Prayer for Memorial Day

 

Almighty God, we give thanks to you for all whose lives have blessed us, those who have influenced us and been a part of our lives. Their memory is dear to us. Family members and friends we see no more, but whose love is with us forever. We give thanks for those who sacrificed themselves in service to our country, and who gave their lives for the sake of others and the values we hold dear. May we keep all these in honored remembrance. May how we live our lives here on earth continue to honor them as well as glorify you. In Christ’s name. Amen.

 

Six Sayings for Strength

~ “Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give your strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” – Isaiah 41:19 The Message

~ “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian Larson

~ “When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you are between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end – because I am God, your personal God.” – Isaiah 43:2 The Message

~ “True life is lived when tiny changes occur.” – Leo Tolstoy

~ “God’s there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it. He does what’s best for those who honor him – hears them call out and saves them. God sticks by all who love him." – Psalm 145: 18 – 20a

~ “Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” – Lilly Pulitzer

Sandy and Keron Sandusky Announce Retirement

Our beloved, longtime choir director {Sandy} and choir accompanist/organist {Keron} Sandusky have announced their retirement as of June 1. In making this announcement they shared, “We can't express how difficult this decision has been. . . . We have enjoyed every minute of our many years of service in these roles.”

Pastor Deb shared, “We will greatly miss having Sandy & Keron in these important worship and music leadership roles for us. They have been dedicated and generous in sharing their talents in so many ways over the years. Their music ministry has been a backbone of our worship. We deeply appreciate all they have given. We pray for their health & enjoyment for the months and years ahead. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to do the grand send-off they so deserve because of gathering restrictions. I am confident our congregation will find ways to individually express their love and gratitude. We will still connect with them as a church family and continue the close relationship we have with them. “         

The Staff Parish Committee, along with a few selected others connected to our worship and music ministry, will explore what directions God is calling the music ministry to go as we prepare to move forward.  We are deeply grateful to Karen Hines and Terry Vogt for their willingness to expand their music roles to fill our needs for the immediate future.  

Relaunch/Reopening Teams Begin Work

This past week three relaunch/reopening teams convened by Pastor Deb each met via Zoom. The teams and their roles are: 

Building Relaunch Team will work on the new sanctuary arrangement to meet safe distancing needs, access to building flow, limited areas open at first for sanitizing reasons, ensuring we meet sanitizing standards, decisions on how and when to allow other groups to use the building {church and outside}.

Worship Relaunch Team will look at the various adjustments to be made to be able to hold worship within the guidelines given for gathering This group will also look at continuing the online worship since many will look to worshipping in this format rather than coming onsite.

Program Relaunch Team will look at how we begin to relaunch onsite programs for adults, youth, kids, families, men and women. They will review what we might want to continue offering online. This group will also look at learnings during this time, and how we might be called by God and the current reality to pivot in different ministry directions moving forward.

June 7 ^th Tentative First Worship Back Onsite and Online Worship Will Continue

We are preparing to gather on June 7 ^th for worship under COVID19 safe practices guidelines. Governor Polis has said he will make an announcement on May 25 which will give churches the set date.  Having a safe and healthy environment for worship is our top priority, and we are working diligently towards this. We will hold 8:30 & 10:30 services. Both will be about 30 minutes, as it has been recommended churches move into this phase with shorter services.

We know many will not be able to join onsite due to medical conditions or age factors, as well as others who are just not comfortable being in such gatherings yet. We look forward to continuing our online worship experience for our online congregation. We know that Christ’s presence is strong and powerful whichever way we worship on Sunday mornings. We currently do not have the capacity to produce this live, and will continue the format we have been doing. Thank you to all who have been a part of our online worshipping congregation and will continue to be with us. Please give invitations for others near and far to join in.

Would You Like Communion Elements Delivered to Your Home?

 

We are offering to drop off communion elements for June 7 ^th at your home on Friday or Saturday if you will be joining us online or just would like this for your personal worship. We would put a baggie with a cube of gluten free bread and a sealed juice cup on your doorstep. Please let the office know if this is something you would like. If you are not able to tune into the online worship, Pastor Deb is offering personal communion liturgy over the phone. Please call the office if you would like to schedule a time for this. 

Could We Add Printed Words to Songs for the Online Worship Experience?

This question has come up a few times in recent weeks. It might seem surprisingly, but while we can add words to the screen in the sanctuary, we aren’t allowed to add printed words to our public online video. This is part of copyright laws around showing categories. We pay about $250 annually for our music use copyright license. They provided clarification around what is permitted for a public online video, which is different from something like a private zoom viewing online. We are permitted to play music for our online public video or singing, but not add printed words. 

What happens is your worship video is pulled by YouTube or Facebook rather quickly. Wonder if this really is the case -- several of our Denver area churches report this happening to them in recent weeks. If we have enough people interested in printing the lyrics in Happenings for the songs for online worship on Sunday, we would be happy to do this. Please let the office know if this is something you would use. 

Pastor Dean Penrod to Lead Online Worship This Sunday

 

Pastor Deb will be taking a holiday weekend, and Pastor Dean will bring our online worship this Sunday, May 24. Be sure to tune in at 9 a.m. or view anytime after. 

Jottings

 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”—Psalm 119:105

The Word of God serves as a continuous light to evaluate our daily decisions, much like in the Cathedral of Florence. Built by Filippo Brunelleschi, the cathedral stands on marshy ground, so he left a small opening in the dome through which a shaft of light streams every June 21. The sunbeam squarely illuminates a brass plate set in the floor of the sanctuary. Should the ray fail to cover the plate completely, it would indicate the structure had shifted, and steps would need to be taken to deal with the emergency. The Word of God is the light which tells you if you have shifted of the path God has set before you.

Dr. Alexander, former professor at Princeton, once describe a little glowworm which took a step so small it could hardly be measured. But as it moves across the fields at midnight, there was just enough light in its glow to light up the step ahead. As it moved forward, it always moved in the light.

At times we feel lost, like we are stumbling around in the dark. However, in addition to the verse above, Proverbs 4:18 tells us “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn. Shining brighter till the full light of day.” Just like the glowworm’s path is lit as it continues to take each step, the light of the Word lights our every step.

In Christ’s Grace,

Pastor Deb

The Staff Parish Relations Team is pleased to announce that Tracy Atlas has accepted the position of serving as our church bookkeeper/payroll officer. She will begin her transition into this role starting Monday, May 18th. Finance Chairperson & Treasurer, Matt Sailor will be training Tracy during the coming weeks.

During the interview process, Tracy's recent graduation with a Master of Professional Accounting from CSU Global, her experience in the non-profit sector, and her current part-time work as the bookkeeper for her husband’s veterinary business made her an excellent candidate for this position. We also believe she will bring new ideas and improvements to our financial processes which will benefit our church.  In addition, Tracy has been an active member of our church, giving particular energy to our missions work, and is currently serving on The Barefoot Mile planning team for Joy International. We are truly blessed to have her join our staff.

Originally from the Denver area, she attended college in upstate New York and has lived in Evergreen since 2014 with her husband, two daughters, and four pets. In her free time, Tracy enjoys attending her kids’ many activities, running on the local trails with her dogs, or trying to keep up with her husband on the ski slopes. Tracy is excited to be part of the UMCE community.

Great Escape Resuming June 9 with Limited Summer Program

Great Escape director, Julie Cleminshaw, announced their program will resume in a limited way beginning June 9. They have been given the okay by the Colorado Department of Human Services, Early Learning Division.  As long as nothing changes between now and then, they will operate three days a week. 

Here are some of the guidelines they will be operating with:



Julie shared, “ It has been a long eight weeks for us all. We are so excited to be getting back to what we love to do, and to provide this much missed and needed program for our families. Thank you for continuing to allow us to occupy space in the church building to serve our community. ”

To join, email Jessica to receive the entry code information for the offerings you are interested in.  She is our registrar and Zoom manager. 

“What Happened after the Bible Ends: A Look at Early Church History”: Mondays at 7PM

Join us as we take a brief overview of early church history and discuss how things unfolded the way they did. From persecutions to early church fathers to decisions about what stayed in the faith and what didn't. The desert fathers, establishing the Bible, the growth of the church under Constantine, the expansion of the church to the British Isles, the monastic movement, early worship forms, the papacy, the split between the Eastern and Western church, the crusades, to the dawn of the reformation. We'll include excerpts from the A & E series "Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years". This online class meets Mondays, 7-8 p.m. Starting April 27th. Contact the church office or Pastor Deb to register. Reference materials will be sent to participants.

We are continuing all our regular programs in their usual time slots, though will be shorter. Let Sarah know if interested so she can provide connecting information. 

Youth Group Coffee Talk

12pm-1pm on Sundays with a devotional, discussion and check-ins.

Kids Action Pack

9:30am on Sundays.

EverKids Sunday School

10:30am on Sundays and includes a lesson, discussion and even a craft.

Kids Heroes of the Bible Study

4pm on Wednesdays with a short check in, Bible study, devotional, and craft.

Child trafficking is modern day slavery of our most vulnerable children and teens. Dr. Jeff Brodsky says this heinous crime is actually flourishing during the global pandemic; predators are eager to take advantage of the desperate situation faced by families in dire poverty. Regardless of current events, JOY International continues to be committed to the rescue and healing of enslaved young people and to the prevention of child trafficking.

Now is the time to join a movement of people of all ages across our country who walk in solidarity with those who cannot stand up for themselves. Already JOY is planning for 10 Barefoot Mile walks from CO to NC, and there will be more! Our Mountain Community BFM is scheduled for August 29, and now is the time to visit HERE for more info, to register to walk (no cost), either on site at Marshdale Park OR virtual, (any time, any place) to raise financial support. 

At this time of unprecedented global crisis, we CAN help save young lives that matter! Please speak with Jan Thurling, Bill Graf or Dave Loomis, all members of the JOY Team, for more information.

We wanted to give everyone a brief update on what we’ve been doing during Covid-19. Mean Street Ministry has been able to stay open as essential, serving in all capacities as before, during this time. We are still serving a hot meal Monday through Thursday and our food bank is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our clients have been so appreciative of our being here for them as their options are so limited during this time. They cannot use restrooms anywhere or even get fast food if they don’t have a vehicle to drive up to the window with, so it has been a trying time for them.

 

One fun thing that we’ve been able to incorporate on Thursdays is a chili dog barbecue for lunch! Our clients come in and have a great hot breakfast provided by wonderful volunteers and then we begin barbecuing around 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for chili dogs outside on the front lawn! We would love to invite any of you that would like to join us to come have a dog and visit! Our clients always like to see new faces and new folks to chat with.

 

We have also partnered with a great organization called Jovial Concepts that is providing us with local farm fresh fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis. They provide pre-packaged 20 lb boxes, ready to distribute, that we pick up on Tuesdays and bring back to Mean Street. If you or a family that you know of would like to claim one of these boxes on a weekly basis to be picked up on Tuesday or possibly Wednesday depending on the time we receive them, please have them email our distribution coordinator, Bob, at bob@meanstreetministry.org. We should have several boxes each week that we can distribute to families.

 

And one last great report in the midst of this Covid-19 season – we have been able to keep our Monday and Tuesday evening street outreach program going during this time as we still provide food, supplies, hope and prayers to the folks staying the motels along East and West Colfax, but we need you! The more volunteers that we have go on outreach, the more lives we can touch, so please prayerfully consider if you or members of your church group would like to join us. If so, please email our outreach coordinator, Todd, at todd@meanstreetministry.org with any questions.

 

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF EVERGREEN

Growing a community of faith by serving a world of need and changing lives. We affirm a spirit of openness and hospitality to all, including persons of all races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, financial strata, and abilities who seek a closer walk with God.

Visit us on the web:   www.evergreenumc.org