 Spring Geranium Sale with UMUMR/Shalom Farms is here!
4 1/2" pots are $4.50 each and will come in red, salmon, coral, hot pink, and white. We will take orders for specific colors but cannot guarantee they will be the colors you ordered. All orders must be placed and money turned into Pat Shipley no later than Friday, April 6. Plants will arrive Friday, April 13. Make checks out to: UMUMR.Note: We will only be accepting checks this year, no cash or credit card/debit card. Thanks so much and happy planting!
Sunday School: There will be no Sunday School on Palm Sunday (
Sunday, March 25) and Easter Sunday (
Sunday, April 1).
Attention All Graduates: If you or someone in your family is planning on graduating from high school or college this spring or summer, please call the church office at (804) 648-8319, or send us an email at
[email protected], by Sunday, May 20, with the following information so that we can announce it in the bulletin.
The individual's:
1. Name (First, Middle, and Last)
2. Affiliation (child of, grandchild of, etc.)
3. School Attended
4. Future Plans
Thanks so much and congratulations graduates!
City-wide Stations of the Cross,
Good Friday, March 30, at 9:30 a.m.:
Beginning at Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church, 614 North 3rd Street in Richmond
The Stations of the Cross is a retelling of events at the end of Jesus' life. On Good Friday, a group of people from various Richmond congregations will gather in the morning to walk the downtown streets stopping at churches and City Hall. At each stop, or station, the group will pause to hear a part of the story and to pray. As we walk from one station to another, we can talk with our neighbors who journey with us. It is a time of reflection, fellowship, and celebration as followers of Jesus Christ. We hope you will consider journeying with us on the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes for the walk. Vans will be available for those who are unable to walk to the nine stations, and there will be a police escort. The walk should conclude around 11:00 a.m.
Route:
- Begin at Third Street Bethel AME Church (Third and Leigh)
- Go up Third Street to Grace Street
- Turn left on E. Grace Street
- Stop at Centenary United Methodist Church
- Turn right on 5th Street
- Stop at Second Presbyterian Church
- Turn left on Main Street
- Turn left on 7th Street
- Turn right on Grace Street
- Stop at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church
- Stop at St. Paul's Episcopal Church
- Turn Left on 9th Street
- Stop at City Hall
- Turn left on Clay Street
- Go through the Richmond Coliseum
- Go to Adams and Clay streets
- Stop at Hood Temple AME Zion Church
- Turn right on Adams Street
- Turn right on Leigh Street
- Stop at Sharon Baptist Church
- Turn left on 2nd Street
- Turn right on Jackson Street
- End at Third Street Bethel AME Church
Centenary Young Adults:
Watch for details on upcoming events-Bowling on Sunday, March 25 and Pub Theology on Sunday, April 8!
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Please Remember in Prayer
Jennifer (friend of Nancy Grand with lung problems)
Lou Rosypal (Westport rehab following broken hip)
Ron Davis (friend of Vic & Nancy Grand)
Jo Judd (a long-time childhood friend of Sharon Steele's, recovering from a massive brain injury from fall off a ladder in Boulder, CO)
Richard & Sharon Steele (Please keep the Steele family in your prayers-Bill Steele, the youngest brother of Richard Steele, passed away this week due to complications from gallstone surgery)
Merle Brown (recovering from broken hip)
Lou Rosypal (continuing her recovery at home)
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Celebrating Birthdays in March
Ann Davis
Polly Chamberlain
Stanley Childress
Jane Chasse
Christopher Weaver
John Vetrovec
Carrie McNeil
Madison Lee
Amy Bates
Lucille Hunt
Jim Wickham
Virginia Davis
Conna Davis
Phil Crick
Julie Lee
George Little
Barbara Pierson
Judah Murphy
Jean J. Wright
Sarah Wright
Audrey Kane
Charles Craig
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Photo of the Week!
This past Sunday, we welcomed Will and Kelli Ritter as new members in our church family. Will is from Massachusetts and Kelli is from California. They met while working on Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. We also celebrated the baptism of their son Calvin who was born last August. Welcome to Centenary!
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Visit Us: 411 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219
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