September 2019
What We've Been up to in August
Pastor's Note
Earlier this summer, I was contacted about a new grant program that Perkins School of Theology is offering called Reboot. The purpose of Reboot is to equip churches that do not have a full time youth pastor to restart ministries for youth. I was intrigued and applied, and just a couple of weeks ago, I found out that Lakewood UMC had been selected along with 17 other churches to go through the training and receive some funding!
So, over the next year, a team of youth and adults from our church will be meeting and planning how best to reboot our youth ministry. I look forward to sharing what we come up with and finding ways to allow the insight and guidance given for this effort to flow out to other work our church is doing, because rebooting can be a powerful image for us all.
I am reminded of the many times I have had to reboot my computer. Sometimes it is because things are stuck, other times it is for a software update. Either way, the rebooting process is amazing in how it (ideally) retains the files and history from before, but refreshes the system enough to get it working even better.
And that work of rebooting is something I think the church needs to constantly be doing so that we weed out any excess and refresh our ministries to do the best work possible. In fact, that metaphor of rebooting is a powerful one personally too. Each morning provides an opportunity for us to reboot our focus on God and one another, through a prayerful letting go of the stuff that weighs us down and recommitting to the values of our faith.
Of course, there were no computers to reboot in biblical times, but the same idea is expressed through nature in Psalm 104. The psalmist praises God for the ways that “springs gush forth” to give drink and refreshment to all animals, and he celebrates God’s renewal by saying, “when you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.”
In one way or another, I hope we all experience rebooting and renewal this season. And I hope you will support our process of rebooting youth ministry through your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
Lakewood Loves To Read!
Just before school started, we hosted our first pop-up event through our “Lakewood Loves To…” effort to connect better with our neighbors (pictured above). We focused on reading and had a great time sharing stories and appreciating books. A big thank you to Beverly Jinkerson who read a hilarious story about an elephant about to sneeze, and all our other volunteers who made our space welcoming to children and families! We will be coordinating more Lakewood Loves To… pop-up events through the fall, especially once the weather gets cooler.
Coming Up...
Monday, September 2
Church office closed - Happy Labor Day!
Tuesday, September 3
7:00 p.m. Knitting Group
Monday, September 9
9:00 a.m. District Committee on Ordained Ministry
Monday, September 16
1:00 p.m. DoveNotes
6:00 p.m. Trustees
Opportunities for Giving to Lakewood
We have two opportunities for you to support us in our efforts to be better neighbors!
- As we have in years past, the Firehouse Committee donated uniforms to Dan D. Rogers Elementary for students who move in after the school year has begun and can’t afford to buy new uniforms. We would love your help paying for those uniforms and suggest a $10 donation.
- The Ravert Garden, located between our two buildings, is our pride and joy, but it needs a little love. We are low on funds to maintain this beautiful space and welcome anything you are able to give to shore up our garden fund.
Thank you for supporting our church and its neighbors!
Mentoring at Dan D. Rogers
Students have started back in class and we are seeking to strengthen our partnership with Dan D. Rogers Elementary. One way you can help (in addition to financial gifts to support uniform and supplies) is to give of your time. Mentoring only takes 1 hour 1 day a week, but it makes a huge difference in the lives of both students and mentors. If your heart is stirring to help in this way, contact the office and we can help you get set up!
North Texas Giving Day
North Texas Giving Day is coming up on Monday, September 9! There are thousands of local nonprofit organizations that could use your support on this date. You can search through organizations on NorthTexasGivingDay.org to find one that works for you if you want to, but we also have a pretty extensive list of organizations that are appropriate to our church's values and mission, including Union Coffee, the Wesley-Rankin Center, and the Resource Center. If you'd like the whole list, contact the office and we'll send it along.
Faiths in Conversation
Are you looking to dig even deeper into understanding the intersections and diversity of the many different religions of our neighbors? Several organizations are coming together to sponsor a series of presentations led by scholars from SMU and Rice. Check out the details here: http://dallasinstitute.org/faiths-in-conversation/
Aldersgate Project
Our friends at FUMC Dallas have invited us to help them with the Aldersgate Project, which will allow us to earn some money for Lakewood! Church members can work as ushers at McFarlin Auditorium on the SMU campus. Each usher earns $10/hr (paid directly to Lakewood), for a minimum of 3 hours per person per event. If you would like to help out with this endeavor, contact Carol Croy at clcroy@sbcglobal.net.
Happy Birthday to...
Eva Cherry 9/6
Cindy Estee 9/10
Phillip Stauble 9/24
Ed Larroca 9/30
This Month, We Pray for...
Gail Baldwin; Marilyn Bourdene; 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; Kathy LaTour; 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