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Discovering New Neighbors Through
English as a Second Language Classes “Of course it’s not too late to sign up!” exclaimed the eyes and bright smile of Amy-Ellen. I learned about the ESL class for day laborers from the Sunday bulletin and thought I would give it a try even though I could barely get through Spanish II and had never taught ESL. When I walked up the stairs for my first class, I recognized my apprehension and confusion in the faces gathered in the hallway. The only discernable difference was that the men didn’t speak English and just smiled back when I reached out my hand and said hello. During the four months of class, I was fortunate to team teach with a member of Foundry with a contagious smile and compassion for every student. We had as many as five “intermediate level” students who ranged in age between 25 and 45 years old, who came to class already tired from a long day of work. Some were painters, carpenters, dry-wallers, or roofers – who learned their trade in Guatemala, El Salvador or Peru. Volumes of books could be written on what I learned about their past. Joaquin opened up to tell us about his mother and five siblings that every year cook for friends and family to host a Christmas Eve party until 12 AM. While some stories were joyful, others were heartbreaking. Unfortunately it is all too common that the workers never get paid for painting an entire house or are left at the worksite in Maryland without a ride home. By the end of the semester, we had spent hours conversing in English, conjugating verbs, and filling in workbook pages. My students were incredibly eager to learn and were not shy to ask questions. My favorite question asked was why people shout “back door!” on the bus. Or why is it that you get “on a bus” but not “on a car?” To my surprise these lessons warranted a handshake goodbye and a profuse thank you. And on the last night of class, marked with a pizza party and certificates of completion, the most moving moment of all started with a simple deed: the thank you speech. Almost every student expressed their appreciation, in their beautiful native language, to the teachers and organizers of the program. God was called to bless all of us – many, many times. However I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary to deserve God’s praise. The students deserve the reward of heaven and blessings from God. Joaquin left his family and risked his life to live in poverty and send money home. He showed up every Tuesday night to learn a language that will help him survive in this foreign country. I showed up on Tuesday and learned a language which spoke of understanding, thankfulness, hope, and love. Thank you to Amy-Ellen, Lynn, Jana and all of the teachers and contributors to the Foundry ESL program. The Pastoral Corner Almost every tradition and culture has some kind of remembrance or celebration involving decorated eggs. These traditional observances all seem to take place during the end of the winter season, close to spring. Some are pagan, some are Christian, but all these art forms create beautifully decorated eggs. A number of years ago, I began to practice the art of Ukrainian egg dying throughout the Lenten season of the year. I huddle around a single candle, my drawing tool (a kistka) poised gently in my hand. The heat from the candle warmed both the beeswax and my cold, white-knuckled hand wrapped firmly around my palette, the egg. While I don’t have what I would call a steady hand, I managed to recreate some of the more traditional designs with the traditional colors of yellow, red, and black. (See picture.) With the advent of Christianity to Ukraine, the egg became an important part of the Easter ritual associated with the new religion and many legends evolved around the Easter egg. One of the more elaborate legends shared with me by one of my teachers is the story of the origin of Easter eggs: When Christ was dying on the cross blood flowing from his many wounds fell on the ground. Wherever a drop fell a red Easter egg was created. Christ's mother, Mary, was standing beneath his cross praying and crying. Those red Easter eggs on which her tears would land, in turn, became elaborately decorated Easter eggs. Mary gathered all the eggs into a kerchief and went to Pontius Pilate to ask for permission to bury her son. On her way there she gave an Easter egg to each child she met, along with the admonition to live in peace. Arriving at the palace of Pilate, Mary fainted and the Easter eggs from her kerchief rolled all over the world. From that day on people everywhere decorate eggs at Easter time and give them to each other as an expression of love and peace. Thus, in Ukrainian folklore, a pagan ritual was incorporated into Christianity. Michelle is a graduate of Drew Theological School and is ordained an Elder in the Troy Annual Conference. She serves Newtonville UMC, near Albany, New York. She currently chairs the Conference Sessions Committee, serves on the Northeast Jurisdictional Conference worship planning team, the Troy Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and Albany District Committee on Ministry, and was elected a delegate to the 2004 sessions of the General and Jurisdictional Conferences of the United Methodist Church. She is the Vice-President of the Drew Theological School Alumni/ae Executive Board and serves on the Advisory Board of the regional American Cancer Society. She co-leads trainings on Worship Technology, and is trained as a Church Consultant for change and congregational development. Her ministry is about seeking justice, building shalom, and searching for the “thin places.” Bokamoso Youth Theatre Returns to Foundry
These musical dramas are created from the stories of the youth themselves with the help of Washingtonians Leslie Jacobson (Horizons Theatre Director) and Roy Barber (St. Andrews Episcopal High School in Bethesda). This is guaranteed to be a moving and powerful afternoon to which you'll want to invite you friends. In addition, the group will also participate in both the 9:30 and the 11:00 AM services. The 5th Annual Foundry Leaders Weekend will take place Friday evening, February 16th, and Saturday, February 17th, at the Holiday Inn in Gaithersburg, Maryland. While primarily designed for those in leadership and committee positions at Foundry, we invite all to come and participate in the weekend. During the weekend we will be focusing on our ongoing discussion of “Who is our neighbor?” Please note that you will not come away from the weekend with a new job or new responsibilities. You will come away with new ideas, new insights, new information and new friendships. Please contact Bob Benn at the office or by email at bbenn@foundryumc.org to make a reservation to participate. Hotel reservations should be made directly with the Holiday Inn at (301) 948-8900. Be sure to mention that you are with the Foundry United Methodist Church. Who wrote the Bible, and why is it so important? What does it mean to be “called” by God and to what is God calling me? What is the Holy Spirit and how does it work? Where do we go for hope when we feel like we’re surrounded by evil and suffering? From February through May, Foundry will be going through the Making Disciples curriculum. During this confirmation process youth are asked to explore some of the big questions of faith with the guidance of an adult mentor, and either make or renew the promises made for them in the baptismal covenant. Mentors and confirmands will covenant to pray for one another daily and read from Luke’s Gospel each week, checking in with one another regularly by phone or email. Foundry’s ministers will help lead our monthly group sessions. We’re having a Kickoff Luncheon for confirmands, parents, mentors and ministers to meet one another after worship on February 18th. Three Saturday morning sessions for youth and mentors will be held on February 24, March 17, and May 26. One overnight retreat is scheduled for Friday, April 20. Our young people will be confirmed as the highlight of a powerful service on Pentecost Sunday, May 27. Please let us know if a young person in your family is interested in learning more about the faith while looking over the shoulder of a mature Christian, renewing her or his commitment to following Jesus, and joining Foundry church. Adult mentors are very instrumental to this process – and recent mentors have found this to be a rewarding time of renewal for them, too. Please let Matt Smith, Youth Minister, know if you would like to participate as a confirmand or mentor no later than February 4. Be a Part of the Lenten Devotional "Expectation" is the theme for our Lenten Devotional booklet this year. What do you look forward to, what was surprising? Consider writing short prose of 300 words or poetry about some personal experience or the impact “expectation” has in your spiritual life, including title, scripture, text, short prayer, and your name. You may submit your writing to us via email or leave paper in the Spiritual Life Committee mailbox in Foundry's copy room. Last date is January 28.
Thinking About Becoming a Foundry Member? If you have been coming to Foundry for some time and have found yourself more “at home” with our congregation, perhaps now is a good time to consider becoming a member. Perhaps you are a Methodist who has moved here from out of town. Maybe you grew up a Methodist or a member of some other religious tradition and haven’t been connected with a church for some time. Or maybe you found yourself here at Foundry having never participated in a place of worship before. However you may have arrived here in your journey, we welcome you and invite you take the easy steps to become a member. Step 1: Complete a registration form that can be found on the Foundry website (www.foundryumc.org) or at the church office. Step 2: Attend a New Member Orientation session that takes place on a single Sunday afternoon after the 11:00 AM service. After being hosted to a free lunch, new members engage in a dialogue about what brought you to Foundry, what you are looking for from the church community and how you would like to participate in the life of the church. Each new member has a “lay mentor” to help guide you, to respond to your questions and to stay in touch with you as you continue your spiritual journey. Step 3: Participate in the “Joining Sunday” the following week at either worship service where you will be welcomed by the congregation. The next orientation will be held on Sunday, February 11th. The session starts with a free lunch – at 12:30 PM in the Davenport Center – and will end by 4:00 PM. Free child care will be provided during the orientation. The Evangelism Committee is always looking for more lay mentors to help with the new members! If you have any questions, you can contact Garrett Peck at (703) 807-0249, or by email. Parking Problems When You Come to Foundry? We Have the Solution! pHave you been having trouble finding parking when you attend church at Foundry? Do you sometimes skip church because you don’t want to deal with the interminable hunt for a parking space on the street? Foundry now has a solution for you! We have expanded the parking permit program for 2007 at the Colonial Parking Garage at 1616 P Street, NW. Our existing Wednesday evening/Sunday permit has been redesignated Class B. The permits allow parking on Wednesday evenings and Sundays. The cost is $100.00 per year, the same as for 2006. For 2007, Foundry has been able to expand the number of permits available to 200. A limited number of these permits are still available on a first-come first-served basis. To purchase your permit, stop by the front desk with your check for $100, or mail a check to the church, marked “parking permit class B” in the memo line. If you would like to inquire about the availability of parking permits, please call Bob Benn, Administrative Assistant for Operations and Publications, at (202) 332-4010, ext. 219, or send him an e-mail. Do you want to deduct your cash donations to Foundry (including the cash you put into the collection plate on Sunday mornings) on your 2007 tax return? The Internal Revenue Service will require documentation for cash donations of any amount beginning this year. If you want your cash donations to Foundry to be deductible, please put them in a pew envelope or other envelope and PRINT your name legibly on the envelope. We will record the amount of cash in the envelope in your name in our financial database and include those amounts in the contributions statements we send to you periodically. If your name is not on the envelope or is illegible, we will not be able to record your contribution. Of course, you should consult your accountant or tax advisor with regard to any question affecting your tax deductions or tax returns. Staff Profile:
Boniface brings extensive accounting experience and skills to Foundry. His experience includes serving as Financial Operations Manager for the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment, Accountant at World Net Financial Services, Auditor at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Internal Auditor for Lafayette Federal Credit Union and Accountant/Auditor for K. Duncan & Company, LLP. Boniface has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Liberia. He is currently completing a second bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Phoenix. Boniface assumes the new position of Finance Manager, reporting to Jim Irwin, Director of Finance and Administration. His responsibilities in this position include managing the monthly and annual general ledger accounting cycles, including the accounting interface with systems for payroll and fund-raising. He will act as the main point of contact for banks and investment managers, manage the fixed asset system and act as point of contact for auditor transaction testing and balance sheet testing. Boniface and his wife Arimeta reside in Savage, MD with their three children, 2 daughters, ages 11 and 20, and one son, age 15. We look forward to working with Boniface as we continue to strengthen and improve our financial management and reporting systems. Please be sure to greet him and welcome him to the Foundry staff. “Building Community Together” At the end of the eighth week of our Stewardship Campaign, we have received 418 pledges amounting to $1,272,520. This is $169,782 ahead of last year at this point in the campaign. That makes us $227,480 short of our goal of $1,500,000. If you have not yet made your estimate of giving for 2007, we encourage you to make your pledge and, if possible, to increase it for this year. If you have not pledged before, we very much hope you do so this year. No pledge is too small. Even if you cannot pledge a lot, the mere fact of pledging is important, regardless of the amount. This will help tremendously in reaching our goal in order for us to plan and to fund Foundry’s ministries and missions. Pledge cards are available in the office as well as online at www.foundryumc.org. Weaving Our Stories Together Biblical tradition is overflowing with rich and compelling stories. Jesus used storytelling – in the form of parables – as an important tool in conveying God’s message to us. Our own lives are filled with stories – family stories, personal stories, spiritual stories. The theme of this year’s annual Foundry Women’s Retreat is Weaving Our Stories Together. Led by Ellouise Schoettler, a professional storyteller, visual artist and former artist-in-residence at Foundry, the retreat will explore our stories – both collective and individual. Participants will have an opportunity to receive, relate and create meaningful and illuminating stories. Whether you are a “regular” at this annual event, or considering it for the first time, we invite you to come gather with a diverse group of Foundry women for a weekend of fellowship, spirituality, reflection and exploration. Where: Priestfield Pastoral Center,
Rt. 51, Box 133,
Kearneysville, WV 25430 When: Friday, February 2 – Sunday, February 4, 2007 Cost: $180.00 (per person, double occupancy, including all meals) Bus: Meet at Foundry at 1:30 PM, bus departs 2:00 PM sharp. To join our retreat, please stop by the COSROW table in Fellowship Hall for a registration form or contact Suzanne Stokes-Vieth by email. Rev. Dean Snyder and Jane Malone, Rev. Dee Lowman, Robert McDonald, Foundry staff, and other special guest teachers will lead a Pre-Cana weekend March 2-4 for those planning to be married or to celebrate their union during the months ahead. Please register by contacting Robert McDonald at (202) 332-4010 or by email.
Many of the alums joined members of the current youth choir in singing this Sunday as well as in a reception afterwards in the Helen Harris Parlor, honoring the spirited leadership of their much-loved director, Ms. Prince. The current members of the choir are:
The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 21st. Lent is the period of 40 days before Easter, a time of preparation and renewal when Christians focus on self-examination and spiritual discipline. This year on Ash Wednesday we are introducing a short morning service at 8:00 AM in the chapel. We hope that this time will provide a convenient opportunity for our members, for our neighbors and for those who pass Foundry on their way to work to stop in and start their Lent in prayer. In addition to the morning service, there will be an evening service at 7:00 PM. Both services will include the imposition of ashes. Other dates during Lent and Easter to remember: Sunday, March 18 Sunday, April 1 Thursday, April 5 Friday, April 6 Sunday, April 8 20th Anniversary of Foundry's Participation in the Appalachia Service Project This year marks the 20th year that groups of Foundry youth and adult leaders will participate in the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). From June 24 to June 30, four teams from Foundry will work in Carter County, Tennessee, helping to repair and renovate homes, making them, in ASP’s phrase, “warmer, safer, and dryer.” That is the least part of ASP’s mission, however. ASP describes itself as a relational ministry with construction on the side. The more important experience for both youth and adult leaders is the relationships they establish with the families on whose homes they work. As Foundry youth Efayomi Carr stated in ASP’s Front Porch September/ October newsletter: “ASP is one of the best things you could ever do to come closer to the human community as a whole.” It costs approximately $12,000 to send the four Foundry teams. Briefly summarized, the money covers the costs of the ASP center to which Foundry is assigned, for example: the salaries of the college students who run the program, the cost of the center itself, usually a school building, and cost of food and food preparation. An additional part of the total contribution Foundry makes to ASP covers the cost of building materials and supplies. Finally, your contributions cover the rental cost of the vehicles used to transport the teams and miscellaneous expenses of the trip. We hope you will plan to visit us at the ASP table in Fellowship Hall and join us for the ASP lunch. Thank you for your help. You are changing lives! The celebration of Bill’s life meant so much to the Branners, our relatives, and many others who would like to express appreciation for the magnificent service. I would like to express our deep gratitude for the countless ways that Foundry folk expressed their help – prayers, notes, calls, flowers, and offers of help – a most gracious outpouring of love. – Love, Sunny |
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A pysanka (pronounced PEH sahn kah) is a Ukrainian Easter Egg. The plural version is pysanky (pronounced PEH sahn keh). Pysanky are not painted. They are dyed. One “writes” a design on the egg (with wax) and then dyes it in a color. Then there is more “writing” and dying in another color. At the end, the wax is removed and the multicolored egg is left. The word pysanka comes from the Ukrainian word “pysaty” which means, “to write.”
On Sunday, February 4, we will have a guest preacher at both the 9:30 and the 11:00 AM services: Rev. Michelle Bogue-Trost.
On Sunday, January 28th at 2:00 PM, the Foundry congregation will have the opportunity to see the energetic youth of Winterveldt, South Africa, perform traditional music and dance and two dramas reflective of contemporary life in South Africa: It Won't Happen to Me (which deals with the HIV/AIDS epidemic) and A Tree Must Learn to Bend (focusing on new gender roles as the youth begin to create their “new” South Africa.)
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Boniface Satu as Foundry’s new Finance Manager. Boniface has been working with us since mid-November on temporary assignment from AccountPros and has now accepted permanent employment with us.
On Sunday, December 17 alumni of the Foundry Youth Choir joined current members of the choir to celebrate ten years of the Youth Choir under the direction of Frances Prince. In that time the choir has given regular leadership to services at Foundry and has sung at the White House on three occasions.
Again this year, at the beginning of the Lenten season, Foundry youth will be raising funds to finance 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