Hi Everyone,

It was another full and inspiring day in Wenatchee.  I want to share a story that was shared with us today.  It’s about a change in culture that the church in general hasn’t adapted to very well.

It’s 1959, you’re a high school football player and your team just won a game on Friday night.  Next Friday is the championship game and your coach says in the locker room, “If we only had time for one more practice.”  If you suggested to the coach that you could practice on Sunday morning he would have absolutely refused to do it.  The cultural norm was that you were to be in church on Sunday morning (whether you actually went or not).  Jump ahead to today where soccer and volleyball and swimming and tennis and softball and many other sports and activities are scheduled over weekends and suggest to your coach that you’re going to church and can’t make that Sunday morning activity.  Your coach would most likely inform you that you’re no longer a part of the team.

It used to be that ‘culture’ was pushing people through the doors of the church.  Today ‘culture’ is like a giant vacuum sucking people out the doors of the church.  The church can’t grow or even survive if we stick to the passive idea that “They’ll come to us.”  We live in a world where we need to “go to them.”  What does this look like?  That’s the key to the future of the church.  It can and will look like many things but one thing is for sure, it will be a change.

Shalom,

Jerry

Hi Everyone,

I’m in Wenatchee at a Conference-wide clergy gathering.  Our keynote speaker is Bishop Robert Schnase talking about his book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.  Our opening lecture described these five practices:  Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission & Service, and Extravagant Generosity.  He stated that for a church to thrive it must excel in all five of these areas.  My favorite statement of his so far was, “If next year was 1959, the church is ready for it.”  Most Methodist Churches still pattern their worship, educational programs, and outreach ministries on a 1959 model. 

Radical hospitality in 2009 means that every aspect of the church should be welcoming.  Have you ever considered paint color a hospitality issue?  How about the appearance of plants or are the windows washed?  We all laughed when he told the story of driving up to a church he’d never been to before.  They had a playground there that was overgrown with weeds, the paint was chipping off and there was a lock on the gate.  This is like a giant billboard to every family with children DON’T COME HERE!!! 

I’m happy that we’ve been working on making our church a hospitable place and I know we won’t quit until we’re ready for next year to be 2010!

 Shalom,

 Jerry

This weeks schedule

Tonight

• SPRC meets at 6:00 pm
• PFLAG meets at 7:00 pm

Tuesday

• Active listeners meets in the church library at 10:00 am
• Edith Circle meets at Mona Petersen”s home at 11:30 am
• Quilt & sew group meets in the fellowship hall at 1:00 pm
• “First Light” study group meets at the Christensen’s home at 7:00 pm
• The Ocean Park (camp) Site Advisory Team meets in the fellowship hall at 7:00 pm

Wednesday

• “First Light” study group meets in the church library at 10:00 pm
• Choir practice in the sanctuary at 6:30 pm

Saturday

• District United Methodist Women’s annual meeting   8:00 am – 4:00 pm

The Vancouver District’s Annual Meeting which will be at Salmon Creek UMC in Vancouver on September 26th from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.  Cost is $5.00 per person and includes lunch.  Child care will be available. The keynote speaker for the event is Rev. Sam Dixon, Deputy General Secretary, UMCOR.

This weeks schedule

Tuesday

• Active Listeners will meet at the church at 10:00 am

Friday -Sunday

• PFLAG information booth will be at Lake Sacajawea. 

Saturday

• We will be joining PFLAG for the 4th of July parade  Lineup time will be 8-10 am at 14th and Broadway.  The parade starts at 10:00am.  The parade should be finished between 11:00 to 11:30 am.

Last night’s campfire service was great fun.  There were 30 of us, including a father and son who came because they saw the notice in the newspaper.  Jim brought his banjo and played along with Jerry while we sang.  Our next campfire service will be June 12.

Pastor Jerry will be on vacation this week.  Sharon will be in the office to check messages.  If anyone is in need of a pastor during the coming week they may call Rev. Wayne Schneider at Kelso UMC.

Our Lay Leader, Barbara Vining will lead the service and bring the message next Sunday.  She’ll be filling us in on all the happenings and news from Annual Conference. 

Yesterday during worship we heard a message from Lynne Worth, whose son Eric is a Marine currently stationed in Afghanistan.  He sees a need for school supplies for the children there and thought it might be something his church would like to help with.  Lynne has a poster in the fellowship hall.  She is requesting simple supplies, such as spiral notebooks, pencils and erasers.  There is a container in which these items can be place.  If you would prefer, you can donate money to purchase supplies.  Make your donation to Longview UMC and note that it is for the Afghni school supply project.  The Worth’s will ship all the supplies to Eric, who will distribute them.  Bring your donations any time until August 2nd.

Pastor Jerry is back from Annual conference and appointed to Longview UMC for another year.

This weeks schedule:

Monday

• Inviting and Welcoming Team meets at the church at 7:00 pm

Tuesday

• Active Listeners group meets at the church at 10:00 am  

Next Sunday

• This is the last Sunday of the month and that means potluck.  Bring a dish to share and enjoy the fellowship.
• Summer camp fire starts at 5:30 pm  There will be hotdogs, singing, worship and fellowship.

It was so good to have Morris in curch yesterday and see him look so healthy and strong.  It looks like he’ll be back to his old self in no time.   Thank God for this answer to prayer.

The garden is looking good.  A lot of people have put time and effort into our first garden effort in several years.

We have a special opportunity to partner with our PFLAG group and show support for “Washington Families Standing Together’.   On the 4th of July we are asked to be a walking unit in the Go 4th parade.  We will be carrying signs and a banner asking people to support the “Decline 2, Sign Referendum 71″.

This weeks schedule

Monday

• Leadership team meets at the church at 6:00 pm
• PFLAG meets at the church at 7:00 pm

Tuesday

• Disciple bible study will meet at the church at 6:30 pm

Wednesday

• Disciple bible study will meet at the church at 10:00 am

Thursday

• United Methodist Men will meet at the church at 7:00 pm
• Womem’s book group will meet at Sharon Fosburg’s home at 7:00 pm the address is 4217 Pennsylvania.  We will discussing the book “Blink”.The group will not meet again intil September when we will discuss the book “Blue Highways” by William Least Heat-Moon.

Saturday

• The Spring Fling!  If you would like to attend you must call the church office by Wednesday.

It is good to have Pastor Jerry back and great to hear a little bit about their adventures in Hawaii.  It has been decided that the “Aloha Team” will host fellowship hour after church on May 31st and share their pictures and experiences.

This week’s schedule:

Monday

• Lay Leadership Team meets at 6:00 pm.   This group meets as requested by the Pastor a few times a  year.
• PFLAG meets in the fellowship hall at 7:00pm

Tuesday

• Disciple Bible study will meet at Pastor Jerry’s home at 6:30 pm

Wednesday

• Disciple Bible study will meet in Pastor Jerry’s office at 10:00am
• Choir practice will meet in the sanctuary at 6:30 pm

Thursday

• United Methodist Men will meet at the church at 7:00 pm.  All men involved with the church are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

Sunday

• Marks the 6th anniversary of becoming a Reconciling Congregation.  There will be some special music during the worship service.
• “Claiming the Promise” study will meet in the fellowship at 6:30pm 

Monday

• PFLAG meets in the fellowship hall at 7:00 pm

Tuesday

• Disciple Bible Study meets at Pastor Jerry’s home at 6:30 pm
• Ocean Park site Advisory Team will meet in the fellowship hall at 7:00 pm.  This involves a few of our church members but others are welcome to attend.  It’s a good way to learn more about our church camp.

Wednesday

• Edith Allen Circle will meet at Mona Petersen’s home at 11:30 am for a potluck lunch.
• There will be no choir practice this week.

Friday

• We’ll be setting up for Saturday’s Spring Tea.

Saturday

• The UMW Spring Tea will be in the fellowship hall beginning at 11:30 am.  Master Gardener Sara Brown will be the featured speaker .  Look for an entertaining talk on growing fruits and vegetables even in small spaces, don’t be surprised if you hear the words “Victory Garden”.   Tickets are $10.00 at the door.

A few reminders,

We have a very few people that have signed up to serve as greeters, ushers, to provide flowers for the altar for worship service and to host fellowship time after the service.  There are sign up list available in the hall across from the office.  These are important parts of the Sunday morning worship experience.

Tickets are available for the Medieval feast at the church on April 25th.  Price of the tickets is $12.50.

We have a pretty good wagon full of disposable diapers for Community House.  There are two more Sunday’s in April – let’s see if we can get the pile higher than the communion table by the end if the month.

Monday

•  Worship team will meet at the church at 6:00 pm, they will be making final plans for Easter
• Staff Parish Relations Committee will meet at the church at 7:00 pm

Tuesday

• Quilt and Sew group will meet in the Fellowship hall at 1:00 pm
• Disciple Bible Study meets at Pastor Jerry’s home at 6:30 pm

Wednesday

• Disciple Bible Study meets at the church at 10:00 am

Thursday

• There will be a Seder service in the fellowship hall at 7:00 pm

Friday

• There will be a Tennebrae service in the sanctuary at 8:00 pm

Sunday

• Brunch will be served in the Fellowship hall starting at 9:oo am
• Sunday School will start  with singing in the Sanctuary at 9:30 am
• Easter service will begin at 10:30 pm

The women’s book group will meet  at Niis and Barb’s on Thursday April 23rd.

The UMW  Spring Tea will be at the church on April 18th at 11:30 am

The Medieval dinner will be at the church on April 25th  at 5:30 pm

In the month of April, we are collecting disposable diapers for Community House.  They may be left in Janey’s wagon in the Narthex.

Since this is mostly the 5th week of the month there are not as many meetings as usual.

Monday

• Social Justice meets at  the church at 6pm
• Inviting and Welcoming committee meets at the church at 7pm

Tuesday

• Disciple Bible Study meets at  Pastor Jerry”s home at 6:30pm

Wednesday

• Active Listners meets in the Pastor Jerry’s office at 9:30am
• Disciple Bible Study  in the Pastor Jerry’s office at 10:00am
• Choir practice meets at the church at 6:30pm 

Saturday

• Inside  spring cleaning at the church is from 9:00am to 12 noon
• Work day at Ocean Park Camp, all day.  contact Gene Fosburg if you plan to attend.

Sunday

• Potluck in the Fellowship Hall after worship