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Dear Centenary Family,
This Sunday will be an exciting day for us.
During Sunday School at 10:00 am, we will continue our discussions led by Joe Speidel of our 2020 Committee. This week we'll think some together about our vision for future mission and ministry as we move toward the year 2020.
Then at 11:00 am, we'll have one combined worship service. During that service, we will consecrate and dedicate the newly renovated kitchen and elevator. Thank you for your generosity and hard work that has made this dream a reality!
But what I'm also thinking about this week is how God has blessed us and used our efforts for good. The epistle lesson this week is II Thessalonians 2:1-4, 11-12. Several weeks ago in thinking about the significance of our celebration, I was taken by one line from this reading: "To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith. . ." I've been thinking that when God's people resolve to try to act in ways that demonstrate God's love for all people, God promises to bless our resolve with God's blessing and power. That's the only way I can explain how it is we have been able to conceive and implement this project. God has empowered us to do what we felt called by God to do. And that raises the question, "What else is God calling us to do that seems beyond our ability or capacity?" Discerning the answer to that question, in light of the ways God has blessed our recent efforts, may give us courage to take other steps of faith to serve and bless others here in downtown Richmond and beyond.
I hope you will also read the announcement about our next Remember and Recommit Workshop on November 12. Jim Melson will lead us in a study of the Civil Rights Movement in 1965, as we continue to ask what God is calling us to do to work toward racial reconciliation. I, along with many of you, believe this is part of the thing beyond our ability that God is calling us to be part of in this time and place.
Also, I hope you'll take note of the additional opportunities to meet to talk informally about our future vision for ministry here at Centenary along with the new Adult Sunday School offerings that begin on November 6.
Finally, one of the joys of being the pastor here at Centenary is that we have a number of retired clergy who are part of our church family. All of these persons have served Christ and the church with distinction. Rev. Brooke Willson and his wife Vicki became part of our church family after Brooke retired. Brooke recently shared a blog posting with me that had some of his thoughts about simplifying our vision for the ministry of the church. What he's written helps me think about what is essential in the ministry of the church, but it also has application to simplifying how we think about what our own personal priorities ought to be. I hope you'll be blessed by his piece, just as I was. If you're coming to Sunday School for our discussion about our church's vision, reading this before that session might just help you in your thinking along those lines.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we celebrate God's goodness and the joy we discover when we work together for God's kingdom.
Peace,
Matt
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This Weekend at Centenary
Sunday, October 30: One Worship Service at 11:00 am
Celebration of our Renovations!
We will have one worship service this day for a special dedication of our newly-renovated kitchen and new elevator. (Note that Sunday School will still be offered at 10:00 am). At noon there will be a brunch for all prepared in the new kitchen. Please mark your calendar for this celebration, and invite friends and family who have prayed for and followed our progress.
Sunday, October 30 at 10:00 am: Adult Sunday School
All adults are invited to gather together in the Fellowship Hall for the next two Sundays to continue to hear presentations from the 2020 Committee. This Centenary Strategic Planning Committee has been meeting for the last nine months and these presentations will be a summary of its work. The issues raised are critical to Centenary's future.
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Wednesday, November 2 at 6:00 pm: Discover Downtown Eateries
Join us for dinner at Tenka Ramen Noodle Bar, located around the corner of Centenary at 110 N 5th Street. Their Japanese and soul food cuisine features their custom-made noodles.
Everyone will order from the menu and we will each pay for our own meal. Please sign up by October 30 on the bulletin board outside of the kitchen or call the church office at 804-648-8319.
Check out their menu here.
Friday, November 4 at 8:00 am OR Monday, November 7 at 6:00 pm: Invitation from the 2020 Committee
Joe Speidel, Chair of the 2020 Committee, invites you to join in informal conversations about our vision for future ministry.
Both gatherings will be at Pop's Market at 5th and Grace Street. Please email the church office at
cent.umc@verizon.net
if you plan to attend.
Saturday, November 5 at 8:45 am: Stop Hunger Now
We will gather in the Fellowship Hall to pack meals to provide for families in distressed areas of the world. This is a wonderful time for fellowship and commitment to missions. Bring family, friends and neighbors. Join in the fun! (Reminder: Wear a hat or use a hairnet.)
Sunday, November 6 at 10:00 am: New Adult Sunday School Offerings Begin
Two new classes will be offered beginning November 6:
Robb Stottlemyer will lead a study of the book
Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen: Daily Scripture and Prayers Together with Nouwen's Own Words. The inspiring words of Henri J. M. Nouwen guide the faithful on a spiritual journey through the Advent and Christmas season in this book of waiting, hope, anticipation, and celebration. It celebrates the momentous arrival of the Christ Child and the joyous news of our salvation. It is also an ideal book for the individual seeking active participation in the season and a renewal of faith for the start of the liturgical year.
A New Young Adult study will also begin on November 6 with Pat Shipley and Dave Jarvis as leaders.
Saturday, November 12 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm: Remember and Recommit Workshop
The next workshop for the series "Remember and Recommit: Christian Faith and the Modern Civil Rights Movement" is
scheduled for Saturday, November 12 from 10 am to 1 pm at Asbury United Methodist (Church Hill), 324 N 29th Street. All are encouraged to attend, even if you haven't been to one of the previous workshops in this series. Through a combination of worship. presentations, video clips and small group sharing, we will remember the witness and sacrifice of so many 50 years ago during the Civil Rights Movement and recommit to discerning and following God's ongoing call for racial justice and reconciliation in our time. Some of the events we will highlight include: the assassination of Malcolm X, the Selma Campaign, the Voting Rights Act, and the Watts Riots in LA.
Sunday, November 13 at 5:00 pm: Movie Night
Join us for Movie Night at Centenary featuring the drama Mr. Church, which tells the story of a unique friendship that develops when a little girl and her dying mother retain the services of a talented cook - Henry Joseph Church - played by Eddie Murphy. What begins as a six month arrangement instead spans into fifteen years and creates a family bond that lasts forever. Rated PG-13.
Sunday, November 20 at 2:00 pm: Theatre Outing to Assassins
A group from Centenary will be attending a Quill Theatre production of Assassins at the Firehouse Theatre (located at 1609 W Broad Street). A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de- force, this explosive musical examines the lives of those who committed - or attempted to commit- the ultimate crime: the assassination of an American president. Boldly cutting-edge and alarmingly funny, the show freely mixes characters from different periods in a kaleidoscopic, hallucinatory revue. With Stephen Sondheim's signature blend of beautiful music and dazzling lyrics, this show entertains while it examines the sense of entitlement and yearning for fame that motivates an unthinkable act.Tickets will be between $0 and $25, depending on the size of our group. Sign up on the bulletin board across from the kitchen.
Monday, November 28 at 7:30 pm: Final Dress Rehearsal of Hamlet in Fellowship Hall
Come see this preview performance in our Fellowship Hall of the one-hour Hamlet that Quill Theatre will start touring the next day in the Richmond City Schools. Refreshments will be served. No reservations needed. Just come and support these actors who will be sharing their love of Shakespeare with Richmond City children!
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Outreach and Mission Opportunities
Support the Hermitage's Bazaar and Bake Sale
Plan to attend the 2016 Country Store Bazaar and Bake Sale at the Hermitage (1600 Westwood Avenue in Richmond) on
October 28 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm and October 29 from 9:30 am to noon.
Pecan Sale
Our annual order of pecans will be shipped on
October 28 so will be available on the first Sunday in November. Leah Hundley will be ordering:
4 cases halves
1 case of large pieces (10 already reserved)
2 cases of medium pieces(10 already reserved)
2 cases milk chocolate covered
2 cases dark chocolate covered.
Leah is not ordering the clusters or cinnamon glazed as last year they did not sell as well. She will put up a sheet on the bulletin board next week or will take phone orders at 804-746-9537.
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Please Remember in Prayer
Ryland Bailey, Sr.
Joe Ciucci Jr.
Nancy Cook
Ruth Anne Davis
Susan Dobyns (friend of Leah Hundley)
Rev. Katie B. Gooch, Minister at the Pace Center VCU and her husband Matt (in the death of Matt's father)
Tim Guill (friend of James Durst who is recovering from a car accident)
Grace Hinchman
Jack & Lois Hinerman
Judy Holland
Jean Jones
Mike Jones
Lundi Martin
Donna Mestre (Betty Brown's sister)
Troy Nelson
Barbara Pierson
Rives Priddy
Marcus Smith (Suzanne Ray's uncle)
John Seyfarth
Kathy Talley
Kevin Watson (son of Cheryl Owen-Watson)
Ina Wilson (her sister passed away October 3)
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Celebrating Birthdays in October
Ryland Bailey, Sr.
Barry Sanderlin
Elsie Jarvis
Milton Wright
Linda Ryan
William Bizzell
Andrea Dukes
Lila Irby
Kimberly Clark
Merle Brown
Jill Duncan
John Dillehay
Kerry Lambertson
Lee Cardoza
Corinne Brager
Toni Corcoran
Norm Dinwiddie
Karen Steele
Andrew Johnson
Matthew Simpson
Preston DeVader
Mary Shingleton
Pencye Bailey
Gary Levine
Mary Anne Dazey
Anne Richardson
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Photos of the Week
Before and After Photos of the Kitchen
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Visit Us: 411 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219
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