| 08/18/21 |
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| 451 Hogan Road, Nashville TN 37220 phone: 615-832-2897 website: www.crievewoodumc.org |
 9:30 am – CUMC Worship in person in the sanctuary and online Access the online service at https://www.facebook.com/CrievewoodUMC/Pastor’s Pen One of my favorite passages of scripture is 1 Samuel 3:1-9 when God calls Samuel into a life of ministry. What strikes me the most about Samuel’s story is what we can learn about God, about ourselves, our own callings, and about those who nurture us and usher us toward them. This story illustrates for us what it means to be truly devoted to God, to listen to the callings that God places in our lives, and to trust in the people that God places in our lives. I preach about callings a lot. In fact, I have a minor in “Faith & Work” from Millsaps College, so a large part of my college experience centered around the academic study of calling and how faith speaks into vocation. There is a quote by Frederick Buechner that is sort of the cornerstone of the academic study of vocation. Buechner says, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” It is time that I practice what I preach, respond to God’s call in my life, and meet the place where my deep gladness and the world’s deep huger meet—I will be transitioning to full-time ministry as a hospital chaplain at Ascension St. Thomas Midtown Hospital, specifically serving the maternal/fetal units. As I make this transition, I wanted to briefly share with you the thought process that has led to this decision. I have been in deep prayer and discernment about this transition to full-time hospital chaplaincy. I feel that God has called me into this specific role in the hospital, and I cannot deny that calling. As you may know, I did a CPE residency at Ascension St. Thomas Midtown in 2017-2018 before my current appointment to Crievewood UMC as Associate Pastor. Since that residency, I have not been able to fully shake God’s call to hospital chaplaincy. I have loved every minute of my time in congregational ministry, and frankly was not looking to make a transition, but of course God had a different vision. I am now feeling like God is calling me to a specific position within the Ascension St. Thomas system–Staff Chaplain for the maternal/fetal unit at Ascension St. Thomas Midtown Hospital. This position will include a very specific role of being present for mothers and families who are experiencing fetal and infant loss. After working in hospital chaplaincy in my internship and residency and then in congregational ministry for the past three years, I recognized and realized that not every pastor is called or able to navigate that very specific world of loss. I feel that God has placed a spiritual gift upon me to be able to emotionally, spiritually, and mentally navigate the world of presence for parents experiencing loss, and I don’t want to ignore that call. I have been blessed beyond measure during my time as Associate Pastor at Crievewood. You all have seen me through many transitions in my life and in my role at Crievewood—from your Turner Scholar Intern while a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, to part-time youth pastor while completing my chaplaincy residency, to Associate Pastor. Now it is time for one more transition at Crievewood—I will be transitioning from Associate Pastor to part-time Youth Pastor, so I will not be a stranger. You have seen me through my Residency in Ministry process in the Mississippi Conference from commissioning to ordination in full connection as an elder in the United Methodist Church. Your support along the way has been truly amazing, and I will be forever grateful. You have been there for me as I carried the weight of personal loss in the death of my grandmother, and I pray that I was a fraction of present for you all in your times of need that you were for me. We’ve said goodbye to some of our Crievewood saints together, and hello to newcomers. The cycle and circle of life in ministry has been moving, and it will continue to move when I’m gone. While I may not see you every Sunday morning in worship in my current role, or every Tuesday morning at Bible Study, I will carry you with me—what you taught me and how you’ve supported me—as I walk the halls of the hospital. I would not be who I am without the people of Crievewood United Methodist Church, and for you, I am forever grateful. Chelsey Hedglin Liturgists With Chelsey’s transition to full time hospital chaplaincy Crievewood will no longer have two members of the clergy who are appointed to the church full time. Our current practice is typically for one clergyperson to preach and for the other to serve as a liturgist during our worship services. Beginning September 12, we would like to have church members regularly serving in the role of liturgist for worship. We’d like to create a good base of volunteers and then set up a rotation for when they would help to lead the worship service. This would involve leading the congregation in a call to worship and either an opening prayer or affirmation of faith and reading the scripture passage for the day. No extemporaneous speaking is required; everything would be written ahead of time. Adults, youth, and older children are welcome to serve in the rotation. If you are interested, please reach out to any staff member to let us know.  The annual CUMC adult fall mission trip to Mountain T.O.P. has been scheduled for the weekend of October 21-24. Anyone who would like to join the team and reach out to others by sharing time, Christian love, and talent to help with needed home repair for the residents of the Cumberland Mountains, please contact Keith Head at Lkhead@aol.com. You do not need experience to participate, but you must be at least 18 years old.More Activities and MissionsTuesday Bible Study Tuesday Bible Study continues to meet weekly in person at 9:30 in the morning in the Builders classroom. The group is finishing the book The Wesleyan Wayby Scott J. Jones. Beginning August 31st, they will begin a new study called The Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown. Anyone may join the study; please contact the office to obtain class materials. Farmers’ MarketThe farmers’ market gathers each Thursday at 4:30 pm in the Crievewood upper parking lot. The vendors offer a variety of food items including fresh produce, meats, delicious snacks, and baked goods. Please come and check it out as there are only a few market nights left this summer to enjoy these homemade and homegrown items. The last market of the season is September 2nd. South End UMC Food Program South End UMC food program continues on Wednesdays through the end of August. Volunteers are needed to unload and organize the food in the Fellowship Hall at South End UMC. All you have to do is show up at about 9:45 a.m., and someone from South End UMC will guide you on what to do.New Mission Statement Crievewood has been working with Project Thrive out of the Center for Healthy Churches at Belmont University since last year. Our Thrive Team has spent lots of time thinking, praying, and discussing what gives Crievewood its unique identity and how God is calling us to thrive in the future. On the heels of our second congregation-wide conversation, the Thrive Team sent the following proposal to the Administrative Council, which officially adopted these statements for our church at its meeting this past Sunday. We believe they reflect both who we are and who God is calling us to be. They will guide our life and ministry together for the foreseeable future, and we’ll learn more about them during a sermon series starting on October 17. Crievewood United Methodist Church “Community Happens Here” Rooted in our understanding of the nature of the Triune God as existing in eternal community (John 1:1), the human need for connection and community (Genesis 2:18), the way that God is present and works through Christian community (Matthew 18:20), and Crievewood’s ministry throughout its history with the Crieve Hall community, Crievewood United Methodist Church adopts the mission statement: “Community Happens Here.” For us, community means: A place to belong: We want you to find a home at Crievewood UMC where you are known and know others and where you can experience deep spiritual connections. When you walk in the doors, you are greeted and invited in. We want to know your name and your story. We want to foster meaningful connection and deep conversation. We want to care for one another and be present for one another as the body of Christ. We are committed to fostering connections with and serving the neighborhood of Crieve Hall. A place to be loved: We care about your story and welcome all people where they are as part of the beautifully diverse body of Christ. No matter where you’ve come from, and no matter where you’re going, you have a place at Crievewood UMC. Your story matters, and nothing should exclude you from being welcomed in as a child of God and becoming engaged in the Crievewood UMC community. We want you to know that God loves you unconditionally and constantly offers you grace. We honor one another by offering hospitality to each other where we are—not forcing folks to be who they are not. We acknowledge that we all have a story—a past, a present, and a future—and that our stories shape us. A place to engage: We believe that everyone matters and can share their gifts in meaningful ways. We acknowledge that we each have unique God-given spiritual gifts that vary widely. We work together to see the gifts in others that they don’t always see in themselves. We engage one another in conversation and honor varied theological perspectives by naming that real growth happens when we can converse with one another through a loving lens. We offer various ways to participate in fellowship and community, whether that’s through small faith-formation groups, Bible studies, missional experiences, community engagement with the Crieve Hall neighborhood, age-level ministries, and/or worship opportunities. A place to serve: We have a heart for mission and want to serve God and neighbor here in Crieve Hall and around the world. We participate in mission and service through long-standing partnerships as well as through emergent opportunities when needs become known to us. We seek to find ways where our resources and passion intersect with the needs of the world as we strive to follow Jesus’ call in Matthew 25 to care for the marginalized and seek the welfare of others. A place to grow: We are committed to helping you grow in faith, wherever you are now, through the means of God’s grace. As part of our Wesleyan heritage, these means of grace include worship, sacraments, study, prayer, fellowship, works of mercy, and works of justice.We believe that all of these means of grace connect us to something bigger than ourselves. By participating in these means of grace, we are given opportunities to grow in our faith so that we can be prepared to create community and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  The Child Care is still trying to hire staff. As you know MANY businesses in Nashville are trying to hire employees; child care is no different. Some centers have had to close rooms or close totally due to a lack of staff. Crievewood has survived challenges in the past will strive to meet these staffing shortages. We are currently seeking a new full time teacher to love our 2 year olds, plus we will have 2-3 afternoon positions open once our summer teachers leave. Also the center will be looking for a new bus driver. Mr. Joe isn’t leaving us right away, but he would like to retire in the next year. So if you know of anyone who would LOVE your children the way we do here at Crievewood Child Care, please have them contact me at director@crievewoodumc.org. Sharon Ferrell  Aug. 18 – Clark CromerAug. 19 – Lane Shaw Aug. 20 – Fan Milligan Aug. 22 – Maddox Brooks Aug. 23 – Brenda Head Aug. 24 – Chloe Locklayer Aug. 26 – Holt Hodgson and Alli Papendick Aug. 27 – Tom Freck and James Hill Aug. 28 – Sylvia Davis Aug. 29 – Jason Jetton If you have a birthday between August 18 and August 31 and it does not appear in the list above, then it is not in our database. We would like to celebrate with you. If your birthday does not appear, please notify the church office at 615-832-2897.Thank You Dear Crievewood Friends, Thank you so much for your donation of books and snacks to Project Transformation! Your donation helped us provide a fun, educational, and nourishing summer day camp program for kids.With gratitude, Taylor Davenport-Hudson Director of Volunteer EngagementMore Notes Charge Conference: Crievewood’s 2021 Charge Conference has been scheduled for Sunday, October 10, 2021, right after the worship service. Remembering David van Eys Cathy Williams wanted to remember David van Eys in a special way so, being Catholic, she has arranged a mass to be offered for David at the Christ the King Church on Belmont Blvd. Crievewood members as well as other friends and family are invited to attend. The mass is scheduled for Wednesday evening, September 1, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Chelsey Hedglin and Caleb Dinger will be participating in the service. Office Scheduling Jan will be on vacation August 24-26. If you need access to the church and do not have a key, please call ahead next Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to make sure someone is here to admit you. After that Jan will be in the office every business day until she retires. Still looking for more information? Below are links that may help. UM NewsCUMC COVID PolicyCUMC Online GivingLink to the Prayer ListLive Stream Worship Sundays @ 9:30 a.m. Crievewood United Methodist Church“Community Happens Here” where Community means:· A place to belong: We want you to find a home at Crievewood UMC where you are known and know others and where you can experience deep spiritual connections· A place to be loved: We care about your story and welcome all people where they are as part of the beautifully diverse body of Christ· A place to engage: We believe that everyone matters and can share their gifts in meaningful ways· A place to serve: We have a heart for mission and want to serve God and neighbor here in Crieve Hall and around the world· A place to grow: We are committed to helping you grow in faith, wherever you are now, through the means of God’s grace Copyright © 2021 Crievewood United Methodist Church, All rights reserved. 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