Welcome to our new Young Adult Minister!

October 2009


It is with great joy and anticipation that I bring in the new school year (and the Jewish new year) by starting my ministry here at Lafayette Park UMC. As many of you already know, I am a student at Eden Theological Seminary entering my second year of studies for a three-year masters program. I had the privilege of working with Kathleen last year at Centenary, and decided to continue our working relationship at her other “charge,” with a particular focus on building young adult ministries.


In addition to long walks on the beach, I enjoy singing, and my wife Caroline and I have already been fitted with choir robes. The community we have encountered through its central practice of worship here has been extremely warm and affirming. Instead of saying, “I have to go to work today,” it is my privilege to say, “I get to go serve the people of Lafayette Park!” The soil is indeed fertile for Jesus to sow new seeds, guiding our feet and opening our eyes in the presence of one another and the greater community.


Sincerely,

Aaron Ban

Wilder View - September 2009

Do you feel it? There is an extra energy and a certain excitement in the air, and it happens every year. It is the beginning of the ‘Back to School Season.’ Everyone gets a chance at a new start. With this new experience, there are new changes for everyone.

As our children move into new levels of learning at school, we will be offering a new learning opportunity for our adults with our Adventures in Faith experience starting September 17th. We will meet on Thursday evenings for 6 nights and offer several choices of learning opportunities. The goal of this time together is to provide opportunities for people to connect and build relationships with each other, while strengthening our love relationship with God. There are several choices for you to choose from; Basic Bible Study, an Adult Confirmation Class, and Enough (learning to live simply in a complex world.) Please prayerfully consider participating in one of these three options to develop and strengthen your faith.

In October, I will begin a Leadership Development team training time that will help us think beyond our horizons to see how we can reach out to the people in St. Louis. We will read a book a month from October through May. We will gather to discuss the parts of the books that excite and interest us, as well learning how we can apply these lessons to the ministries of the church. I am really excited about these books. I think they can help us make great strides in connecting people with God.

Also we have some exciting new people joining us to build stronger ministries at Lafayette Park UMC. Aaron Ban will be joining us as an intern from Eden. He will be focusing on creating our young adult ministry and helping us build a connection between our church and St. Louis University. I have worked with Aaron for the last year over at The Bridge and have found him to be deep, thoughtful and creative. He preached here at the beginning of the summer and many of you told me how impressed you were with him.

We have also expanded our child care staff to make sure that we are always in safe sanctuary compliance of having two safe sanctuary certified people caring for our children during worship and other church meetings. Please welcome Latoya and Marie Claire (you will see more information on them in another article).

I am excited also to announce that Maria Lawrence has joined our staff as our new Office Administrator. Her normal hours will be 9am to noon, Monday thru Friday.

God truly is doing great and amazing things at Lafayette Park UMC! I hope you join us in this great opportunity to grow and expand the impact we can make in our community.

Happy new start!!
Pastor Kathleen

Time with Sharon: Risk-taking Adventure

Recently, my family and I took a vacation to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee. We stayed in a cabin there, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of a beautiful forest. We also did what I will refer to as “The craziest thing I may have ever done in my life”. It has a name. ZORBING.

Zorbing is when you dive head-first into a giant rubber ball that is suspended inside another giant ball, and then topple down a hill while sliding around in about 10 gallons of cold water inside. You bounce and slosh, and find yourself swishing around like you’re in a washing machine set on the “super turbo” wash cycle. And yes, you pay for this experience.

While I was on my downhill ride, thoughts went screaming through my mind. Mostly, it was “YIKES! WHAT WAS I THINKING?!” But it was exhilarating too, and I felt so alive! When I reached the bottom, the attendant opened my zorb, and found me laughing with delight (ok-and a little relief). What an adventure!

You know there just seems to be something both scary and wonderful about adventure. We sometimes take all kinds of risks in our pursuit of experiencing something new and life affirming. That’s what risk-taking mission and service in the church is about. Stepping out, taking a risk, putting ourselves in a new place, with new people, doing something that we’re not all together sure about. Our bishop, Robert Schnase, wrote about it in his book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. He said risk-taking ministry “moves us beyond our comfort zone, and presses us to follow Christ into more adventurous encounters with people. As we do so, God’s Spirit changes us, changes others, and changes our church.”

“Adventurous encounters with people”. Lafayette Park UMC engages in “adventurous encounters with people” when we build houses in Juarez, Mexico, send emissaries to build relationships in Mozambique, feed hungry people at The Bridge, and offer our Hands In Mission rehabbing buildings in our local community through the United Methodist connection. But there are also less physical ways that we embark upon mission adventures. When we devote 45 minutes a week to read with a child at the elementary school, or we tell funny stories to children in our Pumpkin Patch, or we assist underprivileged folks as they pick out presents at the Kingdom House Christmas Shop, we are stepping out of our daily routine, and offering ourselves to another, not knowing what will happen, but trusting that God will make something good of it. We can find ourselves feeling closer to God, emotionally exhilarated, and freshly alive! Now that’s an adventure!

This September 26th, we will be stepping out in risk-taking mission and service again. As part of Mission Blitz, we will join a vision for 10,000 people of faith to reach out to their community in big and small ways, making a difference for Christ’s sake. Unlike my experience in the zorb, you will be more than just wet and giddy. The adventure of loving God through loving others will leave you drenched in God’s Spirit, filled with wonder, and changed forever.

Look for more information for how you can jump into Mission Blitz on September 26th. I hope you will join me in a new “adventurous encounter”!

Peace,
Pastor Sharon

Wilder View - July 2009

Isaiah 11:6 “…a little child shall lead them.”

These words ring so true to me each Sunday. You see at our 8 am service, Hannah and Eli always bring a friend to church with them. As part of my regular greeting to them, I ask the question. “Who did you bring to church with you today?” They smile as usual, and we begin a conversation about their friend. It seems that many of us do not bring someone to church with us. We tend to come alone or just with our family. However, each week Hannah and Eli bring a friend. On one particular Sunday, I asked Hannah, why she chose to bring Brownie with her. She held her stuffed toy dog just a bit more closely to her heart and said, “because he is special.”

Brittany (Hannah, Eli, and Evelyn’s mom) explained that as part of their process of getting ready for church each child decides who they will bring that day. The friend is always special, however, the reason they are special might change from week to week. In some cases, it is a new friend. Other times, they just feel really close to one or another.

These conversations have caused me to wonder. We all have special friends. I wonder what would happen if we all took a moment each week to think about a special friend to invite to
church. It would be a wonderful thing to call them up and say, “You are special to me. I’d like to invite you to church with me.” Wouldn’t it be great if everyone in our church began the passing of the peace with, “I would like you to meet my friend _____?” Just think about the impact that could have upon our friends, our church and our community.

I have no doubt that one of these days, Hannah and Eli’s friends are going to be transformed from huggable, furry, flexible animals, to living and breathing little boys and girls. I think they will be great evangelists. They certainly make it look easy.

So why don’t we try it. Take a moment and think of a special friend of yours who doesn’t have a faith home. Give them a call and invite them to come to church with you. I have a sense it will be an important time in their life to hear that invitation, and it will bring a greater sense of joy to your worship experience.

…a little child shall lead them. Evangelism that is easy.

I look forward to greeting you in the next few weeks and meeting your special friends.

Happy Summer,
Pastor Kathleen

Time with Sharon: Mission Events

July 2009

“On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “… What deeds of power are being done by his hands!” Mark 6:1

At the beginning of Mission events, I like to begin with prayer. We stand in a circle and I ask everybody to put their hands out in front of them. Then I ask God’s blessing on our hands, as we go about doing Jesus’ work of loving our neighbor in our community.

Our hands are miraculous feats of engineering. They turn and twist every which way, reach and clasp, hold and release, cup, curve, spread, and clench. They are even outfitted with devises on the ends, enabling digging, piercing, and prying. We can hang from them, shake with them, and stand on them. They can propel us forward, and catch our falls. They have the capacity to break a stack of bricks with one chop, and in contrast, stroke a child’s cheek with ultimate tenderness. Our hands are indeed amazing, and able to do wondrous things.

Jesus used his hands a lot. When he was growing up, he learned carpentry skills from his earthly dad, cutting, measuring, and smoothing wood. As an adult, he traveled from place to place, shaking hands and blessing those who came to see him. With his hands, he touched the sick, conveying healing and comfort. With his hands, he gathered the children about him, holding them close, and sharing God’s love for them. Jesus raised his hands to quiet the turbulent sea, curved his hands for a better grip under the Temple tables before rearing back to flip them, and broke bread and fish with his hands, feeding the multitude with 12 basket left over. Finally, he stretched out his hands to receive the nails that became the ultimate sign of his love for us.

Jesus used the gift of his hands to love people.

How do you use your hands? Do your hands hold a crochet hook, a hammer, steering wheel, or a drill? Do you write notes, hold the hands of children, or stir a bucket of paint? Do your hands reach out to shake other hands in greeting, grip a spoon to serve a hot meal , or press together in prayer?

There are many ways to use our hands to celebrate God’s love for us.

My prayer for each of us is that we will find something to do with your hands during the remaining summer days that shares God’s love with others. I am certain that both we, and our hands, will be blessed.

Peace,
Pastor Sharon