THE SPIRE

1 1 Memorial United Methodist Church Ladies: Stay in touch through Deborah Circle ASP Update Zoom Instructions Photo courtesy Nicole Silenok Memorial United Methodist Church THE SPIRE Jesse Lee Spirit Builders Changing Lives Page 18 FEBRUARY 2022 CONTENTS 03 From our Pastor s Desk 04 Worship with Us 05 Senior Spotlight: Sharon Collins07 Dr. Wayne Lavender09 Missionary Partner John Calhoun10 A Journey by Kimberly Wilson 11 Jesse Lee Day School 12 2022 Lenten Study13 Ash Wednesday Service13 Trivia Night Returns!14 Deborah Circle15 Children s Ministry18 Spirit Builders 20 Financials23 Jesse Lee Legacy Fund23 Pastoral Spiritual Renewal05 07 13 14 11 205 07 12 11 17 3 See page 7 FROM OUR PASTOR S DESK From Paragraph 350 of the 2016 United Methodist Book of Discipline Throughout their careers, clergy shall engage in continuing education for ministry, professional development, and spiritual formation and growth in order to lead the church in fulfilling the mission of making disciples for Jesus Christ.

2 This shall include carefully developed personal programs of study augmented periodically by involvement in organized educational and spiritual growth activities. These practices embody the Wesleyan emphasis on lifelong growth in faith, fostered by personal spiritual practices and participa-tion in covenant The clergy member s continuing education and spiritual growth program shall include professional formation leaves at least one week a year and may include at least one month during one year every quadrennium. Such leaves shall not be considered as part of the ministers vacation and shall be planned in consultation with their charges or other agencies to which they are appointed as well as the bishop, district superintendent, and the annual conference continuing education committee.

3 Dear Sisters and Brothers, As you read this, I will be on spiritual renewal leave; a leave that was originally planned and expected in 2020 but has been delayed until now. The plans we make are often usurped by current realities and thus was the case two years ago and continues today as my hope to be in the Holy Land and Egypt for study, reflection and holy conferencing has been redirected by COVID. Still, the Lord works in mysterious ways and without a clear plan B (perhaps we are to C or D), I am more flexible in response to the Spirit s guidance for each day. I like having plans, but alas sometimes the plan may not be too tied to a plan. In any case, I would like to share with you some of my broad expectations for this quadrennial time of spiritual renewal.

4 I will, of course, continue with my daily time with God as I use the Life Journal and proceed to read through the Bible in 2022, as well as read the sermons of John Wesley. I am also reading several devotionals and journaling. In addition, I will be looking for intentional time and space for silent retreat, prayerful listening, and discerning consultation. I am not settled on the locations for these occasions, but recognize that it is often helpful to move out of familiar places and patterns to see with fresh eyes, so I anticipate some long walks (perhaps in the woods, or by frozen waterfalls) which may provide a cleansing of my spiritual pallet.

5 That being said, travel complexities may not be easily managed, and so I may be in my home on campus for significant chunks of this time away. If this is the case, I ask you to not seek me out and to let me be away even if that is not a physical thing. Pastor Thomas and I have consulted, and he knows under what circumstances it is appropriate to reach out to me. In this time of spiritual formation, I will be in consultation with professionals, and spiritual mentors/directors who will help me listen better to the yearnings of my own soul as well as perhaps quiet my own inner voice and hear what God is telling me. As stated above, there is a hope for rest, but this is not vacation and in fact there is much work to be done on spiritual retreat.

6 I yearn for your prayers even as I will be praying for you. My prayers will also include that you will be able to love one another with the grace and Christian charity which is so often a hallmark of Christ s work in you, especially in this time of my absence. I am grateful to God for you and this time to perhaps let my soul catch up with my body. Peace and Prayers, WORSHIP WITH US FEBRUARY 6 FEBRUARY 13 FEBRUARY 20 FEBRUARY 27 The Extraordinary Gifts Inside the Special Love & Company Sermon Series Last Sunday, January 30, Pastor Thomas and Sarah Fox kicked off a special four-part sermon series called Love is Company that uses scripture and Stephen Sondheim s acclaimed play, Company, as a foundation to grow closer to God and get to know the depths His love for us.

7 In this season called Ordinary Time that falls between Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter, Ordinary Time reminds us that God s love FOR us manifests itself as God being WITH us. It reminds us, in other words, that love is company, which is both a lyric in Sondheim s show and its main theme. Company is a play about relationships, and why we need relationships even with the challenges that they present. Through Christ, God calls into an ever-deeper relationship with God. That relationship often challenges us, but as Christians we believe that it s also the source of life itself, and of all that enlivens and gladdens our hearts. In this series, we re going to explore what it means to keep company with such a God, and what that, in turn, means for how we re called to live as people of God.

8 If you missed the first sermon in this series, please visit where you will find a link to the recording. We hope you can enjoy each segment of this series either in person, via livestream or on-demand. ALL ARE WELCOME! 4 5 Sharon just turned 80 years old and despite the loss of her husband, Wayne, five years ago and many other tragedies in her life, she feels completely at peace and says the Lord is always with her. Sharon has experienced God in so many ways and so many places throughout her life-time, she feels the need to give back to others due to her great blessings. Wayne and Sharon started going to Jesse Lee in 1978 but were not serious churchgoers until they heard Pastor Roy Hassel preach.

9 After finding that meaning in Pastor Hassel s preaching fed Sharon and Wayne, they followed Roy to his new church in Westport. When Pastor Hassel left Westport, the Collins returned to Jesse Lee and were so happy to find great meaning in the teachings of Pastor Bill. Now that Sharon is deeply involved again in Jesse Lee, she has become a member of the Committee of Twelve, a Liturgist, and actively takes part in the Hour of Prayer with Elizabeth Rabinowitz (her favorite time of the week), all the different Bible Study groups at different times of the year, Pathways, the Covenant Group, the Stephen Ministry (where she has a care giver) and Deborah Circle.

10 Sharon also finds meaningful friendships through breakfast with the Older than Dirt Breakfast Club at Dimitri s each Sunday morning. No one is more thankful for their life than Sharon. She attributes her great faith to a wonderful upbringing by two religious parents and the support of three wonderful siblings. Raised in a small town, LeRoy, , in upstate New York, Sharon always felt a part of everything and grew up loving life and adventure. She is never without a smile on her face, a twinkle in her eye and a positive attitude. At age eleven Sharon fell in love with her husband of sixty years, Wayne Collins. Before loving him for his other good traits, Sharon fell in love with Wayne s Paul Newman blue eyes and looks that resembled Robert Goulet.