The Burrito Bikers, Andy Weibley's Video, A Car

One good deed begets another: Church member and professional videographer Andy Weibley was so taken by the Burrito Bikers that he made a video celebrating their unique ministry. These Charlotteans, some of whom belong to Myers Park United Methodist Church, make burritos and deliver them (by bicycle, of course) to the homeless Sunday mornings uptown. Forty families are involved. The video was posted at www.mpumc.org. It was also entered in Rachel’s Challenge, a video contest inspired by Rachel Scott, one of the students killed at Columbine High School. The challenge is a nationwide effort to stop bullying and promote acts of kindness. WCNC-NewsChannel 36 and Carolina Chevy Dealers were sponsors. The idea: To honor videos that lift up good works in a way that inspires more good works. Weibley’s video won, the grand prize being a 2012 Chevy Sonic. More good works: He took the car and donated it to the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte, to transport homeless guests to work, medical appointments and the like. Says Weibley, a low-key fellow who lets his videos do his talking: “Turns out they really could use the car. They had a vehicle that was on its last legs.”


Share Your HeART

You are invited to submit art -- painting, photography, pottery, poetry and more -- reflecting your faith experiences for a congregational art exhibit, Share Your HeART. The exhibit will be displayed throughout Lent in the Parish Life Building hallways. Art must be received by February 15. Details: Minister of Worship and the Arts Rev. Ellen Robison at 704-295-4824 or ellen@mpumc.org.


Delivering The Stockings

Director of Communications Ken Garfield reflects...

As we do each year, church member Tom Eubanks and I delivered a pickup truck full of Christmas stockings to the Salvation Army Christmas Bureau, 150 or more this season, put together by our fifth-graders. It’s always humbling to take them into the old Wal-Mart off South Boulevard, an abandoned big box that come Friday will be filled with thousands of neighbors seeking Christmas. The Salvation Army person who helped us unload the boxes says they will provide gifts and goods to 7,000 families this Christmas, which includes 14,000 children. That’s up from previous years, she said. As we took the boxes from the truck, a man walked up wondering if he could get Christmas for his kids. It’s too late to sign up this Christmas, he was told, but the Salvation Army folks instructed him where to turn for holiday ministries that are still taking names. Those 14,000 children, then, do not include this man and his children……


What A Christmas Concert 


















































The Sunday Morning Shuttle

On Sundays, the shuttle bus runs from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. between the church and Myers Park Traditional School at 2132 Radcliffe Avenue. Pick-up and drop-off is under the portico of the Parish Life Building.

Those who ride and park on their own each Sunday morning, remember to leave the closest spots for the elderly, families and others who need them most. And please reserve the handicapped and senior citizen spots in the Parish Life lot for those wno need them most.


Giving Thanks, Proclaiming Unity

Director of Communications Ken Garfield writes about Mecklenburg Ministries' 36th annual interfaith Thanksgiving service at Temple Beth El:
 
After all the beautiful music, sacred readings and embraces among brothers and sisters, maybe this is the message to take home from Mecklenburg Ministries’ citywide interfaith service on Tuesday: There are two great truths, the Rev. John Cleghorn of Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church told us in his reflection before the offering. Love God, however we understand that. And honor the obligation we have to one another, an obligation that calls us to love and respect.

On the morning after the 36th annual Thanksgiving gathering, may we carry those truths into a desperate world.

Some 1,500 of us filled Temple Beth El – people of many faiths and perhaps no faith, whites, blacks, internationals, old, young, friends, strangers, all of us united by a yearning to stand together. This is not a unity that waters down who we are or what we believe. This is a unity that allows an imam to stand on the bimah (pulpit) of a synagogue and proclaim by his very presence what we believe. As Mecklenburg Ministries’ Maria Hanlin proclaimed to all: “We are more powerful together than we ever are individually.”

What sweet snapshots from an evening to savor…

The sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn that echoes in synagogues everywhere. The great procession of clergy as we sang We gather together in joyful thanksgiving, acclaiming creation, whose bounty we share. Young people reading sacred words from their faith, in more than one language, but really in one language, a language of hope. Monsignor John McSweeney of St. Matthew Catholic Church centering us on the meaning of gratitude. Cantor Mary Thomas and the interfaith adult choir lifting us from our seats with Halleluyah – a white, female Jewish cantor singing gospel, God bless her!

God bless all of us, really, and God bless the hope that sustains us from one Thanksgiving to another, that one day soon all on this fragile planet might wrap our arms around the words that carried us into the night on Tuesday. They came from the Rev. Clifford Jones of Friendship Missionary Baptist, whose mighty church will host the Thanksgiving service next year, a year surely that will bring us closer to love, yes?

“At the end of the day, we all hurt. We all cry. We all have moments of pain. We all have moments of laughter…We all come before the one God.”


September 25, 2011: Fourteenth Annual Hymn Sing
The fourteenth annual Hymn Sing took place on a rainy night in a bustling Jubilee Hall. It featured a choir of more than 100 singers, including Church In The Round Singers, Chancel Choir, Women's Choir, Youth Choir and Junior Choir, along with da Capo Brass. The congregation joined in with fervor, making for a truly joyful occasion. An ice cream social followed.





















September 11, 2011: Flood Buckets And Fellowship























Freedom School Finale

The 2011 Summer Freedom School finale was a joyful array of song-and-dance numbers ("Man in the Mirror: Freedom School Style" was a crowd favorite), as well as original chants and cheers that highlighted the scholars' successes throughout the summer. Perhaps the most moving moments came during the recognition of Volunteer Coordinator and church member Debby Wagner, followed by this year's crop of college interns. As the crowd dispersed, tears flowed freely between the interns and their scholars. It was a sure sign that over these six weeks, those involved with Freedom School became a family.   














Vacation Bible School

During the week of June 20, Myers Park United Methodist welcomed 330 children to the Shake It Up Cafe: Where Kids Carry Out God's Recipe. Kids started each day with singing, dancing and a Bible story. Throughout the week they worked on arts and crafts projects and enjoyed games and music. They also strengthened their faith through song, prayer and the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Special thanks to our wonderful volunteers for all of their hard work and enthusiasm! 

 

              

Summer Sundays

The worship schedule remains the same in summer: 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary and 8:45 a.m. Church In The Round in Jubilee Hall. Through August 7, summer worship will emphasize Genesis, and feature the singing of favorite old hymns and learning some new ones. There will also be Lemonade on the Lawn each Sunday after the 11:00 a.m. service on the lawn outside the Sanctuary. All are encouraged to bring a friend. It moves to the lobby of the Parish Life Building if the weather is bad.

The Summer Choir is open to all from high school age up, to sing at the 9:45 and 11:00 a.m. services June 19 to August 14. There will be no weeknight rehearsal. Instead, participants will meet at 8:50 a.m. in the Choir Room on those Sundays. Child care is available. Details: Blair Allen at 704-295-4831 or ballen@mpumc.org.
 

Ford To Men: Wait, Listen, Follow Instincts

Charlotte evangelist Leighton Ford offered 100 men of the church some poignant advice Sunday evening (May 15) in Jubilee Hall: "Wait, listen and follow your instincts," Ford told them, invoking advice from the current well-regarded film Soul Surfer.

Ford was the second speaker to address a Sunday evening dinner meeting of the new Men In Christ ministry. Brother-in-law of evangelist Billy Graham, he shared the good news that Graham had just been released from an Asheville hospital after a mild bout of pneumonia. Then Ford urged the men of all ages to pay attention to what God is doing in their lives. Slow down, a lesson he embraces after the death of their son, Sandy. Ruthlessly eliminate hurry. And "give your full attention to what God is doing right now."

Always ask yourself, he said: What do we miss in this life by not paying attention?

To learn more about Men In Christ, reach Rev. Shane Page at 704-295-4823 or shane@mpumc.org. The next Men In Christ dinner speaker: Bishop Larry Goodpaster at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, October 23, in Jubilee Hall.


Relief After The Tornado

Myers Park United Methodist Church has initiated a partnership with First United Methodist Church in Tuscalooa, Ala., to help victims of the recent tornadoes. Minister of Missions Kevin Wright counsels that the best way to help now is to make a donation to Myers Park United Methodist, and funds will go to First United Methodist in Tuscaloosa for short- and long-term relief efforts. A story in the latest Cornerstone church newsletter, mailed to homes and available online, details how the Alabama church is helping. Checks can be made out to Myers Park United Methodist with Tornado Relief in the memo line and put in the Sunday offering plate, brought to the front desk in the lobby of the Parish Life Building or mailed to 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207. Relief teams trained to work in these situations may be recruited to travel to Alabama to aid efforts, At this point, Wright says, financial donations are more efficient than donations of supplies.

For more, contact Director of Communications Ken Garfield at 704-295-4819 or ken@mpumc.org.

The Cornerstone dated May 11 also reports on church youth who attend University of Alabama, They all escaped harm, but have stories to tell.


Senior Recognition Sunday

The congregation on Sunday (May 1) called its high school seniors to the front of the church to wrap a blanket around their shoulders: A symbol of the unconditional love and support of their family and their faith family. As the blankets represent the warmth of love in this challenging world that awaits them, let it represent "New beginnings" as well, Youth Ministries' Lauren Taylor said.

"Today," Taylor told the congregation during the ceremony at the 11:00 a.m. service, "we give them our blessing and promise to be here for them..." Afterward, as happens each springtime, the seniors and their families gathered on the church lawn for photos and embraces. More signs of love and support.

....Ken Garfield, director of  communications.





This And That

For more about the church, reach Director of Communications Ken Garfield at 704-295-4819 or ken@mpumc.org. Myers Park United Methodist is at 1501 Queens Road, the corner of Queens and Providence roads in Charlotte.

Canned goods and other nonperishables for Charlotte’s needy are always welcome in the bin beside the front desk in the lobby of the Parish Life Building. It goes to Second Harvest Food Bank and HeartBright.
 
85th Anniversary Celebration, October 24, 2010

 












 








































Blessing of the Animals, October 3, 2010



























































The Sanctuary Reopens

The Sanctuary has reopened after the most extensive campaign to repair the sacred space since it opened in 1930. The project included repairing peeling plaster, repainting, putting down porcelain slate tile on the floor with new blue carpet in the common areas, putting down a new hardwood floor in the balcony, refinishing the pews, cleaning the organ pipes, installing new light fixtures and more.

Photos taken by church member John Daughtry show Sunday worship, including new Director of Music Jimmy Jones leading the choir and brass. Director of Communications Ken Garfield took photos of the reception in Jubilee Hall welcoming Jones to Myers Park United Methodist Church. The congregation contributed pledges and gifts to cover the cost of the $650,000 Sanctuary effort. Still to come: Replacing the Snyder Building roof.


The Sunday worship schedule: 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 in the Sanctuary, 8:45 a.m. Church In The Round in Jubilee Hall and 9:30 a.m. Holy Communion in the chapel behind the Sanctuary.

For questions on any aspect of the project, reach Senior Administrator JoAnn Horstman at 704-295-4844 or jhorstman@mpumc.org.














 

__________________________________________________

In Other Church News...
Where Does Our Love (And Money) Go?

Amid concern in Charlotte over whether the faith community can fill the gap in giving, it’s good to reflect on at least a partial answer: Congregations can’t meet all the growing needs of the poor and troubled. Government, and the business and civic community, must help. But as in the case of this church, the faithful give – and will give again even as the economic crisis challenges so many in the congregation.

The numbers help tell the story of the love that leaves this church: Myers Park United Methodist has given an additional $50,000 to United Way agencies since scandal decimated that campaign. Minister of Missions Kevin Wright shares details of where church money has gone the past nine months, from Jubilee Plus and Local Outreach grants plus other sources:

Uptown Men's Shelter: $8,500 annually through the church operating budget, $18,000 in March 2009 to complete emergency shower and kitchen repairs.

Crisis Assistance Ministry: $40,000 annually through the operating budget; a $5,000 gift in February, plus $1,500 a month from May to December 2009 for families in extenuating circumstances.

Charlotte Emergency Housing: $2,000 annually through the operating budget, plus $800 in March to rewire the facility for new washers and dryers.

Salvation Army Center of Hope: $3,000 annually through the operating budget, plus $1,000 in March for bus passes for women to look for work.

Seigle Avenue Preschool Co-op: $5,000 annually through the operating budget.

A Child's Place: $2,000 annually through the operating budget; $11,586 in Fall 2008 for bunk beds for Hall House; $10,000 in May to fund a Freedom School at their location.

Florence Crittenton: $1,000 annually through the operating budget.

Charlotte Community Health Clinic: $10,000 last August to support its operating budget.

Love INC: $1,000 annually through the operating budget, plus a $1,000 grant in June 2009.

RAIN (Regional AIDS Interfaith Network): $2,500 annually through the operating budget.

Charlotte Saves: $5,000 for financial literacy classes for incarcerated individuals and clients at shelters and rehabilitation programs.

WISH (Workforce Initiative for Supportive Housing): $25,000 for a social worker’s salary for one year to help working poor families secure housing.

Charlotte Rescue Mission: $10,226 for roof and air-conditioning repairs.

All of it is worth pondering the next time the offering plate hits your hands. And it’s only a start, as Wright shares: “We continue to receive requests for funding from organizations around the city and are committed to prayerfully discern how our church can best serve this city in the name of Jesus Christ.”

___________________________________________________

Two great works of art grace the stairway leading to Jubilee Hall.

The original oil paintings by Geli Korzhev, one of Russia’s most revered artists,are here now permanently for church members and visitors to see, study and ponder. In the Shadow of the Cross is 53 inches high and 85 inches wide (framed) and reflects its title. As Korzhev, who is still living, writes: “A shadow from the cross falls on the ground, on Christ, and on the woman mournfully sitting near him. The shadow of the cross, all the suffering but also a positive hope.” The painting on the other side of the landing is Prophets and the Teachers of Law. In its frame, it is 72 inches high and 92 inches wide, and portrays in heart-wrenching detail a group of prophets and the fallen body of Jesus on the cross.

The paintings arrived by truck from The Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis and went up to the fascination of Dr. Howell, other church staffers, members lucky enough to be passing by, and the other half-dozen men responsible for the hanging.

Looking on proudly was long-time church member Van Weatherspoon, whose family located the paintings and helped the church acquire them. How this happened is simple and extraordinary at the same time: On a visit to their daughter, Martha, who lives with her family in Minneapolis, Van and Kay Weatherspoon went to the museum that holds much of Korzhev’s work. The Weatherspoons fell in love with Korzhev and the power of his religious themes, and decided to share the gift of the artist’s talents with their church. One art critic writes of the “nuanced humanism in his work.”

“I’ve always wanted to do something nice for the church,” Van Weatherspoon said as he watched the art go up with members of his family at his side. “Something that would outlive me.”