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703-256-8330 http://www.annandale-umc.org AUMC Witness 1
In my time away from the pulpit this summer, I spent time rereading the book of Job, something I do when I feel overwhelmed by the seeming reign of evil and suffering in the presence of a just and loving God.
Although the Israelites used the story of Job to teach and debate theology, the scenarios it constructs are deeply rooted in reality. The stories that unfold in the book are somebody’s stories. People knew folk in the ancient world who had encountered the types of losses and tragedy that befell Job, as do we, in our world.
In part, the book of Job exists because there are no good answers to why such awful things happen to people. And the truth is, even the best theology falls flat when you’re looking at a murdered child or the devastation brought upon communities due to the earth’s weather patterns. The book of Job gives voice to our desire to make sense of the pain and suffering, the devastation, and the evil we see, feel and encounter.
Like Job, I have asked God my fair share of questions, but God’s answer to my questions are never quite what I expect. As I read through this book, angry and frustrated by the world’s brokenness, the phrase that kept coming to mind was, “God is bigger.” The people who compiled the book of Job knew that even when you find your way to or back to God after a tragedy, you don’t get all the answers if any. You may never hear God speak to you about your sorrow. But you will find, as Job found, a God who is present—and, yes, bigger and greater and grander and more exalted and more majestic than you can imagine, but also a God who sees your tears and hears your cries shouted into the wind.
The God who attended Job is the God who, according to the Psalmist, is clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent, setting the beams of her chambers on the waters, making the clouds her chariot, riding on the wings of the wind and making the winds her messengers.
That same God became a child, begotten, birthed, breastfed, bathed, baptized and buried. God came to us in a form less terrifying and more fragile than a whirlwind, in our own human flesh. In living, in loving, in healing, in teaching, in dying, in rising, God in Jesus is the answer to questions we did not ask as much as the answer to the questions we shouted into the wind.
Vol. 16 No. 9 We are a Stephen Ministry Church September 17, 2019
AUMC WITNESSOur Mission: Love God, Love Neighbor, Serve the WorldAnnandale United Methodist Church - annandalechurch.com6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003 P: 703-256-8330 F: 703-914-8896 [email protected]
Ministers: Rev. Jason MicheliRev. Peter KwonRev. Chenda Lee
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Support our community by helping with Taste of Annandale
The fifth annual Taste of Annandale festival is Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. As in previous years, AUMC is a sponsor and will have a table near Tom Davis Drive. Taste of Annandale features live music, lots of good food and plenty of activities for the kids. There will also be 5K race.
We need volunteers to staff the AUMC table! We’ll need help setting up our canopy tent, organizing some fun activities for kids and talking to people about our church. If you’d like to help, contact Meredith Bond at [email protected] or 703-256-8330, ext. 104.
For more information about the festival or to register for the Taste of Annandale 5K Race, go to https://tasteofannandale.com/. The race will start at the K-Mart parking lot at 9:30 a.m. Volunteers are needed to guide the runners. Contact Nancy Hall at [email protected] if you can help.
Annual Charge Conference this Thursday AUMC’s annual business meeting is Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in Hughes Hall. The meeting will be led by District Superintendent Jeff Mickle and include reports from various ministry areas, finance and trustees. All are welcome to attend.
Unlike Job’s whirlwind, Jesus remains and stays with us through the storms and through the calm and all that will come our way. For in him, we experience the grandeur of God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s justice and God’s grace. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Chenda
Rereading the book of Job
703-256-8330 http://www.annandale-umc.org AUMC Witness 2
4th annual yard sale to raise funds for hypothermia this Saturday
AUMC will host a yard sale this Saturday, Sept. 21, 8 a.m.–1 p.m., in front of the church to raise funds to support our hypothermia ministry this winter. (If it rains, the sale will be in Wright Hall.)
Donated items for the sale (clothing, household goods, kitchen items, furniture, etc.) can be dropped off at Hughes Hall this Friday, Sept. 20, noon–8 p.m. Church members are invited to shop on Saturday. All proceeds go to help our homeless neighbors in Annandale. We will also be accepting credit cards this year.
If you have questions or can help, contact Teresa Beyer at 301-221-8321 or [email protected].
Book Fair Saturday The United Methodist Men’s Book Fair is also this Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Hughes Hall. You can leave donated books at the church in the wooden bin under the coatrack. Or drop books off on Sept. 20 inside the front doors of the church on the left side. Contact Jerry Beyer at 703-399-1395 for more information and to help.
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Annual CROP Hunger Walk is
Oct. 19 The annual CROP Hunger Walk, which AUMC members have long participated in, will be Saturday morning, Oct. 19, at Lake Accotink Park. Each year, the walk raises funds for Church World Service to help feed the hungry and provide refugee relief. In addition, a portion of the funds raised for the Annandale CROP Walk go to ACCA for its food pantry.
This year’s walk begins with an opening ceremony at 8:15 a.m. (registration begins at 8 a.m.) at the Lake Accotink marina. The route follows the trails around the lake and can be completed in two hours or less. Snacks are served at the midpoint.
AUMC members are encouraged to walk or sponsor walkers, or simply make a donation. Find out more about the walk on the ACCA website at https://accacares.org/cropwalk/, or contact Camille Mittelholtz at [email protected] or 703-573-0074. Information about pledging can be found at www.crophungerwalk.org/annandaleva. Last year’s walk raised a total of $20,785, and ACCA received $5,299. Information is also available on the table in the atrium.
No flu shots at AUMC this year Due to changes by Inova and the fact that AUMC members would have to pay for the shots out of pocket, we have decided not to offer our flu shot clinic this year. Please check with your doctor’s office or local pharmacy about getting a shot. Most drug stores offer free flu shots to those covered by insurance.
Poe after-school program gets underway in October
AUMC’s weekly meals ministry at Poe Middle School will resume next month. AUMC provides hot meals to 300 students on Tuesdays after school, a project it began in 2013 after learning that most of the students at Poe qualify for subsidized meals and some are homeless.
The majority of students at Poe participate in the after-school program, and those students who attend after-school activities are more likely to attend school more regularly, Poe administrators say.
If you’d like to be on one of the four teams that prepares and serves meals, contact Sheila Kyer, our Poe coordinator. Volunteers are also needed to bake cookies. Contact Sheila at (703) 981-6080 or [email protected].
703-256-8330 http://www.annandale-umc.org AUMC Witness 3
You’ve likely seen Randy Heaton, our newest member at AUMC, near the front of the sanctuary on Sundays. He’s praising God or, when the spirit moves him, pulling out his harmonica to hum along with the worship band.
Randy joined AUMC a few months ago. His background is a little different than most of ours. Since 2005, he hasn’t had a permanent home. He’s lived in various locations in
the Annandale area, mostly camping out. “I’m a survivor,” he says. “I may be homeless, but I’m not hopeless.”
Until March of this year, he stayed near George Mason Regional Library. His tent caught fire, and he suffered severe burns. He was in the hospital for nearly a month. “I’m still here,” he says of the experience. “Still chugging along. God’s got a chore for me. I’m just not sure what it is.”
Randy is originally from Pittsburgh, where he has fond memories of his childhood. “I had a good upbringing and loving parents,” he says. He became a bricklayer and moved to Northern Virginia in 1998. He worked for L.F. Jennings masonry company in Falls Church and even had a company of his own for a while. He’s proud of the work he did on the Carlyle Towers in Alexandria, which rises 21 stories. Today, he does small jobs such as brick work and finished concrete.
Things seemed to unravel for Randy after his mother passed away in 2003. He lost his job, broke up with his fiancé and moved out of the apartment they shared. That’s when he became homeless.
“To get connected with this church means a lot,” he says. “I love coming here. The people are so nice to me.” Randy went to a Catholic school in Pittsburgh and attended Sunday school as a youth. He says he drifted away from the church as an adult; but, he acknowledges, “If it weren’t for God, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Randy enjoys baseball and bowling. He’s also been an avid collector of comic books and baseball cards. “As a kid, I had all of the Adventure Comics and GI Combat, which was one of my favorites. I had the Chamber of Darkness series, too.”
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Meet Randy Heaton, our newest member at AUMC And of course, there is his Marine Band harmonica, which he refers to as his Little Buddy. “He’s with me wherever I go,” he says. “It took me four years to learn how to play it.”
What Randy reminds us every Sunday is that the redeeming power of God’s grace is available for all who attend our church. Christ doesn’t make distinctions. He just says, “Come on in and have a seat at the table.” Welcome, Randy!
Help find these lost lambsIf you have a current street address for any of these lost
lambs, please contact Dottie Rogerson at [email protected] or 703-256-8330, ext. 112.
Joan AvilaElaina CarrilloAron BowlinMaria Bowlin
Melissa BrownJames Campbell
Donna Petrof-CampbellMiles CampbellBryce Campbell
Arthur (Dwight) DavisNancy Davis
Melissa GrahamJani Holder
James HoopesGabriella JohnsonJames MarciniakCecilia Novellino
Charles Rayburn, Jr.Kathleen RayburnAnthony Rayburn
Samuel Summerville, Jr.Araminta Summerville
Charles WheelerMarilyn Wheeler
Steven WilkesJoy Wininger
Julian WitherellSusan CastilloJames Morse
Barbara MorseJohn Nickell
Willie Porter, Jr.Annette AaronClaire RobbinsAndrew RossAaron ShivarSibyl Wright
703-256-8330 http://www.annandale-umc.org AUMC Witness 4
If you’d like to bake cookies, there are sign-up sheets, cookie recipes and instructions on the table in the atrium. Cookies are due by Sunday, Oct 20. If you cannot bake cookies but want to make a donation for baking supplies, make a check payable to AUMC, designated for Kairos cookies, by Sunday, Oct. 13.
The Kairos ministry is powered by prayers. If you are willing to pray for the team and the weekend participants, there is also a sign-up sheet for the prayer chain in the atrium. For more information, contact Bill Iwig at 301-365-7532 or [email protected].
Rise Against Hunger food packaging, Oct. 20
Invite your friends and family to come help package dehydrated meals for Rise Against Hunger (RAH) on Sunday, Oct. 20, immediately following a combined 10:30 a.m. worship
service. The event will be in Wright Hall and the atrium, where we’ll package and box about 20,000 meals made of rice, soybean and other nutrients. A light lunch will be provided.
This is a fun event for participants of all ages. RAH was started by a United Methodist minister in 1998 and mobilizes volunteers to package millions of meals for distribution around the world.
If you can help with setup before the 10:30 a.m. service, contact Carolyn Stayman at [email protected].
AUMC mission team headed to Southwest Virginia
An AUMC mission team is preparing to go to Jonesville, VA, Oct. 6–12, to do home repairs and light construction as part of the Appalachia Service Project (APS).
Projects typically include roofing, plumbing, electrical work, painting and home repair. AUMC has previously helped families in the Guyan Valley of West Virginia, so this is a new venue for the team.
ASP is a Christian ministry dedicated to making homes “warmer, safer and drier” in Appalachia. Last year, 16,231 volunteers served on ASP teams, providing critical repairs for 493 families and constructing over 60 new homes.
For more information about ASP, contact John Clarke at [email protected].
Kairos offers many ways to minister to those in prison
The Northern Virginia Kairos Team offers AUMC members many
ways to minister to incarcerated men at Greensville Correctional Center (GCC) in Jarratt, VA. An important part of the Kairos ministry is baking cookies, a tangible expression of love for the residents of GCC. During each weekend, the team gives away 2,200-dozen cookies at the prison. AUMC members of the team are responsible for providing 600-dozen cookies for the next weekend, Oct. 24–27.
NEXT DEADLINE: Friday, Oct. 4, is the deadline for the Oct. 15 Witness, which covers Oct. 20 and 27, and Nov. 3 and 10.
Tues., Sept. 17 Church Council 7 p.m. Room 302 Tues., Sept. 24 SPRC 7 p.m. Room 210 Tues., Oct. 1 Trustees 7 p.m. Room 303Tues., Oct. 8 Finance Committee 7 p.m. Room 210 Tues., Oct. 15 Church Council 7 p.m. Room 302
MINISTRY MEETINGS
WEEKLY VOLUNTEERSSunday, September 22,
8:30 and 11 a.m.Door greeters: 8 S. Naugle, M. Pearson; 10:30 J. Houston, S. HoughtonFront desk greeters: J. FlemingFellowship Hours: In His Steps ClassUshers: 8:30 A. Cogswell, A. Powell, G. Sherfey, P. Sherfey (c);11 N. Bentsi-Bansah, S. Fleming, P. Adams, P. Snitzer (c)
Sunday, September 29, 8:30 and 11 a.m.
Door greeters: 8 D. Ruhter, J. Vance; 10:30 L. Riley, P. SnitzerFront desk greeters: J. HartleyFellowship Hours: Kairos Prison MinistryUshers: 8:30 W. Ferrebee, B. Herbst, R. Patton, E. McKenney (c);11 S. Fleming, N. Robjhon. D. Robinson, P. Snitzer (c)
Sunday, October 6, 8:30 and 11 a.m.
Door greeters: 8 J. Beyer, C. Cox; 10:30 L. Riley, P. SnitzerFront desk greeters: D. IwigUshers: 8:30 A. Cogswell, M. Robinson, K. Sabo, S. Fleming (c);11 N. Bentsi-Bansah, S. Chase, A. Underwood, R. Gordon(c)
Sunday, October 13, 8:30 and 11 a.m.
Door greeters: 8:10 S. Fleming, S. Naugle; 10:30 J. Houston, S. HoughtonFront desk greeters: M. McCarthyUshers: 8:30 W. Annan, B. Herbst, G. Sherfey, P. Sherfey (c);11 S. Fleming, N. Robjhon, D. Robinson, P. Adams (c);
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