This Week at Centenary
Dear Centenary Family,
 
You are rising to the challenge of this time in beautiful and wonderful ways. You are continuing to care for one another. You are continuing to serve and be in mission. You are demonstrating amazing generosity. You are demonstrating tremendous adaptability and resilience. You show me every day what the grace and love of God looks like in human form. 
 
We have all been wondering when we will be able to gather in person again for worship and other activities. Last week, we shared with you guidelines from our Governor about re-opening for churches.
 
Late last week, our Bishop issued requirements from the Virginia Conference for returning to in-person worship. Like the Governor’s guidelines, these requirements are divided into three stages.   Stage one begins on May 24 (later in Richmond, northern Virginia, and the Eastern Shore). During this time a small number of “pioneer churches” will be allowed to re-open under very strict protocols to test these requirements and share their experiences with others. We do not know when Stage 2 or Stage 3 will begin. Those dates will be determined by the Governor.
 
I want to give you an idea of what in-person worship would look like in Phase 2 under our Conference’s requirements. Worship would be limited to 50 people or fewer. To come to worship, participants would be required to make a reservation in advance and check their temperature before leaving home. Worshipers would be asked to provide their own masks and hand sanitizer. In worship, everyone would wear masks, including worship leaders and preachers. Singing would not be allowed, nor would the use of paper bulletins or hymnals. If you’d like to read a condensed, graphic presentation of the Conference guidelines, you can follow this link:
 
We have formed a Healthy Church Team, as the Conference guidelines require. Members of this team are Susan Thomas, Karen Junker, Jim Hill, and Bob Almond. Also, as suggested by the Conference guidelines, Dr. Jim Wickham has agreed to serve as a medical consultant and Meredith Thrower as our legal consultant. This group has begun digesting the extensive guidelines for re-opening from our Annual Conference. We have begun acquiring materials we will need for the time when we are able to worship again like hand sanitizer, masks, and materials for safely celebrating Holy Communion. 
 
As we think about the make-up of our congregation, and our desire to proceed with people’s safety in mind, we do not realistically anticipate a return to worship until we reach Stage 3, which is described as the “New Normal.”
 
Our Healthy Church Team and our Church Council are working hard to prepare us for the time we can return to in-person worship safely. 
 
In the meantime, we will continue to be the church. God is at work among us, leading us to become the church God needs us to be now and in the days ahead. We’ve got a long history behind us of demonstrating resilience, courage, and faith in trying and challenging times. I have no doubt we will discern together what it means to be the church for the world, for the city, whatever comes to us. With all the challenges we now face, this is also a time for us to rise to the occasion and let the world see clearly what God’s life-changing love looks like!
 
Peace,
 
Matt
 
P.S. There is much more information from our Conference if you’d like to become acquainted with the path we’ll be following as we prepare for in-person worship. Follow this link for that information:  https://vaumc.org/return/
Online Worship
Join us on Facebook Live for worship this Sunday at
11:00 a.m. This is the time and place that we gather to worship together. We will also be posting a recorded audio version of the service on our website , which you can access any time. (when available)

This Sunday, Rev. Drew Willson will be preaching. His sermon, T he Political Question, is based on Luke 24:44-53.
 
Invite others to join us this Sunday and on the Sundays to come!

diploma_grad_cap.jpg
Congratulations
to Jonathan Walter, son of Gene Walter and grandson of Bernice Walter, who graduated on May 9 from the University of Richmond Law School.

Help us celebrate your special graduate! Email the graduate's name, graduation date and school. We will be sure to include it in an upcoming newsletter!

Check out this Theater on the Mount Presentation by Ben and Carri Toro
We’re so grateful to Ben and Carri Toro for the leadership in founding our Theater on the Mount Group! As we look for new ways to share the good news, Ben and Carri have created a dramatic presentation of the well-known “Serenity Prayer.”
Here is their description of the presentation:

This short and funny presentation is 13 minutes and 45 seconds long and digs into what the Serenity Prayer is all about. As one person prays the prayer, God challenges her to understand what the words actually mean, and to actually mean the words that are said. Given the times that we're in, and that the prayer is likely said quite a bit by all of us, we thought this would be an important piece to present and help keep the theater program going until we can gather again in person.

Follow this link and enjoy!
Tips for Online Giving
Thank you for continuing to support the ministries of Centenary during this time. Check out these tips that will make online giving easier and ensure that your contribution is credited to the proper fund.
Wednesday Morning Bible Study
Join us on Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m.
for our Bible Study via Zoom. 
Watch for your Zoom invitation to join us on Tuesday!
tea-cup-breakfast.jpg
Tea with Tim
Thursday, May 28 at 4:00pm

Join us as we to check in, catch up, and chat a bit. Rev. Tim Gerde will host our time with his usual wit and wisdom! We look forward to delightful conversation as we share our lives together via Zoom. Look for the Zoom invite on Wednesday of next week!
Celebration Sunday Spring Plants
A variety of spring plants will adorn our sanctuary in celebration of our first Sunday of worship following our closure! If you would like to order a plant in memory of or in honor of a loved one, there are two ways to order. Plants are $12.50/each. Checks should be made payable to Centenary UM Church. Please put "Spring Plants" on the memo line or you may pay online using the directions in the article above and put "Spring Plants" in the Optional Memo line.

  1. Complete this online order form. Remember, you order is not complete until the church receives your payment.
  2. Print out and complete this order form. Send the order form & your check to:

Centenary United Methodist Church, 411 E. Grace Street, Richmond, 23219

We will have an insert on Celebration Sunday with our donors listed and plants can be picked up following the 11:00 service.
Birthdays
This Week

May 22 - Sally Jordan
May 22 - Heidi Kara
May 24 - Charley Webber
May 24 - Robb Stottlemyer
May 25 - Gwynn Henderson
R.B. Bennington
Betty Brown  - Bill Glaze, Betty's brother-in-law has been diagnosed with 
pancreatic cancer
Ka Cheng  - friend of Vicki and Phyllis Stump diagnosed with breast 
cancer.
Miranda Clayton - in the recent loss of her grandmother
Ronnie Clements - Ronnie is home and Luis has been laid off from work.
Shannon Conway  - requests prayer for the Charles Sherman, Peter 
Oxborrow, Leon Beale and family
Riley Davin  - Niece of Vic and Nancy
Les Dobbs
Serena Durst Edwards
Jeff Hatch
Sue Ann Holloway - recovering from eye surgery
Leah Hundley and family
Justin Laman  - nephew of Lucy Hottle, a young father who has cancer
David Leake - brother of Lorna Leake, health concerns
Vincente Lopez  - nephew of Heidi Kara, U.S. Army Infantry, deploying
to Egypt
Megan Mattax -   a friend of Miranda Clayton, pregnant and diagnosed  
with breast cancer
Patti Oman  - health concerns - friend of Beth Hensley
Irene Pier --sister of Alfonso Baker, Stan Baker's husband--at home in Asheville, NC in serious condition with cancer
Neil Shingleton and family - Neil's dad, Roddy, passed away on April 28 in NC.
Phyllis Stump - at Lakewood Manor
Wendy Tisdale  - family friend of Agatha and Christina Kidd, diagnosed 
with stage 4 lung cancer
Mary E. Vetrovec --recovering after outpatient wrist surgery
Bernice Walter - medical issues
Family of Karen Willis - Please keep the Bob Willis and their children in your prayers upon the death of Karen on May 19.