Fellowship Office
NASHVILLE – The former office of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts stands empty as the Denman Building was prepared to close Dec. 31, 2020. Discipleship Ministries will continue to lease a different space to the Fellowship, but the majority of staff who worked in the historic building have been assigned to work remotely henceforth. (Facebook photo by David L.. Bone. Used by permission).
A United Methodist Insight Exclusive
When David L. Bone moved to Nashville, Tenn., 32 years ago, he had no clue that he was about to embark on a vocation that would center in one of The United Methodist Church’s more beloved sites – the building housing The Upper Room ministries and its famed Upper Room Chapel.
A sacred music graduate of Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Mr. Bone began as part-time clerical staff in the Section on Worship and then became executive director of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, both housed in the building.
The Denman Building, located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, has been home to Discipleship Ministries, formerly the General Board of Discipleship, since the agency was founded in 1972. According to its website, the agency's primary purpose is "to assist annual conferences, districts, and 31,000 local churches of various membership sizes and settings in their efforts to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."
On Dec. 31, 2020, Discipleship Ministries permanently assigned most staff previously housed in the Denman Building to work remotely henceforth. Discipleship Ministries instituted the remote work policy that left the building virtually unoccupied because of lessons from the coronavirus pandemic and the decline in United Methodist revenues that support church-wide agencies, said Steve Horswill-Johnston, communications director.
Mr. Horswill-Johnston responded in an email to United Methodist Insight’s questions about the building closure.
Is this decision in response to the pandemic?
No. However, the pandemic has proven to us that we can do our work well without a building. The pandemic forced us to work from home (beginning in March 2020) and during that time, we have discovered that we became even more productive and more focused on our mission of making world-changing disciples.
Is closing the building a response to the anticipated shortfall in World Service funding?
It is an acknowledgement of the fact that we can be better stewards of our resources by limiting our footprint to a much smaller portion of our building. Post-pandemic, we will use a designated area of our building which will be reconfigured to accommodate team meetings and drop-in workspace as needed.
Is there any estimate on how much money will be saved by closing the building?
We anticipate that reducing our workspace will save $250,000 to $300,000 annually, which we can redirect to fulfilling our mission. We also have learned that our staff will save an average of 54 minutes per person per day by not commuting round trip. This equates to each of us spending 235 fewer hours annually on commuting, which will provide a much healthier work-life balance for our staff. We also rejoice in the fact that this will benefit the environment and will save our staff $625 per person annually, on average, on gasoline.
Will there still be financial expenses to maintaining the building?
Yes, there will be minimal costs compared to previous years.
Are there any plans to rent out the unused space to bring in new revenue?
No immediate plans to rent out unused space, but we are open to that possibility.
What about visitors to the historic Upper Room Chapel? Is that now permanently closed?
The Upper Room Chapel is currently closed due to the pandemic, but our chapel services and special moments of prayer have continued remotely via Facebook and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/UpperRoomMin/videos) Once it is again safe, chapel services will resume live from The Upper Room Chapel.
How will people get in touch with staff now that they're all working from home?
Same way as before. Our IT department has arranged phone calls to be forwarded to our home offices and emails are received as usual.
How does this decision benefit the churches and congregations that use Discipleship Ministries resources?
Better use of our resources and more money going to programming than paying to maintain a facility.
Last Supper Carving
One of the prominent features of The Upper Room Chapel in the Denman Building is this wood carving of Leonardo da Vinci's mural "The Last Supper." According to The Upper Room Chapel website, the carving was commissioned for the opening of chapel in 1953. Fifty craftspersons worked for 14 months under the direction of sculptor Ernest Pellegrini to create the work, which stands 17 feet wide and 8 feet high. (Photo courtesy of The Upper Room Chapel).
The closing of the Denman Building, named in memory of famed 20th century Methodist evangelist Harry Denman, might have gone unnoticed were it not for a poignant remembrance that David Bone posted on his Facebook page which elicited more than 100 comments. Many of the comments from former staff members were as heartfelt and bittersweet as Mr. Bone’s reflection. Collectively they grieved the loss of a face-to-face community devoted to fostering spiritual practices in The United Methodist Church, even as they acknowledged the need to change to meet an uncertain future for the worldwide denomination.
David L. Bone: “Almost 32 years ago, I decided to move to Nashville without a job. Some angels took care of me, and I was soon working part-time at the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship with my friend Diana Sanchez-Bushong. I climbed the stairs of the Denman Building and looked out on the Upper Room Chapel. My desk was at the end of a ramp that connected the uneven floor levels that connected one part of the building to the other. A wall is there now, but at the time, you entered a marvelous world at the bottom of that ramp, the Section on Worship. The wizards of that world included Diana along with Andy Langford and saints Michael Williams and Hoyt Hickman. I was just a small part of that world, but it gave me validation, acceptance, and love at a time when I needed it. It was a time brimming with possibility. The UM Hymnal has just come out, and the UM Book of Worship was in development. Such incredible memories.
“… The Fellowship office will remain in the building but is moving to a lower floor, an area with no personal memories. Perhaps that is good as we move into a new year and will soon cross the threshold into a post-pandemic world, God willing. The new space once held the Upper Room Prayer Ministry phone lines, so I'm sure there is lots of good Holy Spirit still around. (Discipleship Ministries is very graciously continuing to rent space to The Fellowship in the building, providing a home for our physical office, which is mostly storage these days.)
“The next years are almost as uncertain as they were for me in 1989. I do not doubt that angels are still with me and that all will be well. But it seemed important to take a minute and thank God for this place, its blessing in my life, and the incredible people named above who have been and continue to be my angels. Love conquers all.”
Mr. Bone’s reflection opened a flood of responses on Facebook. Not only did the comments reflect on the Denman Building’s heritage, they also formed a compendium of experts in worship, music, prayer, spiritual disciplines and publishing who have served The United Methodist Church since its founding in 1968. Excerpts from the comments:
Diana Sanchez-Bushong, director of music ministries, Discipleship Ministries: “I turned in my key yesterday (Dec. 31) and I was sad to give up the idea of having a dedicated office space to call my own, to give up lunches and Ping-Pong challenges, to give up bopping into someone’s office to shoot the breeze or get confirmation on an idea or thought. Nevertheless, ministry is about changing and growing. Discipleship does not require a church building or agency offices and I believe we have come to realize that, and we’ll figure out how to work smarter and more efficiently just as the local church is doing the same.”
Don Saliers, retired worship professor and author: “Thanks, David, for all your fruitful work in that space — the emptiness is melancholy but the legacy is strong. I was in that space often with Hoyt (Hickman) and Larry (Stookey) and Jim White between 1971 and the 1990s—hard work and fond memories.”
Dean McIntyre, former director of music resources: “My 16 years of work and ministry there make me enthusiastically echo the final paragraph of your post. … Looks like you and the angels have custody of our shared heritage. Be listening for all of the songs and prayers that were raised in that place.”
Beth A. Richardson, author and spirituality consultant: “Thank you for this beautiful reflection. This is such a huge change. I turned in my key on Monday (Dec. 28) – 34 years.”
MaryJane Pierce Norton, former senior executive: “With 35 years before I fully retired, those buildings (Kern & Denman) are full of memories of colleagues, board members, and visitors. In the years when I was working, I actually moved offices 12 times (on 1st & 2nd floor Kern; in the old house; and on 2nd floor Denman), so like you, I have memories all over both buildings. It makes me sad to know Discipleship Ministries staff aren’t in that location. But I know the ministries continue.”
Taylor Watson Burton-Edwards, former worship resources director: “I have good memories of all of those spaces and many of these people, including, of course, you, David. We (Jackson Henry, Amy Lynn Sigmon, and I) were doing remote meetings with you as ‘Team Worship’ long before that became de rigeur. And of course before that – even before your moving into your third-floor digs at Denman – I'd done years of online planning work involving you and many others for General Conference(s). Who knew then we were creating the new normal? Well, I think we did!”
Daniel Benedict, worship consultant and former worship resources director: “David and all, this series of posts is a blessing on the cusp of a new year. I relish the memories and the list of saints with us and around us. Such memories of the GBOD/Discipleship Ministries buildings, people, meetings, work started and sometimes completed, and the ripples of intention and effort that went in directions and places we will never know or realize the effects. Section on Worship, The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, the Order of Saint Luke, the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT), North American Academy of Liturgy, seminary partnerships, Hymnal revision committee, Book of Worship revision, Upper Room Worship Book, international travel of staff, the Baptism Study Committee, the Holy Communion Study Committee, and the ordinal revision team. the launch and fecundity of the worship resources website ....
“And then, there was Hoyt Hickman, mild-mannered Clark Kent of the early days of the Section on Worship circa 1968 – its secretary and then first staffer for worship. In a way, he was the Superman at the center of what emerged – the strange attractor who in one way or another brought us all together in now several generations of UM worship reform leadership and sharing in the so-called ecumenical consensus. If there are ghosts in the Denman Building –which rumor has it that there are! – then I think Hoyt's gentle but savvy spirit roams there, too.”
David Fleming, pastor: “Your celebration of the sacred space and these special servants reminds me again of what a blessed season this has been. May God carry us across the threshold of a new day. ‘This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on....’” (United Methodist Hymnal No. 383, copyright 1995 Hope Publishing Co., words by Brian Wren, music by Carlton Young).
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. Between 1988 and 2005, she spent countless hours in the Denman Building reporting on the work of the General Board of Discipleship, now Discipleship Ministries.