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A Message from Centenary
Dear Centenary Family,
When you receive this note, Amy and I will be in the North Carolina mountains for a time of vacation. We all have places where we find our spirits renewed, our perspectives enlarged, and our minds and bodies re-energized. The mountains are a place like that for me. Whether it's hiking in the mountains, doing a little trout fishing in a beautiful stream, or just looking at the landscape, I always feel like I can see things differently when I'm in the mountains, and I feel like I'm prepared to be more useful in the work God has given me to do when I return. While I'm in the mountains, I'll be thinking and praying about direction for worship and preaching through the year, giving some thought to what kinds of new opportunities we might offer for learning, spiritual formation, and growth, doing some writing on a project I've long been trying to figure out, and thinking and praying about what is next for us as a congregation as we live through a time of transition.
We are in transition in our relationship to the world around us as we mainline Protestants try to understand how to be the church in a post-Christendom culture. We are in transition as a denomination as we try to understand what shape United Methodism will take as serious plans for some kind of planned separation emerge. We are in transition at Centenary as we nurture and cherish an older generation of faithful people, and invite and encourage new people to shape our future with their vision, calling, and leadership. Transitions often provoke anxiety. Sometimes in transitions, it is more difficult to be patient with those with whom we differ. But our faith teaches us that it is in these moments of transition that God is able to do some new and wonderful thing among us. Would you join me in praying that God will be with us as we seek that new reality and try to live faithfully into it?
I'm so excited about many things. I'm always excited about our rich worship life together. I'm always excited about the deep commitment to mission at Centenary. I'm always grateful for Centenary's radical welcome and hospitality. I'm excited about the possibilities before us to reach the next generation with the gospel of God's love.
This Sunday, August 25, Rev. Drew Willson will preach at both services. As you're coming to know, Drew is a gifted pastor and preacher and a blessing to us as we work to reach out to downtown Richmond and beyond to bring a new generation to an awareness of God's love and grace. I hope you will pray for Drew and his family in the work to which Drew has been called here at Centenary as well as the work he is doing at Boulevard UMC on Broad Street. And I know you'll be blessed as Drew preaches Sunday.
As always, I look forward to seeing where the Spirit will take us next.
Peace,
Matt
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Sunday, August 25, 2019
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
8:40 a.m. Early Service
10:00 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship
Rev. Drew Willson will be preaching this Sunday and his sermon is entitled "But Oh! Who Shall Heal Me?
"
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
Save the Date for our Annual Church Picnic on
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.)
LIVE THEATRE:
Theatre on the Mount returns with live theatre coming to Centenary in 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!
Theatre on the Mount
returns with live theatre coming to Centenary in 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 7:00pm
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!
"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 it's 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, Steve Gregory, 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 week! This should be a fun time for all and a great chance to connect with folks in downtown Richmond!
Bowling League News:
The Centenary Bowling League will embark on its 82nd season this year. Tuesday, September 3, 2019, interested bowlers will meet at Shrader Lanes at 7 p.m. to organize teams, discuss fees, etc. There will also be free practice bowling that evening. The season will begin on Tuesday, September 10, 2019. It is a handicapped league which means you do not have to be a great bowler to be competitive. And, we are really there for the fellowship! If interested or have questions, please contact Mary Dobbs at
mftdobbs@aol.com
or text Les Dobbs at 804-928-8840.
Annual Shoe Drive:
Thank you for your contributions to the Annual Shoe Drive. Donations of shoes and money can be made up through
Sunday, August 25, 2019.
Also, we need a few people to sort the shoes and deliver them on
Sunday, September 1, 2019
, to Third Street Bethel AME Church. If you would be willing to assist in that effort, please contact the church office at
cent.umc@verizon.net
of 804-648-8319.
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 Benniston 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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Tom Shipley, brother of Rev. Pat Shipley who has recently been diagnosed with cancer.
Phyllis Stump
Bill Owen- who recently passed and is
a friend, who was like a father, to Susan Thomas
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- in
Peoria Hospital
in Illinois after a recent fall and stroke.
Riley Davin- niece of Vic and Nancy
Bob & Leah Hundley
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
Les Dobbs- is at home now.
A.J. & Phil Crick- at Morningside at Bellgrade
Justin Laman- nephew of Lucy Hottle, a young father who has cancer
Joe Kokoski
Jenny Bush- friend of Leah Hundley, is diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma
Lila Irby
R.B. Bennington
Wendy Tisdale- family friend of Agatha and Christina Kidd, diagnose with staged 4 lung cancer
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Gregory Lewis
Betty Wright
Serena Durst
Kathleen Gregory
George Vetrovec
John Seyfarth
Nancy Hundley
Goldie Craig
Lorna Leake
Katie Shingleton
Mirian Wickham
Joseph Ciucci
Matt Bates
Rev. Kathy Talley
Meredith Thrower
Bob Hundley, Jr.
Sharon Steele
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Photos of the Week!
Thank you so much to our Sexton, Ron, for doing such an amazing job cleaning the children's room from top to bottom! Thanks, Ron, for all you do and for going the extra mile!
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Visit Us: 411 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219
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