1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

THE CONNECTION
April 2015
Remember and Recommit
Christian Faith and the Modern Civil Rights Movement
Second Workshop Set for Saturday, April 18, 2015
Remember and Recommit is an initiative undertaken by Centenary United Methodist Church, Asbury United
Methodist Church in Church Hill, and the Pace Center for Campus and Community Ministry along with the
Office of Justice and Missional Excellence of the Virginia Annual Conference. You are invited to join us for
the second of six workshops focused in remembering the modern Civil Rights Movement and recommitting
ourselves to the work of racial reconciliation and the pursuit of systemic equity.
This second workshop will be held on Saturday, April 18 at Asbury United Methodist Church (Church
Hill), 324 North 29th Street, Richmond, VA. The focus of this workshop will be on the events during the
years 1960-1962. Topics covered include the lunch counter sit-ins, freedom rides, the Albany Movement,
integrating the University of Mississippi, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Workshop sessions are led by Dr. Jim Melson, founder and leader of the Cornelius Corps and utilize multimedia presentations that make these events come to life. The presentations lead to conversation and
honest discussion about the meaning of this history for living our faith in the present time.
With recent events in Ferguson and New York City and elsewhere, we have become aware of the continued
need for growth and understanding across racial lines in our country, and our calling as Christians to work
toward healing, reconciliation, and justice.
The schedule for the April 18 workshop is:
10:00-10:30 A.M.—Opening: Welcome, Introduction, Worship
10:30 A.M.-12 Noon—Session One: 1960 (presentation and small groups)
12:00-12:45 P.M.—Lunch
12:45-2:15 P.M.—Session Two: 1961 (presentation and small groups)
2:15-3:45 P.M.—Session Three: 1962 (presentation and small groups
3:45-4:00 P.M.—Closing Worship
Though participants are encouraged to join us for the day, you are also invited to join us for the parts of the
day that fit your schedule. There is no charge for the event, but donations for lunch will be accepted. To
reserve your place for the workshop, please call 648-8319 or e-mail [email protected].
A GREAT SPRING AT CENTENARY
This is a great time here at Centenary. First, and probably most importantly, we begin the month with the conclusion of Holy
Week and the celebration of Easter Sunday. I encourage you to give God the opportunity to touch your life with grace by joining
us for worship on Maundy Thursday, April 2, at 7:30 P.M. At that service, we recall Jesus’ example of servanthood and the
inauguration of our celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Our Good Friday service, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. is one of the most unusual
and moving services of the year. This Tenebrae Service of Service of Shadows leads us into the darkness (literally) that swept
over the world on the night of Jesus’ crucifixion. It is quite a contrast to the Easter Sunday celebration that follows. Easter is a
wonderful day here at Centenary. We begin the day with a Sunrise Service at 7:00 A.M. at Chimbarazo Park and then follow
with our regular schedule of services. I can promise you that these will be uplifting and inspiring services.
We continue the work Christ initiated on the cross—the work of reconciliation in a broken and hurting world—with our second
Remember and Recommit Workshop on April 18, at Asbury (Church Hill) United Methodist Church. (Read more about that in
this newsletter).
We step up our normal weekly routine of service to others by opening our church for CARITAS the week of April 18-25. We
need everyone’s help to provide shelter, food, and hospitality for our guests. Talk to Nancy Cook if you’d like to know how to get
involved. You’ll be blessed as well!
We are stepping up our efforts to reach out to others with the Good News Centenary style. Our sanctuary is open for prayer
each week, we’re going out into selected neighborhoods to invite people to worship with us, and we’re taking more of our
meetings and presence to public places so that we build relationships with people.
We’re also involved in efforts that relate to improving our facilities for worship, service, and mission. We’re invited to contribute
toward the refurbishment of our organ console through our Easter Offering. Please prayerfully consider this cause.
And as you are aware, we are moving into the intensive phase of our Serving the City for our Third Century Campaign.
Hopefully you’ve received information explaining the need for the renovation of our kitchen and installation of a new elevator.
We’ve set an ambitious goal of $800,000 over 36 months to help us turn those dreams into realities.
I know many of you are already praying for and about this effort. Many of you are working hard on this campaign. (Thank you!).
There are several important things that begin in April as we move toward our commitment Sunday on May 17. Please keep
these dates and events in mind.
Monday, April 20, 6 p.m.—Leadership Dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn for church leaders and any interested church members.
Monday, April 20—We begin 28 Days of Prayer for our campaign utilizing devotionals written by our own church members.
Sundays, April 26, May 3, May 10, and May 17—We focus on the Serving the City for the Third Century Campaign in
worship with interviews with lay members and a sermon series help us think about Centenary: Past, Present, and Future.
Friday, May 15 and Saturday May 16—Prayer Vigil (more information will come to you).
Please begin to plan now for a change in our Sunday morning schedule on May 17. That day we will not have Sunday School
and will have only one worship service at 10:00 A.M. followed by a congregational brunch.
Between now and the time of our Commitment Sunday, the visitation team from our Campaign Steering Committee will be
making personal calls. If you should receive a call about scheduling one of these visits, I hope you won’t be afraid. We’re not
coming to put anyone on the spot about a particular gift, but to share information, to receive input, build and strengthen
relationships, and to solicit prayerful consideration about what God calls and allows each of us to do for this worthy cause. We
cannot visit everyone, but if you are open to a visit and want someone from our team to come, please let me know.
I consider it a privilege to serve Christ with you here in downtown Richmond. I feel certain that through all we are doing in this
season, worshipping and praying sincerely, serving faithfully, taking risks of faith, loving the people God loves, we will become
even more convinced of the truth which is at the heart of our faith and the truth of which we are reminded as April begins and we
profess in our communion liturgy—Christ has died! Christ has risen! Christ will come again!
Peace,
Matt
The scripture readings are provided so that you may read and reflect upon them
during the days prior to each worship service.
Easter Day
April 5, 2015
Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (UMH 839)
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015
Acts 3:12-19
Psalm 4 (UMH 741)
1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24:36b-48
Second Sunday of Easter
April 12, 2015
Acts 4:32-35
Psalm 133 (UMH 850)
1 John 1:1-2:2
John 20:19-31
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2015
Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23 (UMH 754 or 137)
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18
NOTES FROM THE LAY LEADER
Phyllis Stump
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was
joy.” Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel Prize in Literature 1913
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus tells us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and
give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Serving God is one of the most important principles of the Christian faith, and believers are expected to serve
the church with a joyful spirit.
True joy comes from helping a person in need, praying with a person who is hurting, visiting or calling the
sick, feeding the hungry, encouraging the weary of heart, or just listening when someone needs to talk.
Joy is the by-product of giving of oneself to serve others. May we always serve with joy.
“He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25.
SACTUARY OPEN FOR PRAYER
The sanctuary will be open for prayer every Tuesday from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Hosts are needed to be
there each time to welcome visitors. Please let Ann Davis and Susan Thomas know if you are available.
All children and youth are invited to join us for an
Easter Egg Hunt on
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 5 at 10 a.m
in the upstairs Children’s Sunday School rooms.
Parents/Grandparents of preschool children are encouraged to stay and help with
their children on the hunt.
OUTREACHINGS
ACTS OF FAITH THEATRE FESTIVAL
This April, Centenary will continue its participation in Richmond’s Acts of Faith Theatre Festival.
“SOURCE”- SCENES & SONGS FROM WHERE YOU ARE . . . .”
Sunday, April 12 at 3 pm we will be attending a performance of “SOURCE - Scenes & Songs from
Where You Are & Where You Want to Be” right in our own sanctuary. Free Jambalaya is a
Richmond-based production company dedicated to the creation of new work on local stages. Like its
Creole namesake, Free Jambalaya refers to a compelling combination of artistic expression in one
spicy recipe. Free Jambalaya collaborates with Richmond area performers, directors, producers, and
an array of local artists to create highly dynamic, interactive and affordable live art experiences that
bring together elements of music, theatre, dance, visual art and writing. Free Jambalaya’s newest
world premiere piece “SOURCE” was written specifically for the 2015 Acts of Faith Festival, and is
being produced in collaboration with the Henley Street Theatre & Richmond Shakespeare. It is a
collection of scenes and songs that represent the spiritual journey of the individual amidst the
uncertainty of modern American life, and explores the eternal human need to “find oneself” in a
world that is moving faster every day. It is being performed at two different churches - Unity Christ
Church of Bon Air the first weekend, and Centenary the second weekend. Tickets are $8 each.
“SAM AND CAROL: A PLAY WHERE EVERYTHING IS TRUE”
Friday, April 24 at 8:00 pm we will be attending a Henley Street Theatre/Richmond Shakespeare
performance of “Sam and Carol: A Play Where Everything Is True” at Gottwald Playhouse at
Richmond Center Stage (600 East Grace Street). In this world premiere of a new work by New York
Times best-selling author and Richmond native, David L. Robbins, the story is at once personal and
universal. Based on his own parents’ lives, the play starts during WWII, ends in modern day
Richmond, and is a tour-de-force for two actors playing twenty-nine different roles. Beginning with a
Pearl Harbor poker game in which Sam “wins” a Pittsburgh girl he’s never met, the play courses
across a half-century of American history and celebrates an extraordinary generation, the robust
times that formed them, the Jewish heritage that sustained them, and the legacies they left behind.
Tickets will be between $0 and $25 each depending on the size of our group.
Sign up for either or both of these performances on the bulletin board in the hallway across from the
kitchen.
SUN
Every Sunday
8:40 AM
Informal Worship
MON
TUES
WED
THU
FRI
Every Monday
Every Tuesday
Every Wednesday
Every Thursday
Every Friday
10:30 AM
Zumba Class
10:00 AM
Sunday School
11:00 AM
Traditional Worship
5
6
12:00 PM
Men’s Group at
Aunt Sarah’s
10:30 AM
Zumba Class
12:00 PM - AA
12:00 PM
Staff Meeting
11:30-1:30 pm
Sanctuary Open for
Prayer
7:00 PM
Chancel Choir Practice
7
10:30 AM
Walk-In & Bless My
Sole Ministries
12:00 PM - AA
1
2
3
4
8
9
10
11
Performance
of “Source”
Sanctuary
7:30 p.m.
Performance
of “Source”
Sanctuary
7:30 p.m.
17
18
EASTER
12
13
14
15
16
Remember &
Recommit at
Ashbury UMC
Performance
of “Source”
Sanctuary
3 p.m.
19
CARITAS
20
21
22
23
CARITAS
CARITAS
CARITAS
CARITAS
CARITAS
26
27
28
29
30
Outreach Bake
Sale
SAT
Leadership Dinner
at 6 p.m.
24
25
CARITAS
CARITAS
Theatre Outing
to
“Sam and Carol”
at 8 p.m.
April 1
Vic Grand
April 10
Anne Willis
April 21
Julie Landsdown
April 3
Kevin Cooke
Caroline Enos
April 11
Jeffrey Farmer
Stephen Lee
April 22
Lori Gregory
Benjamin Armstrong
April 4
Patsy Wilson
Steven Cooke
April 12
Vicki Stump
Jessica DeVader
April 25
Jack Hinerman
Kolton Almany
April 6
Marjorie Landers
Luke Wolfe
Clarice Hundley
April 13
James Boice
Rebecca Wyatt
April 28
George Thrower
April 7
Doug Wilson
April 8
Charles Rhode
Patricia Johnson
April 9
Donna Dervishian
Joseph Speidel
April 16
Nancy C. Cook
April 29
Carol Boegershausen
Scott Dukes
Christian Junker
April 18
Elizabeth Sykes
April 19
Michael Shelton
Kate Stottlemyer
CAMPAIGN UPDATE…
By now all of our congregation have received the first mailing of “Serving the City for Our Third Century.” Included with the cover letter was our purpose and answers to some important questions about the campaign. Among
them are the reasons for capital funding—
1) the near-dire need to renovate our church kitchen and to be in compliance with fire and safety regulations and
2) to provide elevator access, in compliance with ADA regulations, to all levels of our building. We believe that both of
these will strengthen our ministry. As soon as we have in hand the $460,000 cost of construction, work can begin.
There may be other questions which we haven’t addressed that come to your mind. We invite you to share any
such questions with Pastor Matt Bates, Mary E. Vetrovec, or Ryland Bailey, Jr.
Stay tuned for additional information in the coming weeks….
APRIL WORSHIP HELPERS
ACOLYTES
LAY READERS
05
12
19
26
02
03
05
12
19
26
Christina Kidd
Madison Lee
Isabel Junker
Katie Shingleton
ALTAR GUILD
02
03
05
12
19
26
Sylvia Whaley
Florence Clay Bishop
James Durst
Mary Sue Sanderlin
Ginny Jarvis
Barrett Brown
Sylvia Whaley
Phyllis Stump
TBA
Karen Junker
Jim Hill
Bob Hundley, Jr.
Marshall Balance
TELLERS
06
13
20
27
Mary Dobbs and Phil Crick
Mary Dobbs and Phil Crick
Kim Golden and Nancy Cook
Kim Golden and Nancy Cook
USHERS
BANNER BEARERS
02
03
05
12
19
26
Agatha Kidd
Agatha Kidd
Agatha Kidd
Agatha Kidd
Chris Junker
Ryland Bailey, Jr.
COMMUNION STEWARDS
02
05
Susan Thomas
Suzanne Ray
Lorna Leake
Mirian Wickham
GREETERS
05
12
19
26
Phil and A.J. Crick
Les and Mary Dobbs
Earl and Sue Siddons
Ryland Bailey, Sr. and
Ryland Bailey, Jr.
HALL MONITORS
05
12
19
26
Earl Siddons
Matthew Steele
Herb Young
Sylvia Whaley
Chris Junker
Clint Jones
Bob Hundley, Jr.
Phil Crick
(* 2nd Floor)
Robb Stottlemyer (Captain)
Charles Webber
Edward (Norm) Dinwiddle
Jay Jones
Serena Durst
REMINDER: IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO BE
HERE ON YOUR SCHEDULED SUNDAY,
PLEASE FIND A SUBSTITUTE AND NOTIFY
THE CHURCH OFFICE OF THE CHANGE.
COORDINATORS
Lay Readers:
Phyllis Stump (330-2544)
Greeters and Hall Monitors:
Sylvia Whaley & Clint Jones
(795-5492)
Tellers:
Suzanne Ray (262-4854)
Ushers:
Sylvia Whaley & Clint Jones
(795-5492)
CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
411 EAST GRACE STREET
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, 23219
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Worship………………………………………..8:40 a.m.
Sunday School………………………………..10:00 a.m.
Worship …………………………………...…11:00 a.m.
STAFF
Senior Minister………………...….….Matthew D. Bates
Minister to Senior Adults…….…..Cheryl Owen-Watson
Director of Music/Organist…………...Stanley M. Baker
Director of Membership Development…...….Ann Davis
Administrative Assistant………...……….Mandy Porter
Senior Accountant……………...…….…….John Lampe
Facilities Manager…………...…………..Al Richardson
Sexton…………………………...……………Saran Yin
Choir Section Leaders …………………..…Erika Straus
…………………………………….……Alexandra Goia
……………………………………...…….Todd Minnich
………………………………..…….………...Sam Cook
Early Service Musician………….………Lee Covington
Nursery Worker……………….…....…Melissa Martinez
Nursery Worker………………………...Shannon Hocutt
411 East Grace Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: 648-8319
www.centumc.org
Matt – [email protected]
Cheryl - [email protected]
Ann - [email protected]
Mandy – [email protected]
Stan – [email protected]
John - [email protected]
Centenary United Methodist
Church is a Reconciling
Congregation,
extending
hospitality and encouraging
full participation of all,
regardless of age, race,
national
origin,
gender,
gender
identity,
sexual
orientation, marital status,
educational or economic
background and physical or
mental ability.