Central Goes to School!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: A Day of Smells, Smiles, and Community!

On one of our recent outreach opportunities, we visited Amelia Earhart Elementary School. The Youth Ministry reached out to our neighbors in Southwest Detroit. We anticipated only 15-20 students in a resource room but before we could complete our first round of story telling, we were on a pancake tour serving about 75 students’ hot cakes as a mid-morning snack.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is children’s classic. The story unfolds in the town of Chew and Swallow; food literally rained down on the towns people. However in a server change in weather pattern, food because a tormentor and the food feel hard and heavy, so much so a huge pancake fell on top of the school!

Teachers and students shared in maple syrup euphoria and flap jack heaven. One of the many high lights of the trip was Sue Sobocienski making a trip to the market get us more pancake batter for the ravenous fans. Cameron Davis Jr. our story teller was met with student approval of our story choice and teachers welcoming Central United Methodist Church into their classrooms.

The youth at Central are engaging their community not only with a bite to eat and good book but with a heart of openness, genuine care and love that is espoused

by Christ. Please support this ministry but sharing this with your networks and also retweeting or reposting this blog on a friend’s page.

Go Central!

 Saturday’s Hip-Hop and Prayer summit was, oddly enough, really good. Granted that the number of attendees could have and should have been better, the summit served its purpose; incorporating the old scripture into the new culture of today’s urban youth.

It started with a very intriguing and interactive conversation with Khary Turner who spoke about some hip-hop history and its ever changing message and how it is used   in yesterday and today’s community. One of the more important points from that segment was the fact that, unfortunately, we’ve put more emphasis on the negative messages in hip-hop (sex, drugs, and all that between) rather than focusing on the fact that it should be a way to convey productive messages of change, strife, and triumph of the community. Stemming from those points and more like them, he brought the conversation to the main topic of involving one’s whole self (personality, abilities, and interests) into the church so that going to church and being proactive in the church community can be an enjoyment rather than a task.

After the listening and conversation segment of the day, we moved to the church gym to learn and enjoy the dancing style of b-boy dancing thanks to Benito Vasquez. Despite what you are probably thinking, they made it impossible for the moves to be impossible to do. Trust me; I was skeptic to my own abilities at first. But with a little time and trust in their methods, I now believe I can hold my own on a dance floor.

With these two exciting and tiring activities out of the way, there was a hotdog lunch served followed by a brief presentation and Q&A with Congressman Hansen-Clark that talked about college loan and debt forgiveness. One would think the day couldn’t have enough time to put any more fun into it. Wrong. After the Q&A there was an opportunity to let out the screaming artist within through spray painting and t-shirt designing led by Charles Roberts Jr. What more could a youth or young adult ask for on a Saturday afternoon? Intellectual   conversations on topics that are actually relatable to your everyday routine, fun dance lesson to keep you up-to-date with the ever changing culture, free food, an opportunity to learn what is happening in the political world around you and concerning you, and an opportunity to make an artistic keepsake/gift.

If this sounds like a great time and wonderful experience, that’s because it was.-Cameron Davis

Graffiti segment

The Hip-Hop Butterfly

Ber-Henda looking Fabulous






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Hip Hop Meets Scripture

 

July Updates!

Youth and Young Adult Announcements

Youth will meet every 1^st Sunday after service on the 5^th floor.

The Youth Council meeting is every 3^rd Sunday after service.

Youth and Young Adult Sunday is the 5^th Sunday of month. Join us July 29^th at 10:30 a.m. and bring a youth with you! Our youth have returned from Choir Camp and Panama. Please come out to worship with us and hear about their experiences.

Got Snacks? Each month we are asking that each member or church committee please donate a snack item and attend one of our meetings. To see what we are up to please log on to http://cumyouthandyoungadults.blogspot.com/ 

ReCap of Vamos a Panama: Fundraiser for Service Learning to Panama! By Ivy Ogbonnaya

The air seemed particularly enticing on the evening of Thursday May 24th. Next to an army of boys in burgundy who swarmed to Comerica park to cheer on their U of D brethren, stood a still and quiet church, Central, where clusters of talent filtered in. The repose of the outside was quickly broken by the bold, jazzy melodies of Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and others. Smiles and laughter permeated the atmosphere and practically masked that there was a pretty small crowd.

The event, simply called Vamos A Panama, it was a fund raiser to help attain money to send Aisha Ruiz, Ber-Henda Williams and Jayden Marburry to Panama, where they would help rebuild schools. The trip is through AFS (American Foreign Service) and is donation based. The team is apart of a group of 10 others who are also going on the trip. Some of the sponsors include SV Mix Radio, Holla If You Hear Me Blog and One Single Rose.

The event, although having a relatively small turnout and a bit of a slow start, turned out to be a highlight of my week. The energy of the performers was amazing and inspiring. Powerful poetry was read by Ber-Henda, Natalie, who performed her pieces, "Girl In The 3rd Row, 7th Seat" and "The Reasons Why". Then there was Tonaya, who performed her pieces "We Just Don't Care" and "Poetrymusiclove" and a collaboration with Natalie on the piece "High School In Three Minutes".
They graced the audience with a smooth selection of hand crafted poems which were deep and resonating, giving chills to those who were lucky enough to hear. Poems that commanded respect, as they serenaded the audience, invoking memory and provoking thought at the same time.

Following the poems was a performance by the headliners: OTIS (Out There In Space), whose music styles range from hip-hop to house. Filling everyone with spirit as they covered classic songs and performed their own pieces, OTIS certainly had a memorable performance that the crowd undoubtably enjoyed. It's that type of dedication to one's craft that draws support. The fact that they performed as if they were in front of a crowd of 2000+ proved their passion for their craft and is very much respected.

Some of the high points of the event were the performances, the energy, and the camaraderie. Please join our blog so thaty you can witnes the enormous talent that Detroit and the youth have to offer.

A Day of Service by Aisha Tyler-Ruiz

One might not expect to learn much while working at a cemetery in the middle of May but you’d be surprised. Lessons about life, courage, and love can jump out and startle you. As I mentioned before, I spent some time working at a cemetery with my uncle (during both Mother’s day and Memorial Day Weekend) helping out with the irregular waves of people that come to visit loved ones. During that time my basic duty was to pass out flyers, work the hospitality tent, and ultimately help out my uncle with his sales. However, this was not all I ended up doing.

I first started working on Mother’s Day and unfortunately the day started off pretty dreary. There was a constant drizzle and a not so gentle breeze but nonetheless it was a day dedicated to the wonderful women in our lives and was going to be honored regardless. Once the weather started to clear up the first wave of people started to arrive. These people turned out to be a large group who all attended the same mosque. As more and more arrived, my fellow workers and I learned that this was a daily visit. The fact that it was Mother’s day was an irrelevant fact; this group honored their dead with such dedication and tenderness that all we could do was watch and offer any assistance needed. It made me think about how little I pay respects to my deceased loved ones. From that moment I made a pact with myself to find a way that I could more actively pay tribute to family and friends that have passed.

As the day progressed, I was sent out onto the “floor”. The floor was any one of the numerous memorial gardens that the cemetery encompassed. On the floor, I was supposed to approach a visitor paying respects, offer condolences and assistance, and if possible hand out an entry card for the raffle the cemetery was holding. I approached many people but there was one man in particular that stood out in my memory. He was alone when I walked up and was extremely open when I started to talk to him. He was a Desert Storm veteran whose entire family was buried in the same garden of the cemetery. The more he talked the more it became evident that he was facing an internal dilemma. He knew that it was tradition to be buried alongside his relatives but he really wanted to be buried in another state where he and his wife lived. As a 16 year old, death and all its accompanying decisions was something I had never thought about. But this conversation with this man helped me to start thinking about how important family can play a role in your life AND death. I do not know what the man will end up choosing but I hope that in his afterlife he will be satisfied with his decision.

A couple weeks later, I returned to the cemetery to help out during Memorial Day. I thanked as many veterans as I could but the most intriguing event of the day had nothing to due with war or veterans. I was working the front gate and stopping each car to welcome them and direct them to wherever they needed to go. When I approached one car, the driver rolled down the window and revealed that it was a middle aged man and a friend. After I greeted him and handed out the information about the cemetery he handed me a ten-dollar bill. I quickly handed back the bill and began to explain that there was no need to pay me. He cut me off mid-sentence to say that he had just left the hospital and only had a month to live. This statement shocked me into silence. All I could do was reiterate my previous offer of assistance and he rolled up his window and drove off. I am still processing that moment, feelings of thankfulness and wariness and sadness all run through my head when I think about it. I hope that someday I will learn how to understand what he said and how he was able to say it so calmly. All I know is that I greatly admire that man for the courage and strength that he obviously showed in that short interaction.

So as you can see, my brief time working there left a lasting mark on me. I am sure the things I realized and experience will late influence big parts of my life. I am not sure if I would want to work there again because I am still reeling from the dying man. But I am glad that I was able to have those eye-opening and thought-provoking moments. Like I said, it might surprise you what you can learn from working at a cemetery. It sure surprised me.

Panama!

Dear Family,

I am taking a group of 12 Michigan high school students to work on a community service project in Panama from June 21 to July 5, 2012 through American Field Service (AFS) Intercultural Programs. We will be repairing and repainting schools and helping to rebuild homes for people with disabilities.

Each of them needs to raise $2361 to participate in this project. Our “Poetry Jam” is one of our fundraisers suggested donation is only $10.00

This event will be Thursday, May 24, 2012 from 6p.m.-9p.m. at
Central Methodist Church 23 E. Adams, Detroit 48226













If you are interested in becoming a sponsor please email me at berhendawilliams@gmail.com or inbox me.

Gracias!
Ber-Henda Williams






Click Here to Donate!
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2DDSC92WDWDXY

Where Hip Hop Meets Scripture Part II

We are pleased to invite you to “Where Hip Hop Meets Scripture a youth on hip hop and spirituality forum to be held on June, 16th 2012 from 12p.m.-4p.m. This event is a joint celebration to be held at Metropolitan United Methodist Church, located at 8000 Woodward Ave. Youth ages 13-18 will participate in workshops and classes lead by some of Detroit’s Legends and Pioneers in Hip Hop culture. This event is FREE! 

Workshops will include:

Beat and Lyric Production--DJ Sicari and Khari Kimani Turner

Graffiti--CJ Roberts

B Boy/B Girl Dance Class: Benito Vazquez  


For more information about this event please contact: Ber-Henda Williams at 313-965-2990 or Kimberly Rice 313-875-7407 ext 204