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Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

5/2/2018

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Greetings 
     May is the season for new growth. Change is coming, the seasons are quickly moving from spring toward summer. The dead looking branches are sprouting leaves and blossoms. The barren earth is hosting weeds galore, and the grass of the lawn is long past its first mowing of the season.
     A number of years ago I read a prayer by Richard Foster, the author of Celebration of Discipline. Foster has written a lot about prayer. He teaches us how to pray, and assures us that prayer matters. I have shared his prayer with you before in worship, but I wanted to share it again because I think it applies to this time of year and to this season in the life of our congregation:
                                                    Be the Gardener of my Soul 
                     “Spirit of the living God, be the Gardener of my soul. For so long I have                               been waiting, silent and still – experiencing a winter of the soul. But now, in                       the strong name of Jesus Christ I dare to ask: Clear away the dead growth                           of the past, Break up the hard clods of custom and routine, Stir in the rich                         compost of vision and challenge, Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word,                       Cultivate and water and tend my heart, Until new life buds and opens and                         flowers.” (From “Prayers from the Heart”, HarperCollins 1994)
     I love this image of prayer as a cooperation between us and God, as if we are a gardening project for our master gardener. It reminds me that we can do only so much by ourselves. We need to rely on God to do the heavy lifting – to clear away the dead growth, break up the hard clods, stir in the rich compost, bury in us God’s Word, and cultivate & tend our heart. Then new life will bud, open and flower. It is God who shows us what is worth watering and what can be cleared away. It is God who grants us a vision for a future we cannot yet see. It is God who dwells in us, keeping us grounded to the source of our hope, Jesus Christ. It is also God who will tend our fragile plants until new life begins to thrive.
     Foster’s words echo themes in the bible. In particular, today his words remind me of Psalm 1:
     “Happy are those [whose]… delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they                meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield        their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.”
      I also recall Jesus’ many parables about the seeds, the weeds, and the sower. The            parable of the mustard seed reminds me that the growth we see in God’s people is          as amazing as a small seed becoming a large tree…
      “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his        field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of              shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its          branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)
      Today I wonder what might it mean for you and me to “clear away the dead growth of the past” or “break up the hard clods of custom and routine?” It is tempting to think growth and new life are all up to us and our plans and programs - and of course they are not. New life is a gift from God, nurtured through prayer. 
       In the next few weeks you will be invited to join the session in times of prayer together or on your own. Each week there will be a new prayer sheet with specific suggestions for scripture and reflection. Please join us in praying for the new life that God can bring to us as individuals and as a community.

In Christ,
Pastor Amy

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You Are Invited

5/2/2018

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You are invited to the 5th Annual Community College Outreach Dinner Saturday, May 12, 6:00 to 8:00PM at Calvin Presbyterian - 18826 Third Ave NW Shoreline WA. Rev. Milad Nakla invites you to join him for dinner to learn about some of the barriers CCO students encounter when they penetrate mainstream culture through Christian witness. The students will explain the Witnessing Model they’ve developed to allow the Holy Spirit to empower them on the front lines of evangelistic ministry. Come discover what it’s really like at “Ground Zero: Encounters in Current College Culture.” Costs: $30 per person $50 per couple; Adults only please. Please call Calvin to RSVP!! Tickets available online at calvinpc.org or mail requests to Calvin at their church address. The dinner will include a request for donations. Proceeds help fund CCO’s ministry on four local campuses.

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Coloring Night Continues

5/2/2018

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Do you relax with colored pencils and a coloring book? Bring your pages and books (or use ours) for an evening of coloring and conversation. The next one will be Friday, May18th, 7-8:30 PM in the fellowship hall. Come and bring a friend!

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He Chose the Nails

5/2/2018

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We continue to study Max Lucado’s series, “He Chose the Nails” on Sundays after worship. Our next classes are April 29th, May 6th and 27th. Each class offers a new insight into the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross.

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Women’s Association

5/2/2018

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121 Easter baskets were given away at the Terrace View "Concern for Neighbors" Food Bank. The Women’s Association offering for our own mission projects was collected at the April meeting. Ferrill Fleming from the Edmonds Senior Center spoke about the history of the Senior Center, and also about plans for the future building to be used by seniors and other community groups. Vision House will provide a speaker for the May meeting.

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Missions

5/2/2018

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The One Great Hour of Sharing offering totaled $683, which is a generous amount for a small congregation. Thank you for caring and sharing.
Cancer Pathways is one of the agencies which receives funds from the mission tithe. This organization provides education about cancer, support for people diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones, and community help all free of charge. Cancer Pathways was formerly known as “Gilda’s Club” after a woman in New York who began helpful services for people with cancer. The name was changed to “Cancer Pathways” in 2017. If you would like further information, their website is www.cancerpathways.org.

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Pentecost Sunday is May 20th!

5/2/2018

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​We will celebrate the great gift of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s wear red to worship to remember the
flames of the Spirit that descended upon the disciples that day.

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Flowers

5/2/2018

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It’s the season for wonderful blooms in our yards. Please consider bringing a bouquet to share with the church during Sunday worship. A sign up chart is posted in the fellowship hall. Thanks for sharing the beauty of creation.

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Mission Fundraising Parking-Lot Sale—Saturday, July 14th.

5/2/2018

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We will have another parking lot sale this summer! What a great excuse to clean out the garage… As we did last year, we will reserve you a parking lot stall when you donate $25 per reserved stall toward our local mission causes. Ministries that will benefit from the sale this year include: The Edmonds & Mountlake Terrace Food banks, Vision House (Shoreline), and the Puget Sound Christian Clinic’s dental clinic in Lynnwood. All the funds you raise from selling your yard sale goods are yours to do with as you wish. Last year we made over $200 for missions. An online registration link will be posted soon on our EPC website and Facebook page.

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Church Officers

5/2/2018

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June is the month when we elect new church officers – Ruling Elders and Deacons. As Presbyterians, we believe that God calls us to serve, and that call often is delivered by friends and colleagues who see gifts in us that can be shared with the congregation through this ministry. So, if you look around and see someone you think God may be calling to serve, please let the Nominating Committee elders (Don H., Sr., and Don I.) know! We look forward to seeing who God is calling to serve for the coming year.
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