One of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors. And this year, we’re 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 Mary Kate Holladay!
What high school are you graduating from?
West High School
What are your plans for next year?
Attend college (undecided as of now)
What is your favorite bible verse?
“I can do all things through who Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
If you could choose one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Chicken minis from Chick-fil-a
If you could give some advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t take the little moments for granted- life is very precious and you should cherish it.
What are your top 3 favorite movies?
Titanic, 10 Things I Hate About You, Sound of Music
What is your favorite Church Street memory?
Getting the opportunity to start off my summer by traveling to a new place, singing to unfamiliar people, and growing closer with those around me in the youth choir.
What are you most excited about going into the next season of your life?
To step out of my comfort zone and experience new things that will help me grow as a person.
https://churchstreetumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/1.png10801080Jenny Crosshttps://churchstreetumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/main-logo-website-new.pngJenny Cross2021-03-18 10:00:172021-03-18 15:45:22Senior Spotlight: Mary Kate Holladay
Our Church School Class of Fifth Graders recently studied how God reveals Himself in Jesus. The previous Sunday, Lila Boehms had suggested that the children bring a baby picture of themselves and everyone brought one, including the teachers.
The class enjoyed guessing which picture belonged to whom. They noticed how a child often resembled a parent or a brother or sister. We discussed how children also can resemble a parent by facial expressions, gestures and in the way they express themselves. One can tell a lot about a parent from observing their child.
Likewise, we can tell a lot about God by studying about Jesus. Jesus is God’s child – Jesus “takes after” God.
Jesus said:
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my father as well.”
Prayer
Our Heavenly Father, may your plan for our lives be revealed to us through the early life of your Son, Jesus Christ.Amen.
The COVID-19 pandemic sent businesses, organizations and communities to a screeching halt last March, including the vibrant community of Church Street choirs.
An active ministry, the adult choir boasts 60 members, the youth choir 50 and the children’s choir 25, and the handbells choir, on average, has 12 members at a time. Although each choir member hasn’t been present during each Zoom, the adult choir has gained three new members during the pandemic.
Once it was evident that a shutdown would cause a shift to virtual worship, Director of Music Tim Ward knew recording would be the natural starting place.
Virtual worship quickly became the norm. Organist Edie Johnson coordinated singers and musicians, while Ward recorded and music secretary Eileen Weber edited the audio and video of each virtual piece.
“We decided a long time ago, ‘we’ve got to make this work,’ and so we did,” Ward says.
Making it work has relied heavily on the creativity of Ward, Johnson, Weber and the members of each choir. Johnson says she’s enjoyed including all ages, even if it has to be virtually.
“We’ve really kept the entire community engaged even when we can’t meet in person,” Johnson says. “By having the children and the youth in the virtual choirs, it’s been able to involve a lot of people.”
Each choir soon found a way after the shutdown to sing or play to a new tune, with five recitals and countless virtual choirs produced since March 2020.
Learning new skills, getting creative
Weber wasn’t a video and audio editor prior to the shutdown. Although her previous experience was limited, she quickly learned how to separate audio from video, combine audio to make individual voices blend into one choir and then add back the video previously separated.
Each virtual choir member is sent a video or audio file to practice before recording. Weber then takes each individual member’s video submission to create the final combined piece.
“It’s been a creative outlet that I think has been so rewarding for me,” Weber says. “I’ve been more excited about this kind of work and I’m so grateful to Tim and Edie and the ideas that spring from their minds to keep all this going.”
As a member of the adult choir, Weber has also taken on a teaching role, as she helps choir members understand the best lighting and sound setups to get the highest quality video and sound.
In addition to at-home recordings, Ward has been lead cameraman on the recording of soloists in the nave and Johnson’s organ playing for worship services, and he has learned new ways to capture each music presentation. Soloists have been recorded by as many as three cameras at once, and a dancer for one of the virtual recitals was recorded from six different angles.
“I wanted to make everything up close and personal and didn’t want to record from far away,” Ward says.
Another way that virtual worship has allowed for more personal connections is through the organ pieces. Each recording shows Johnson’s face, hands and feet as she plays.
“That’s a new connection that people have made,” Ward says. “They’re able to see what Edie does, and before, no one saw it unless you got to sit by her in the choir.”
Making new connections, even over Zoom
While many have felt less connected than before the pandemic, Ward and Johnson have made sure that members’ needs are put before singing and presentations.
Rehearsals and meetings immediately started to provide connection for each choir. Ward met nearly every Wednesday night with the adult choir, and Johnson with the children’s choir every other week in the summer and weekly during the spring and fall.
In a typical year, members usually arrive, practice and then leave and don’t normally stick around to chat or get to know one another outside of who they sit next to each week.
“In the adult choir, it’s amazing to me that people knew faces, but they didn’t know names,” Ward says. “This has really allowed people to put a name with a face. I had several people say, ‘You know, I know more now.’”
Weber says she’s also created more connections in the youth and children’s choirs and the handbell choir than she had previously.
“I’ve actually learned more people than I knew before at Church Street. That’s been very rewarding to me,” Weber says. “Now I feel like I know some of the youth choir and have had a really good time joshing around with them or exchanging comments.”
Members of the adult choir are now known for offering any and all information they can about vaccines, and offer help when it comes to groceries and other tasks. Ward says that they’ve included time on each Zoom to connect and check in with each other before singing in order to provide a bridge while apart.
Johnson also invited a teacher to lead conversation related to the Alexander Technique, which is a way of learning how you can get rid of harmful tension in the body. Members learned more about ways to cope with anxiety, loneliness and other issues produced by the pandemic.
Looking forward to in-person worship opportunities, new recitals
As the church reopens for Sunday worship opportunities, Ward is excited to have in-person music at both the 8:30 am and 11 am services.
On March 14, an eight-piece ensemble sang all musical pieces for the service , and that will stay the same until Easter Sunday when additional choir members will join in the balconies.
“Your vocal chords are a muscle,” Ward says. “Just like with weight lifting, if you don’t use them every week, the muscles go away.”
Johnson and Weber echo the sentiment, adding that singing together again will help singers strengthen skills they have lost and get back in the practice of having a conductor to follow.
In addition to a return to worship, a special recital, “Mother Goose, Nursery Tunes and More” will feature clergy and staff members as characters in a variety of well-known children’s tunes, as well as the opportunity to get to know the organ in a more whimsical way
“I guarantee anyone who watches this won’t be able to help but smile,” Ward says.
The special recital will premiere on YouTube at 3:30 pm on Sunday, March 21, and a special Meet and Greet will start 30 minutes prior to the premiere on Zoom.
https://churchstreetumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Copy-of-Lent-Devotion-Blog-Connectors-Series-Imagery-1.png3001200Kylie Hubbardhttps://churchstreetumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/main-logo-website-new.pngKylie Hubbard2021-03-16 08:00:102021-03-16 15:03:43Singing to a new tune during the pandemic
The popular bumper-sticker whose inscription appears above brings a haunting question to mind. Have you noticed how quickly time passes and before you know it those you love are suddenly “just not around anymore?” The one who used to be the baby is now into soccer and basketball-diapers and baby bottles are things of the past. Our little girl is suddenly eleven and going on eighteen! Family members are located hundreds of miles away. Parents, who never grow old, have joined the ranks of the retired. Even close friends are frequently transferred and move far away.
How often do we fail to express the love we have for family members and friends? Do we just assume that they will know we love them? To be sure, we have only the best of intentions but somehow those important words go unspoken until it is too late.
In John Powell’s book The Secret of Staying in Love, there is an account of a man whose father has just died in his arms.
His mother looked at him and said, “Oh, he was so proud of you. He loved you so much.” As tears streamed down the young man’s face he realized that he wasn’t crying because his father was dead but rather because his father never told him that he was proud of him and that he loved him. The son was just expected to know the great part he played in his father’s life and the great part he occupied in his heart – but the son was never told.
What a waste! Why do we let it happen? How long has it been since we told someone how much we cared about them? Do so today – don’t wait until it is too late.
Prayer
Dear God, there is a wealth of unexpressed love in the world. Today, help us begin to say those simple but all important words that have for so long gone unspoken. Amen.
https://churchstreetumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Copy-of-Lent-Devotion-Blog-Connectors-Series-Imagery.png3001200Kylie Hubbardhttps://churchstreetumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/main-logo-website-new.pngKylie Hubbard2021-03-16 07:00:382021-03-15 15:00:50Have You Hugged Your Kid Today?
Several years ago I participated in a Walk to Emmaus, an intensely personal three-day weekend Christian retreat. Attendees, pilgrims, are challenged to silence, prayer, and contemplation with workshops, small group discussions, great meals, singing, worship, daily communion and finally commitment or “Fourth Day”.
The first event was the challenge of self-denial. Just as Jesus went into the wilderness to contemplate his mission and was met with temptation, we were asked to discover our own personal temptations. Was it pleasures “of the flesh”, personal comforts, eating, drinking? Was it personal goals, life in the world and the sometimes-overwhelming concerns of daily living? Was it power and prestige given by others and society? For me it was the surrender of self-will, letting go of my own desires and plans, and opening myself up to the possibilities of a God-filled life.
Perhaps Lent and practice of “giving something up for Lent” is more about spiritual renewal and prayer than it is about what we plan to give up. Perhaps for me it is a time to revisit my temptations and to re-surrender myself. This Lenten season might be an opportunity for you to contemplate and pray about your temptations, to discover what pulls you from a faith-filled life, to recommit yourself to the vows you said when you joined the church – “to support the church with your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness”…and then to surrender self.
Prayer
Holy God, Help me to discern your will for my life during these days ahead…to live within your will each day. Forgive my human weakness and my sin. Strengthen me to celebrate Easter with a new heart. In the name of Jesus the Christ, Amen.
“For with thee is the fountain of life, in thy light shall we see light.”
A constant wonder to behold is a fountain with its spontaneous and constant flow of life giving water. The sureness of this ever flowing stream of water brings joy and satisfaction. There are numerous kinds of fountains and each in its own way serves a purpose.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating is the tiny bubbling clear stream to be discovered deep in the rocks and ferns of the mountains. When compared to the impressive multi-lighted high leaping fountains, this tiny bubbling mountain stream might seem insignificant. Yet how like the fountain is God’s plan for man.
Some individuals in their Christian endeavor reach spectacular heights while others might be compared to the tiny mountain stream. Each serves its purpose and each is dependent upon a deep inner source to fulfill its purpose.
Christians too are dependent on an inner source, which is the love of God, to fulfill their purpose in life.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give each of us the wisdom, grace and understanding to know that with thee is the fountain of life. May our love be constant and may we serve thee joyfully and fulfill our purpose in life. Amen.
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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.
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.
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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.
https://churchstreetumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Copy-of-Lent-Devotion-Blog-Connectors-Series-Imagery.png3001200Kylie Hubbardhttps://churchstreetumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/main-logo-website-new.pngKylie Hubbard2021-03-11 07:00:372021-03-10 19:40:29Lunch with Jesus
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)
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In addition to at-home recordings, Ward has been lead cameraman on the recording of soloists in the nave and Johnson’s organ playing for worship services, and he has learned new ways to capture each music presentation. Soloists have been recorded by as many as three cameras at once, and a dancer for one of the virtual recitals was recorded from six different angles. 
“I’ve actually learned more people than I knew before at Church Street. That’s been very rewarding to me,” Weber says. “Now I feel like I know some of the youth choir and have had a really good time joshing around with them or exchanging comments.” 
