Northaven UMC's Blog

A Sermon Series: The Glory of God's Creation

2011-08-16T16:24:00.001-05:00

This blog entry consolidates all of the sermons from Northaven's summer "Creation" series one place. If you've got some time to spend, click on the links below, and enjoy what we've been enjoying here at Northaven this summer.

The first two are audio-only. Many of the last ones are video.*
As the series concludes over the next few weeks, I'll add the final installments here.

WEEK ONE The First Genesis Creation Story: "It Is Good"
We begin at the "beginning," unpacking the first of the two creation stories in Genesis. (Genesis 1:1- 2:4). The main point of this story was never to posit a literal six-day creation of the world, but to celebrate the glory of creation itself, and how God calls it all "good."

WEEK TWO The Second Genesis Creation Story: "There's Always A Talking Snake"
The most interesting character in the story of "The Man" and "The Woman" in the Garden of Eden is the "Talking Snake." Never intended to be read as "The Devil" or "Evil Incarnate," the existence of "The Talking Snake" still teaches us a lot about God's good creation.

WEEK THREE "Wonder in Creation, Nature, and Worship"
In week three, we take time to consider the idea of "wonder" and how it is both a powerful part of our appreciate creation/nature, and also a key component of worship. The "wonder" we have about creation is connected to the "wonder" we experience in worshiping God.

WEEK FOUR "Creativity and Process: An Introduction to Process Theology"
A powerful theology that has been helpful to many in the modern period is "Process Theology," which gives us an incredible conceptual frame for understanding HOW God is creative in the world...and what the implications of that are for us. Far from being incompatible with Christian faith, Process Theology can help us to understand the fullness of "The Great Commandment," or "The Golden Rule."

WEEK FIVE "Creativity and Art: A Conversation About the Connection"
Instead of a "normal" sermon, we have a conversation between four artists, about the connection between art, God, and creativity. All four posit that spirituality and artistic creativity are vitally connected. A very interesting morning of conversation about spirituality and art.
NOTE: The audio file for this sermon is current corrupted and unavailable. We are working to see if we can recover it. In the meantime, please enjoy this video of quotes, from artists, about the spiritual life.

WEEK SIX "Faith and Science: Compatible and Complimentary"
This sermon celebrates the connection between science and faith. The thesis is that the same God-given creativity present in art is also what drives scientific discovery. However, before making this point, this sermon debunks the idea that one must choose either science or faith. This sermon suggests that this is a false forced-choice, put forth by fundamentalists in each side of the faith/science divide.

* Because of length, the video sermons were posted in two parts. Be patient at the end of each "Part 1," and Part 2 should auto-load. If not, you can click on a link at the of part one to go to part two on each.

Leadership Council Minutes: July 2011

2011-07-26T21:21:00.000-05:00

Northaven United Methodist Church
Leadership Council Meeting- Room 239
July 26, 2011 7 p.m.

Present: Betty Boyer, Marlene Haskell, Eric Folkerth, Tom Timmins, Dotti Timmins, Betsy Schenck, Shirley Cooper, Laurie Reichanbach, Elaine Wiant, Jim McBride, Dick Weaver and Mindy Dague

Meditation- Dotti Timmins

Betty motioned to approve the June Leadership Retreat minutes and the motion was carried.
Betty discussed the preparation needed by committees for the upcoming Draft Night. Betty thanked the Worship Team for the Creation summer series.

Finance- Elaine said the finances were going very well. The format for the finance report has changed. Percentages of the budget used are now displayed for each budgeted line item. Elaine said that we are right on track with our budget. The Co-op cost sharing was billed and paid in July so there is a variance in the June numbers but will be reflected in next month’s report.

Staff Parish- See Report- Jim McBride reported that the committee will be meeting with the parents of Youth to receive input about Chris Reed’s replacement. Jim met with Kathy Delsanter and reviewed the Co-op’s Teacher Performance Reviews which has been in place.

Covenant Fund- See Report- The Wills and Estate presentation has 28 people signed up. There was advertising in the Dallas Voice which proved to be successful and has increased registration.

Trustees Report- Dick Weaver met with Kathy Delsanter about the Co-op School for an overview of it. In November, Northaven will be sponsoring the Susan G. Korman 3 Day for the Cure. The group will be using the North Parking Lot during the day on Friday, November 4.

Stewardship – See Report- Betty would like for stewardship to be more public for a more extensive amount of time instead of just during the pledge period. Tom commented that he had reviewed the past newsletters and recognizes that we are doing well with the Stewardship Campaigns compared to Northaven’s past history. Tom feels like it needs to be subtle and not a in-your-face approach. Laurie suggested a Town Council meeting approach with Q & A /family style. Betsy suggested using this opportunity for volunteer sign-up and special needs for volunteers. Jim suggested a quarterly article and has concerns about posting financial information on our website. Jim said that it could discourage how much people decide to give depending on our current financial status. Tom reminded us that we had a financial series a couple of years ago called Did You Know? It was a series that addressed how the church funds are distributed. Eric commented that 28 to 38 percent are reading the Northaven Now news that is being sent through Constant Contact each week. Elaine mentioned that she can preview her email without actually opening it so the statistic of actual readership may be even larger. Eric said there is more detail in a printed newsletter. Chris asked if there is a tracking method of seeing who opens the newsletter on the new website. Eric said that the feature should be available soon. Eric suggested that every medium should be used on a quarterly basis when communicating information. Dotti asked if there is follow-up with new members about pledging. There was a consensus that there is a need to do so. Mindy commented that pledging information is in the new member packets and that we use to put the Did you Know? booklet in each packet for new members to read.
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Black Tie – See Report- Total expenses came to $546.79 for the BBQ Luncheon and approximately 158 people attended. Eleven raffle tickets were sold during the event. Currently, Northaven has sold 41 tickets and have met our obligation. We are now over the $400 plus mark and will continue selling tickets. The star of Modern Family, Jesse Tyler Ferguson will be presented the Media Award at the Black Tie Dinner and stand-up Comedian, Caroline Rhea,will be the Master of Ceremonies. Laurie reminded us that only 2,000 tickets are sold at $100 apiece. Laurie believes that we have already sold at least 5 tables which meets our requirement. The Minister’s table is needing a donor. The Minister’s table is important because Eric invites others to attend from the community to share the experience and the message behind the Black Tie Dinner event. Laurie will continue looking for a donor. The BTD committee asked the Council for 3-4 tickets to be purchased for Staff who is interested in going. The recommendation was approved.

History Project- See Report- Tom Timmins said that we have 2 bids for the cover and binding of the booklet.

Program Council- Hasn’t met since the Leadership Retreat. Several committees have met during this time. DACPA will be at the plaza at 5 pm for a Prayer gathering. On August 14, the CIS sponsored-El Salvador Mission Trip Sharing/and Godparenting luncheon is scheduled. The Pride parade is on September 18. The Faith Voices of Justice committee is working on the fall programs. Membership met and discussed concerns and discussed ways to follow up and connect better with absent members. Feast of Beginnings is a work in progress. It is tentatively scheduled for September 18.

Staff Reports
Office Administrator (Mindy) - The Church’s copier has been upgraded and the old copier went to the Co-op School. There will be a savings of $1,800 per year. The Co-op School will have the opportunity to print in color for the first time. For the first time, we handled the summer camp payroll. Everything ran smoothly. Contribution statements will be mailed out within the next week.

Youth Director (Chris Reed)-The Youth have been enjoying the Wednesday social events and the next one will be playing Laser tag. UMYF will be discussing the Guatemala mission trip experience and sharing photos. It will be open to anyone who wants to attend. The Youth portion of the website has been updated. The mission trip expenses were under budget. Going forward, there will be a back to school retreat planned on Labor Day weekend and Eric and Mary Clair will be leading it. Chris talked to the Youth about his resignation and he felt that it went well. Chris is moving into the last year of his classes. He is still deciding on what direction he wants to take. He is considering a PhD. in the field of Ethics. Chris is looking at his options in ministry that works outside of the church. Chris will serve an internship after he completes his classes this year. Chris is developing a web-based legal site that is showing promise.
Spiritual Formation (Eric Reported for Mary Clair)-Sunday School teachers for K2 have backed out and are looking for replacements. Vacation Bible School is next week. The Uppity Women series has been a big hit. Eric said that he hopes they continue the series.

Music and the Arts (Eric Reported for Stephanie) - The Choir and Ringleiders are taking a break in July and will be back to it in August. Ringlieders start back late August. They may need to split groups in half due to the group being so large. There will be a special commemoration for 9/11. The Music and Arts department is forming a music ministry team including Michael Hawn. They will be surveying the congregation and Stephanie is currently working on forming the new team. They will be looking at where we are now and where we will be going.

Senior Pastor (Eric) - Administrative news- Tricia is no longer working with us and Stephanie Stevens will be taking on that role. Stephanie will be working on Mondays and Tuesdays and will be formatting the newsletter. The Northaven trail will be developed with Northaven at the end of the trail for now. The master plan is to extend the trail past us and Northaven is concerned about future parking arrangements. Eric commented that people will park their cars and then will cycle down the trail. Sunday is a big day for cyclist as well as church services. There could be a problem since Northaven has no extra parking at this time. There is a Northaven Friends Group working on the trail issues with 2 other neighborhood groups. Eric heard from them recently and will be meeting with them soon. Eric feels strongly about talking about the issues now before problems occur. Interesting events are coming up this fall. The Charge Conference is October 30, 6 pm at Preston Hollow UMC this year. We have 3 additional interesting events-October 14-16 is the Reuben Habito Spiritual Retreat; the following weekend is honoring Jane Marshall and will include a Jane Marshall Concert on October 23, at 4 pm; Rev. Jimmy Creech, who had orders removed in Nebraska, will be coming to speak at Northaven as part of the Faith Justice Series this fall. Eccumenical service are being planned that will include 4 neighborhood churches on November 20.

Betty Boyer announced that September 20 is Draft night and Aug 23 is the next Leadership meeting.

Closing Prayer

Mid-Year Leadership Planning Meeting

2011-06-11T21:13:00.002-05:00

Mid-Year Leadership Planning Meeting
June 11, 2011

Present - Kate Anderson, Betty Boyer, Marty Brownlie, Shirley Cooper, Mindy Dague, Eric Folkerth, , Marlene Haskell, Joe Hilbun, Terry Lowery, Mary Clair Lowrance, Susie Marshall, Connie Marshall, Jim McBride, Sherry Meeks, Randall Oxford, Chris Reed, Laurie Reichenbach, Stephanie Rhoades, Betsy Schenck, Dotti Timmins, Tom Timmins, Dick Weaver, Elaine Wiant, Ken Benson, and Karen Marshall

Coffee & Snacks

Opening Prayer - Eric Folkerth

Group Introductions - Betty Boyer

Housekeeping - Betty Boyer, Eric Folkerth and Mindy Dague
The Big Picture - Moving to a Program Council Church and Northaven History - Ken Benson and Tom Timmins
Tom has spent the past several months working on a history of Northaven and he gave the group some highlights. There was a suggestion that we consider having an official historian to continue archiving the good works of Northaven. Ken gave the group information about moving from a relationship church to a program size church.

RDS - What the database can do for you and what you can do for the database- Tom Timmins
Tom talked about the importance of being sure the information in our database is accurate. He will print each committee list for the various chairs to correct. Betty requested that correct information be returned to Tom by July 15th.

Website - The New Look - Randall Oxford
Randall walked the group through the major changes in the website and gave some insight into why changes were made. Betty asked that each committee review and edit their web pages by July 15. E-mail corrections and changes should be sent to Nancy Kincaid and/or Bob Meeks.
The goal is to give each committee the ability to update their web pages as needed.

Leadership Council Committees –What we do and why you should care - Betty Boyer
(The HDF is still looking for someone to Chair their committee and the position needs to be filled by September, 2011)
Committees reported to the group on the purpose of each individual committee: Lay Leader, Covenant Funds, Finance, Stewardship, Staff Parish, Human Development Fund, Trustees, Lay Member of Annual Conference, Co-op Representative, Lay Speaker, Black Tie, Loan Committee, Newsletter, Program Council Chair, and Leadership Council Chair

Program Council - What we have done since January and our goals moving forward - Marlene Haskell
The following Committees reported to the group:
Communications - There is a new church website; an update to the current church directory is in progress with plans to include photographs of new members; there are plans to discuss a branding campaign; there are plans for discussing the permanent installation of Northaven’s new projectors; the committee is working on developing a future crisis communications plan for the church.
Adult Education - There are continued spiritual growth opportunities with a first time summer booklet that has been made available to visitors and members; the committee is currently working on the fall Adult Education brochure; the Rueben Habito Retreat is scheduled for October 14-16; there will be upcoming 3rd Thursday discussions about adult education issues, small group webinars, etc.
Youth Education - Fundraising efforts have continued all year, including a Pancake Dinner and the continued selling of Youth bonds. The Youth Mission trip to San Marcos is June 12-18. There will be monthly socials due to increased budget. The goal is to have 2 socials per month going forward. A Youth retreat is being planned for Youth to attend before school starts.
Children’s Education – (Karen Marshall reported for Kristen Brandt-James) VBS is intergenerational again this year and will continue being offered in the evening, August 1-5; a reminder was given that Sunday School is every week all year long; the committee is still struggling with curriculum issues and is wanting outside help at this time; there is a need for additional summer school teachers this year.
Membership - (Marlene reported for Janice Henderson) The Great Day of Joining and quarterly New Member Desserts have been featured this year; Marlene expressed the need for better follow-up with new members; a shepherding program began a few years ago but is not currently active; Marlene expressed concern that the committee hasn’t been meeting regularly and really needs to.
Church in Society - There was an Offering of Letters held during Lent; the This I Know group has been promoting the DVD film and study and would like the congregational members to take their program and each graduate will receive a This I Know sticker on their Northaven Church name tag; the Journey-Coming Out Workshop was offered in the spring and had great attendance and will be offered again in the fall; the Straight Spouse Network is now being offered; there are two international mission trips scheduled this year going to Guatemala and El Salvador; there is a continued covenant relationship with the Christ Foundry and Mike Pybas has continued to be the liaison for Northaven; Northaven signed up for one month of taking meals to the Christ Foundry’s meetings in February; the Faith Voices of Justice series, successfully led by Bill McElvaney, has been offered this year; the Reconciling Ministries was trained by the Reconciling Network and over 30 people wore their rainbow stoles at the Annual Conference this summer; a position was created for a liaison between CIS and Parents Reconciling Network; the Pride Parade will be Sept. 18 and the Alternative Christmas Giving will be offered again in December.

Lunch - Thanks to Rita Clarke and Kaye Warrick

Continuation of Program Council - Marlene Haskell
Worship - Stephanie is now the new Minister of Music and the Arts and is looking for people to attend the Hymn Festival, honoring Jane Marshall, on Sunday, October 23; an Ecumenical Thanksgiving service will be offered at Northaven that is involving 4 outside churches; a church survey will be conducted that is focusing on Music and the Arts to help shape our future direction with Stephanie’s involvement.
Arts – (Connie Marshall reported for Donna Wiles) The Shower of Stoles exhibit was featured at Northaven in May; the Women’s Retreat was offered in the spring and 26 women attended.
Care Team – (Mary Clair Lowrance reported for Lynette Hendricks) The committee decided to have less meetings this year and to focus more on taking action; a Tuesday note goes out with prayer concerns each week; prayer blankets have been given to several members and special requests have been honored throughout the year.
Special Events - The Feast of Friendship is on Saturday this year, June 25 with a planned reception afterwards; the Youth will be feeding the Russian Dancers dinner; Dance classes are being offered this year; a bridge group has formed;
Kitchen/Hospitality - More people are active on the committee this year and there is now a back-up group; the committee is encouraging the whole church to be aware of the “No Nuts” policy regarding food products that are brought to the church; there is a standing request for committees to alert Sherry Meeks as soon as possible when materials in the kitchen have been used, so she can restock supplies by Sunday each week.

Additional remarks –
Dotti Timmins reminded the group that the trustees will be sponsoring a Wills and Estate Seminar on July 31 that will include lunch.
Connie Marshall requested that the church consider the possibility of purchasing a dishwasher and promoting the use of permanent kitchenware instead of using paper plates, cutlery and cups.
Susie Marshall raised the concern of honey bees and their importance to the food chain. Perhaps Northaven can be part of the solution.
Karen Marshall raised the suggestion of having a community garden.
Eric gave special thanks to Betty and Marlene for organizing the planning meeting. Eric expressed appreciation that Betty has been attending committee meetings as Leadership Chair to see how each committee works.

Closing Prayer- Mary Clair Lowrance

Leadership Council Minutes: May 2011

2011-05-24T21:19:00.000-05:00

Northaven United Methodist Church
Leadership Council Meeting- Room 239
May 24, 2011- 7 p.m.

Those Present: Betty Boyer, Mindy Dague, Kathy Delsanter, Eric Folkerth, Marlene Haskell, Terry Lowery, Jim McBride, Chris Reed, Dotti, Timmins, Tom Timmins, Dick Weaver, and Elaine Wiant
Betty motioned to approve the minutes and the motion was carried.

Leadership Chair’s Remarks:
Betty mentioned the following upcoming events:
Draft night will be in the evening on Tuesday, September 20.
Updating the Hymnals will be on June 12 after church.
Annual Conference will begin June 5, 6-6:30 p.m., so please come, participate and wear a reconciling stole.

Meditation

Leadership Council Reports:

Finance Report- See Income Statement
Terry Lowery reported that we are $7800 higher in income than expected this month. Terry attended Program Council and felt it was productive. Elaine said the finances were going very well.

Staff Parish- See Report

Covenant Fund-
Dottie Timmins reported that the Covenant Fund will be offering a class on Wills and Estates on July 31 at 12:30 p.m. The Arbor in the Celebration Garden should be completed this summer.

Trustees Report-
Dick Weaver reported that Northaven is currently on the North Texas Conference plan for electricity and is planning on making a change after Northaven’s contract has ended. The group is planning on making a final decision on which electric company to sign up with at their next Trustees meeting. The Trustees have already informed the conference about Northaven’s future plans. The Co-op’s awning has been installed and everyone is happy with it but Kathy reported that there is a flow of water coming down off of the awning when it rains so the company that installed it is coming back to fix the problem. Frank Effland will be notified.

Stewardship- No Report

Co-op Liaison-
There are summer camp availabilities and a new Co-op website is in development.

Black Tie Dinner –
The all church BBQ, Sunday, July 10 needs help with cleanup and setup.
The next BTD meeting will be on June 14.
Dick Weaver mentioned that BTD scholarships are available and an application is available on the BTD website. The scholarships are not 100% but are still substantial. There was discussion about publicizing this to Northaven church members.

Program Council-
Marlene Haskell reported that there have been questions in the past concerning the budget and decided that it was best if the Finance Chair would attend the Program Council meeting to answer current questions people may have. The Council members appreciated Terry Lowery coming to their meeting to discuss more in depth how each committee’s budget works. The Council members looked at the new website on the overhead projector and reviewed the church calendar together at their last meeting. This encouraged a productive and interactive discussion and helped committees to catch possible conflicts and things that still needed to be done. VBS was profiled.

Northaven’s History Project- Tom Timmins said that it was going well. The idea of working on Northaven’s history began when Tom Timmins wanted to prepare a report for the Leadership Retreat this summer but found that the project proved very challenging since we have information dating back approximately 50 years. It became clear that the historical project should be presented in a more formal and permanent format. Mary Beth Rogers volunteered to be the Editor of the project. She has an impressive background in working with former Governor, Ann Richards. There will be an individual chapter for each pastor. Tom has already met with printers for printer specs on a booklet that will be put together. There will be an addendum at the back of the booklet called Learnings that will reflect on those things that Northaven has leaned over the years. Tom is still deciding on how many copies need to be printed and is working on finding money in the budget to help pay for it. The project will be offered as a Video too. There are various recordings from past pastors, including Bill Holme’s sermon after the Kennedy assignation. Digital photography is readily available during the Folkerth years. There will be stand alone video for each pastor. The video will be edited down for the final version. A teaser should be available by the Leadership Retreat.

Staff Reports

Co-op School Report-
Kathy Delsanter reported that the last day of school is May 25.

Office Administrator- No Report

Youth Director-
Chris Reed reported that the Youth viewed the Shower of Stoles project last Sunday. There will one more Youth bond sale this Sunday. UMYF will not be meeting this Sunday since it is Memorial Weekend. The Youth are getting ready for Annual Conference and will participate at the opening. The Youth’s Mission Trip to San Marcos begins on June 11. There will be a swim party after the Youth return from their mission trip. The Leadership Council thanked Chris for Youth Sunday and commented on how nice it was.

Worship and Arts-
Eric Folkerth reported that Stephanie Rhoades will begin as the new Music Minister of Music & the Arts on June 1. There will be a Welcoming Reception and Litany for her on June 5. This year’s summer series will steer away from the Chautauqua name because it is associated with camp music and this summer the focus will be on the theme The Glory of god’s Creation- As a part of spirituality. It will be an 8-week series that will include a week on Scriptures, Creativity and Science, Creativity and Art, Destruction of Nature, etc. The Northaven Choir will be off only during the month of July.

Spiritual Formation-
Eric Folkerth reported that the VBS Committee has met twice already. This year VBS will be discussing the Parables of Jesus. Each night will focus on one parable and the group will discuss what they learn from it. The Faith Voices of Justice program on May 19, Tested: Stories of Faith and Justice featured several of the Exonerees and was well attended with over 100 people. There was a potluck dinner with Exonerees and Craig Watkins, the current Dallas County D.A. arrived as a surprise guest.

Senior Pastor-
Eric Folkerth reported that the North Texas Annual Conference will begin June 5 and there will be discussions of upcoming elections at General Conference and the Jurisdictional Conference. There will be computerized voting this year.

Closing Prayer

Leadership Council Minutes: April 2011

2011-04-28T11:01:00.000-05:00

Northaven United Methodist Church
Leadership Council Meeting- Room 239
April 26, 2011- 7 p.m.

Those Present: Eric Folkerth, Mary Clair Lowrance, Chris Reed, Kathy Delsanter, Betty Boyer, Dick Weaver, Elaine Wiant, Marlene Haskell, Terry Lowery, Jim McBride and Betsy Schenck.

Betty Boyer called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

Meditation

The minutes were approved with one correction.

Leadership Chairperson’s Remarks:
Betty thanked the staff, Worship and Arts Committees and all the volunteers for making the Lenten and Easter season so special. She also reported on the workshop “Creating Change” attended by representatives of reconciling congregations preparing for Annual and General Conferences. Finally, she thanked Elaine Wiant for taking notes of this meeting in Mindy Dague's absence.

Leadership Council Reports:

Finance Report-See Attached
Terry Lowery reported on the first quarter financial report (attached). She will attend the May Program Council meeting to discuss the budgeting process help explain the financial reports.

Staff Parish-See Attached
5 candidates for the Director of Music Ministry’s position will have in-person interviews. The interviews have begun and will be completed this week. Two or three of those will audition with the choir on May 7. The search committee will then make a recommendation to SPRC for the May 12 SPRC meeting.

Trustees Report-see attached

Black Tie Dinner – see attached
With the leadership of Connie Marshall, the Straight Spouses Network has had its first monthly meeting at NUMC. It’s a support group endorsed by PFLAG and HRC. It meets on the second Tuesday of the month. It was suggested that the Communications committee assist with promotion and a web presence.

Program Council Report-See Attached
Program Council is reviewing the calendar and the website at its monthly meetings. The Holy Week banners were general in nature and can be used again next year. Shower of Stoles will begin on May 13 in the atrium and continue through June.

Web Site Preview
Eric presented the new website to the group. It’s the first update in many years.
Staff Reports:

Co-op – No report

Youth
Youth fundraising is going well. Youth Bonds will be sold in the atrium from May 8 (Confirmation Sunday) through June 12 (Junior High mission trip begins). May 22 is Youth Sunday.

Spiritual Formation-
Three youth will be confirmed on May 8. Vacation Bible School is the first week in August and will again be in the evening and intergenerational. The fall Spiritual Retreat will be October 15 and 16 and will feature Ruben Habito. Mark Chancy and Rabii David Stern are presenting a Jewish/Christian dialogue at Temple Emanu-El for three Thursdays beginning April 28.

Pastor-
Additional gratitude to all for a great Lent/Easter season. Approximately 460 attended the 11 am Easter service. May 15 will be a “great day of joining.” Tom Timmins is working on a written and video history of NUMC. We’ll have a preview of the history on June 11 at the mid year retreat.

Closing Prayer

Next Meeting is May 24.

Program Council Meeting
April 12, 2011

Members Present:
Marlene Haskell Marty Brownlie Joe Hilbun
Donna Wiles Mary Clair Lowrance Lynette Hendricks
Eric Folkerth Chris Reed Mindy Dague

The meeting was called to order at 7 pm with a devotional by Marlene Haskell.

Old Business:
Marlene asked that each person reporting choose 3 items to highlight for the group.

Minutes from the March meeting were approved.

Marlene will continue to provide calendar info to the group to update for Mindy. In the future, we will meet in the room with a video screen so we can review the website and calendar items.

Action Items from last meeting:

The Communications commission reported that the new website will be up tonight. Emails may be a problem for the next couple of days, but all should be resolved in good time.

Marlene reminded everyone to forward each commission’s members to Tom Timmins (action item 1) and to submit articles (action item 2). Worship & Arts has split out their budget from music, but it was not reflected on the latest income statement.

There will be no regular Program Council meeting on June 14. Instead, the Program Council will meet with the Leadership Council on June 11 in an all morning retreat.

Commission Reports:

Arts – Donna highlighted the Shower of Stoles (in cooperation with the Special Events Commission) May 13 – June 4. Randall Oxford is working on advertising. Bill McElvaney will provide additional historical information. Mindy will figure out how to get it on the calendar over multiple days.

Donna also talked about the Russian Dance Group that will come in June 25. That event will also be held in cooperation with the Special Events Commission as the Feast of Friendship.

Donna reported that the Arts Commission will host an art show in January or February of 2012. The show will be centered on “Seasons of the Church.” Arts is working with the Liturgical Threads group to have new paraments and church linens – but all members of Northaven will be invited to participate. In addition to visual arts, there will be space for written and dramatic works.

Care Team – Lynette reported that all is going well. We will be re-formatting the card senders. All needs are currently being met.

Church in Society – Marty talked about the Faith Voices Series – the last one is Thursday night.
The Lenten offering of letters has had good support. She also spoke about the Good Friday walk sponsored by the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance. 9 people from Northaven attended the Reconciling Ministries training on April 9. Emphasis was placed on storytelling and conversation – not confrontation. There was also training on organizing so that our voices can be heard at Annual Conference/General Conference. The group discussed trying to collect the stories of LGBT people and the Reconciling Church.

Communications – no one was able to attend. Eric reported that the communications folk were not planning to do banners for Easter because of the concern about cost and time. The Council thought that the banners were important and Marlene will contact Randall with the group’s concerns – perhaps an undated version of the banner would be a solution.

Education
Adult – Joe reported that the summer brochure was completed (16 pages!) The Finley retreat will become the Habito retreat this year.

Children – Kirsten was not able to attend, but Mary Clair reported that the Co-Op received the NAEYC accreditation. There will be an Easter Egg hunt after Easter Sunday. Cody Elliott, Sarah Clark, and Jefferson Graham will be confirmed May 8. August 28 is no Sunday School Sunday – intergenerational activity. The children will process with the choir on Palm Sunday. On Easter, the children will flower the cross during children’s time.

Youth – Karen did not attend – Chris covered in Staff Report

Hospitality – no one was able to attend.

Membership – no one was able to attend. Mary Clair reported The Great Day of Joining will be May 1. 6 people attended Northaven 101, which may become a 1 day event. The next class will be held in the fall.

Special Events – reported in conjunction with the Arts Commission

Worship – with Staff reports

Staff Reports:

Chris – Youth raised $1500 at Coffee House (81 people in the house). The youth will begin selling bonds to pay for mission trips on May 8. May 22 is Youth Sunday and Senior Recognition Sunday. There are 16 going on the Jr High trip and only 4 going on the Sr High. Chris will confirm where they are going at our next meeting.

Mary Clair – reported with Commission reports

Mindy – reminded us that she always responds to emails. If you do not get a response, that means she probably did not get the email. 84 people have signed up to provide Easter Flowers. She asked that we all check and re-check the calendar for conflicts and updates to make sure that she has the correct information.

Cash needs to be deposited in the safe. Do not leave it on Mindy’s desk unsecured. Choir checks were found on the floor in the choir room. Lynette will move the offering plate to the music table and see about getting envelopes to put contributions in.

Eric – Website launch is being prayed over. Holy Week coming up. Parishoners will be asked to park on the grass on Easter Sunday, if they are able. Eric will be out of the office the rest of this week to lead worship and do a show at Mt Sequoyah for the Volunteers in Mission.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:111 with prayer.

Action Items:

Commission members to Tom Timmins
Everyone turn in articles for newsletters and bulletin at least once every 6 weeks.
Put June 11 on your calendar for a retreat
Marlene to talk to Randall about banners for Holy week.
Pray for the website
See if we can move our meeting to the room with the screen next time
Continue to review and update calendar.

Pictures from recent events

2011-04-21T16:37:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from recent church events that you might find interesting.

Pictures from the Youth Coffeehouse.

Pictures from the Women's Retreat.

Pictures from the "Laying the Stone" ceremony at Christ's Foundry UMC.

Leadership Council Minutes: February 2011

2011-04-21T16:34:00.001-05:00

Northaven United Methodist Church
Leadership Council Meeting-Room 239
February 22, 2011

Those Present: Eric Folkerth, Mary Clair Lowrance, Betty Boyer, Jim McBride, Dick Weaver, Kate Anderson, Dotti Timmins, Tom Timmins, Betsy Schenck, Chris Reed, Kathy Delsanter, Terry Lowery, Mindy Dague, Shirley Cooper, Marlene Haskell, and Lee Davenport

Betty Boyer called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

Musical Meditation

Leadership Chairperson’s Remarks:
Special thanks to Travis Jordan for giving everyone the newsletter deadline information. The next leadership retreat is scheduled for June 11.

Finance Report: Proposed Budget Attached
Discussion of the 2011 proposed budget. Terry Lowery presented a balanced budget. There were lowered financial expectations for the Adult Education retreats this year to match prior year’s actual numbers. The overall income was $5,500 less than last year primarily due to no one-time giving for 2011. There were increased copier expenses, decreased equipment repairs and increased office supplies, to more accurately match, current spending levels. The Staff Parish had a decrease due to the vacancy in the Music Minister’s position for part of the year and the money it will save helped balance the budget. The HVAC repairs for the building in the amount of approximately $6,500 will be paid from the monies deposited in the Building Fund due to reworking the mortgage payment in 2010. The mortgage payment has increased from all interest to 2 months interest only and 10 months P&I. If interest rates increase during the year, the balance will come from the Building Fund as needed. The Finance Commitee are not wanting to lock in a rate yet due to the low interest rates that we can currently take advantage of.

Betty asked for a motion to approve the 2011 budget. Terry Lowery seconded it. It was unanimously approved.

Covenant Fund Trustees Report: See Attached
Permanent Endowment Fund –

Dotti Timmins and Kate Anderson presented the Leadership Council the new Spending and Investment Policies. Dotti recounted a little history of the Covenant Funds: In 1992 the Northaven Covenant Funds were approved, setting up a Permanent Endowment Fund to be invested at the Texas Methodist Foundation. This PEF was revised and approved by the LC in 2003. The Endowment Fund provides members of the church the opportunity to make gifts to the church as a permanent endowment of financial support and a living memorial. These gifts are used for Missional purposes such as experimental ministries, new outreach, creative services, scholarships or unusual expenses of any kind for maintenance, repair, or the replacement of real and personal property owned by NHUMC. The funds at TMF have been placed into their Loan Fund. The Covenant Trustees now want to expand their investment activities through TMF. For this purpose, the Trustees have spent many sessions discussing and consulting with lawyers and TMF staff to place the Covenant funds in a way to maximize Northaven’s current income from the PEF. Dotti also presented a spending policy developed by the Trustees that would have a more consistent plan for disbursement of funds as requested. Over the past few years the Trustees have begun to make a concerted effort to place more emphasis on “planned giving” which tends to be larger in value and is often a commitment to making gifts in the future, particularly at death. To that end the Covenant Fund now has a “Covenant Society” which celebrates those church members who have included the church or a designated program of the church by testamentary gifts in will, trusts or otherwise. As Northaven and its programs grow, the funding needs will rise to meet the needs of a growing congregation. The PEF is an excellent way for NH to increase its
funding sources. Kate Anderson answered individual questions by the Leadership Council regarding the Spending and Investment Policies.

Staff Parish-See Attached
March 19 is the deadline for accepting resumes for the Music Minister’s position.

Trustees
Northaven has not increased the insurance coverage on the building since it was built and this may be something the Trustees need to look at next year.

Stewardship- See Attached
Lee Davenport is the new Chair of Stewardship for 2011. We are up to $652,000 in pledges.

Program Council
Communications is working on the next church directory.

Staff Reports

Co-op School
An Eagle Scout, Gran Hilbert, son of church members Jay and Pamela Hilbert will be doing his service project with the school. The “A Night for Northaven-Silent Auction and Raffle” will be this Saturday, February 26 at the Dallas Contemporary. An alum parent donated a tree to the school that will be planted on the playground patio to replace the one that died last year.

Worship and the Arts- No Report

Spiritual Formation
Jonathan’s prayer blanket has been delivered. The Care Team will continue this practice with others in need. VBS will be in the evening again this summer but the exact dates have not been decided on yet. Mary Clair will be going with on the Youth mission trip again this summer to San Marcos.

Youth
The All Church Pancake Shrove Tuesday Dinner is on March 8 from 6 -8 p.m. The youth will be selling $5 meal tickets in advance or $6 at the door. The Youth will be hosting a Coffee House showcasing the Youth’s talents with several solos and hopefully the Children’s Choir may be giving a performance too.
The Youth are planning on doing a “Trade Up” scavenger hunt this year. The Youth will bring one item each and tried to “trade-up” with people in the neighborhood. Whatever is collected will be auctioned off at the coffee house as part of the Youth Fundraising event.

Pastoral
Thanks to the Staff for getting the church bulletin and building ready for worship services on Sunday after the February 1-4 snow and ice storm. Ash Wednesday services will be on March 9 at 7 p.m. Several Lent planning meetings are in the works and the decided theme this year is The Journey of Fearless Faith. The Worship team is bringing back the Wailing Wall for Lent with a different question posted each week. Transfiguration Sunday is March 6. The Staff and Worship Team are grateful that Easter is late this year because it is giving everyone a rest from Christmas and plenty of time to plan for upcoming Lent services. Conference News Update- A new appointment by the Bishop has been made. Two District Superintendents are retiring in the North Texas Conference. The North Central District’s newly appointed Superintendent is Rev. Dr. Frank Alegria who is transferring from First UMC of Beaumont. He will be the first Hispanic District Superintendent ever appointed in the North Texas Conference.

Closing Prayer

Next Meeting is March 22

Leadership Council Minutes: March 2011

2011-03-24T11:07:00.002-05:00

Northaven United Methodist Church
Leadership Council Meeting- Room 239
March 22, 2011- 7 p.m.

Those Present: Eric Folkerth, Mary Clair Lowrance, Betty Boyer, Dick Weaver, Dotti Timmins, Tom Timmins, Chris Reed, Kathy Delsanter, Mindy Dague, and Marlene Haskell

Betty Boyer called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

Meditation

Elaine motioned to approve the minutes and the motion was carried.

Leadership Chairperson’s Remarks:
The two chairs of BTD this year are John and Laurie Reichenbach. Another reminder was given about the upcoming summer leadership retreat that has been scheduled for June 11.

Program Council Report-See Attached
Tom Timmins asked for a reminder to be given to the program committees to get new committee member information to him, as soon as possible. He is updating the church directory. Betty suggested that a deadline be set.

Leadership Council Reports:

Finance Report-See Attached
Elaine Wiant, Terry Lowery, and Mindy Dague entered the 2011 approved budget into QuickBooks. Marlene reported that the split for the Worship and Arts Commission budget had recently been decided and would be submitted to the Finance committee in the near future.

Staff Parish-See Attached
21 Resumes for the Director of Music Ministry’s position have been received so far and the Committee will start the process of selecting which applicants will have in-person interviews and will begin scheduling those interviews. There has been a diverse pool of candidates. One candidate appears to be living in Brazil. Another candidate is living on the West Coast. The Music Ministry Search Committee will be reviewing the applications this weekend. Each candidate will have a musical piece to perform with the Northaven Choir as part of their interview.

Covenant Fund- See Attached
The Covenant Trustees reviewed 13 churches and their Columbarium price structures. The Trustees have decided to increase the burial of ashes and the cost of purchasing a niche. By raising the prices, Northaven is still considered in the middle range of the collective price structures being offered. The new pricing information will be submitted to the newsletter to inform Northaven’s members of the changes and when they will take effect. Non-members interested in the Columbarium still have to be approved by the Senior Pastor and the Trustees before being accepted. Leadership Council approved the new pricing structure.

Trustees Report-
The Co-op has requested that an awning be installed at the South Door. Dick Weaver reported that Frank Effland, a church member and Architect, is currently accessing the situation. There may be some structural challenges but Dick believes that they can be overcome. Dick reported that the rock and brick pile on the North side of the building is now gone. Dick donated the cost of the removal of the bricks through the Christ Foundry’s landscaping assistance to Northaven.

Staff Reports:

Co-op-See Attached

Worship and Arts-
Attendance has been good. All lent services will be at 7. The Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday services are scheduled at 7 p.m. There will be a sunrise service this year in the Garden on Easter at 7 a.m. The Worship Team is making plans for an exciting summer series. More details will be forthcoming.

Spiritual Formation-
Teaching Tolerance- A 12-week program is a new curriculum for the Children’s Ministry and possibly for the Youth Ministry. VBS has been scheduled for August 1-5 from 6-8 p.m. An Easter egg hunt is being planned. Mary Clair is expecting twice the amount of children attending this year based on the current Sunday School attendance. Some people have decided to give alternative treats instead of candy this year. A Clearing Season Lenten study with Mary Clair is being offered on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. each week throughout the Lenten season. The evening Lenten study did not have enough people interested in attending so it was cancelled. Fifteen youth have signed up for the San Marcos mission trip this summer. Adult Education will be offering a new array of classes for the fall. On Palm Sunday a new schedule of classes for summer classes will be distributed. This will be the first time we have produced a summer guide. Uppity Women of the Bible is being planned for the Cornerstone Class. The facilitators will be Elaine Wiant and Sally St. Clair. The class will be offered June 26 - July 31. A blanket is being made for Anita Harkey and the next one will probably be for Mark Daves.

Youth Report-
The Pancake Fundraising dinner was a big success and after expenses it realized a $500 + profit. The Youth will be hosting an Easter breakfast this year. The Youth Coffeehouse will hve donation buckets on the tables and the Children’s Choir will be participating. The Youth Trade-Up scavenger hunt will include handing out Coffeehouse flyers to give the group credibility and possibly draw in some more people to the event. The scavenger hunt starts with a paper clip and they trade-up until whatever they end up with will be auctioned off at the Coffeehouse. Kaye Warrick is making her famous cream pie for the Coffeehouse auction. Youth Sunday is May 22 and will include recognition of this year’s graduating seniors.

Administration Report-
The 1st Quarter contribution Reports will be mailed out at the first of April. A Volunteer Luncheon for the Church Office Volunteers has been scheduled for Monday, March 28. We will be discussing the office guidelines and how to maintain a safer church environment. Eric will be facilitating the meeting. The Trustees have been invited to attend.

Pastor-
The Reconciling Training is coming up to get ready for General Conference. It will be held at Grace UMC in Dallas on April 9 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Bishop will have different meetings in each district spending one day with each district. Anyone can attend. Our area’s meeting will be held on April 10 in Irving at Plymouth Park UMC. The Bishop is asking for feedback on the new conference structure. Eric is really happy with the turnout at the Youth Pancake Supper.

Closing Prayer

Program Council Minutes - March 8, 2011

In attendance:
Connie Marshall Fran McElvaney Lynette Hendricks
Susie Marshall Joe Hilbun Kirsten B James
Marty Brownlie Randall Oxford Chris Reed
Eric Folkerth Marlene Haskell

Marlene called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.

Marlene requested that all Commission Chairs forward a list of their members to Tom Timmins
Newsletter deadlines upcoming are March 25, April 8, and April 20th (earlier because of Holy Week). Fran, in her role as newsletter reporter, asked for more input from Commission Chairs

2011 Budget was handed out and briefly discussed. Marlene pointed out that the Arts and Worship budgets are combined on that document. Members of the Arts Commission and the Worship Commission believed that a split budget had been provided to the Finance Committee, but since that was not reflected in the Budget document, Marlene asked that those 2 groups provide the split again to the Finance Committee. Fran, Susie, and Donna were to ask Stephanie Rhoades if she had that information.

Commission Reports:

Worship – Susie announced that the theme for Lent was “Journey of Fearless Faith.” The wailing wall will be up for prayers. Each Sunday will have a suggested area of prayer request. There will be services Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Saturday, and sunrise on Easter in addition to the regular Sunday services.

Arts – Donna was out of town. Connie reported that themes for each Sunday during Lent were set and that the church would have several displays for the season. The Jane Marshall festival was pushed back from May to the fall so that there would be more time to plan.

Care Team – Lynette reported on the success of the prayer blankets and the intercessory prayer group.

Church in Society – Marty talked about Reconciling Ministries training coming up in April to prepare for the 2012 General Convention. About 50 “This I Know” studies have been sold, with Patty Harvey starting a new class at Northaven on March 8.

Communications – Randall Oxford mentioned plans for a Holy Week banner and advertising. He and his committee are proceeding with a new directory that will have pictures of new members. In 2012, there will be a new pictorial directory produced in-house. There will also be an online version with appropriate passwords and safeguards.
The new Northaven website should go live with a soft launch in March and a grand opening in April. The group decided that time should be set aside in each Program Council meeting to review our website content and make updates as necessary during the meeting.

Education –
Adult – Joe talked about preparations for a summer brochure listing classes and whether interest was sufficient to support a Wednesday evening dinner on a monthly basis in the fall.
Children – Kirsten reported that elementary classes were now using a Cokesbury curriculum. In the fall, there will probably be a need to re-align the grades into 3 elementary classes instead of the 2 that currently exist. VBS is scheduled for the 1st week of August in the evenings. They are looking for a chair for the event, which will focus on Jesus’ Parables.
Youth – busy with the Pancake dinner

Hospitality – Sherry was out of town.

Membership – Janice sent in her report and Connie went through the list of new members. Mindy asked that she get the name and address list for her records.

Special Events – Connie reported that the Pancake Supper was a success. The Women’s retreat will be April 1 – 2. The date for the Feast of Friendship is tbd. Because Earth Day is on Good Friday this year, the date for the annual vegetarian cook-off is tbd also.
The “Shower or Stoles Project” will arrive May 13. There will be about 30 clerical stoles on display from clergy who have resigned because they are part of the LGBT community. The owner’s story will accompany each stole. The display will close on June 4.

Staff Reports:
Mindy – needs announcements and articles suitable for the bulletin each week

Chris – believes that the Pancake Supper will net about $300 for Youth Missions. The Youth will have a service project on the 20th at the Trinity River Audobon Society. Youth Coffee House will be April 10.

Eric – described some of the changes in the Conference and that 3 of 4 of the District Superintendents will be new to their position after June. Annual Conference is June 4 – 7.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45. The next meeting is April 12. Action items listed separately below:

Action Items:

All Commission chairs forward a list of their members to Tom Timmons.

All Commission chairs turn in at least one article for the newsletter in the next 6 weeks.

Donna/Fran/Susie ask Stephanie Rhoades to get the split of Arts and Worship budgets to the Finance Committee.

Marlene and Randall to work together so that we will be able to view and update the website at our next Program Council Meeting.

Eric to contact Bruce Hathaway about singing in choir.

Leadership Council Minutes: January 2011

2011-02-22T19:12:00.001-06:00

Northaven United Methodist Church
Leadership Council Meeting- Room 237/239
January 25, 2011

Those Present: Eric Folkerth, Betty Boyer, Mindy Dague, Chris Reed, Travis Jordan, Jim McBride, Shirley Cooper, Marlene Haskell, Terry Lowery, Dotti Timmins, Tom Timmins, Kate Anderson, Kathy Delsanter, Mary Clair Lowrance, and Dick Weaver

Betty Boyer called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

Open Meditation

Leadership Chairperson's Remarks:

The next Leadership Council & Program Council retreat is being tentatively scheduled for June. There has been discussion of posting the minutes of the Leadership Council on the Northaven’s church website. A large amount of time will be spent at the next meeting discussing our 2011 budget so committee chairs were asked to give only brief reports next time.

Program Council:
Communications – The redesign of our website should be up and running by the end of February. Exploring options for a church directory which would include new members. Looking at locations for permanent installation of video projectors and a flat-panel TV.
Art - Coordinating with Membership for a Vision Wall display.
CIS – Is having a Planning Day on Saturday, January 29. The Faith Voices series begin with 120 attendees and has programs planned through May.
Education - Youth - Mid winter retreat on the 29 and seven Youth will be attending. A Super Bowl party with families is being hosted at the Andersons on February 6. We are discussing plans for our annual mission trips. On February 13, our regular weekly meetings begin.
Finance Report: See Attached
We have a balanced budget for 2010.
*Building Loan Update: See Attached

Staff Parish Report:
The first priority is to conduct a search for the new Minster of Music. Marilane Jones is the designated chair of the search committee. The second priority is working on offering additional hours to Tricia Dudley since she will be assisting with increasing Communication type duties at the church. Additional priorities will be established among the committee at their next meeting.

Stewardship Report: See Attached

Celebration Garden/Covenant Fund Report: See Attached
The Permanent Endowment Fund Investment Policy and the Permanent Endowment Fund Spending Policy were distributed and everyone was asked to read and review before it is voted on next month at the Leadership Council.

Newsletter Report:
Tricia Dudley is about ready to take on the layout of the newsletter. There are about 20 people working on the newsletter now. Travis Jordan plans on publishing the newsletter deadline dates soon.

Trustees Report: See Attached
Frank Effland and Mitch Lee have been added to the Trustees. There is an active call for female committee members and the disciplinary actually recommends for no less than 3 women on the committee and we currently have none. The concrete rocks under the trees are still an issue and Dick Weaver will look into it. Someone approached Dick about a community garden in the back of the church, Dick suggested visiting other churches first before going forward with this but it is still being discussed.

Co-op Representative Report: No Report

Staff Reports-

Co-op: See Attached

Worship and the Arts:
Advent went well and there were over 500 people in attendance on Christmas Eve.
Attendance can become larger than Easter and in 2010 it did. The planning team for lent is in progress. The Worship team is planning by the season. There will be an upcoming 4 week series on The Lord's Prayer. Valinda's retired this month and Stephanie Rhoades is the interim Minister of Music. Eric believes that it is best to wait and to conclude the search for a new Minister of Music until after Easter. Stephanie Rhoades is definitely interested in the position. Lent does start late this year.

Spiritual Formation/Education:
Joe Hilbun is the new Chair for Adult Education. Lynette Hendricks is the new Chair for the Congregational Care Team. The Faith Justice series had over 120 people in attendance. New Adult Education classes are starting and all of the classes including the Wednesday class has made. The new Children's Council Chair is Kirsten Brandt-James and VBS dates will be announced soon. Many new church members are currently involved with Adult Education and there are plans in the work to create a new Adult Sunday School class.

Youth:
A Conference-wide event was attended in McKinney and the Youth sponsored a family in the Zoe Walk. The Senior High group went to Holiday in the Park at Six Flags and the annual Christmas Party was held at the church. Kate helped with coordinating Youth activities while Chris was visiting Spain. The Youth will be going to the Bridgeport Conference and Camping Center for a 3 day weekend and the theme is, God Is... A Super bowl party will be at held Kate Anderson's house. On April 10, the Youth will host a coffeehouse as a fundraiser.

Administration:
Additional Church directories will be copied from RDS. The possibility of printing photos of the members is still being discussed. We are still adding member’s birthdays so more members can appear on the monthly birthday list in the Northaven Now. The 2010 contribution records were mailed out last weekend for tax records.

Pastoral:
The Women's Retreat is going to be at the beginning of April. Communication will be going out within the next week and sign-up will be available through Constant Contact.
There are still Committee openings that are trying to be filled. The Heart of Christianity has 15 participants and every Adult Education class has made except for one (Living the Questions on Sunday mornings). New members and visitors are signing up and are interested in what Northaven has to offer.

Closing Prayer

Leadership Council Minutes: December 2010

2011-02-17T17:43:00.000-06:00

Minutes of the Northaven UMC Leadership Council Meeting
December 07, 2010

Those Present: Elaine Wiant, Betty Boyer, John Wiles, Mary Clair Lowrance, Norma Terrell, Marlene Haskell, Tom Timmins, Dotti Timmins, Curtis Henderson, Terry Lowery, Noel Pittman, Shirley Cooper, Mindy Dague, Valinda Woods O'Connor, Joanna Shields, and Eric Folkerth.

Elaine Wiant called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Norma Terrell gave the Devotion. The minutes of the October 26 meeting were approved.

Continuation of Charge Conference-
The Leadership Roster for Charge Conference was discussed. There are still openings for Lay Leadership in 2013. The Finance committee of 2013 nominees is Linda Strem, Matt Bach, Barb Currier, and Lynn Peterson. The Vice Chair of the Leadership Council is still open. The Program Council Co-Chair is still available. The Trustees will be elected by the Trustees Committee. The HDF Committee Chair position is still open. The At-Large position will be filled by a Youth Representative that is picked by the Youth. The Church in Society Chair position is still open. The Worship Committee has a Co-Chair position open but may or may not need to be filled. The Lay Speaker will need to be added to the list, Betsy Schenck.

Eric asked for Lay Leadership to be nominated. Joanna Shields nominated Wade Schuessler. Mary Clair Lowrance suggested Susie Marshall on Trustees. Elaine Wiant nominated Joanna Shields for Lay Leadership. Joanna accepted. Norma Terrell suggested Rebecca Bergstresser on Lay Leadership Marlene Haskell suggested Norma Terrell as a Lay Leadership Alternate. Norma Terrell accepted. Mary Clair Lowrance suggested Joe Silvia and Matthew Vannoy or Katy Menges for At-Large positions. Nancy Watson, Randy Ray, or Tom Timmins was suggested by various members. Tom Timmins accepted.

Terry Lowery made a motion for a vote of approval of the Leadership Roster and Curtis Henderson seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously and approved by the Leadership Council.

The attending leadership expressed disappointed with the new Charge Conference format and the lack of a personal relationship with the new District Superintendent.

Program Council: See Report

Finance: See Report
We are $17,500 in the negative at this point. Our income is on target but our expenses are not. Part of the reason is that we have had unexpected expenses in the Trustee’s budget. The A/C maintenance and repair fees have put us over budget. The Finley Retreat was budgeted for double the income we received and it fell short. We had about 50% less attendance this year compared to last year. We may need to transfer $10,000 from the Building Fund to the Operating Fund as discussed as a possibility, earlier in the year.

Stewardship: See Report
The last 3 weeks of January is a time for phone calls to encourage members for remaining pledges for 2011. The Stewardship Campaign ends in February. We are financially where we thought we would be at this time. Last year, we were financially doing about the same as we are doing now.

Staff Parish:
The Staff Christmas Party is this Sunday at 3 p.m. at Frankie Giesler's home. Staff Parish is still working on the on-line requirements for the new district guidelines.

Trustees: See Report
Curtis Henderson reported that the Co-op believes that the Summer Program remains a challenge to incorporate into a regular payroll period during the summer months. This will be discussed more in depth in the upcoming months.
Covenant Fund and Celebration Garden Trustees: See Report
Human Development Fund:
The HDF grant applications are due early January.

Co-op School: See Report
The Co-op was expecting monies from the recycling program but the church office has not received any funds either and will look into it.

Black Tie Committee:
We had many volunteers at the BTD. The beneficiary checks will be presented to each beneficiary on this Thursday, December 9. Nan Arnold is very excited about the amount that will be given this year but is keeping it confidential until the check is presented to Northaven.

This I Know:
We have sold 46 DVDs and publicity has continued. Constant Contact has been instrumental in spreading the word.

Elaine mentioned that she has appreciated her time as the Leadership Chair and that she feels like this year’s most meaningful accomplishments have been working on and completing the new Mission Statement and the This I Know study.

Staff Reports:

Worship and the Arts:
Valinda reported that the Worship Commission is excited about the Advent Services forthcoming. Attendance was very high during the Vivaldi performance last Sunday. There were 303 people which was a significantly higher count than last year’s attendance. Sunday our orchestra will be playing and will be directed by Carl Parker with 23 players. On December 19, Children’s Choir and Handbells will be participating in the service. There will be two Christmas Eve services, 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Children and Youth:
Mary Clair reported that the activity books that were created for the children during worship have been very successful. The Children's Choir has moved to Sunday afternoons and has been well received and well attended. The J3 is so large and continuing discussion on space issues. Bethlehem Center gifts are due back, Sunday, December 12. One child is still needing to be picked. Jonathan McDonald is at MD Andersen and would love receiving cards and Mary Clair offered to mail them. The Alternative Gift Cards are still being signed. Our children's Sunday School classes are full and needing additional teachers. Our nursery is less in need because the children are older and are attending the Sunday School classes now. Mary Clair reported for Chris Reed on the Youth. The Youth is having their White Elephant Christmas Party this Sunday. The Youth are closing their studies on the Old Testament and will begin studying the New Testament in January.

Pastoral:
Eric reported that he really liked the Christmas packages that were put together by the Youth and mailed to current college students that are currently living away from home. We will have over 50 new members by the end of the year. It was an honor to host the Metro District Meet & Greet Christmas Party for the District Pastors and their Spouses last Saturday afternoon.

Administrative: No Report

Betty Boyer announced that the Leadership Council/Program Council meeting will be on Saturday, January 8 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon (or until we are finished).

Eric closed in prayer.

Minister of Music and the Arts: Position Announcement

2011-02-08T21:55:00.001-06:00

Candidates sought for a 650-plus community that loves integrated and well-crafted liturgy and is committed to a historical and highly participatory worship style promoting congregational involvement, integrating the arts into the worship experience, and embracing diversity, social inclusion and activism. Should have proven leadership abilities, be able to supervise music and arts programs for all ages, demonstrate a collegial attitude with staff and church committees, be able to attract and train singers, and have a commitment to the life and work of the church and to the mission of Northaven United Methodist Church.

Requirements:

Minimum of a Bachelor of Music or Music Education degree

Master of Sacred Music degree preferred

Functional keyboard skills

Experience leading choral and instrumental music in worship.

Base salary plus pension and insurance provided.

To receive full consideration, please submit a résumé and a two-page music ministry philosophy statement by March 18, 2011 to "Attn: Music Search Committee"

Email(preferrred): church@northaven.org

Or FAX: 214-373-3972,

Or Mail:

Northaven United Methodist Church,

11211 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75230.

Include the names and contact information of three references including a former employer and a mentor. Confidentiality assured.

A start date is projected for early summer, 2011.

2011 Leadership Retreat Minutes

2011-01-08T13:37:00.001-06:00

Leadership Retreat
Saturday, January 8, 2011

Attendance: Betty Boyer, Kirsten Brandt-James, Elaine Wiant, Dotti Timmins, Tom Timmins, Janice Henderson, Lee Davenport, Bob Radford, Fran McElvaney, Susie Marshall, Jim McBride, Joanna Shields, Shirley Cooper, Marty Brownlie, Jan Sanders, Lynette Hendrickse, Stephanie Rhoades, Connie Marshall, Terry Lowery, Kate Anderson, Mary Clair Lowrance, Martha Stowe, Ken Benson, Eric Folkerth, John Wiles, Donna Wiles, Randall Oxford, Sherry Meeks, Mindy Dague

Opening Prayer by Eric Folkerth

Call to Order and Introductions by Elaine Wiant

Tools and Resources presented by Elaine Wiant
Staff and Committee Chairs List, Committee Descriptions, FAQs on NUMC and Committee Operations, Church Office Weekly Schedule, RDS as a tool for Committees

Office Materials and Administrative Forms presented by Mindy Dague
Building Use forms, Atrium use forms, Check Requests, Publicity and the Who to Call list

Newsletter presented by Fran McElvaney

Tips for Effective Meetings presented by Elaine Wiant

Year end 2010 Assessment-Each 2010 Committee Chair Reports on Committee Goals and Progress in 2010 presented by Marlene Haskell

Leadership Council's Committee Reports included the following: Black Tie, Co-op School, Covenant Funds/Celebration Garden, Finance, Human Development Fund, Staff Parish, Stewardship, Trustees, and Lay Member to Annual Conference

Program Council Committee Reports included the following: Care Team, Church in Society, Communications, Adult Education, Youth Education, Children Education, Membership, Worship, Arts, Special Events,and Kitchen Hospitality

NUMC Vision Issues--Living Out the Mission Statement in 2011 and Beyond presented by Eric Folkerth

1. Shift to making decisions on how we better meet the needs of visitors.

2. Program Council change- To talk about what is coming up in the future and brainstorming ideas

3. Church Survey asking about if your attendance is rising? Are your groups increasing? Northaven has been a transforming church for the past couple of years.

NUMC Vision Issues-Living out the Mission Statement in 2011 and Beyond Discussion presented by Betty Boyer

Compassion-

1. This I Know education

2. Freedom Network

3. Need momentum going

4. Not just external-Care Team and Worship & the Arts and how we express ourselves

5. Face to Face

Peace-

Use the Labyrinth

Justice-

1. Northaven is a member of Texas Impact

2. Adult Education

3. Dream Act passed and unified in efforts despite political stance

4. Immigration Legislation

Reconciliation-

1. Task Force-Relationship with Conference
Mary Clair suggested that Shirley Cooper to be an advisor and to invite other churches and that Northaven be the led in this effort

2. Be intentional in our efforts

3. Outreach to other Methodist Churches

4. Participation with PRN (Parents Reconciling Network)

Growing in Stewardship Through Education

2010-11-04T16:09:00.001-05:00

This video is the second in a series of five videos produced to support Northaven's 2010 Stewardship Campaign.

This celebrates Northaven's ministries in Education:

To watch a full HD version at Northaven's YouTube page, click here.

Growing in Stewardship Through Worship and the Arts

2010-10-27T22:41:00.004-05:00

This video is the second in a series of five videos produced to support Northaven's 2010 Stewardship Campaign.

This celebrates Northaven's ministries in Music and the Arts:

To watch a full HD version at Northaven's YouTube page, click here.

Building in Faith, Growing in Stewardship

2010-10-18T13:19:00.010-05:00

This video is the first in a series of five videos produced in conjunction with Northaven's 2010 Stewardship Campaign.

This video is an introduction to the series:

To watch an HD version at YouTube, click here.

A message for JoAn Dwyer

2010-06-10T15:49:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,

Please excuse my delay in sending this email. Since "Agatha" came, my internet has been out, Mary's flight was canceled and she couldn't return from the States and I have been in San Juan and San Pablo. We were quite fortunate in the two villages where we work, because there were no major mud slides and nobody died here. However, the other villages around the lake lost houses and people died. Sorry I don't have the stats with me, but we will send them later. We just want you to know that we are both okay, as well as the clinic and our houses. The staff and local volunteers are all okay, as well as their houses and families. We opened the clinic on Monday, 5/28 after the storm hit over the weekend and were open all week. (We didn't have a water supply but managed, and were able to find drinking water in small containers. The roads to our villages were blocked for several days, but are open now.)

Thank you so much for your emails of concern......we appreciate you and all of your support of our ministry. This storm was compared to Hurricane Stan (Oct, 2005) and this time there were fewer lives lost, but the economic impact will be greater because of the high number of displaced families and the overall damage. Guatemala City was affected by the eruption of Volcano Pacaya on Thursday (that's when the airport was first closed), and there were 4-story sink holes from "Agatha". However, the outlying areas were hit very hard by the incredible rains and subsequent mud slides.

Please keep us and the Guatemalan people in your prayers. It will take a lot of relief work and working together to help heal the wounds, both physical and emotional. ( I treated a 41-year-old pastor with Bach Flower Remedies for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on Wednesday. His only child, an 11-year-old boy, died a month after Hurricane Stan and he lived in the Colonia that was wiped out by that hurricane.)

We feel your love and prayers,
Muchisimas gracias,

JoAn Dwyer & Mary Micikas
Individual Volunteers in Mission
United Methodist Church

--------------------
ODIM Organizacion para Desarrollo de la Indigena Maya
Callejon Cho'Cruz 0-25
Barrio Jucanya
Panajachel, Guatemala, C.A.
Cell Phone: 011 502 5215-8608
(in Guatemala, dial 5215-8608)

Youth Sunday

2010-05-15T18:04:00.003-05:00

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is Youth Sunday at Northaven. Christina Nelson will be bringing our message and other Northaven Youth will be leading us musically and liturgically. I hope you all can join us for a wonderful morning of worship in Community!!

Immediately following the worship service, the Youth will be selling Youth Bonds to raise money for their summer mission trip to Dulac, Louisiana. The Youth still need to raise approximately $1500 more dollars for their trip. Bonds will be sold for $25 per bond and you are invited to help the youth in their fundraising by purchasing as many bonds as you are interested in purchasing.

Looking forward to worship and the Feast of Friendship tomorrow! Pax,
Chris

Rev. Eric Folkerth's Statement from the MegaMarch Press Conference

2010-04-29T10:37:00.003-05:00

Prepared remarks for a press conference in support of comprehensive immigration reform, the Dream Act, and the MegaMarch.
Dallas City Hall
April 29, 2010

My name is Rev. Eric Folkerth and I am the senior pastor of Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas.

I am pleased to be standing before you this afternoon in support of comprehensive immigration reform, the Dream Act, and the MegaMarch.

I am pleased to tell you that members of Northaven United Methodist Church --myself included-- took part in the original MegaMarch of 2006. We were honored and humbled then to march alongside of 500,000 of our Latino/Latina brothers and sisters. And we look forward to being a part of the march on this coming Saturday.

All of us here today stand before you as leaders of our churches and synagogues. I stand before you because I believe Jesus commands those of us who follow him as Lord and Savior to "Love our neighbor as ourselves."

And in the Gospels of Jesus, Jesus is very clear that our "neighbor" is often a person of another race...an outsider...a foreigner...those who are considered "different."

I stand before you, because I believe standing for the rights of immigrants is part of following the commandments of Jesus.

Old Testament law (the Hebrew scriptures )also reminds us that God's holy people were once foreigners in a strange land. And, therefore, God commands faithful people, then and now, to treat the foreigner, the "alien," the outsider as if they were one of your own. That's in the Bible!

So, we are not as here as politicians. We are here to speak to what we believe to be God's commandments.

A moment ago, I mentioned the original MegaMarch of 2006. To those of you in the media, to those of you who are our elected leaders, I implore you to refer back to that march as you also look forward to Saturday's march.

Please hear this next sentence: The MegaMarch of 2006 was the largest single peaceful demonstration in the history of Dallas, Texas by a factor of ten. Think about that. It was the largest peaceful demonstration on ANY social issue in ANY historical time, in Dallas' history.

Saturday's march will likely take its place as no less than the second largest march in our city's history (although we of course won't know until it gets here...)

So, I implore our citizens, the media and politicians....as you evaluate angry voices on talk radio, as you hear angry calls on elected officials voicemails, please also listen to and remember the peaceful witness of the hundreds of thousands who marched in 2006, and all who will march Saturday.

We must listen to their voices too.

Saturday's march is not a response to the new Arizona law (it was planned before that news broke) but a continuation of a witness and dream --a reminder of the unfinished business of immigration reform-- that languished for years.

Concerning Arizona's new law however, those of us here today are not scholars of constitutional law, but we are scholars of God's law. And we respectfully suggest that this new law violates God's specific commandment to "love our neighbor as ourselves," and God's commandment to "treat the foreigner as if they were one of your own."

Jesus' call to love our neighbor, the desire to support immigrants and our Latino/Latina brothers and sisters everywhere, is why I will march on Saturday.

And I thank you for your time and attention today.

MegaMarch 2010

2010-04-27T09:38:00.005-05:00

Church in Society Commission invites you to join Northaven members and members of our sister church, Christ's Foundry UMC, as we participate in the 2010 MegaMarch in support of comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act.

MegaMarch 2010
Saturday, May 1st
March begins at 1 pm at the Cathedral of Guadalupe
2215 Ross Ave
Dallas, TX 75201

A picture from the 2006 MegaMarch, taken by Northaveners.

If you would like to travel downtown together, please see the following information:

11:15 am
Meet at for lunch at Urban Taco in Mockingbird Station. Click here for their website.
(NOTE: You don't have to join us for lunch to go with us downtown...but if you'd like to, please feel free...)

12:14
Catch the DART train downtown

12:30
Meet our Christ's Foundry UMC friends

1 pm
March begins

Five things are being asked by March Organizers:
1) Wear a white shirt or white t-shirt.
2) Bring an American Flag if you have one.
3) Bring bottled water for yourself.
4) Bring a trash bag (Last march we cleaned up after ourselves and we earned kudos from city officials. Fold the bag in your back pocket and take it out when you see trash on the route).

By all means NO disrespectful signs toward any group.

Positive signs supporting: Comprehensive Immigration Reform and our Immigrant Brothers and Sisters.

If you are planning to join us, please call the church office or let someone know so that we will be looking for you.

Youth Coffee House and Opportunities to Volunteer with Youth

2010-04-23T13:10:00.002-05:00

This is a busy weekend for our youth program at Northaven. While writing this post, I'm also getting ready for our second lock-in of the year, which is the last event of the "Our Whole Selves" program with Cathedral of Hope.

This Sunday, April 25, at 6pm in the Sanctuary, the Youth are hosting a Coffee House for the Northaven community in an effort to raise part of the $3,500 they need for their summer mission trip to Dulac, Louisiana. Dessert and coffee will be provided while you enjoy catching up with your fellow Northaveners and enjoy a night of entertainment provided by the youth and confirmands.

Also this Sunday, 10 minutes following the end of Sunday morning worship we will be hosting an orientation meeting in the Youth Room for anyone who is interested in volunteering with Northaven Youth. We have a variety of volunteer needs, including providing food, supervising Sunday evenings and other events, and helping provide transportation, especially for our monthly mission projects. If you have any interest in helping the youth over the Summer or the coming year, please come to this brief meeting to provide information for background screenings as well as obtain more information on how you can be part of enriching the spiritual lives of our youth.

Hope to see you this Sunday,
Chris

Strategic Plan for the North Texas Conference

2010-04-20T16:14:00.002-05:00

The North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church has been engaged in a process of strategic planning for more than a year now. A broad-based group of laypersons and clergy have listened to the feedback of many persons in the Annual Conference during the past calendar year.

They have held a series of district meetings to share their results. Their work and the work of the Bishop and Cabinet, have resulted in a new "strategic plan" for the North Texas Conference.

Delegates to the Annual Conference will be asked to consider a dramatic and creative restructuring to our annual conference agencies and to the "Cabinet."

The Strategic Planning Committee has created a website where folks can learn more about the plan. It's called "Holy Conferencing," and you can find it here.

You can download and read a copy of the entire strategic plan here. (pdf format)

The plan would establish Four Areas of Focus of The United Methodist Church as the Strategic Priorities of the North Texas Conference

1) Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world.
2) Creating new places for new people by creating new churches and renewing existing ones.
3) Engaging in ministry with the poor.
4) Combating the diseases of poverty by improving health globally.

To do this, the Vision Team and Cabinet Suggest Four Specific Strategic Changes:

1. Establish the four areas of focus of The United Methodist Church as the strategic priorities of the North Texas Conference.
2. Re-vision the role of the District Superintendents and reduce the number of districts of the North Texas Conference.
3. Streamline and realign the conference structure and staffing to address these priorities most effectively.
4. Realign our financial resources to reflect these priorities.

Northaven members are encouraged to become familiar with this proposed plan, and to offer feedback to our elected delegates to Annual Conference who will vote on this proposal.

Eligible voting delegates from Northaven are:
Shirley Cooper (lay delegate)
Eric Folkerth
Shannon Hamrick
Karan Marshall
Robin Lovin
Bill McElvaney
Ben Marshall

Give Your Input on the Mission Statement

2010-04-13T18:11:00.003-05:00

Authorized by our Leadership Council, and facilitated by Church in Society Commission, the Northaven Community is invited to engaged in a process of discernment which could lead to an expansion of our church's mission statement.

Specifically, the idea is to ask: "Does our statement need to say more about our mission to the world, specifically to the poor and the oppressed? And, if so, what should it say?"

This process does not seek to replace the current statement, approved in the 1990s, but to expand on the question "What are we called to *do* in the world?"
Therefore, for four weeks the congregation is invited to provide input and feedback on what that mission statement should include.

To "prime the pump" Church and Society has drafted four sample statements to get you to thinking and to praying about what it should be. They are:

* "Northaven seeks to extend God's love to the world through ministries of compassion, peace, justice and reconciliation."

* "Northaven understand our mission to embody God's love and justice in the world with special preference for those who are most vulnerable and marginalized."

* "Jesus described his mission in Luke 4 as being anointed, "to preach good news to the poor, te proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord". Jesus' mission is Northaven's mission in the world."

* As one body of Christ, we pray that God's Holly Spirit will empower us for the awesome and challenging task off spreading God's love and justice throughout our community and world.

Leave comments below about these statements, or about another statement of your own choosing. Or, on Sundays, leave a comment on at large display in the Atrium.

What Should We Do This Summer?

2010-04-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

Last summer, Northaven engaged in a powerful "Chautauqua" series that was heralded by many.

Your hardworking Worship Commission will soon be contemplating this summer, and perhaps yet another "Chautauqua" series, but perhaps around a different set of issues.

Are there some theological, social justice, or spiritual issues that might lend themselves to a powerful summer study?

What do YOU think would make a good summer series?

We can't promise to use all your ideas, but we'd love to hear them.

Leave your thoughts in the form of a "Comment" below.
(Note: you don't have to have a username and password. You may leave a comment using the "anonymous" method. If you like, you may sign your name at the end of your comment...)

Almost $14,000 Raised at Connections Show!

2010-01-30T00:04:00.004-06:00

Here are pictures from last Friday night's show at Northaven, via the Connections Band website.

The following is reposted from the Connections blog:

We’re all still pinching ourselves this morning, after last night’s show at Northaven.

More than 360 people packed the house to hear our “SuperHits of the 70s” show to benefit the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s work in Haiti.

And the response was nothing short of amazing.

Last night our assembled crowd raised $13,883!!**

Good Lord! (and we mean that literally...)

For perspective, we’ve now done over 25 shows in almost four full years. Before last night, the greatest single fundraising night to date was just over $7,000, and that was with a crowd of 500. Another crowd of 500 donated $5,000 on another occasion last year.

But no crowd has ever been as generous as our audience last night. There was cleary an incredible energy. We are very clear that it wasn’t US who caused this response. It was the “kairos moment” of many in the audience wanting to make a difference, wanting to find a way to “connect” in mission, combined with a show that we already had on our schedule when the earthquake hit.

We know that there were many pictures taken during the night, so very soon we’ll post some photographs as they come our way.

We are deeply grateful to the generosity of all those who came, and to the kind people of Northaven Church for hosting us.

The situation in Haiti continues to be tragic, almost beyond comprehension, in terms of its misery.

200,000 dead.
2 million now homeless.

Yesterday also marked the funeral day for the head of UMCOR, Rev. Sam Dixon, who was among those killed in the earthquake. He joins Rev. Clint Rabb (whose funeral is today in Austin) who was the head of UM Volunteers in Mission, and Jean Arnwine, a volunteer with the HPUMC Eye Clinic Team, as those who have died trying to bring healing to Haiti on behalf of the UMC.

While the reality of the pain and suffering are immeasurable, we are so humbled to be able to say...
Thank you to all who came
Thank you to those who tuned in to the live, web-streaming feed, or gave to UMCOR directly on our behalf
Thank you for doing what you can to help Haiti, and for allowing us to be a part of your response.

Connections Band

ps: if you would still like to donate directly to UMCOR, please go here. You’ll find information about the UMCOR response to Haiti overall, and also a link where you can give online right now.

** This is an updated total, with more funds continuing to trickle in still. We’ll update from time to time.

Acoustical Panels in the Atrium

2010-01-12T23:58:00.002-06:00

The Atrium Committee, aided by an anonymous donor, is supervising the installation of acoustical paneling in our Atrium. It's hoped that this will help lessen the sound issues that many people experience.

Pictures of Christmas Eve Snow

2010-01-10T23:53:00.000-06:00

Several members took pictures of the incredible Christmas Eve snow we had this year.

Here is one of the pictures:

Click here to see all of them.

News This Week: December 16

2009-12-16T15:43:00.002-06:00

News This Week: Northaven UMC

In This Issue
Advent, Week Four
"Blue Christmas" Service
Alternative Christmas Giving
Christmas Eve Info
Singers Needed
This I Know Bible Study
Growing Healthy Families

Click here to read the entire post.

Rutter's "Gloria" @ Northaven

2009-12-16T14:46:00.007-06:00

Below are pictures from Sunday's worship, and our Sanctuary Choir's presentation of John Rutter's "Gloria."

Almost 300 worshippers experienced more than 50 singers, players, and bell ringers on this special morning of music in worship.

Click here for more pictures.

News This Week: December 9

2009-12-09T14:33:00.002-06:00

News This Week from Northaven Church

In this issue:

Rutter's Gloria on December 13
Alternative Christmas Giving
Mission Team Information Meeting
Evening Song Concert
Cookie Exchange
Children's Holiday Party
Coming Up: Advent Week 3
Singers Needed
Finance Report
This I Know Bible Study

Click here.

Advent Decorations

2009-12-09T14:05:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures of our decorations around the church and sanctuary during the Advent season.

Click here to see even more pictures.

2009 Volunteer Luncheon

2009-12-09T08:05:00.004-06:00

Our staff is deeply grateful to all of the volunteers who help us each and every day in the office. We could not do the ministry of the church without them!

Click here for pictures of this event.

2009 Children's Christmas Pageant

2009-12-09T07:59:00.004-06:00

Our Children's Choir presented "A Night for Dancing" as a part of our worship on December 6th.

Click here for some pictures of this event. (Thanks to Valerie Hill and Travis Jordan for taking these pictures...)

Thank You, Black Tie Dinner!

2009-12-04T07:55:00.001-06:00

Northaven was again pleased to be a beneficiary of the 2009 Black Tie Dinner. The Black Tie Dinner distributed beneficiary checks last Thursday, December 3rd, at the downtown Sheraton Hotel. Northaven was pleased to receive $29,730.

We are deeply grateful for our continuing connection with the Black Tie Dinner, and grateful to all who contributed by being a part of this year's event. Thanks again to the Black Tie Dinner Board, and Northaven's own Black Tie Committee!

News this Week: November 21

2009-11-21T14:22:00.001-06:00

News This Week from Northaven Church.
Click here.

In this issue:

Thanksgiving Sunday
Advent is Coming!
Alternative Christmas Giving
Family Advent Event
Pledge Campaign Reminder

Email update from JoAn Dwyer

2009-11-13T09:05:00.002-06:00

Below is an email update from Northaven member, JoAn Dwyer, about our mission in Guatemala...

Dear Friends,
As the year draws to a close, we are planning the 2010 projects for ODIM. Guatemalans are feeling the same economic crunch that is felt worldwide. For the Tzu'tujil and Quiche' people we work with along the southwest border of Lake Atitlan, it is manifested in no jobs and no food for the family. The need for the clinic in San Juan has been obvious as we have had 1150 patient visits since we opened April 13. This represents 511 families, mostly from San Juan La Laguna and San Pablo La Laguna. Majority of our patients are women and children.

On Tuesday, Nov 3 in San Pablo the medical team from Colorado saw Veronica, a seriously dehydrated and malnourished 2-year-old girl who weighed 15 pounds. On Monday morning the mother followed up at the clinic in San Juan, bringing all 4 of her children (ages 2-11) because she is afraid to leave them at home with their abusive father. We provided money for transportation, vitamins and shoes for all 5 of them, and more Carnation Instant Breakfast for Veronica. Mom will be coming back to the clinic to ensure health for her children.

Please help us to continue the necessary services we are providing through ODIM by making a contribution. There are lots of Veronicas here who depend on us. We believe that by working together, we can make a difference in the 2 small villages of San Juan and San Pablo La Laguna.

You may send your check, payable to Interfaith Action International to
Dale Conger-Cross
Interfaith Action International
2850 Skyline Dr.
Lemon Grove, CA 91945

Thank you in advance for your support..........and your prayers.
With deep gratitude,
JoAn Dwyer
Mary Micikas

Individual Volunteers in Mission
United Methodist Church
Guatemala

P.S. Please send us an email with the date and amount of your gift.
--
ODIM Organizacion para Desarrollo de la Indigena Maya
Callejon Cho'Cruz 0-25
Barrio Jucanya
Panajachel, Guatemala, C.A.
Cell Phone: 011 502 5215-8608
(in Guatemala, dial 5215-8608)

Christ Foundry Groundbreaking

2009-11-13T08:25:00.004-06:00

Please join our friends at the Christ Foundry Church for their groundbreaking ceremony:

Sunday, November 15 at 3 pm.

Parking will be at Walnut Hill UMC. Please arrive early so that you can catch the shuttle buses to the Christ Foundry location. There will be no parking onsite, as it's a construction area.

Park at:

Walnut Hill UMC
10066 Marsh Lane
Dallas, TX 75229
(See map below...)

For years now, the members and friends of Christ Foundry have dreamed of a new church building. That building is now becoming a reality!

Northaven has been proud to be one of the original partner churches with Christ's Foundry, and celebrates this milestone with them. We've helped in the fundraising, through the "Bell Campaign" that raised more than 30 bells for the project.

Here's a video about the great things happening at Christ's Foundry:

Hope to see you there!

Here's a map to Walnut Hill UMC

View Larger Map

Texas POWs Bound By Survival

2009-11-11T10:15:00.003-06:00

Northavener Janice Henderson had a nice story on KERA this morning, detailing the lives of World War II POWs from Jack County.

Find the link here.

From the KERA website:

"On Veteran's Day, we commemorate the men and women who have served our country. But for one group of Veterans who survived as Japanese prisoners of war, today is a reminder of the strength and sacrifice that formed the foundation of a bond that still exists today. Freelance writer Janice Henderson has more"

Luther Prunty, one of the men interviewed for this story, is the father of Northavener, Gail Bialas. The Henderson's and Gail's family have family homes very near each other in Jack County, but did not meet until they were all members of Northaven...and did not know the family connection until very recently!

Thanks, Janice, for putting this out there!

A good reminder on Veteran's Day.

Pictures from the Texas Freedom Network event with Charles Haynes

2009-11-07T18:46:00.006-06:00

Thursday night, Northaven hosted an incredible event with Dr. Charles Haynes of the First Amendment Center. Sponsored by the Texas Freedom Network, Dr. Haynes talked about issues of separation of Church and State and, specifically, current issues in Texas regarding social studies standards for Texas schoolchildren.

Click here to see pictures from this event.

More than 200 persons attended the event. We're grateful to our friends at the Texas Freedom Network for such quality events for people of faith.

Video from the Celebration Garden Consecration

2009-11-06T11:39:00.004-06:00

Here is a short video of our consecration for the Celebration Garden. This event took place on All Saints Sunday, November 1, 2009.

Many thanks to Elaine Wiant for shooting the video on her iPod Nano!

Allen Ross Freedom Parade Video

2009-11-06T09:35:00.001-06:00

Here is a short video from last year's (2008) Allen Ross Freedom Parade, showing Northaven's entry from the perspective of the crowd. It gives you a good sense of what it's like to be in this important event.

News this Week: November 2, 2009

2009-11-03T08:18:00.000-06:00

Click here to read the "New This Week" email from Northaven Church.

In This Issue
Religion & The Public Schools
Justice Revival
Alternative Christmas Giving
We Need Volunteers!

Celebration Garden Consecration

2009-11-01T17:55:00.001-06:00

Sunday, November 1st was a glorious morning for Northaven Church, as we consecrated our Celebration Garden. At this blog entry, enjoy some pictures from the morning, listen to the sermon again, and share your thoughts and feelings for others to see by leaving a comment below.

Here are a few pictures of the day:

You can listen to this morning's sermon here.

You can see many more pictures here.

Feel free to leave your comments about the day below.

What are your thoughts about the Celebration Garden Consecration?
Do you have any comments for the Celebration Garden Committee?
How do you think/feel the garden will be used by Northaven?
In what ways will it be important to our future?

(You can leave a comment as "anonymous" to avoid having to create an account. Feel free to leave your name in the comment if you wish others to see it...)

Fall Worship Pictures

2009-10-29T22:57:00.000-05:00

Follow this link to find a picture album of various worship services during the past several weeks at Northaven Church.

We have a new digital camera, and it takes great shots like this one:

It also takes the other great shots you'll find here.

News This Week: October 28

2009-10-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

Please click here for this week's "News This Week" email from Northaven Church.

In this Issue:
Celebration Garden Dedication
Hymn Festival: Marshall Concert
Beth Love Schuessler
Religion & The Public Schools
Short Course on Prayer
Justice Revival
Alternative Christmas Giving

News This Week: October 22

2009-10-22T18:17:00.000-05:00

Click here for the "News This Week" email from Northaven Church.

In This Issue
Hymn Festival: Marshall Concert
Short Course on Prayer
Coop School Fall Carnival
God & Imperial Power
Connections Band
McElvaney Book Signing
Religion & The Public Schools
Celebration Garden Dedication

Pictures from the Jim Finley Retreat

2009-10-19T18:06:00.000-05:00

The Jim Finely Contemplative Retreat was a huge success this past weekend. More than 200 persons attended either the Friday or Saturday session.

Please click here to find a photo album of the weekend.

Many thanks to Bob Stewart and to the Contemplative Events committee for the months of hard work that culminated in this great weekend.

News This Week: October 13

2009-10-13T18:11:00.000-05:00

Please click here for this week's "News This Week" email from Northaven Church.

Celebration Garden- Updated Pictures

2009-09-30T14:25:00.001-05:00

The past few weeks have seen great progress on the construction of the Celebration Garden at Northaven. The labyrinth is finished, as are both the stone work and capstones on the columbarium and mosaic cross.

Today, as we look out the window, we can see the fence being installed around the perimeter. Here are a few pictures to update you.

Vacation Bible School 2009

2009-09-29T18:04:00.000-05:00

A slideshow from Northaven's 2009 Vacation Bible School.

With the theme "Creating Peacemakers," VBS was an intergenerational event that featured an evening community meal and activities for kids and parents to do together.

Light Ring Repair

2009-09-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

Those of us here at Northaven know that all through the summer months we've been living with a lack of light in the sanctuary. On Pentecost Sunday, the "light ring" in the sanctuary momentarily became the center of attention when some of the plastic from it caught fire and fell to the ground at the end of service.

We've joked ever since that it was perfect for this to happen on Pentecost, and that it was also appropriate to rename these lights the "Ring of Fire."

Below are three pictures of the re-installation of these lights, which began early this morning. We're told this process may take the next two days.

The two "lifts" on the sanctuary floor

One "lift" takes down old lights. It's a long way up there...

Lights ready to be reinstalled

Dallas Denton District UMW

2009-09-21T23:15:00.000-05:00

Northaven was pleased to host a meeting of the Dallas Denton District UMW on September 19th.

Click here to see more pictures of the day.

Allen Ross Freedom Parade Pictures

2009-09-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

Click here to see pictures from Northaven's participation in this year's Allen Ross Freedom parade.

This link leads to a brief video clip from last year's (2008) parade, which will give you a sense of what it's like for the many thousands of people who line the parade route each year.

Feast of Beginnings 2009

2009-09-14T23:29:00.000-05:00

Northaven's Feast of Beginnings for 2009 was an all-church talent show that included dramatic readings, musical acts, and even a gymnastics demonstration.

We were all reminded again of what an incredibly talented congregation we have, and everybody enjoyed being served the delicious food from "Carmine's" Italian Restaurant.

Click here to see the entire photo album.

What Did You Offer on Sunday?

2009-08-31T15:51:00.000-05:00

Many of you were present Sunday for the "Sowing Our Seeds" ceremony for our "Celebration Garden." Members of Northaven processed out of the sanctuary and to the garden site and offered small symbols of personal meaning, that will now forever become a part of the labyrinth foundation.

After the ceremony was over, several members commented that it might be meaningful to hear what others shared and why. So, if you wish, please leave a "comment" below and describe what you left, so that others might be inspired by your story.

It's always powerful to hear each other's stories, and this is yet another way we can share with each other, as this process proceeds.

Question:
What "symbol" or item did you leave as a part of the Celebration Garden ceremony Sunday? Why did you choose it? What does it mean to you? Also, if you wish, share any other thoughts and feelings about the garden below as a "comment" to this blog entry.

(Note: you will be asked to either sign in to leave a comment, or leave it as "Anonymous." If you do not have a Google or Blogger account, Anonymous is a perfectly fine way to leave a comment. You can always sign your comment if you wish to include your name. If you do have a Google account, you should be able to sign in using those credentials.)

Immigration Reform Vigil

2009-08-24T22:46:00.001-05:00

Here is a video from KXAS Channel 5, covering the Immigration Reform Prayer vigil that was hosted at Northaven Church on August 23rd, 2009.

And here are some pictures posted by the sponsoring organization, "Welcoming Immigrants Network."

The Contemplative Life: Female Mystic Perspective, Sep. 14

2009-08-23T23:41:00.000-05:00

2nd Monday Series
September 14 – Ginger Georgulas – Female Mystic Perspective of the Contemplative Life

The objective of The Contemplative Life series is to provide an overview of the distilled wisdom of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and other major religions that converge in contemplative practice. The presentations are intended to be intellectually sophisticated (but not academic), experiential, and practical. Without seeking to blur the distinctions between religious faiths, we want to engage together with mutual respect to understand our common core.

Since May we have considered Buddhist, Vedanta Hindu, Sufi, and Jewish perspectives. The September presentation moves us into a different realm by looking specifically to female Christian mystics and understanding some distinctive aspects of how women approach spirituality. Ginger Georgulas will provide examples of female mystics in different eras of history and add further depth to our understanding of the contemplative life.

The Second Monday Contemplative Life series will be followed by a retreat at Northaven led by James Finley October 16-18, with the topic: "Jesus and Buddha - How the teachings of Jesus reflect the Four Noble Truths."

Monday, September 14, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Northaven UMC
11211 Preston Road
Dallas, Sanctuary

Ginger Georgulas, Female Mystic Perspective of the Contemplative Life
No charge.

Ginger Georgulas has had a life-long interest in spirituality and is particularly attuned to the ways in which women experience spirituality. After many years in accounting, Pastor Georgulas followed God’s call to ministry and was ordained in 1991. She served Lutheran congregations in Hawaii and California. In 2001 she retired to be near her two youngest grandchildren. She has since served as an interim pastor, conference dean, seminary student mentor, chaplain for a local chapter of Lutherans Concerned (GLBT Lutherans), and women’s retreat leader.

Previous Presentations:

May 11 - Ruben Habito, “Buddhist Perspective”
June 8 - Pravrajika Brahmaprana, “Vedanta Hindu perspective”
July 13 - Yusuf Kavakci, “Sufi perspective”
August 10 – Geoffrey Dennis, “Jewish perspective”

Future Presentations:

October 1 (Thursday) – Father Don Fischer, St. Joseph Catholic Church—Christian esoteric tradition of Centering Prayer

Click here or more information about the 2nd Monday Series or to register.

You may also call Northaven at 214-363-2479.

Construction Pictures of the Celebration Garden

2009-08-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

These pictures are of the construction of the Celebration Garden at Northaven Church. Phase one of the garden is under construction now. Learn more about the garden here.

Construction Pictures

Welcome Chris Reed!

2009-08-20T22:44:00.000-05:00

New Youth Director, Chris Reed, has started his job at the church this week. He's still unpacking boxes and getting settled, but everyone is thrilled that he is here in Dallas and now officially with us.

Along with organist Andy Packard, we'll welcome Chris to Northaven this coming Sunday morning.

Test Blog

2009-08-20T22:24:00.001-05:00

Hey Friends:

We're working on creating a new blog for Northaven UMC.

This is work in progress.

Please visit often and see how we're doing!

Guatemala Mission Trip 2009

2009-06-29T22:54:00.000-05:00

Click here to see pictures from Northaven's 2009 Mission trip to Guatemala.

Our members joined other Methodists from Wellspring UMC in McKinney and Grace UMC in East Dallas for the 2009 mission trip to Guatemala. Ten team members spent a week laying stucco on a soon-to-be- completed dental clinic in the Tz’utujil Maya community of San Juan las Laguna on Lake Atitlan. The clinic is a project of Northaven’s JoAn Dwyer, a long term missionary in Guatemala.