Sequoyah member Dave Clark was moved to share the following

The Garbage Antidote

In this age of rampant consumerism as urban gestalt proclaims, it’s no longer what we are, but what we’ve acquired that counts. No doubt, we’ve all been told what the good American citizen should become. Personal security is no longer personal, parents have become passé, and teachers are too busy preparing for tests. Has the church’s inner odyssey become irrelevant as well? Has it all been replaced by corporate themes and sponsorships, flat screen TV’s and digital signals? It seems advertising, the driving force, is dominated by a psychology of inadequacy, which keeps us forever searching. Like the early Israelites, we feel abandoned; always looking out there, in search of, we’re not really quite sure… As modern wanderers the pivotal questions have changed. No longer do we ask, where is God, but rather, how do we stay busy today? And society is always there to provide, for better or worse.

So paradoxical yet predictable are the ways we experience God in our lives. From a burning bush, a stranger on the road, or even wine in a stone jar, we are continuously summoned to experience true security. Have you ever wondered what would happen to this wonderful mess of a country if we found real security in our shared divinity? “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -” 2 Corinthians 13-5 Our need for distraction would be drastically changed, not to mention our relationships with, well-everyone!

Garbage collection, the hidden sacrament, maligned by those who may contribute to its’ accumulation and often misunderstood by even the faithful as a means of grace and spiritual awakening, is seeing a rebirth in our times. Not since the 70’s when an Indian brave stood tearful along a major turnpike, garbage tossed at his feet from a passing motorist has litter awareness seen such resurgence. And that’s a surge to truly believe in!

Litter pick up has been a practice in our family, spiritual or otherwise, depending on whom you ask, for several years. The longing for a spotless street or pristine roadside had its’ genesis for me after a disgruntled neighborhood complained of the unsightly mess (human or otherwise), of a homeless program where I once volunteered. After you purchase a niftynabber (claw handled yard tool), you can never go back. If one was ever looking for distraction combined with instant gratification they need look no further than beyond their curb. Where else might one be confronted with the notion of forgiveness and humility in one full clump, literally? After driving down a major arterial all winter, you can’t wait for that first warm afternoon, your big chance to make a difference out there. What a beautiful example of contemplation in action! If you need an antidote to stem the tide of current wisdom, just possibly, litter cleanup could be another spiritual practice for you. My wife brought home a sticker from a Christian environmental conference a few weeks ago. “If you love the creator then love his creation.”


No experience necessary, only a willingness to be changed.

Holy Week 2010

Sunday, March 28th - Palm Sunday Parade Children are encouraged to process through the sanctuary waving palms during the beginning hymn of both worship services on Palm Sunday morning. Please meet in the hallway outside the sanctuary before the service to receive your palm branch and instructions.


March 29th through April 2nd – Holy Week Services at Noon You are encouraged to make plans to join the United Methodist’s in our community for Holy Week Services. This year’s host church is Central UMC located at 6 East Dixon Street. The services will take place at noon each day with a different guest preacher each day. After the service (12:30) there will be a luncheon served for $5 per person. Pastor Craig will preach Tuesday, March 30th.


April 1st - Maundy Thursday Come and Go Communion This come and go service of remembering is open to anyone from 6 - 7pm (church membership is not required). Come and spend a few moments in our beautiful sanctuary reflecting on God’s love, and sharing in Holy Communion. A written guide for prayer and scripture reading is provided.


April 2nd - Good Friday Tenebrae Service This service is a Holy Week devotion which dates back to the 7th or 8th century A.D. and is characterized by successive extinguishing of candles. The service presented by SUMC Youth is composed primarily of Bible readings about the last hours of Jesus’s life, and dramatizes Jesus’s passion and death. Please join us Friday, April 2, at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary.


April 3rd -Pancake Breakfast - This year’s annual Pancake Breakfast will be held from 7 – 10 am and coincides with the Families and Children's Easter Celebration. All SUMC families and children are invited. To defray the food cost the breakfast will be $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for children under 10 or maximum of $10.00 per family. The menu will be sausage, pancakes, juice and coffee. If you would like to volunteer to help the Fellowship Ministry Team there is a "shift volunteer” sign-up sheet in the narthex or just call the office and let them know you will help.


Easter Celebration Event for Children & Families and Easter Egg Hunt - The Easter celebration has a new look this year: Faith Discovery Stations. At 9:30, children and their families are invited to discover the real meanings of Easter and the Resurrection. Children are also encouraged to bring flowers to decorate the cross for Easter Sunday services. The Faith Discovery Stations will be followed by the Children’s Easter Egg Hunt at approximately 10am.--Please donate a bag of wrapped Easter Candy for the Hunt and some new plastic eggs by Wednesday, March 31st (see the box outside Ann Catherine’s office in the Children's Area).


April 4th - Easter Sunday Services - Come and celebrate our faith in Christ our Risen Savior! Services are at 8:45 & 11:00 with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. And remember to Pass It On This Easter!

Epiphany

Today is the feast of the Epiphany, the day that the Magi visited the newborn Jesus.

This would be an excellent day to do something new and amazing. Why not come to choir practice and learn the music for this year's Martin Luther King celebration? Don't wait for an invitation -- the Magi didn't. Just walk in and try out a new way to honor God. In the choir room, at 6:30 tonight.

Centering Prayer

Visit CenteringPrayer.com for some thoughts on contemplative prayer.

Silence at Sequoyah

A new group is meeting at SUMC. A Quiet Place has begun in the Parlor from 8:45 to 9:30 on Sunday mornings. We set aside this time to intentionally practice the presence of God.
Very simply, we sit in silence and listen to God. We become receptive to God's presence and action in our lives.

There is a place of silence within us all. When we empty ourselves to let God enter that silence we listen from the heart.

A Quiet Place is a comforting respite along the way, where silence is no longer awkward.

This group is open to all.

"Be still, and know that I am God;

Psalm 46:10

All Dressed Up for Christmas!

Spend Christmas at Sequoyah!

There is not a more beautiful place to spend Christmas Eve than in Sequoyah's sanctuary. We will be hosting 2 Christmas Eve Candlelight Services this year, one at 5:00pm and another at 7:00pm. The service will feature special music and a special Christmas message from Pastor Craig. Please come join us and invite someone to share this special service with you.