June 6, 2020
Dear Neighbors,
It has been a hard week and I know that I am learning a lot about racism and social injustice.
It can be difficult as a parent to know how to talk with your kids about racism, but as United Methodists, we are resolute in living out our membership vows. According to The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, members make covenant to do the following:
1. To renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of the world, and repent of their sin;
2. To accept the freedom and power God gives them to resist evil, injustice, and oppression;
3. To confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put their whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as their Lord;
4. To remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world;
5. To be loyal to Christ through The United Methodist Church and do all in their power to strengthen its ministries;
6. To faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness;
7. To receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
There is a lot of information available to us and it’s hard to discern the best resources for our kids and families. The curriculum we use at Concord Trinity UMC to teach children and support parents offers great information. Please check out https://theparentcue.org/ for helpful blog posts including Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Talking to Your Kids About Racism.
If you are looking for great leaders to follow on social media, please check out
@dr.chinwewilliams
@tonijcollier
@beabridgebuilder
@berniceaking
Yours in Christ,
Kim Mertz
Director for Children’s Ministry
May 29, 2020
Dear Families,
It is with great sadness, I tell you that our camps have been cancelled for the Summer of 2020 due to the Coronavirus, including Eagle Lake Day Camp, Upward Basketball Camp, Upward Cheer Camp, and Preschool VBS. We waited as long as we could before cancelling and we did our very best to keep them going, but in the end, we could not be confident in our pursuit to Do No Harm.
As Methodists, we are called to Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God by our founder, John Wesley. We will strive to do good this summer as we discover new ways to reach out to our families and stay in love with God.
Eagle Lake Campers, please check your email for refund information. It will be sent out on 5/29/2020. If you have any questions for Eagle Lake, please email them at eaglelake@navigators.org or call them at 1-800-US-EAGLE during normal business hours.
Please contact Kim Mertz with any questions or comments at kmertz@concordtrinity.org. Do you have a great idea you would like to share, please reach out! I would love to hear from parents. What would be helpful to you this summer?
Yours in Christ,
Kim Mertz
Director of Children’s Ministry
