The Metropolitan Messenger
February 2012, Volume 14, Issue 2
In this issue of the Metropolitan Messenger:
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Discipleship & Spiritual Formation
“As we approach the season of Lent, those weeks set aside for the church to prepare for Easter, many of us will find ourselves so busy that we may neglect time for 'spiritual self-care.' As your pastor, and as a fellow sojourner in this event called 'life,' I too can find myself not taking the time to remain 'grounded' in the Word of God. All of us can fall into the trap of being so busy that our time for reading, prayer, study, and even healthy exercise are pushed to the side. But as I stated at the beginning of this article, Lent is a time for the church (you & I) to prepare for Easter. It’s a time to prepare for the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior!”
“Welcome to February, the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day and the beginning of Lent. Both of these events symbolize love that demonstrates friendship, sacrifice, commitment, serving, and covenant. Valentine’s Day represents the phileō love, which means to be a friend or to have the same interests as another. Lent demonstrates agapaō (agape) love that is unselfish and sacrificial, the love that took Jesus to the cross. As God’s children, expressing love is the character of Christ and the representation of his love filling us! This is our prayer for February that God’s phileō love and agapaō (agape) love will overflow from us to each other, to our church, and to our community. Amen, let it be so! As we enter the February month, may God’s love overshadow your coming and your going.”
Lenten Study
During the Sundays of Lent, Rev. Ray will be doing a sermon series on 24-Hours That Changed the World by Adam Hamilton, pastor of Resurrection Church in Leawood, KS. In follow-up to the sermon series, an after worship study of the same series will be led by Rev. Cathee on the 2nd floor at 12:45 PM to 1:45 PM. Please sign up with Rev. Cathee by February 12 to purchase a book. Study begins February 19 and will conclude on April 1. No study on Feb. 26 (Celebration of Black History Month and our Haiti missionaries). Let the love of study draw you closer to the love of Christ.
Confirmation Class
We are pleased to announce that there will be a confirmation class beginning the Lenten season. The new confirmands are asked to begin with attendance of Ash Wednesday Worship Service on February 22 and classes will meet Wednesday nights from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Parents/Grandparents/Guardians: an information meeting will be held Sunday, Feb. 12 after worship. If you have a youth or know someone with a youth, ages 11-13, please contact Rev. Miles.
Wednesday Bible Studies
Classes continue at 4 PM with the study of Romans and 6:30 PM with the study of Matthew. All are welcome to join. Wednesday 6:30 PM sessions will conclude at Lent.
Emmaus and Chrysalis Community
Emmaus and Chrysalis Community, please note we will have 3 youth attending the winter Chrysalis walks and 2 women pilgrims attending the spring walks. As community, we want to pray and support these who will experience Christ in a fresh and new way. Contact Pastor Sherman Louis and Sammye VanDiver for sponsorship information. You can also sign up for the prayer vigils on the Emmaus website (
www.emsem.org).
Mission and Community Outreach
Black History Month
BHM Plans: The Black History Month taskforce has several activities planned for February 2012. The activities include special music in the Sunday worship services, a tour of the Charles Wright Museum of African American History, and handouts on notable African Americans.
Celebration: We will have our annual fourth Sunday (February 26, 2012) celebration dinner and program. Members are asked to bring a side dish or dessert to share.
Haiti Update
The time is very close for Dale Thomas and Carmen Ziegler to leave for their Haiti Mission Trip. They are away from February 9th to February 18th. We want to cover them every day of the trip with our prayers. We are looking for eighteen Metropolitan Church members to each take a day to pray for them so that someone specifically is praying throughout that week.
The Storehouse of Hope Update
From January through December 2011, the Storehouse of Hope (SOH) enrolled 1,490 households from the North End into its service. In addition, the pantry provided food for 4,173 households (includes repeats), 5,710 adults, and 1,926 children. SOH made referrals for 31 other services such as Housing and Rental Assistance, Transportation Assistance, and Job Development Assistance.
The SOH is hosting a Repertory Theatre night of Friday, March 16, 2012. The feature play is “Burying the Bones.” The evening is the spring fundraiser for the SOH. Your support is greatly appreciated. See Rev. Mary LaVerne Jackson to purchase a ticket.
Homeless Week 2012
For several years, Metropolitan church has hosted the rotating homeless shelter for a week. The date this year is Saturday, March 24th to Saturday March 31st. During the week our guests are given three meals, and a place to sleep each night. Most of all, they experience God’s love in action. Many volunteers are needed to make the week a success and a meaningful experience for our guests. Jan Hamilton and Ken Davis are the co-coordinators.
Want to learn more about Metropolitan's UMW? Find out information
here.
Music and Fine Arts
Handbell Notes
Handbell Choirs: All Handbell ensembles have actively been preparing to play for worship in February and March in preparation for Black History Month and the Lenten Season. Epworth Bells, the Bell Quintet, and Youth Bells played for worship in January.
Handbells 101: A new class is being planned for persons interested in learning to ring handbells. The class begins on February 1 and will run for 8 weeks until March 28. It is Handbells 101. No musical background is required to enroll. We will teach attendees to read music and handbell ringing techniques with no pressure to perform. To enroll, call the church office (ext. 301) or contact Dick Eccles (ext. 201).
Staff Parish Relations Committee
Farewell to Our Minister of Music & Fine Arts
It is with great sadness that the Staff Parish Relations Committee has accepted the resignation of Andrew Galuska, our Minister of Music and Fine Arts, effective Monday, February 27th. Since November 2007, Andrew has blessed us with his fine musical talent, his very creative programs, and the warmth and humor of his presence in all that is a part of Metropolitan Church. We give gratitude to God for the gifts and graces Mr. Galuska has so graciously shared with us during this period of time in the life of our congregation. Congratulations to Andrew on his new position at a church in Florida. There will be an opportunity for us to thank him and wish him well. SPRC will host a reception on Sunday, February 19th following worship. Please plan to be present.
- Martha Martin, SPRC Chair
Upcoming Events
Empty Bowls Dinner
Congregation Shir Tikvah's Empty Bowls Shabbat Dinner is Friday, February 3, 2012. The bowls that Metropolitan UMC helped make and many other bowls will be on display. Bowls will be ready for sale at 5:00 PM. Dinner will be served at 6:00 PM. A Music Shabbat service will follow at 7:15 PM. All are welcome to attend. The soup and bread dinner is made possible by the donations of others. All of the money collected on Friday will be donated to local food banks and soup kitchens to help feed the hungry. RSVP by emailing administrator (at) shirtikvah (dot) org or calling (248)6 49-4418. The event will be held at Congregation Shir Tikvah, 3900 Northfield Parkway, Troy, MI 48084.
Bishop's Day
Join others from the Detroit Renaissance District for the 2012 Bishop’s Day featuring Kingdom Assignments and Global Health. The theme is "Make a Big S.P.L.A.S.H." (Saving People's Lives and Spreading Hope). The event will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2012 from 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church on 620 Romeo Street, Rochester, MI 48308.
View the flyer here. More information about the event will be added to the Metro UMC website soon.
United Methodist Women Prayer Breakfast
The Detroit Renaissance District United Methodist Women invites you to a prayer breakfast on Saturday, February 11, 2012. The theme is "A Walk with Wholeness." The speaker will be Rev. Judith May from Grosse Pointe UMC. The event will be held from 8:15 AM - 12:00 noon at Redford Aldersgate UMC, 10000 Beech Daly, Redford, MI. The deadline for registration forms is Friday, February 3. This should be a powerful, prayerful UMW event. See you there! Please contact maggietrombley (at) gmail (dot) com for more information or call (248) 561-6825. Flyers and forms are available in the East Hall of Metropolitan UMC.
Lay Caregiver Series
Each month, the Samaritan Counseling Center offers a workshop series named “Lay Caregiver Series.” This month’s topic is “A Caregiver’s Response to Chronis Clutter: Letting Go and Moving On.” The workshop will be held on Sunday, February 19 from 2:30 - 4:30 PM at Nardin Park UMC, 29887 W. Eleven Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48336. All are welcome to attend. The cost is $15. Call 248-474-4701 or visit
http://samaritancounselingmichigan.com for more information. You must register by February 16 to attend.
