Racial Justice in the time of the Coronavirus

“Just to be clear, if it took a global pandemic to make you realize our systems are broken, that is a privilege”. @grayson_stevens

The Summer Lecture Series at Glenn this past summer focused on Racial Healing and Justice.  Through speakers and bulletin inserts, we learned about the history and current realities of systemic racism and white privilege. We began to understand more fully the ways in which our history, systems and structures result in disparities in housing, employment, health care, wealth, education, voting rights and the criminal justice system.

Today, we find ourselves in a very different landscape than we were in this past summer. The advent of the coronavirus seems to have turned our world upside down in so many ways. But one thing that has not changed is that BIPOC* are once again finding themselves bearing an unfairly heavy burden. So many of the disparities we discussed this summer are being exacerbated by the pandemic and by our country’s response to it.

Physical distancing is being practiced throughout our country in an effort to slow down the transmission of the coronavirus. While clearly the right thing for all of us to be doing, physical distancing comes at a cost beyond the loss of socialization.

The latest numbers of people filing unemployment claims are simply staggering. While job loss is a frightening prospect for anyone, the impact on BIPOC is made even worse by the large racial wealth gap in our country. The typical white family has 10 times the wealth of the typical Black family and 7 times the wealth of the typical Latinx family. People with less wealth are less able to afford weeks, or even days, without income. BIPOC are heavily employed in restaurants and hotels, which are two industries being particularly hard hit by the pandemic.

As we learned this summer, BIPOC frequently have more limited job opportunities, and so are more likely to be employed in lower paying jobs without access to paid sick leave. And BIPOC have greater rates of unemployment, so in a country where health care is typically tied to a job, this means a disproportionate number of BIPOC will be without health insurance in the middle of a pandemic.

Those who do not have health insurance but need healthcare during this pandemic will find themselves facing large medical bills. Almost 30% of Black college-educated households and 60% of Black non-college educated households will not be able to afford to pay their bills after a $400 emergency expense, and the cost of treatment for COVID-19 for those who are hospitalized will far exceed $400. An additional risk is that people without insurance will not seek testing or medical care, which may lead to greater exposure to the virus by others.

Another place where we can see the virus having a greater impact on BIPOC is in our criminal justice system. We talked this summer about the school to prison pipeline and saw how our prison populations are disproportionality comprised of BIPOC, a large number of whom are incarcerated without having been convicted of a crime, but because they are unable to pay bail. We are now starting to see reports of COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons, where inmates are kept in tight quarters, often with inadequate sanitation and health care.

All of these structural factors, and others, including environmental racism, homelessness, immigration status, appear to be causing BIPOC to be much more likely to get and die from COVID-19. The numbers look to be particularly alarming for Black Americans.

Many of these issues, like the ones we talked about this summer, are rooted in the structures and systems of our society. Our country’s policies have been too often built on the concept of individuals pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. But as Martin Luther King, Jr. noted, it can be difficult to pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you have no boots.  And even when a safety net has been created for some in our country, it has often not been made available to BIPOC.

 It can seem impossible for us as individuals to have an impact on the systems and structures that are causing even greater suffering during the pandemic. But there are things we can do, now and going forward. Here are 6 antiracist actions we can all take (adapted and expanded from a list compiled by SURJ (Standing Up For Racial Justice)), along with names of organizations working in those areas:

1)     Join a group that works for systemic change to protect and care for the most vulnerable (Faith in Public Life; Poor People’s Campaign)

2)     Support efforts to get people out of jails and detention centers (Southern Center for Human Rights)

3)     Interrupt racist stories about who is to blame by correcting people who refer to the Coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus”**

4)     Fight to protect our elections (Fair Fight) - Georgia will be mailing out absentee ballot applications to all registered voters for the May primary and this is a significant step forward, but we need to unsure that easier access to the voting booth continues

5)     Support organizations that provide resources to those in need – the Glenn web site lists organizations that our church already supports who are doing important work in providing food to the most vulnerable

6)     As we expand our concept of essential workers to include - in addition to healthcare workers - teachers, grocery store workers, sanitation workers, delivery people and more, find ways to support those workers: in the short term by tipping generously and providing needed resources, and in the long term by advocating for better compensation and benefits

“We are releasing people from jail who are there for misdemeanors, we are preventing families from being evicted, we are sending people checks for food, we are giving the homeless places to live. We don’t have to wait for a pandemic to do these things, we should always do them.” @ClintSmithIII

Prayer for a Pandemic

Cameron Bellm

May we who are merely inconvenienced

Remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors

Remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home

Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close

Remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips

Remember those that have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market

Remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home

Remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country,

let us choose love.

During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,

Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.

Amen.

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*BIPOC – Blacks, Indigenous Persons and Persons of Color

**A recent report on NPR discussed the increase in attacks on Asian Americans. Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, has been tracking these attacks using a website  called Stop AAPI Hate. More than 650 reports of discrimination — largely against the Asian American community – were reported in the first 8 days after the website was launched. Mr. Jeung said in discussing the reported attacks “[n]ame-calling and verbal harassment — microaggressions are the most common. It moves up to people having bottles and cans thrown at them, their homes being vandalized, and then ... maybe three times a day, we have people actually being physically attacked, assaulted, being hit or punched, pushed on subways.

Resources:

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Racial Wealth Gap, Danyelle Solomon and Darrick Hamilton, Center for American Progress, March 19, 2020

Race/Related; Covid-19 and the Collapse of America’s Welfare State, Eduardo Porter, The New York Times, March 28, 2020

What the Racial Data Show, Ibram X. Kendi, The Atlantic, April 6, 2020

4 Ways to Give to Your Church During COVID-19

We pray this update finds you and yours safe and well as you shelter in place.  Despite our physical distancing, we continue to be the church together in prayer, worship, and service.  Thank you for your faithfulness to Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church.

Through these days of uncertainty and physical isolation, Glenn Memorial’s Finance Committee, Trustees, and staff are closely monitoring our church’s cash flow and reserves.  Strong giving at the close of 2019 and a solid start to this year put us in a healthy position as the COVID-19 crisis struck, but, as you can imagine, giving has been disrupted since we ended our in-person worship services.  Our giving to the operating budget for March 2020 was down $41,000 from the same month in 2019.

Please know we are committed to maintaining our church’s ministries to members, community, and world with our current clergy and staff, while being faithful stewards of the dollars you give.  That means streamlining and simplifying programs and seeking creative and meaningful ways to share Christ’s love and compassion with our congregation and neighbors. We hope you are “attending” our online services (including replays), or perhaps your children or youth have participated in other online events.  Know that we are experimenting with technology as we continue to bring our church together.  These are days that call for faith, faithfulness, and flexibility, and we welcome your feedback and support.

As we all shelter in place and gather for worship online, here are four easy ways you can continue to support the church financially:

Online

• Go to www.glennumc.org/give

• Click the “Give Now” box

• You can then make a one-time donation or set up a recurring donation.

Text to Give  

• Simply send a text to the number (833)795-0325 with the amount you wish to donate to the operating fund typed into the message space, then press Send.

• You will receive a text reply with a link. Click the link, which will take you to a giving screen (processed via Vanco) with our church name and a giving template.

• Enter your name, address, email address, method of payment details, and confirm the gift amount in that template.

• You will receive a receipt by return text to your phone stating the amount donated to Glenn Memorial UMC.

• A receipt also will be emailed to you if you complete the email address line.

Bank Draft

• Log in directly to your personal banking institution and create a bill-pay payment to Glenn Memorial UMC.

• Use the church address:

  • 1660 N. Decatur Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30307. Your bank will send payment directly to the church.

• Please indicate in the memo field of the bill payment where to post the donation.

By Mail

• You can mail your offering to:

  • Glenn Memorial UMC – Finance Office
    1660 N. Decatur Road, NE
    Atlanta, GA  30307

In the current economic environment, we also know there might be financial uncertainty for you and your household, so we understand if commitments made during our stewardship campaign need to be adjusted.  Please contact our Church Administrator, Pam Gwinner, at (404)634-3936, ext. 102, should you need to revise the amount or timing of your estimate of giving.  Please remember also that your pastors are available should you need their help or the help of the church.

Little did we know when we celebrated our centennial in January that such troublesome days were around the corner.  Yet, we know that those 100 years have held other great challenges, and the congregation of Glenn Memorial has persisted in doing good all along the way.  And so we will continue to serve God and share the love of Christ.  These are our days and our time to let the light of Christ shine through us.  Thank you for your faithfulness to Glenn and the care you show for each other and the world.

Together. Alone.

I wasn’t at all surprised by the extension of the physical distancing restrictions or the Bishop’s statement barring public worship through April.  The handwriting was surely on the wall.  But I have to say the announcements hit me hard, nevertheless.  A month suddenly seems like a long time, and I’m not even homeschooling.  New headlines and images arrive every day.  But no gatherings.  No worship together.  And Easter in the midst of it.  What will that be like?

I want you to know I think of you all every day.  You are such a huge part of my world, and I really do feel connected to, even responsible for, all of you.  I try to picture you out there in your homes.  And I imagine you all in the sanctuary.  And I pray for you.

As a pastor, I can repeat here the truths you’ve heard and know already—that the church is not the building and that we are the church even when scattered.  Important truths.  But experience speaks another truth right now, too.  We ARE scattered, and each of us faces this crisis alone and as households.  Each of us is coping as best we can, strangers in a strange land.  Alone.

Here is our truth.  We are one in the church, a glorious and beautiful mystery, and we are ones, solitary pilgrims, every journey unique.  Each of us has our own questions; each of us prays or doesn’t; each of us is alone with our own thoughts in these days of COVID-19. 

Human life is duality—a life shared in the world and an inward life that can be shared with no one.  These days awaken our minds and spirits to both truths.  So, you in your home, I in mine, we think alone together.  What is important?  What brings me joy?  What frightens me?  What do I really believe?  As for me and my household … what?

This I will profess: The Holy Spirit is with you and with me, and I believe that every one of us solitary pilgrims is embraced in the grace of Jesus Christ and the love of God.  Each of us is working through this crisis on our own, because that’s how it has to be.  YET, I know we can find help and comfort in God AND each other, if we so choose.

We are all facing the same enemy, real but unseen, and its power is frightening.  But in the midst of it all, Easter.  There is no power that can overcome the love God has for you, for me, for us, or the love we have for each other.

And so, in my thoughts I will picture you, and when you think of church, please include me, too, because in all my quirky individuality, I am welcomed at Glenn Memorial, as are you, my fellow quirky soul.  And when the Holy Spirit is added to you and me, we become gloriously, beautifully, us, the church of Jesus Christ.  And, for that, I thank God, ESPECIALLY in these days of shared isolation.

In Christ,

Rev. Mark Westmoreland

Bridges and Other Wonders

“I would have loved this bridge when I was a kid,” I wanted to tell someone that day, but knowing none of the folks walking beside me, I thought it best to keep the thought to myself. I was on my way from new tower to old building at Emory Hospital, a trek I’ve made many times, when the obvious suddenly dawned on me. The walls of the bridge are glass! As a child, I’m sure I would have pressed my face to that cool (in every way) wall to marvel at the cars and buses and action-figure pedestrians on Clifton Road below. Knowing that such actions are frowned upon among adults, I didn’t do that, of course, but I’ll admit the thought crossed my mind.
Just let me count cars for a little bit; let me imagine I’m floating above them.
I don’t know why it hit me that day, the transparency of the bridge. It was just a normal afternoon and a normal hospital visit, back in the old normal when we could still visit the hospital. But it occurred to me that whoever designed that bridge was a genius.
Imagine the discussion between the hospital board and architect:

“We need a bridge across Clifton Road.”
“OK. Simple enough. A bridge,” the architect said, sketching idly on his pad. But then something came over him (Who knows from whence inspiration springs?); his pencil raced across the paper; and he shouted, “What if … Hear me out now. What if we put ‘EMORY’ on that bridge in really big letters so people passing below can read it and news crews can use it as a backdrop when they’re doing a news story on, you know, whatever?”
“Genius!”
“And … get this. Call me crazy, but we could make the walls of the bridge [pausing for effect and scanning the crowd] GLASS!”
Gasps. “You mean sunlight-in-your-face, count-the-cars-below glass?”
“Yes. Clear. Transparent. Translucent. Permeable to light and sight.”
[the sound of hospital executives hyperventilating]

The great thing about a bridge with glass walls is that you get the safety of impenetrability and the joy of suspended sightseeing. Clearly (yes, that was intentional), I didn’t fully appreciate that glass bridge in pre-COVID-19 days. Now I’m allowed to experience it only from the EMORY side or as backdrop on the aforementioned news. I miss those crossings. And so, when the day comes that we’re allowed to traverse that bridge again, I vow to you, the first day I cross it I will pause mid-bridge, press my face to the glass, and enjoy the scenery below, no matter how my fellow travelers judge me.

OK, I admit isolation is getting to me a little, but I really do think there’s a point here somewhere. Maybe we will be the better for this time of social distancing. Maybe we will relish a bit more fully the stuff we once took for granted—things like office copiers, shared pews, dining in at restaurants, and glass bridges. Maybe we will even appreciate a little more the people closest to us and the folks afar for whom we have fretted and prayed.
And this concern we’re feeling for our neighbors? The sense of community right now that outweighs political and theological differences? Maybe, just maybe, we can hold onto that strange and gracious perspective, at least for a while.

One other thought on the glass bridge: Replace the glass with sheetrock, and what you have is a long rectangular room. Remove the walls altogether, and what you have is Now.
Somebody took the walls; the wind is blowing; and the best thing we can do is hang onto each other in the crossing, even if we can’t touch.

In Christ,
Rev. Mark Westmoreland

Thank you Marilyn Chan

By SALLY SEARS

We’ve been praying for her in the church so long I thought her first name was ‘Missionary.’

Now I learn she’s retiring.  I’m feeling a little guilty at knowing so little about the people on Glenn’s prayer list. When someone comes OFF the list, it’s worth asking about.

So I asked a few questions. Lots of Glenn members know her story, but many of us, like me, could use a good reminder.

Turns out her mission is a glory for all of us who have prayed even if I wasn’t paying close enough attention.

Here’s a photo from her recent retirement with her husband Joseph.

From Deborah Marlowe, I hear of the dramatic, powerful life she’s led. A child refugee from the murderous Khmer Rouge, she found Christ in a refugee camp.

During missionary training at Candler School of Theology, she found Glenn Memorial.

Or did we find her?

When she came back to America on missionary leave, she worked the Methodist lecture circuit, raising money for projects in Cambodia. Glenn was a frequent stop, most recently three years ago.  The dollars she collected helped build a dormitory for Cambodian women to continue education after high school. Deborah Marlowe and Jane Thorpe helped inaugurate the dormitory in Siem Reap.

In Cambodia, Marilyn led Bible studies.  She managed microloans for women. 

We at Glenn Church pay about $2500 a year out of our mission budget to help Marilyn Chan and her mission to women and children in Cambodia.  Nobody could easily remember how long Glenn’s backed her. So, I checked with the church finance whiz, Pam Gwinner. The answer stunned me. Two decades. Our easy to reach records go back to 2000. Since then Glenn has raised and sent $44,500 for Marilyn Chan’s mission.

Of course, it is more than money. All these years of prayer from Glenn supported her work. And now she’s retiring. I hope she’s hearing the joyous gospel words “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

We may support other missionaries in other countries. But for this moment, I’m pausing to appreciate the lives she’s changed with our dollars and prayers.

An Open Letter to the Ladies of Glenn

By JESSICA BRADFORD, Communications Director

When I began working at Glenn over a year ago, I had no idea the impact this church would have on my life. For those that don’t know, I grew up in the United Methodist Church. My father is an Ordained Elder of the North Georgia Conference and a Candler School of Theology graduate at that. I had no idea when I attended my dad’s graduation in the Glenn Memorial Auditorium back in 2002 that a mere 16 years later I would find myself employed there, let alone an active member that’s grown to love this congregation. There are so many wonderful qualities about Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, and one of the very best it has to offer a single, young adult female is the God-fearing, strong, courageous women in attendance.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting, working and worshipping with the ladies of Glenn and each one has shaped who I am. Starting with Mary Lou Boice (and her wonderful daughter, Katie). Mary Lou is the woman responsible for getting me here. In the summer of 2018, I got a call from Mary Lou saying that she would love for me to come in and interview for the position of Communications Director at Glenn. Upon meeting her, we discovered that in the summer of 2010 her daughter Katie and I were both Youth Delegates at Annual Conference in Athens (talk about those cords Rev. Mark Westmoreland mentioned in his Centennial Sunday sermon). Mary Lou swears we were even roommates, although neither of us particularly remember that detail. If it wasn’t for Mary Lou, I don’t know what I’d be doing or what church I would be attending.

Next, of course, Rev. Susan Pinson and Rev. Blair Setnor. These remarkable women have helped shape me into the Christian woman I am becoming. From supporting me, reassuring me, pushing me to be my best, and walking alongside me on my faith journey; both of these incredible mothers, pastors, and friends have been instrumental in my growth as a professional, a woman of faith, and a person.

I could go on and on about the astonishing women I’ve met at Glenn Memorial UMC. From Carolyn Roper and Dorothy Chitwood being the epitome of hospitality. To Claire Asbury Lennox and Amy Bugg Burke emulating what a legacy in the church looks like. To Carol Allums and Cheryl Griffin displaying a faithful commitment to their congregation. To Lynn Speno and Jan Lictenwalter passionately fighting for the cause that sets their heart on fire. To Gatra Mallard exemplifying what it means to be a true matriarch in the church. And all the remarkable young ladies I’ve met through the Young Adult Ministry. All of these amazing women, and the ones I have yet to meet or failed to mention, have impacted the life of this preacher’s kid beyond measure.

Growing up in the church I have always heard how important it is to surround yourself with the best people. Iron sharpens iron, right? But it wasn’t until I was “grown”, post-graduation, in the world on my own for the first time, that I realized just how important it is to have a faith-based group of ladies on your side. God blesses us with the gift of friendship not only because it brings us joy, but because it enlightens us, it builds us up and helps us grow. 

God knew I needed Glenn Memorial in my life. He knew long before I did, that I would need to meet every single one of you ladies to grow. He was planting the seeds and laying the groundwork before I had a clue. He knew my dad would graduate from Candler and become a pastor in the North Georgia Conference, He planned for me to meet Katie Boice years before I even knew what I wanted to go as a career, and He knew that each of the fabulous women at Glenn would be here to guide and mold me.

So to the ladies of Glenn Memorial UMC, THANK YOU. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your ministries. Thank you for leading your families. Thank you for guiding the way for young women like myself. Thank you for faithfully serving your church. Thank you, for being YOU.

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If you’re looking for your group of ladies, chances are they are here at Glenn Memorial. There are so many opportunities to join a group. From UMW Circles to the Young Adult Ministry, the annual Glenn Women’s Retreat, Moms’ Morning In, and more. There’s a place for each woman of faith, no matter where you are in your faith journey.

Spring Cleaning

Some of you have been a part of our short Children’s Ash Wednesday Services in the past and of course, I invite you to join us this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Little Chapel.  We all know that Children’s Sermons are made with adults in mind, too, so here's a sneak peek of some of what I'll share with the kids on Ash Wednesday:

One of the dreaded announcements in my house when I was a little girl was “Today we are starting SPRING CLEANING!”  Spring Cleaning in my family meant that for several Saturdays in a row, we had lots of chores to do – to help clean the house and all the mounds of stuff that had piled up during all these cold months where we played indoors and used every blanket and jacket in the house.  During Spring Cleaning, my parents did things like wash windows and clean blinds and curtains and baseboards.  You can ask your parents about how NOT fun that can be.  Spring Cleaning for my brothers and me meant that we had the dreaded chore of ….dun, dun, dun….cleaning out from under our beds.  Oh man…it was bad.  We found clothes, missing socks, toys that we’d forgotten about from Christmas, and the worst part, little pieces of cereal or candy covered in dust and dirt.  You had to stretch and reach all the way back to get everything out…sometimes even using a coat hanger or baseball bat to help you reach into the farthest, dirtiest corners.  By the end of Spring Cleaning day, we were covered in cereal pieces, colored markers from all the capless markers we discovered, and lots and lots of dirt and dust. 

Well, in a way, Lent is a time of Spring Cleaning in our lives.  It is during these 40 days before Easter that we do our best to pray, say we’re sorry for things we’ve done wrong, and ask for forgiveness and patience and self-control to do better.  And so Lent is like Spring Cleaning of our lives because we clean out our thoughts, words, and actions of all the things that don’t belong. 

The neat thing about Spring Cleaning when I was a child was that once I had all the piles of stuff out from under the bed, my Mom and Dad helped me sort through the piles and decide which things to recycle or trash, which things to donate, and which things we could clean and put away in the places they actually belonged.  I didn’t have to do any of it alone.  My parents were there all along.  And for the Lenten Spring Cleaning of our lives, we are not alone, either – God is with us all along! 

That’s what Lent is all about...looking deep within ourselves – our thoughts and habits and the way we treat people – and deciding what we ought to throw away – things like disrespect or dishonesty – and deciding what we need to brush the dust off of and return to the places they belong – whether something we can actually dust off like our Bible that we can start reading each day or remembering to be kind to others and help those in need in special ways.  Remembering what giving to others is all about.  And just like my parents helped me with actual Spring Cleaning, we can all help one another with prayers and forgiveness and sharing God’s love during Lent.  And we know that the Holy Spirit will help us in everything that we do.

The very old special tradition of taking ashes from burnt palm branches and placing them on our foreheads or hands in the sign of a cross reminds us that we belong to Jesus and that during the next 40 days of Lent, we will do our best to remember to repent, to pray, to forgive, and to do special things to share God’s love with others as we get ready to celebrate Easter. 

For the grown-ups reading this reflection today, I want you to take time to remember that odd, mysterious feeling – physical, emotional, and spiritual when someone has made the sign of the cross in ashes on your head.  Remember that feeling?  It’s so strange and vulnerable...and I can tell you, it’s a humbling and mysterious experience to make the sign of the cross over and over on heads of all ages, children, and adults.  Each Ash Wednesday I find myself thinking, “Who am I to remind someone that they are dust!?”  But as my hands get dirtier and dirtier with the ashes, I am reminded that our dustiness—our sins—mark us all, and together we remember and repent as a Body of Christ.  That’s why we gather.  That’s why we do these strange rituals.

Having a cross on our forehead reminds us that we are a child of God, as this is where the water was placed on our heads when we were baptized and became a part of the church family.  The ashes help remind us that sometimes it gets quite dirty to be a Christian and to do the right things and share God’s love with all people.  Just like how I used to dread Spring Cleaning and how hard and dirty work it was to clean out from under my bed.  Like we teach the children, the ashes also remind us that God created us out of dust and that after we die, all of the things of this world – even everything hidden under our beds – will return to dust.  But having the ashes in the shape of a cross reminds us that this is not sad, but happy because Jesus lived, died, and then rose from the dead and promises us eternal life in heaven.  

It’s as simple as that for a Children’s sermon, and it’s as simple as that for us today!  And that’s what we’ll celebrate at the end of these 40 days of Lent–when we come together and celebrate Easter….Just like how good it felt and how proud I would be with a clean room at the end of Spring Cleaning, that’s how we will feel as we celebrate Easter together soon...we will give thanks to God for cleaning out our lives with love and grace – and making our hearts sparkling clean to share love with everyone. 

Hope to see you and your family at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday!

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Susan Pinson

Finding Community and Renewed Hope at Glenn Memorial UMC: A Newcomer’s Account

            Another mass shooting. A family devastated by opioid addiction. A mother pleading for help after a natural disaster. The world’s climate and environment in crisis. The problems facing our nation and world can sometimes feel overwhelming. And yet, I’ve always believed that Christians— equipped with inner joy, optimism, and hope for the future—can do good, even when surrounded by troubles. In recent years, however, I’ve struggled to know how I can make a positive contribution, where I fit in with what God is doing in the world, and importantly, how to maintain optimism and hope. Perhaps you have wrestled with some of the same questions.

            In the summer of 2019, I slipped quietly into the back of the Sunday morning chapel service at Glenn Memorial to pray and seek a sense of peace. I tried to sneak out unnoticed after the service before Pastors Mark and Susan had a chance to welcome me. The following weeks, however, something kept beckoning to me, drawing me back to the little chapel service. Like the Psalmist I wondered, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7)

            My wife and I started attending The Gathering on Sunday evenings and other church events over the next few months. We were blessed by the teaching, amazing music from The Gathering band, and kindness from various church members. We and our visiting family members were deeply moved by Glenn Memorial’s Christmas Eve Service.  

            Over time, I noticed God refreshing my spirit and renewing my sense of hope. I began to discover the Glenn community as a place where I could grow in my walk with God and find nourishment and rest for my soul. It is a work in progress. There are still days when I become frustrated to know what to do about the problems on the evening news. And yet, I also hear Christ’s words, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

             As people of faith, we have an opportunity to share Christ’s message of peace with a world that is hurting. “(Love) continually incites us to do good,” John Wesley wrote, “in every possible kind, and in every possible degree to all men.” We can start with the “little” opportunities that God sets before us-- sharing an encouraging word with an overworked cashier, listening to a co-worker who is going through a difficult time, or showing compassion and hospitality to immigrants and strangers. Over the long-term, we might consider three positive habits that, as a former Rollins professor and Emory campus minister, I tried to model for and encourage in my students:

1. We can volunteer our time and talent by serving others a few hours each week. Volunteering can help us to put life’s challenges into perspective, and show our children and future generations the value that we place on serving others. Here are a few ideas: https://www.glennumc.org/volunteer-at-glenn

2. We can give regularly to humanitarian and social justice causes, to a local congregation’s community service efforts, or directly by helping friends, neighbors or family members who struggle financially. Choosing a percentage of our income to donate can help ensure that charitable contributions grow in proportion to the financial blessings we receive. For some charitable giving ideas, see: https://www.glennumc.org/alternative-giving-catalog and https://advance.umcor.org/    

3. We can commit part of our career and life’s work to help those who are oppressed or in need. It is important to remember that career success is not measured merely by our job’s prestige, the number of degrees we have, or the amount that we earn, but on the impact that our lives have on others.

            As Christ’s witnesses— we have an opportunity to demonstrate faith over despair, light over darkness, love over hate— to a world that is hurting and in need of hope. This is how God’s kingdom will overcome the daunting challenges and malevolent forces that face us. As Dr. Martin Luther King put it, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Scott Santibañez MD, DMin MPHTM

The Good Samaritan Institute

Regular Attendee, Glenn Memorial UMC

Member Spotlight: Chuck Horton

Question 1) How did you first come to know Glenn? How long have you been a member?

Suzanne and I moved from midtown to Decatur in’93 and started visiting churches in the area. I grew up at University Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, LA and when we walked into Glenn that feeling of homesickness was suddenly lifted. We transferred our memberships from our home churches in Baton Rouge and Irmo, SC in 1997 a year or so before our oldest Duncan was born.

Question 2) You are proudly involved with the Glenn Scouts; how did you get into that?

We got Duncan involved in Pack 6 as a webelo scout as a way to enjoy friends, the outdoors, and the confidence that achieving goals can bring. Our family loves camping and hiking and so it wasn’t long after we joined troop 18 that some amazing adults like Dave Speno and Otto Froelich inspired me to take on a succession of leadership roles to help out the troop. Duncan rose rapidly through the ranks and earned the Eagle rank in 2016 but the highlight of our time together in the troop was our 10-day backpacking trek to Philmont in the mountains of New Mexico. Currently, I am the Chartered Organization representative for troop 18 and as a Glenn member, I serve to strengthen the bond between the church and the troop.

Question 3) Your son Thomas is now in Scouts, is this a legacy you hope he passes down to his children someday?

Thomas (our 16 year old) has had some awesome scout experiences as well including National Youth Leader Training and the opportunity to practice what he learned there. I would be thrilled to see him involve his children in scouting because I believe so much that the scouting program is a beautiful way for youth to learn how special they are, how precious our world is and how they can find joy in serving others.

Question 4) What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned through your time in Scouts?

Every scout has their own challenges and their own pace. If we as adults can help them find their stride, that’s our best most blessed role.

Question 5) When you’re not over at the Scout Hut, you can be found helping with the Glenn Youth Play. Why is that so important to you?

Time, talents, gifts, service. I started performing on stage as a child in church group productions and school plays. The directors I worked with kindled in me my passion for acting and taught me that I could be an artist. I love working in the theatre, so much so that, like a good Methodist  I went on to study it and earned an MFA in acting from Brandeis University. If you ever have a chance to contribute or be involved in the great tradition of a Glenn youth production you should take it. It is transformative and inspirational.

Question 6)  What’s something everyone can expect with this year’s youth play?

Fun! Great songs, dancing youth!

Question 7) What’s next for you? Career-wise or in your personal life?

I hope to be where my family needs me to be, where my spirit compels me to be, and where my Lord has planned for me to be.

From the Archives: The Tiniest Bit of Something Good

On the last Sunday in June [2018] I dropped my son off at Camp Glisson. Leaving Atlanta, I’d hoped for cooler, drier air in the mountains, but it was stubbornly hot and muggy, even north of Dahlonega. The thick woods did little to cool things off, and James and I sweated even after just one trip from the car to his cabin.

It was his first sleep-away camp experience, which concerned me a little. But what bothered me more was that I had registered him for the wrong program, the one his friend Sam was not registered for. I didn’t let on that I felt worried for him going into a cabin of 12 boys, many of whom were already paired up with buddies they’d known since they were little. But in so many ways, James is more mature than I am. Where did his social confidence come from? Certainly he didn’t inherit it from me or my husband.

I helped him make his bed, a top bunk over the counselor’s desk. He was wearing his "Free Hugs" t-shirt and what looked to me like some kind of 10-year-old’s game face. It's the face you put on when you’re girding yourself, when you don’t want to reveal any vulnerability. He sternly tucked in the corners of the fitted sheet and placed his pillow at one end. A kid across the cabin called over to James that he wanted a hug in a tone that sounded a bit derisive. James’s words were “Yeah, OK,” but his attitude was “you wanna piece of me?” I noticed another kid who also appeared to be alone and was taking solace in a book. I asked James if he wanted one of his books out of the car. “OK,” he said, “72-Story Tree House.”

After another sweaty walk out to the car, I returned with the book. James was sitting on a lower bunk with three other boys, including the hug requester, playing a game of cards. In minutes the boys had gone from being mildly contentious strangers to new friends. My heart swelled, but I kept my cool, trying not to embarrass anyone. I left the book on James’s bed and told him to have a good week without too much fanfare.

The whole drive home, Barbara Day Miller’s words played themselves in my mind. She had kicked off Glenn’s Summer Lecture Series a few weeks earlier with her talk "Prayers as a Part of Worship." There was a phrase she used that struck me as relevant to the way the boys had made friends: “the tiniest bit of something good.” She had had us close our eyes as she read Mark 4:26-34, the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Before beginning she had asked us to “see what you see, without question, without analysis, without trying to figure out what this means. Just see what you see and how that feels.”

Jesus also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once the sower goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." Jesus also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds in the earth; and yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

It was a different experience –- hearing the verse read versus reading it myself. Barbara’s reading was lovely, her voice swaying with the language and pausing now and again to let our mental images form more fully. She asked what we saw as she read and showed us how the images and feelings hinted at more. An audience member said that the place was “sunny and cool.”

“Isn’t this like the kingdom of God?” she asked in response. “Haven’t you encountered God’s kingdom like this? It doesn’t feel dry or hungry or wounded, but just takes the tiniest bit of something good and pretty soon it feels like this (spreading her arms). The sower in the verse doesn’t know how it happened, no clue, just a glimpse.”

She related the idea to her own experience of singing Psalm 23 and riding the soaring crescendo that peaks with “…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord…” …how the music and the meaning combine with something else to bring us to a place of fullness. But “just like that and then it’s gone,” she said. “You’ve seen the kingdom of the Lord like this.”

I definitely have: towering, joyous, ineffable and ephemeral, but somehow more real than anything else. “The tiniest bit of something good,” is the phrase, the words that came to me over and over on the drive home from Glisson. Barbara broke character to deliver the description with a southern intonation, an emphasis on the word “good” that somehow evoked intimacy and familiarity.

Why should such a small episode as my son making friends at camp make me so happy? I could explain it as just one of life’s opportune moments, the lucky coincidence of my having had this son and that he should be fortunate enough to go to this camp with these kids. Instead, I had the idea Barbara had given me -- that of the kingdom being the tiniest bit of something good, and that that bit can grow to become even bigger. Cruising down 400, it also occurred to me that I can help it grow, that I can shower my small bit of hopeful water and help sprout the seed.

Irene Hatchett

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Register now for Camp Glisson!  Summer camp registration is now open to United Methodists!  Many Glenn kids (and yours truly!) can share more about the wonders of Camp Glisson. Camperships available for all Glenn Church members - contact me for the form and Glenn Church helps cover up to $100 per camper. glisson.org (note that Glenn Vacation Bible School is June 8-12, 2020!)

Glenn’s Chords Across the World

Last week as Glenn Memorial celebrated its 100th Anniversary, Pastor Mark reminded us of all the chords that have been built over our first century as a church. Chords of faith, of love, of service, among many other types of chords orchestrated through the holy spirit. Many of these “ties that bind” are easy to see as we reflect on our own daily experiences as members of Glenn. Weekly Sunday school classes. Prayer circles. Book studies. Pancake breakfasts. Sing-a-longs with our homebound brothers and sisters. VBS fun with our children. And Glenn Memorial has many chords beyond the walls of our church and the borders of our state and country.

Over the past decade you, the Church, have been building ties that bind in Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Cambodia, and Honduras. Through your generous giving to our annual operating budget, we now provide full tuition scholarships to 109 students in these countries ranging from kindergarten through university studies. Students receive support every year until they graduate. Most of these scholarships are for girls, including Jessie Cevallos (pictured below). She’s studying Ecological Tourism at a university in Ecuador thanks to your faithful gifts. That’s a pretty powerful tie.

Many of these children come from families that migrated from the countryside to the Atucucho neighborhood far outside the capital of Quito. Their parents are constantly looking for day labor and are rarely at home to care for their children. Glenn’s gift provide not only tuition, books, and uniforms for these students, but also after school care provided at the Methodist Church Agua de Vida (Water of Life).

Our chords stretch directly to missionaries Marilyn Chan in Cambodia (who recently retired) and Sara Flores in Ecuador. You may remember hearing their names during weekly prayer on Sundays. Glenn’s covenant relationship with these amazing women provides the financial and spiritual support they need to spread God’s love to the vulnerable and to ensure our scholarship funding reaches those who need it most.

Our chords are tied up in a school building in Cambodia where young children can live and learn. Several years ago Glenn and several other churches helped fund the construction of a girl’s dormitory that now houses many of our scholarship recipients. And the threads of our church are literally worn in Zimbabwe where Glenn scholarship recipients proudly where school uniforms every day, uniforms supplied through gifts of our very own members.

In a sense, Glenn’s Missions Committee is dedicated to building strong Kingdom chords from 1660 North Decatur Road to many parts of the world. I’m sure these chords were celebrating our Birthday last week as well.

If you have an interest in Mission at Glenn please contact Missions Committee Chair, Aaron Hurst.

Your Century

The first worship service for the new Emory University Methodist Church was held on January 11, 1920, in the recently constructed Durham Chapel.  Remember?  The Rev. Thomas H. Lipscomb, who, like the Rev. Connor Bell, hailed from Mississippi, was the first pastor, serving also as professor of English Bible, but Bishop Warren A. Candler, chancellor of the university, preached the first sermon.  You remember all that, right?

Fifty-seven people joined that first Sunday (I’m still waiting for a Sunday like that here), among them the Johnson family, the Turners, Goodyears, Meltons, Stipes, and Rev. Lipscomb’s family, of course, along with Ms. Gardner, Mr. Chan, Mr. Paik, Mr. Beeson, Mr. Starnes, and more.*  Remember?  I do.

I remember that first Sunday, not because I was there (I’m not THAT old), but because that day and those people are all part of the story that is now my story.  And that story is yours, too.  Even if you arrived at Glenn Memorial yesterday, all of the memories that fill a hundred years of history are your memories now, too.  No, we haven’t arranged with the Brain Center down the street to implant anything in your head.  No electrodes are needed.  It’s simpler than that and more beautiful.  This transference of memories is called adoption.  It’s called communal identity.  It’s called church.

When you join Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, you join the story we all share.  It goes way back, that story—back to circuit riders and frontier churches, the Wesley brothers and their revival, Roman roads, and traveling apostles.  Remember Abraham and Sarah?  That far back and farther.  But this Sunday we’ll focus on the last 100 years, the good and even some of the bad.

At 11 a.m. (one service only), we will all gather in the Glenn Memorial Auditorium/Sanctuary (it was always conceived as dual purpose), where, as I’m sure you remember, worship was first held in October 1931, and there we will join in a grand celebration.  Friends and family will be on hand, and former pastors will participate, along with Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, Dean of Candler School of Theology and Interim Provost of the University Jan Love, and Emory University President Claire Sterk.  And, if all goes as planned, another critically important guest will be there as well—you—in the middle of it all, praying and singing and rejoicing.

It’s so important, your presence, because who better than you to start work on the NEXT 100 years of ministry?  I mean, you already have a century’s worth of experience.  Remember?

In Christ,

Rev. Mark Westmoreland

*The facts I’ve shared here are from Dr. Jimmy May’s wonderful book, The Glenn Memorial Story: A Heritage of Trust.  Copies are available in the church library, if you’d like to refresh your memory.

From the Archive: Refugees: Who, What, and Why (2017)

“Refugees”: the very word likely evokes a variety of emotions for many, including our own congregation. There is much anxiety, confusion, and controversy in the air today about immigration in general, with the unfortunate result that the specific immigration category of refugees sometimes gets unfairly mixed in with other, separate concerns.

Our hope with this piece is to shed more light on the subject of refugees and to reduce some of the misunderstanding, as well as to remind ourselves and others about what Glenn has been doing and what we can still do to support the large refugee community in Atlanta. And perhaps most importantly, to remember the theological reasons that prompt us to commit to this work.

A refugee is a special category of immigrant who has undergone a lengthy and multi-step process in order to be admitted into the U.S. or other country. First, the status of “refugee” must be determined by the United Nations, based on well-founded reasons for fleeing the person’s native country because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or their political opinion. The U.S. hand-selects every person who is admitted into our country as a refugee and gives priority to refugees who have been targeted by violence. Second, for entry into the U.S. the person must be referred to the U.S. refugee admissions program by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, or by a U.S. embassy or approved humanitarian aid organization. Fewer than 1% of the nearly 20 million refugees in the world are considered for resettlement worldwide. Third, refugees undergo the most intensive vetting process of any other type of immigrant seeking to enter the U.S. Refugees seeking entry into the U.S. undergo security screenings by multiple agencies, including the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security. The total vetting process typically takes up to 36 months.

Once a refugee has been cleared for resettlement into the U.S., the U.S. government works with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and eight other national resettlement agencies to help them make a new start in America. In metro Atlanta, IRC is one of five resettlement agencies supporting our very large refugee community, many of whom have settled in the Clarkston area. Newly arrived refugees receive stipends to cover their first few months in the U.S., but they must be self-supporting after that. Many successfully assimilate into American culture, become U.S. citizens, and contribute to their communities.

Churches and other organizations and individuals assist agencies like IRC by providing funding for refugee family sponsorship, which offsets the federal funding those agencies receive and enables the federal funds to go farther in assisting the refugee community. Family sponsorship also enables a church to develop a relationship with the sponsored family, in many cases a relationship that persists long after the sponsorship period has officially ended. Glenn had been planning to undertake such a sponsorship this year, but the recent changes in U.S. policy on refugees (placing a 120-day hold on admitting any more refugees and reducing the total number of refugees for 2017 from 110,000 to 50,000) have made it impossible for IRC and other resettlement agencies to offer a family sponsorship program for the rest of this year.

Glenn has been involved with support of refugees through IRC for the past several years through the work of two of our service committees: Environmental and Missions. For our 2017 monthly day of service initiative, the service opportunity for the last two months has been focused on Atlanta's refugee population. On Saturday February 25 [2017], a group of Glenn folks spent the morning at the IRC community garden near North DeKalb Mall. We weeded, spread mulch, and climbed a mountain (of mulch)! In the process, we forged new friendships, sweated a bit, and cleared a path between garden plots. It might not seem like much, but to those who garden there, it means a lot that people are willing to come out and spend a Saturday morning to help them as they adjust to their new life in Atlanta. The garden is appropriately named the "New Roots Community Garden", a fitting name for a place for new growth. This was the Glenn Environmental Committee's third year assisting with the garden.

On Saturday March 25 [2017], a group of about 15 Glenn folks gathered at IRC’s Resettlement Store near Northlake Mall. This continued a tradition that the Missions Committee has followed for the last three years of spending a couple of hours on a Saturday morning working as “stock clerks”, sorting donated items that are in large plastic bags or cardboard boxes in the storeroom and placing them in the appropriate racks or shelves in the store itself. By the time our volunteers leave, the racks and shelves are packed full. But, we are told, by the following Tuesday the racks and shelves will all be empty as the refugee families come in and take all the items they need, free of charge. IRC depends strictly on volunteers to help keep the store stocked each week, so this remains a wonderful opportunity for Glenn to be involved in a meaningful way in helping our refugee neighbors.

We believe that when we choose to help refugees, we are engaging in Jesus’ work of being in relationship with and being of service to the least, the last, and the lost. We live into our congregation's desire to "Love God, Love Neighbor" more fully and embody Jesus' teaching of welcoming the stranger.

If you can't join us in these “hands-on” volunteer activities, but are interested in learning or doing more, here are other ways you can help (information provided by IRC). Some of these are political advocacy steps, others are for becoming better informed, others are for providing financial help. Whatever your preference, we hope you will consider becoming involved.

Albert Sheffer, Missions Chair
Lynn Speno, Environmental Chair

Urgent Need TODAY:
If you live in Georgia and have 30 seconds please call the office of Gov. Brian Kemp and ask him to sign a letter affirming that Georgia will remain welcoming to refugees. If Gov. Kemp does not sign a letter affirming that Georgia will remain welcoming to refugees and refugee resettlement by Friday, the refugee resettlement program in Georgia will not continue under an executive order issued by President Trump.

Please call Gov. Kemp 404-656-1776 and ask him to sign a letter affirming that Georgia will remain welcoming to refugees and refugee resettlement. 42 other states have already signed letters affirming their willingness to continue to resettle refugees in their state.

Christmas is Here

It is upon us, that day of days.  Or maybe I should say we have come upon it, following its trail through December, tracking it day by day, moment by moment, until at last ... See?  Just ahead.  There it is.

It’s been quite a trip so far—from the Hanging of the Greens with the youth to wreath-making and a Christmas pageant with the children.  There was the Service of Lessons and Carols in all its beauty and magnificence and the Service of Grief and Hope to acknowledge that not all of life is beauty and magnificence.  And, of course, there have been opportunities to gather around tables and study together and eat together—so vital to keeping up our strength and spirits for the journey.  And every Sunday, we lit another candle to light the way. 

All along the way, we passed signs of the good news of great joy that awaited us.

Maybe it was the lights of a lawn surprising you as you rounded a corner or the lights of your own tree whispering peace.  Christmas.  Or maybe some ornament on that tree or some scent of the season carried you back in an instant to Christmas past.  A moment with family and friends or even a journey down a shopping aisle offered a lens through which the glory of Christmas shone.

Bits of it everywhere—on television, radio or leaping from your mailbox—announcing its approach.  All of it good company for the journey.
And now, here we are.  Christmas is here.

And I do mean that Christmas is HERE.  We’ve come back to where we started this trip, the church.

If it’s the purity of the Christmas message you’re seeking, nowhere will you find it more gloriously than in worship with friends and strangers, saints all.  Add your voice to the carols; dive into the story of God’s love made flesh.  Shuffle past the shepherds and nudge aside the sheep and donkeys until at last, you see the mother’s face there beside the feed-trough cradle.  And in that cradle … the baby, the Christ child, full of grace and truth, right there in the midst of our worship and right in the middle of the sometimes-crazy life we share in this world.

And here is our wonderful part in it all: to sing, to love and rejoice, to worship and welcome the Christ.

Christmas is here at Glenn Memorial, and I hope you will be, too.
 
Christmas Eve
 
4 p.m.: The Christmas Story
A beautiful and unique telling of the Christmas story by children and adults, with song, dance, and wonderful costumes that recreate the most holy of nights. 
 
7 p.m.  Traditional Service of Worship
This service, new this year, will include beautiful music by the Glenn Chancel Choir, accompanied by organ and brass, the Christmas story from Luke’s gospel, a Christmas Message, and candlelighting.
 
11 p.m.  Service of Holy Communion
We’ll see in Christmas morning with carols, the story,
Holy Communion and candlelighting.

In Christ,
Mark Westmoreland

'Twas the Week Before Christmas

‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all the church staff,
Was a little bit crazy, that you just had to laugh;

Mark was working on his sermons with care,
While Brent ensured all the Gathering details were there;

The children were hyper with their sweets galore,
Kathy and Kerry were ready to head out the door;

Connor and Jad led the Youth in the YAAB, 
While Pam and Julia with the pledge cards, kept tab,

Erin, Jordan, Kevin, & Seul-bin studied for seminary tests,
And we all were hoping that this Christmas would be the very best. 

Blair and campus ministers were cooking up pancakes in the kitchen.
And Glenn School was gathering all of the donated mittens.

When down in the Choir Room, Michael led the singing,
And up in the office, Cathy wondered if the phone would ever stop ringing.

Away to the nursing homes, Susan had poinsettias to deliver,
With a stop for a children's playgroup and a support group for caregivers.

Jessica cranked out letters and bulletins galore,
And all waited & wondered what Christmas Eve had in store,

Mary Lindsey and Katie led the children in singing,
Nativity pageants, laughter, and bell ringing.

The Chrismons were hung by the Altar Guild with care,
While Ossie & Ben did more than their fair share.

From far and wide, the congregation, they came,
New friends and old, many greeted by name;

Timothy sat down at the organ to begin,
And the holy night was upon us again. 

With candlelight and costumes, the work of each volunteer,
It all came together in a sacred night of worship and cheer.

As young Mary and Joseph walked down aisle,
A young child gasped, "Look, Mom, the baby's real!"

So then came the shepherds, and the angels on high,
The jewel-laden magi and their young pages following behind.

And then, in a twinkling, all became quiet and still,
Glory to God in the highest -- peace, and goodwill.

Later that night,  the Body and Bread are shared.
The Youth Alumni return, singing among even a few tears.

And as the last bulletins are gathered and the candles blown out,
The staff look around in the darkness and realize, this is what it's all about;

A bundle of youth, walking out with their loved ones,
A pajama-clad child. carried out on Dad's arms,

An older adult being helped down the stairs, 
Quiet laughter and conversations fill the air.

As the Advent Wreath lights the way:  Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
The true gifts of the day.

So despite all of the chaos that December brings,
It's all worth it each year as the Christmas bells ring.

The church staff head home for a long winter's nap,
until Sunday morning, and we start over...just like that!

"Happy Christmas to all, from your Glenn Church Staff!”

The Message of a Child

We are at that stage with my toddler's speech development where he knows very clearly what he is trying to communicate.  However, his pronunciation of words continues to baffle us.  This weekend we had a flurry of seasonal fun and at one point he was insisting to look at my phone at photos.  "Pictures!" "Me!"  And then, what I thought was his attempt at "Santa Claus."  So I proceeded to show my little darling elf photos of himself with the jolly ole' fellow.  Yet, he grew madder and madder.  Stomping his little feet and clearly becoming so frustrated with his ignorant mother as he pushed the phone away.  (That was a first for this #screentimegeneration.)  Finally, he reached out and held both my cheeks between his chubby little hands and slowly and emphatically articulated: "Monkey.  Oooh!  Oooh! Oooh!"

CURIOUS GEORGE!  He wanted to see Curious George!   NOT Santa Claus. 

One might wonder if our Loving Heavenly Parent spent generations and generations trying to communicate with the world.  But as clearly as love and grace and salvation were articulated through creation and the prophets and prophetesses of old, humanity remained baffled.  So at last, God came down to embody the chubby little hands of a baby boy who, as he grew up in his ordinary life as the son of a carpenter, undoubtedly became frustrated with the ignorance of a world that thought we knew the answers to what he proclaimed.  But instead of growing madder and madder and stomping his feet (minus that time in the Temple with the money-changers!), he holds our cheeks between his loving hands and slowly and emphatically articulates:  "Hope. Peace. Joy. Love."

Hope to see you and your children who teach us the best lessons of faith this week as we continue to retell the story of Emmanuel - God with us -- until we all finally understand!
         

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Susan Pinson

'Tis the Season to Be Winsome

I’ve always loved the word, but, like other words I love, such as “forgiving” or “patient” or “good,” it’s easier admired than embodied.  The word I’m thinking of is winsome.  Take a moment and say it.  It actually sounds like what it is.

1. The Oxford Shorter Dictionary gives it four definitions:

2. Pleasant, delightful, agreeable.

3. Kindly, gracious, merciful.

4. Pleasing or attractive in appearance; winning or innocently appealing in appearance, character, or manners, charming, engaging.

5. Cheerful, joyous.

I’ve known some winsome people.  They’re the kind of people other people want to be around, or at least I do.  They seem to know something the rest of us haven’t quite figured out.  They walk through their days—or maybe I should say they linger in their days, because that’s what they seem to do, they linger—with gracious confidence.

Notice that I said “confidence,” not “certainty.”  I might be splitting hairs, but I think there’s a difference.  Confidence is about being; certainty is about belief.

There’s no shortage of certainty these days, and that’s a good thing, I guess.  I mean I admire the conviction and strength of character.  Yet… I also find that certainty is the “quality” shared by pretty much everybody that annoys me—on the left, on the right, or smack dab in the center.  And by certainty, I mean CERTAINTY, the all-caps variety that assumes the worst of anyone who might disagree. The 21st-century version of self-righteousness, it seems to me, is self-certainty, and it’s just as judgmental and obnoxious.  In fact, in my vast and indisputable experience (Look it up; I’m experienced), I’ve found that even uncertain people can be annoyingly certain in their absolute certainty that nothing is certain, and of that I’m certain, or even CERTAIN (“Do I contradict myself?  I contain multitudes.”—Walt Whitman).

But to know yourself and what you believe and to allow others the space to be who they are—that’s gracious confidence, unthreatened and unthreatening—and that’s winsome, too.  Winsomeness isn’t about shared opinions; it’s about shared humanity.  Yes, there are important debates to be had, that must be had, but with what attitude do we begin?

Winsomeness is an attitude, a faith even.  It’s a way through life.  To be winsome is to anticipate, and so find, joy in our encounters.  It is to meet people with the expectation that genuine relationship is possible and thus make possible genuine relationship.

So, during these weeks of Advent, a season of joy and expectation, let’s give winsomeness a try.  Linger.  Listen.  Care.  Welcome.  Invite.  Dare to be the first to smile, the first to say hello.  I’m pretty sure that the person standing in front of you would benefit from a little kindness and grace, maybe even a dash of joy.  And I’m absolutely certain you’re just the winsome person to offer it.

In Christ,

Mark Westmoreland

The Last Turn of the Year

We’re about to make the turn into the season.

Back in January and February we started on our way, looking for the right path into a new year, testing the road and getting comfortable with our journey.  But then came Spring, and our pace quickened.  We rolled along the scenic routes of March and April and stopped by Mom’s house in May, before hitting the long stretches of June and July with their fireworks and road trips.  With August we headed back home, only to slog along the jammed streets of September and October, yellow buses ahead of us, commuters behind, and calendar-driven parents all around.

 Maybe it was Halloween that started us looking for the turn, but with Thanksgiving we know we’re there.  We’re about to round the last bend.  Then it’s all downhill past festive lights and well-stocked stores, through malls and gatherings and trips to the church, until at last we screech into Christmas.

This last patch of the year can make for a wild trip.  If you’re not careful, you can fly straight through December and halfway into February before you know where you’ve been.  So, slow down for a moment and take a look at what lies ahead.  It’s such a small part of the journey, this last leg, but it carries us across an amazing landscape.

Thanksgiving sets the tone.  Stop for a moment and look around.  Notice the leaves caught up in wind, the smells of food, the smiles on family faces.  Count the blessings you’ve accumulated along the way this year.  Or don’t count.  But say thanks.

Now, make the turn into Advent and December, and be sure to keep your eyes open for familiar surprises.  On your way to the mall, notice the songs on the radio.  Watch a Hallmark movie (or 20).  And look carefully as you go from mall to gathering to church; you might just catch a glimpse of bath-robed shepherds following an aluminum-foil star.  Or maybe it’s the real star.  I’m not sure, but I know it’s enough to take your breath away.

While you’re out and about, be sure to stop in the sanctuary to hear the children’s voices and the soaring songs of choir, organ, and yourself.  And then, as the road levels at journey’s end, stop once more, take a breath, light a candle and join in “Silent Night.”  Listen as the engine goes quiet at last.  Angelic hosts are about.  Good news is born and God’s light shines in the waning of the year.

Wonders await just beyond that last turn.

In Christ,

Rev. Mark Westmoreland, Senior Pastor

National Caregivers Month

CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP

3RD WEDNESDAY EACH MONTH

Glenn UMC Parlor

 4:30-5:30 PM

            Aubrey and I were well-acquainted with the challenges of caring for family members who could not live independently.  We had been the parents of a son who was diagnosed at birth to have Downs Syndrome and lived almost 39 years.  Also, Aubrey’s Father who had dementia due to trauma came with Aubrey’s Mother to live with us and our three children in 1975. 

            So when the Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association offered a training session in September 2009 for those who would be interested in facilitating a support group for persons with Alzheimer’s or other dementias we were intrigued.

            Glenn’s Lay Ministers had noted concern for Glenn members who appeared to be exhibiting dementia type behaviors and agreed that such training would be good experience.  Susan Pinson, Aubrey, and I attended the Alzheimer’s Association training.  Upon Lay Minister’s recommendation and Glenn Church agreeing to support a caregiver’s group, the three of us attended the training and initiated a Caregivers Support Group at Glenn.

            The training emphasized confidentiality,  monthly meetings that would be free and open to the public.  Providing refreshments was suggested as welcoming and group building,  The facilitators are responsible for assuring all attendees an opportunity to share their story and to support others. Providing information about available resources and scheduling helpful speakers are also activities we provide.

            The Alzheimer’s Association defines a support group as an open gathering of people with common problems, needs, and interests who come together to share their feelings, thoughts and experiences in a combined effort to cope better with and manage the shared problems of dementia in a safe environment.  Support groups do not pay fees to the chapter; they do not have bank accounts, officers or directors.  All facilitators are considered volunteers of the Association and are expected to be screened and trained through the Programs Department including cooperating with a criminal background check.

            The Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter notes that National has asked us to sponsor support groups held in neutral locations only, thereby avoiding even a whiff of conflict of interest that can complicate group dynamics in a for-profit community.

            Our first support group meeting was held on November 18, 2009 with Susan, Aubrey, and me facilitating.  Five women and two men were in attendance.  The group has met every month since then with the exception of one month when none of the facilitators was available and another when Glenn was closed because of a holiday.  Susan sends attendance reports to the Georgia Chapter.  The Alzheimer’s Association provides information and visits our meetings periodically.

Results

            Some of the issues members have shared and agonized over include:

                        Relatives - those who are helpful and those who are not

                        Loved ones getting lost

                        Travel with loved ones

                        Cognitive losses including loved one not recognizing grandchildren

                        Feeling helpless

                        Narrowing of caregiver’s life

                        Whether to replace glasses, teeth, hearing aids

                        Lack of confidence in care provided by hospitals

                        Transitioning to a care facility

                        Guilt—is it okay to be mad with mother?

                        Taking away car keys

                        Guilt associated with not wanting to visit loved one

                        Emergency rooms do not deal well with persons with dementia

Feedback from a “surviving caregiver.”

            The Caregivers Support Group including Susan Pinson was “a big part of my survival kit. . . .  The Wednesday meetings were a way to join with others in similar situations and air our trials and tribulations, along with sharing the funny things and the beautiful experiences of that journey.”    

            Lay Ministers support the Group in many ways.  They have volunteered to be with loved ones while the Caregivers are in their meetings, they have shared their professional expertise at Group meetings;  and they provide support for the facilitators.           

            A basic message for caregivers is to take care of yourself and participate in a support group.  The Caregivers Support Group is celebrating ten years of supporting caregivers.  The caregivers may be caring for loved ones in their homes or in caring facilities or long distance.  All are welcome.

For the caregivers, the support group seems to meet real practical and emotional needs. For us as facilitators, it is a humbling experience to witness firsthand the unconditional love of spouses and adult children (and other family caregivers) journeying together through the heartbreaking struggles of aging. While the group itself is open to all faiths, we share a mutual sense of walking into sacred space in the Parlor each month as unspoken prayers undoubtedly sustain each family. 

Carol T. Bush
November 2019

Love Made Real: Recent, Now, Soon

Recently

Were you here two weeks ago for Emory-Glenn Sunday?  I don’t think I have ever heard more beautiful music on a Sunday morning in church … anywhere, anytime.  We had 130 or so incredibly gifted singers at the front of our church as we celebrated our historic connections with Emory University.  The Emory Concert Choir, the Candler Singers, and our own amazing chancel choir each brought their unique gifts and voices to our worship, then they all joined in an amazing and moving rendition of “How Great Thou Art” (arrangement by Eric Nelson).  We were blessed.

In one sense it was an extraordinary Sunday, in another sense simply the ordinary magnified. Not a Sunday passes that someone doesn’t mention to me the beautiful music that fills our sanctuary.  And it keeps getting better.

Were you here November 3 for All Saints’ Sunday?  As I said that day, it is for me one of the most holy and moving moments in our church year.  We heard a beautiful sermon by Susan Pinson; we lit 14 candles for members of our congregation who passed this year into the eternal embrace of God; we celebrated Holy Communion; and each of us had a chance to light a candle for the saints who have blessed our lives.  And in and through it all, we remembered that we are a part of a great Communion of Saints, servants of God all, joined by the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ.

I could easily recall here other glorious times of worship from this year, but I think you get the point.  Here is the simple truth: On Sundays in this holy space we step into God’s time and find Christ in our midst.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

And none of this happens without the faithful financial support of our congregation.

Five months ago, under the leadership of the Rev. Blair Setnor, a new ministry for 20-somethings was launched.  Thanks to this new group, recent college graduates, along with graduate students from Emory and Tech, have found here at Glenn a community of love and spiritual nurture (You’ll hear from a couple of these folks this Sunday in worship).  At a critical moment in their lives, our church is there for them, offering a place, offering Christ, making love real in their days, and empowering them for service in Christ’s name.  The faithful financial support of our congregation is making possible this new initiative.

Other holy and loving work goes on for all ages within our congregation and, through vital outreach, beyond our walls.  Almost weekly, I receive a note from some service organization expressing gratitude for the financial support of this church.  We are involved in a wide array of compassion and justice ministries through our United Methodist connection and other local and national organizations.  Our Missions and Church and Society outreach ministries are robust and grace-filled.  And none of this happens without the faithful financial support of our congregation.  You are making real the love of Jesus Christ in the world.

Now

The end of the year is before us, and we are behind financially.  Through September, our giving is down $70,000 from this time last year.  Is uncertainty about the future of United Methodism or concern about recent actions of the General Conference a part of that?  I can’t say for sure.  But I do know that our church is working with many other congregations and groups to bring positive change to our denomination, and I know vital, beautiful, and powerful work continues here in our annual conference and around the world through United Methodism.  It all happens through the faithful financial support of our congregation, joined with the giving of other faithful congregations across our conference and world.  I humbly ask, in the midst of change and some confusion, that you be present, keep focused on the good to be done, and keep doing it.

Maybe we will have to reduce our budget and therefore the ministries we offer in the year ahead.  We will certainly do what we have to do to do the most good we can.  But our giving over the next two months, along with our pledges for 2020, will tell the tale.  The financial resources that can unleash God’s mercy and truth in this world are held in the hands of Glenn members and friends.  When we open our hands and share those gifts, amazing things happen.  Love is made real around the corner and around the world.

Soon

November 17 is Commitment Sunday.  That’s two Sundays away.  Next week you’ll receive a pledge card.  Please prayerfully consider what you can give in 2020 and fill out the card.  Then bring it to church on the 17th and we’ll celebrate together what happens when we give in the love of Christ, worship in the love of Christ, and serve in the love of Christ.  Together.

After Commitment Sunday, we will complete a budget, or maybe we should call it a roadmap for ministry.  Then, through the varied ministries you support, lives will be touched with grace and hope; new people will find home here at Glenn Memorial; and we will all grow in Christ together.  That’s love—eternal, divine, glorious, grace-filled, transformative love—made real in the world.

In Christ,

Mark Westmoreland