- Lake Merritt United Methodist Church

The Viewpoint
March 2015
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church
We are an open and welcoming Christian congregation serving God in downtown Oakland.
The Mission of the United Methodist Church is
to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
1330 Lakeshore Avenue  1255 First Avenue  Oakland, CA 94606
510.465.4793  Office hours: 10:00am-3:00pm Mon & Wed
9:00am-2:00pm Tue & Thurs
Rev. Jim Walker, Pastor
Dr. Anne Hege, Music Director
Rob Herrmann, Ministries Coordinator
Terra Lynn, Event Coordinator
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.lakemerrittumc.org
REGULAR SUNDAY SCHEDULE
 Adult Bible Class
Sunday mornings at 9:30am in the Conference Room.
Sunday Programs for Children:
 Nursery Care for babies and toddlers up to 3 years old is provided 9:30am – 11:30am in the
nursery. We have excellent staff to be with your child(ren).
 Preschool Activities and Sunday School are provided 9:30am – 11:30am. Our preschool
teacher welcomes your children for all or part of this time.
 Younger Elementary Sunday School follows the Children’s Moment in worship for children
in Kindergarten through grade 3.
 Youth Sunday School follows the Children’s Moment in worship for children in grades 4
and older. The youth are invited to remain in worship on Communion Sunday.
 Celebration of Divine Worship: 10:30am in the Worship Center. Holy Communion is
celebrated on the first Sunday of each month.
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FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear Friends of Lake Merritt United Methodist Church,
I've been thinking lately about the things that bind us together and the things that fracture us
and push us apart. How powerful is love, hope. joy, and reconciliation? How empty and
divisive is rejection, fear and hate?
In Luke chapter 19, Jesus encounters a man named Zacchaeus. The scripture tells us that
Zacchaeus is a tax collector and that he is a 'small' man. What makes him small is unclear.
Perhaps he is actually physically short. Or perhaps the scripture writer is trying to say
something more. Perhaps Zacchaeus has been made small by his unfortunate place in
society - an outcast, a sinner. To be a Roman tax collector was not a blessing; it was a curse.
Zacchaeus was basically a slave - forced to serve the empire and betray his family and
friends. Zacchaeus has been made small.
But he yearns to be big. He desires to be more than what others have made him. He wants
to live into what God has made him to be. And so he climbs up into a tree to get a glimpse
of Jesus as he walks by. When Jesus gets to the tree, he calls Zacchaeus down and goes to
his house for dinner. Zacchaeus sheds his 'smallness', the labels and assumptions of his
cultural status, and steps into his true personhood. He becomes big.
So, it is with our spiritual journey. There are forces that want to box us up - to make us
small, invisible and disconnected. But the power of love and fellowship is the power to be
made big - or rather fulffill the bigness that we already possess.
The spiritual journey toward Easter - the Trek - is the path of self-actualization. A place
where the small become big by the power of the One who became the smallest of all, and
therefore became the biggest. May this Big God bless you and may the road rise up to meet
your feet.
God's peace,
Pastor Jim
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Thanks for wearing your nametags and for
continuing to engage our guests during the
Passing of the Peace and during the coffee
hour. Cartoon is used by permission of Dave
Walker
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PASTOR
Pastor Jim’s regular days to be in the church office, or to be
available for meetings and appointments, are Monday through
Thursday of each week. He will be in the office from 8am –
12pm on those days. He’s available by phone at 510.465.4793
ext. 303.
If you need to call him when he’s not in the office please call
his cell phone, at 724.816.6553. Don’t hesitate to call! The best
email to reach Pastor Jim is [email protected].
THE VIEWPOINT WANTS YOU!
Read any good books lately? Have you seen any movies that you think others should see?
Have you always wanted to be a journalist like Clark Kent and Lois Lane? Now is your
chance! The Viewpoint is accepting submissions of articles, movie, book and/or theater
reviews. Send your submissions for next month’s issue of The Viewpoint to: Rob at
[email protected]
Do you know who this handsome gentleman is? Check
out METHODIST MOMENT on page 14 to find out.
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PRAYING FOR EACH OTHER
Please pray for Elizabeth (Liz) Ling as she spends 6 months on a
mission trip to Asia.
Please pray for Casi (pronounced Ca-See) P, who is dying of an
incurable brain cancer. He has already had two surgeries but now the
doctors have given him very little time.
Please pray for Howard H. He is 92 years old and not doing well.
Please pray for Robert Quan. For speedy recovery and continued good health, he is
recovering from a pleural effusion and collapsed lung.
Do you have a prayer request? Let your community pray for you - submit your
request to [email protected]
DESIRE OF THE EVERLASTING HILLS: BEFORE AND AFTER JESUS
BY THOMAS CAHILL
The Lake Merritt UMC Bible Study Group continues reading Desire of
the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus, by Thomas
Cahill through March 8, 2015. It is sure to be both educational and
fun. Come join us after church (12:15pm to 1:30pm) each Sunday.
Locations will be announced each week in the bulletin. You may talk
Linda Weingarten ([email protected]) if you want more
information.
FOOD 4 THOUGHT SERIES – THE WISDOM OF FAITH
Food 4 Thought meets the first Sunday of each month at 6:00pm in
the Edwards Room at church. We share a potluck supper and watch two
(half hour) lectures on DVD and discuss/reflect on what we have
learned. We are usually on our way home by 8:30pm.
Sunday, March 1 6:00PM in the Edwards Room
We will be watching (and listening!!) to a one time Bill Moyers
program highlighting the hymn "Amazing Grace". Be prepared to enjoy 24 different
renditions as we learn about the song's origins and impact on people's lives. Our food theme
is "something green." This can be anything with the color green, anything of Irish origin,
anything organic, anything in a green container, etc etc etc.
Feel free to join us without a dish as there is always plenty to go around!
Everyone is welcome to attend any Food 4 Thought meeting and we would love to have you
join us! Please contact Laurel Williams (510.521.4626, [email protected]) if you
plan to attend or have any questions.
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LMUMC TODDLER GROUP
have a wonderful growing community of toddlers and
parents here at Lake Merritt UMC. Toddlers and
parents/caregivers will meet up in the church nursery
unless otherwise noted. All are welcome!
Saturday March 7 is our second Super Second Saturday family hangout! We will meet up
at 4:30 at the church and catch up while the kiddos play. We may even get it together to
have some sort of potluck and/or craft! Hope you can join us!
Saturday March 21 (starting around 8:30am) is family day at the food pantry. Parents can
switch off between helping at the food pantry and collectively watching the kiddos so we all
get the opportunity to volunteer. Toddlers love to help pass out food :). Join us!
For more information or to get on the toddler family email list, email Aimee Reeder
at 415.244.2300 (email [email protected]) or Rose Lynn Abesamis-Bell at
[email protected].
LMUMC YOUTH GROUP
There are 2 dates set for Youth Group coming up. Please keep these dates in mind, as they
will work as the regular framework for upcoming Youth Programming .
KICK OFF
LMUMYouth 1st-Fridays Meet-up
(& ensuing 1st Fridays each month)
Fri. March 6 6-8pm
Oakland Museum of California
Food trucks, free live music, & a time to gather, break bread, & initiate program
brainstorming as a group
KICK OFF
LMUMYouth Last Supper Saturdays
(& ensuing last Saturdays quarterly - 3/28, 6/27,9/26, 12/26?)
Sat., March 28 6-8pm
location TBD
Dinner + fellowship + planning and/or programming
For more information contact Michelle Corsilles at [email protected]
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WE ARE WORKING ON THE CHURCH DIRECTORY
If your address, email address and/or phone number have changed
since August, 2014 let us know! You can fill out the yellow welcome
slip found in your bulletin on Sunday mornings or email the church
office at [email protected] THANKS!
THE 2015 LMUMC STEWARDSHIP PLEDGING CAMPAIGN
Fifty two individuals and families in the congregation
responded to the fall stewardship campaign by pledging a
total of $133,514 in support of the church and its ministry in
2015. This compares to 57 pledges for a total $127,618 for
the 2014 church year. The average pledge this year was
$2,568, a 15% increase over 2014, and the median pledge,
the amount which half the congregation pledged less than
and half pledged more than, was $1,440, a 20% increase over
2014. The largest pledges were greater than $10,000 and the
smallest pledges were less than $100. Generally, by the end
of the year, the congregation has contributed significantly
more than was pledged. Last year, for example, the
congregation's total contribution was over $162,000.
Building usage income, grants, investment returns and
various funds for specific ministries will make up the rest of
the church's income needs.
Did you know …
That you can donate to Lake Merritt UMC online? It’s SO easy! Just
visit our web site at www.lakemerrittumc.org and
click on “online giving”
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LAUGH FOR LIFE: THE BENEFITS OF A GOOD GUFFAW
By Edissa Nicolas
“On a camping trip, a zebra turns to a Longhorn and says, …”
I don’t know the punch line for that joke, but I do know that laughing is good, and that
most of us want to laugh when we can. An afternoon of laughter can leave one feeling
lighthearted, energized and glowing. Imagine my delight when I found out that laughter is
better than an anti-depressant pill. Now I’m on the hunt for my next big laugh. I hope you’ll
join me.
Have you ever laughed so hard that your face hurt and the skin behind your ears got hot
and your cheeks ached? If you answered yes, endorphins were coasting through your veins,
and you were happy, truly and simply happy—naturally. That is what laughter is all about.
There’s a reason why people feel light, balanced and happy after a day with friends. Friends
are awesome, especially if they make you laugh. What’s more, I’m convinced that laughing
makes us look and feel younger and more vibrant.
As it turns out, this is not just my fanciful idea. There’s plenty of research that confirms
that laughter really is good medicine. Don’t take my word for it, investigate positive
psychology and see what you learn. And, there’s also such a thing as laugh yoga, which
focuses on daily laughter techniques. Because of what I’ve learned, I’m adding laughter to
my list of 2015 goals, and here’s why you should, too:
1. Just look at someone who laughs a lot. What do you notice? Laughter peels the years
off of our faces. When we’re laughing, we’re literally working countering gravity,
pulling our face muscles up—they’re tightening, drawing up and flexing, and we’re
shining and beaming like a porch lights. We are meant to do this. We are meant to be
bright, our eyes cleared with tears of laughter.
2. Laughing is great exercise. This is in intuitively true. Think about it. When we laugh
hard for even five minutes, what happens to our bodies? First, abdominal muscles
contract, and who couldn’t use some free sit-ups? Next, some might experience
shortness of breath or other physical sensation caused by peals of laughter. This is like
running around the block because it’s aerobic, only you don’t need to shower
afterwards, unless you’ve been rolling around the ground in utter jocularity while at a
picnic, which actually sounds quite awesome. During all of this, the brain and other
muscles in the body are getting fresh oxygen. Clearly, this is a superior method of
staying young. Simply laugh off the years.
3. Another benefit of laughing is that apparently we can’t hold two emotions
simultaneously. That means we must choose to be positive. We can turn the tide of
our emotions by exercising the positive ones. When we do, chemicals in the brain and
body are altered. We can’t hold grudges while we’re laughing. So we essentially free
ourselves with laughter. Laugh long enough and all your troubles will be forgotten.
That sounds marvelous to me.
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WHAT IS LOVE?
A Word by any Other Name
By George W. Adams, Jr.
“You will see something new. Two things.
And I call them Thing One and Thing Two”
- Dr. Seuss
In 1957, Theodor Seuss Geisel introduced a new “cat” sign which children the world over
delight in every day. And, in his book The Cat in the Hat, that “cat,” in turn, introduces
Geisel’s readers to a “FUN-IN-A-BOX”:
“These things will not bite you. They want to have fun.”
Then, out of the box Came Thing Two and Thing One!
The “Things” pictured in Seuss’s inimitable style (identical, blue-haired creatures in
neck-to-toe red suits) pop out of the FUN-IN-A-BOX and proceed to deliver a load of
mischief.
Now, if we open our own FUN-IN-A-BOX (the word “cat,”) we find three “things”
jumping around inside -- a kitty which uses a litter box, a lion that we thought we left
prowling the Serengeti, and Dr. Seuss’s mysterious six-foot tall visitor. And, in examining
these three leaping “cat”-things (the pet, the predator and the protagonist), we observe that
together they are making their own mischief with us.
As the pet “cat” pops out of our FUN-IN-A-BOX we see that she is something solid and
substantial, something that we have directly experienced in our world, something we have
tasted, touched, smelled, seen or heard for ourselves.
We note, as it slinks out, that the predator “cat” is somehow shadowy and less
substantial. After all, someone else (i.e. a big game hunter) has only told us about this
fellow, but we have not directly experienced him for ourselves.
And, when at last the protagonist “cat” steps out to confront us, we suspect that he is
grinning from ear to ear to remind us that he is the product of imagination, a fiction, a
phantom conjured up from a nether world which exists only in the mind.
How odd. This all reminds me of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland when the Cheshire
Cat appears to Alice in a tree and then fades away bit by bit until only his grin remains.
But, what does this about cats, real or imagined, appearing or disappearing, have to do
with love?
Well, unlike Thing One and Thing Two, both cats and love will sometimes bite. And,
like the word “cat,” the word “love” is a gift we must unwrap and examine before we can
hope to fathom it.
Next: Opening the Gift
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MOVIE REVIEW by Edissa Nicolas
“A Better Life”
Every parent wants something special for his or her child. For the father in the movie,
A Better Life directed by Chris Weitz, providing opportunities for his child is a point of
pride. The story of evolving love between a father and son also puts a human spin on the
current U.S. immigration crisis and the families that suffer because of it. As with life, it gets
complicated for the pair who must adapt to external changes in the father’s professional
situation.
The kind-hearted, hard-working and loving father, Carlos Galindo, played by Demian
Bichir, almost never takes advantage of anyone, but is virtually invisible to his son, who
lives a sheltered life until unforeseen circumstances catapults the pair into transition. The
father’s hardships and struggle to give his son “a better life” ultimately result in an
emotional and psychological transformation for the teenager who had previously taken
almost everything in his life for granted. The son learns to respect his father for using his
kindness and compassion in dealing with others rather than relying on anger and violence, a
response to life that the son previously admired and believed to be the solutions to life’s
problems. As the pair rides buses around LA, they form a new bond and begin to understand
each other, the father’s spirit triumphing over their circumstances, because he refuses to give
up, inspiring his son in the process.
While sad and scary at times, A Better Life wields those emotions to reveal things that
often remain unseen—like how complicated life can be. The film uses the heart as a lens to
provide a cultural commentary on society’s solution to continental migration when it
spotlights the gritty insides of a detention center, expanding the story beyond the father-son
duo to dwell on the human condition and the plight of families separated by borders.
Because of the compassionate realism, A Better Life is a spiritually-uplifting and powerful
look at family and society that all adults should see.
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When: Sunday, March 22, 2015, at 4 p.m.
What: Free Orchestra Concert
Who: Oakland Civic Orchestra. Martha Stoddard,
Conductor; Jason Oestenstad, Assistant Conductor; Christina
Owens, Soloist
Where: Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330
Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland
Public info: (510) 597- 5027
https://sites.google.com/site/oaklandcivicorchestra/home
Contact: Margaret L. Wu, (510) 524-3094, [email protected]
The Oakland Civic Orchestra, conducted by Artistic Director Martha Stoddard and Assistant
Conductor Jason Oestenstad, presents its “American Voices: North, Central and South”
concert on Sunday, March 22, at 4:00 pm, at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330
Lakeshore Avenue, in Oakland. The program features Bruce Reiprich’s Lullaby for Solo
Violin and Chamber Orchestra (Christina Owens, violin), Ned Rorem’s Sinfonia for Fifteen
Winds, Manuel Ponce’s Estampes Nocturne for String Ensemble, and Heitor VillaLobos’ Sinfonietta No. 1 in Bb Major. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully
accepted. For more information, please visit our website
at https://sites.google.com/site/oaklandcivicorchestra/home, like us on Facebook, or
call (510) 597- 5027.
Mark your calendars twice for baseball this year!
Our date for the annual LMUMC's 2015 A's game is
on Saturday, August 1st at 6:05 against the Cleveland
Indians. Tickets are $20 and we will be in section
#129. Linda Petty will take reservations in July. It is a
night game this year and always a great time for all of us.
Again, we have tickets for July 4th! For those of you who
want to spend this great American holiday watching
America's favorite sport while eating hotdogs, here is the
opportunity. We'll be playing the Seattle Mariners and
in section 128. Tickets are $20. I'll take reservations in June. This is a day game, no
fireworks!
Contact Linda Petty ([email protected] or 510-230-9620) with questions or to reserve
seats. Be sure to invite family and friends. This is a great way to enjoy the Summer season!
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FOOD PANTRY NEWS
THE LIFT CONCERT 2015 is really and truly almost here. We know you
have marked the date in your calendars:
March 14th, 2015 at 3:00pm at LMUMC
I want to start this article with some comments about the musicians who will be
singing in our concert.
Last year, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir sang; this year their Community
Choir will be singing. Founded in September of 2013, the Oakland Interfaith
Community Choir now has over 80 members. OICC was started to fill a need in
the community for a low-commitment, high-energy group that follows the same
mission as its parent choir: to inspire joy and unity among all people through black
gospel and spiritual music. They all want to come sing in our fundraiser, and they
want to hear the whole concert. Oh, and our own Dan Strauss will be the featured
soloist.
Next we have a new group, the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir. Their
organization is so happy to support our fundraiser that they are sending the entire
Training Department Choir on the same day that they are having their own
fundraising gala. There will be 60 – 75 children gracing our sanctuary with their
sweet voices, and they’ll be singing two songs, including a medley of songs from
Frozen.
We have another group who will be new to the LIFT Concert and new to some of
us, but their director is someone we have come to love. The Choir is Voci, and
Anne Hege is their director. Voci has won high praise from critics and choral
musicians alike for its lush, ethereal quality and they will present a wonderful
medley of tunes.
The fabulous Oakland Jazz Choir enjoyed singing in our concert last year so
much that they asked to come back, as did the equally fabulous World Harmony
Chorus. And, yes, Aeri Lee, from the Chinese Community UMC, will be back to
play another amazing piano solo. I remember the wonder we all experienced when
she played last year.
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I’m also very glad that Stanley Huston, singing solo with the LMUMC Choir,
will again be opening our concert.
What’s so amazing to me about all of these wonderfully talented musicians is that
they are donating their time to support our concert. Each one of them will end up
spending almost an entire Saturday afternoon at LMUMC to perform for 10 – 15
minutes in our concert. We are so blessed to have their presence and their support.
Now, here’s some questions for you: have you purchased your tickets?
You can still get tickets Sunday, March 8th after Worship. Ticket Prices are:
Students/Seniors -- $20; General Admission -- $30
Family of 4 --$50; Premium Seating -- $50
You can also go to: https://liftconcert2015.eventbrite.com to purchase tickets on line.
Or you can call Judi Fabrizio at 510-530-7094.
Have you invited your family, friends and other personal contacts to attend the
concert?
There’s still time if you haven’t already done so. If you didn’t save the email from me
or the sample email and Facebook post in last month’s Viewpoint, email me at
[email protected] or call me at 510-724-1591 and I’ll send you the sample.
Have you posted Post Cards Announcing the Concert close by where you live or work?
There’s still time if you haven’t already done so. We have a lot left to give out, and the
postcard you leave somewhere might prompt someone who’s looking for something
meaningful to do on the 14th to come and purchase a ticket at the door.
Have you signed up to Volunteer to help on the day of the concert?
Look for an email that will make volunteering very easy to do. Or contact Rose Lynn
Abesamis-Bell (510.981.1627, [email protected]) or Paul Bell-Tull (510.724.1591,
[email protected])
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CHURCH LANDSCAPING
Kate Wilson, Dean Larwood, Richmond Quiambao, and John
Hege have been working on Thursday mornings (9am –
12pm) to improve the church grounds. The landscaping and
irrigation system along First Avenue are the projects
currently underway. All are welcome to join in the effort.
Contacts: John Hege 510.832.4261 or Kate Wilson
510.922.1959
INTERESTED IN MAKING MUSIC?
JOIN THE CHOIR!
Join us on Tuesday nights, 7:45 - 9:00pm in the church
sanctuary.
We welcome all voice parts!
RING BELLS!
Interested in making music? Think about joining the
Handbell Choir. Come on Tuesday evenings at 7pm at the
church. Very little musical experience is necessary. Contact
Kate Wilson, 510.922.1959, [email protected] for
more information.
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METHODIST MOMENT
"O for a thousand tongues to sing / My dear Redeemer's praise / The glories of my God and
King, / The triumphs of his grace!"
He was said to have averaged 10 poetic lines a day for 50 years. He wrote 8,989 hymns, 10
times the volume composed by the only other candidate (Isaac Watts) who could
conceivably claim to be the world's greatest hymn writer. He composed some of the most
memorable and lasting hymns of the church: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "And Can It
Be," "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing," "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "Jesus,
Lover of My Soul," "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," "Soldiers of Christ, Arise," and
"Rejoice! the Lord Is King!"
And yet he is often referred to as the "forgotten Wesley."
His brother John is considered the organizational genius behind the founding of Methodism.
But without the hymns of Charles, the Methodist movement may have gone nowhere. As
one historian put it, "The early Methodists were taught and led as much through [Charles's]
hymns as through sermons and [John] Wesley's pamphlets."
Language scholar
Charles Wesley was the eighteenth of Samuel and Susannah Wesley's nineteen children
(only 10 lived to maturity). He was born prematurely in December 1707 and appeared dead.
He lay silent, wrapped in wool, for weeks.
When older, Charles joined his siblings as each day his mother, Susannah, who knew Greek,
Latin, and French, methodically taught them for six hours. Charles then spent 13 years at
Westminster School, where the only language allowed in public was Latin. He added nine
years at Oxford, where he received his master's degree. It was said that he could reel off the
Latin poet Virgil by the half hour.
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It was off to Oxford University next, and to counteract the spiritual tepidity of the school,
Charles formed the Holy Club, and with two or three others celebrated Communion weekly
and observed a strict regimen of spiritual study. Because of the group's religious regimen,
which later included early rising, Bible study, and prison ministry, members were called
"methodists."
In 1735 Charles joined his brother John (they were now both ordained), to become a
missionary in the colony of Georgia—John as chaplain of the rough outpost and Charles as
secretary to Governor Oglethorpe.
Shot at, slandered, suffering sickness, shunned even by Oglethorpe, Charles could have
echoed brother John's sentiments as they dejectedly returned to England the following year:
"I went to America to convert the Indians, but, oh, who will convert me?"
It turned out to be the Moravians. After returning to England, Charles taught English to
Moravian Peter Böhler, who prompted Charles to look at the state of his soul more deeply.
During May 1738, Charles began reading Martin Luther's volume on Galatians while ill. He
wrote in his diary, "I labored, waited, and prayed to feel 'who loved me, and gave himself for
me.'" He shortly found himself convinced, and journaled, "I now found myself at peace with
God, and rejoice in hope of loving Christ." Two days later he began writing a hymn
celebrating his conversion.
Evangelistic preacher
At evangelist George Whitefield's instigation, John and Charles eventually submitted to "be
more vile" and do the unthinkable: preach outside of church buildings. In his journal entries
from 1739 to 1743, Charles computed the number of those to whom he had preached. Of
only those crowds for whom he stated a figure, the total during these five years comes to
149,400.
From June 24 through July 8, 1738, Charles reported preaching twice to crowds of ten
thousand at Moorfields, once called "that Coney Island of the eighteenth century." He
preached to 20,000 at Kennington Common plus gave a sermon on justification before the
University of Oxford.
On a trip to Wales in 1747, the adventurous evangelist, now 40 years old, met 20-year-old
Sally Gwynne, whom he soon married. By all accounts, their marriage was a happy one.
Charles continued to travel and preach, sometimes creating tension with John, who
complained that "I do not even know when and where you intend to go." His last nationwide
trip was in 1756. After that, his health led him gradually to withdraw from itinerant ministry.
He spent the remainder of his life in Bristol and London, preaching at Methodist chapels.
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Magnificent obsession
Throughout his adult life, Charles wrote verse, predominantly hymns for use in Methodist
meetings. He produced 56 volumes of hymns in 53 years, producing in his lyrics what
brother John called a "distinct and full account of scriptural Christianity."
The Methodists became known (and sometimes mocked) for their exuberant singing of
Charles's hymns. A contemporary observer recorded, "The song of the Methodists is the
most beautiful I ever heard … They sing in a proper way, with devotion, serene mind and
charm."
Charles Wesley quickly earned admiration for his ability to capture universal Christian
experience in memorable verse. In the following century, Henry Ward Beecher declared, "I
would rather have written that hymn of Wesley's, 'Jesus, Lover of My Soul,' than to have the
fame of all the kings that ever sat on the earth." The compiler of the massive Dictionary of
Hymnology, John Julian, concluded that "perhaps, taking quantity and quality into
consideration, [Charles Wesley was] the greatest hymn-writer of all ages."
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MARCH BIRTHDAYS
If your birthday is missing from this list, please contact
the church office to update our information.
Andrew Champion
Nance Conover
Georgianne LeWright
Gladys Rideout
Charles Williams
Paul Bell-Tull
Manolito Lopez
March 3
March 5
March 9
March 11
March 12
March 13
March 15
Kayla Huetteman
Anthony Crayton
Mark Haswell
Aimee Reeder
John Hoskins
Maggie Ernst
Joshua Dancy
March 18
March 19
March 22
March 22
March 23
March 28
March 31
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