‘where disciples are m.a.d.e. - mill creek parish · 4 "‘where disciples are m.a.d.e. “...

Inside this Issue:

Soup Kitchen, Annual Bazaar October Birthdays

2

Children’s Worship

ESOL Update

3

Adventure Group Church conference

4

Upcoming Events -

CPR,

Women’s Retreat, Pumpkin Festival

5

Thank you note 6

Youth News 7

Kairos Update 8

Day of Retreat Flyer 9

Mortgage Burning 10

Pastor Warner

Annual Conference

Reflections

11

October Events 14

October Calendar 15

Mill Creek Parish United Methodist Church 7101 Horizon Terrace Derwood, MD 20855 301-926-9024 www.millcreekparish.org

www.ggyministry.com/

" ‘Where d isc ip les are M.A.D.E . “

"‘Where disciples are M.A.D.E. “

2019

September 23rd marked the official arrival of fall. For me, the changing of the sea-

son is always more striking in autumn than any other time of the year. While I

know that change is constant in the world around me all the time, autumn always

seems to serve as hard evidence of that reality. Some changes are big and some

are subtle, but it seems as though Greek philosopher Heraclitus was on to some-

thing when he said, “Change is the only constant in life.”

These words by Beth Richardson offer comfort during such a time as this:

“Seasons” From Christ Beside Me, Christ Within Me

As the seasons change,

We turn to you, God of creation,

Our source, our wisdom, our comfort.

Be our anchor in the midst of turmoil.

Our healing spirit in times of brokenness.

Our blessing in the emptiness.

We are yours. Amen.

As we live into the changes that this year holds for us – for each of us personally,

for our church and its ministries, and for our denomination – may we be reminded

that our God is faithful (a word meaning, “steadfast, loyal, constant”). We worship

a God of incessant love, boundless mercy and unwavering compassion. As we

begin another year of ministry and programming at Mill Creek Parish, we can rest

assured that God is present with us in the midst of all of the changes we will en-

counter throughout our journey and that God will accompany us – without fail –

the entire way.

Deacon Megan

October

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Please wish a Happy Birthday to the following special persons:

Jennifer O’Brien (10/2) Hanna Lemley, Jay Martin (10/3) Zoe Combs, Benjamin Fritts (10/4) Mia Combs, Cecilia Ford (10/5) Scott Reilly, Jasmine Scott (10/10) Adrian Haught, Eli Wolfe (10/11) Jayden Compton, Jeff Miller, (10/12) Kim Berger (10/13) Autumn Fritts, Susan Higgins (10/14) Chris Mowl (10/15) Frank Lloyd (10/16) Dave Ceely, Casey College (10/17) Joy Camp, Cristine Ceely, Lauren Martin, and Robert Mower (10/20) Susan Murrin, Logan Primozic (10/21) Kathryn Singhaus (10/22) Steve Bushby (10/21) Howard Bartlow (10/26), Caitlyn Whirley (10/28) Oriana DeFazio (10/30) Eliabeth Blake, Anthy Mower, Ward Parr and Mindy Willer (10/31)

Soup Kitchen Resumes Soon

Mill Creek’s day of service to the Lord’s Table at Epworth UMC is scheduled for the

2nd

Monday, October 14. Please consider helping at the kitchen; we work each

month, usually through May. At the end of last spring, we were serving around 15

guests. Cook from 1:00 – 3:30 pm and serve & cleanup from 3:30 – 5:00 pm or do

both. Please let Linda Culbertson know if you are able to help out. 301-407-5225/

[email protected]

Join us for our 14th Annual Bazaar

and Craft Fair

Saturday, November 2nd (9 —2 PM)

Shop over 40 vendors for unique gifts and

handmade items, including woven arts, jewelry,

pottery, holiday items, baked goods, clothing

and specialty gourmet. Proceeds from the

Luncheon counter will go to support ASP.

Volunteers will be needed to assist with set up

and clean up. Please look for signups at

church and through sign up genius which will

be coming out in October.

Visit us on Facebook @Mill Creek Parish Ba-

zaar and Craft Fair 2019.

Any questions contact Linda Kuserk

@[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

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ESOL Update

We had a very successful registration event on Wednesday, Sep. 18th where we enrolled 17 stu-

dents for ESOL classes this fall. Based on the placement tests, we will begin this ministry by offer-

ing 2 classes – a beginner level course and an intermediate mixed-level course. We would like to

thank all of the volunteers who helped with registration and who will be leading classes this year.

We thank God for your support and partnership. We simply could not do it without you!

Calling all kids

to Children’s Worship and Bible Sunday, 10/20.

On Oct. 20th Deacon Megan will engage the help of our young people (preschool

through high school) to lead worship. Our kids will help serve in a number of roles

Including ushers, lay readers, and greeters during the service. If your child is in the

2nd grade (or older) and has not yet received a Bible, we will also be distributing Bi-

bles during worship on 10/20. Please reach out to Deacon Megan and let her know if

you child would like to serve during worship and/or (if they are of age) if they would

like to receive a Bible this year.

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Adventure Book Club – New Book discussion beginning 10/22

The Adventure Book Group will wrap up our discussion of Cross Cultural Servanthood: Serving

the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer on October 15th. We will begin discussing the

next selection on 10/22, Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church by Rachel

Held Evans, and continue our discussion into December following the below reading schedule.

Searching for Sunday

10/22 – Part I (Baptism)

10/29 – Part II (Confession)

11/5 – Part III (Holy Orders)

11/12 – Part IV (Communion)

11/19 – Part V (Confirmation)

11/26 – Part VI (Anointing of the Sick)

12/3 – Part VII (Marriage) & Epilogue

If you need a copy of the book, you can pick up a copy to purchase ($10/copy) in the church

office.

All members of Mill Creek Parish are invited to attend the church conference

on Wednesday, October 30th at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall.

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CPR & 1st Aid Training

Nov. 9th from 9am-3:30pm

Are you interested in being trained and certi-

fied in adult and pediatric CPR and 1st Aid? If

so, a trainer from The American Red Cross

will be coming to Mill Creek Parish on Satur-

day, Nov. 9th to offer a CPR/1st Aid course.

The course is approximately 6.5 hours in du-

ration. Classes have an 8 person minimum

and 12 person maximum; 7 of the 12 slots

have already been filled! If you are interested

in taking the course, please reach out to Dea-

con Megan to secure a spot in the class

ASAP!

Pumpkin Festival at Butler’s Orchard –

Oct. 27 – from 12-4 pm

This year, in lieu of Trunk or Treat we will be tak-

ing a church “field trip” to the Butler’s Orchard

Pumpkin Festival. The cost of admission to the

festival is $12 per person (children 24 months and

younger are free). The cost includes hayrides, a

jump pad, corn maze, playground, and much,

MUCH more! Food and other activities are also

available for an additional cost. The church has

reserved a campfire site which has benches and

picnic tables which will serve as our hub for the

day. People of all ages are invited to attend! If

you plan to attend with us, please send your

RSVP to Deacon Megan

([email protected]) by no later than

Oct. 20th! More details about the day-of logistics

will be distributed to attendees closer to the event

date. For more information about the festival visit

the Butler’s Orchard website.

Save the Date! Feb. 21-23, Women’s Retreat 2020

Our annual Women’s Retreat is scheduled on the church calendar for Feb. 21-23, 2020 at Camp

Manidokan! This year, Ash Wednesday falls on Wednesday, Feb 25th and so our retreat just so

happens to fall before the start of Lent. With that in mind, the focus/theme of this year's retreat to be

"Spiritual Disciplines." The retreat leader and keynote speaker is Karen Weiss, an ordained Dea-

con in the UMC, and a spiritual director and leadership coach. You can read a bit more about Ka-

ren on her website. If you are interested in being a part of the retreat planning team, please attend

our first meeting on Sunday, Oct. 6th after worship.

6

" ‘Where


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Dear Mill Creek Parish Families,

Youth Ministry is a significant opportunity in helping middle and high school students develop their faith. It is an opportunity to build our students aligning with our mission where God’s Love is shared, Disciples of Christ are grown. Because of our personal commitment to the importance of students and their faith journey, we will focus on creating more opportunities for our students cen-tered and focused around their personal faith. We are inviting all students to participate in our weekly Youth Ministry Discipleship/Hangout Activities.

Here is our October Schedule:

Friday October 4th, 11th, & 18th 6:30 Youth Ministry Gathering GGYM Casey Community Center Sunday October 6th 10:45 a.m. in the Youth Ministry Activity Sunday October 13th 9:30 a.m. in the Youth Ministry Middle and Senior High Sunday School Sunday October 20th 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Pancake Breakfast Sunday October 20th 9:30 a.m. in the Youth Ministry Middle and Senior High Sunday School Friday October 25-27th Youth Fall Retreat cost $50.00 Sunday October 27th 9:30 a.m. Youth Bells play in worship Sunday October 27th 12 noon -4 p.m. Butler’s Orchard Rock 2020 will be held February 8-10th, 2020. We will begin registration and deposits October 1

-31st, 2019. To ensure we have adequate tickets, rooms, and transportation we are asking all parents of students who plan to attend Rock 2020 to sign-up with Allison via email or on Sun-days. The Cost for Rock is $150.00 total which includes transportation, lodging, Rock tickets, and food.

Student Discipleship Opportunities:

Sunday Morning Worship 9:30 a.m. Middle and Senior High School hangout 10:45 a.m. 1st and 4th Sundays Middle and Senior High Sunday School 9:30 a.m. - 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Sundays Youth Sundays every 4th Sunday G.G.Y.M. Nights Fridays at 6:30 p.m. at Casey Community Center Fall Retreat- October 25- 27th, 2019 Cost $50.00 Annual Ocean City Rock Retreat- February 7-9, 2020 Cost $150.00 Confirmation Retreat – December 6-7, 2019 Cost $50.00 Confirmation Classes – Starts January 5, 2020

Music Ministry:

1. Middle High Handbells- Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. 2. Senior High Handbells- Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

Missional and Outreach Opportunities:

Pancake Breakfast – October 20, 2019 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Fall Bazaar- Saturday November 2, 2019 Thanksgiving Baskets Packing – November 2019 Christmas Gift Wrapping and Fellowship – December 2019

Pancake Breakfast – March 29, 2020 8:30 a.m. -10:30 a.m. ASP Mission Trip- Late June 2020 or Early July Group Mission Work Camp- July 2020 (

Fellowship Opportunities:

1. Fall Outing – Butlers Orchard October 27, 2019 2. Christmas Youth Brunch – December 22, 2019

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" ‘Where disc ip les are M.A.D.E. “


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On September 15th, after a 20 years of vision, commitment, perseverance and faithful-

ness, we dedicated our building as we retired its mortgage. We were joined by our Dis-

trict Superintendent, Rev. J. W. Park, Rev. Dr. Lynn Cairns and his wife Dottie, and many

of our MCP family from the past. We were blessed to have had Rev. Cairns with us es-

pecially, as this is the culmination of his visionary work while he led MCP as its pas-

tor. All of this is the Lord's doing, whereof we are glad. Congratulations, MCP. Let's

invest in the next 20 years of Kingdom-building!

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Pastor’s Annual Conference Reflections

I will never forget my first experience at an Annual Conference meeting. It was in May or June of

1999, a few months after I had joined the staff of a bold and visionary bishop, and had begun what

would turn out to be messy, exhausting but spiritually-fulfilling work in communities in Baltimore and

other communities. The size of the gathering, the strict attention to who was clergy and lay, the

ways in which they were and weren’t in dialogue in official and unofficial settings, the immense

amount of preparation by the staff and Conference leaders for the meeting, the process of Roman

balloting, the nature and level of politics in this church setting, and who had voice and who didn’t

were all new and amazing to me. I arrived at this meeting, some 20 years later, far less wide-eyed

and, being fully aware of how tenuously the UMC is holding together, perhaps a bit jaded. So I offer

here some impressions based on the many roles I would wind up playing during our time together, in

hopes that my perspective may inform your thinking and praying about MCP, The Baltimore Wash-

ington Annual Conference, and The United Methodist Church.

For me, the entire gathering suffered from both the shock owing to the fall-out from the Special Gen-

eral Conference’s decisions on human sexuality, and the attendant politics as the people called Unit-

ed Methodist try to imagine the future of the denomination. Here are a few examples:

1. Recognizing that the leaders of our 2020 General Conference would necessarily need to

have a different conversation about the issues challenging our church, I offered myself to be af-

firmed as a delegate as the non-political, God-centered, relationship builder that I understand

myself to be, hoping that there would be others who sense the need to have a different conversa-

tion about the mission and ministry of our church. That apparently did not resonate, as 38 other

Elders stuck with me with their votes for a little while through several rounds of Roman balloting

as other Elders, many with episcopal aspirations and known political agendas, were elected. I

expect that there will be more of the usual power politics and fighting for control of the denomina-

tion at the 2020 General Conference. (Continued)

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2. In what appeared to me to be the absence of many who I know hold traditional theological

views, the political pendulum swung decidedly towards the progressive side during what I

think was a seminal decision made by the Annual Conference at this session. In the clergy

session, two self-avowed and practicing homosexual candidates, who were not affirmed at

last year’s conference, were affirmed for ordination. Because I am aware that there are al-

ready many more candidates and ordained clergy who are homosexual, this turn of events

did not move me one way or the other. What gave me pause was both the political strategy

undertaken by the progressive clergy, and what felt to me like an unspoken and intentional

departure from the Discipline. Having presented the candidates individually in the past, they

were presented this year as a single class for affirmation. If one got affirmed, everyone got

affirmed, and if not, the entire class would have been held hostage by the politics of this deci-

sion. As those who might normally oppose this kind of action either chose not to be present

(perhaps having decided to leave the denomination already), it was ratified in the Elder’s ses-

sion, and also without exception by the full Annual Conference. Regardless of one’s stance

on the sexuality debate, what is significant here is that the Bishop, while she acted with integ-

rity as it relates to the Discipline in last year’s decision, permitted the Annual Conference to

seemingly intentionally abandon the Discipline this year. Without strict adherence to the

Book of Discipline, our denomination is little more than a set of ideals, much less an institu-

tion. There are many who still speak of the dissolution of our denomination as an “if”, but this

is evidence that the splintering has begun in earnest..

3. For me, one of the most difficult parts of each Annual Conference is the closing of churches

within our Conference that are no longer viable. Bible centered churches do whatever is nec-

essary to make, grow and send disciples of Jesus Christ, and hence should never die.

(Continued)

13


By rule, assets of these churches return to the Annual Conference and property is generally

sold. The unfortunate reality is that often, many of these churches are African American congrega-

tions that began as much as community assets as much as religious expressions. This year, seeing

that reality and realizing that the church is splitting in some way, I joined 3 other African American

pastors to request that the proceeds be held by the Annual Conference in case the African American

Methodist Church decides that it wants to form a new expression of Methodism in which the unique

African American communal understanding and ethic around human sexuality would be free of the

power politics currently being undertaken by those who seek to claim the church for their ideology. I

was deeply disturbed for the remainder of the conference after, when 4 Black men stood on the con-

ference floor to make speeches that described the different understanding of the Black church on

human sexuality than both the traditional and progressive views, White progressive people took to

the floor and insinuated that we were racist. It dawned on me then (and has not left me to date) that

White privilege is at the center of both the traditional and progressive movements as they seek to

claim Methodism for their own. Personally, this has decreased the urgency with which I am seeking

to build a theological bridge between the traditional and progressive theologies of human sexuality. It

is counter-intuitive to me that anyone can claim moral high ground on human sexuality while ignoring

White privilege.

There were also powerful moments where the move of the Holy Spirit was palpable. These mo-

ments both reaffirmed the call of God on my life and affirmed the work which we have been trying to

do together. First, I was asked to lead a group of confirmands from multiple churches into Baltimore

for a historical tour and urban ministry immersion. I felt God speaking through me powerfully as I

related my own call story and challenged those young disciples about what God might be calling

them to do in ministry with the least, the last and the lost. I saw their light bulbs turn on as they

struggled past discomfort and fear and began to hear from God about their identities in Christ.

(Cont)

14

Mark your calendars now for these upcoming family-friendly ministry events happening in October!

Save the date: Church Bazaar – Nov. 2nd

!

Oct 6 World Communion Sunday During worship Sanctuary

Oct 6 Women’s Retreat Planning Meeting After worship Classroom

Oct 13 Baptism – The Singhaus Family During worship Sanctuary

Oct 20 Children’s Worship & Bible Sunday During worship Sanctuary

Oct 20 Missions Fundraising Pancake Breakfast Before & After Worship Fellowship Hall

Oct 20 Way Forward Congregational Meeting 6:00 – 7:30 pm Sanctuary

Oct 25-

27

Fall Youth Retreat Friday - Sunday

Oct 27 Fall Festival 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Butler’s Orchard


Interestingly, as we stood in from of a street sign that read, “NO SHOOT ZONE”, in the midst of ab-

ject poverty as far as the eye could see, the topic of human sexuality never came up in our dia-

logue. As I have said before, while human sexuality is an issue that needs to be considered, it is not

the focus of the mission and ministry of the church.

I was also encouraged to witness youth from the 3 churches of the Greater Gaithersburg Youth Min-

istry bear witness in front of the entire Annual Conference to what it meant for them to be forming

Christ-centered relationships across the barriers of race. To know that this was possible because of

our courage and foresight in obedience to the will of God, stretching through our discomfort into

God’s preferred future for us, was incredibly gratifying. While I was initially shaken a bit by sword-

rattling and departure of people on both sides of the sexuality debate, I am emboldened by the faith

exhibited by these young people. If we simply focus on Jesus and the ministry He calls us to, Mill

Creek will be fine.

We will be meeting soon for an update on The Way Forward. We will hear about the discussions we

have had, hear where others are in their planning, and discuss MCP’s options. As we meet, I pray

that we will keep the message of our youth in the front of our minds.

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“Mill Creek Parish UMC will be a multicultural community where God’s love is shared, disciples of Christ are grown, and faith is put into action.

Mill Creek Parish United Methodist Church

7101 Horizon Terrace

Derwood, MD 20855

www.millcreekparish.org

The newsletter is published twelve times

per year. Items for publication should be

submitted by the 20th of each month.

Worship Service 9:30 a.m. (Nursery provided)

Sunday School for all ages

Preschool - Sr. High 9:30 a.m. Adults @ 11 a.m.

Senior Pastor: Rev. Tim Warner

(E-mail: [email protected])

Minister of Christian Discipleship

Rev. Megan Blanchard (E-mail: [email protected])

Youth Minister Rev. Tammi Brantley

(E-mail: [email protected])

Youth Coordinator Allison Dunn

(Email: [email protected])

Building Manager

Bob Bancroft

([email protected])

Music Director

Katherine Williams

([email protected])

Church E-mail address:

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

‘where disciples are m.a.d.e. - mill creek parish · 4 "‘where disciples are m.a.d.e. “...

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