6/10/2020
Youth Fundraiser and Youth Mission The Crievewood United Methodist Church Youth Group is excited to announce a fundraiser for youth missions! We are selling 8.5 lb cooked Boston Butts for $45 each! The meat will be hickory smoked by Firehouse Barbecue and delivered to the church hot and ready for you to pick up and eat, refrigerate, or freeze on July 2nd. Pre-orders and pre-pay only, please. You may order online by using the online order form titled “CUMC Youth BBQ Fundraiser TAKE HOME” link below, or mail a check to the church (451 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220) with “Youth Missions Fundraiser TAKE HOME” in the memo line. If you’d like more than one to take home, simply pay $45 x the number of Boston Butts ($90 for two, $135 for three, etc). The last day to pre-order is Thursday, June 25th. You may pick up your pre-ordered meat in the Crievewood UMC parking lot (451 Hogan Road) on Thursday, July 2nd from 5:30-7:30 p.m. No refunds will be offered if you’re unable to pick up your meat. Not a meat eater? Live out of town but still want to support the CUMC youth AND folks in need? We are pleased to announce that, in partnership with the Nashville Food Project, you may choose to make a meat donation to folks in need! You may purchase meat for the Nashville Food Project by using the online order form titled “CUMC Youth BBQ Fundraiser DONATE” below, or mail a check to the church (451 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220) with “Youth Missions Fundraiser DONATE” in the memo line. Thank you for supporting the CUMC Youth Group and their annual missions! Questions? Contact Rev. Chelsey Hedglin at chelsey@crievewoodumc.org. TAKE HOME your meat by picking it up from CUMC on July 2nd: https://onrealm.org/CrievewoodUMC/give/BBQtakehome DONATE your meat to the Nashville Food Project: https://onrealm.org/CrievewoodUMC/give/BBQdonate |
Pastor’s Pen Reclaiming Our Voices If you have not read or heard the letter written by the College of Bishops in our Jurisdiction, I encourage you to do so. A Pastoral Letter to United Methodists of the Southeastern Jurisdiction can be found by clicking on the Bishop’s Blog button at the end of this article. I appreciate the strong and humble witness of our Episcopal leaders, with particular gratitude for our own Bishop Bill McAlilly. We are living in a liminal moment regarding race relations in the United States, and their charge to us is profound and clear. Drawing upon the Baptismal Covenant and the Great Thanksgiving, the Bishops remind us that we have the language and the theology to challenge injustice, violence, and racism in every manifestation; public and private, individual and collective, extrinsic and systemic. Yet, they persist. The Bishops’ faithful call to action reminds me of the Prophet Micah’s response to the question “what does the Lord require?” To do, to love, to walk in order that justice, kindness, and keeping pace with God might shape our relationship with God and define our relationships with others, known and unknown. However, racism is a sin with a long half-life. The sheer pervasive and insidious nature of it is part of the challenge. Racism is so deeply woven into the fabric of our lives that it is easy to become acclimated to it, co-opting the voice of white people unaware and/or unconcerned by the threads of privilege, and muting the voice of people of color fearful and immobilized by the threads of discrimination. One takeaway for me from the letter by our Jurisdictional Bishops is the explicit action step of finding our voices. The horrific death of George Floyd exposed and mobilized. It ignited concern and courage. People of every race, culture, and creed are sensing a sacred moment out of which transforming, life giving change is possible. Speaking truth to power, peacefully protesting systems that perpetuate, even cultivate, racism. It has been helpful for me to reflect on the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector in the Gospel of Luke. When conversations about racism arise, there is a temptation for many white people to think of white folks shouting “Blood and Soil” in Charlottesville (2017) or Ku Klux Klan members burning crosses. That is a dangerous trap for it causes us to deflect the critical need to examine ourselves first. We become like the self-righteous man in the parable who prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people” (18:11). The first words generated by my reclaimed voice need to be as the tax collector, “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (18:13). To the Crievewood faith family: we must, individually, as a part of the body of Christ, as residents in the United States of America, prayerfully discern how to join our voices “in the holy work of dismantling racism in its subtle and overt forms” (quoting from the Bishops’ Pastoral Letter). To be sure it is a daunting call, but a much more beautiful tapestry of life and community awaits. One for which God, through Jesus Christ, has provided the pattern. One for which the Word became flesh. Peter van Eys |
We celebrated the Baptism of Arya Locklayer in the CUMC creek last Saturday. Congratulations, Arya! |
Missions Hydrate the Homeless Extreme heat days of summer in Nashville present an additional challenge and danger to those who live on the streets. Water, shade, and refuge are essential to battle the heat and humidity that can bring on heat cramps, heat exhaustion or stroke, or even death. You can help by dropping off bottled water at the Nashville Rescue Mission or by donating money to purchase water through this link https://nashvillerescuemission.org/water/. Peace with Justice Sunday Peace with Justice Sunday is one of six UMC Special Sundays. Money collected through this offering is applied to programs and ministries that teach and advocate for principles of peace and justice around the world. If you would like to donate, please go to the church web site and click the “Give” tab at the top of the page, then select the Miscellaneous fund.and enter “Peace with Justice” in the note field or submit a check to Crievewood UMC with “Peace with Justice” in the memo line. |
The CHNA’s farmers’ market hosted by Crievewood UMC continues on Thursday evenings during the summer but with social distancing practices in place. The market has local produce including peaches and berries, meats, bread, baked goods, but right now, the market will not offer raffles or kids’ activities. The music is back, though, welcoming all to the market! |