The Summer of 2022
What are we working on at Grace United Methodist Church? There are many things happening, even as we are in the middle of the summer months, but I thought I’d spend a little time doing some regular updates to keep people informed of all that is happening here at Grace. Here’s some highlights of what this week holds for us:
There is a funeral for a member of a local United Methodist Church. I will be presiding at the funeral and interment, connecting with new families that live in our area. Though the goal is squarely to honor the life of the deceased, I recognize there is deep value in connecting with the extended family and supporting them through their grief. Part of the reason the church exists is to support people through a variety of stages in life, from birth to marriage to death, and to offer a place for people to grow spiritually throughout.
The Staff Parish Relations Committee met on Monday evening. We welcomed a new member, Peggy Chagares. Thanks for being a part of the team, Peggy! We also adjusted the schedule for the rest of the year, including staff reviews. We reviewed the pastoral appraisal given by the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. There was also some discussion about the team that would be used for walking us through selecting a new Christian Education director for our Sunday School. I’ll be the point person for much of that effort over the next couple of weeks. One last item of significance for SPRC was a review of the employee handbook. Its been a few years since we updated it, and the committee came up with a plan for how to tackle that important project.
One of the key things we can do during the summer is take a deep breath and reflect on our plans for the next year. Several leaders gathered a few weeks ago to discuss worship, sermons and the schedule for the church. The sermons and Bible studies are set for the year. Next we have to meet with a couple of our creative types to come up with art and graphics for all of the series. We noticed last year that doing a new image every single week was pretty exhausting for our volunteers. We are looking forward to changing it up this year by having one key image for each series that can easily be updated by the office staff from week to week. We are also reviewing our list of events for all of 2022-23, with some of your favorite events like the tricky tray and cookie walk, and also looking at adding some new events to the year as well. We are looking at coordinating with the Cub Scouts on a movie night so we can have a nice bonfire added to the evening. We are also looking at a date night for Valentine’s Day and plant sale around Mothers Day. We had to have a follow-up meeting this week to work out some of the details for the new events. The schedule will be made available to the staff and leaders of the church after the office gets a chance to review it for accuracy.
On Wednesday I have my strangest meeting of the year. Its the Bergen County Tax Hearing. As you probably know, Grace UMC doesn’t pay taxes, but somehow, when part of our property was sold, we were added to the tax assessors list (with our name, but someone else’s address!). Every tax bill we’ve received, we called and told them we are a church and it had the wrong information on it. They’ve said “oh, okay, that’s just a mistake.” Apparently it needs to go to a Bergen County Tax hearing to have us officially removed from the tax list! I’m assured that the hearing is simply a formality, but I’ll be in on that meeting Wednesday.
On Sunday we will be having a Congregational Care Team lunch. This group hasn’t met in the two years I have been here, but after adding a few new members, I wanted to bring the group together to eat, share stories, encourage one another and see what we could learn from our caring visits. I talked with Hilda in the office about how we would provide lunch and I’m going to put together an agenda for the meeting so it has good flow and people can walk away feeling like they’ve learned something and that they were blessed by our time together.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Vacation Bible School. This big event happens next week! The station leaders are busy preparing skits and projects. The crew leaders are prepared to guide our campers through the fun and chaos, but most of all, Mrs. Chris Cauda is doing everything she can to make sure we have a perfect week. She’s pulling out all the stops with some special animal visitors and a carnival! Its a week that can’t be beat, and we are prepping every day for it. Decorations go up on Wednesday, so lend us a hand if you can! Please be sure to pray for our campers and staff. We know it can be a lot of fun, but its a ton of work as well, so please keep us in your prayers, and pray that those young people’s lives are touched by God this week!
That’s a pretty typical week at Grace. It’s all over the map, but lots of good things are happening! We keep plugging along, trusting that our best efforts, along with wise counsel and strategic steps will help us be a better church, making disciples and changing people’s lives.
I want to share a little more about the list I wrote above, though. You'll notice all of the items I listed are things I've made a commitment to participate in. I regularly lead worship, funerals and weddings. I participate and lead committee meetings. I help plan the year, especially as it relates to worship. I also volunteer, on occasion, in support of some of the events taking place at Grace. The role of a pastor can be very wide and diverse. It's so wide and diverse, in fact, that many people struggle to understand just what it is that pastors do.
This is from Susan Beaumont, an expert in church leadership. She says, "The expectations placed on senior ministers are often too numerous to faithfully execute. For example, the Book of Discipline in the United Methodist Church outlines more than thirty “essential functions” of the role. Other denominations operate with similarly excessive criteria for success. Most people cannot attend to more than twelve essential functions in their role. The governing body of the congregation should work with the senior minister to shape a job description that reflects the specific needs in the context. What are the expectations of our senior pastor in this time and space? Should the senior minister give priority to the supervision of the staff team, the development of the board, the pastoral care of congregants, the worship life of the congregation, the preaching task—or something else?" https://susanbeaumont.com/2019/10/29/five-pitfalls-to-avoid-when-evaluating-the-senior-minister/
These are important questions for our church to work through, especially as we continue to make the transition from two appointed clergy to one. Some things cannot be done by a single appointed clergy-person. Some things may simply not be done at all! That's what happens as churches make transitions and discover the gifts and talents to be best utilized for the glory of God. I want to be faithful to the things I commit to do, and I want to do as much as humanly possible to help Grace grow and thrive, but I also realize that when things have to come "through me" for approval it can create a bottleneck that stops good, helpful things for the church from happening.
The best remedy for such a situation is to empower the people! You are the best answer for the best things to happen here at Grace. As others take on the authority of decision making, there are a couple of other things that have to happen along with it. Some may be nervous or anxious to make decisions without my "okay." That's alright; I hope you will grow in confidence, and know that I won't "bite your head off" for doing something different from what I might choose. The only time I take issue with a person's decisions is when they do them out of what we might describe as a "sinful" place. Are you angry, selfish, conceited, hard-hearted or jealous? Please don't make a decision from that place! Come and talk with me and see if we can find a way forward. I am certain that we hold a mutual desire for the church to succeed, and we can best get there by working together. The other thing that needs to happen is to increase communication for alignment. If people are working at cross-purposes it can be destructive to the church. We are a team together and we need to move in the same direction. You'll find that I am a "rule follower." If the Book of Discipline describes how we are supposed to do something, I'm going to advocate for us to follow it as closely as practicable. But where there are not rules, there is freedom! That freedom can be a beautiful breath of fresh air to empower us to use our creativity to bring our best selves to the challenges that face our church. Yet, that freedom must be directed. It cannot go in the opposite direction of other work happening in the church.
I think of a concert, where each instrument in the orchestra plays its own piece. The notes and music might be different for each instrument, but when played together it forms a beautiful work that can move the soul. That's how the church works, too. Each person is an instrument of God's gifts and we want to both honor the gifts in you, and help those gifts work together for the good of the church. My hope is that, by increasing communication and my specific commitments, you can have a better sense of the direction we are going in together. You have likely heard by now of the Pathways for Congregational Development. This is a major initiative of the Annual Conference to help local congregations discern the path, the steps to take, to gain alignment and work in concert together for the good of the congregation. We are forming a team currently and I hope that it will not only help the congregation to work together, but that I would grow, too. I don't know which 12 functions are most essential for me to do here at Grace. We can only discover that by joining together to discern a vision for the church that meets as many needs as possible, to do as much good as possible. Our stated goal is to be a faith community that passionately follows Jesus Christ. By increasing communication and gaining better alignment, I think we can better meet that goal and help our church thrive.
I hope you'll join me on the journey! Here are some specific tasks that I plan to do to increase communication and help us find better alignment:
share my calendar with all staff so they can see all the tasks that I have committed to do for Grace
write more frequently about the goals and direction of the church. My current goal is to write a blog post at least once a month to help clarify the mission and gain alignment
work through the Pathways for Congregational Development workbook with a team to help clarify our mission and vision. From that will flow the 12 essential functions for my ministry
If you have additional thoughts or suggestions, feel free to email me back or come visit me in my office. I'm usually in M-W and do sermon writing off-site on Thursday. I'm also available on Sunday afternoons by appointment. God bless and thank you for all you do to grow the church community!
In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville
A New Year at Grace United Methodist Church
It might seem strange to mark the start of July as a ‘new year’ at Grace UMC, but in many ways…it is! The pastoral appointment from the Bishop runs from July 1st to June 30th, our contracts with outside organizations runs on the same schedule, and the Sunday School program follows that of the school year - September to June. July marks many new starts, so it is time to share some of what we are looking at here at Grace for this new year.
We are looking to hire a new Sunday School Superintendent
We are starting a new program with the Annual Conference called ‘Pathways to Congregational Development’
We are working on our worship services this summer to get the right feel, and we could use your help on stories from you in some sermon series this year!
Details on the covenant from the Special Church Conference
Keep reading for more information or to get in touch with us!
A New Sunday School Superintendent
A few years ago the church had an Associate Pastor that was in charge of overseeing our Sunday School program. Because of the financial deficit of the church that position was removed just as I came on board at Grace in July of 2020. We’ve had a couple of volunteers running the program since then, and they’ve done an admirable job, but even they agree its time to have a hired person running the program again. Let me pause to say thank you to Chris and Patricia, who ran that program the last two years. I deeply appreciate their work, especially while we were dealing with the pandemic and I was still new to the church. They kept our program alive in difficult times, so thanks to both of them. If you see them, be sure to share your thanks for their work, as well.
We have posted the Sunday School Superintendent job description in a number of places: indeed.com, our facebook page, our website, with the Annual Conference and at several universities, including Drew University. We’ve received a few applications, but perhaps the most important advertising is word of mouth. Maybe you know our next great employee at Grace UMC, so if you know someone who might be a good fit, be sure to share the job description. You can find it attached to the button below.
You might also wish to give an additional gift to the church in support of this move. The Church Council talked a lot about whether we had the financial reserves to hire this new person. In the end we decided to take a step of faith, hoping that putting together a great program would lead to more families connecting here at Grace. Eventually we expect the position to pay for itself, but in the meantime money given above your tithes and offerings would go a long way to help us jump start this position and move us in the right direction. You can give online here.
Pathways for Congregational Development
Grace UMC has many rich traditions, but the combined problems of decreased attendance over 30+ years and the pandemic have put our church in a new place. What is the way forward? How can we restore the traditions of Grace and grow as a community? The answers aren’t always clear, and having my first year here with online worship and much of the congregation avoiding public gatherings didn’t help! Our Annual Conference is offering a new program called Pathways for Congregational Development where we can work with a facilitator to assess where we are, consider a plan to move us forward and engage in new and revived ministries. There is no better way to help our church thrive than to do the tough work of evaluating our ministries and deciding where it is that we need to go next, together, as the Grace community doing God’s work. If you are interested in being a part of the team email Pastor Brian Neville at pastor.brian@gumc.org.
Worship in 2022-2023
One last important item we are looking at for this next year are changes to our worship service. I asked the congregation to share with me some of their suggestions for sermon ideas and there were many excellent ones! I took those suggestions to our planning meet from a few weeks ago and asked the group gathered what was most important to them? What suggestions seemed to resonate? I’m happy to say many of the congregations ideas were included in the series we have planned starting in September. Over 60% of sermon suggestions fit in 7 topics. We couldn’t fit all of them into one year, but I look forward to preaching on these great topics!
We also have a few special series we’ll be doing that with which we need your help! In November we are doing a series on those special collections people hold onto. Perhaps you have one? A collection of fine china or special ornaments. Maybe you make art or collect coins? Whatever it is, tell us about it! We want to feature your collections as we share the series in church.
A second series we need help with is in January on fraud. Ever get a phone call from someone offering you a warranty on a car or computer you don’t own? Perhaps you have been defrauded? Maybe someone tricked you into thinking they were someone they were not. If so, tell us your story as we try and encourage others by 1. raising awareness of these schemes and frauds and 2. discern our true identity in Jesus Christ.
We are also spending this summer tinkering with our Sunday morning worship service. We are trying to strike the right balance between contemporary and traditional. We’ve switched to singing hymns for the congregational songs, but keeping contemporary music in other parts of the service (with lyrics so you can sing along). We hear that people enjoy hearing others sing familiar songs in the combined service! People are overjoyed to have the outdoor reception again and that our sound system is working properly (after a significant investment from our Trustees. Thank you Trustees!). We are working on some of the critiques people have offered, such as the song leader being too loud, not having a choir, bringing back the passing of the peace and communion offered in different modes. These are all good suggestions and we’ll work toward answers that satisfy as many people as possible, but know that our goal, ultimately, is not to satisfy people, but to satisfy God. As long as our worship is genuine and we keep loving one another at the core of how we treat one another, I think we’ll be able to get through any differences in worship in a way that pleases God and helps our church grow.
If you’d like to share your stories with the pastor or any other thoughts regarding worship at Grace, feel free to send an email to me at pastor.brian@gumc.org or use the button below.
The Covenant from the Special Church Conference
There was much good discussion regarding the Special Church Conference held June 26th after church. After lunch, discussing the biblical history and meaning of covenants, and sharing the stories of those gathered together, the church voted on the covenant proposed by the Gracious Reconcilers. I sensed many people aiming for a certain kind of church - that Grace UMC is welcoming to all people and that we stay committed to our primary goal of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I appreciate all those who joined us for the Special Church Conference, and especially those who shared their thoughts and opinions with the gathered group. You can see the policy stemming from the meeting in the church office.
God bless and thanks for your support at Grace UMC, an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ!
In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville
A Covenant from the Gracious Reconcilers
The Special Church Conference on June 26th will involve a vote on a covenant crafted by the Gracious Reconcilers, a group that met in our church to discuss how our congregation could engage people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Below you will find the covenant and some documents that may help illuminate the wrestling that has taken place in the United Methodist Church. We hope you’ll join us to discuss what our church’s response to this proposed covenant might be. If you haven’t registered for lunch, you can do so here.
What is the covenanting process? www.gnjumc.org/the-way-forward/developing-covenants/
How have some Methodists responded to these issues? www.umnews.org/en/news/debate-about-church-future-heats-up
What are the rules about welcoming the LGBTQ+ community? www.christianpost.com/news/umc-high-court-affirms-striking-down-of-lgbt-ordination-resolution.html
Who is welcome to worship at Grace United Methodist Church? see my blog post here.
In the United Methodist Church we’ve had a challenging history with the issues surrounding the LGBTQ+ community. Read this comic book style series by the Wesley Brothers, who walk through some of the history surrounding the insertion of the phrase ‘incompatibility’ in the Book of Discipline. They also share some of the staggering statistics of self-harm for LGBT youth. www.wesleybros.com/wesbros/a-history-of-incompatibility-part-1/
A Few Updates in April 2022
As we approach the beginning of Holy Week, I want to share a few details of things that are happening in the church. First, as Holy Week approaches, there are a few things you’ll want to know. We’ve posted our schedule of services and sent out an Easter letter. If you’d like to see all that we offer in this season go to www.gumc.org/easter. You can also find the Easter letter here.
Another item I don’t want you to miss is the combined service on April 24th at 10am. We have a special guest preacher, the Reverend David Wiley, and afterward, will have some discussion on the future of the church. We’ve taken a congregational survey, had some internal discussions about ministry and staffing; we’ve even looked at a covenant brought to us by the Gracious Reconcilers ministry in the church. It’s important for us to take some time, once or twice a year, to meet together after worship to look at some of these important issues and to hear back from you. I’ll be sharing in detail what we’ve seen and heard so you can share some of your thoughts and get a sense of where we hope to head for the future of the church. If you are in the area, I invite you to be present for this gathering on April 24th. Remember, there will only be one worship service at 10am on that day!
Finally, I’d like to share about an update on our online ministries. Since the Covid pandemic began, Grace UMC has worked at offering alternatives to in-person worship, small groups and missions. Some efforts have been more successful than others, but the church largely handled the changes with grace and poise. When I arrived in July of 2020, the church was about to resume in-person worship. We knew we had to make a change from pre-recorded services to “live” services. This involved a number of steps, including upgrading our system that had become unusable for broadcasting live worship. Much of our system was updated and we made the switch! It wasn’t always smooth, or perfect, but it largely worked, with two caveats. One, was that, when our system was upgraded, one key piece was on back order. Our system sometimes fails catastrophically when that part does not work. This has led to a number of services with a sub-optimal product. The tech team works behind the scenes trying to get things up and running again, but sometimes it doesn’t work. These are the services where almost no microphones work and the online broadcast is poor. Our latest updated is that the part is due to arrive sometime in April. We are very much looking forward to having it installed to bring these problems to an end!
A second caveat to smooth live services online has been a mysterious warning that has appeared in the streaming system for the last 6 weeks. This was the problem that led to several broadcasts of our worship services being cut short and last week no broadcast happening at all! Initially we thought another piece of equipment must have stopped working. Ian, our tech director, coordinated with those who provide streaming services and the folks who installed our broadcasting equipment. Neither group could identify the problem. Finally, the streaming services company told us there have been other churches in New Jersey with the same problem; we might want to check in with our internet provider. So Ian did, and he found that the problem was coming from them. Their equipment was not providing us adequate speeds and it was forcing our broadcasts to end. Ian was able to have them update our system, so we are now in very good shape for Easter! The only missing thing is that last item on back order because of the pandemic.
These last few years have not been easy on many of us. We suffer in large ways and in small ones because of the pandemic, but I want to offer a note of grace. Our church will carry on! We don’t need to force changes to the church in order to find success; the church has already changed because of the pandemic and cultural changes in the last two years. The question is how will we respond? What will we do because of the changes that have already happened around us? As for me, I choose to listen closely to the voice of the Lord. Some will want to do one thing, others another thing, but when we are listening together for the Lord, we will find ourselves united and working toward a common goal. I pray you will reflect on how you can be in tune with Jesus in this Lenten and Easter season, so that you, and Grace, and all of us, together, may grow and thrive as the Lord calls us to. God bless and happy Easter!
— Pastor Brian Neville
Services at Grace
Some have commented about our church resuming two services after the summer is over. September 19th of 2021, we will move back to one service at 9:30am with more contemporary elements such as a praise team, and another service at 11am with more traditional elements such as organ and hymns. Those who have commented wonder why we aren’t sticking with just one service at 10am. They ask this because, rightfully so, they point out that we do not have two full services. Why not just stick with one, especially as we deal with the delta virus of COVID-19? I’d like to offer a few thoughts on why we are resuming two services in a few, short weeks. First, let me say that my head and my heart don’t agree on this issue. I understand that strategically, for the overall good of the church, it makes sense to have one fuller service, rather than two smaller services. My heart, though, tells me something very different. Please note that folks on both sides of this issue have told me that they will leave the church if we change, or, if they are on the other side of the issue, don’t change. Though I worry for the spiritual state of those who use such totalizing language and only see this issue in black and white terms, I have grace in my heart for all. I want the very best for this church and for all those involved. I don’t “have a dog in this race” and can see the good (and bad) in both traditional and contemporary forms of worship. I grew up with contemporary music, and embraced traditional worship while in college. All the churches I have served have had both styles of worship. I don’t believe either style is “right” or “wrong,” but the question is really about the next right thing for this church. So, a few thoughts on having two services:
Perhaps at the forefront of my mind is the pandemic. Like many of you, I thought we were escaping masks and mandates when the vaccine caused COVID rates to drop so significantly in the spring and early summer. With rates steadily increasing, and numbers about to surpass the worst parts of the pandemic so far in some areas, COVID is, again, a threat. Vaccines and masks help, but so does social distancing. If we have more people in one service, we make social distancing more complicated. Two services keep our population spread out. Also, the children, who are still not able to be vaccinated, are largely contained to one service. This leaves the traditional service just a little more protected. We want to set things up so folks can make healthy choices as much as possible. We will continue to monitor the effects of COVID in our community closely.
Another consideration for how many services the church has is that a reduction often means permanent changes that cannot be undone. Blended worship (a combination of contemporary and traditional styles) satisfies those who are open to a variety of music styles. But for some, only contemporary music will satisfy. For others, only traditional music will satisfy. Blended styles can leave some folks unsatisfied. Moving to only blended worship is a significant change for the church and it is important that we gather, discuss and work out our identity as a church. I am loathe to make the decision alone, or with only one group of leaders. This is a decision that needs to be made with input from the rest of the church, and, again, its tough to do that while COVID is still impacting our community. I think a discussion like that needs to wait for a more opportune time.
Finally, as the Church Council shared their thoughts on having one or two services, we were divided. Some saw the benefits of one service, others of two. The Book of Discipline (the rule book for Methodists) encourages a “consensus/discernment model of decision-making.” That means we work together and try our best to agree together on the decisions we make. Though we won’t always have perfect alignment, this was the first time in my time at Grace that the leadership was so starkly divided on a decision. I felt that our leadership was not ready to make a transition in worship services. As I talked with those same leaders outside of the meeting, I deeply appreciated those who said, “Pastor, whatever decision you make, we will support you.” I am moved by your trust, and pray that our decisions together will be a blessing for the future of Grace United Methodist Church, but significant decisions around changes in worship must truly be made together. I look forward to these discussions, not because I am eager for change, but because it will help clarify who we are as a church and what our mission is together. We want to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ. That happens when we are united and building community through the love of God and neighbor.
If you still have questions feel free to email me, call or visit me at my office by appointment - pastor.brian@gumc.org or 201-891-4595. Let’s work together for the good of our church and our community. God bless!
The Final Reopening
Today marks one full year of a dramatic cultural shift because of the global pandemic. March 13th of 2020 was the final day of in-person school for many children, and businesses across New Jersey closed. The church also had to make the difficult decision to move to online worship only. A year later hope is finally on the horizon! As the weather warms and spring approaches, vaccines are being distributed at an incredible rate. Over 22% of New Jersey has received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is enough to prevent major afflictions that could require hospitalization and almost categorically prevents death. In the United States about 2.2 million people are vaccinated each day, which is fast enough that by May half the population could be vaccinated and by August everyone in the country would be. Here in our community, we know that cases are falling and hospitalizations, as well as deaths, are dropping, too. Signs are pointing in the right direction and our Church Council discussed whether this is the right time for us to reopen the church or not.
After a vote this past week, it was decided that yes, this is the time to reopen. We know some will disagree. Some will think we are moving too quickly, while others think we have been far too slow! There are good arguments on both sides, but the leadership team of the church thinks the time is right. We will reopen for outdoor worship on Easter Sunday, April 4th at 9:30am and on May 3rd we will resume our second service indoors (that means the 9:30 service will meet each week outdoors, while the 11am traditional service meets indoors, starting May 3rd. The time for the 9:30am service to transition indoors has not yet been decided). For the time being when we regather we will continue to encourage people to wear masks, to keep socially distant and to take precautions so as not to spread Covid. We will also ask people to only gather indoors if they have been vaccinated. Of course, some are ineligible for vaccines such as children under 18 and those with certain health conditions. That makes it all the more important that the rest of us are vaccinated! We know folks have a right not to be vaccinated, and we will not ask people to prove they have been so at the door. Instead, we invite you to consider not your rights, but your obligation to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Do all in your power to love them, protect them and help them experience the fullness of life Christ desires for us.
You can read more about the plan for reopening in the attached file, but it is largely an amalgam of our previous plans from the summer and fall. We encourage you to get vaccinated as soon as you can, so you can rejoin us in worship. I just received word today that I will be able to get the vaccine myself just a few short days before Easter (please, pray for my health!). This is an exciting time for our church and we are eager to be together again. It is only a little while longer now, so I encourage you to, as the bishop would say, “keep the faith!”
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” - Philippians 4:6
Its the End of 2020
Jan 26 Written By Brian Neville
For most of us we are happily moving right into 2021, but in the church there is a lot of work to be done before we are finished with 2020. Our Financial Secretary is still counting up the last of the pledge cards (if you didn’t do yours yet, pledge online now!), our finance team is looking over last year’s numbers as they prepare a budget for 2021 and our membership chairperson, along with a few other leaders, are reviewing a host of data to prepare our statistical reports due to the Annual Conference at the end of January! There is much to be done, but I want to pause to give you a few highlights on where we stand so you can get a sense of how the church is doing.
First, let’s talk about finances. You may be worried about the finances of the church. Giving was already down in 2019 and a pandemic in 2020 certainly couldn’t help. The good news is that the pandemic also meant our expenses were way down. Between wise stewardship, the faithful giving of our many members and a government grant (Payroll Protection Plan), we ended in positive territory this year. Preliminary estimates put us at about $10,000 above expenses. We also expect to receive a second round of federal grants (PPP 2.0) equal to about $50,000. This will help us keep all of our staff employed in the new year, which is surely good news. We are also looking to hire someone part-time to oversee our sound and video equipment. This will allow us to consistently stream our Sunday services. You may have noticed problems with our streaming over previous months. Despite great volunteers, we have had a number of challenges with the equipment and need someone with more technical knowledge to get us to the consistent level we want. As we return to in-person worship at some point, we know some folks may need more time to be vaccinated or feel safe with large crowds. Streaming will continue to be an important part of our ministry moving forward. Overall, we are doing okay financially. Would more money help? Sure! But our church is steady despite the pandemic thanks to the generosity of our many members.
How about our attendance this year? The pandemic closed our church doors in March, and though we were open from August to November before we closed again, we missed the three biggest seasons of the church year - Easter, Confirmation and Christmas. Our in-person attendance is certainly far lower than normal, but there is good news here, too! We have reached a huge online audience during this time, something that may have seemed unimaginable just a year or two ago! Last year we would reach perhaps 50-100 people for our services. This year we broke 1,000…twice! We averaged 525 people worshiping with us every single week. Is it the same as worshiping in-person? No, of course not. But it is some good news in a challenging year. We have reached many people with beautiful worship music, engaging sermons and inspiration that is literally making earth a little more like heaven, all during a pandemic. That is good news indeed!
As we look to the future of our church, we are hopeful that a core team for Sunday morning worship will soon be vaccinated and we can resume in-person worship. We know how eager folks are to return to the church, and we are too! There are many other important aspects of our church, such as Sunday School, small groups and missions. We have found a way to keep these ministries active, sometimes in innovative ways and sometimes by sheer force of will by our volunteers! It is a blessing to see the resiliency of our congregation and the commitment to share the love of Christ with the world. Indeed, we are an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ! Thank you to our staff and volunteers. Thank you to our members and friends who continue to support this good work. Thank you to Jesus Christ who knits our hearts together in unity, despite all that is in the world that could divide us. We are blessed beyond measure by God’s love and grace. Our response in this difficult season is a small sign of that love born in us, shared with the world. Please keep praying for the church, and for all those that are struggling. Some are sick, some are lonely and some need God’s love. May our church continue to be a source of hope and light for this community as we seek to do God’s will amidst these challenges. God bless!
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26).
— Pastor Brian Neville
Winter Worship Online
Summary of Changes for Winter Worship
Congregants will be encouraged to stay home starting November 29th
Worship will stream live at 10am from the sanctuary
Sunday School will be conducted via Zoom at 9:30am
Staff and volunteers will not be required to participate for in-person worship
Small group and mission opportunities will continue, with as much as reasonably possible taking place online and without physical gatherings
The sanctuary will be open during worship hours, but there will be no greeters, ushers or Sunday School. The public face of our Sunday worship experience will be for online worship only
Christmas Eve will likely have one online family service at 3pm and one outdoor candlelight service at 9pm
With Covid-19 cases surpassing the highest numbers the country has seen so far, the reopening team met to discuss possible responses to this for Grace United Methodist Church. The general options were to change nothing, to increase restrictions and last, to close the church building and move to online only worship. We reviewed the current data for the eight towns with the highest number of members in our church (not surprisingly these are also the closest eight towns to Grace). We found that cases are exponentially increasing in all eight towns, totaling over 1,000 active cases and that some of these towns are the highest case counts in Bergen and Passaic County. The spread of this virus is very near to our church, and projections show an additional 200,000-400,000 cases in our country every day through February. We also reviewed the Bishop’s statement that reiterated the Governor’s order to reduce indoor gatherings to 10 people and, though religious services are exempt from this order, encouraged our United Methodist Churches to review building usage plans. He also thanked those churches that have returned to online worship only.
With all that in mind, we discussed what direction made the most sense for our church. Of course, at the fore of our minds is the safety of our congregation, but we also recognize the burden the pandemic has placed on volunteers as well as the spiritual toll it is taking on our congregation. To address the safety of our congregation, we recommend that people in our church stay home on Sunday morning starting November 29th. Our Sunday morning worship can be viewed from home for the vast majority of our congregation and this is the safest way for all of us to navigate the danger the next few months pose to our people. We propose Sunday School also moves to online only November 29th, using Zoom for interactive instruction at 930am.
We also know that the previous process for individuals to prerecord portions of the service and have one or two people edit it together is very labor intensive, requiring literal days of extra work. A much easier process is to have those leading worship gathered together in the sanctuary and to stream the service live. We propose that this group of worship leaders continues to gather Sunday morning, while continuing previously established protocols of wearing masks and practicing social distancing. The service, then, can be broadcast live to the church community at 10am. We recognize that some worship leader staff and volunteers may not be comfortable with this, and that this is perfectly acceptable considering the risk from the pandemic. We expect anyone on the team unwilling to gather in the sanctuary for the broadcast to let the Pastor know for planning purposes. The pastor has committed to leading worship in the sanctuary, but there will be no adverse effects on employees or volunteers unwilling to participate during the pandemic.
Concerning the spirits of those in our church, we will continue to encourage folks to worship online, gather in small groups and participate in missional opportunities. Our church-wide study in Advent is a fantastic opportunity for our congregation (and beyond) to find spiritual meaning and purpose with a new community amidst the pandemic. Our missions team continues their food drive and the stocking collection with winter hats and gloves. For those few who still desire in-person worship despite the increased risk, the doors will be open during the live broadcast, but there will be no greeters, ushers or Sunday School. We strongly discourage our congregation from attending in-person Sunday morning worship, and the public face of our church will be that of an online worshiping community only.
For those that are thinking ahead to Christmas Eve, our thinking at this point is to move the 3pm family service to online only, and to move the 9pm candlelight service outdoors. People will be able to attend the service outside in a socially distanced manner, or watch by remaining within their vehicles and listening to the service via radio. There are a number of details to be worked out for Christmas Eve, but this represents our general thinking at this time.
These are challenging times, but we know our church will remain faithful to the larger mission of making disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world and to fulfilling our vision which is to be an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ. We encourage you to pray for our church and our leaders, but especially for those who are suffering from the pandemic and its wide-ranging effects. Despite all that is happening, “we have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul…(Hebrews 6:19)” and that hope is Jesus Christ, so keep the faith and the church of Grace will be here for you, whatever may come. God bless!
Congregational Survey Results
My family and I have been here at Grace UMC for several months now and we have been filled with joy getting to know this congregation and this community (even during a pandemic)! Usually a pastor spends the first year in a church getting to know the people and learning about how this particular church operates. I know I still have plenty of people to meet and things to learn! One thing that I have already learned about is this church’s unique ministry to those on the margins of society through the reconciling ministries network, a group that wants us to live out our baptismal vows to “resist evil, injustice, and oppression.”
About a year ago the church was surveyed regarding the creation of a congregational covenant with the LGBTQ community. I’d like to share with you the results of that survey, but first I want to share some of my own thoughts in regards to this topic. I recognize that even bringing up this discussion is a lose/lose proposition. Some will say I have said too much, while others will say I didn’t go far enough. I am torn between what I see as two good motivations - one to build up the people of the church, uniting us to do good things in our community, and a second motivation of curtailing hateful, destructive tendencies that hurt people and injure our witness to the world. Many of you will have noticed my dogged determination in rightly interpreting the scriptures when I preach. I stay very close to the meaning of the scriptures in its original context hoping we can apply it well to our situation today. I would describe myself as obsessed with this process of trying to rightly understand the scriptures. Essentially, nothing matters to me more than what the Bible says. So, understanding the scriptures properly on this topic is the single most important goal to me, but not everyone thinks the way I do, or has the same focus on the scriptures as me. As helpful as a journey through the scriptures on this topic could be, it will not solve all of our problems. As individuals, we will still think differently about how to live in relationship with others, and those in the LGBTQ community. Instead of trying to dive into the scriptures (which I believe will be helpful for us at a future time), what I’d like to share here is a key concept behind this topic. Its something that perhaps all of us can agree on and that is, ‘who is welcome to worship?’
At the creation Adam and Eve were in the garden and communed with God. In Genesis 22 Abraham is about to offer a sacrifice in worship to God. In Exodus 34 Moses climbs to the top of Mount Sinai to receive the ten commandments. God “passed before him” and proclaimed to Moses, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” After hearing this Moses quickly bowed his head and worshiped God. Psalm 29 says, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness,” and Psalm 150, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” Over and over the scriptures describe an orientation of humans toward God as one demanding that all people worship the Lord.
The life of Jesus tells us more about worship, even as his actions pushed the envelope for many. He was called a glutton and drunkard because of his time spent with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 7:34). He healed the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman, someone who was Greek, and decidedly non-Jewish (Mark 7:26). In John 8, a woman who was caught in adultery was brought before Jesus to be judged by him. Instead he said “whoever is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” None were without sin, so Jesus did not condemn her. With a man who had leprosy, a disease so deadly and contagious whole villages were deemed “unclean” and off limits to the rest of society, Jesus “reached out his hand and touched the man (Mark 1:41).” When Jesus encountered a man who was paralyzed for thirty-eight years he told him to pick up his mat and walk. The Gospel of John explains that this act took place on the Sabbath, a clear violation of the law to not work on that day (John 5:1-18). Over and over Jesus heals, forgives, builds relationships and makes things right, even with people the religious types deem “unworthy.” In speaking about his death he reveals the purpose of his life, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 12:32).” Jesus died on a cross so that all people would worship the one true God.
When I think of the modern day church, I think our role is to carry on the work of Jesus, welcoming all people, and drawing them to worship God. In the United Methodist Church we echo this sentiment in Article 4 of our Constitution: “The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all people are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs [and] receive the sacraments…” There is no one that we bar from worship. We may take certain steps to protect people, such as with a violent or psychotic participant in worship. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic we have taken precautionary steps and put in restrictions so people are safe, but never do we selectively remove someone from worship. In fact, I often hear people say the exact opposite - they want more people in worship; they want everyone to participate! This is good news, and I think it reflects the heart of Jesus. We do everything we can to welcome and invite as many people as possible into worship with us. There are no restrictions or litmus tests - everyone is welcome.
When it comes to the question of the LGBTQ community and their participation in worship, I cannot find a justification for excluding them. Whatever your thoughts or beliefs, one way or another, I imagine we can all agree that in worship we are offering an opportunity for transformation. We want people to grow deeper in the faith, and this is the place to do it! This is the place we can gather to declare Jesus is Lord, and what better way can we declare his Lordship than through modeling our lives after his. We don’t ignore those the world rejects. We don’t stone those the world deems guilty. We don’t call people unworthy. We are all worthy of God’s love and so we share it with all, no matter what. You are blessed by God so that you can be a blessing to the whole world, so invite and welcome everyone in worship with us at Grace United Methodist Church.
Below you will find the summary of the survey results from our congregation. Thank you to all who shared their responses. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at pastor.brian@gumc.org. God bless!
2020 Church Conference
Every year Grace United Methodist Church gathers for a few hours to discuss future plans, vote on people in positions of leadership and approve paperwork. Grace United Methodist Church will hold our church conference November 5th at 7pm. We will meet via Zoom.
Join meeting here: https://gnjumc.zoom.us/j/92181552435
Meeting ID: 921 8155 2435
Dial-in Information: (646) 876-9923
Our church conference includes all members of the church, so if you are a member, you are eligible to vote on all agenda items. Documents will be included below. You can also revisit this post for updates on an additional vote we will hold regarding the use of some of the proceeds from the sale of parsonage #2.
God bless!
Tricky Tray Help
Here’s a message from our Tricky Tray Coordinator, Christine Souza:
Dear friends,
We plan to move forward with this year's tricky tray event "Farewell 2020" with modifications. The drawing will be held on Facebook live on Friday, December 4th at 7:30 PM. Members of the congregation and the general public will have the opportunity to view the baskets and purchase tickets in a socially distanced manner from November 30th through December 4th. More information regarding this will be coming soon.
In lieu of our donation wish board, the tricky tray committee has created an Amazon wish list, which can be accessed through this link:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/15HUQA93FCV63?ref_=wl_share
You may purchase any of the items on the list through Amazon and they will be delivered directly to the church. Should you wish to purchase any of the items independently, outside of Amazon, please contact Christine Souza at csouza0167@outlook.com so she can remove the item from the wish list. The tricky tray committee is also in need of the following donations:
Themed baskets created by your family
Gift cards to your favorite restaurants
Grocery store gift cards
New items you no longer need or want that we can use to create baskets
Cash donations to use toward items for our baskets
Gift cards to Target or Walmart
We are so thankful for your continued support of this event.
Moving Back Indoors
*Updated October 17th
Our church is on the verge of moving back indoors amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. You may have some questions or concerns about the timing of this transition, so I wanted to lay out exactly what our plan is and our procedures to do our best to keep our congregation and our community safe.
Our church council has voted unanimously to resume indoor worship. *We are moving back indoors October 18th. We will transition the outdoor 9:30am service indoors. There are a number of factors that went into this decision and a clear plan has been laid out. Among other changes, people will be socially distanced when seated and everyone will be asked to wear a mask throughout the service. Below is the plan approved by the Church Council:
The Council has approved that we maintain outdoor worship as long as we can. Being outdoors is categorically safer than worship indoors. But the team also recognizes that cold weather is prohibitive for outdoor worship. We recommend folks bring coats and blankets until we transition to indoor worship. We want to maintain outdoor worship to at least October 11th and, potentially, as far as the end of October, if we have morning temperatures above 60 degrees.
When the weather is too cold (or we come to the end of October, whichever comes first), we will move indoors and remain indoors for the foreseeable future. One advantage we have over other churches is our heating system, which is radiant, not forced air. That means a potential virus will not be spread by the intake and distribution of hot air. Here are the other steps approved as we move indoors:
· Have radiant heat on, but allow fresh air into the sanctuary (per CDC recommendations)
· Have no congregational singing. Only soloists will sing
· Invite everyone to wear a mask coming into the building and keeping it on while inside
· Do a contactless temperature check for everyone entering the building
· Invite everyone to use hand sanitizer as they enter the building
· Seat families with 6 feet of distance between them
· Keep only the family bathroom open for easy clean up and maintenance
· Strategically position the preacher and musicians to maintain an additional 12-20 feet of distance
· Reduce the number of musicians leading musically
· Remove all items from pews
· Take attendance using one volunteer, not attendance pads
· Shorten the length from that of an average service to reduce potential exposure
· Continue with no coffee hour after worship
· Maintain online worship for those uncomfortable with returning to indoor worship
Sunday School, led by Chris Cauda, has formed a plan for their students and teachers. Their plan was created by a team of Sunday School leaders and the input of the pastor. Their plan will be reviewed periodically with the Pastor.
You may be wondering about the current state of COVID-19 in our area. Much of the news includes state and national numbers, but rarely do you see information regarding Wyckoff or other local towns. The perception, especially when total case numbers are given, is that COVID is on the rise. Though this may be true in some areas, Wyckoff has seen a steady decrease since May of 2020. Since September 30th there have only been 8 new cases in Wyckoff. In May there were about 6 new cases every day, in July about .8, September had slightly less at .79 cases per day, while today we are down to about 1 new case every two days (.5). Though that’s more than we’d like to see, we believe it is safe enough to resume indoor worship as cases are on the decline in our area.
With this plan in place we are excited to reintroduce indoor worship at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Certainly things will not be exactly as they were, but we believe this is a significant step for us as we continue our efforts to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our community and with our world. We hope you’ll join us indoors for worship when you are ready to do so!
Worship During COVID-19
August 2nd Outdoor Worship at Grace – 9:30am
We are excited to offer an opportunity for worship at Grace United Methodist Church. After over four months of closing the building and conducting online worship services only, we are eager for August 2nd when we will have outdoor worship at the church. We recognize some people are not ready to gather to worship with others, either because of concerns for safety or because of the restrictions imposed at this time for gathered worship, but for those that are, below is our plan for how worship will change as we gather together during this pandemic.
Here is what you need to know:
Outdoor worship will begin at 9:30am August 2nd and continue until further notice
Worship will take place at the FRONT of Grace UMC at 555 Russell Avenue
Please bring and wear a mask. If you forget yours one will be provided
An usher will review the six essential practices with you before entering the worship area
Bring a chair and umbrella – there is limited seating and shade available
No Sunday School or Coffee Hour will be provided at these services
The service will be recorded and broadcast online at 11am for those who prefer to stay home
There are six essential practices that will help keep our congregation safe from the spread of disease.
Members of the Church Council reviewed the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference guidelines for reopening churches, applicable state guidelines and CDC (Center for Disease Control) guidelines. After synthesizing this information we created a proposal that was approved by the Church Council. You can see the whole document here. The section pertaining to outdoor worship is here:
We know many are eager to gather together again. We will do our best to accommodate everyone, but we remain committed to the bishop’s directive that no transmissions of COVID-19 occur through United Methodist congregations. If a single case is found among our worshiping congregation, we will need to return to offering online worship only. We appreciate your feedback and will continue to work toward a safe and appropriate worship experience for all.