umw newsletter

Metropolitan UMW Newsletter : December 2014 of 18

Metropolitan Memorial, St. Luke’s & Wesley

United Methodist Churches

202-363-4900 (MMUMC office)

Table Of Contents

Reflections pg 2

UMW News 2-10

Metropolitan News 11-13

Circles 14

Appendix 15

Highlights

UMW Diaper Drive through Dec 14 (p. 4)

UMW Reading Program books in the church library (p. 6)

Bazaar Wrap-Up (p. 7)

Mark Your Calendar

December pg

2 Tu Giving Tuesday 11

8 M UMW Board Mtg (7-8:30pm,

Conference Rm)

14 Su UMW Recognition Lunch 3

15 M AARP Holiday Luncheon 13

24 W Christmas Eve

25 Th Christmas Day

January


Conference Rm)

22 Th Jana’s Campaign (7pm, AU

campus)

5

February

6–8 F-Su Women’s Retreat PriestField


Conference Rm)

17 Tu Shrove Tuesday

March


Conference Rm)

14 Sa UMW Book Sale

May

16 Sa Greater Washington District UMW

Prayer Breakfast (9am, Great Hall)

UMW Newsletter THE METROPOLITAN CHURCH

December, 2014


UMW News

Women’s Retreat at

PriestField

February 6-8, 2015

Priest Field Pastoral Center

4030 Middleway Pike,

Kearneysville, WV

UMW Book Sale

Save the Date!

March 14, 2015

Details to Follow….

http://frederickbuechner.com/page-group/book/genre/whistling-dark

http://frederickbuechner.com/page-group/book/genre/beyond-words-daily-readings-abcs-faith

http://frederickbuechner.com/content/christmas-0


UMW News

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN RECOGNITION

LUNCHEON

Sunday, December 14, 12:30 pm, Great Hall

We are pleased to announce that four outstanding

women have been selected for special recognition at our

annual recognition event in December. As always, there

are many women in our church who contribute in

countless ways. The four women we will recognize this

year are Jane Cunningham, Barbara Green, Cynthia

Pugh, and Joyce Shields. Each one of these women has

made significant contributions to our church, to our

community and beyond. We look forward to hearing

more about each of their achievements and contributions

at the Recognition Luncheon on December 14, at 12:30

pm in the Great Hall. In addition, we will welcome new

UMW members, recognize babies born in our church

family this year, as well as honor the lives of women in

our church family who passed away within the last year.

A catered luncheon will be served. A donation of $10 is

suggested for UMW members; guests are free. This

annual event promises to be a special day of celebration

for all women in the Metropolitan Memorial Church

community.

If you have questions, please contact

Carol Schleicher, [email protected]

or Sandy Yeager, [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



UMW News

Diaper Drive through December 14

Every year as part of our Recognition Sunday in December, The United Methodist Women

of Metropolitan dedicate flowers on the altar to the women in our church community who

have passed from our midst during the previous year. We also dedicate a gift to mission

in honor of the babies who have been born into our church community during the previous

year. This year, our mission gift will take the form of a “diaper and baby supply drive” on

behalf of the DC Diaper Bank. The DC Diaper Bank distributes diapers and supplies

through partners like Bread for the City, Bright Beginnings, the Polaris Project, and

Sasha Bruce Youthworks.

WHY DIAPERS?

Families that are not able to afford an adequate supply of clean diapers often must

leave their babies in a single diaper all day, which can result in diaper rash and

other detrimental health issues.

Nonprofits working with families and individuals consistently list diapers as an

ongoing and high priority need. Despite this need, government food subsidies do

not cover the cost of diapers or other hygienic supplies.

The pain that a parent or caregiver feels at not being able to meet their children’s

basic needs adds stress and tension to the already difficult task of parenting.

Babies exposed to stressful environments for long periods of time are affected

negatively both

Excessive crying, often the result of diaper rash or discomfort, is the number one

cause of child abuse.

Beginning Sunday, Nov. 30, and culminating at the Recognition Luncheon on Dec. 14, we

will be collecting the following items – look for the baby-themed boxes!

Diapers of all sizes, but sizes 4 and up and pull-ups are most needed

Opened packages of diapers are OK, but please label the size and # of diapers left

Unopened, unexpired formula, diaper wipes, and diaper cream

Unopened baby shampoo, bubble bath, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other baby

hygiene items

New toddler underwear

New bottles/nipples/teethers

New and gently used board books

New and gently used sleepsacks

If you can help tally up the number of diapers after the luncheon on Dec. 14th, please

contact [email protected].


UMW News

Love Shouldn't Hurt

Exploring Relationship and Gender Violence with Jana's Campaign

Thursday, January 22, 2015, at 7pm, Gianni Lounge, American University

(Gianni Lounge is in Conference Room 200 of the Mary Graydon Center)

The United Methodist Women, along with the PEERS group of American University, is

hosting an evening with Curt Brungardt of Jana’s Campaign, on Thursday, January 22, at

7pm in Gianni Lounge on the AU campus.

In 2008, Jana Mackey was found dead in her ex-boyfriend's home. The 25-year-old KU law

student was an advocate for women's rights and had spent years volunteering to aid

victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. In honor of Jana and other victims of

domestic violence, a committed group of activists created Jana's Campaign with the single

mission of reducing gender and relationship violence. Jana’s Campaign seeks to reduce and

respond to gender violence by pursuing a strategy built on six program areas. Through

public awareness and community action; education, prevention and intervention; public

policy advocacy; campus action; and engaging men and boys to reduce gender violence, the

Campaign’s goal is to play a significant role and be a catalyst for real change.

Our speaker, Curt Brungardt, is Jana’s stepfather and a founder of Jana’s Campaign. We

learned about the organization through Elizabeth Landau, who also attended KU law

school and is a board member of the Campaign.

PEERS are American University's Peer Educators for the Elimination of Relationship and

Sexual Violence. They run educational workshops for students at AU to raise awareness

about dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Ultimately, their goal is to promote a

culture of love and consent.

Although we are hosting this event at AU to promote participation among younger women,

we as aunts, mothers, teachers, confidantes, grandparents and great-grandparents also

need to be aware of how we can build strategies that protect ourselves and those we love.

The UMW will be providing refreshments to encourage a large audience at this

event. Please e-mail [email protected] if you can contribute some

munchies or drinks.



UMW News

UMW Reading Program 2015

The following books are available in the church library as

part of the 2015 UMW Reading Program. Stop by and check

one out!

Education for Mission:

Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid

by Jessica Alexander

What’s So Blessed About Being Poor? Seeking the Gospel in the Slums of Kenya by L.

Susan Slavin and Coralis Salvador

Spiritual Growth:

No Longer Silent: The Empowerment of Women in the Gospels by Susan Dehn Matthews

Praying to Change Your Life: A Guide to Productive Prayer by Suzette T. Caldwell

The Seven Paths: Changing One’s Way of Walking in the World by the Anasazi

Foundation

Eat With Joy: Redeeming God’s Gift of Food by Rachel Marie Stone

Social Action:

Americanah: A Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social and Ecological

Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Lisa Bennett and Zenobia Barlow

Kind of Kin: A Novel by Rilla Askew

Leadership Development:

Fulfilled: Living and Leading With Unusual Wisdom, Peace and Joy by Kirk Byron Jones

Sum It Up: 1,098 Victories, a Couple of Irrelevant Losses and a Life in Perspective by Pam

Summitt

Nurturing for Community:

Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family’s Epic Journey From Oppression to Freedom

by Yangzom Brauen

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

January First: A Child’s Descent Into Madness and Her Father’s Struggle to Save Her by

Michael Schofield


UMW News

UMW Bazaar, Updated Wrap-Up

What a bazaar! The parking lot was full from before our 8:00 a.m. opening and it remained

full until after 2:00 o'clock. All those listserve postings by so many of you really paid

off! And, as you already know, we certainly had sufficient inventory for our shoppers this

year.

So, drum roll, please. Including the jewelry pre-bazaar sale and the post-bazaar "better

leftovers" sale, we took in over $18,000. That's huge. To everyone who donated and sorted

and priced, to those who worked set-up and the bazaar itself, to those who baked and

knitted and sewed and shopped, and to all who helped with clean-up on Saturday as well

as at the very end on Sunday -- THANK YOU. You made it happen.

In terms of expenses, we need to pay our wonderful Rafael Reyes and his crew of helpers

of course, the Northwest Current block ad must be paid for, and the costs of the lunch

supplies must be reimbursed. But that's about it. Most other supplies are donated by our

members, and most of the advertising we do is free (or is low-cost, with the amounts covered

privately by our members). With a few checks and a few reimbursement receipts dribbling

in from here and there, totals are not yet final. But suffice it to say that we will have a

VERY healthy sum to spread around amongst the worthy projects we support which benefit

the welfare of women and children locally, nationally and globally!

It was indeed a day of celebration. As always, it

was wonderful to have so many giving of their time,

working and shopping and sharing in the fellowship

of the day. Thank you especially to our section

leaders -- Bobby Turnbull (sorting & pricing), Diane

Moody (Attic Treasures), Alison Daifuku (Jewelry),

Connie McWorkman (Jacket Mania), Kitchen Items

(Charlotte Carter), Suzanne Vieth (Accessories),

Collectibles (Ann Cochran), Alternative Gifts

(Caralee Adams), Clean-Up (Ellen Bachman) and

Pick-Up of Leftovers (Ann Michel), Lunch & Bake

Sale (Circle 6 co-leaders Mary Jo Marchant/Ann

Michel)), Clem Gaskill (Security), Treasurer (Mary

Rollefson) -- and the fine teams they pulled

together.

Thank you as well to those who pitched in at the

Gifts & Crafts and Children's boutiques to help

make them happen, despite a lack of official

leadership for those areas. We're praying for two

women to step into these roles next year! Things go so

much more smoothly when there's a designated "point

person." Also, while the Christmas section is officially

part of Attic Treasures, donations in that category

have been so generous during the past couple of seasons that a Christmas section leader

Continued next page

Sorting donations:

Lorraine Marsh with turkey


UMW News

(UMW Bazaar Wrap-Up, continued)

may very well be a good idea

in the future -- thus, special

thanks are due to those who

dedicated their efforts to the

Christmas tables this year.

"It takes a village" to pull off

a major event like this. To

the many church "regulars" we can always count on, thank

you so much. Special thanks are particularly owed to

those who didn't have the time to give and found a way to

give it anyway. You all know who you are, and I hope I've

had the opportunity to thank you in person. There are so

many who come to mind who made new or extra efforts this

season. We couldn't have done it so well without

you. Bless you.

That said, in addition to the section leaders named above and in addition to the many

others whose names have not been listed but whose faces are before us, knowing full well

that I'll undoubtedly miss someone inadvertently, in order to illustrate the broad-ranging

community that is Bazaar I will go out on a limb here and share some special causes for

rejoicing --

Faces new to bazaar and/or to our congregation who joined us for pricing and set-

up (Rachel Rogers, Alex McPherron, Rachael Gorbutt, Marilyn Dickenson, Pam

Ellsworth), and as bazaar-day workers (Esther Barkat) or leaders (Beth

McConnell). From Wesley UMC, Anne Poe for her handmade items donated to Gifts

& Crafts, and xxx who joined with the sorting & pricing team on Tuesday mornings.

Non-members from the neighborhood who help every year, Maggie (apologies...her

last name escapes me at the moment) and Robin Clement, who is always at the

ready for sorting & pricing and for working on bazaar day.

Family from near and far, such as Heidi who helped her mom Connie McWorkman

in Fashion Mania, Marian Johnson who helped her daughter Caralee Adams with

the Alternative Gifts booth, and Becky Watson (India!) who came in with her cousin

Anne Mathews Younes and worked all day in Gifts & Crafts.

AU students who shopped and worked, including Rachel Ternes (whose attendance

of the 2014 UMW Quadrennial we sponsored)

Long-time members who can't always make it in to Metropolitan but who came to

experience bazaar. It was great to see relatively nearby folks such as Alma Stewart,

Kathryn Broderick, Agatha Sigmund, Yolanda Augustine and Jane Bishop. And it

was great to see old friends now living elsewhere, including Charlotte Walch (what

a surprise!) from the opposite coast. Did I miss anyone here? It was indeed a treat

to have you all with us again

Continued next page

Sorting donations:

Bobby Turnbull with a fish

that sings Christmas carols


UMW News


Thanking you for the pleasure of your company and the gifts you bring, signing off for now,

Barbara

Barbara Gaskill, 2014 UMW Bazaar Coordinator

[email protected]

P.S.#1 -- Someone asked me when it's O.K. to start dropping off stuff for next year. Are

you kidding? Eek. Let us recover from this one! Seriously, though, random drop-off at

the church doesn't begin until June. While very dedicated to the cause, our bazaar

volunteers have the next 6 months off and are not "on duty" again until June. However, in

special cases, if you can't hold on to the goods until June, do contact the bazaar coordinator

directly and it may be possible to help you out with special arrangements of some sort. We

do want to help and we do want your stuff; it's just that we can't constantly monitor the

closet area year-round. Thanks.

P.S. #2 -- Is there a book sale in early 2015 and if so, when? Yes, and the date selected by

the executive committee at the November meeting is -- Saturday, March 14. We're still

looking for a coordinator for the event. So, it's not yet time to drop off books. Please stand

by. Thanks.

P.S. #3 -- SO many things to be thankful for, I really must continue with:

Thanks to the Prayer Shawl Ministry members who donated knitted items to the

Crafts area

During sorting and pricing, thanks to Addie Owen for her many sewing-related

contributions (especially for the gazillions of donated buttons she sorted and sewed

onto index-size cards to make them more buyer-appealing); Alex McPherron for

sorting the mixed-up rock collection; Charlotte Carter for taking so much of the

glassware home to run through her dishwasher; all of the 80+ and 90+ ladies who

came in to help (O.K. to age-bracket you? You're an example to us all!) -- Anita

Charles, Bonnie Edwards, Lorraine Marsh, Connie McWorkman.

During set-up week, in addition to the leadership mentioned earlier in this

document, special thanks to Cynthia Pugh and her daughter Ellie for the many

hours they spent in the Children's section; Debbie Gustowski for clearing off the

long-neglected Crafts Club cart; Lorraine Marsh and Debbie Gustowski for sorting

the huge boxes full of paper and plastic bags for use on bazaar day; Jack Blaylock

for polishing donated silver items and for his sense of humor; Carol Griffith, Carol

Schleicher and Debbie Gustowski for setting up the Christmas area; .

Great appreciation for the church office staff and volunteers who fielded many

bazaar-related questions and requests from June through November and graciously

dealt with disruptions to routines , especially Bill Potts and Rafael Reyes.

Continued next page



UMW News


Thanks to those who gave up their usual spaces when the bazaar took over the

ground floor (!) -- the Bible Plus class for turning over the Christie room to Jewelry

on pre-sale day, Chancel and Dayspring choirs for giving up their rehearsal space

to Attic Treasures during set-up week, and to the Metropolitan Nursery School and

other renters who gave up use of the Vestry for a full week.

And yet, there are still others who have not been singled out by name who

contributed much. Section leaders, please tell all of those in your respective teams

how greatly we value their time and efforts. It takes a village....

For more pictures from Barbara Gaskill, see the Appendix

Jewelry-Making Group

On hiatus until January

The Jewelry-Making Group

meets the fourth Wednesday

of the month after the

Community Dinner during

Food for Thought classes. For

questions, contact Kelly

D'Angelo at

[email protected]



Metropolitan & Community News

Move over Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Here Comes “Giving Tuesday (Dec. 2)” !

Lillian Wallace, director of the Rural Health and Community

Development Clara Swain Hospital in Faridpur, India, and a

missionary that our unit has supported, alerted us to an annual

opportunity for mission giving, called Giving Tuesday (Dec. 2).

Lillian writes: “Last year on UMC #GivingTuesday … we received $14,832.55 and thanks in part to those gifts, we were able to develop a village outreach program, buy equipment for cataract surgeries, and subsidize staff salaries.

On December 2, 2014 as part of UMC #GivingTuesday, gifts

made to the Clara Swain Hospital through

Advance #01075A will be matched. As always, when you give to us through The Advance,

100% of your gift directly supports our ministry; overhead costs are covered through other channels.“

Global Ministries will allocate the matching funds dollar for dollar up to the first $1 million

in gifts to Advance projects received online on Dec. 2 between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. EST

Last year on UMC #GivingTuesday, United Methodists

collectively raised a record $6.5 million on line in

through The Advance. 11,000 individuals and churches

in 34 countries gave more than 16,300 gifts to mission

and ministries they believe in.

UMC #GivingTuesday is part of an international

movement to extend the spirit of giving thanks into the

Advent season. It offers an opportunity to start off the

holiday season by giving instead of getting by supporting

organizations that are transforming the world.

Visit

http://www.umcmission.org/give-to-mission/search-for-projects/Advance-Project-Search

to search for Advance projects and give.

http://www.umcmission.org/Learn-About-Us/News-and-Stories/2013/October/1015-UMC-GivingTuesday-Promises-to-Multiply-Impact

http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Search-for-Projects/Projects/01075A

http://www.umcmission.org/give-to-mission/search-for-projects/Advance-Project-Search



Food for Thought

Wednesday evening adult Christian formation programs Dinner 6 pm; Classes 7 pm

Childcare available

Food for Thought: Every Wednesday, Every Week

Every Wednesday evening, everyone is welcome to a community dinner in the Vestry

between 6 and 7 pm. Enjoy a chef-prepared meal with friends old and new. Dinner is $7

per adult, $4 per child, with a maximum of $20 per family. AU students pay what you

can. Reservations are appreciated for planning purposes; to reserve your meal, go to

http://www.nationalchurch.org/Learning/Adult#wednesday.

After you feed your body, feed your mind and soul with a mid-week study. Food for

Thought features two different study opportunities: a Bible study and a topical

study. Studies change monthly, so you can choose a Bible study one month and a

topical study the next, without missing pieces of either.

The Bible study is led by Bob Olson, co-chair of the Learning

Pillar, and Rev. Charlie Parker, the senior pastor of the

Metropolitan Church. Topical studies will be led by different

individuals throughout the year.

Upcoming sessions:

Session 4: December 3-17, 2014

Bible Study: The story of Christmas in Matthew, Luke and John

Matthew and Luke are the only two gospels that contain

stories of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and the stories have

some significant differences. John doesn’t have a birth story,

but opens with a poetic hymn to the pre-existent Christ: “In

the beginning was the Word…” Prepare for Christmas by

studying these scriptures and seeing what their differences

and similarities have to say to us today.

Advent Experience: “The Shade of the Living Light: Walking

and Listening with Hildegard of Bingen”

As we move toward Christmas, take a break from the hustle and bustle of the season by

walking the labyrinth and enjoying the art and music of Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard

was a 12th century German nun, abbess, writer, physician, composer, and mystic. Our

Great Hall labyrinth will be open 7 pm-8 pm for you to walk, pray, and contemplate at

your own pace, with readings, illustrations and music from Hildegard to enhance your

Advent preparations.

Continued next page

http://www.nationalchurch.org/Learning/Adult#wednesday



(Food for Thought upcoming sessions, continued)

Session 5: January 7-28, 2015

Bible Study: 2nd Samuel

The saga of the Israelite kingdom continues with 2nd Samuel. King David is on the throne,

but all is not well. David vacillates between his desire to please God and his desire to

please himself. Political conniving, sex, violence, and betrayal ensue (If you think House of Cards is dark, you need to read 2nd Samuel). Despite his flaws, David is still beloved by

God. 2nd Samuel is a saga of the consequences of sin and the power of God’s grace.

Topical Study: “Worthy Before God: An LGBTQ-inclusive theology.” Led by Ahnna Lise

Jennings.

This small group will provide a theological basis for what it means to be a reconciling

congregation. We will explore what it means to be a reconciling community through Bible

study, conversation, service projects, prayer, advocacy, discipleship, and cross campus

cooperation. We will discuss what it means to be an LGBTQ person in the Church, and do

projects that will help to continue making our community a fully welcoming and inclusive

one.

Ahnna Lise Jennings received her Bachelors' degrees in History and Religion, both with focuses on gender studies, from Emory & Henry College in 2012. She was the president of her college's Gay Straight Alliance, and Campus Christian Fellowship where she worked to facilitate cooperation and friendship between the two organizations. She is the current president of the advocacy group Of Sacred Worth at Wesley Theological Seminary, where she is working towards Masters of Divinity.

AARP Holiday Luncheon December 15, noon

Please join us at noon on Monday,

December 15 in the Vestry for our

annual holiday luncheon. The cost is $15.00 per person.

Besides a delicious meal of turkey and all the trimmings, we

will have musical entertainment and will sing holiday songs.

Please send your check made out to AARP Chapter 2183 to our

treasurer, Bobby Turnbull, 5708 Ridgefield Rd., Bethesda, MD

20816 to arrive by December 11.


Circles

2 Contact Jane Cunningham or Charlotte Carter, [email protected]

6 Christmas is Coming! Please join Ann and I for our annual Christmas Cookie

Exchange, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. in the Parlor. Bring a batch or two of

your favorite treats to share, don't forget a container to take home your

Christmas cheer! We will also watch the DVD, HAPPY, from Academy

Award director, Reko Belic, that many missed seeing in October. HAPPY

takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata

in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real life stories of

people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading

scientist in happiness research. HAPPY explores the secrets behind our most

values emotion. Some of those interviewed are The Dali Lama, Ed Diener, a

world leader in the happiness research, Michael Pritchard. We will begin

promptly at 7:00 p.m. (so we can have time for sharing at the end; run time:

75 minutes). Questions: Mary Jo Marchant, [email protected] and

Ann Michel, [email protected]

8 Circle 8 will meet in the parlor on Tuesday December 2nd at 7:30pm. It will

not be our Christmas meeting. Contact Eugenia Evans,

[email protected]

9 Circle 9 will have our annual Christmas luncheon on Wednesday,

December 10 at noon at the home of Connie McWorkman. Please contact

Bobby Turnbull, [email protected]

10 Contact Caralee Adams [email protected] or Suzanne Vieth

[email protected]

The next UMW Board Meeting will be held December 8, 2014.

Newsletter prepared by Alexandra McPherron. To add items to the next newsletter, email

[email protected] by Monday, December 15, 2014 (email version only).

The Annunciation, 1989

James C. Christensen










Appendix

UMW Bazaar 2014

Pictures from Barbara Gaskill

Getting organized


Appendix

Sorting great finds:

Penny Pagano with snake


Appendix

Setting up in the Vestry:

Joyce Shields


Appendix

Entrance sign for Attic Treasures

umw newsletter

Documents

metropolitan umw newsletter

umw board mtg

metropolitan church

umw news diaper drive

new umw members

umw members guests

great hall umw newsletter

umw news womens retreat