August 2019
July Memories
Pastor's Note
I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting with many of you who found Golden Tickets the past several weeks (and not just because I like ice cream and coffee)! Hearing what is going on in your lives enriches my own and I am looking forward to a couple more weeks of Golden Tickets before school starts back. We will continue hiding two tickets in bulletins each Sunday, and if you get one, I will treat you to coffee or ice cream in order to get to know you better. If you haven’t received one yet, just keep coming to worship and may the odds be in your favor!
One of the many ways this practice of meeting with people has become meaningful to me is by creating a new rhythm in my life. I believe that the things we organize our lives around make a big difference in how we live out our values. Perhaps you have a rhythm of praying every morning or evening as a way to ground your day in God’s love. Perhaps you have a rhythm of serving at a homeless shelter each month as a way to give of yourself to those in need. I have found that creating a rhythm of meeting with others regularly provides a way for me to develop the values of connection and hospitality – making room in my life for others.
I also believe that all our rhythms of life can be fine-tuned to allow us to experience God deeply – even our rhythms of work and cleaning the house. We will take a closer look at those rhythms in worship the second half of this month and into September. Until then, I invite you to join me in paying closer attention to what routines dominate our days and weeks. Think about what is healthy and life-giving and what is not, and bring all that with you as we join together in the weekly rhythm of worshiping our Lord.
Coming Up...
Tuesday, August 6
7:00 p.m. Knitting Group
Saturday, August 10
Lakewood Loves to... (see below)
Monday, August 12
1:00 p.m. DoveNotes
Monday, August 19
6:00 p.m. Trustees
7:00 p.m. Council
Sunday, August 25
11:30 a.m. Hot Dog Hymn Sing
Lakewood Loves to...
Our idea to host fun, pop events for our community to connect more is finally happening. On August 10 we will partner with the Lakewood Library and Acton Academy to host Lakewood Loves To Read! We also are still finalizing plans to partner with Fit4Mom (a mothers fitness group) for Lakewood Loves to Move, and again with the Lakewood Library for Lakewood Loves to Color. If you would like to help out with set up and meeting people at any of these events, please contact Patrick or the church office.
Welcome, Bea Rodriguez!
Bea has been visiting us for a while and officially joined the church last Sunday, July 28. She is a Dallas native and only child and worked for DISD for over 30 years as a teacher and in administration. Bea is bilingual and enjoys reading, music, and cruises, and she collects too much holiday decor. We don't have a good picture of Bea, but she sits toward the front of the sanctuary on the left, so please stop by and say hello to her next time you see her!
Results of our Marriage Resolution
Thank you all for your participation and patience as we collected your responses to our consensus statement concerning hosting all marriages on our church property. I am happy to report that the resolution was overwhelmingly supported, here are the full results:
79% selected that you would be a champion for this proposal statement
13% selected that you strongly agree with it.
2% selected that you agree with it.
2% selected that you have reservations about it.
4% selected that you are strongly opposed to it
Based on these results, I will work to honor your consensus that “we affirm that all our church property may be utilized for marriages or renewal of vows for consenting adult couples without preclusion on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, sex, ability, or economic circumstances, and support our pastor’s decision to officiate at any such ceremony.”
This does not mean that the negative statements in the 2016 Book of Discipline (our denomination’s current governing document) are changed. Our resolution will continue to provide dissent concerning certain parts of the Book of Discipline and the “Traditional” Plan approved in 2019. However, I believe our resolution is in complete agreement with the most essential parts of the Book of Discipline, for instance, Division One, Article IV of the Constitution of The United Methodist Church, which states, "The United Methodist Church is a part of the church universal, which is one Body in Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection. In The United Methodist Church no conference or other organizational unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any member or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color, national origin, status or economic condition (paragraph 1, p. 26).
Moreover, because our resolution is an honest expression of ministry in our context, it is supported by the One Church Resolution recently passed by the 2019 North Texas Annual Conference and is an important piece for how we can live out our local church mission statement:
Lakewood United Methodist Church embraces the concept of Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors. We affirm that all people are created in the image of God and, as beloved children of God, are worthy of God’s love and grace. Our faith moves us to welcome all persons of every age, gender identity, racial or ethnic background, sexual orientation, marital or socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability to full participation in our faith community. We invite all people in our journey toward greater understanding and mutual respect and reconciliation through Christ.
And most important of all, through this policy, we seek to live out not only our local mission statement but more importantly our Lord's command, "That you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13).
If you have any further questions about the resolution or anything happening in the United Methodist Church at this time, please do not hesitate to set up a time to meet with Patrick.
From the Choir Loft
It’s difficult to believe that July, the month the choir traditionally takes a vacation from rehearsals, is over. Next Wednesday, we resume rehearsals with Christmas music not too far behind. Music is being chosen and the orchestra is already partially lined up for December 8! In the meantime, we have four months of music to learn or relearn to enhance our worship services.
We are so fortunate to have the musical talent that we have in our small congregation. Our regular choir members, including soloists Elizabeth Raphael, Alan Noel, and Betsy Mills, as well as the addition of fantastic baritone, David Kaye; monthly appearances by violinist, Mary Alice Rich, and cellist Gretchen Nichols, provide us with quality musical offerings on a regular basis. How blessed we are!
We always need and have room for more singers in the choir. Now would be a great time to consider being a part of this dedicated group. We work hard, but try and keep rehearsals low key so that we have a great time doing what we do. If that’s not enough to get you there, yours truly brings dessert a couple of time per month!
Peace and Blessings,
John
Post-Way Forward Scholars Event
Are you are interested in a deeply-reasoned theological consideration of what might come next for the UMC?
On August 7-8, 60 United Methodist scholars will gather at Lovers Lane UMC in Dallas, TX, to engage in dialogue to support a vision for a church inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community. These scholars are laypersons, deacons, and elders. They represent approximately 20 different academic disciplines and come from over 25 different annual conferences and over 30 different seminaries, colleges, agencies, and churches.
The UM Scholars will stream 34 presentations on the internet for live viewing and then post recordings of the presentations on YouTube for later use. For more information concerning the gathering, go to www.UMScholars.org. For a schedule of the livestream of the presentations, go to llumc.org/umscholars.
Hot Dog Hymn Sing
On August 25, right after worship, we will have our annual hot dog lunch and hymn sing in the Fellowship Hall. Come hungry and with a favorite hymn or two in mind. After eating, we will join in musical fellowship to sing some of the many great songs of our faith!
Dallas Community Taizé
Happy Birthday to...
Herb Sheaner 8/12
Bob Neuroth 8/18
Gayle Landis 8/24
Gail Davis 8/27
Mark Ridlen 8/27
This Month, We Pray for...
Gail Baldwin; Lynn Bruce; Carole Bryde; Linda Castor; Shirley Dunn; Wilma Elrod; Mary Ann Finley; Jean Fowler; Chris Gann; Bonnie Glanville; Leck and Cynthia Heflin; Michael Hilley; Harold Logan; Jan Logan; Carolyn Miracle; Marie Miranda; Mike Miranda; Tim Miranda; Pat Norvell; Jorge Ortiz; Brandon Owen; Tracy Penfield; Pontis Ministries; Kathy Purvis; Shelly Robertson; Elizabeth Robbins; Robin Robbins; Ginny Salinas; Beth Saxton; Debbie Schwartz; Jeanne Scroppo; Linda Simmons; Alan Smith; Kelly Smith; Travis Smith; Chris Venable; Louise Williams
