All Categories - Edmonds Presbyterian Church

From the Desk of Pastor Rob

8/26/2021

Dear Fellow Travelers,
What a wonderful thing it is to worship together! Carol and I have really enjoyed meeting many of you. We look forward to getting to know you more as time goes on. I told some session members that it has been a beautiful honeymoon. They joked, “Well, we might not actually be married yet, until you are installed and ordained.” I said that’s all the better because it must mean that we are going steady! Whatever it is, it’s a delight to be with you.
One of the great things about writing to you is that I get to let you in on my secret plans. As I have spoken with many of you and observed how you work together, I have prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for how we should re-emerge as a congregation. You have been through so much in the last couple years. It’s a lot to handle, but you’ve remained faithful and gracious. I have focused my messages on wisdom, trust, facing shame, and resting in the Word of God. Let’s take this time to regroup and consider what we want to be as we move forward. My goal is for you to feel grounded and supported by the grace of God.
We are going to spend some time in the book of James this month. I will talk about being “Interrupted by Love” in how we reach out to the community. We will explore the importance of what we say with “Words of Gold and Honey,” and our practical use of the Bible through the “Wisdom of Women.” I hope for wisdom as we make choices about what we will do this fall. We are watching the guidelines closely and discerning carefully about how to do worship, when and how to start choir and the bible studies again. In the meantime, we will continue to offer the At Home worship and online communion so you can stay connected wherever you are.
My big request of you this month is to pray for wisdom and discernment. I hope for us to come together with a mission focus that we all embrace. I also want us to find ways for our neighborhood and our city to experience the bounty of love we have in our church. Check out the updates to our website. Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages and share them widely. Let me know what you think. Please call or stop by. I look forward to chatting with you!
In the Grace and Peace of our God,
Pastor Rob

Women’s Association News

8/26/2021

Our next Women’s Association meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 8 at 11:30 AM at the church. We plan to have a business meeting in the sanctuary followed by a picnic lunch outside the fellowship hall with the food being provided by the officers. All women are invited and all are asked to sign in when entering the building and please wear masks when inside the building.
Mission chairman Ruth R will tell you about the Birthday offering, so please bring your contribution to that fund. We plan to reveal last year’s Prayer Partners and draw for new Prayer Partners at that time, as well as make plans for our meetings for the rest of the year.
Pastor Rob suggests we pick a theme for our charitable giving such as homeless women or school children in poverty, then aim our mission giving in that direction. So think about what our priorities should be and how we can do the most good.
Our October meeting will be lunch at the Pancake Haus; The November and December meetings will be at the church. We have the option of having our meetings online if the weather is bad for driving.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and hearing your latest news.
Margaret S, Monitor

Missions News

8/26/2021

Quarterly checks were sent out to our mission partners by the session mission committee. We thank all the membership for your faithfulness in continuing your contributions to the church during this long spell of having to meet virtually due to the COVID-19 closure. It is indeed a pleasure to be meeting again at the church and to be seeing most of you on a regular basis.
We have received many Thank-You notes from our mission partners which are on display in the Friendship Hall. Among them is a letter from Tyler and Rochelle Holm giving thanks for our prayers for them and the people of Malawi. They are now living in Richland Washington and have enrolled their daughter Mphatso in the local school while waiting to return to their missionary position in Malawi. They want to continue to be in our prayers and for us to pray for all the people with COVID.
Haiti has received a double whammy in that a severe earthquake hit the island earlier this month, ruining thousands of homes and with thousands of people injured, then the island was hit by Hurricane Grace, dumping a deluge of water on the helpless residents. The US Navy and Air Force have been helping find victims and getting them to medical treatment, but there is a great need for help including food, water, and medical supplies. If you can help the people of Haiti please send a contribution to Presbyterian Disaster Relief-Haiti in care of Edmonds Presbyterian Church.
The mission committee would like to have more members, so please contact me if you have an interest in selecting our mission partners and deciding how to dispense our funds.

Margaret S, Mission Elder

Community News

8/26/2021

The Creative Retirement Institute (CRI) is a lifelong learning program at Edmonds College that has been around for almost 30 years. It offers non-credit, short courses (1 to 4 weeks long) at a modest cost. There are no examinations, homework, or grades. Students (mostly seniors) come to classes for the enjoyment of learning, to meet people, and to keep their minds active. There are about 30 classes to choose from every term, many of which are taught by retired professors. Classes are currently taught using the Zoom platform, but may return to an in-person format in the future. A list of the Fall 2021 courses is below. More information can be found at: edmonds.edu/cri
Thank you so much,
Howie Silver

Home Communion

8/26/2021

You’re invited to join us for Home Communion - We will continue to gather over the internet to share the Lord’s Supper together. On Sunday, September 5th at 1 PM we will gather via Zoom for home communion together. Please have your own bread (simple is best), and grape juice / wine or other beverage common to your home. You may “Zoom in” in from your phone, Smartphone, or computer. Zoom instructions for all EPC meetings can be found at the bottom of this page.

A Word from Our Pastor

7/29/2021

Dear Fellow Travelers!
I am delighted to be your new Pastor! It is an amazing feeling to say that! I'm very excited to be walking with you on this journey. I would like to introduce myself, give you a little news about re-emerging in worship, and share a few words about my ministry direction with you.
I am a fourth-year seminary student at Portland Seminary in George Fox University, after a career in high-tech engineering, marketing, and sales. In 2017, I answered the call from God to prepare for the ministry. I promptly quit my job and started studying. Carol and I are life-long Presbyterians and long term elders. We moved to Brier several months ago to be closer to our grandkids. Being with you is a wonderful opportunity for us while I finish my studies and I prepare for ordination next year. We will split our time in Brier and Portland until my ordination. Besides studying and grand-parenting, I love to kayak, explore new places, and walk on the shore and in the forest. Carol is an artist who loves to do quilting, painting, and calligraphy. We are avid board game players. I also enjoy talking about history, travel, and culture over a coffee or a beer. I am eager to hear from each of you about your stories!
Session has decided to start in-person worship again on August 1st. With an abundance of caution while we navigate our return, we ask you to wear your masks in worship for a few additional weeks. We want everyone to feel safe and not to separate people by vaccination status. If you have not been vaccinated, or you have family or neighbors who have not been vaccinated, I really encourage everyone do it if they are able. We will provide a hybrid worship option, so those of you who want or need to stay home can worship too.
I will continue Pastor Amy's practice of recording and posting sermons on the website. Additionally, we will supply the liturgy by email. I hope to continue doing this long term so you can worship whenever you are not able to join us in-person and to share it with friends and family in distant places.
I firmly believe that prayer, scripture reading, and spiritual direction are the foundations of a thriving congregation. I know about your prayerfulness and your Bible studies, which are wonderful. I will work with you in sermons and studies to help direct us toward spiritual integration. I want you to trust in God's boundless love for you. I want you to be yourselves and celebrate the strength of your love together. I want you to be confident in God's grace in uncertain times. When we are confident together and at peace with ourselves, God's irresistible love shines out into the community and to the world.
May the peace of Christ abide with you always,
Pastor Rob

Women’s Association News

7/29/2021

Hurray! The church is open again so we can again worship and have fellowship together after a year and a half of isolation. We all get to meet our new Pastor, Rob Christ, who is starting his ministerial calling with us. Let’s give thanks to the Lord for our church and pastor and vow to support them to the best of our ability.
The small inconvenience of wearing a mask to all gatherings is of no problem since it gives an extra measure of safety from catching COVID-19 but also from catching colds or flu since many of us have been shut away and have had no opportunity to build up immunity to these diseases. We have several things to discuss:
1) If we decide to serve coffee after church we will need to decide who will prepare the coffee and how to serve it and who will clean up the area.
2) If we want snacks how can we insure their safety during preparation and serving?
3) How do we want to conduct future meetings starting up again in September with a Get-Acquainted -Again Picnic on the 2nd Wednesday at the church? The present plan is to meet for lunch at the Pancake Haus in October then at the church again in November and December.
4) Do we want to draw for prayer partners again?
Looking forward to seeing each of you and of hearing your news and views.
Margaret S, Moderator

Missions News

7/29/2021

Mission Projects currently supported by EPC are :

Eagle Wings: Serves people with handicaps, many of whom need caregivers. During normal years these people suffer social isolation and frustration in performing activities of daily living such as dressing, eating, or even getting from place to place. The Eagle Wings staff make routine calls to shut-ins, provide social activities with games for the young and encouragement for the caregivers.
Jean Kim Foundation for Homeless Education: Jean Kim founded this foundation to encourage homeless men and women to improve their lives by attending school or college, thus enabling themselves to earn a living wage and earn their way out of poverty. The foundation provides a small house equipped with electricity and a safe place to sleep and study for each student accepted into the program.
Opening Blind Eyes: Prison Ministry with the aim of bringing hope to the men of Monroe Prison. Pastor “Rip” Van Winkle provides counseling, bible studies, hospital visitations, and pastoral care to inmates and staff along with prayers and evangelism.
Puget Sound Foursquare: In support of Jan Griffin, our missionary to Sweden.
Puget Sound Christian Clinic: Mobile Dental and Medical Clinic provides free care to those in need. (Pledge of $100 per month)
Renewal Ministries Northwest: Reverend Dianna Kunce reports a large growth in the number of people seeking spiritual direction and an expansion of their programs during the past year thanks to their use of the Zoom format. They plan to continue using Zoom after returning to their normal in-person activities in Mill Creek.
Everett Gospel Mission: Offers food and shelter and a Christian message to homeless men and women and children.
Cancer Pathways: Offers support and transportation to those receiving cancer care.
Habitat for Humanity: Provides an opportunity for low-income families to work to earn their own home.
Menaul School: A boarding school in New Mexico offering education and opportunity for growth to students through high school, partly supported through box tops for education. Many graduates continue on to college and successful careers.
Northwest Coast Presbytery-United Mission: This is our own Presbytery.
Pregnancy Resource Center: Cares for pregnant women with medical services, tangible resources and community referrals. Encourages sanctity of human life.
Presbyterian Hunger Program: Administered through the Presbyterian Church USA.
Salvation Army: Everett Office
Vision House: Provides apartments and support to homeless women and children.
Whitworth University: Spokane based Presbyterian College.
World Concern: Changing lives all over the world by helping people help themselves, by digging wells for clean water, teaching how to raise crops and livestock, offering medical care, saving girls from sex traffickers, and child marriage, and being there for the forgotten, the hopeless and the hurting.
Matthew House: Provides respite, food, and counseling to families of those in Monroe Prison.
Presbyterian Church USA Mission Partner: Tyler Holm, wife Rochelle and daughter Mphatso.

Margaret S, Mission Elder

Home Communion

7/29/2021

You’re invited to join us for Home Communion - We will continue to gather over the internet to share the Lord’s Supper together. On Sunday, August 1st, at 1 PM (followed by our usual check-in coffee time) we will gather via Zoom for home communion together. Please have your own bread (simple is best), and grape juice / wine or other beverage common to your home. You may “Zoom in” in from your phone, Smartphone, or computer. Zoom instructions for all EPC meetings can be found on the last page of this newsletter.

Are You Listening?

7/1/2021

Our Daily Bread for Saturday, June 26, 2021 had a thought provoking (and humorous) story. United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt often endured long receiving lines at the White House. As the story is told, he complained that no one paid attention to what was said. So, he decided to experiment at a reception. To everyone who passed down the line and shook his hand, he said, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guest responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. God bless you, Sir.” It wasn’t until the end of the line, greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”

Do you wonder if God hears your prayers? For the past several months you and I have been praying for a new pastor to come along and walk with Edmonds Presbyterian Church for our next season in life. I don’t know about you, but it seemed like God did not answer my prayer. I had specifically asked for a pastor to join us right after Pastor Amy retired. It didn’t happen. What is going on? It is similar to the prayer, “Lord grant me patience, and give it to me now!”

It is a blessing that God doesn’t run on my schedule. If HE did, I would be in a terrible mess now. Think back about some of the things you have prayed for and God mercifully DID NOT grant them. I am reminded by what Ruth Graham said about her prayers for a husband. “God is mercifully and did not answer my prayers for a mate – many times. If He had, I would have married the wrong man, several times!”

As this Caller is being sent out, your session is in final discussions with an individual we believe God has called specifically for Edmonds Presbyterian Church. If this is the right person, you will have the opportunity to meet them soon. If not, God is still working to find the right person for us to love and serve with in His kingdom.

We are all aware of some of the great waits in the Bible. Times when God said there was going to be something that happened and then nothing seemed to happen. Think about the wait of some of the Hero’s of Faith, Noah, Abraham and Sara, David, Moses, Rachael, and so many more. They were all promised something and then…nothing…or at least nothing for a while and THEN – STAND BACK AND LOOK OUT!

I’ve been told many times, not your time, but God’s time. I usually think maybe God messed up on this. This is the right time, or at least I think it is. God, what is going on? Then in retrospect I see how it was divinely inspired that my time was not the right time and THANK GOD for your perfect timing!
God hears the cries of our heart. “I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 17:6

Thank God that He doesn’t answer prayer on our schedule!

Don I.
Session Administration and Finance