Observations and Assumptions

Today (June 29th) is my fourth Monday in the office and over the past three weeks I have been spending as much time as possible observing congregational life at Canterbury. It would be presumptuous of me to think I have grasped the essence of Canterbury in such a short period of time; however, I would like to test some of my assumptions. Feel free to respond with your thoughts to help me best understand this amazing church.

1. The Canterbury congregation is a healthy congregation. Everywhere I go I hear laughter and conversations that reflect a place where people genuinely love and care for each other. Ann and I were leaving New Traditions on Sunday morning and passed the Crawford Owen Class, and we were “pulled in” by the energy of the class as they were gathering for their weekly lesson.2. The people of Canterbury are responsible and conscientious people. Every time I meet someone who doesn’t have their nametag on, they immediately begin to apologize! I met a person in the parking lot one afternoon (who will go unnamed) who was out for a jog in the neighborhood and who apologized for NOT wearing his nametag! (Now… will all of you please be as conscientious about getting your picture made for the new pictorial directory! That would be very helpful to me.)3. The Christians at Canterbury know how to worship God! Whether you attend New Traditions, Traditional Worship, Contemporary Worship, or the Way, there is attentiveness to God that demonstrates devotion and a desire to know God more fully. The music in every worship experience at Canterbury is inspiring in its excellence and filled with the energy of the Spirit of God.4. Outreach and mission are not words on a page at Canterbury—they are values that are lived out in a multitude of ways. The number of people serving and the number of ministries benefiting from those volunteers are staggering. Missionaries from Canterbury fan out across the city and the world making a difference in countless lives.5. Children and Youth are a priority at Canterbury, and the volunteers and staff are constantly striving to improve the experience for the Children, Youth, and their Parents. The focus is not just on taking good care of our Children and Youth—it’s on helping our Children and Youth fully develop as followers of Jesus Christ.6. Finally, the staff is an amazing group of people who love God, love Canterbury, love their work, and who are “sold out” on doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

Thanks to all of you for your faithfulness in helping Canterbury be the amazing church it is! After all, WE are the church!

Rev. Dale Cohensenior pastor

To comment on this article, go to Rev. Dale Cohen’s blog at http://www.dalecohencanterbury.com

Vol. 27 / Number 7

JuLY 2015

Canterbury- Beeson Forum

Summer Happenings

Sr. High Mission Trip

Dale Cohen, Senior Minister

Canterbury-Beeson Forum

page two

he Canterbury-Beeson Forum on Aging is en-tering its 13th year and it just keeps getting big-ger and better. Wheth-

er you’re a health-care profes-sional, a personal caregiver, or a concerned family member, this all-day event is recom-mended for all. “The Beeson Forum provides a terrific one-day overview on subjects related to the care of the aging,” says Canterbury member Ralph Yeild-ing. “Both years I’ve attended, the information from the speakers has helped put me on the path to learning about all of the various resources and strategies available to help me ease my mother’s journey with dementia.” Even if you aren’t currently in a situation with an aging loved one, attending the forum will equip you with information on recognizing certain warning signs and prepare you to handle them. “For those who are edging into that time frame when taking care of a parent is or may be a re-ality soon, the Beeson Forum is invaluable,” says Executive Minister Warren Nash. “About a week after I attended my first forum, my father suffered

his second major stroke and we soon began to notice all the signs of Alzheimer’s in my mother. The knowledge we gained from Bee-son was absolutely invaluable in terms of meeting the needs of caring for my parents. It put us in a position to make the right deci-sions when we needed to.”

This year’s forum is packed with four diverse and informative sessions:

Caroline Harada, M.D. — Care for the Elderly in the Hospital—Goals of Care Dr. Harada is Associate Professor and Di-rector of the UAB Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program and Staff Physician at the UAB Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit. Her primary interest is in medical education research with a focus in general geriatrics, dementia care, and communi-cation skills.

Amy D. Lott, M.D. — Risks, Signs, Symptoms of Depression in the Caregiver for the Elderly Dr. Lott provides psychiatric services to Birmingham’s VA Medical Center patients in the

T

Saturday, August 87:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.Canterbury Center

$25/person, includes lunch

To register by e-mail, contact Laura Dabbs at 874-1561 or

lauradabbs@canterburyumc.org.

1

For more information and to sign-up, visit www.canterburyumc.org/beeson2015.

Sign up now to attend this signature Canterbury event.

Canterbury-Beeson Forum / July Canterburian 2015/ page three

Home Based Primary Care and Palliative Care programs, the Geriatric Assessment Clinic, and the Safe Harbor Unit (palliative medicine). She also chairs the Dementia Steering Committee and has participated in the development and rollout of the Educa-tion in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EPEC) for Veterans curriculum.

Sandra Koulourides, M.S., R.D. — Caring for the Caregiver Sandra is a Registered and Licensed Dietician with an additional degree in Fit-ness. After many years working as a hospi-tal’s Clinical Dietitian and as a nutrition and fitness expert, she currently owns and oper-ates Fuel + Fitness, which personalizes nutri-tion, fitness, and counseling for clients.

Teepa Snow, M.S., OTR/L, FAOTA — Agitation Issues in the Elderly Teepa is an occupational therapist currently working as a dementia care and

dementia education specialist through her independent practice with individuals, clinical appointments with Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill, and as a consultant to various specialty service providers. Involved with the Beeson Forum since its beginning, her inter-active sessions are always a highlight of the day. Teepa will also be available by ap-pointment during the morning to meet one-on-one with families. Throughout the day, attendees can also explore a number of vendor tables in Canterbury Hall for informa-tion from a variety of agencies and services. Planning to attend and willing to help welcome other attendees to Canterbury? The Forum committee is looking for volun-teers for registration and to provide radi-cal hospitality during the morning. Contact Anne Warren at anmkwarren@bellsouth.net if you are willing to help.

Canterbury’s Beeson Trust continues to support local senior services through new grants to six

local organizations.

hanks to the sincere generosity of long-time Canterbury member Lucille Stewart Beeson, the lives of countless seniors across Jeffer-son County have been touched

by the offerings of the Beeson Trust. Since its inception in 2001, Canterbury’s Bee-son Team has given grants to numer-ous senior-serving organizations such as the Senior Companion Program at Posi-tive Maturity, Alzheimer’s of Central Ala-bama, the Brown Bag Project at Canter-bury, and The United Methodist Center for Senior Citizens, the agency that oper-ates the McCoy Adult Day Care Center. After studying its current lineup of various grant requests and making site visits to the requesting agencies, this year’s Beeson Team of 14 lay members

and staff met as a group on June 9th to award this quarter’s select few grants. They again specifically concentrated on requests seeking to meet the “raw edge needs” of seniors. The team is happy to report that the following Canterbury missions and Jefferson County 501(c)(3) charities received grants as follows:

P.E.E.R., Inc. $40,000 The community development group P.E.E.R., Inc. (Promoting Empow-erment and Enrichment Resources) was started in 2005 by the Rev. Sally Allocca and is based at East Lake United Meth-odist Church. Its signature program helps seniors gain access to fresh fruits and vegetables from the East Lake Farmers Market at no cost to them. www.east-lakemarket.org/tag/p-e-e-r-inc/

M-Power Ministries $45,000 This grant will help M-Power establish

Continued on back cover.

T

Beeson Trust Update

It’s not too late to take part in all of the activities happening in and around Canterbury this summer!

Here are just a few highlights…

NEw Photo DIRECtoRy PoRtRAItSNow Through July 18 Sign up today for your family’s photo session and help make our new membership directory the best yet! Afternoon, evening, and weekend appointments are still available, but are filling up fast. Every family participating will receive a free Canterbury directory and a free 8”x10” print. A 20% off coupon will be available at the time of your appointment to use toward the purchase of other prod-ucts and, if you bring a non-perishable food donation for our Brown Bag Project (canned meat dinners and hearty soups preferred), you’ll also receive an additional $5 off your purchase. Visit www.canterburyumc.org/directory2015 to schedule your appointment online, or call the church office at 871-4695.

LEARNINGLunch & Learn Speaker Series

“Opportunities and Challenges”Tuesdays & Thursdays, July 7 – 30 • 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m., M227

As we continue many of our hands-on missions this sum-mer, it’s also important to look at our community and how policies, experiences, and opportunities lead to both the need and the re-sponses to needs. These summer sessions help explore various topics that connect with our hands-on service.tuesday, July 7—Kim Rogers, Program Officer of Community Foun-dation of Greater Birmingham speaking about payday lendingthursday, July 9—Judge Shanta Owens, Presiding Judge of the Jef-ferson County Adult Drug Court Programtuesday, July 14—Joyce Spielberger, Executive Director of Magic Moments talking about the needs of chronically ill childrenthursday, July 16—Paulette Van Matre, Executive Director of Magic City Harvest addressing food insecurities in Birminghamtuesday, July 21—Thomas McLemore of Alabama Possiblethursday, July 23—State Senator Cam Ward, Republican District 14tuesday, July 28—Hill Carmichael, new Executive Director of Urban Ministry talking about the Alabama Constitutionthursday, July 30—Kerri Pruitt, Executive Director of The Dannon Project speaking about the transition from prison to the real world Lunch is available for $5 with a pre-reservation to Cindy McDougald at cindy.mcdougald@canterburyumc.org.

Summer Happenings 2

page four This summer we’re “All Together” in Worship at 10:30.

New traditionsSundays at 8:15 a.m.

in the Chapel

the wAySundays at 5:00 p.m.

in the Chapel

All-together worshipSummer Sundays

at 10:30 a.m.

July 5 Canterbury Center

July 12Sanctuary

July 19 Canterbury Center

July 26Sanctuary

August 2Canterbury Center

August 9Sanctuary

August 16Canterbury Center

August 23 Kick-Off Sunday Back to regular

worship schedule

Brown Bag Book ClubWednesdays, July 15 & Aug. 19

Noon in Room A123 This casual lunchtime book club is back with a lineup of in-teresting and thought-provoking books by authors we’ll be wel-

coming to Canterbury this fall. Bring your lunch and join Annie Skinner and Rachel Estes in the conversa-tion. No reservation needed.July 15—Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life by Glennon Doyle MeltonAugust 19—Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Mo-ments of Grace by Anne Lamott

All books are available from the Canterbury Adult Resource Center or major booksellers. oUtREACh

Bingo!Outreach BINGO is in full swing! Pick up or download your cards now and get busy serving. Outreach op-portunities include everything from baking cookies for a neighbor to helping at East Lake UMC’s Farmer’s Market on a Saturday morning. Contact information for the various projects is included on the back of the cards. Prizes will be awarded at the Canterbury Church Picnic on August 30! Visit www.canterburyumc.org to print your card today.

Here are two upcoming outreach services that need your help! Please consider signing up to participate in these important missions today.

Firehouse Shelter Tuesday, July 21 • 6:00-8:00 p.m.

We’re in need of 6-8 people to prepare and serve dinner at the Firehouse Shelter on Tuesday, July 21. (Meal expenses will be reimbursed.) This is a great opportunity to volunteer as a family, as friends, or with your Sunday School class or small group. Contact Sean Orr at sean.orr@canter-buryumc.org for more information.

Family PromiseSunday, August 2 – Saturday, August 8 • Scout Hut

Canterbury’s next turn to host families in tran-sition is coming up soon. We need at least two dinner hosts each night to cook, serve, and eat dinner with the families, as well as two overnight hosts. Volunteer with your entire family, part of your family, a friend, another couple, or on your own. Every age is wel-come! “Our volunteers just showing up is such a gift to these families,” says Norita Murray, Canterbury’s Family Promise Coordinator. “The food and shelter are necessities we can easily provide, but our pres-

ence is the best show of love and support we can offer these families in need. It’s a meaningful and memorable experience for all.” For more information about Family Promise, visit www.familypromisebham.org. To volunteer as a host, contact Norita at rmurrayiv@charter.net.

SPECIAL UPCoMING FUNDRAISING EVENtS

Family Promise of Birmingham’s Black & white Bash Thursday, July 30 • 6:00 p.m.

Rosewood Hall, Homewood (2850 19th Street South)

This annual fundraising auction for Family Promise (formerly Birmingham Hospitality Network) is always a fun time, so come help make this year’s a great success! Show up in the colors of the night (business casual attire) to bid on the variety of items in the live auction, buy tickets for the raffle, and test your knowledge in the new trivia contest. Check out the Family Promise Facebook Page for a list of not-able auction items. The event committee is also seeking auction and raffle donations! They’re looking for high-end auction items such as vacation homes, trips, and tick-ets to sporting events, as well as less expensive items such as gift baskets and restaurant gift cards for the raffle. Tickets may be purchased for $40 outside the Sunday worship services through July 26, or for $50 the night of the event. For more information or to do-nate an item, please contact Tyler Busby at 639-9060 or tcbusby2@yahoo.com or Paula Williamson at 356-3309 or paula@kane-steel.com. Additional informa-tion is also available at www.familypromisebham.org.

Church of the Reconciler BBQ Cook-offSaturday, August 1 • 2:00 p.m.

Trinity UMC in Homewood (1400 Oxmoor Rd.)

Fancy yourself a pit master? Now is your chance to show off your skills. The Church of the Rec-onciler is looking for teams to participate in their up-coming BBQ cook-off. Registration is $125/team and includes the entrance fee for up to six team mem-bers. Each team is asked to prepare and share 30 lbs. of cooked barbecue of their choice. (Both the registration fee and the cost of the barbecue is tax deductible.) Just want to partake of the good food? Come out at 2:00 to sample all the teams’ offerings and vote for your favorite. Tickets are $20/each or $75/for 5. Kids under 12 are free. All proceeds go to support the homeless ministries of Church of the Reconciler. Purchase tickets and find more informa-tion about participating in the cook-off at www.churchofthereconciler.com.

Summer Happenings / July Canterburian 2015/ page five

Sr. High Mission Trip 3

page six

0 n Sunday, May 31, 80 senior high youth and adults loaded up a group of mini-vans and headed to New Orleans for a week of service, fellowship, and lots of fun. Working under the direction of the nationally recognized St. Bernard Project

(www.stbernardproject.org), the group focused their attention on eight homes across St. Bernard Parish and Orleans Parish, two of the hardest hit areas during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. St. Bernard Parish was in fact deemed 100% unin-habitable. Founded in 2006, St. Bernard Project has rebuilt nearly 600 homes in the area and, over the past seven years, Canterbury’s youth have been a part of 87 of those! From demolition (hazmat suits required!) and mudding to tiling and installing millwork, this year’s group spent their mornings completing all phases of general construction. “I think it’s the coolest thing that we get to actually construct

and work on a house that someone lives in or will live in one day. That’s God’s grace right there,” says high school senior Lindsey Brakefield. Throughout their work, they also got to meet several of those homeowners they were helping and hear their stories. “When our home-owner showed up, it definitely boosted the en-ergy throughout the house and I think everyone started to work harder,” says high school sopho-more Hudson Dorough. “She really showed us how much Hurricane Katrina affected the peo-ple of Louisiana.” After a long morning of hard, dirty work, the youth spent their afternoons taking in some of the fun sites of the city. They interacted with the animals at Audubon Aquarium, explored the French Quarter and indulged in beignets at Café Du Monde, and were awed by all of the festive Mardi Gras floats on display at Mardi Gras World. Then each evening, back at Aurora

New Orleans

SERVICE, FELLOWSHIP, AND

LOTS OF FUN!

CANTERBURY’S SENIOR HIGH YOUTH

TAKE ON NOLA!

Sr; High Mission Trip / July Canterburian 2015 / page seven

United Methodist Church—their home away from home— they spent meaningful time to-gether in worship and fellowship. This year, a group of youth from the United Methodist Children’s Home joined Canterbury’s group. The trip was a special re-ward for the UMCH selected youth to learn more about responsibility and have the op-portunity to go out and experience something out of their norm. “Our kids have had a difficult road, but we want them to know that no mat-ter what, they can give back,” says Rebecca Morris, Canterbury member and UMCH’s Vice President of External Affairs. The Canterbury and UMCH groups shared meals, worship, and free time with each other. “It’s great for our kids to interact with other kids in our program across the state and to connect with people outside of the pro-gram,” says Rebecca. “Hopefully this opportu-

nity builds relationships that will continue after the trip.” For all, it’s not just the new or deepened relationships that they brought home. “We’ve just fallen in love with New Orleans,” says Di-rector of Student Ministries Stephen Ingram. “Our kids connect so well with the people and it helps them see a world they’ve never seen before. When you actually get to know the people and hear their stories of sadness and hope, it can’t help but force a change in your paradigm.” “This trip meant a lot to me because I realized how much work has been done within the past ten years to aid the people affected by Katrina,” says Hudson. “It was a great expe-rience listening to all of the stories from Katrina survivors and seeing how much our work meant to them.”

“It was a great experience listening to all of the stories from Katrina survivors and seeing how much our work meant to them.” — Hudson Durough

NoN-pRofiToRgaNizaTioNu. s. posTage

paidBiRmiNgham alpeRmiT No 2514

addRESS SERViCE REQUESTEdThe Canterburian350 Overbrook Road, P.O. Box 130699

Birmingham, Alabama 35213-0699205-871-4695

Web Site www.canterburyumc.org

Directions

Off Highway 280, at Brookwood Mall, take Mountain Brook Parkway east to

Overbrook Road and turn left.

MinistersRev. Dale Cohen Rev. Warren NashRev. Sam Williamson Rev. Drew ClaytonRev. Sheryl Thornton Dr. Dixon Mitchell Dr. Oliver Clark

Beeson Trust UpdateContinued from page 3.

a new daytime health clinic for seniors. Their goal is that by providing seniors with better health care, they will be able to stay in their own homes longer. www.mpowerministries.org

Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham $15,000 The RPC took over the Medicare Waiver Pro-gram from the Jefferson County Council on Aging (JCCOA) in 2011. These funds will help them meet the emergency needs of their se-nior clients. www.rpcgb.org

Avondale Samaritan Place $18,750 This grant will help cover quarterly expenses for ASP’s Brown Bag and Carpenter’s Hands outreach programs that assist seniors in the Avondale community. www.asamaritanplace.org

Urban Ministry $897 These funds will be used in support of the painting program at their Joe Rush

Center for Urban Mission. www.urbanminis-try.org

habitat for humanity $25,000 This grant will provide funding for critical home repairs for low-income seniors of Jeffer-son County. Expenses will be limited to $5,000 per house. www.habitatbirmingham.org After six months, the Trust team will fol-low up with these agencies to be sure the funds are being spent appropriately and will also receive year-end reports from each. “Canterbury is blessed to be a part of this wonderful ministry that Mrs. Beeson left us,” says Beeson Team member Todd Sharley. “We benefit equally as much as our recipients during this experience of helping those who are needy and less fortunate, which I think was part of Mrs. Beeson’s plan all along.” For more information about the Bee-son Trust, visit www.canterburyumc.org/beesontrust. Interested in serving on the Bee-son Team? Please contact committee chair Grady Gunn at 999-2748.