www.myersparkumc.org

704.376.8584

info@mpumc.org

LIVESTREAMWORSHIP TIMES8:45 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. | 11:00 a.m.

THIS WEEKHOLY WEEK EDITION | APRIL 5 | 2020

1501 Queens RoadCharlotte, NC 28207

HOLY WEEKAnd Easter

Our service times and details are below:

MAUNDY THURSDAYApril 9 | 7:30 p.m.

Join us from your home for Maundy Thursday Holy Communion live at 7:30 p.m. Have some bread and grape juice or wine at your table and join us on Facebook live or CLICK HERE. Dr. Howell will guide us through our time together remembering Jesus’ Last Supper.

GOOD FRIDAYApril 10 | 7:30 p.m.

EASTER SERVICESApril 12 | 8:45 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. | 11:00 a.m.

In addition to being live in our sanctuary, we will include video clips of some of last year’s triumphal music with full choir, brass, and the crowds.

ACCESS OUR SERVICES ONLINE:www.myersparkumc.org/worship/watch-live

AT MYERS PARK

IGNATIANDAILY EXAMENBY R E V. TAY LO R P RY D E BA R E FO OT

Silence is God’s First LanguageSt. John of the Cross

When this all began, many of us may have had high hopes for this season. Imagining we would use this time to be creative, contemplative, read more and on and on. For some of you, that may be the case, and I say “keep it up!” For many of us, however, we have found all this “extra” time filled with anxious thoughts, new family needs and routines, exhaustion, grief, and an increased work load.

These are anxious times and we are grieving, which leads to feelings of exhaustion and inability to focus. And then we beat ourselves up because we aren’t being productive like we thought we could be. Our homeschooling isn’t going as well as our neighbors, we aren’t working out like our friend is, or we aren’t able to read all the books. And that’s okay.

We must offer ourselves grace. God’s love for us is not dependent on our productivity levels. This might be a season where the only thing we can offer God is our presence. Let’s recalibrate our goals. What if this week, all we tried to do was be present with God and simplify our prayers?

If you’re like me, you need help and structure to slow down. I am grateful for this resource shared by Kathy Mansfield as she compiled this way of praying known as the Daily Examen from Ignatius of Loyala.

EXAMEN OF MY DAY adapted from Jerry Webber’s workAn Examen is a kind of review of the day using five phrases that we often use when talking to others. Take a few minutes at the end of the day to think about the day. The phrases will help you. We are looking back to see where God was with us in ways we actually saw and ways we perhaps didn’t see. When we do our Examens or reviews each day, we’ll find that we’ll know more and more that God is present to us throughout the day. Think of this time as prayer between you and your Heavenly Father.

1. THANK YOU.What can I specifically thank God for? What happened today for which I am thankful? .

2. HELP ME.What do I want? What do I need? How do I need help in life right now? What happened today that signals my need for help? .

3. I LOVE YOU.How have I felt the love of God today? In what ways have I sensed God choosing me? How have I known God’s calling upon my life? What have I experienced that says to me that I am unique and prized by God? In what ways has God said to me, “You are my beloved one.I am well-pleased with you”?

4. FORGIVE ME.As I look back over the day, what feelings need to be healed? What thoughts or actions need to be forgiven? Where have I hurt someone else? Where has someone hurt me? What chances did I miss to be Christ-like to someone who was in need? We are gently asking God to bring to our minds those things we need to face, then we are dealing with whatever comes to the surface.

5. BE WITH ME.How do I need Jesus to be with me? How do I want the Holy Spirit to empower my life? What issues and challenges are coming up in the next few days? How do I want Jesus to be with me through these upcoming challenges?

WELCOMETo Our Church !

We are the body of Christ, growing in faith and serving others.

Our Deepest SympathyBillie Hoover Hamlett, grandmother of Heather Renfroe and great-grandmother of Mosley and Juniper Renfroe, who died March 31.

Pauline Doris Gross, mother of Vickie Crawford, grandmother of John Crawford, Jason Crawford and Jill Gad, and great-grandmother of Jackson, Kennedy, Carson, and Logan Crawford, and Connor and Madison Gad, who died March 30.

John "J.C." COLLETT III, son of John & Ginny Collett, and brother of Coley & Addy Collett, who died March 23.

LENTEN DEVOTIONALOur Stephen Ministers provide an annual Lenten devotional booklet for us, which is free of charge. They are available to view online and include essays from church members, clergy, and staff.

SUNDAY WORSHIPThere are multiple ways to remain together even if we’re not in the same room with one another! With multiple avenues of accessing our worship services, we can join together each Sunday online at 8:45. 9:45, and 11:00 a.m. Access our livestream at the link below or on Facebook. We look forward to continuing to worship with you on Sunday!www.myersparkumc.org/watch-live

WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDYWednesday’s live Bible study at 11:00 a.m. will be Dr. Howell showing us what Jesus did day by day and where during the original Holy Week. The Study will gather virtually at livestream.com/mpumcAlso, Dr. Howell's daily emails will track Jesus’ during Holy Week and what it means for us. If you don’t receive these, you can sign up here.

VIRTUAL SMALL GROUPS VIA ZOOMWe invite you to get involved and grow in your spiritual life during Lent as we stay connected via technology in this season. We absolutely welcome newcomers to the study! Contact Rev. Uiyeon Kim at ukim@mpumc.org with any questions. To join, along with instructions for Zoom, click here.

OUR DIGITAL CONNECTIONS

IN ANTICIPATIONOF HOLY WEEKBY R E V. N AT H A N A R LE D G E

OUR JOURNEY TOWARD THE CROSS

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:6-9

As we journey toward the cross, let us continue to prepare the way of the Lord. Whether that means getting the donkey, laying down our coats, or it means laying down our lives for the the sake of the Kingdom of God, let us all do it for the one who first laid down his life for ours. To help us lead our lives in this way, I invite you to pray the Wesleyan covenant prayer at the beginning of each day this week. Allow the prayer to guide you in your service and faith formation this Holy Week:

A COVENANT PRAYER IN THE WESLEYAN TRADITIONContemporary Version

I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you, Praised for you or criticized for you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service. And now, O wonderful and holy God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, you are mine, and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, Let it also be made in heaven. Amen.

GIVING AT MYERS PARKThank you for your continued support of the Operating Fund during this season of shifting connections.

Make your gift today atmyersparkumc.org/give or by mail to1501 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207.

Questions?Contact Jamie Yearwood, Director of Development, at jyearwood@mpumc.org or 704-295-4808.

EASTER OFFERINGEach year our Easter Offering directly supports our mission partners, and this year will be no different. We will remain faithful to our commitment to support the Men's Shelter and Faith Ministry in Reynosa, Mexico. Your gift helps ensure generational transformation for our neighbors near and far. To make a gift,

FAITH MINISTRYMyers Park United Methodist Church has been sending groups to Reynosa Mexico to work with Faith Ministry for SIXTEEN years. Sixteen. That means over 500 of our youth have worked side by side with our Mexican neighbors to build homes for those who lived without. They have endured heat and hard work, scaled roofs and poured floors, and worshipped God through song and service. The friendships they built with Faith Ministry staff and Reynosa families are as solid as the homes. Over and over again, our Youth report that their experience in Reynosa transformed them and their faith in God is forever linked to their work with Faith Ministry.

We are sending our Easter Offering to our friends at Faith Ministry as an expression of our gratitude for the transformational opportunity they provide our youth and to help expand their reach into the

Reynosa community to provide safe and secure housing to the most vulnerable around them. In addition to housing, Faith Ministry provides scholarships to students, a medical clinic with a child’s nutrition and infant feeding program, and opportunities for the community to develop and grow in a relationship with God.

STATESVILLE AVENUE SHELTER REBUILD Men’s Shelter of Charlotte|Urban Ministry Center is planning the construction of a new 196-bed emergency shelter, which will be built on the same site as its current Statesville Avenue shelter. The current shelter is deteriorating. All 180 beds are filled every night along with additional mats on the floor during extreme weather which can number more than 30.

The 196-bed replacement shelter  is  designed to help men emerge from homelessness  by adding space for on-site case management and employment services. The new facility will feature a cooking kitchen, guest laundry services, and more privacy in the dorms. A group room will enable classes to be held on-site and a mobile computer lab will assist with employment-related activities. Half of Our Easter Offering will help fund this shelter and promote the ideals of Dignity, Functionality, and Capacity that Men’s Shelter of Charlotte|Urban Ministry Center strives to deliver.

Thanks to one of our younger members for their gift! Adults take note; you can include artwork and Purell provision with your offering.

GOODNESS GRACIOUS: MORE GOOD NEWS!Jean Cannon & GoodnessGracious! Gifts

In the past week the Goodness Gracious! board voted to donate $5,000 each to MPUMC's Trinity's Table, Fashion and Compassion in Charlotte which helps women at risk, and DonorsChoose's Keep Kids Learning Fund where our donation was doubled by Melinda and Bill Gates.These are in response to our volunteers wanting to do something meaningful during the coronavirus tragedy.

CLICK HERE

SHARE YOUR WORSHIP PHOTOS WITH US!Email them to Sarah Gibson

CONNECT WITH US!Fol low us on socia l media@myersparkumc

Vis i t our websi tew w w.myersparkumc.orgto f ind small groups, ways to serve and engage, how to give, and plug in with other members of our church!

OUR CLERGYDr. James C. HowellSenior Pastor

Rev. Nathan ArledgePastor of Missions & Community Engagement

Rev. Taylor BarefootPastor for Emerging Ministries

Rev. Jessica DaysonPastor for Young Adults &Lay Involvement

Rev. Uiyeon KimPastor of Discipleship

Rev. Bill RothPastor of Congregational Care

Rev. Nancy WatsonExecutive Pastor

TALK WITH A PASTORA pastor on staff stands ready to respond to your question or concern. Those needing immediate pastoral help should call 704-376-8584 and follow the prompts to the pastor on call.

A JOURNEY THROUGH HOLY WEEKby Rev. Uiyeon Kim

REFLECTION

I’ve never journeyed through a Lent season like this one. What has been the most difficult aspect of this Lent season (COVID-19 / “Shelter In Place”) for you? Loss of job, decrease in income, declining health,

death of a loved one, and the list can go on and on. In times of any great loss and unexpected grief, it can be really difficult to see how you can recover and pull through. In the midst of darkness, one can simply assume that light will never find its way into that darkness. So, in the midst of this expected (Lent) and unexpected (COVID-19) season, we can easily fall into the abyss of hopelessness instead of holding onto hope.

In the Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen writes, “My own pain in life has taught me that the first step to healing is not a step away from the pain, but a step toward it.” Stepping into our pain can seem so difficult, if not impossible, because we cannot see anything positive in suffering. Yet, our pain and suffering touch us in our uniqueness and our most intimate individuality. Your pain and suffering tell a story that only you can share. And in sharing your story, you can become a conduit for healing.

In Jesus, we know that pain, suffering, and death no longer represent the enduring reality of our lives. In Jesus, light will always find a way into the darkness and no abyss will be too deep for our God to reach. Friends, we trust and believe in the resurrection. We can indeed get through this Lent season because no one can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ – “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it!” (John 1:15).

PRAYERLoving and gracious God, we continue our journey through this Holy Week toward Easter Sunday. On this unexpected and unprecedented season of Lent, we grieve and lament. But even though we may, at times, find ourselves in uncertain darkness, your light will always shine through. Even in the midst of the darkest of nights, we thank you for your blessed assurance and promises of salvation and eternal life. Amen.

MAKING, AND BREAKING, BREAD: BEING TOGETHERby Rev. Jessica Dayson

There is something beautiful about gathering ingredients and mixing them together to create a beautiful (and tasty) new creation. One of my seminary professors, Norman Wirzba

always says that “Food is God’s love made delectable”. As we find ourselves isolated in our homes more than usual, I want to encourage you to perhaps try something new in the kitchen. Go into it with an open mind, try making something you’ve always wanted to, pull out an old

recipe from your childhood, indulge in something sweet...just because.

As we enter into this Holy Week, we know that Jesus gathered for a sacred meal with his friends, the disciples. Prepare a special meal this week...the earth is a beautiful creation that produces a great variety for us to enjoy. Food is a reminder of God’s provision in our lives, for our literal daily bread. Prepare a meal, be thoughtful of those who go with out, be open and playful to trying something new, recognize that God’s love is experienced in the eating and sharing of a meal...even at home around your table. This Thursday as a church we will all celebrate Holy Communion in our homes. We are encouraging you to participate in that service with us by having your own bread and juice or wine. We will celebrate together this sacred meal that Jesus invites us to over and over again. Here’s a recipe that I have made in the past for churches I have served, feel free to give it a try! If you are on Facebook or Instagram, tag us and show us your bread for our Maundy Thursday Holy Communion.

Food is a gift of God given to all creatures for the purposes of life’s nurture, sharing, and celebration. When it is done in the name of God, eating is the earthly realization of God’s eternal communion-building love.”Norman Wirzba, Food and Faith