The Adult Discipleship Newsletter is for you to stay updated with adult discipleship events and announcements, and stay connected with one another!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rev. Danielle Kim by email, dkim@crumc.org.

The Bible says we should forgive others as God has forgiven us... that might be easier said than done. Join us in our new series "Forgiveness is..." learning about the process and hardships we may face to find hope for forgiveness that lasts FOREVER. Click here for details about our upcoming Lenten Meditations, Holy Week services, Children's Easter Celebration and our six Easter services on Sunday, April 17.

Thank you all for helping us with the Adult Discipleship survey! We received over 400 responses, and we are beyond grateful for your partnership in this.

We will be taking the next few weeks for data analysis. It is important to us that we communicate the survey results with clarity and transparency. You can expect to hear from us in the next several weeks with detailed survey results.

Pick up a copy of Rev. Danielle Kim's new devotional, The Sanctuary for Lent 2022, in the prayer room and in the narthex now. Rev. Kim was asked by Abingdon Press to write this devotional which contains Scripture, a devotion and prayer for each day in Lent- all based on the Revised Common Lectionary. Prepare to experience the joy of the resurrection with words written from one of our own ministers.

Find freedom from life's challenges and experience recovery from a variety of hurts including fear, anger, abuse and addiction. Each week, participants will complete lessons, study Scripture and learn recovery steps and principles before meeting with trained facilitators online with ZOOM to share and support each other. The study begins Saturday, March 5, 9-11am and continues through the end of the year. Learn details and register here.​

In order to help meet the changing needs of our mission field, Kimberlee Whorley has moved from Adult Discipleship to Community Engagement and Benevolence Ministry, working with Jazmin Rivera. Please help us congratulate her!

While we find a new person for this position, please feel free to email questions and concerns about Adult Discipleship to Rev. Danielle Kim directly. If you would like to volunteer to offer some administrative support for Adult Discipleship, please email her at dkim@crumc.org.

Some tasks we could use help with are:

• Organizing and decluttering the Adult Discipleship closet
• Scanning and emailing documents to the officers important documents to Sunday School leadership
• and other critical tasks that help keep Adult Discipleship relevant!

Custer Road UMC is going to have a party and you are invited! This is going to be a Homecoming! We will have a massive tailgate in the north parking lot. We encourage you to invite friends who have not been attending your class!

Click here for more information.

(1) "Witness at the Cross" by A.J. Levine

Experience Holy Friday from the perspective of those who watched Jesus die: Mary his mother; the Beloved Disciple from the Gospel of John; Mary Magdalene and the other women from Galilee; the two men, usually identified as thieves, crucified with Jesus; the centurion and the soldiers; Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. AJ Levine shows how the people at the cross each have distinct roles to play in the Gospels.

Click here for the teaching videos of "Witness at the Cross."

(2) "The Lord's Prayer" by Adam Hamilton

Take this Lent season to study the Lord's Prayer in depth. Adam Hamilton takes us to understand the Lord's Prayer intimately and pray it with its profound meanings.  He explores each of its rich lines and their meaning in the Bible, illuminating what we ask of God and what we ask of ourselves through its words. And he teaches us how to use it as a pattern for our own prayer life.

Click here for the teaching videos for "The Lord's Prayer."

It's back! Sign up to host a Lent meditation service as a Sunday School class! Each week, we are looking for a Sunday School class to host the Lent Meditation Service by having 5 of you serving as ushers/greeters, and 1 of you serving as a liturgist reading Scripture.

You can sign up by clicking here.

In the Book of Ephesians, Paul shows how each individual member is a part of the church and how we must work together with all members to eradicate gossiping, criticism, jealousy, and anger because these are barriers to unity in the church.

Facilitated by: Austin Smith

3/23/2022-5/25/2022 Wednesdays 11:45am-1pm

In person (B18) and online via Zoom (link will be sent out closer to the start of class)

Register here!

Book Sisters meets Monday nights throughout the year at 6:30-8pm in Room 204. Expect lively conversation as we review contemporary and classic books related to our lives and the world around us. Members volunteer to partner with one another to lead discussions. Contact Sally Davies via email here for more information, and/or visit the Facebook private group here and request to join.

April 4, 2022 - The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author whose writing has been hailed as “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author), “immersive and evocative” (Publishers Weekly), and “gripping” (Tampa Bay Times).

Upcoming Meetings in Room B21 at 11:30am to 1pm:

Click here to contact Kristina Stacey for more information.

March 17, 2022 - Without You, There Is No Us: Undercover Among the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki Kim

This book is about a haunting account of teaching English to the sons of North Korea's ruling class during the last six months of Kim Jong-il's reign. Without You, There Is No Us offers a moving and incalculably rare glimpse of life in the world's most unknowable country, and at the privileged young men she calls "soldiers and slaves."

April 21, 2022 - Blue Gold by Elizabeth Stewart

Coltan, or “blue gold,” is a rare mineral used in making cell phones and computers. Across continents, the lives of three teen girls are affected by the “blue gold” trade. Sylvie’s family had to flee the Democratic Republic of the Congo after her father was killed by a rogue militia gang in the conflict for control of coltan. The refugee camp where she now lives is deplorable, and Sylvie yearns for a way out—to save not only herself, but her remaining family. Laiping labors in a Chinese factory, soldering components for cell phones. She had left her small village to make her fortune, but the factory conditions are crushing, and the constant pressure to send money home adds to her misery. Yet when Laiping tries to improve her situation, she sees what happens to those who dare question the electronics company’s policies. Fiona is a North American girl who, in one thoughtless moment, takes a picture on her cell phone she comes to regret. In the aftermath, she learns not only about trust and being true to oneself, but the importance of fighting for what is right. All three teens are unexpectedly linked by these events.

The Center for Leadership Development is pleased to offer a new resource for clergy and laity. It is a 12-session study called Wesleyan Roots. The project was initiated by the Cabinet in 2021 as part of Bishop McKee’s emphasis on continually strengthening our Wesleyan identity.

“Wesleyan Roots is different than a class in Methodist studies,” Rev. Dr. Middleton said. “Instead it is designed to highlight beliefs and practices that make United Methodism distinct from other Christian traditions.”

Click here for teaching videos and free resources!