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A Message from Centenary
Dear Centenary Family,
I'm looking forward to seeing you all Sunday for our Church Picnic on Grace Street following our 11 a.m. service. This is always a great time to reconnect after the summer and begin getting back into a rhythm of worship and service in the fall.
There are many opportunities ahead for worship, learning, and service that I hope you will read about in this email. And more opportunities we hope to share with you soon.
This Sunday, one of our lectionary readings includes a whole book from the Bible! But don't worry, it's a short book-Paul's letter to Philemon. This short letter is only 21 verses but often overlooked. I've been drawn to this letter again recently because it gives us a glimpse into how the great apostle who thinks great thoughts tries to put those powerful ideas into practice in the midst of messy, contentious human relationships. It's one thing to proclaim "God was in Christ reconciling the world..." It's another thing to try to put that into practice in everyday life. And that's the constant challenge for us in our world-not only to proclaim the life-changing ideas of the gospel, but to put them into practice in our office, schools, and families.
The title I'm working with this week is "The Brass Tacks of the Gospel."
I look forward to seeing you Sunday!
Peace,
Matt
Save the Date for our Annual Church Picnic THIS Sunday, September 8,
when we will close Grace Street and have a picnic in front of the church after the 11:00 a.m. worship service!
Please bring a dessert or side dish to share. The church will provide drinks and hot dogs! We hope to see you there!
Our bell tower historian, Ryland Bailey, Jr., will be giving tours to see the Centenary bells!
(Pictured here is a group from St. Gertrude High School on a tour of Centenary's historic bell tower.)
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Sunday, September 8, 2019
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
8:40 a.m. Early Service
10:00 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship
Dr. Matthew D. Bates will be preaching this Sunday and his sermon is entitled "The Brass Tacks of the Gospel.
"
Did you miss a service? Would you like to listen to a sermon again or share it with a friend? You can now listen to the sermon or the entire 11 a.m. service. The services are posted on our church website,
(Click on this link to go to the church website.). Each sermon
is normally available Sunday or Monday afternoon and remains available for later listening. Please tell anyone who might enjoy listening.
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Announcements
LIVE THEATRE:
Theatre on the Mount returns with live theatre coming to Centenary i
n October . . . with a Halloween twist! If you are interested in trying your hand at acting or stagecraft, the first meeting will be on
Thursday, September 12, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. No previous acting experience necessary! If you are interested, contact Benjamin Toro or Carri Platt at
thetorofamily@yahoo.com
and we would be more than happy to tell you all about joining us. Come experience the joy of the theatre first hand and share your God given talents and abilities with the Centenary community!
Pecans:
FALL IS COMING!...AND SO ARE OUR PECANS!
Please sign up on the form across from the kitchen for PECANS! Again this year, we will ONLY be purchasing PECANS based on pre-orders! Prices are the same as last year @ $12/bag: 16-oz bags of Halves, Large Pieces & Medium Pieces; 12-oz. foil gift bags: Cinnamon Glazed, Dark Chocolate & Milk Chocolate. Please order by Sept. 20 and the PECANS should be here by early November! Any questions please call Sharon Steele 912-2549. Thanks for your support of our UMW PECAN Project!
"History of Pecans." U.S. Pecans, uspecans.org/history-of-pecans/.
Celebrating Centenary's 10th Anniversary as a Reconciling Congregation:
Our Reconciling Task Force is working hard to develop some ideas to help us observe the 10
th
Anniversary of Centenary becoming a Reconciling Congregation. We have recently hosted a gathering of the Reconciling Congregations and Communities from the Virginia Conference. We are planning a series of events through the Fall of this year and Spring of 2020 that will help us consider how to continue to live fully into the many different dimensions of our Reconciling statement. As you know, we seek to be a church that welcomes
all
people, and there's always growing to do as we seek to live out that bold vision. Two people from Centenary will be attending a conference September 25-27 at the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, Missouri where they will hear about various plans for the future of the United Methodist Church. Jim Hill and Rev. Kathy Talley are attending on our behalf and will come back with important information to share with us, and with some tools to lead us in processing what is to come as our denomination seeks its way forward. We have a budget of about $5,000.00 to cover expenses for all these anticipated events and want to give members of our congregation the opportunity to support these efforts financially. If you would like to contribute to these important efforts, you may do so by marking a check or envelope simply "Reconciling." Thank you in advance!
Open Sanctuary Opportunities!:
Do you like to talk to people? Do you like to be outside? Do you enjoy new adventures? Then Open Sanctuary is the place for you!
We are looking for Open Sanctuary hosts for 2020-2021. You would host with a partner for approximately six to seven Tuesdays per year. The times are 11:30-1:00 p.m. After hosting, going to lunch downtown is something to consider.
As a host, you either stand outside of the church, sit on the steps, or sit in chairs on the landing (totally up to you and also depends on the weather). You smile and greet people as they go by, and you welcome people if they want to come in for prayer and meditation or just to visit our beautiful sanctuary.
It's a great way to meet people in the community and people who are visiting our city. There are many stories of the way Centenary has an effect on visitors. Recently, a pastor from Connecticut and his friend, a church organist, stopped by to visit and ended up taking pictures and meeting Pastor Matt and Pastor Pat.
If visiting Centenary touches one person, it's worth the effort of opening the doors on Tuesdays. Please contact Susan Thomas (
srthomas5@verizon.net
) or Bob Almond (
bob.almond@verizon.net
) if you would like to join our team!
Many thanks and appreciation to current team members:
Bob Almond, Marshall Ballance, Keith Hinerman, Clint Jones, Barbara Pierson, Suzanne Ray, Pat Shipley, Susan Thomas, Sylvia Whaley, and Vicki Willson.
Pridefest 2019:
We will have a table at PrideFest again this year! PrideFest will be
Saturday, September 28, 2019, on Brown's Island. We can use volunteers to help run our booth and tell people about Centenary! We will have flyers and Centenary buttons for you to hand out. A volunteer sign-up sheet will be on the bulletin board! This should be a fun time for all and a great chance to connect with folks in downtown Richmond!
School Supplies:
Because of your generosity, our youth were able to assemble 48 school supply kits in June! They will assemble more during the year to take to next year's conference. We still have enough of many of the required items but do need:
- One-subject spiral-bound notebooks (each kit requires 3 notebooks)
Annual Golf Tournament:
Join us at the Hollows Golf Course on
Wednesday, September 25,
for the 5th Annual Earl Siddons Open. Registration will begin at 11:00 a.m. with a putting contest at 11:30 a.m., lunch at 11:45 a.m., and a Golf Tee-Off at 1:00 p.m. The cost is $75.00/ person, $15.00 for lunch only (firm reservations needed for catered lunch). The proceeds benefit RISE Against Hunger Now. Hole sponsors are also available at $50.00 per sponsor and $10.00 or more for patrons. Gift certificates can also be donated to be given as prizes. Be sure to mark this date on your calendar and don't forget to practice your swing!
The Centenary Buddy System:
The Centenary Buddy System is looking for individuals who would like to reach out to new members, provide updates for upcoming events, and be a resource to explain the ins-and-outs of the church. Those interested should sign up on the bulletin board by the fellowship hall or talk to Mann Brown/Nathan Grubb.
Lay Visitors Meeting:
There will be a Lay Visitors meeting here at Centenary on
Sunday, September 15,
at 12:15 p.m.
Fellowship Lunch:
The Bob Evans Lunch Group will now be meeting on
Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.
Hymn Festival 2019: In Memoriam Richard Steele:
Mark your calendars for
Sunday, October 20, 2019, at 4 p.m.
Keith Beniston will return and there
will be a guest choir from the University of Mary Washington under the direction of Chris Ryder.
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R.B. Bennington- at Lexington Rehabilitation & Healthcare (1776 Cambridge Drive, Richmond, VA 23238)
Connie Bennington- at home with torn ligaments
Leah and Bob Hundley
The family of Lila Irby in her recent passing
Tom Shipley, brother of Rev. Pat Shipley who has recently been diagnosed with cancer.
Phyllis Stump
Serena Durst- back problems and much pain
Andrew Rathbone- son of Heidi Kara, currently in the Marine Corps. and is deployed over the Indian Ocean
Carly Smythe
Mary Alice Nesbitt
Lucille Hunt- at Morningside at Bellgrade
Jane Grand-
has been moved to a skilled nursing facility and has leveled in her recovery
Riley Davin- niece of Vic and Nancy
Shannon Conway requests prayer for Charles Sherman, Peter Oxborrow, Leon Beale and Family
Jeff Hatch
Nancy Penman- Wendy Smith's mother who has had a stroke and lives in New Jersey
A.J. & Phil Crick- at Morningside at Bellgrade
Justin Laman- nephew of Lucy Hottle, a young father who has cancer
Jenny Bush- friend of Leah Hundley, is diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma
Wendy Tisdale- family friend of Agatha and Christina Kidd, diagnose with staged 4 lung cancer
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Juliana Steele
Lisa Ashe
Carolyn Dinwiddie
Karen Junker
Earl Siddons
James Durst
Rachel Simpson
Bette Dillehay
Daniel Corcoran
Elaine Ryan
Scott Tilghman
Mary Hazelgrove
Ginger Armstrong
Shelley Armstrong
Libby Rhame
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Photo of the Week!
Pencye Bailey providing beautiful music for all to enjoy prior to Sunday School!
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Visit Us: 411 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219
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