December 2020 / January 2021

THE WARNER MEMO

Image by Sebastiano Iervolino

THE NEWSLETTER OF WARNER MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

www.warnermemorial.org

December Calendar January Calendar

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

The Christmas Joy Offering is being collected through December. See page 10 for more information.

2

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

Dear Warner Family and Friends,

In 1943, Irving Berlin's song "Home For Christmas," as sung by Bing Crosby, was the hit of the season. At a time when many Americans were separated by loved ones serving in World War II, the dulcet tones of Mr. Crosby assured listeners that even if they couldn't be physically together, they could still be close to one another in spirit, "in [their] dreams." (Listen to that song HERE).

This year, it seems, we will all be "home for Christmas," though perhaps not the home we'd most like to be in or with the ones we love, and certainly not for the reasons we'd prefer.

What does it mean to be home for Christmas? What does it mean to make a home for Christ in your house, in your life, in your heart? This Advent, while many of our best-loved traditions are on hold, we'll have an opportunity to look with fresh eyes at the ways we make a home in our hearts for Christ.

In the 16th century, theologian Angelus Silesius wrote:

If in your heart you make a manger for his birth, then God will once again become a child on earth.

These have become treasured words for me, and not just in Advent. My friend, Ana Hernandez, set them beautifully to music (listen to it HERE). No matter how or when we observe Advent this year, my prayer for all of us is that we can make more room in our hearts and homes for Christ. In this season, may we all grow closer to the One who Was, and Is, and Is To Come.

Wishing you a quietly expectant Advent,

Rev. Adele

3

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

ONLINE WORSHIP Montgomery County has loosened some of the restrictions put in place during the pandemic, but we are not yet ready to open our building. While our church leadership considers when and how we might safely do so, we continue to worship using Zoom. The Zoom link is the same for all Sunday services and Sunday School classes:

https://zoom.us/j/875267398 301-715-8592 Mtg ID: 875267398

NOTE: Volunteers are needed each and every Sunday to help with worship. Expand your horizons and knowledge and be an on-line worship leader! Click here to view the sign up.’

WORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

● Advent Candle Lighting ~ 11AM worship on Sundays or anytime Each Sunday morning at the beginning of worship, we will light our own Advent wreaths at home, but together. We'll also make room to name the things that make hope, peace, joy and love seem hard this year. And if you can't join us on Sunday morning, you're invited to use the liturgy at home for your own

4

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

prayer whenever you are able. Click HERE for more about our Advent wreath and candle lighting this year.

● Advent Candlelighting Song We'll sing a simple refrain of "While We Are Waiting, Come" each week as we light our candles. Click HERE to listen to Rev. Adele teach it to you, if you don't already know the song.

● Advent and Christmas Daily Devotional From Presbyterians Today, "Let Us Light Candles: Matthew 25 and the work of Advent," a beautiful devotional including scripture, brief reflection and prayer, takes us not just through Advent but Christmastide too, ending with Epiphany on January 6, using the inspiring words of Howard Thurman's poem, "I Will Light Candles This Christmas." You can read it the devotional online HERE.

● Evening Vespers ~ Wednesdays at 7 PM Join Rev. Adele for a brief service of evening prayer, including candlelight, scripture and song. On Zoom and Facebook Live. Bring your own candle to light.

● Lessons & Carols ~ Sunday, December 20 at 11 AM Join us for special music from our choir and guest instrumentalists to sing some of our favorite Christmas carols and hear Christmas readings. Invite a friend to Zoom!

● Christmas Eve ~ Thursday, December 24 at 8 PM We'll celebrate Christ's birth with communion, carols and candlelight in our own homes, physically distant but spiritually close. All are welcome.

5

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

MESSAGE FROM WORSHIP & MUSIC

The Worship & Music Commission has been working with Rev. Adele this past month planning our first Advent season without being in the church building, without hugging our friends and wishing Christmas blessings face to face. We hope this will be the only year this happens!

We’ve just passed Thanksgiving and we hope that everyone has found many blessings to be thankful for despite the

things that have brought us sadness or grief. Thanksgiving is truly a good beginning for the Advent season. Being thankful opens our hearts to feeling hope, to finding peace and joy in our daily lives, and to sharing our love of God with the world.

We will be sharing the Advent season in new ways and in the coming months we will be looking at what is most important to Warner as we seek how best to serve God. Will we make any changes in deciding where we are going or how we worship? Change can be scary sometimes but it can also be fulfilling.

The PW Book Club just finished reading Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl. Two thoughts about change come from the book: “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” and “The most important lesson we learn at the table is that great rewards await those who take chances.”

The schedule for Advent events can be found elsewhere in the Memo. We hope you will participate in as many events as you are able. And we look forward to hearing your comments about this Advent season. What was most meaningful to you? Do you have ideas for additional ways to celebrate this first season in the church calendar? What have

6

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

you missed the most? Please share your thoughts with Rev. Adele and members of the Worship and Music Commission (Ginny Atwood, Chris Bragg, Jim Bresee, Kay Gorman, Bob Koch, John Morris, Sungho Paik, Peter Smeallie).

Kay Gorman

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Look for these programs during Advent!

Press Pause ~ Tuesdays from 12-1 PM Zoom lunch break study with Rev. Adele. Using Christmas in the Four Gospel Homes by Cynthia Campbell, each week we'll consider the house each gospel writer creates for Jesus. Read a sample of it HERE. Available in paperback or as an e-reader from your favorite bookstore.

Storytime with Rev. Adele ~ on demand. Specifically for the younger church, we'll read Where Does God Live? by Holly Bea, available after December 1, and Song of the Stars, by Sally Lloyd-Jones, available after December 20. Included with each will be a few questions for families to talk about together. Great for parents, grandparents, and kiddos! Look for it on our website and Facebook page!

Nativity Accounts ~ each Saturday We will post a portion of the nativity story retold in a fun, relatable way. Told by Sheri Daughterty, Dave Grace and our Christian Ed team. All ages. Watch our website and Facebook page!

7

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

Click here to access the above PDF with live links.

8

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

COMMISSION TO THE COMMUNITY

Thank You for Contributing to Special Offerings! During the pandemic, many in our congregation have struggled. In spite of this, we have continued to give for others. Thank you!

Two Cents a Meal. In October-November we were able to send $200 to MUM. This has long been one of our favorite local charities, with whom several Warner members have close ties. MUM distributes food directly, and also assists some people with rent and utility bills.

In December-January Two Cents a Meal will be supporting Rainbow Place. This monetary gift is in addition to the meals that Warner families take to feed homeless women during the winter months. Please read the notices concerning the meal schedule, and help if possible.

Peace and Global Witness. At the time of this writing the tally is not quite final, but we have a few cents less than $1155. Three fourths of this will go to appropriate activities in our presbytery and in our national church. The other fourth will go to The Family Tree, a Maryland organization that works to strengthen families and prevent child abuse.

The Christmas Joy Offering. This offering is described on the next page. Please read that article and

respond as you can.

Thank you,

Cory Atwood

9

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

Joy Gift 2020

We give great thanks for the gift of Jesus, who forever changed the world and our lives. Despite pressing problems and the pandemic, we live lives of resplendent blessings: safety, friends and family, healthy food, a loving church family. This Christmas Eve, the Joy Gift Offering is our opportunity to assist retired church workers in need and students working towards service in our global church community. Please give generously and thankfully. If you send a check to WMPC or donate on the Warner website, please write “Joy Gift” on the check’s memo line or in the donation page’s Comments box. Thank you.

Susan Bresee Unified Mission Giving: Where does it go?

Every year, Warner sends over half of its mission giving to the National Capital Presbytery to support Unified Mission Giving. This fund supports all of the mission funding distributed by the National Capital Presbytery (NCP) to churches and organizations across the Presbytery. This is divided across the work of the Mission Coordinating Committee (MCC)

and the Church Development Committee (CDC) to support important activities – some of which Warner supports as well. Here are some examples of where that support goes.

NCP works to use the Unified Giving to fulfill its ministry goals to be Missional, Pastoral, and Prophetic.

10

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

● 38% of Unified Giving goes to Missional activities, which is what our churches do beyond our walls.

● 32% goes to our Pastoral ministries, which is how we care for our clergy, educators, congregations, and during crises.

● 30% goes to our Prophetic ministries, which work to bring about change.

Dismantling Racism Team

The Mission Statement of the Presbytery states that we will “bear public witness to the love, truth, and justice of God in Jesus Christ specifically in the areas of racism and reconciliation.

This multi-year effort of the NCP has been working with Black Presbyterians United and congregations throughout the NCP to identify essential needs to address systemic racism within our Presbytery: both the community and within our own walls. Annual Racial Awareness training and coordinated planning to understand local needs will soon give rise to new training of NCP’s clergy, staff, and ministry leaders to better understand how much of what our Presbytery has achieved has been at great cost to our black and brown communities. Understanding systemic racism is the first step to overcoming it, and NCP is working hard to strengthen churches that have been disadvantaged by our social and economic systems and deepen our anti-racism work.

United Campus Ministry at University of Maryland: Despite being shut down due to COVID-19, United Campus Ministry has been reaching out to work with students adjusting to online learning. Reverend Holly Ulmer pastored to students dealing with despair over the loss of their normal campus life and helped them adjust to new realities. Through their Learn, Listen, and Lead (L3) program, they helped students balance their life in this new setting. They also were already working to address Race and Religion, even before the tragic deaths of George

11

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

Floyd, Breanna Taylor, and so many more. UMC Interns lead studies on the intersectionality of faith and the simultaneous impacts of COVID-19 on the African American Community and the rise of Xenophobia. Virtual worship services helped students explore what it means to have faith, cultivate spiritual resilience, and be followers of Christ.

Arise Campus Ministry at George Mason University: This very active ministry has also pivoted to online work, shifting from facilitating on-campus events to assisting students in need as many lost their on-campus jobs and stable housing. They conduct weekly check-ins with the 75 students active in Arise. They have moved their services and social activities online.

Germantown Global Connection: This new worshiping community developed with help from CDC gathers unchurched school-aged families from the diverse populace of Central Montgomery County and offers opportunities for fellowship, service in the community, and pathways for personal and spiritual growth. In this time of COVID, the Connection has provided support of trusted friends helping each other, including collecting and shelving food for the pantry at Germantown HELP.

Ridgetop Coffee and Tea was an outreach ministry of Riverside PC that employed local workers to provide a place to buy a drink, connect with others, and feel a sense of belonging. When COVID closed the doors at Ridgetop they immediately pivoted the program, keeping Ridgetop’s employees working by becoming Ridgetop Kitchen, cooking, serving, and delivering meals for the food insecure members of their community. This was made possible by Unified Giving and grants from Loudon Hunger Relief.

Bridges is a new ministry recently formed under CDC’s “New Things.” Reaching out to the LGBTQ+ people in Prince George’s County, Bridges pivoted to work with the Racism Task Force of Oaklands PC to increase

12

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

visibility of how COVID-19 was harming persons of color and many in the LGBTQ+ community more than white communities.

These are just examples of the excellent work you support through your tithes and offerings to Warner. For the full Unified Giving Budget report, please see https://thepresbytery.org/impact/2020-ncp-narrative-budget.html

Mark Eakin DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS

You can have a Green Christmas with a bit of creative purpose. Did you know, the human eye is hardwired to perceive more subtle variations in the color green than any other color? But in this case of Green, we’re talking about caring for creation.

Reduce:

● Purchase less stuff and avoid plastic (especially single-use). ● Send a gift of caring through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog at

https://presbyteriangifts.pcusa.org, and buy local and Fair Trade items (more on that to follow)! In lieu of a gift item, mail a handwritten letter, offer to cook food, or teach a skill – even over Zoom.

13

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

Reuse:

● Give a gift of a cloth mask or refillable sanitizer. Surprise the recipient by using a box that disguises the true gift

Repurpose:

● Use a cloth bag, napkin, or cookie tin instead of wrapping paper, plastic zip lock, or gift bag: maps & comics as wrapping paper: cut up Christmas cards as gift tags, yarn as ribbon

Recycle:

● Plastic film wrapping can go to the grocery store; dead light strings to MOM’s Market. Avoid FOIL and foil-coated-paper gift wrap because it is not recyclable.

● In Montgomery County visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/sws/programs/ to get the answer to “How do I dispose of …?”

..and Remember to notice the wonderful natural world and to pray for communities who are most impacted by climate change.

June Eakin

14

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

LOCAL ALTERNATIVE GIFT IDEAS Alternative Gift Giving is a wonderful idea at Christmas. Please consider a gift to one of the following local organizations that mean so much to Warner.

LCYC: Gifts, treats and books are available through Frankenmuth Fundraising and Scholastic Books, which support the work of our preschool, LCYC. Place your orders by December 11 for Christmas delivery. Click HERE for more info.

Books to Prisons and Rainbow Place are both closed for in-person donations, but both have Amazon Wish Lists that are a great way to donate. Make sure to include your name and address on the gift receipt so the organizations can send their thanks!

Books to Prisons (Two wish lists):

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/XST0TQ95ZW67/

https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2WMIIBWISY0RD/ref=cm_go_nav_hz

For more information about ways you can support the Books to Prisons organization: http://dcbookstoprisoners.org/

Rainbow Place:

https://smile.amazon.com/hz/charitylist/ls/3HZOIIWO15S3R/ref=smi_ext_lnk_lcl_cl

15

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

PW Gift Baskets Come one, come all, and enjoy a PW gift basket, big or small!! Lovingly prepared for you to enjoy throughout the holiday season and beyond. Large / $35: Our large gift basket has a value of $75 but we offer it for $35! Each large basket includes both editions of the Warner cookbook 2005 and 2020, two sets of cards (total 2 dozen) by Tim Cook, Equal Exchange chocolate, coffee and tea, a holiday music CD and a specialty gift from Partners for Just Trade. Medium / $25: Our medium sized gift basket has a $50 value but is yours for $25 and includes: Warner’s newest cookbook 2020, two sets of cards (total 2 dozen) by Tim Cook, Equal Exchange coffee and chocolate, a holiday music CD and specialty gift from Partners for Just Trade. Small / $15: The small basket for $15 is packed full with one container of

Equal Exchange hot chocolate mix, box of tea and chocolate bar, a holiday music CD and two sets of cards (total 2 dozen) by Tim Cook. Cards / $12: Last but not least, get your holiday greeting cards, 36 for $12 featuring poinsettias and angels.

16

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

Your purchases support the ministry and mission of Presbyterian Women at Warner, which is completely self-funded. Please make checks payable to WMPC PW and mail to Ginny Atwood’s home address or send to the church office. The PW elves can deliver to your residence or your order can be available for pickup through the office. Please contact Lena Aspiras for questions or to place an order. Get your one of a kind gift basket before they’re all gone! Thank you and happy holidays!!!

Book Club and Joy Circle continue to meet on Zoom Book Club meets monthly for riveting discussions. You don’t need to read the book to attend! The next two books for Book Club are This is Happiness by Niall Williams in January and Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson in February. Dates for the January and February meetings will be announced in the bulletin as soon as they are confirmed. Book Club meets at 7pm on Zoom. ZOOM ID is 717 127 0266 and password is 10123. For any questions or to receive the PW book club list, please contact Lisa Smeallie.

Joy Circle continues to explore Rachel Held Evans’ Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water and Loving the Bible Again on the second Thursday of each month at 7. Join us on December 10 and January 14 via Zoom. Please contact June Eakin or Sue Burns for more details.

17

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

End of year highlights PW’s Coordinating Team met on Halloween Eve via Zoom complete with costumes! (Where’s Waldo?)

The Annual Meeting on 11/22/20 included a terrific presentation from guest speaker Theo Brown from Returning Citizens’ Assistance Network, approval of the 2021 budget, a review of PW events from the past year, and the re-election of officers Madalena Aspiras as co-Moderator, Lora McGlade as Vice Moderator, and Ginny Atwood as Treasurer. Officers will be installed on a yet to be determined Sunday in January. SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

The information below reflects the most recently approved minutes, which are from the stated meeting held October 27, 2020.

18

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

● Session passed a motion to approve the new, combined Building Use Policy that has been updated with information and protocols regarding COVID-19. This is in preparation for when the building is reopened to outside users.

● The Criminal Justice Reform Working Group requested that Warner support the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth in Maryland by becoming a signatory on a statement in support of the abolition of life without the possibility of parole for children in Maryland. The letter will be presented to the Maryland General Assembly in their next session. Session voted to have Reverend Adele sign on behalf of Warner.

● Giving has been at lower levels than expected for the past few months. We continue our usual withdrawals from investment interest income to augment the budget. Warner’s Employee Retention Tax Credit from the IRS has been delayed and may not arrive until December or January. If necessary, we will tap our endowment funds to make ends meet through the end of the year and pay it back when the tax credit arrives.

Also, the information below is from the October 25 Congregational Meeting which was held via Zoom.

● The following people were elected to serve as Ruling Elders:

Sharon Daugherty for the Class of 2022 Mark Eakin for the Class of 2023 Susan Kline for the Class of 2023

● The following people were elected to serve as Deacons:

Lena Aspiras for the Class of 2022 Bob Koch for the Class of 2023 Louise Koch for the Class of 2023 Grace Sooklal for the Class of 2023 Claudia Stalker for the Class of 2023

19

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

● Alan Schroeder was elected as an at-large member of the 2021 Nominating Committee

Thanks to the Nominating Committee for their hard work and thanks to all who agreed to serve! HELP WANTED

The team that brings you The Memo every month could use another volunteer! We need someone to help proofread before we go to press. Also, if you’d like to try assembling an issue for a few months during the year, that would be great too. And it can all be done from the comfort of your computer. If you’re interested, drop a note to

memo@warnermemorial.org. WARNER PEOPLE

Congratulations to Jan Moody! At the November 17 presbytery meeting, our dear friend Jan Moody was elected as Stated Clerk of National Capital Presbytery for a term of five years! As explained on the NCP website, “The Stated Clerk is the presbytery’s ecclesiastical administrator (the office relates to Sessions, Synod and General Assembly). The Clerk serves as the presbytery’s secretary and parliamentarian. The Clerk also serves as a polity resource to Clerks of Session, Moderators and the constitutional committees of presbytery.” It’s a big job, but we know Jan is definitely up to it and we wish her every success!

20

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

Update Your Address Books!

Cory Atwood has a new individual email address: corystatwood@gmail.com. Ginny's address, as well as the address for the family, remains unchanged, coryginnyatwood@gmail.com. A Note From Reverend Leslianne Dear Adele & Warnerites, I am now of the firm opinion that people who grieve should not be required to send thank you notes: however, Emily Post, Ann Landers AND Miss Manners disagree, so there we have it. That being said, I am in awe of the kindness and compassion expressed from so many at Warner. I am not surprised, just awash with gratitude for the flowers and cards and the parting gift. So, it is not difficult to write and thank you for your kindness and generosity. I am in the habit of praying for every church I’ve served. You will always be in my heart as I thank God for your continued ministry in the world. Peace and blessings, Leslianne

21

Beverly Sceery 10257 W. Ottawa Ave Littleton, Co 80127-2910 303-933-1368

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

22

December January

1 Scott Bunn 3 Ty Bragg, Mark Eakin, Tim Geiger, Ginger Kleinguenther 10 Sungho Paik 11 Varsha Datta, Ted Human 17 Cara Eakin Burgess 18 Andrei Pinkus 19 Sheri Daugherty 20 Brad Hill 21 Leigh Cook 22 Laura Kline 25 Tim Cook 27 Bill Landfair 28 Nathan Bresee, Mary Cameron 29 Donald Stalker 30 Loyce Bowen, Susan Middleswarth 31 Sean Brosnan, Calvin McGlade

2 Holly Trout 3 Camern Pinkus, Babs Sausser, Kate Zimmerman 5 John Locher, Andrew Och 6 John Morris 7 Douglas Victory 9 Janet Tennent 10 Ben Cope 13 Thomas Woodward 15 Kathy Stell 17 Nancy Lawrence Hill 18 Sue Maddox 21 Max Carroll 22 Lillian Gardner 25 Virander Datta 26 Kyle Smeallie, Usha Soni 30 Donna McNeil 31 Hilary Bragg

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church

10123 Connecticut Avenue

Kensington, MD 20895

301-949-2900

FAX 301-933-7704

Home Page: http://www.warnermemorial.org

Pastor: Rev. Adele Crawford

Director of Christian Education: Dave Grace

Director of Music: Peter Smeallie

Organist: Sungho Paik

Learning Center for Young Children: Rana Oriolo

301-949-2933

Office Manager/Administrative Assistant: Dina Bickel

Sunday Morning Preschool/Nursery Aide: Shervonne Johnson

Warner Weekly: office@warnermemorial.org

Warner MEMO: memo@warnermemorial.org

23

The Warner Memo December 2020/January 2021

24