In a typical year, maintenance includes what you might expect in an old church building: changing filters, mopping floors, ensuring anything broken is replaced, and triaging emergencies that pop up. But 2020 wasn’t a typical year.
Church Street Maintenance Supervisor Keith Bailey, who has been at Church Street for almost six years, says the time without in-person meetings has allowed for both long-overdue and pop-up projects to be finished easily.
There’s a plethora of projects that Bailey and the maintenance team have worked on during the shutdown, but there are a few that members are sure to notice once they return to the church this month.
Welcome Center water damage
Wainscotting off the wall following water intrustion.
At the beginning of 2020, water damage in the basement of the church created what has easily been the biggest building project in the past year.
Rainwater gathered on the roof of the church, before overpowering the infrastructure of the ground below it and opening between the courtyard and building. The influx of water caused the back wall to buckle, and the wainscotting was removed from the wall.
After rerouting the water to avoid any further damage, the floor was stripped and waxed, and the wall was patched before attaching new wood paneling.
Basement wainscotting following repairs.
New look for preschool, children’s classrooms
A new coat of paint, ceiling tiles and lights have created a brighter atmosphere for classrooms in the preschool and children’s classrooms.
Parents, kids and teachers alike will remember the ceilings of the classrooms prior to their recent renovation and won’t be able to miss the new shine each room has.
In addition to new paint, preschool classrooms also received new toilets and sinks, and the floors in the hallways and classrooms were stripped and waxed. A camera system has been added to the front door of the preschool, as well, to help add security.
First floor cleaning in 10+ years
It’s been over 10 years since the floors of Church Street were last completely stripped and waxed.
Waxing the floors is a time-consuming process, as you use a large floor machine to strip away existing wax before applying a new coat. If you haven’t removed the previous wax completely, the wax will build up.
Members will notice a difference in the shine of the floors, especially on the third floor where every space has been stripped and waxed. With typical foot traffic, the floors are mopped regularly.
Pop-up projects
There are several other projects that have taken the time and dedication of Bailey and the maintenance team, which includes Jeffery Rose, Robin Crain, Kevin Bailey and Jacob Jenne.
The elevator entrance in the breezeway and elevator doors have all been painted, and repairs have been made to stained glass in the doors on the Henley Street side of the church.
Additional lights and cameras have been placed outside to ensure security and protect the church, while also providing a glow on the church at night.
Throughout the month of March, we are telling the stories of the Church Street Connectors, those in the church body who have exemplified “being the church” since the Covid-19 pandemic first hit in March 2020. When the church building closed, their ministries continued in new and thriving ways. Stay tuned for more stories all month and throughout the year.
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.
Faith and Trust
UncategorizedDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, March 14, Morning
By Edwin C. Kelso, April 10, 1976
Faith and Trust
Read Mark 10:52
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well;’ and immediately he received his sight and followed him on his way.”
This verse from Mark tells of the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, receiving his sight through one of Christ’s miracles. The miracle would not have taken place had not Bartimaeus had faith and trust in our Lord.
In more recent times, many supposedly terminally ill patients have been miraculously cured. Their doctors could offer no explanation. A heavenly Doctor had a hand in the cure. There is a great need to put ourselves in the hands of God and trust Him.
In A MAN CALLED PETER, Catherine Marshall says,
“You trust your bed, You trust your precautions against burglars,
You trust the police force … And the fire brigade …
And trust yourself to sleep …
Which is another way of saying
You trust yourself to God.
The believer trusts himself to God … believing that God will watch over him.
Will you relax spiritually today?
Will you leave with God – now – the troubles you have been
carrying around for so long?
Will you ask Him – now – to take them away from you?
and let you relax in simple trust … just like a child?
Will you?”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we have seen that without trust there can be no free and wholehearted obedience. Now we must look at the other side: without obedience there can be no real trust. We ask Thee very simply – take care of us, release all our fears and worries that we may better serve Thee, In Christ’s name. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Under the Bridge
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Saturday, March 13
By Dona McConnell, Director, Beacon of Hope, April 19, 2019
Under the Bridge
Read: Luke 19:10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
On my way to work at Beacon of Hope I pass under the bridge overpass where many homeless gather. People are hunched on the side of the street with blankets wrapped against the bitter cold. There are people of all ages and races, males and females, young adults and children. Extreme poverty does not discriminate. Sometimes it’s especially hard to bear, like a recent day when I spied a young boy, maybe 12 or 13, wearing socks but no shoes.
I hear all the arguments. “They should get a job.” “They want to be homeless.” “They are all on drugs.” All I know for sure is that no one under the bridge is happy. No one grew up dreaming of this life. No one “prefers” being cold and hungry.
So what can I do? I can’t help everyone, but I can try to love those who are sometimes hard to love. During Lent, as we reflect on Jesus’ life and death, we can reflect also on his lessons of unconditional love. Jesus’ mission on earth was based on inclusion. He loved the poor, the homeless, the lepers, the sinners. No one, not even the thief on the cross beside him, was beyond the reach of His love. As a follower of Jesus, am I not also called to love those whose lives I may not understand?
This Lenten season, I’ve decided to pray every day for someone under the bridge. I’ll pray for them to escape the cycle of pain they’re in, regardless of the reason, and to get another chance at a life of blessing. I’ll try to remember that we all deserve equal measures of mercy as children of God.
Prayer
God of love, grant us the ability to love others, especially those who are lost in the world. Help us not to turn away from their pain, but to follow Jesus’ teachings and love them.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Being with the “Other”
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Friday, March 12
By Rev. Rick Isbell, April 18, 2019
Being with the “Other”
Read: Luke 19:5-6
In our most recent trip to Israel, Sue and I had the opportunity to experience something we have never done before. In small groups of four, we had the unique experience of having supper with a Palestinian Christian family in their home. The family we visited with one Sunday evening lived on the outskirts of Bethlehem in Beit Sahour. After meeting in Bethlehem and being transported to their home, we set down around their kitchen table, ate supper with them, talked and learned of their lives as Palestinian Christians living in Israel. The mother was a teacher and the father was a builder who had built their entire beautiful 3 story limestone home himself. I did not know what to expect, how to interact with them and where the conversation would go. For about an hour and a half I was in the company of the “other” whom I did not know, had never seen before and was an American in a Palestinian home.
This beautiful experience caused me to remember that Jesus was always in the company of the “other”. He ate with people he did not know, he had conversation with persons very different from him, and yet the people were changed by his presence. It seems he associated with and told stories about the “others” of that biblical society…. tax collectors, prostitutes, extreme nationalists, handicapped persons, fishermen, Samaritans, persons with illnesses, women, children, etc.
This experience in January caused me to think how much you and I are around the “others” in our society. How much do we associate with and try to understand those who are different from us? If I had not chosen to be a part of this experience in our Holy Land trip, I would not understand the daily life and challenges of a Palestinian Christian family. Sometimes we need to get out of our comfort zone and be in fellowship with our neighbor. Where do you need to spend time with the “other” this Lenten season? It just might change your life.
Prayer
Help me God to see the “others” around me. Help me to be with, help and understand my neighbor so that I may have a heart like Christ’s this Lenten season.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Evening Prayer – March 11
prayer for todayBINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
March 11, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
Evening Host, settle us down as the night air drifts in and the warm moon high above is captured in a blue mist. Night’s reverie is ours once again, and we turn our thoughts to our blessings of this day just past . . . . . . . . . . Your presence seemed to float before us, opening doors and windows when we were hemmed in by challenges. Forgive us when we fail to remember that even the breaths we take come as your gift to us. Truly, if we were to list all your favors in the journals of our hearts, the pages and margins could not contain such manifold entries.
O Gatherer of the Beloved Community, you have been faithful in tending us through this past year of travail; and now, in just a few days, we will once again be able to worship with our brothers and sisters in our own church building! Having experienced all our seclusion and loneliness, our fears and losses, our anxieties and bereavements, we shall not return to your sanctuary as the same people we were before. We have been deeply humbled by this stealthy virus, but also by the ways you have brought about renewal. Let us sing praises to our God of Goodness whose silent work can never be squelched by illness, suffering, travesty, or even death!
Words fail us, as ever, but we offer gratitude that we are part of that great pilgrimage traveling to your heavenly home. The road is often steep and the crossroads confusing, yet you lend encouragement when we think of turning back. In your mercy, receive these specific prayers offered by your Church Street sojourners, and all our unspoken ones we carry with us:
Grant us, O Lord, and all whom we cherish, a peaceful rest under the panoply of stars. And as we sleep, silently engrave the name of Jesus upon our hearts, that all our thoughts and deeds may become extensions of the love of your Son, who taught us to pray with these words:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Lunch with Jesus
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Thursday, March 11
By Ann Reego, April 18, 2019
Lunch with Jesus
Read: Matthew 25:40
Traditionally, Lent is a period of self-reflection and personal accountability. I see it, also, as a time to celebrate Jesus’ life and teachings. We hear sermons about answering His call, as the disciples did, and are challenged to look for ways to improve and enhance our own discipleship.
I have seen homeless and disenfranchised people walking our streets and standing at interstate exits asking for rides or money and have reacted in various ways. How can they live like that? Why don’t they shave or take a bath? Are they so emotionally disabled that they just dropped out of society? They make me so sad. Why? What? THEY.
This year I answered a call in the Messenger to work in the CSUMC Soup Kitchen. I found answers to my questions, although it’s not the answers that I expected.
#1—THEY are guests at our church every Thursday for lunch, and are welcomed at any time for services on Sunday.
#2—THEY all have a face, a name and a story…just like me.
#3—THEY see life differently than I do – and that’s OK.
#4—THEY find joy in many experiences and are able to express their joy in life itself.
#5—THEY have the same needs as I do.
#6—THEY are not staying homeless just to get a free meal on Thursday.
#7—THEY are a real and present part of our society, and overlooking them or judging them will not make them go away.
Jesus did not qualify who received his love, his blessing, or his help. He offered his message freely to whoever was willing to accept it. Every Thursday morning, Church Street UMC does that, too!
I have made new friends. I have comforted someone who was feeling low. I have laughed and shared joy with people I would never have met. I have smiled more than I can ever remember.
And I get to have lunch with Jesus every Thursday!
Prayer
Holy God, we are challenged to open our hearts and minds to everyone we meet. We pray to accept this challenge, for in doing so, we will see Christ. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Evening Prayer – March 10
prayer for todayBINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
March 9, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
God of our Hearts, we awoke to your glory in the morning light, thankful for the promise of another day, teeming with opportunities to honor you. And in some ways, we were faithful to our Christian calling in our encounters; but now in reflection at day’s end, we admit our blunders, especially . . . . . . . . . Even in these embarrassing instances, our hearts may have been in the right frame, but our egos caused us to lose control. Forgive us, we pray, for listening too closely to that strident voice of arrogance that has made its home inside our heads. Erase our indiscretions from your memory, Lord, as you always do. And when tomorrow comes, may our hearts, swept clean by your Spirit, rule the day.
Maybe our arrogance is a cover-up for our feelings of insignificance. Compared to notables around us, whose wisdom and works influence major policy shifts and restore hope and health around the globe, our own efforts sometimes seem so paltry. The world is assuredly not beating on our doors seeking advice. Instead, we labor as everyday folks – the grocer, the teacher, the loan officer, the trash collector, the homemaker, the salesclerk, the retiree. Center our minds, we pray, not on our station or influence in life, but on the One who took ordinary wine and bread. And lifting them up with his blessing, these gifts were rendered transformative and sufficient to sustain the soul of every believer. So let us be about the tasks we have set for ourselves: taking a meal to a neighbor, making a phone call when illness strikes, quilting a baby blanket, volunteering at the food bank, visiting the homebound, waiting with the dying. We serve the God who takes ordinary gifts and counts them as sacred offerings for the kingdom.
Indeed, another sacred offering is the privilege of praying for one another, whether in joy or sorrow; therefore, we share with you, Caring One, these situations which hold prominent places in the hearts of your Church Street family:
We leave our prayers with you, Tender Friend, knowing you want the best for us. Tuck us in with your hands of love, and we will take our rest under your quilt of grace. Whatever the new morn brings, we will face it with you, always remembering to pray as we were taught even as children:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Does Jesus Still Reign 2000 Years Later?
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Wednesday, March 10
By Keith Biggers, March 11, 2018
Does Jesus Still Reign 2000 Years Later?
Read: John 21:15-17
It is a hot summer day in Atlanta and my truck is loaded with a couple hundred sack lunches. I park under a shade tree near several tenement apartments. Soon, I am surrounded by throngs of children. One little boy in particular likes to sit on the tailgate beside me as I pass out a simple lunch bag with a sandwich, a piece of fruit, a bag of chips and a milk. He looks at me and says, “I missed you yesterday, Mr. Biggers.” I realize I may be the only male role model in this child’s life at this moment.
Like hundreds of others throughout the city, I am a volunteer for M.U.S.T. Ministries, which stands for Ministries United in Service and Training. I started volunteering for M.U.S.T. to find something to do with my spare time after retirement, but I have found so much more. It is probably one of the best and most professionally run humanitarian operations in the country. What I learned from that operation, I have tried to apply on a small scale as Benevolence Team Leader at Church Street.
I am sometimes asked, “Do we really change people’s lives, or do we just enable a lifestyle?”That is a question I don’t ask myself anymore. Jesus said, “Feed my Sheep.” So, in answer to the question, “Does Jesus still reign after all these years”, I say, “Yes, but it is through us, His Church.”
Prayer
Sing Prayerfully…
“Jesus shall reign where’er the sun, does his successive journeys run; His kingdom spread from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more. Amen.” (By Isaacs Watts)
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Life After a COVID-19 Vaccine – New Guidelines!
Featured, Parish Health MinistryThe CDC has issued new guidelines for people who have been fully vaccinated. You are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or 2 weeks after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
If you are fully vaccinated:
Precautions have not changed for other situations!
Much has been learned but questions like those below still remain. Real world vaccine studies should continue to provide answers that will allow more updates to CDC recommendations.
Some people who had a COVID-19 infection became re-infected after 90 days. Scientists feel protection from the vaccines will last longer because of how they work but more time is needed to determine.
Viruses survive by mutating. Early data show vaccines may be effective against some mutations, or variants, but not others. Vaccines can easily be modified if needed to create a new version to be effective.
It is possible you could be exposed to the virus and not become ill from it because of protection from the vaccine but you could unknowingly spread it to someone else. Early results show vaccines may help prevent this type of spread.
Herd immunity is achieved when enough people are vaccinated or have adequate antibody levels from a previous infection to then limit spread. This threshold is different for different diseases. For example, with measles the threshold is 95% of the population.
Clinical trials are generally conducted in healthy adult volunteers with stable pre-existing conditions. This is especially true when answers are needed quickly. Trials are now being conducted in children and use in real world environments will provide information for other conditions.
Until we know more about these questions, everyone should continue using basic prevention measures when in public or around others with unknown vaccination status or health conditions. We know these mitigation strategies work: wear a well-fitting mask that covers your nose and mouth, stay at least 6 feet away from others, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.
Submitted by: Vicky Shelton, D.Ph.
Evening Prayer – March 9
prayer for todayBINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
March 9, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
For no one For no one can lay any foundation
other than what has been laid down.
That foundation is Jesus Christ.
(I Corinthians 3:11)
God of Wonder, we look upward in the ebbing day to perhaps glimpse the shadow of your face, and you do not fail us! You are there – high above in the cool wind that playfully shifts the evening clouds, peeping out behind the violet mist just below the mountaintop, in the glowing steadiness of Orion and the North Star. Ever-Changing, but always the same, Constant Being, your majesty is revealed to us only in brief moments of our day, but these fleeting fragments are enough to steep our souls in wonder.
Yet even in our wonder, when we turn our eyes to the state of our world and the crushing burdens many must carry, we confess our belief sometimes withers. Those old doubts begin to gnaw at the weak places in the foundation of our faith. Fill in those gaps, we pray, with the tenets that upheld the saints and martyrs of long ago, who suffered even unto death. Tightly cement the fissures with the unwavering trust we had as children. Make our foundation strong and sturdy again, Sustaining One, that it would withstand any adversity the world throws at us, and would bear the weight of all the burdens we are privileged to carry on behalf of the weak and overwhelmed.
As we endeavor to draw closer to you this Lenten Season, you meet us half-way, ever holding out to us the promise of renewal. You know our emptiness, our loneliness, and the personal detours that block our passage, so steady us once again, we pray, to confront our private concerns . . . . . . . . . . ; and we also seek guidance for your Church Street family, who have earnestly asked to be remembered:
Elusive One, we take our rest this night, still wrapped in the wonder of life itself and of the love that will never let us go. May your mercy lie with us, and all whom we cherish, that even in our dreams we will not wander beyond your reach.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Building projects ramp up during shutdown
connectorsIn a typical year, maintenance includes what you might expect in an old church building: changing filters, mopping floors, ensuring anything broken is replaced, and triaging emergencies that pop up. But 2020 wasn’t a typical year.
Church Street Maintenance Supervisor Keith Bailey, who has been at Church Street for almost six years, says the time without in-person meetings has allowed for both long-overdue and pop-up projects to be finished easily.
There’s a plethora of projects that Bailey and the maintenance team have worked on during the shutdown, but there are a few that members are sure to notice once they return to the church this month.
Welcome Center water damage
Wainscotting off the wall following water intrustion.
At the beginning of 2020, water damage in the basement of the church created what has easily been the biggest building project in the past year.
Rainwater gathered on the roof of the church, before overpowering the infrastructure of the ground below it and opening between the courtyard and building. The influx of water caused the back wall to buckle, and the wainscotting was removed from the wall.
After rerouting the water to avoid any further damage, the floor was stripped and waxed, and the wall was patched before attaching new wood paneling.
Basement wainscotting following repairs.
New look for preschool, children’s classrooms
A new coat of paint, ceiling tiles and lights have created a brighter atmosphere for classrooms in the preschool and children’s classrooms.
Parents, kids and teachers alike will remember the ceilings of the classrooms prior to their recent renovation and won’t be able to miss the new shine each room has.
In addition to new paint, preschool classrooms also received new toilets and sinks, and the floors in the hallways and classrooms were stripped and waxed. A camera system has been added to the front door of the preschool, as well, to help add security.
First floor cleaning in 10+ years
It’s been over 10 years since the floors of Church Street were last completely stripped and waxed.
Waxing the floors is a time-consuming process, as you use a large floor machine to strip away existing wax before applying a new coat. If you haven’t removed the previous wax completely, the wax will build up.
Members will notice a difference in the shine of the floors, especially on the third floor where every space has been stripped and waxed. With typical foot traffic, the floors are mopped regularly.
Pop-up projects
There are several other projects that have taken the time and dedication of Bailey and the maintenance team, which includes Jeffery Rose, Robin Crain, Kevin Bailey and Jacob Jenne.
The elevator entrance in the breezeway and elevator doors have all been painted, and repairs have been made to stained glass in the doors on the Henley Street side of the church.
Additional lights and cameras have been placed outside to ensure security and protect the church, while also providing a glow on the church at night.
Throughout the month of March, we are telling the stories of the Church Street Connectors, those in the church body who have exemplified “being the church” since the Covid-19 pandemic first hit in March 2020. When the church building closed, their ministries continued in new and thriving ways. Stay tuned for more stories all month and throughout the year.