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Neighbors Study Group Outlines Principles to Guide Programs, Practices, and Resource Allocation Deepening Foundry’s relationship with other faith communities, strengthening the church’s service projects through collaboration with other local groups, and reaching out to people who attend services but are not connecting with the Foundry community are among the priorities outlined by Foundry’s Neighbors Planning Study Group. Formed in September, the 10-member panel conducted seven sessions with nearly 100 people between November and January. The study group explored the question “Who are our neighbors?” as part of a multi-year effort by the church to determine the direction of its ministries and missions. The first group in the planning process tackled the question “Who are we?” and the third one will concentrate on “What is God calling us to do and be?” and “How do we organize to be prepared to answer God’s call?” The neighbors panel described seven ways that Foundry can better connect with its neighbors. One of its findings is that Foundry members want to deepen their understanding of the religious beliefs of other diverse communities, including evangelical Christians, Jews, Muslims, and nearby denominational churches. A strong sentiment focused on achieving greater understanding of people who approach Christianity from different perspectives. “There is a lot of desire to be in dialogue with other Christians,” said Barbara Cambridge, chair of the neighbors group.
As Foundry determines new missions, the neighbors panel offered a rubric. “The Neighbors Study Planning Group believes that decisions about undertaking service projects should be based on established need and the conviction and passions of groups within Foundry who are willing to provide leadership for the activities,” it said. The Pastoral Corner: During a staff retreat in February, we learned that anxiety is not inherently bad. Where there is no anxiety, there is no life. As we live together and work to be God’s people and live as Jesus teaches, we are faced with feelings of anxiousness and uncertainty. It is important how we address it and how we live through times of tension or conflict. A way Christians may find help in times of anxiety is through the observance and practice of the Christian year. The ebb and flow of “holy time” can support us as we move with the ebb and flow of our own life experiences.
Many traditions have at their core a remembrance of the mighty acts of the divine force and presence of the universe. As Christians we are given a rhythm, a way of living with and through the events of our own lives that begins and ends and begins again. Our church has a number of important discussions happening all the time. We are a church in motion, and therefore, we are a church with life! This is good news! With discussions and planning comes a certain amount of concern and trepidation. As we live together through these remaining weeks of Lent, we turn toward God to live freed from angst, to live in the Easter presence of Jesus. Foundry’s Lent and Holy Week Leads to Easter Lent, the period of 40 weekdays preceding Easter, is a time of preparation and renewal when Christians focus on self-examination and taking on a form of spiritual discipline different from what they practice the rest of the year. The Foundry community is most fortunate to have so many resources at its fingertips to lead us in our journey to prepare for Easter morning. Lenten Devotional Rev. Dean Snyder’s Sermon Series: On the Edge of Promise We are encouraged to read the Sunday Bible passages each week for greater understanding of their meaning in our own lives. As we come closer to the end of this season, we want to draw your attention to our celebrations planned for Holy Week: Palm/Passion Sunday, April 1 The services will reflect on the journey from Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem to his death sentence later in the week. Our services at 9:30 and 11:00 begin not in the sanctuary, as is our custom, but on the plaza outside the church. We relive Jesus’ triumphal entry as we enter the sanctuary with our palms, singing joyfully. Mid-way in the service the focus changes to a more somber note as we look toward Holy Week. We will share the Eucharist and end the service with a reading of the Passion Story and a verse of the poignant hymn, “Were you there.” Rev. Dean Snyder’s sermon will be “Leaning into the Promise.” Holy Thursday, April 5
Good Friday, April 6 Easter Sunday, April 8 In between worship hours, children can participate in the annual Foundry Easter Egg Roll. We hope that your prayerful journey through this season will enrich your spiritual life and enable you better to follow Christ in the “new life” that is ours as a result of Christ’s resurrection. We celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 13th this year. As part of our celebration, we will be offering the celebration of the sacrament of baptism that day. At Foundry, we generally celebrate baptism on the fourth Sunday of each month, with some exceptions, including this one for Mother’s Day. Every other month, we offer a baptism orientation for those preparing for the sacrament and/or their parents. Here we explore the meaning of baptism in the Methodist tradition; the various commitments made by the baptized, their parents (if children are being baptized), and the church congregation; and how baptism is seen as an important step in what is hoped to be a long and fruitful journey of Christian discipleship and discovery. The next Baptism Orientation will be held on Saturday, May 12th from 9:30-11:00 AM. If you are interested in having your child baptized on Mother’s Day or in the upcoming months, please contact Robert McDonald, Director of Membership Services, at the office or by email at rmcdonald@foundryumc.org. Staff Profile: Eileen Guenther
Eileen earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Catholic University of America. She serves as Lecturer in Church Music at Wesley Theological Seminary, where she conducts the Chapel Choir, teaches sacred music, and has led four immersion trips to South Africa for Masters of Divinity students. She is also on the applied music faculty at The George Washington University. She writes and lectures on clergy-musician relations, various worship and sacred music topics, multi-cultural music, and the role “art music” and “heart music” play in worship. Eileen has served her professional organization, the American Guild of Organists, in many capacities – from Dean of the local chapter and chair of a national convention to National Vice President. Many Foundry members may not know that Eileen was heard on WGMS for many years, as host of "The Royal Instrument" as well as other special programs. Eileen and her husband, Dr. Roy Guenther, Professor of Music and Interim Associate Dean for Faculty and Special Programs at George Washington University , have performed organ-trombone recitals together in Europe and the US . Roy is Director of Music at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Arlington , VA and they are parents of fifteen-year-old Christina, who plays the piano and viola and who has sung frequently at Foundry. Eileen has been invited by the Global Praise Team of the General Board of Global Missions to join a group of 10 music and liturgy leaders to conduct "intensive training" in these areas for the East Africa Annual Conference of the UMC in May. Classes will be held at the Humble UM School in Mukono , Uganda , with participants from Burundi , Kenya , Rwanda , Sudan and Uganda . The team leaves April 27 and is scheduled to return May 13. The entire team asks for your prayers for this missionary venture. Bringing the HOPE of Easter to the World One of the ways Foundry is celebrating Easter’s “message of hope” is with our own HOPE Fund Pentecost Calendar. The goal of this calendar is to actively unite our congregation in daily prayer, awareness and financial support of the mission work of the United Methodist Church. The HOPE Fund is a Baltimore-Washington Conference effort to raise $1 million by the next Annual Conference as a concrete response in three challenging areas: As Foundry’s mission work so closely matches the HOPE Fund’s goals, Foundry is supporting the HOPE Fund as a Bishop’s Leadership Circle church – meaning Foundry is committing to raise at least $30 per worshipper, for a total of $20,000. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina left the Mississippi annual conference with many church buildings completely destroyed. Virginia Dize, a member of Foundry’s Volunteers In Mission team that visited New Orleans last year, comments, “We were shocked by the devastation. Pictures on television and news reports simply cannot capture the damage seen up close or the impact on individual lives. There remains so much to be done! I’m pleased to learn that the HOPE Fund will support rebuilding in the Gulf area.” HOPE Funds will be used locally as well as worldwide to comfort the sick and bring healing and education to those impacted by HIV/AIDS. United Methodists, and especially Foundry, have been active in engaging the crisis of HIV/AIDS. For more than 16 years, the AIDS Mission Group at Foundry has prepared homemade meals twice a month for the Whitman Walker Food Bank, which serves those living with HIV/AIDS. More than 25,000 meals have been delivered since our mission began. Another of the many ways Foundry has responded to HIV/AIDS is the annual Concert for Life. As described by P.J. Taylor, “The Concert for Life at Foundry was started in 1993 in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Beneficiaries include local and international organizations that serve those impacted by HIV and AIDS. It is an event that pulls together many diverse individuals within the church and the community as we work for a common cause and show that ‘Music is Mission’.” In Zimbabwe, a burgeoning spiritual vitality cannot mask the staggering economic hardships faced by the people and their churches. Ed Stone, who has been involved with Africa University, says, “Our participation in the HOPE Fund is another wonderful chapter in Foundry’s Christian witness to the people of Zimbabwe. As the economic and political infrastructure in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate into evermore frightening chaos, people (including many we know) are increasingly unsure about their very survival. The HOPE Fund is an answer to their prayers and ours.” Each day of Foundry’s HOPE Fund Pentecost Calendar has a prayer request and a related interesting fact about one of the three main causes that will benefit from the HOPE Fund. (The Calendar is included in this issue of the Forge.) Special HOPE Fund donation envelopes will be distributed with the calendars, and worshippers will present their HOPE Fund contributions during both the 9:30 and 11:00 AM services on Sunday, May 20, 2007. In this season, which celebrates the bringing the Good News of Easter to the world, the HOPE Fund represents Foundry in action by bringing that message of victory to those in great need. Lots of New Educational Opportunities this Spring! As we continue to ask ourselves the question, "Who are our neighbors?", Foundry's education committee is working with other churches in the local area to promote some of their special adult course offerings and asking them to promote Foundry's special courses. This will enable us to get to know people at neighboring churches a little better and engage in some inter- and intra-church dialogue about our faith walks. The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church is currently hosting scholar-in-residence Frances Taylor Gench, who is a professor in New Testament at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. She is leading a series on the Gospels and how they call us deeper into Christian discipleship. It meets on the following Saturday mornings from 9:30 AM to noon: March 10 (MATTHEW), March 24 (LUKE), and April 14 (JOHN) at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. For more information and a list of the suggested readings, see the flier on the Adult Christian Education bulletin board across the hall from the Foundry library. Foundry also has some new course offerings this spring. In addition to the usual Sunday morning 9:30 adult classes, we have added an 11:00 AM class. Through mid-April, the class will be studying Christian ethics, using the curriculum titled "A Life Worthy of the Gospel." The 6-week course was designed by Sondra Wheeler, Professor of Christian Ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary. The co-leaders are Chuck Kluepfel and George Miller, one of Foundry's seminary interns. We will also have two special Sunday afternoon offerings this spring. On Sunday April 15, 2007, at 2:00 PM, Foundry will be providing an early screening of the film The Power of Forgiveness, which is scheduled to be shown on PBS in June of this year. The film has been produced by Martin Doblmeier, who produced the popular documentary on Dietrich Bonhoeffer that has been shown at Foundry. Mr. Doblmeier will be present for the screening and will lead a discussion after the film. On Sunday afternoon, May 20, 2007, at 2:00 PM, Sondra Wheeler, Professor of Christian Ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary, will give the annual J. Philip Wogaman Lecture on parenting, child rearing, and families. She will talk about the challenges of parenthood, the risks of relationship, and what happens when relationships are strained. She will take questions after the lecture. Mark your calendars for the 2007 Wogaman Lecture. This special educational event in the life of Foundry Church, which honors the contributions of Rev. Phil Wogaman to the fields of ethics and theology, will be held on May 20, 2007 at 2:00pm in the Sanctuary. Dr. Sondra Wheeler, Martha Ashby Carr Professor of Christian Ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary, will deliver this year’s lecture, speaking specifically on the ethics of parenting. She notes as a preface to this lecture that: "…any bookstore can supply you with manuals for every aspect of parenting from pregnancy to getting your kid into college. They will advise you about how to raise the right sort of children: healthy, smart, responsible and so on. None of them focus much on how to become the right sort of parent, the sort of person who can wield the remarkable power and authority of parenting wisely and well. We will talk about the moral challenges of parenthood, the risks and temptations of this central human relationship, and what happens when it goes awry. We will talk too about what helps, and about how the fundamental practices of Christian faith can sustain our work of nurturing other human beings to health and maturity." For more on Dr. Wheeler’s interests and publications visit her webpage at www.wesleysem.edu/about/ID.59/directory_detail.asp. Foundry Offers Two Scholarships for Members, Families Applications are available for two Foundry scholarships for the 2007-08 academic year, the Scholarship Committee has announced. The two awards, offered to Foundry members and their families, are: Applications for both scholarships are available at the Education table in Fellowship Hall, at the church office, and on Foundry's Web site. All applications must be returned by U.S. mail, postmarked on or before May 6. Please direct questions to Emily Sama Martin, Scholarship Committee Convener, at emsama@gmail.com or (202) 363-4899. The Foundry Players Celebrate 60th Anniversary The Foundry Players is one of Washington, D.C.’s oldest community theaters, performing popular comedies, powerful dramas, and timeless classics since 1946. We are excited to be celebrating our 60th Anniversary with the 2006-2007 season! Begun by a group of young people who came to Washington in the early 40s for the war effort, and who attended Foundry United Methodist Church, the group continued a theatrical tradition at Foundry that reaches back to the ‘20s – producing one-act plays every few months. Among the early members of the Players are Marion Beasley and Mary Jane Klipple, and Karen Beasley has appeared on the Foundry stage almost from birth! Each season now includes three main-stage productions and occasional extras, including dramatic readings. The Players have also recently performed in a number of annual Northern Virginia Theater Association (NVTA) One-Act Festivals. Our Diamond Jubilee Season includes productions of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (in which Foundry members Bob Benn, Carolyn Fado, Matt Smith, Kerm Towler, and Jean Wogaman all performed), Jean Kerr’s Mary, Mary, and Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins. The Foundry Players have been recognized with a number of awards over the past few years, including “Best Musical” for Working (2003 Ruby Griffith Award) and “Best Ensemble” for Stage Directions (2003 NVTA One-Act Play Festival). For more information about The Foundry Players, visit them on the web at www.foundryplayers.org. Friday “Walk-in” Mission for the Homeless Seeks More Volunteers The Friday morning Walk-In Mission of Foundry United Methodist Church provides the homeless a three hour sanctuary that offers a short prayer service, snacks, clothing, and assistance with IDs. We need more volunteers! Please consider helping with this vital mission to the homeless and strengthen Foundry’s commitment to serve our most needy neighbors.
Part-timer: 1-2 hours per Friday at least once a month; 8:30 to 9:30 AM and/or 11:00 to 12:00 noon. These are particularly busy times when we are starting and ending the mission activities. Help set-up: set up the tables and paperwork stations for the ID counseling, help greet and welcome clients as they arrive. Help wrap-up: record all the names of the day’s and file each client’s paperwork away. Half-timer: 1-2 hours per Friday at least two or three times a month. See specific jobs under Part-timer, but come more often than once a month! Help support the processing for clients in the clothing or ID services. Full-timer: 2-3 hours per Friday at least two times a month. Counsel clients with their ID/Birth certificate needs. Help and assist clients with clothing needs. Full-time volunteers are critical to the stability and continuity of the mission. In addition to Friday morning opportunities, there are other times that need volunteers. Snacks for the mission are purchased under the direction of Jen Kempf and Margaret Harris. In addition, clothing for the mission is sorted Wednesday afternoons from 2:00 to 5:00 PM; contact Joan Williams (202) 265-2065 to help with this important work. Donations of clothing, especially men’s pants (sized 30-38) and belts are always welcome. Clients who come to the mission for clothing needs receive clean clothes and a new sense of dignity. Each client is helped individually to select shoes, coats or basic clothing. Toiletries are also available. Non-driver’s IDs not only provide a sense of identity and purpose, but are required for most health care, housing and employment opportunities. In order to receive ID assistance from Foundry, each client is required to bring a referral from the organization managing their case. Some of these referring entities include DC’s public health or housing agencies, the DC/Federal justice systems and many of the city’s largest non-profits serving the homeless. Foundry UMC provides the needed application funds for these IDs. Foundry is one of only a few places in DC providing financial assistance for obtaining government IDs. For many of the volunteers and clients the mission has become one of the thin places that has been the subject of recent sermons at Foundry. A “thin place” is where the distance between heaven and earth becomes much smaller than usual. The Walk-In Mission is a place where the clients tell us they have been blessed by our work and they often bless us with an amazing gratitude and grace in the face of circumstances that are hard for most of us to imagine. The volunteer experience can also be an education into the challenges facing the homeless and chronically poor, and correct some long-held stereotypes. Above all, it is an opportunity to become an active part of Foundry’s efforts to “love thy neighbor.” As a member of the Foundry community you are already an important part of our mission programs. But we welcome your active participation with the Friday morning Walk-in Mission if that can become part of your schedule. Contact Janet Osborne at janetosborne@starpower.net or Jana Meyer, Minister of Missions, to volunteer. Please consider joining the volunteer team at any level of participation! Susanna Wesley House “Lucinda” Pins Available for Spring What do Jane Fonda, Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Jane Pauley, Katie Couric, Margaret Thatcher, and Oprah Winfrey have in common? They all own a Designs by Lucinda pin. And the Board of Directors of Susanna Wesley House will once again be selling these colorful and fun pins. The pins all have a “house” theme and funds will be used for the care and maintenance of the SWH property, as well as the programs for the women who reside there. Knowing there was something she could do to help herself overcome poverty and homelessness, Lucinda Yates used her creativity and drive to launch a successful line of fashion jewelry. One day Lucinda designed a simple pin in the shape of a house. That was the moment Lucinda knew she could help others. The House Pin she created that day became the perfect fundraiser for a local shelter. It gave the shelter greater visibility and financial support. It started a business dedicated to helping non-profits succeed. SWH will have a table in the Fellowship Hall beginning the Sunday after Easter – just in time for Mothers’ Day! Foundry 20/30s Retreat The Foundry 20s/30s Plus Group will hold a retreat on April 14-15 in West Virginia at the Kidwell farm. Discussion sessions will explore the theme of forgiveness. There is a fee of $25 to cover food expenses. For more information, contact Wendy King at (501) 952-6726, or by email at wendypking@gmail.com. GLBT Men’s Retreat at Rehoboth Beach - April 20-22 Register by mail by March 21, or in Fellowship Hall after services on March 18. Join us for the annual spring retreat held once again this year in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Foundry’s new Associate Pastor DeeAnne Lowman has agreed to lead the retreat and anyone who has met her or heard her preach knows that we are in for a treat. We will again stay and meet at the newly remodeled Breakers Inn. Cost at the Breakers is $85 per person (in a double room). You are welcome to stay wherever you want. There is also a $10 registration fee for all participants. Contact Brian at blangdon@yahoo.com, or Paul at paulk@visi.net, if you have questions, or if you can volunteer to help with the registration tables or the retreat. |
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Eileen Guenther , recitalist, educator, and church musician, has served for many years as the Minister of Music and Liturgy at Foundry. In this capacity Eileen plays for weekly services and conducts our two adult choirs, Jubalate, which sings at the 9:30 service, and the Foundry Choir, which provides musical leadership at the 11:00 service. These choirs often combine to perform major works in the sacred music repertoire (with orchestra) and have been described in a Washington Post review as "one of Washington 's finest choruses." The choirs have joined forces with Foundry’s Concert for Life Committee to present annual concerts that have raised over $600,000 for organizations providing support to persons living with HIV/AIDS in the Washington area, South Africa , and Zimbabwe . 
Volunteers from the congregation help greet and host the clients while they are with us and are also needed to help provide assistance with the selection of clothing and with obtaining their birth certificates and/or non-driver’s ID. Although the mission is open for three or more hours, there are many “part-time” volunteer opportunities that will be a great help to the continued success of the walk-in mission. Of course we welcome those interested in a “full-time” commitment. Here is an outline that covers the basic descriptions of part-time, half-time and full-time volunteers: 
Foundry United Methodist Church
1500 16th Street, NW * Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 332-4010 * Fax: (202) 332-4035
Email: foundryumc@foundryumc.org
Web: www.foundryumc.org
Pastoral Care Emergency Phone
(after normal office hours): (202) 306-2659