Woodbine Window Newsletter

 

From Your Pastor:

 

Thanks for the very generous Christmas gift! Sharon, Jack and I are very blessed to serve with you here at Woodbine and grateful for your many kindnesses. With your gifts, we have made a contribution in your honor to the building of a home in Panabaj, Guatemala for our sponsored child there. Pedro and his family are very poor and live in very sub-standard housing. Through my brother and sister-in-law’s Cole Family Foundation, we are helping to fund the construction of a new home for Pedro. I’d like to have a fundraiser concert this spring, featuring members and friends of Woodbine. More about that later—for now, thanks again for the wonderful gift.

 

Since the earthquake in Haiti, the suffering of God’s people—our brothers and sisters there—has been very present in my mind and on my heart.

 

Let us continue to pray for and work for relief in Haiti. Below is a prayer that I came across that was so moving to me and I’d like to share it with you. It is written by Rev. Safiya Fousua from the United Methodist Board of Discipleship Worship Staff.

 

 

 

Copyright 2010 The General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, PO Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003. Worship website: www.umcworship.orgThis resource may be printed, copied, distributed, reprinted in church bulletins or newsletters, or otherwise used for nonprofit local church worship or education with the inclusion of the copyright citation and General Board of Discipleship Worship website as its source..

 

While our hearts break for Haiti, I am pleased to tell you that through your big and broken hearts, Woodbine contributed over $1000.00 toward the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s Advance Special fund for Haiti relief. Add to that the $1030.43 that Flat Rock community members contributed at the Café’s benefit concert last Saturday evening and a $500.00 contribution to be sent through Woodbine UMC from a generous local businessperson, we are sending a total of $2530.43.

 

Add to that the 75 health kits made by the Good News Class, a local couple, and Woodbine members and friends, plus the $2.00 each that goes with the kits for shipping and toothpaste, we are blessed to be a blessing and are helping to make a difference for those suffering in Haiti.

 

Thanks be to God. And let us continue to pray and work for Haiti. There will be work to be done for years. The United Methodist Committee on Relief was there before the earthquake struck—in fact at least two United Methodist mission workers were killed in the quake in Port au Prince. (See article below). The United Methodist Church will be present working for healing, hope and grace in the name of Jesus Christ for years to come.

 

Thanks for who you are, beautiful Woodbine people. The love of God is shining through you.

 

James Cole

 

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New York, NY, January 16, 2010--The Rev. Dr. Sam Dixon, head of the humanitarian relief agency of The United Methodist Church, died before he could be rescued from the rubble of a hotel destroyed by the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12.

The executive officer of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) was part of a group of mission and relief specialists trapped by the collapse of the Hotel Montana. Other persons in the group of five, including two more from the General Board of Global Ministries, were rescued and were back in the US by the morning of January 16. The group was pinned down for more than 55 hours.

Dixon was reportedly alive in the hotel ruins on the morning of January 15. Confirmation of his death before rescue was conveyed to Global Ministries through several sources, including eyewitnesses from a Methodist guest house in Port-au-Prince, where Dixon and his colleagues had been staying. Frequent press reports throughout the day on January 15 asserting his safety were incorrect.

He and the Rev. Clint Rabb (who died the following day), head of the United Methodist office of mission volunteers, and the Rev. James Gulley, a former missionary and now consultant to UMCOR, were at the hotel for meetings with representatives of other organizations, making plans to improve medical services in Haiti.

"Sam Dixon was a tireless servant of the church of Jesus Christ on behalf of all of us," said Bishop Joel N. Martinez, interim general secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries. "His death is an incalculable loss to Global Ministries, UMCOR and our worldwide ministry of relief to God's most vulnerable children. Our directors and staff extend their condolences to Sam's wife, Cindy, their children, and their wider circle of friends and colleagues."

Bishop Janice Huie of Texas, president of UMCOR, said that Dixon "was an extremely gifted minister of the Gospel. He lived his life following the commandments of Jesus to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and love the least of these--all over the world. Jesus is holding him dear, and we are in prayer for his family."

Dixon was a native of North Carolina where he served for 24 years as a pastor. He came to the General Board of Global Ministries in 1998 to serve as director of field operations of the non-governmental agency (NGO) section of UMCOR. He then became head of the United Methodist Development Fund and moved up to head the unit on Evangelization and Church Growth. Dixon was tapped to head UMCOR in 2007.

He was officially a deputy general secretary of Global Ministries assigned to UMCOR, where he oversaw programs of emergency relief, long-term disaster recovery, economic development, health services, and peace-building.

Dixon was educated at the University of North Carolina and the Chicago Theological Seminary. He was a member of the North Carolina Annual (regional) Conference of his church. He and his wife have four children and two grandchildren. He is also survived by his mother and three sisters.

 

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Mission Moments

 

Room in the Inn has been going well as we have been partnering with South End UMC on the second Friday of each month from November to March. Thanks to all who have contributed thus far.

 

Lori Erickson (who is doing a fabulous job coordinating) Allan Erickson, Rebecca Weiser, Beth Smith, Meme Johnson, James Cole and his extended family, Larry and Janice Peck, and Nancy Ezell.

 

For Friday, February 12: overnight hosts are Randy Neff and Larry Peck and Sheryl Reed is providing the meals.

 

If you’d like to help, contact Lori Erickson at 344-5848 or Lori.Erickson@HCAHealthcare.com.

 

Chili Fundraiser for Missions – Sunday, February 21 after Sunday School. MARK YOUR CALENDARS– This will be a delicious meal and an opportunity to help raise money for Woodbine missions including Room in the Inn, spring and summer missionaries to Dominican Republic and Guatemala, Vine Hill BBQ this summer and more.

 

Remember to use your Kroger Cards! The church has Kroger Cards available for purchase. This is an easy way to make money for missions here at Woodbine. Here’s how it works:

 

·                     Buy a Kroger Card for $20 (available in Rev. Cole’s Office) – It comes already loaded with $20.00

·                     When you are at Kroger, either at customer service or at the checkout line (before your transaction) recharge your card using cash, check, check card or credit card (if you have a credit card that “makes money” this is a good way to use it for making yourself money and the church money!)

·                     Use your Kroger Gift Card for your purchases of everything at Kroger and even gas!

·                     Woodbine Missions gets 4% of all of these purchases…that adds up!

·                     Hold on to that card and keep using it every time you shop at Kroger.  This is a great time to get a Kroger Gift Card to help make money for missions at Woodbine!

 

Senior Adult (and whoever might want and be able to go) Mission Trip – If there is interest among our folks and critical mass, Rev. Cole would be happy to lead a trip to Sager Brown Depot for a Volunteers in Mission trip. Sager Brown is the United Methodist warehouse in Baldwin, Louisiana where all the health kits, cleaning buckets, layette kits, school kits, and other supplies that are held there then shipped to places all over the world when human made or natural disasters strike. Please let Rev. Cole know if you are interested and he can start working on a date.

Habitat for Humanity – as you know, last fall, we partnered with the Unity Build to help build a Habitat home. There is a thank you letter on the bulletin board in the Wesley Building as well as a plaque with a picture of the family who is now living there on the wall outside the Friendship Sunday School room. Check it out!

 

God is good! All the time! One of the coolest things about the mission work our church has been involved in Guatemala is how it keeps growing into an ever widening circle of people who share in the ministry there. I started going down there with my dad and teams from West Virginia and Tennessee years ago. Several members of our church have gone down with VIM teams. Dave Hill went last summer and had a really meaningful experience, so much so that he researched ways that he might wed his work as a firefighter with his call to Christian service and ministry. He started working with the BRAVE Foundation – a group from the U.S. who helps empower and equip Guatemalan firefighters who often don’t have the equipment, training and other resources to do their job. Dave went last November to work with the BRAVE Foundation. While there he met a fellow firefighter and minister named David Alvarez who has a ministry feeding and caring for children all over the country. David brought back the story of this man and his ministry to our church and the Good News Class, as a gift in honor of Nancy Ezell, made a contribution of $400.00 to Alvarez’s ministry in Guatemala. Below is David Alvarez’s response (in his own writing) after he received that gift:

 

David,

Just for let you know we receive your donation, God bless you for this, you don’t have idea how much this bless our ministry, we will go to work on all the 16 villages between Monday and Tuesday, perfect time for come this donation,

God bless you so much and say thanks to your church in our name, we will send pictures of this work,

David

 

Very cool! God is weaving a tapestry of love and servants to cover brothers and sisters in Guatemala with Christ’s grace and power. Thanks be to God!

 

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The holy season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, February 17. Lent is a time when we prepare our hearts, minds and souls for the sacred observances of Christ’s death on Good Friday (or Holy Friday) and his resurrection on Easter. On Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and throughout the season, we recognize that we are simply dust and ashes without Christ, we confess our sins to God and, with God’s help, we follow Christ to the cross, and on to the empty tomb through which we are made whole again.

 

In the early Church, the six weeks of Lent were a time of training and instruction for converts to Christianity who were preparing to be baptized on Easter. The English word “Lent” is derived from the Germanic root word “lencten” which means lengthen because Lent occurs in spring, when the days grow longer…they lengthen—light comes into the world through the grace of God in Christ!

 

Forty days comprise the season beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday—the day before Easter. Sundays are excluded from the counting of the 40 days because they are still considered “little Easters” or celebrations of the resurrection of Christ. The number 40 is significant in biblical numerology—how many years did the Israelites wander in the wilderness? 40. How many days did Jesus pray, fast and resist temptation in the desert? 40. We are called to pray, fast and resist temptation along with Christ during these 40 days in preparation for the glorious resurrection which God worked on Easter.

 

We are all invited to observe a holy Lent through repentance, prayer, self discipline, fasting (as you are able try fasting for one or two meals a day or for the whole day—example after breakfast one day until the next day’s breakfast) and putting faith into action (serving others).

 

Ways through Woodbine to help us observe a holy and disciplined season of Lent:

 

·                     Make a commitment to be at church for worship and Sunday School each Sunday during the season

·                     If you don’t have a Sunday School class, consider joining a class during Lent

·                     Make sure to get a Lenten devotional book—a gift from the church called From Fear to Love to read through, reflect upon and put into practice. Also get the little card to put on your key chain as a reminder during Lent.

·                     Plan to attend the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services at Church the evenings of April 1 and 2 in the Sanctuary.

·                     And of course plan on celebrating the resurrection on Easter morning.

 

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A Workshop and Writing Practice for Seniors

to Enhance Creativity & Record Personal History

 

Gemstone Poets are participants in communal writing workshops that honor older adults as the jewels of our community and harness poetry’s capacity to enrich their lives and draw from their experiences and wisdom. Designed to appeal to adults aged 65 and older, each session offers interactive activities that demonstrate how poetry and poem-making can help them:

 

·         Access and exercise their creativity

·         Shares their life's joys, challenges, opportunities and turning points

·         Artfully demonstrate appreciation for friends and family members

·         Build community and promote a sense of well being

·         Facilitate an inter-generational exchange of knowledge

 

The full program consists of four 75-minute sessions held weekly (or bi-weekly), in which participants learn to give form to their thoughts, feelings, and observations using poetic tools of metaphor, simile, rhythm, rhyme, imagination, and alliteration.   The facilitator creates a warm and welcoming environment that incorporates music, humor, and conversation to enable seniors to put into words their values, beliefs, personal interests, and treasured life experiences. Using contemporary poetry as springboards, we will also reflect on and discuss the work of some of the most popular older poets writing today, including Lucille Clifton, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, Gerald Stern, as well as works by Stanley Kunitz (former Poet Laureate who wrote poems well into his late 90’s).   No previous writing experience required.

 

 

 

·         Sponsor to provide access to a community room equipped with writing tables and chairs and which is fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. If opting for public reading, a meeting space to accommodate the recital must be provided

·         Participants are required to bring their own pens, paper, and/or journals.

 

 

Thandiwe Shiphrah is a poet, orator, collagist, and spoken word recording artist with extensive experience  

    developing and facilitating community arts projects for adults and youth. For more than 20 years, she has 

    and creative writing workshops. Much of her work is accomplished through Logos Rhythms, a Nashville-

    non-profits. Thandiwe has written two books, Leftover Light: Poems and Don't Make No Sense: A Creative

   Response to Your Life's True Calling. Since 1999, she has collaborated with her husband, musician/composer  

   Daniel Arite, in a performance duo called The Bosch Institute, whichfeatures contemporary poetry and

 

   Thandiwe currently works as a teaching artist with Nashville's Global Education Center, where she offers

 

 

 

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Word Feast

 

A serious journey into the Bible

All are welcome

 

Beginning Thursday, January 28

 

Thursday Evenings at Woodbine United Methodist Church 5:30 - 7 

A Simple Supper will be provided (for example soup and salad) 5:30

Bible Study 6 – 7 

 

Please call or email for further information and to let us know you will be coming.

 

Church Phone: 254-0298

Email: revjcole@bellsouth.net

 

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United Methodist Theology – Led by Dr. Frank Gulley. February 20 from 9 am to 1 pm. Glendale UMC: 900 Glendale Lane, Nashville TN. Class fee is $6.25

 

 

Professor of Sociology at TexasA&MUniversity, Dr. Feagin is an expert in the field of U.S. race relations, and has written dozens of major books