Our member spotlight this month shines on our church’s organist, Jerry F. Gillooly. Jerry has been playing the organ since he was a child growing up in Washington, Indiana, and on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2017 he will have played the or-gan at Christmas Eve services for a total of 60 years. Roberts Park Church will be pleased to recognize him on Sunday morning, De-cember 24, at our church’s 10:30 service. Jerry is a marvelous musician and he attrib-utes his unusual talent to the fact that his fin-gers are not alone on the organ and piano keys; he feels that God has His hands on top of his and guides him al-

ways. And what glorious music they perform! Jerry can play anything from the classics to jazz, gospel, hip-hop, etc.

with much of it com-ing from memory. He feels he can share his spiritual gifts to hon-or God through his music. Born in Washing-ton, Indiana to par-ents Jerome and Jew-el Gillooly. Jerry grew up under the tutelage of his mother who encouraged his musi-cal talents. He was graduated with bachelor’s and mas-ter’s degrees in music from Indiana State

University, where he met and married his wife, Patricia, who also was a music major.

I am typing this article just before I

start to pack my suitcase so that

tomorrow I can begin the journey

back to Indianapolis from my visit to

the UK. It has been good to spend time

with my parents, to see my family, and to

meet up with friends. But now my thoughts

begin to turn to making the journey to be

back with Carolyn and all my American

family and friends. I don’t know about you,

but I am not a last-minute packer. I much

prefer to take time to get my clothes and

other things laid out before opening the

suitcase and packing them away. Only then

do I feel confident that I have what I need

and have my boarding passes, passport

and green card etc. ready for those who

will need to see them.

As we enter the season of Advent, I can’t

help wondering if Mary and Joseph were

‘planners’ or

‘last-minute’

packers for their

journey to

Bethlehem. One

might think that

Joseph, having

served as a

carpenter, who

would be used

to having to think about how a

woodworking task would be done, would

be a ‘planner,’ but I wonder how much

planning had been done for this particular

journey. Rarely do we see any depictions of

Mary and Joseph with a donkey heavy

laden with bundles or provisions for the

journey, so perhaps there was little chance

The Window The Window December 2017

“We are a home

in the heart of the city

for all who seek to

experience and share

Christ’s love through

worship, fellowship

and service.”

Roberts Park United Methodist Church

401 N. Delaware Street

Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Indianapolis, IN

Permit No. 8970

to plan the packing. What we do know from scripture is

that they had not been able to secure accommodation for

their arrival in Bethlehem. The Gospel tells us that they

ended up taking shelter in a place where animals were

kept and that it was there that the heavily pregnant Mary

would give birth to a son. I think it would be fair to say

that Mary probably hadn’t planned the birth that way. Yet

what we know about Mary is that she was ready to do

what was asked of her by God. From the glorious ‘yes,’ to

the message from the angel Gabriel, to the way God

persuaded her betrothed Joseph that all would be well,

Mary had a confidence in God that meant she was sure God

had things planned.

The Church has struggled over the years with the

concept that God has it all worked out. Major theological

differences have long argued what that might mean. What

I think we can believe is that, in all things, and whatever

the circumstances, God seeks to ensure we are the best we

can be. I truly believe that God only has the best in mind

for us and that no matter where we are or what we have or

what we are doing, God wants us to experience love and

acceptance. It was for that reason that Jesus came into the

world that we might see the love of God at work in the

world. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we too are challenged to

go into all the world and show to others the love of God

that we have experienced. We are reminded that through

the presence of the Holy Spirit, God is with us always and

in all places and wants us to fulfill the potential we have

been given by God.

May you have a blessed Christmas and a peaceful New

Year.

Shalom to you my friend,

From the Pastor’s Pen Continued from page 1

December 2017

Vol. 19, Issue 12 The Window The Window

Continued on back page

Articles for the January news-

letter are due December 18.

Thank you.—Rob Robinson, Editor

From the Pastor’s Pen

Rev. Dr. Andrew

Scanlan-Holmes

Senior Pastor

Rev. Melissa Kleinschmidt

Associate Pastor for Children

and Families

401 N. Delaware St.

Indianapolis, IN 46204

317.635.1636

www.RobertsParkUMC.org

Shalom Daycare:

317.635.3397

Worship Services:

Sunday, 8:30 & 10:30 am

Wed. 12:10-12:30 pm

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Ushers Needed!!

We will need additional ush-

ers for the Christmas Eve ser-

vices. If you would like to

help, please call Rob at 317-

635-1636 or e-mail him at

rpoffice@robertsparkumc.org

M e m b e r P r o f i l e Jerry F. Gillooly

Continued on page 5

Jerry Gillooly Christmas

Organ Concert—Dec. 10 Jerry Gillooly will play a concert of

his favorite Christmas music at Plain-

field United Methodist Church on Sun-

day afternoon, December 10, 4:00 p.m.

on their magnificent new pipe organ.

All are invited. Call Rob at 317-635-

1636 for more info.

Eventually the two of them taught music education clas-ses in the public schools, while Jerry began playing the organ at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, IN, and eventually moved to Plainfield, IN, where he was hired as organist at Plainfield Methodist Church. He served at that position for 34 years prior to coming to Roberts Park in 2001. Jerry and Pat are the parents of two daughters, Susan and Lisa, and the grandparents of Gabriella, Emily, Sa-mantha, Garrett and Grace. They are the great-grandparents of Zayden, who lights up their lives. In addition to playing the organ, Jerry is the caretaker for his wife Pat. He also enjoys bicycling, caring for his friends and neighbors, and serving as “Papa” to his

grandkids. In addition, he works part-time as a flo-ral designer. Jerry might be called the “Pied Piper” of Roberts Park. The children love him and he has devoted

many hours to teaching music to our Shalom Daycare children one day a week. He has also served on the Wor-ship Committee and has served as advisor to our numer-ous choir directors and student choir scholars who have served our church since Jerry and Pat became members in 2001. Congratulations, Jerry, and thank you for sharing your talents with us. We look forward to hearing your won-derful music for many more years. Jerry will be performing a Christmas concert on De-cember 10 at Plainfield UMC (see page 2).

Blue Christmas and a Memorial Service

for the Homeless

PAGE 2 THE WINDOW—DECEMBER 2017 VOLUME 19, ISSUE 12 VOLUME 19, ISSUE 12 THE WINDOW—DECEMBER 2017 PAGE 5

The Book Club

In November, the group read Mur-

der on the Orient Express. For the De-

cember 12 meeting the assignment is

to see any or all of the three movies

made of this book (1934, 1974 or

2017) and enjoy an encore conversa-

tion about this classic Agatha Christie mystery. The meet-

ing will be at the home of Paul and Carol Egan. Please RSVP

to rpoffice@robertspqrkumc.org. For directions, you can

call the office at 317-635-1636. Even if you don’t see the

movie, please come for the conversation!

For some, the Christmas season is difficult if they have recently

experienced the death of someone dear to them, are caring for a

seriously ill family member, or have

someone they love living or stationed far

away.

Again this year, Roberts Park is plan-

ning a Blue Christmas service on the

evening of Thursday, December 21, from

7:00-8:00 p.m., open to all who would like

to join others who are experiencing simi-

lar feelings or who want to support oth-

ers who are. The service includes read-

ings, music offered by the Indy Winds Flute Choir, the lighting of

candles, and a comforting message of hope that is the light and

heart of Advent.

Also on this day, at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary, there will be a

service to recognize all known and unknown individuals who

have experienced homelessness in our community and have

passed away. It is hosted by CHIP, Coalition for Homelessness

Intervention and Prevention.

Wade is a native of Corydon, Ind., and a graduate of

Franklin College. He works in marketing for Fairbanks,

a nonprofit drug and alcohol treatment center on the

northeast side of Indianapolis. Paula was born and

raised in Indianapolis. She is a graduate of Purdue Uni-

versity and works in software sales at Bloomerang in

Lawrence. They have a daughter, Aretha Charlotte, who

was born in April.

Wade began attending Roberts Park in 2011 with his

then-wife, Catherine. They began volunteering for

Soup's On. Catherine died in June 2015.

Wade and Paula met while working together at West-

minster Neighborhood Services, a nonprofit on Indian-

apolis' Near Eastside that works with children and fam-

ilies struggling with poverty issues.

They volunteered for the Spirit & Place dinner hosted

by Roberts Park in 2016 and helped with this year's

pancake and jazz dinner. Wade attends dinners with

the church's Pot Belly Boys social group and both are

part of the parents of young children social groups.

Wade and Paula love the inclusiveness of Roberts

Park and how welcoming the church is to people of all

walks of life. Roberts Park truly demonstrates faith in

action and loves its neighbors no matter their station in

life.

Wade and Paula, your friends at

Roberts Park welcome you!

Altar Flowers You can now sign up for altar flowers. If you would like to donate flowers in honor or memory of a loved one, please sign your name on the sheet on the cube in fellowship hall or call the church office. The cost of a bouquet is $12.50. Giving Tree Goal is 17 Children

This year we will be helping 9 families and 17 children

to have a Merry Christmas. Gift tags were placed on the

tree in Fellowship Hall on Monday, Novem-

ber 27. Children range this year in ages

from 1 month to 18 years. We are asking for

an outfit and one toy for each child. We will

also accept gift cards for Needlers, Kroger

or Wal-Mart to be used to help a family pur-

chase a nice Christmas dinner. If you take

an ornament, please return the ornament

with the gift no later than Sunday, December 17.

Thank you in advance for supporting this cause. Your

donations are always gratefully received. If you have any

questions, contact Pastor Melissa at 317-635-1636.

During worship on November 19, we got Messy! We celebrated Christ through word and song. We listened as Pastor Melissa Kleinschmidt gave a message centering on hospitality—what it's like to be a host and a guest at the same time in God's house—and we were creative by using the five-fingers of prayer. Though we didn't paint, cut, or paste (this time), we invited the congregation to write down their prayers on paper hands and pin them to a tree where we could bring them all to God.

The Indy Winds Flute Choir invites you to their holiday pro-

gram on Sunday, December 10, at 3 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall

at Roberts Park . The program features a blend of much-loved

holiday and classical favorites with a sprinkle of new music.

Included are favorites like We Need a Little Christ-

mas and Sleigh Ride, The Nutcracker in Five Minutes,

Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, and Festive Overture by

Shostakovich. Our featured soloist, Cassie Hale, is not to be

missed! We hope to see you there. Free admission, light re-

freshments provided.

Laura Dubish, director, Mary Sue McAlister assistant director,

Alistair Howlett, rehearsal director.

Correction: In last month’s Window, it was in-

correctly stated that Jeff Vanderwater-Piercy and

Kathleen Obrien are married. They are actually en-

gaged to be married.

Join in a community caroling party spreading the holi-day spirit along Mass Avenue. Meet at the church on December 15 at 6:00 p.m., stroll the Avenue, and return

back to the church for pizza at 7:30 p.m.

Clothing for Our Homeless Friends

We are accepting donations of socks (high

demand), hats, gloves and scarfs to help

warm our homeless friends during the win-

ter. We are also partnering with Central

Christian Church to donate men’s clothing,

particularly jeans. Men’s clothes are in high

demand. All donations may be dropped off

at the church office. Thank you.

Messy Church Sunday

Indiana UM Children’s Home

As in past years, the Roberts Park mis-

sion and loose change offerings for

December will go to support the Indi-

ana UM Chidren’s Home.

Jerry Continued from page 1