Dear Friends in Christ, 

I want to say a few words here about hospitality. We tend to think of hospitality mostly as being friendly to guests who visit our homes and our church. Making them feel welcome and comfortable, and taking care of their needs. And this is an important part of what it means to be hospitable. 
 
But there is more to hospitality than simply being welcoming. Another part of being hospitable, of extending hospitality, to each other, is being able to agree to disagree with civility. This aspect of hospitality is particularly  important in our country today.  

In my lifetime, I have never seen us so politically, racially, economically, or spiritually divided as a nation, and there are many causes for these divisions. But in my perception, one reason for the strength of these divisions, and particularly out political and religious divisions, is the lack of willingness by people on both sides to simply listen honestly and engage in respectful conversation with people who hold differing views. Because social media allows us to filter our friendships, decide who we will or will not follow, chose what groups we belong to, pick and choose our news sources, and control what we see on our news feeds, too often we see only what confirms our own biases. I know that I have been guilty of this myself. This is one reason that I have chosen to get off of Facebook for the rest of the year. 

There are many issues on which people of faith hold strong opinions on both sides: politics, abortion, 
immigration, LGBTQ rights, gay marriage, military spending, health care, gun control, and government economic policies, to name just a few.  

Opinions on both sides of these issues are strong and emotions often run high. But the debates over these issues are not what disturb me. After all, in a democracy such as ours, such debate is our right and privilege. But what disturbs me is the tone of these debates.  

When each side is so convinced of the rightness of their opinion that the two sides no longer seem to be truly listening to each other, this becomes a problem. When this happens, genuine dialogue is no longer possible, and debate degenerates into name-calling and tearing down the other side.  

As Christians, to be hospitable, to live in harmony with one another and our neighbors, means making room for differing opinions. In all things, but especially in areas where there are strong differences of opinion and 
emotions are high, we are to remain hospitable to each other. This does not mean we always have to agree, but it does mean staying in dialogue and listening respectfully to each other. Nothing is gained, and much is lost, when we allow our differences to divide us. My prayer is that in the coming weeks and months, we will remember that we have far more that unites us than divides us, and learn, once again, to truly listen to and talk with each other.  
​
In Christ’s Love, 
Pastor Carolyn 

Dear members and friends of Oakland UMC, 

I have been prayerfully considering how to move forward as I look ahead toward the time when the weather will put an end to our outdoor worship at Lions Park. Over the past several weeks, I have listened to many members of the church about their needs, concerns, and preferences for worship in this time of 
pandemic.  Here is what I have heard. 
​

1. People want to worship on Sunday morning .
   
2. Of those who want to meet in person, all want to meet in the church sanctuary. 
   
3. All people want their concerns and needs respected.
   
4. Some people will not attend in-person worship if they are required to wear a mask. 
   
5. Some people will not attend in person worship unless everyone is wearing a mask. 
   
6. Some people will not return to in person worship until they are sure the pandemic is over and they feel safe gathering with people again.  

So, given the six requirements above, in order to meet the needs, concerns, and preferences of as many 
people as possible, here is the new worship schedule that will begin on Sunday, October 18th.

For the people who will not attend in-person worship unless everyone is wearing a mask, there will be a 
service on Sunday morning in the sanctuary at 9 a.m.  with masks required.

For those who will not attend in person worship if they are required to wear a mask, there will be a service 
on Sunday morning in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. with masks optional.  

For those who do not wish to worship in person, we will continue recording the service on Saturday so that 
we can continue to offer online worship on FB and YouTube at 10 a.m. Sunday morning. 

I believe that this is fairest solution. One that best meets the concerns and needs of the members of our 
church family. 

Blessings, 
Pastor Carolyn 

New worship schedule:  

Beginning Sunday, October 18th we will have two in-person worship services in the building.  

9 a.m. worship - Masks required. 

11 a.m. worship - Masks optional. 

Recorded worship will continue to be available on Facebook and YouTube at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning 
for those who wish to worship at home. 

Dear friends in Christ,

In this article, I want to talk about a difficult subject: anger.
It seems to me that right now there is a lot of anger in our society.
I see it expressed on Facebook and other social media.
I see it on people’s faces and hear it in their voices when I watch the news.
It shows in the extreme political divisions that exists in our country.
It shows in the way people choose to express differing opinions on any number of subjects.

Now, anger in and of itself is not bad.

Anger, properly channeled, can lead us to take constructive action against injustice, racism,
inequality, or other wrongs.

But, unfortunately, anger is too often expressed in harmful, destructive ways. And it’s my
perception that this is often what happens when anger is a cover for other, less comfortable
emotions.

Right now, Covid-19 has upended our world, our nation, and our lives on so many different levels – socially, economically, physically, emotionally.

And though eventually we will come through this, right now, how the virus is going to affect our
country going forward, and when and how this pandemic will end is uncertain. And that
uncertainty itself adds another layer of disruption because it makes plans and decisions about
the future much more difficult.

Grief is a natural reaction to such an unprecedented, drastic and sudden disruption of just about
every aspect of our lives.

And fear is a natural and normal reaction to something as widespread, dangerous and
potentially deadly as the Covid-19 virus, which at this writing, has sickened over 41⁄2 million
people in this country and killed over 152,000.

But it’s my observation that our society doesn’t teach people to deal with grief or fear very well.

Fear and grief are uncomfortable emotions for many people.

So those emotions are often hidden behind anger.

For me, both fear and grief make me feel powerless and out of control. So anger, for me, feels
much safer. When I am angry I feel more powerful and thus more in control. But sometimes, my
anger causes me to lash out at someone in an unhelpful or even hurtful way.

Now, it’s OK for me to be angry.

It is not OK for me to act in hurtful or harmful ways because of my anger.

So in those times when I am feeling what seems to me to be an unreasonable amount of anger
at someone or something, and that anger threatens to boil over in a harmful or hurtful way, I
have learned to stop and reflect on my anger, and ask myself what it might be hiding. And I often
find that helps me get beyond my anger to so that I can deal with what I am really feeling.

It’s not easy for me to do this, but it is necessary for me to do it for my mental, physical, and
spiritual well-being.

Maybe some of you reading this find yourself struggling with anger right now.

If you do, it might be helpful to stop and take time for some self-reflection.

Don’t let your anger cause you to lash out at someone in a harmful or hurtful way.

Ask yourself, “Am I really angry, or is there another emotion hiding behind my anger that I need
to deal with?”

Take your anger to God in prayer and ask him to help you deal with what might be causing it, or
what other feeling it might be hiding.

Below is an excellent video interview with psychologist and best-selling author Brené Brown that I found helpful in understanding and coping with my feelings right now.

Take care and stay safe.
​
We are in this together.

Blessings,

Pastor Carolyn

Brené Brown: How to cope with grief, fear and anxiety during Corona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pHIsPlhU7o

Mid-week Reminder Message for April 22, 2020

A big thank you to all who have continued to send your offerings to the church, and to those who have been able to go above and beyond their usual giving to help the church at this time. Because of your continued giving, even after 5 weeks without in-person worship we are only 25% behind in giving compared to last year. If you haven't already done so, you can set up auto pay giving through the church office by completing the attached form. Or you can arrange for Bill Pay through your bank and they will send a check by mail to the church each month.

We also understand if you are unable to give at this time because you have been laid off or been cut back in your work hours. Please know that we are here for you. If there is anything the church can do for you, please do not hesitate to call the church office at 712-482-5530, or Pastor Carolyn at 319-559-0678.

The church office will continue to be closed through the end of April. We will still be getting the mail and checking the church answering machine. If you need to get in touch with Pastor Carolyn right away, please call her at 319-559-0678.

You are invited to participate in the weekly Prayer and Share Zoom meeting. The invitation is below. if you have a computer or a smart phone with the Zoom app, you can simply click the link below to be taken to the meeting. If you do not have a computer or smart phone, you can join the meeting by calling the number below on your home phone or cell phone and entering the meeting ID number. Hope to see you there!

Pastor Carolyn is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Prayer and share
Time: April 24th 2020 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
        Every week on Fri, until May 1, 2020, 2 occurrence(s)
        Apr 24, 2020 06:00 PM
        May 1, 2020 06:00 PM

Weekly: https://zoom.us/meeting/u5IsfuqpqDwp_4j7X9GqhCZqvN51ZgoR-w/ics?icsToken=98tyKu-urzIpG9KSs1yCe7UvA539b9_2kk4aoPRlxTj0CwNpcxXYY7N4Nb1NXc-B
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/661931673      Meeting ID: 661 931 673
or
Dial   +1 312 626 6799      Meeting ID: 661 931 673