WEDNESDAY WORDS
FROM METRO MINISTRIES, INC.
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February 17, 2021
Metro Lenten Moments
Today is Ash Wednesday, welcoming the Sean of Lent in 2021. The snowy weather this week may be impacting some church plans for Imposition of Ashes, but we hope you are able to observe the beginning of this time of reflection and prayer.
Metro Ministries will be sharing a Lenten Moment each Wednesday throughout this Lenten Season, and we invite you to follow along with us. Each week, we will share a video with a short devotion and a story about one of Metro's 2020 grant recipients. We hope you will follow this video series and see the impacts made through the financial support Metro Ministries receives from our generous supporters. Here is this week's Metro Lenten Moment.
We also invite you to join us this Saturday morning, February 20th for Metro's Lenten Season Kickoff. Registration information is below.
May this Lenten Season be a time of reflection, prayer and giving of ourselves for each of us.
Metro Ministries, Inc. invites you to join us on Saturday, February 20th for a virtual celebration. This will be a brief time of fellowship, music and a very special Lenten message from none other than John Wesley, as portrayed by Rev. Bert Kite.
We also ask you to consider a financial gift to Metro Ministries. During this season of Lent, we hope to raise $4,000 towards Metro's 2021 Grants programs. Would you consider setting aside at least $1/day for the 40 days of Lent? If just 100 people each give $40, we will reach our goal! Our 2021 Grant areas of focus are: supporting the health and well-being of children and youth, engaging in ministry with under-resourced persons, Christian leadership development and racial equity and justice. Any amount is appreciated and will help make an impact on the lives of men, women and children throughout Central Indiana this year.
Playing in Uncertainty and In the Snow!
It has been said many times over the past several months how we have all been facing times of uncertainty, stress and anxiety. As we adults have struggled to make sense of our world, our children have been facing uncertainty in school and in their homes. Our children have experienced the unknown of virtual and hybrid school and have seen the uncertainty and concern on our faces and have heard it in our voices.
I came across an article a few weeks ago about encouraging safe and engaging play for our children,with guidance to help them Play in Uncertainty. With all of the snow we have outside right now, it seems a good time to share this article. May our children be encouraged to take risks and make decisions in safe spaces and to play with joy and laughter, and perhaps we adults may be able to play along with them.
Project Transformation Hosts Connection & Conviction Virtual Series
Project Transformation National will host a conversation on young adult vocational discernment with Dr. Patrick Reyes, on Thursday, February 25 at 12:30pm ET. Dr. Reyes, a Chicano practical theologian, educator and institutional strategist, will discuss what vocational discernment looked like for him, a young person growing up in one of America's most under-resourced communists. Click HERE for registration information and more details on this free virtual event. Click for a downloadable flyer.
Project Transformation exists to transform communities by engaging children, college-age young adults and churches in purposeful relationships. Through a national network of affiliated chapters, including Project Transformation Indiana, the organization provides leadership development and ministry exploration experiences for young adults, who in turn, implement holistic programs for children. Project Transformation engages with United Methodist churches to host these programs, often creating a bridge between a local church and its community.
Application Window for Ministry With the Poor Grants Opens March 1
The Mission and Justice Ministries Team is making Ministry With the Poor Matching Grants available for Indiana Conference churches. The 2021 application window will be March 1 - April 30, 2021.
For criteria and more details visit THIS PAGE on INUMC's website.
World Day of Prayer March 5, 2021
Friday, March 5 is World Prayer Day this year. World Day of Prayer is an international ecumenical Christian laywomen's initiative that is celebrated annually in over 170 countries on the first Friday. The Christian Women United organization is inviting all that are able to join one of two virtual sessions this March 5.
You can join the 2:00pm Zoom meeting by clicking https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87864707538?pwd=MERKMlhlRzBkdFloaTlVOWluQThpQT09
or the 7:00pm Zoom meeting by clicking https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81815440678?pwd=TEFDK1huR0N4Umlkdi9kWDc0cnZjZz09. The links will take you to the Zoom session at the scheduled time.
Food Box Drive-Thru Distribution in Johnson County
Each Friday in February, food boxes are being distributed at Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin. This distribution is part of the USDA's Farmers to Families program, initiated in April 2020. in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The distribution will be drive-thru only with face masks and social distancing required.
Black History Month
Check out this web portal of resources, a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
Central District Book Study
The Central District's anti racist commitment continues with a new study around the book Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation. The sessions will be via ZOOM and will convene during February, Black History Month. Meetings will be held from 6:00 - 7:30 pm on Sundays, February 7, 21, and 28. The ZOOM link is here or you may dial in via phone 888 788 0099 US Toll-free, Meeting ID: 937 710 6582.
Other Central District News and Events
Lay Leader Training
The 2021 Central and West District Lay Leader Training will be held via ZOOM and presented by the District Lay Leaders. This training session is for those who serve as local church lay leaders (the Book of Discipline position). An effective lay leader functions as the primary representative and role model of Christian discipleship and faith lived out in the church and in daily life. The lay leader works with the pastor to fulfill the mission and vision of the congregation.
Saturday, March 6
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET
ZOOM Link here or dial by your location, 888 788 0099 US Toll-free, Meeting ID: 937 710 6582
Central District Conference
Please mark your calendars for the Central District Conference. It will be held on ZOOM Saturday, March 13 at 10:00 AM ET. Click here for more information about District Conference.
CENTRAL DISTRICT LAY SERVANT ACADEMY
February 21 & 28, 2021
Online via Zoom
"Life Together in The United Methodist Church" (polity)
Children and Youth resources shared in prior weeks:
- Indiana Summit on Out of School Learning
- Indiana Youth Institute's 2021 Indiana KIDS COUNT Data book
- 40 Developmental Assets
- 50 Ways to Engage Local Schools
- Helping Kids and Families Cope with the Stress of COVID-19
- Directory of Services for Children and Families
- Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences
- ACEs Primer Video
- "What do I do?" Trauma-Informed Support for Children
- Building Developmental Relationships During the COVID-19 Crisis
Please let us know if you have resources to share!
These Food Resources will continue to be shared weekly here and will also soon be available on Metro's website. Please note the information on these linked pages is subject to change frequently. For the most current information, use the links rather than printed documents.
For Food Pantries and Community Meal information in Marion, Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Johnson, Morgan and Shelby counties, click HERE.
Note: Mt. Olive United Methodist Church in Morgan County remaining February pantry date is February 19th, 2 - 6 pm.
