Your Inspirational Column is Back
by Reverend Robin Roderick

Reverend Don Jarvis is a spiritual mentor of mine, and he often sends me snippets of reading and devotion that call people deeper into the Christian life. What follows is an interesting piece for us to chew on as well.

He shared this:

“Getting into Brian McLaren’s new book (Finding Our Way Again), I read of his interviewing Peter Senge via TV hookup. This was a pastors’ gathering and Senge pointed out that the second most popular books for sale were about spirituality, particularly on Buddhism. Senge asked McLaren why he thought they were so popular. McLaren returned the question: what did Senge think?

“Senge replied, ‘I think it’s because Buddhism presents itself as a way of life, and Christianity presents itself as a system of belief.’

“McLaren and the pastors remembered that statement more than any other part of the event. As McLaren later noted:

“Without a coherent and compelling way of life, formed in community and expressed in mission, some of us begin losing interest in the system of belief, or we begin holding it grimly, even meanly, driving more and more people away from our faith rather than attracting them toward it.”

Systems of belief and way of life. When and where have we let Christianity become a system rather than a way of life – something layered over us rather than grounded in us? As we approach Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, let us reflect on our way of life together.

Cleaning Awards
Props to The King's!

The King’s, the cleaning company that services FUMC, was recently awarded the prestigious (OS1) Green Certification for their custodial work. This certification indicates that the cleaning techniques The King’s uses minimize damage to the environment, while ensuring that facilities are cleaned for high health standards first.

Successful candidates must document to the outside auditor that they are meeting over 260 different benchmarks, such as reducing hazardous waste, cleaning safely and recycling effectively.

Less than 50 other facilities NATIONWIDE have attained this certification since its introduction in the 1990s. We salute The King’s for their incredible achievement and their continuing efforts to go green and to protect our indoor environment.

Big City Studio

Big City Studio is a full blast Children’s Church experience that will soon be in “production” at FUMC on Sunday mornings from 10:45 to noon.

This program is all about making memories that will encourage children to put their faith in God, and equipping them to withstand life’s challenges. Big City Studio is geared for children in kindergarten through 5th grade.

We are also seeking those interested in inspiring the children at FUMC through this program. There are multiple opportunities available, be it behind the scenes (painting and prepping the new space) to being a “stunt man”! This is something you don’t want to miss participating in. Interested parties should contact Dawn Orndorff at 947-0066 or dawnorndorff@sbcglobal.net. You can also sign up in your Sunday Bulletin.

United Methodist Men Meeting

The monthly meeting of the United Methodist Men’s Club (UMM) will be on Saturday, February 14 at 8:00 a.m. at the church in Wesley Hall. Breakfast will be served. Music will be provided by some members of the FUMC choir.

All Methodist men are considered members of the UMM organization, so you are cordially invited to attend and enjoy the food and music.

Parking Situation

As regular attendees are well aware, FUMC has insufficient parking to adequately support current Sunday worship services, much less any growth in attendance. Worship attendance is correlated to participation in other church activities and financial stewardship.

The Board of Trustees have obtained permission for Sunday parking in nearby business lots. As mentioned in an earlier edition of the Spire, the LOVE (Leave our Vehicles Elsewhere) Club program is enrolling parishoners willing to park there to free on-site spaces, especially around the 9:30 am time point. Since some of this parking is across First Capitol Drive, a guard has been retained on Sunday mornings to stop vehicle traffic to facilitate safe pedestrian crossing.

The Trustees are looking at additional options to alleviate the parking situation with assistance from an architectural firm, such as converting existing church property to parking spots or purchasing adjacent properties.

Implementation of any of the new parking proposals will require the approval of the FUMC Charge Conference.