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November 22, 2009 The Old Testament standard for giving is the tithe, or ten per cent, of one’s wealth. In the New Testament another standard seems to prevail; Jesus said that we should be willing to give whatever is needed. A young man, who happened to be quite wealthy, put the question to Jesus, and his answer was, “Sell all you possess and give it to the poor.” This Sunday is Consecration Sunday at Washington Street; the climax of our stewardship campaign to encourage support of the church’s ministry for the coming year. Stewardship is not just concerned with what we give to the church; stewardship is concerned with how we utilize all the wealth God has allowed us to have in this world - it is the act of submitting everything to God. If we give a tithe, but spend the other 90% on foolish pursuits, we are not being good stewards. Be wise in your giving, but also be wise in your spending and in your investing, too. Thank you for all you do for the cause of Christ through your financial support of Washington Street United Methodist Church. Let’s “Step Up In Faith” as we celebrate the extraordinary blessings God has given us all. Grace and Peace, Paul
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United Methodist Women November 15, 2009 The History of United Methodist Lay Speaking Lay men and women have played important roles in ministry from the beginning of the Methodist movement. Many of John Wesley’s preachers both in Britain and in America were lay people. Upon hearing his complaints concerning the preaching of Thomas Maxfield, a Methodist layman, John’s mother Susanna said that he should hear him preach. Maxfield became the first lay speaker in 1741 and remained high in Wesley’s estimation for many years. Other British lay speakers were John Bennet, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Christopher Hopper, and Sarah Crosby. Wesley’s mother Susanna was a lay speaker much to the consternation of his father Samuel. When Wesley appointed ordained missionaries to America in 1769, they found Methodist Societies already under way organized by lay men and women. Robert Strawbridge, who emigrated from Ireland to Frederick, Maryland around 1760, organized societies in Maryland and Virginia. Philip Embury and Barbara Heck started what became the John Street Methodist Church in New York and British Army Captain Thomas Webb began churches in New York and Pennsylvania. Frances Asbury was a lay minister until he was ordained at the Christmas Conference in 1784. Our speaker this morning is a certified lay speaker in the rich tradition of lay speaking in the United Methodist Church. Preston Cantrell is a member at Brookland United Methodist Church in West Columbia. Bob Beamer
November 8, 2009 God guided the people of Israel through the wilderness even when they believed they were lost and that God had forgotten them. I have never had a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire to guide my daily walk with the Lord, and I have never found a printed road map that shows clearly where God wants me to go, how God wants me to live, or how much of my gifts, talents and time God wants me to give. But I do know that God will never forget me, and that no matter how far off the path I may stray, I will never be completely lost. God’s love through Jesus Christ is a beacon that constantly points the way back home. Although miraculous divine interventions may not be our daily lot, all of us have experienced those sometimes irritating nudges that are God’s way of asking us to pay attention. Stewardship is about paying attention to God. It is about paying attention to others and to the world around us. It is about asking God to help us to respond with simple and joyful generosity that will surprise and delight us by its freshness and meaningfulness. Our stewardship campaign this year asks us to “Step up in Faith.” I hope that, over the next couple of weeks, you will be in prayer for Washington Street Church, and for yourself as you consider your faithful response to our financial needs over the coming year. God provided the cloud and the fire, but the people still had to get up and follow. That is what we are being called to do now; to step up in faith to respond to the call to go forward in ministry for Christ and his church. Grace and Peace, Paul
November 1, 2009 This Sunday is All Saints’ Sunday, a day when we remember the lives of those who have gone before us, and give thanks to God for the life that is yet to come. Since last All Saints’ Sunday sixteen of our members have left this earthly life and entered the Church Triumphant. They are:
Anna S.
Ackerman During our worship these names will be read and prayers of thanksgiving will be raised. The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated at the 9:00 service. We are grateful for all those who have died in the faith, whose lives are kept for eternity by our loving God. Grace and Peace, Paul
October 25, 2009 We’re back! Thank you again for allowing us to take a month-long sabbatical. During our time away Jan and I met with Dr. Larry Ousley, Director of the Intentional Growth Center (IGC) at Lake Junaluska and a certified Life Coach. We worked on personal and family goals and strategies and goals for my work as a United Methodist minister. I also met individually with Rev. Fred Macon, who serves as a Spiritual Director for the IGC. Getting away for a month enabled me to take a good look at my work free from daily duties. I realize that during the last 30+ years of ministry I have developed routines and habits that focus on things which are more or less beside the point. The point, I have learned anew, is to nurture my relationship with God through Jesus Christ and to serve God by striving to answer God’s call to and claim on my life. I am instituting some changes in my personal life that will result in significant changes in the way I approach my work. Spiritual and physical exercises will be the first order of the day, every day. Healthy eating has become more of a priority. I’m working on ways to intentionally spend quality time with family and friends – the people on whom I most depend and in whom I am most refreshed. I have also reclaimed my calling: God has called me to proclaim the Good News and to teach the Scriptures. Those two tasks will become the light posts that guide my work. I have also reclaimed the ambition that has driven me for more than thirty years: to have an authentic ministry that arises out of an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. See you in church! Grace and Peace, Paul
October 18, 2009 A HYMN STORY Much of our understanding of God comes from the hymns we sing, and so I enjoy reading the background stories of our great hymns. “The Church’s One Foundation” was written by a Church of England pastor, Samuel J. Stone, in 1866. Anglican Bishop John William Colenso had just written a book attacking the historic accuracy of the Pentateuch. Bishop Gray vehemently opposed that book. Soon a theological dispute between these two leaders became a widespread controversy throughout the entire Anglican Church. In response, Samuel Stone wrote 12 creedal hymns based on the Apostles’ Creed to combat attacks which he felt would soon divide and destroy the church. This particular hymn was based on the Ninth Article of the Creed, which reads, “The Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of the Saints: He is the head of this Body.” It was Stone’s conviction that the unity of the Church must rest solely on the recognition of the Lordship of Christ as its head. We United Methodist need to note the composer of the music was Samuel S. Wesley, grandson of Charles Wesley. See you at Washington Street, where Christ is loudly proclaimed as the Lord of our church. Evelyn
October 11, 2009 WE WELCOME CHILDREN HERE The marker in front of our Sanctuary says "The Congregation Ministers Here". I love and appreciate that marker. One of the ways that our congregation ministers is by showing that "We welcome children here". Whether it is through our Sunday School, Children's Church, our Nursery, the Children's Sermon, other programs such as Mary's Maidens, Vacation Bible School, and our weekday Child Development Center, children are welcomed and appreciated here at Washington Street. October 11 is Children's Sabbath Sunday. It is a time in which we will appreciate our children. It is a time to reflect. It is a time in worship to praise God who has blessed us with children and has charged us with their care. At our 11:00 a.m. worship service, we will renew our commitment to follow Jesus who said to welcome the children. In doing so, we welcome Him. We will continue to praise God with our work to nurture and protect all children. In conjunction with the Children’s Sabbath, this year’s Fall Festival will also be held in the afternoon from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. The Fall Festival is an event that is designed to help show the children of Washington Street how much we appreciate them. This year’s festival, coordinated and sponsored by our Youth and their leaders, will include a family dinner, games, slides, train rides and a whole lot more. Come and join us for both the Children's Sabbath and the Fall Festival! God's Blessings, Don
October 4, 2009 GATHERING THE FAMILY FOR SUNDAY DINNER World Communion Sunday is an annual event when God’s children gather around the world to share Holy Communion as a family. Wherever Christians gather around the Lord’s Table today, we celebrate our unity in Christ. Through sharing this meal together, we affirm the conviction that this common table is a principal place of a Christian’s identity, sustenance, conversion and growth. We speak of it by many names. “The Lord’s Supper” recalls the table fellowship which was enjoyed by Jesus and his disciples. “Holy Communion” reminds us that we are eating and drinking in the presence of Christ and our Christian brothers and sisters. “The Eucharist” means giving thanks. “Mass” comes from the words at the end of the Lord’s supper as it was celebrated by the early church, Ite Missa Est, which means, “You are sent out”. Each of these names reminds us that we share a rich and varied history. You are invited to come to Sunday dinner with Jesus and experience his presence in your life and in the world. Evelyn
September 27, 2009 TEARS You never know what may cause them. The sight of the Atlantic Ocean can do it, or a piece of music, or a face you’ve never seen before. A pair of somebody’s old shoes can do it. Almost any movie made before the great sadness that came over the world after the Second World War, a horse cantering across a meadow, the high school basketball team running out on to the gym floor at the start of a game. You can never be sure. But of this you can be sure. Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go to next. --Frederick Buechner The things that move us to tears say a lot about who we are. While we are thinking about our own tears, it would behoove us to consider the things that brought tears to Jesus’ eyes. Jesus was not ashamed to let the fierceness of his feelings turn to tears of compassion and love for all the “little ones” who stumble and struggle in the world. His tears point us toward a journey like no other, a way of life that brings honor to Him and to each other. What makes you cry? See you at our compassionate, passionate church on Sunday. Evelyn
September 20, 2009 THE GIFTS OF WISDOM In the Book of James, we learn that wisdom is not simply knowledge or cleverness, but rather a profound understanding of what the good life ought to be. Wisdom produces concord and harmony between persons and groups. In our modern world, we seem to be preoccupied with the accumulation of knowledge, to the neglect of the wisdom which alone can save us from the misuse of that knowledge. The smart operator knows how to manipulate people and situations, how to “cover up” or “get by”. Rabbinical literature has a phrase descriptive of those who know much but who still remain fools: they are “donkeys laden with books”. We’ve heard “knowledge is power”, but how that power will be used is the question. We have more knowledge than ever before; do we have more wisdom? Going faster and farther, we may be going astray. Today’s scripture lesson comes from James, but it will serve us well to go back and read Proverbs 8, a description of true, godly wisdom. Most of us probably need to be reminded from time to time that the true gifts of wisdom come from God and must be used to glorify God. See you in church (a wise place to be!) on Sunday. Evelyn
September 13, 2009 According to the gospels, Jesus often withdrew from his work of preaching and teaching and healing to spend time in prayer and rest. “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed,” Mark tells us. On another occasion he said to his disciples, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile.” Probably the best known example is the occasion on which, after his baptism in the Jordan River, he went up into the wilderness for forty days where he fasted and prayed and sparred with the devil over the direction his ministry would take. Next weekend I will begin a time apart to rest and pray and, who knows, perhaps even do a bit of wrestling with my own devils, if not with the Devil itself. You have granted me an entire month of respite from my duties (maybe I should have asked for 40 days!), for which I am most grateful. I am looking forward to spending that time in reflection and prayer at Lake Junaluska in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I hope to return with a renewed sense of direction for my ministry in the years ahead. In the Old Testament (II Kings 4:8-10) we read that the prophet Elisha had a retreat in the city of Shunem provided by a wealthy woman. She and her husband prepared a small roof chamber furnished with a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp, and made it available for Elisha to use whenever he passed that way. I will have a bit more than the bed, chair, table and lamp – electricity, for example, and a wife! I will be meeting several times each week with a life coach and a spiritual director, but beyond that I intend to live as simply and as spontaneously as possible. Again, my deepest gratitude for allowing me to take this brief sabbatical. While I will be away from you for these 30 days you will certainly be in my prayers as I hope I am in yours. Grace and Peace, Paul
September 6, 2009 Early this year the Church Council granted me a month-long sabbatical leave from September 18 to October 18. The purpose of the leave is to engage in reflection and study to seek direction for my leadership of this congregation as well as my personal spiritual growth and well-being. Rev. Evelyn Middleton and Rev. Don Thrasher will handle the day-to-day ministerial responsibilities while I am away, and they will know how to contact me if need be. The sabbatical will be spent mostly at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. I have arranged to meet regularly with Dr. Larry Ousley and Rev. Fred Macon. Larry is the Director of the Intentional Growth Center (IGC) at Lake Junaluska and a Certified Life Coach. Fred is the Spiritual Director on the IGC staff. Our meetings will be focused on goal setting and on my faith journey. I expect that this time away will be an opportunity to look at WSUMC from a different and fresh perspective, free from daily duties and interruptions. After 32 years of ministry I find myself getting bogged down in checking off things to do on the things-to-do list. There is little time for deep and meaningful reflection. As the Protestant Reformation movement expanded in Europe, Martin Luther once exclaimed, “I am so busy that if I don’t spend at least four hours in prayer every morning I would never be able to get everything done.” That is the opposite of the way we usually think, but Luther was on to something. Nothing should have a greater claim on us than our relationship with God. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to step aside for thirty days to focus on that relationship. Grace and Peace, Paul
August 30, 2009 Last week I attended the “Mediation Skills Training Institute” of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center. We learned how to mediate church conflicts. Oh, boy! Church conflicts take place around every imaginable subject. Congregations split over carpet color, music styles, building projects, Sunday School curriculum, and so forth. You name it, somebody has fought over it. Oftentimes the split is physical; one faction leaves and goes to another church or starts a new one. Sometimes the congregation remains intact but the hurt and anger from the conflict remain. Oftentimes it is helpful to bring in someone from the outside, someone who did not take part in and does not have a stake in the conflict, to help the involved parties work through the issues and find a way to move beyond the conflict. Mediators can help identify the things that need to be dealt with, give all parties an opportunity to be heard, and guide them through a process of transforming the conflicts into more positive channels. One thing we learned is that conflict is an inevitable part of life, especially in the church! Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.” Why do churches have conflicts? Because we’re a family. When members of a family disagree, the healthy thing to do is acknowledge the conflict, keep the lines of communication open, be honest (speak the truth in love), don’t talk behind each other’s back, and treat one another with respect. Following those simple rules will help keep conflicts from carrying the damage into the future. That’s enough for now. See you in church! Grace and Peace, Paul
August 23, 2009 Lech lecha! Those are the words God spoke to Abraham (Genesis 12:1) when it was time for Abraham to leave his homeland and begin the adventure that would lead him to Canaan. The words mean “Go forth!” Those words are echoed throughout the Bible, and form the reveille that calls God’s people into action. The Gospels are filled with Jesus sending his disciples out. “Go,” he said. Go into the nearby towns. Go into the highways and the byways. Go cast out demons. Go heal the sick. Go out deeper and cast your net. Go tell John what you have witnessed. Go tell that old fox, Herod. Go and sin no more. Go and do likewise. Go, sell all you possess and give to the poor. Go. That is the Christian’s call to arms, the summons to duty and service. Go help the needy. Go tell the good news. Go preach the gospel (if necessary, use words, Francis of Assisi added). The church is not to be shut in behind closed doors, but sent out to a hurting world. Every summer some of our fellow Washington Streeters answer the summons by volunteering for the Salkehatchie Summer Service, a missions program that involves hundreds of youth and adults across the state in helping underprivileged families with home repairs ranging from installing indoor plumbing to fixing a leaky roof or sagging floor. This Sunday is set aside as “Salkehatchie Sunday.” Some of those who took part in the Penn Center camp will share their experiences with us during our worship. We are grateful to them for the sacrifice of their time and talents to engage in the Lord’s work. But, and primarily, we hope their stories will inspire you to find ways to be in service to others. Lech lecha! Grace and Peace, Paul
August 16, 2009 We spend a lot of time trying to predict what will happen in the future and we base a lot of our decisions on those predictions, from retirement plans to plans for the weekend. Whole industries have arisen to cater to our desire to know what will happen, from weather bureaus to brokerage houses. It makes sense to consider what tomorrow may bring so we can better prepare for it. Through the centuries, people have turned to seers and palm readers and mediums to tell them what to expect. Their predictions were not very accurate. The last century has given rise to people called “futurologists,” who dedicate themselves to the study of past trends that will, they believe, enable them to plot the course of future events. They have better credentials than seers and palm readers and mediums, but I have noticed that their predictions are not very accurate except in a very general way. When I was taking flying lessons years ago I was told that meteorologists are able to predict the weather accurately for about two hours in advance. Beyond that, conditions can change so unpredictably that the forecast is no more than an educated guess. It is impossible to know what the future holds. As carefully as we might plan, there are no guarantees that things will turn out the way we think they will. Basically, you have two choices; live with the distress of uncertainty, or trust that the future is in good hands. People of faith choose the second alternative. We plan as well as we can, but in the end, we simply trust that, even though tomorrow is out of our hands, it is in God’s good hands. That is the better part of wisdom, and for people of faith that is enough. Grace and Peace, Paul
August 9, 2009 The secret of a good vacation is under-planning. When our girls were small we always over-planned our vacations, cramming the days full of activities and side trips. Now that it’s just the two of us we have gradually begun to enjoy the art of relaxing. Last week we were at Lake Junaluska, a retreat/conference center managed by the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. It is in the mountains of North Carolina about 20 miles west of Asheville. We went without any plans at all, and it rained nearly every day, which assured us of plenty of time to rock on the porch, read, nap and rest. The rain did slack off enough each day to allow us some time outdoors, and we enjoyed walking around the lake. I got to climb the surrounding hills for my daily exercise. Flowers of all kinds and colors were blooming everywhere, and there are numerous gardens in the area that provide a shady haven. Gardens are God’s canvasses, you know. On Saturday morning we got up early and drove to a favorite spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway to catch the sunrise. Browners Knob is at nearly 6000’ above sea level, with a ridge line that affords a view of both sunrise and sunset. As we turned on the Parkway we encountered fog, and thought the clouds would obscure the view. But higher up we rose above the clouds, and when we arrived at the ridge we were treated to an awesome view of sunlight revealing a mountain-lined beach with the clouds magnificently playing the role of a white ocean. “Islands” appeared here and there above the cloudy sea as the sound of birds singing began to fill the air. On the way home Sunday evening “This Is My Father’s World” played over and over in my mind, and I felt joyfully blessed to be alive. The secret of a good vacation is under-planning. Grace and Peace, Paul
August 2, 2009 WASHINGTON STREET 101 Fourteen heads are indeed much better than one. At our adult retreat at Epworth By the Sea in April, we got to brainstorming one evening. Wouldn’t it be great if there were some way to help folks become better incorporated into the wonderful place we call Washington Street UMC? As the group fleshed out the idea, Washington Street 101 was born. This new program is designed especially for guests and new members. But the more we talked, the more we realized it would be helpful even for some long-time Washington Streeters. So mark down the dates: four Sundays, September 13 - October 4. We’ll meet in the parlor during the Sunday school hour. Topics will include an introduction to WSUMC, the history of our church, a tour of our church building, our administrative organization and ways to serve. Our intention is to offer Washington 101 twice a year. Sometimes truly wonderful ideas are born when a group of people who love our church come together and try to think of ways to make it even better. So pay attention: we never know when the Holy Spirit will move among us and inspire us to be the Church. Evelyn
July 26, 2009 The theme of Vacation Bible School this year was “Experiencing and Discovering God Everywhere.” The children came to “Camp EDGE” (get it?) every morning this week to learn about how God was experienced by people in the Bible:
God is with me. God guides me. God teaches me. God loves me. God sends me. That’s a pretty good outline of the life of a Christian disciple. We had a record number of children attending and a record number of volunteers helping. On Sunday VBS will end with a big celebration in Threatt Hall following a covered dish luncheon after the worship service in the sanctuary. Bring a dish and enjoy the presentation. See you in church! Grace and Peace, Paul
July 19, 2009 Children’s Vacation Bible School starts Monday the 20th. We have about 90 children signed up, nearly 15% more than last year, and we’re excited about the program. Youth and adult classes have been going on during the Sunday school hour in June and July, with excellent attendance and outstanding teachers. Rev. Don Thrasher has been working hard to recruit volunteers and organize all the classes and activities. VBS is a big deal, and it takes a lot of people to make it happen. Our deepest gratitude to all those who are volunteering to help:
Join us Sunday, July 26, for the covered-dish luncheon at noon and the VBS wrap-up celebration! Grace and Peace, Paul
July 12, 2009 THIS IS MY FATHER’S WORLD The United Methodist Book of Discipline (paragraph 160) says: All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect. To help Washington Street work toward these stewardship goals, we celebrate our Green Team. This new team is already making a difference here at our church. They are encouraging classes and groups to recycle paper and curriculum. Sunday school classes are asked to turn off lights and air conditioners each Sunday. Paper products are discouraged at church dinners. Plastic grocery bags are being collected to be used at Harvest Hope, the CDC and the Soup Cellar. In these last few months, the Green Team has been helping to keep these issues in front of us. We hope each of us will look around and determine ways we can help our environment in our homes and in our work places. Together we can make a difference. Evelyn
July 5, 2009 On July 4, 1776, “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,” better known as the Declaration of Independence, was signed by fifty-six representatives of those thirteen states, including four from South Carolina. We are most familiar with the paragraph that begins, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” God is referred to three times in the document, declaring that Divine Providence is the guiding hand in the fortunes of every nation. However, the bulk of the document consists of twenty-eight specific grievances against the King of England, some of which are curiously prescient. The King was cited for “quartering large bodies of armed troops among us;” for protecting said troops from any punishment “for Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of These States;” and for “depriving us in many cases of the benefit of Trial by Jury.” Our experience with the King of England should surely cause us to proceed with great care in our dealings with other nations. These two sentiments – the failure of mortal rulers and the acknowledgment of a higher power – have been slowly eroded by our worship of celebrity, our insistence on undeserved entitlements, and the growing tendency to elevate individual desires above the well-being of the community. It is past time to begin to call in earnest on Divine Providence to intervene in the “course of human events.” See you in Church! Grace and Peace, Paul
June 28, 2009 Our Psalm for this Sunday is the 130th, one which has from ancient times been known as the “De Profundis,” the Latin form of the first words of the psalm: “Out of the depths.” It is one of the Penitential Psalms that have been used since before the time of Christ as prayers of confession and pleas for forgiveness. Other psalms in that list are the 6th and 38th (“O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger.”), the 32nd (“Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven.”), the 51st (“Have mercy on me, O God!”), the 102nd (“I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.”) and the 143rd (“Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.”) Penitential Psalms are pleas for help from those who know they cannot help themselves. They are admissions of guilt, but they are also statements of faith in God’s steadfast love and mercy. I am increasingly aware of the need to engage in the practice of confession. We are living in a time when the concept of self-esteem has been so heavily touted that it has plastered over the very idea of sin with a mottled stucco of ego worship and false pride. “I’m okay, you’re okay” has become a distorted catch-phrase that lures us into the danger of thinking that there’s nothing we need to change about ourselves regardless of all the evidence to the contrary. We people of faith need to resist, and recover the healthy practice of examining ourselves realistically, and acknowledging our shortcomings, failures and mistakes. That is the only way we can go to God honestly and seek forgiveness and renewal. That is the only way we can demonstrate our trust in God’s mercy and love. And that will bring us Grace and Peace, Paul
June 21, 2009 During this season after Pentecost I’m going to be preaching mostly from the book of Psalms. The Psalms are a rich spiritual resource that I use often in my personal disciplines. They express the full range of human aspirations, emotions and predicaments. Many of the Psalms in this year’s lectionary are coronation and battle and victory hymns. Some of them have a distinctly marshal tone that usually makes me very uncomfortable, so this season is going to be a challenge. I have long since discovered what Mark Twain said so succinctly: “I’m not bothered by the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand, but rather by the parts that I do understand.” The Bible, and perhaps especially the book of Psalms, challenges us - no, dares us to face the things we do not like about God. We do not like that God makes rules. We do not like that God favors some people for no reason at all and rejects others who seem to have much promise. We do not like that God approves of suffering. We do not like that God insists that we deny ourselves, our desires, our dreams, even our very nature at times. We do not like that God prefers poor people. We do not like for God to make us wait. And I do not like facing this challenge alone, so I am going to insist that you bear it with me. Here are the readings for the next three months. Read them. Pray them. Wrestle them. Scream at them. Weep with them. If you will do that with me, God will seep into our souls until we are soaked with the Divinum Mysterium that steers the world, and perhaps steer us as well.
Grace and Peace, Paul
June 14, 2009 Last week at Annual Conference Rev. Evelyn Middleton, Rev. Don Thrasher and I were all reappointed to Washington Street for the coming year. It is our great privilege to be your pastors and we look forward to the future. Part of the future is our growing involvement in ways to protect God’s good green earth. Last month I challenged you to take the “Green Survey” and promised to publish a list of those of you who beat my “green” score. 127 of you completed the survey. 29 of you put your name on the sheet. Here are the names of those who beat my score (sorry I don’t have time to put them in alphabetical order):
The average overall score was 52 ½. 98 surveys were turned in with no names. 77 of them beat my score. The possible range in scores is 25 to 75. Of those turned in to date, the lowest score (no name given) was 28. Whoever you are, you need to do better! The highest score was 68, posted by Eleanore Vaughan. Congratulations, Eleanore, you get first prize! (First prize is a notice on the front page of the newsletter that gives your name and says, “Congratulations, you get first prize!) Congratulations to all of you for participating in the survey. See you in (our “green”) church! Grace and Peace, Paul
June 7, 2009 A Living Sign When Leah and I arrived at Washington Street two years ago, the first thing either of us noticed was a prominent sign that simply stated, “The Congregation Ministers Here.” I remember being tremendously impressed by this sentiment, but what impressed me even more came on my first Sunday when I realized that those were not just words posted on a sign. That first Sunday, Leah and I had the privilege of listening to Tommy Betenbaugh, Bess Brown, Bradley Clark, Sim Harmon, and many others share their stories of service with the congregation. I sat entirely engrossed by their shared stories as they each stood in front of the congregation and told of their experiences with Salkehatchie. It was on that Sunday that Leah and I knew we had found our new church. This particular mission project has been a long-standing tradition at Washington Street, and next week eleven members of our congregation are going down to the Salkehatchie camp at Penn Center. While we are at the camp, our group will once again embark on the challenge of working from sun up to sun down on the long and difficult charge of helping our neighbors. This work will include numerous types of manual labor, but with each swing of the hammer, we will also hopefully find another moment for spiritual growth. And with these moments, this group of eleven will once again be able to illustrate one of the many ways that Washington Street members truly live up to the simply stated sign that reads, “The Congregation Ministers Here.” Through Grace, Will Garland
May 31, 2009 Graduation is a significant life passage, and it is fitting that we should honor those in our church who have completed the journey that leads to a diploma or to an academic degree. This year we are pleased to recognize fourteen of our own. I’ll list their names here; you can find more information about each of them inside this week’s bulletin.
Congratulations to all of them, and may God bless the road ahead! Grace and Peace, Paul P.S. The response to the Green Congregations Pre-Survey has been good, and some of you have indeed beat my “green” score. I’ll allow another week or two and then publish the results. You’ll find the survey forms in the church office in the green file folder above the counter top, and the receptacle for completed surveys underneath. The survey form is also available on the church website.
May 24, 2009 Ah, the “good old days.” Life was simpler then, and easier, and more peaceful. When it comes to imagining a better life, nothing beats nostalgia. Of course, when people talk about the good old days it is almost always a time far enough removed that they have forgotten a lot of the details. For instance, I remember the good old days when you pulled into a service station and got your tank filled, your oil checked, and your windshield cleaned without ever getting out of your car – all for about 30 cents per gallon. I remember the days when you could go to a restaurant, order a meal and be served tea or coffee free of charge. I remember the days when there was no such thing as a telemarketer; the days when I could tune up my own car with a few simple tools; the days when you could go to bed at night and not bother to lock your doors; the days when the doctor would come to your house when you were sick. But were they really the good old days? Those were also the days when the local doctor’s office had two entrances: one for white, the other for colored; when women had few career choices; when the mentally ill were routinely and often callously institutionalized. I guess maybe the good old days were only good for some of us. I believe the Bible has something to tell us about the good old days – but with a surprising twist: the good old days are not some time in the distant past; the good old days are yet to come. When Jesus ascended into heaven, it signaled the beginning of something exciting and wonderful. The continuing promise of the gospel is that the best is yet to come. Thank God for the “good old days” ahead. See you in church! Grace and Peace, Paul
May 17, 2009 Washington Street is going Green. We have long had a policy of recycling things like aluminum cans, and last year we established stations to collect used worship bulletins after the Sunday morning services. Now, in partnership with the City of Columbia’s Climate Protection Action Campaign we have enrolled as a “Green Congregation,” and will be looking for more ways to make our contribution to the Biblical mandate to be good stewards of God’s good creation. A “Green Team” is being organized, and will have its first meeting on Thursday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. You can still be part of it if you’re interested; just show up for the meeting. The Green Team is circulating an instrument called the “Green Congregations Pre-Survey.” It is designed for each of us to assess how closely our personal habits are in tune with what we now know about the impact of lifestyles on the health of the environment around us. The survey contains 25 statements about good “green” behavior. All you have to do is circle whether you never, sometimes, or almost always do each one, then total your score. The highest possible score is 75; the lowest is 25. Here’s a personal challenge: Take the survey, total your score, then give your name and your score to me. You can put your name on the survey sheet and hand it to me, or slip it into my box in the office, or you can just call or e-mail your score to me or to the office receptionist. In a few weeks, I’ll publish a list of all of you who BEAT MY SCORE. You will receive the admiration and awe of your fellow Washington Streeters, and the grudging regard of your pastor. Believe me, this is a stewardship program in which we can all participate, and from which we will all benefit. Grace and Peace, Paul
May 10, 2009 This Sunday is a special one indeed, with three celebrations coming together: 1. It is Mother’s Day, a national holiday to honor the women who bore us and raised us and helped to shape our lives. All over the country families will be gathering today to honor them and express their appreciation. For many of us, our faith was first nourished at home by our mothers. We honor them this day, and thank God for them. 2. In the same vein, the church has set aside this day as the Festival of the Christian Home. We recognize that if faith in God through Jesus Christ is not nurtured in the environment of the family, it may not be nurtured at all. So, we set aside this day in the church year to acknowledge the importance of mothers and of families in preserving, shaping and passing down our faith heritage. Our children are preparing a special presentation during the 11:00 worship hour, celebrating our God-given gifts and talents, and honoring those Christian mothers and families who faithfully participate in the church, the body of Christ. 3. At Washington Street, this is also Confirmation Sunday. We have a small class this year, but they have been hard at work learning about the faith and about our church, and having a lot of fun in the process. The confirmands are Lucas Clark, Maddy Foley, Hamilton Matthews, and Campbell Sullivan. They will make their profession of faith before the congregation and become full members of the church. I have been impressed with them throughout the confirmation process. With such as these among us, the church has a bright future. See you there! Grace and Peace, Paul
May 3, 2009 Foundation Day at Washington Street This Sunday, May 3, we will celebrate our second Foundation Day at Washington Street United Methodist Church. Fortunately, through the vision of Rev. C. J. Lupo and others, the Foundation was formed twenty-nine years ago to administer a newly created endowment fund. The endowment was established to accept gifts of income and property to insure the long-term well being of our beautiful church. Income from the fund is available for capital improvements and repairs for our historic church property. The Foundation also provides funding for the Raggio Report, a pictorial history of Washington Street Church and the activities that have occurred since the last report. This Sunday we will celebrate our second Foundation Day by viewing the latest Raggio Report. Your Foundation Trustees and the Raggio Committee have been working hard on your behalf. The Foundation recently voted to commemorate our thirtieth year by again hosting a Foundation Dinner in February of 2010. More information and a date will be provided once the details are finalized. We look forward to our second Foundation Day and the viewing of the Raggio Report.
David Anderson,
Chairperson
April 26, 2009 The first time I met Ralph Rozier was around 1982 at the annual Columbia District Men’s Retreat in the mountains at Asbury Hills. I had been invited to serve as retreat leader that year. I don’t remember the theme of the weekend, or much else in the way of details, but I remember that Ralph was the pianist for all the worship services, and I remember that there was obvious pride and appreciation on the part of the retreat’s leaders that such a gifted and well-known musician should honor them by taking the weekend off from his normal church duties. Ralph is beloved throughout the Columbia area and beyond, and not just because of his musical talents. His simple faith in Jesus Christ and his genuine love for people are hallmarks of his personality. He is best known, of course, for his more than fifty years as our church organist, but many of you still remember the days when Ralph also served as our church visitor. He prayed with you in the hospital room, he called on your parents when they were homebound or confined, and he made folks feel special (and still does, I hear) when he called them on the phone with his personal “happy birthday” song. The reception that we’re giving to honor Ralph this Sunday is so insignificant compared to the impact he has made on our church through all these years, but it does give us all an official opportunity to say “thank you” once again. We’re not planning anything very showy, but simply a time for everyone who wishes to say a word of appreciation to Ralph. And it is certainly not “goodbye,” for he will still be sitting on that organ bench from time to time for as long as he is able. As for me, I only want to say that I am a richer man for having served in ministry with Ralph Rozier for these past four years, and I give God thanks for him. Grace and Peace, Paul
April 19, 2009 This weekend Will and Leah Garland are taking our Confirmation Class to Lake Junaluska for one of the Southeastern Jurisdiction’s Confirmation retreats. They will be there with several hundred youngsters from all over the southeast. They will worship, study, and have fun together. Through it all they will learn more about what it means to be a member of the United Methodist Church. On May 10, they will stand before the congregation and proclaim their faith in the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ. They will become full members of Washington Street United Methodist Church, thus beginning a lifelong journey of worship and service. We are fortunate to have such fine youngsters in our congregation. I have already spent some time with them covering a few things that won’t be included in what they’re doing this weekend. They are a smart and gifted bunch. Our young people are learning the teachings of the church, the standards that will serve them for a lifetime, and through them serve our Lord. Pray for them as they complete their studies and prepare for Confirmation. They are Lucas Clark (daughter of Joe and Wendy), Maddy Foley (daughter of Joy and Sean), Hamilton Matthews (son of Beth and Gene) and Campbell Sullivan (daughter of Eddie and Jeanie). Grace and Peace, Paul
April 5, 2009 A man who lives in Maine told of his little hometown by the name of Flagstaff. He said several years ago the town was flooded as part of a large lake for which a corps of engineers built a sizeable dam. He said the most painful part of this experience, besides the relocation, was watching his hometown die. He said improvements and repairs ceased. Why paint a house that will soon be covered with water? Why repair a building when the whole village will soon be wiped out? Trash collected in the streets. Week after week the process of deterioration set in. Then he closed by making this very telling observation: “When there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.” I think he’s right, because without hope, without a sense of something beyond our immediate problems, we become overwhelmed. Without hope, without the feeling of something that will outlast our current dilemma, we despair. In his Divine Comedy, Dante put it as straight and as plain as you can get: “Life without hope is hell.” People in trouble often say, “I don’t want to get my hopes up.” Yes! Get them up! Hope is not stillness. Hope is the quiet whisper inside our hearts that says, “Well...it’s possible.” Evelyn
March 29, 2009 The book of Genesis tells us that when God created us, we were commanded to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” In case there is any doubt what God had in mind by giving us “dominion” over the earth, notice that in the next chapter that when God created Adam, God put him in a garden “to till it and to keep it.” To till and to keep: that is our charge as caretakers of the earth. But how do you do that in a busy, consumer-driven society? This Sunday, Mary Pat Baldauf, Sustainability Facilitator for the City of Columbia, is going to present “12 things you can do to help curb climate change” during a covered dish luncheon following worship. Seemingly insignificant choices we make every day have an impact on our climate. There are simple things each of us can do to immediately reduce our contribution to global warming. Mary Pat will give us at least a dozen ideas, most of which will cost little or no money at all, and some of which will be money-savers as well. Grant and Jennifer Jackson will also present some helpful household tips. All of this will take place in Threatt Hall immediately after the 11:00 worship service, hosted by the Church and Society Committee. Bring a covered dish (meat is being provided by volunteers) and join us for a family lunch and an informative program to help us fulfill our God-given task of keeping the earth. Grace and Peace, Paul
March 22, 2009 “It’s not about you.” So begins a wildly popular book of a few years ago that broke all the sales records and was quite a sensation. No one seemed to notice that the rest of the book was about, well, all about you – about how you can get God to answer your prayers; about how you can be happier and healthier and wealthier and wiser; about how you can avoid the pitfalls of life. In other words the theme of the book was, like the theme of much religion these days, faith and success. The friends of Job had much the same philosophy of life. “Job,” they said, “You must have done something terrible for God to let you suffer so much. If you were a righteous man this wouldn’t have happened.” They thought that the proper faith applied in the proper measure should enable one to avoid suffering. Balderdash, I say, balderdash to it all. Such thinking defies reality. It defies truth. But most blatantly, it defies the cross. Jesus wasn’t crucified because his faith was weak. Lent is a time to embrace the cross, to willingly deny yourself some of the things many of your fellow human beings will never have. It is a time to admit that it’s not about you: it’s about a loving God who sometimes allows you to suffer so that the world through you might be moved a bit closer to the sound of the trumpet and the rending of the heavens and resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting. Grace and Peace, Paul
March 15, 2009 Looking through my files, I found this old “psalm” that I wrote thirty-five years ago when I was working for Aetna Insurance Company and commuting from Irmo to the office on Pickens Street every day. It seems even more appropriate in today’s busy world.
Grace and Peace, Paul
March 8, 2009 There are some things that we wouldn’t know or understand about Jesus if we didn’t have the church to teach us. There are some things we would not discover by worshipping God on the beach or golf course. One of those things is that, “the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed”. Another one of those things is, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus’ teaching gets difficult. Note that he teaches both the disciples and the multitudes, anyone within the sound of his voice. This is not a requirement just for the inner circle of the 12; this is at the heart of what it means to follow Jesus. No wonder Jesus has to teach this to us, for here is an insight that we would never have come to on our own. Here is a teaching—the Son of God is a Suffering One, AND those who follow Him must also suffer and be crucified and die—that we must be taught. So the church gathers us here, on the Second Sunday in Lent, and teaches us something that we would never know if the church had not taught it to us. Those who follow Jesus must deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow, lose our lives in the embrace of his life. Aren’t you glad that we are once again in the season of Lent and that once again, we are sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to him teach? Evelyn
March 1, 2009 Words have a life of their own. Meanings change with each generation. Nouns become adjectives become verbs. Connotations change through cultural transitions. Words as used today may have meant something quite different a couple of decades ago, and contemporary notions of “political correctness” color even the simplest expressions. Take, for example, the word “sin.” In a conversation with some of my colleagues the other day, someone said that “sin” has dropped out of the vocabulary of a lot of congregations. People want to hear sermons, he said, that emphasize God’s acceptance of everybody regardless of how they live or what they’ve done. People don’t want to hear that they might be judged and found wanting in any way. Churches nowadays want to present messages that bring in the masses, and the hard sayings of Jesus and the Bible just don’t cut it in modern society. He pointed to a handful of high-profile churches that have overflowing crowds: the crowds come because they respond to feel-good sermons about how God thinks everybody deserves to be happy and beautiful and well-to-do, he says. That description lies in stark contrast to “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him of no account.” (Isaiah 53:2-3) If God would want to live among us like that, who are we to think we can stand before God in arrogant self righteousness, refusing to recognize our need to repent? The season of Lent has begun. It is a time to confess that “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Grace and Peace, Paul
February 22, 2009 Methodism began as a holiness movement, the stated purpose being “to spread Scriptural holiness throughout the land.” John Wesley and his brother Charles and the other early Methodists took their faith seriously. Weekly class meetings included rigid examinations of character. Some historians have credited the Methodist movement with saving England from the kind of violent revolutions that occurred in other European countries during the 16th and 17th centuries. Methodism became a separate denomination in America in 1794 when newly won independence from England resulted in the desire to be independent from the Church of England as well. John Wesley had expressed the fear that the greatest danger faced by the people called Methodist was that their deliberate faith-informed lifestyle would result in personal industry that would make them prosperous, and once they became prosperous they would be tempted to stray from the narrow path. During the 18th century many Methodists felt that was happening, and several splinter groups (such as the Salvation Army and the Pentecostal Holiness Church) separated from the Methodist Church to, in their way of thinking, reestablish the original emphasis on holiness. Hopefully we have not lost our desire to live lives that are holy enough to be distinguished from the secular culture! Grace is free, but it is not cheap. We acknowledge our sinfulness, ask for forgiveness, and daily strive to be more like Jesus. Holiness is not a religious fanatic’s pipe dream; it is a requirement for citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. See you in church. Grace and Peace, Paul
February 15, 2009 “The days of our life are threescore and ten years, our perhaps fourscore if we are strong.” (Psalm 90:10) But how about fourscore and ten or more? Washington Street has twenty-two members who are ninety years old or more. Many of them still regularly attend and are active in church and community. There must be “something in the water” around here. Each year the Membership and Evangelism Committee hosts a reception for our 90+ group, and that wonderful event is scheduled for this Sunday, February 15, immediately following the 11:00 worship service. Ann Jessup, who chairs the committee, has put together some fascinating facts about them: Nelle Hunt has been at Washington Street the longest, having joined in 1927. (The most recent member among them is John Zachary, who joined us in 2004.) The average length of membership in this group is 56 years, but sixteen of these members have been here longer than the average. All together, these twenty-two nonagenarians represent one thousand one hundred seventy-five years of membership at Washington Street. That’s 1175 years of “prayers, presence, gifts and service.” That’s 428,875 days of witness for Jesus Christ as ambassadors for our congregation. Certainly, many lives have been touched and much good has been done for God’s kingdom because of these special people! Stop by after worship and greet them and let them know how much we appreciate their faithfulness through the years. They are:
Anna Ackerman Paul
February 8, 2009 Recently I heard an appealing analogy for the faith experience. It seems that a small boy was flying a kite high up in the sky. Soon a low-drifting cloud encircled the kite and hid it from view. A man passing by asked the little boy what he was doing with that string in his hand. “Flying my kite,” the child responded. The man looked up at the sky and saw only the cloud. “I don’t see a kite up there. How can you be sure that there is a kite up there?” The child replied, “I don’t see it either, but I know my kite is up there because every once in a while there is a little tug on the string.” Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The ways, actions and purposes of God are not always evident to us. Yet as Christians, we know that God is at work in our world in ways that we often don’t see or understand. Our faith can’t be proved scientifically and God is often mysterious. But when we feel that “tug on the string,” it’s a reminder that God IS there, even when we don’t have all the answers. I thank God that we have this place where we can share our stories, our questions and our experiences with each other. We worship Christ and wait for him to be revealed yet again to us. Evelyn
February 1, 2009 Staying informed about comings and goings at the church keeps us connected. Whether it’s finding out about activities in which we want to be involved, viewing the order of worship, or learning who might need our help or our prayers. The flow of information is crucial to the life of the church. In the past people relied on word of mouth, a town bulletin board, or a church bell to announce a gathering. At WSUMC we have relied on the weekly bulletin. However, this is an expense that the church can no longer justify because there are more efficient and economical ways to get the word out. News from the church can be obtained on the website (www.washingtonstreetumc.com) or via email (call to get on the mailing list and have the bulletin sent electronically). Many of you are at the church fairly often and can pick up a copy after Wednesday. Or, simply get one when you come on Sunday morning. Everyone’s finances are tight, and we are looking for ways to cut back on our expenses at the church. Because of a shortfall in our projected income for 2009 we are looking for ways to cut unnecessary spending. Many, perhaps most of you, do not need to have the bulletin mailed to your door each week. So, beginning the week of March 1, the bulletin will no longer be mailed to everyone. (They will of course be available for pick up at the church office or at worship on Sundays.) Reducing the number of bulletin mailings will save by reducing the cost of postage, the cost of paper, and the cost of copying. If we can reduce the number of pieces mailed each week by at least half, we will save some $3-4,000 this year in expenses. We will continue to mail the newsletter to homebound members and others who are confined and to any of you who request the mailing. If you wish to continue receiving the bulletin by mail after March 1, please contact Teressa in the church office and ask that we continue to mail the bulletin to you. Working together, we can stay in touch and be responsible stewards. The Finance Committee
January 25, 2009 This Sunday we are starting a new tradition at Washington Street; a baby blessing ceremony. Each January we’ll gather all the parents with babies born the past year and bless those little ones as our own. There were seven babies born to Washington Street families in 2008. They are:
Ann Pollard Grace and Peace, Paul
January 18, 2009 The season of Epiphany is a time when the church focuses on evangelism (getting the word out) and discipleship (following the leader). The Gospels have a number of intriguing stories about how the first disciples entered into that relationship with Jesus. Our popular image is one of Jesus walking up to people he had never seen before and saying, “Follow me,” without even introducing himself, where upon they drop whatever they’re doing and go off with him to travel about the country. Almost certainly that isn’t what happened. The disciples of Jesus came into that relationship in a variety of ways. Some of them were introduced to him by John the Baptist. Some got to know him in the normal ebb and flow of close-knit communities. Some heard about him “through the grapevine.” Others were brought into the group by those who were closest to Jesus. In nearly every instance there is evidence that the new disciple had some prior contact with Jesus. Evangelism, then, is simply the art of extending an invitation to meet Jesus. Jesus, of course, left this earth a long time ago, and “sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,” as the Apostles’ Creed says. His representative on earth is the church, which the apostle Paul refers to as “the body of Christ.” So our task is to invite people to meet the body of Christ. In other words, walk up to a friend or relative or co-worker or new neighbor and say, “I’d love to have you come to church with me this Sunday.” Try it. It might be an epiphany for them. See you in church! Grace and Peace, Paul
January 11, 2009 When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, a precedent was established for his followers for all time to come. Christians are different in just about every way imaginable, but we all have one thing in common: we are a baptized people. At some point someone sprinkled, poured, or immersed you in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that is the moment at which you became part of this great family called the Church, the Body of Christ. The ritual of baptism is the beginning point of our journey as Christians, but it really only represents the first phase of a life-long process. For the journey to continue, the Holy Spirit must be involved. This morning, with Christians around the world, we remember the baptism of our Lord. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit is said to have descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove. Our baptism, too, is an invitation to the Holy Spirit to take up residence in us and begin the life-long work of forming us in the image of Christ. On this day, with Christians everywhere, you are called to “Remember your baptism, and be thankful.” Grace and Peace, Paul
January 4, 2009 Martin Luther says of the magi: “These Wise Men were not kings or princes. Herod treated them as subjects when he commanded them to go to Bethlehem and bring him word. He would not have done this if they had been kings or lords. He would have invited them to dine and would have accompanied them on their way with royal treatment, for all the historians say that Herod was a smooth man who observed the etiquette of courts. Since he summoned them secretly, they must have been of much lower station.” These odd outsiders were the first to be invited by God to come worship the babe in the manger. When Matthew included the magi in his story, he calls to Christ precisely those persons whom many of the people of God consider unworthy. The magi are walking illustrations of God’s grace, embodying the effusive invitation for the whole world to come and adore the babe at Bethlehem. In every corner of the earth, ordinary people are witnesses to God’s Light. We pray for that day when all people shall see Christ’s rising star and believe in Him. Evelyn
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