The Church Street chapter of United Methodist Women is a vibrant community of more than 200 women from all walks of life. Whether at an annual Bake Sale or Call to Prayer, you’ve likely come into contact with a few members.
When the pandemic halted in person activities at Church Street last spring, UMW President Jana Davison wasn’t sure what would come next.
“I’d never heard of Zoom. I’d never watched YouTube,” Davison says. “When we realized this was long term, I mean, you can’t just stop this stuff. I don’t remember what I saw the first time on Zoom, but it occurred to me that we’ve got to get going again.”
So, after a brief pause, meetings and events continued virtually and have since without missing a beat.
“At first, I had a love/hate relationship with Zoom,” Davison says, “but it has been my lifeline.”
United Methodist Women volunteer at the Fall UMW Bake Sale.
Cultivating community virtually
Meeting on Zoom hasn’t been a lifeline for just Davison. She has seen the UMW community grow to reach not just local members, but women across the nation.
“The really good thing is we have had people join us that never would have been with us otherwise,” Davison says. “It’s been wonderful.”
In addition to members that aren’t normally able to join because of work and other prior commitments, Davison says that younger people have joined that may not have joined because of school.
“I think we’ve done a really great job of trying to adapt to the situation,” organizer of book studies Susan Dominick says. “And in many ways, it couldn’t have been any better in person.”
During one recent book review, a member who is homebound joined one of the Zoom sessions thanks to the help of a staff member at her senior living community.
“My heart exploded,” Davison says. “We haven’t seen her in four years or so.”
Moments like this are what encourage members like Betty Craig to search for more ways to interact with the community, whether that’s in Knoxville or across the country in Oregon.
“Being able to reach people who can’t come means that Zoom has to continue,” Craig says. “When we’re back in person, we can record things and reach more people if they can’t participate at the time.”
A four-week study held in October on Zoom based on the book “Finding Peace in an Anxious World” reached up to 50 attendees each week. Led by Celia Ferguson, the timely education and conversation each week shared how the spiritual disciplines of scripture and prayer can help us with our anxiety.
“I had many people tell me ‘This is what I needed,’” Ferguson says. “It helped them find some grounding in their faith as well as gave them some tools.”
That conversation each week reached women outside of the normal UMW audience like younger women in Knoxville and Nashville, and women in Montana and Washington D.C.
“We would never dream of extending those boundaries,” Davison says. “It’s never been physically possible.”
Giving back to the community
In a typical year, UMW members find themselves very active in community service, whether that is through service projects at the church and for the church’s ministries and missions, or it extends to the East Tennessee community at large.
“If you want something done, ask United Methodist Women,” Davison says. “We send the plea out, and within minutes, my phone will blow up. That’s just how we roll.”
One plea last summer was for cloth masks to be made for Green Magnet Academy, Knox County School System’s only elementary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) program. The school is located in a low-income area near the church.
Last summer, the school was in desperate need of masks before the start of the fall semester, and Davison shared the assistant principal’s plea for help with members. Knowing that the UMW had women of various craft backgrounds, Davison shared the plea with the unit.
Craig was one of the members to respond to the plea for 350 masks; the UMW surpassed what was needed by the school. When the plea rang out again in January, Craig crafted 98 of the 267 additional masks made by UMW members; while only 150 were needed by Green Magnet at the time, the Church Street UMW nearly doubled the number, giving the school a welcome surplus at the height of the pandemic in Knox County.
“It’s truly the most talented group of people I’ve ever been around. And that is counting some really, really great companies,” Davison says. “They just don’t work better together than this group of ladies.”
“Nobody cares to stick their hand[s] in and get them dirty,” Davison adds. “Nobody cares. It’s just amazing.”
And just as there was no hesitation to help provide masks for the children of Green Magnet Academy, there was no hesitation to help provide the church community with a resemblance of normalcy, by offering a drive-thru bake sale option at the start of the holidays.
The annual UMW Bake Sale is one of the most anticipated events at the church, as members race to the table to get the best goodies church members have to offer. And when the idea of a virtual bake sale was brought to the table during a virtual monthly meeting in 2020, it didn’t take long for UMW members Ann Reego, Dominick and Jean Galyon to say they’d lead the charge.
With the help of Communications Director Katie Strangis, a sign up platform for baked goods was identified and sent to the church community with an invitation to contribute baked goods for the sale. Within a few days, Reego says she knew it would be a success.
“The first two days, I was in tears,” Reego says. “We got so many submissions that I was drowning.”
Once baked goods were donated, church members were able to reserve and purchase baked goods they’d like online before coming to pick-up the weekend before Thanksgiving. In addition to baked goods, Tim Ward sold Messiah CDs from the Church Street Choir, , Rev. Jan Buxton Wade’s Table Graces Volume II was available, and the Service Circle of UMW made $800 in quilts, pillows and throws to contribute to the sale.
With over 100 donors and 75 buyers, the bake sale fell into place and the profit was almost the same as a pre-pandemic year.
“The Lord smiled on us, and it was a gorgeous day,” Reego says. “It was a Saturday morning with the sun shining and we just had everything dropped off and picked up.”
Davison says that although she was nervous about the turnout, she can’t imagine the bake sale going any better.
“If this were a corporation, if what we have done was a corporation or business, it gives me cold chills. I’d rate it higher than any business,” Davison says. “The commitment of the people is stronger than the commitment of any place I’ve worked in my career.”
“I just have never seen anything like it and I thought I’d seen it all,” Davison adds.
Because the fall bake sale was a resounding success, the UMW organized its Spring Gifts and Goodies Sale, just in time for Mother’s Day 2021. Again, the sale took place online, but this time it included handmade gifts from talented members of the Church Street family, including handmade cards, handcrafted wooden items, jewelry, and handmade garden decor, among others. On May 16, the UMW will lead the congregation in all worship services, in person and online, as the church celebrates the outreach and connection of this vital ministry in our community.
If you’d like to learn more about the United Methodist Women chapter at Church Street United Methodist Church, please contact President Jana Davison.
All are welcome at Church Street! We believe every person is of sacred worth and created in God’s image. We welcome and celebrate the gifts God has given to all persons without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation. We respect diversity of opinion and expressions of Christian faith. We believe God loves everyone unconditionally! As God loves us, so let us love and serve in the name of Christ.
Benevolence Team evolves to serve increased community need during COVID-19
connectors, MissionsWhen the COVID-19 pandemic led to shutdowns in East Tennessee, the need for the Church Street Benevolence team almost doubled.
Prior to the pandemic, the Benevolence Team helped an average of eight Knoxville community members pay rent or their KUB utilities bill each week. Now, the need has increased 77% across Knoxville and an average of 20 community members receive help each week from the team.
The Benevolence Team itself was different for most of 2020, with church member Keith Biggers taking the lead on most logistical and operational needs, while also taking the influx of calls between COVID-19 government-issue payments. Biggers stepped away from the team at the end of last year and church member Rob Keener took his place.
And while the Benevolence Team isn’t new, the past few months have shown a new way of doing what the Benevolence Team has always done — help those in need.
“I feel very excited and energized,” Keener says. “We’re building the airplane while flying the airplane, but that’s okay.”
To adapt to the needs of Knoxville community members, Keener connected new volunteers to virtual training through the Compassion Coalition, a community organization helping Knoxville’s churches understand the needs of the community and how to serve them. Keener also reorganized the process for meeting with a new client.
Prior to Keener’s leadership, a few volunteers would meet in-person with potential clients for about 30 minutes at a time. Volunteers would listen to their story and determine the best way to help them, which was typically a microgrant from the church of $100-$300.
Once the pandemic hit East Tennessee, Biggers handled everything from the office in the Christian Life Center (CLC) to meeting with potential clients. Most interactions with community members were a one-time occurrence, and no follow-ups were completed.
“Now, we’ve shifted our emphasis to not just be a ‘one-and-done’ with the client,” Keener says, “but rather to walk with the client and be on a journey with them as they participate in their own recovery.”
Now, each trained volunteer is responsible for one day a week, Monday through Saturday, and they answer any incoming inquiries left on the Benevolence Team voicemail throughout the day. Each volunteer will also follow-up with their previous clients to ensure they have received the care and assistance needed. Volunteers call clients using an app on their phone that protects their personal phone number as the one connected to the voicemail.
Volunteers listen to each client’s story, and take careful attention to figuring out the best way to assist with financial strains.
“We listen empathetically,” Keener says. “We’re always trying to reflect the love of Jesus with our clients.”
In most cases, clients can be directed to governmental services and funding. The Compassion Coalition helped Keener and the Benevolence Team understand the extensive financial resources available to those facing eviction, which during the pandemic and unprecedented job loss, became the top priority.
The process for individuals applying for financial aid from the government can be difficult, so volunteers are intentional with their conversations, following up with clients as often as possible.
“I hope that we can become more relational than transactional and build more relationships for our clients that will lead them to come out of their financial situations,” volunteer Ann Reego says. “I also hope they see the love of Christ through us and are led to find fatih if they are not currently involved.”
Relationships are also built in more emergent situations, such as a disconnect notice from KUB with a few days left. In situations where there isn’t time to apply and wait for government aid, Church Street steps in with microgrants, which are similar to what was given to each client prior to the pandemic.
Looking forward, Keener hopes that a new hybrid system can help connect more clients to Church Street volunteers. While serving on the Benevolence team is “not for the faint of heart,” Keener can’t help but think of the A-Team and John “Hannibal” Smith’s famous quote: “I love it when a plan comes together.”
“That’s how I feel. I love that the plan has come together and that we have motivated, caring volunteers,” Keener says. “It’s exciting and this should be able to stand the test of time.”
Senior Spotlight: Gavin Carroll
Featured, YouthOne of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors. And this year, we have a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog. Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!
Meet Gavin Carroll!
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
Weekly Prayer – May 26
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of May 23, 2021
Written by Rev. Catherine Clark Nance
O Holy Spirit of God – we thank you for Pentecost, and in this season, we are privileged to claim and celebrate the birth of your church. But we know your Spirit has been calling us into community from the beginning. Your Spirit, your breath, breathed life into all of creation; and has been made known in the voice of the prophets, calling our communities to exhibit justice and righteousness and compassion.
Your Spirit is revealed to us in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, who welcomed the stranger and told us to love one another. We see the power of your Spirit on Easter morning and as Jesus ascended into heaven. When, O God, have we ever been away from your Spirit? The psalmist declares that you are always present.
Poets and songwriters and mystics and preachers have named you in countless ways: Liberating Spirit, Comforter, Wind and Flame, Spirit of Peace, Sacred Breath, Laughter, Mysterious Dancer, Pure Fountain, Holy Wisdom.
You have given us the gift of language to make sense of our world and to communicate and to draw your people together. Forgive us when our language attempts to contrive or constrain you. Forgive us when we name you in only the way that is comfortable and convenient for us. Forgive us when our language divides and alienates.
It is our prayer, Refining Fire of God, that we would open our ears and hear how you are prompting and leading and restoring us. And as we recall the story of Pentecost and the disciples understanding other languages, we are mindful of all the languages you hear as you listen to your world praying. We know that your Holy Spirit connects us to Palestinian and Israeli families who are grieving; families in Afghanistan are not just foreigners or people far away, but your Spirit enables us to hear the sorrow of parents and to pray for their comfort. Your Reconciling Spirit opens our hearts to all – in any country – who are dying from Covid.
Abiding Spirit, as you remain close to each of your suffering and frightened children, and as you know each one by name, draw near to your friends in the Church Street community who also call upon you in these trying times. Speak each name, we pray, as you send forth your swirls of healing into their midst:
And to these petitions we add our praises for your mercy and grace:
Continue to open our ears, Spirit of Truth, that we might hear how you desire to shape us, rather than our words shaping how we allow you to fit into our hearts. May your wind and fire cause us to hear you and experience you in new ways. And now we join with other Christians all around the world who offer the prayer our Savior taught us:
Have a Prayer Request?
Senior Spotlight: Emory Wineland
Featured, YouthOne of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors. And this year, we have a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog. Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!
Meet Emory Wineland!
Weekly Prayer – May 19
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of May 16, 2021
Written by Rev. Jan Buxton Wade
Let us sing a glad song of gratitude to our God who has given us life and has imbued us with power to change the world. How amazing is that grace! The Holy One believes in us! We now bow in the silence and reflect upon the ways we have felt his sacred movement in our lives in recent times . . . . . . . . . . Take us by the hand each day of this week, Lord, and lead us in those paths you have prepared for us; and may we recognize your empowering Spirit along the way.
Gracious God, receive our prayer.
“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,” sang the psalmist. We do come in your name this evening, Our Forever Companion, knowing you see us as we are, and that we are cherished in your sight. We remember the gentleness with which you steered us through this past year’s turmoil and dissension. In our doubts, fears, and grief, you were working silently to restore our hope.
Gracious God, receive our prayer.
Yes, we are indeed richly blessed and we praise the God from whom all blessings flow. Receive now, we pray, these specific expressions of gratitude brought by your people at Church Street; and also shine your light of gentle grace upon those who render their deep personal concerns:
Joys
Concerns
Gracious God, receive our prayer.
We confess, Patient One, that the magnet of our daily affairs has pulled us away from our best intentions. Especially our weakness was most pronounced in these instances which we remember with regret: . . . . . . . . . . Buttress us, that we might withstand the tug of the world and remain steady in our purpose to live out the promises we make in Christ’s name.
And as you feed us your food of compassion each and every day, you are showing us how to open our hands to share healing with those whose lives are broken, to offer hope to the desperate, to deliver companionship to the lonely, to proclaim your good news. All these efforts we dedicate to you in Christ’s name, our Teacher and Example who taught us to pray in this way:
Have a Prayer Request?
Senior Spotlight: William Walker
Featured, YouthOne of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors. And this year, we have a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog. Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!
Meet William Walker!
Weekly Prayer – May 12
prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of May 9, 2021
Written by Rev. Jan Buxton Wade
You are our Risen Lord, and in these days of Eastertide we reflect upon your glorious Ascension. As you were taken up unto the heavens, your followers were confused; and we in our era confess that we overlook the significance of your extraordinary ascent. We cherish our memory of those days when you walked the dusty byways with your friends, teaching them along the way, close enough to comfort and support. These reflections remind us that you are present with us in the ordinariness of our days. But your mission was not solely for that one devoted community of ages past, nor for our own community today. Your return to the Father solidified your holy union forever, declaring your omnipresence throughout the universe. As the world has seen and known you, so have all seen and known the Father. Thanks be to God!
Lord in your mercy, receive our humble prayer.
O God of Mystery, we picture Christ rising among luminous clouds, his arms outstretched, demonstrating that his love permeates all the world. And that which Christ loves, we are called to embrace. Such a command demands our all, Lord, for how near impossible it is to pray for those who wish us harm, to show grace and forgiveness to those enemy nations who seek our downfall. You have laid down a standard, Lord, that none but the most trusting can follow. Strengthen our own trust, we pray, that we might also practice your radical, forgiving love.
Lord in your mercy, receive our humble prayer.
O Friend of All, we are mindful of our own human weakness, and we lean upon your mercy and grace to encourage all who are broken in mind, body, or spirit. The psalmist tells us that “Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Help us remember that all that harms us will eventually turn to ashes and that one day you will set things right. Initiate that new beginning for those who call out in your name, particularly those who are in deep mourning, those suffering in places where the Covid death toll rises, those who have lost their homes through disaster or violence, those whose memory has deserted them; and also touch each of these Church Street friends who bring before you their own needs and their thanksgivings:
Joys
Concerns
God of our Salvation, we feel you working through your Risen and Ascended Son, showering us with new courage and endurance to face the challenges that have entered our lives. Thanksgiving fills our souls when we remember that we are held fast and forever in your grasp, and we now offer that prayer that has sustained us throughout the ages:
Have a Prayer Request?
Church Street United Methodist Women cultivates community during pandemic
Adult Ministries, connectors, FeaturedThe Church Street chapter of United Methodist Women is a vibrant community of more than 200 women from all walks of life. Whether at an annual Bake Sale or Call to Prayer, you’ve likely come into contact with a few members.
When the pandemic halted in person activities at Church Street last spring, UMW President Jana Davison wasn’t sure what would come next.
“I’d never heard of Zoom. I’d never watched YouTube,” Davison says. “When we realized this was long term, I mean, you can’t just stop this stuff. I don’t remember what I saw the first time on Zoom, but it occurred to me that we’ve got to get going again.”
So, after a brief pause, meetings and events continued virtually and have since without missing a beat.
“At first, I had a love/hate relationship with Zoom,” Davison says, “but it has been my lifeline.”
United Methodist Women volunteer at the Fall UMW Bake Sale.
Cultivating community virtually
Meeting on Zoom hasn’t been a lifeline for just Davison. She has seen the UMW community grow to reach not just local members, but women across the nation.
“The really good thing is we have had people join us that never would have been with us otherwise,” Davison says. “It’s been wonderful.”
In addition to members that aren’t normally able to join because of work and other prior commitments, Davison says that younger people have joined that may not have joined because of school.
“I think we’ve done a really great job of trying to adapt to the situation,” organizer of book studies Susan Dominick says. “And in many ways, it couldn’t have been any better in person.”
During one recent book review, a member who is homebound joined one of the Zoom sessions thanks to the help of a staff member at her senior living community.
Moments like this are what encourage members like Betty Craig to search for more ways to interact with the community, whether that’s in Knoxville or across the country in Oregon.
“Being able to reach people who can’t come means that Zoom has to continue,” Craig says. “When we’re back in person, we can record things and reach more people if they can’t participate at the time.”
A four-week study held in October on Zoom based on the book “Finding Peace in an Anxious World” reached up to 50 attendees each week. Led by Celia Ferguson, the timely education and conversation each week shared how the spiritual disciplines of scripture and prayer can help us with our anxiety.
“I had many people tell me ‘This is what I needed,’” Ferguson says. “It helped them find some grounding in their faith as well as gave them some tools.”
That conversation each week reached women outside of the normal UMW audience like younger women in Knoxville and Nashville, and women in Montana and Washington D.C.
“We would never dream of extending those boundaries,” Davison says. “It’s never been physically possible.”
Giving back to the community
In a typical year, UMW members find themselves very active in community service, whether that is through service projects at the church and for the church’s ministries and missions, or it extends to the East Tennessee community at large.
“If you want something done, ask United Methodist Women,” Davison says. “We send the plea out, and within minutes, my phone will blow up. That’s just how we roll.”
One plea last summer was for cloth masks to be made for Green Magnet Academy, Knox County School System’s only elementary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) program. The school is located in a low-income area near the church.
Last summer, the school was in desperate need of masks before the start of the fall semester, and Davison shared the assistant principal’s plea for help with members. Knowing that the UMW had women of various craft backgrounds, Davison shared the plea with the unit.
Craig was one of the members to respond to the plea for 350 masks; the UMW surpassed what was needed by the school. When the plea rang out again in January, Craig crafted 98 of the 267 additional masks made by UMW members; while only 150 were needed by Green Magnet at the time, the Church Street UMW nearly doubled the number, giving the school a welcome surplus at the height of the pandemic in Knox County.
“It’s truly the most talented group of people I’ve ever been around. And that is counting some really, really great companies,” Davison says. “They just don’t work better together than this group of ladies.”
“Nobody cares to stick their hand[s] in and get them dirty,” Davison adds. “Nobody cares. It’s just amazing.”
And just as there was no hesitation to help provide masks for the children of Green Magnet Academy, there was no hesitation to help provide the church community with a resemblance of normalcy, by offering a drive-thru bake sale option at the start of the holidays.
With the help of Communications Director Katie Strangis, a sign up platform for baked goods was identified and sent to the church community with an invitation to contribute baked goods for the sale. Within a few days, Reego says she knew it would be a success.
“The first two days, I was in tears,” Reego says. “We got so many submissions that I was drowning.”
Once baked goods were donated, church members were able to reserve and purchase baked goods they’d like online before coming to pick-up the weekend before Thanksgiving. In addition to baked goods, Tim Ward sold Messiah CDs from the Church Street Choir, , Rev. Jan Buxton Wade’s Table Graces Volume II was available, and the Service Circle of UMW made $800 in quilts, pillows and throws to contribute to the sale.
With over 100 donors and 75 buyers, the bake sale fell into place and the profit was almost the same as a pre-pandemic year.
“The Lord smiled on us, and it was a gorgeous day,” Reego says. “It was a Saturday morning with the sun shining and we just had everything dropped off and picked up.”
Davison says that although she was nervous about the turnout, she can’t imagine the bake sale going any better.
“If this were a corporation, if what we have done was a corporation or business, it gives me cold chills. I’d rate it higher than any business,” Davison says. “The commitment of the people is stronger than the commitment of any place I’ve worked in my career.”
“I just have never seen anything like it and I thought I’d seen it all,” Davison adds.
Because the fall bake sale was a resounding success, the UMW organized its Spring Gifts and Goodies Sale, just in time for Mother’s Day 2021. Again, the sale took place online, but this time it included handmade gifts from talented members of the Church Street family, including handmade cards, handcrafted wooden items, jewelry, and handmade garden decor, among others. On May 16, the UMW will lead the congregation in all worship services, in person and online, as the church celebrates the outreach and connection of this vital ministry in our community.
If you’d like to learn more about the United Methodist Women chapter at Church Street United Methodist Church, please contact President Jana Davison.
Senior Spotlight: Margi Troxler
Featured, YouthOne of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors. And this year, we have a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog. Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!
Meet Margi Troxler!
Weekly Prayer – May 5
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of May 2, 2021
Written by Rev. Jan Buxton Wade
Have a Prayer Request?