The Tower Monthly

The monthly newsletter of Lovely Lane UMC

towerNovember 2008

CONTENTS

 

From the Pastor

Greeting to each of you!

In Mary’s Way, Peggy Tabor Millin writes: I was on a train on a rainy day. The train was slowing down to pull into a station. For some reason I became intent on watching the raindrops on the window. Two separate drops, pushed by the wind, merged into one for a moment and then divided again – each carrying with it a part of the other. Simply by that momentary touching, neither was what it had been before. And as each one went on to touch other raindrops, it shared not only itself, but what it had gleaned from the other. I saw this metaphor many years ago and it is one of my most vivid memories. I realized then that we never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace.

What a wonderful way to think of Lovely Lane and the connections we share! The congregation reflects the traces of so many people through the years and from across the country. As well, the community around our building feels the impact of our witness. The boundary of our community includes a unique story that no one else can tell: the past and present that belong to us alone, future dreams that light the way before us. The past and present reflect our commitment to our ministry and our future provides the setting.

A great deal of time and energy has been expended this year on the building that houses our work and that has opened us to new possibilities. We have a newly renovated sexton’s apartment on the third floor. We installed a keyless entry system which gives added security to our facility. The Baltimore Lab School, which is housed next door, uses the gym during the school year. The energy and vitality of these children make the halls ring. In June the Lab School celebrated its first graduation in the Lovely Lane sanctuary. Our partnership is mutually beneficial. With a commitment to openness and a central location, we have increased use of the building for other community and church activities. Several groups are in the gym on a regular basis. In the spring we had a grand musical celebration of the mission work of John and Mary Goucher in Korea with choirs from Seoul, Korea, as well as Los Angeles, New York and Washington.

Our monthly work days have yielded a cleaner and safer building but also an increased time of fellowship. The good response to these days sometimes leaves us with sore joints and some aches and pains but always with a sense of joy in our shared responsibility.

In worship on November 23rd, we will formally receive the pledge cards for 2009. As members of the congregation, you have made a commitment to support the mission of the church. As friends of Lovely Lane, you have been steadfast in your participation. Your connection is a strong bond and we are thankful. You have reminded us in many ways that we are not alone in the effort here. The response to the way God has blessed us calls for an expression of deep gratitude.

Every time we gather together as a community of faith, we are aware of all those who have touched our lives and blessed our days. We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace. Thank you for your continuing partnership.

Grace and peace,

Nancy Nedwell

Homecoming Sunday
November 2

In the Cloisters Museum in New York, there is a beautifully carved Romanesque lintel, the post over the doorway from some ancient French church. The scene is the Palm Sunday procession. This was a sculpture that welcomed people into that church. You can tell it is Palm Sunday because everyone is holding branches.

At the head of the procession is Jesus, riding a donkey. Behind him and around him, you can see the little children waving their palm branches, followed by a few adults. Their clothes are the Near Eastern dress of the day. Surprisingly, just behind these adults, blending in with the procession, is another group of adults. They are not dressed in first-century Near Eastern garb. Rather, they are wearing twelfth-century European clothing! There is someone who looks like a shopkeeper, also a butcher, a bishop, a priest, and a number of women.

The point of the sculpture dawns upon us. Here is a picture of what it is like to take your place in a centuries-long procession. First comes Jesus and those who encountered him, our immediate grandmothers and grandfathers in the faith, and then there we are, blending in with the procession. The gap between that time and our time is narrowed. We have our little lives and projects caught up in a two-thousand year, no, as our scriptures remind us, a four-thousand year procession. In the book of Ruth, we see a woman who stayed with her marital family, even in the midst of famine and death. As the story unfolds, she becomes a link in the lineage of Jesus, one of his grandmothers. As Jesus is talking to one of the scribes of his day, he goes deep into his heritage, all the way to the ground of his being to reveal that the commandment that is first of all is to love the Lord God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. None of us has arrived here first. God has been dealing with us, speaking to us, intruding among us, leading us for centuries.  

We celebrate this long line of faith on Homecoming Sunday. We are pleased to welcome the Rev. Timothy B. Warner as he brings the message on Homecoming Sunday. He was called to the gospel ministry while serving as a Deacon in 1996.  He completed his Master of Divinity degree at Wesley Theological Seminary in 2003.  Reverend Warner was trained as a bacterial geneticist, and enjoyed a productive career in pharmaceutical research and development, where he held various scientific and executive leadership positions for over 18 years before committing to full-time ministry.

He served for seven years as the Associate Council Director for Community and Economic Development in the Baltimore Washington Conference of the UMC in ministries of mission-evangelism. From 2003 to 2008 he served as pastor of St. Mark’s UMC in Boyds, MD.

Most recently, Pastor Warner was appointed to ministry on the staff of the Montgomery County Executive in his Office of Community Partnerships as the Community Liaison for Faith Communities and African Americans, where he helps faith communities respond to the needs of God’s people, and creates a forum for dialogue between the government and faith communities on critical community issues. 

 

 

You Are Invited

 

LOVELY LANE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN LUNCHEON

BROADMEAD
13801 York Road, Cockeysville
November 10th at 12 noon

The UMW will gather in the main dining room at Broadmead for lunch and a short meeting. Call Dorothy Krug at 410-771-9899 to make your reservation. The price is $11.00.

Reminder:This is the time of year when your annual gift to missions is due.

 

Manna House Needs Your Help

The mission of Manna House is to offer assistance and support to the homeless, poor and needy of Baltimore with services contributing toward their independence and stability.

I know that most people have made their plans for summer vacation. This message is to ask to be part of your plans. At the end of the fiscal year, there are unexpected, but necessary financial obligations. Would you please send a check before you leave for your well-deserved change of environment? You have no idea how much your financial support, your volunteer time and your prayers mean to our clients and their chance to survive the mean streets of Baltimore.  Thank you for your help.

From July 1, 2007 to May 31, 2008 nearly 40,000 meals were served to men, women and children.

Cost to operate the soup kitchen for one day  $550       
One breakfast for one person  $3

--Esther R. Reaves, Executive Director

Manna House
435 E. 25th St, Baltimore  MD, 21218, 410-889-3001
http://www.mannahouseinc.org/

Lovely Lane is a partner church with Manna House. Funds are needed for ongoing expenses. Your support is important. Thank you.

From the United Methodist Women

The United Methodist Women are highlighting a particular need of Manna House each month. 

In November we are re-stocking the shelves with pasta and sugar

 

 


Congregational Updates

John Hutchinson joined the Lovely Lane congregation on September 14th. He has been actively involved in the life of the church and we receive him with joy.

The faith community gathered on September 27th to celebrate the marriage of Elizabeth Weiblen and Sean Hines. We offer our warmest congratulations.

The confirmation class has begun. Confirmation seeks to make firm what has gone before now. It is closely linked to and dependent upon all that has taken place

 

in the individual’s life already, including God’s grace, the sacrament of baptism, the Christian nurture provided by parents and the faith community, and the ongoing activity of God’s Spirit. Confirmation is a call to discipleship, a call to claim the name Christian for themselves. We are looking forward to this year of exploring and experiencing faith. Please pray for the confirmands and their families as you surround them with encouragement and prayers. They are Hannah Coates, Kwesi Enos, Julia Ewers, Eve Gillison, Quinn Gillison and Jackie Jackson.

 

 

Altar Flowers and Tower Lighting

There are some open dates available as a way to honor someone’s birthday, anniversary or special event.  The flowers grace the altar for worship each Sunday from September through June.  The tower is lighted for the week.  Both are vibrant expressions of honor and remembrance. The cost for providing the flowers is $60 and the tower lighting is $30.  Please call Dolores Shaw to make these arrangements at 410-254-1444.

Altar Flowers in loving memory of

November   2  Fred King
                          by William and Charlotte Shrewsbury
November   9  William F. Wooden, Elizabeth Harris Wooden
                     and G. Mowen Wooden
November 16  Ray and Esther Hughes, and John Hughes
                          by their family
November 23  Mr. and Mrs. Milton D. Knapp
                          by their daughter, Sally Jane Knapp
November 30  Tony Williamson


Tower Lighting in loving memory of


November   2  The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Ray Rose
                          by the Rose Family
November   9  Elizabeth Kennedy
November 16  Edith L. and Linwood U. Brannock
                          by Shirley and Bill Jones
November 23  Julia Hoopper
November 30  Mary Louise Beehler and Albert Beehler, Jr.
                             by Mrs. Albert Beehler, Jr.

Restoration Gifts

September 19, 2008—October 23, 2008

In Honor of

Jack and Marlene O’Laughlin
 The Weiblen Family

Wilton and Dolores Shaw
 on their 65th wedding anniversary
 Capt. Florence Beatty
 Dr. and Mrs. Emora Brannan
 Ms. Doris L. Courtney
 Mrs. Iona M. Courtney
 Mr. and Mrs. William L. Jones
 Dorothy B. Krug
 Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Miller
 Dennis Nonemaker
 The Weiblen Family

Elizabeth Weblein and Sean Hines
 on their marriage
    Dorothy B. Krug

 

 

 

 

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