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Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

6/4/2019

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 “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19
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Wednesday, May 29th, 15 people gathered together in the Fellowship Hall for an architectural design charrette. Five of the participants were from Edmonds Pres: Gay Hawkins, Nancy Evans, Margaret Kulkin, Linda Reynolds and me. The participants were from the original task force that studied the space requirements for the ministries of our church early on in the process. The other stake holders included: Presbytery of Northwest Coast (office and meeting space), the Samaritan Center counseling service (office and meeting space), our church, and a future preschool. Representatives from the amazing bilingual preschool, Pepitas, hosted at Lake Forest Park Presbyterian church, volunteered their time as consultants for this project so that whatever space we design would meet the needs for a similar niche preschool here.
The meeting was really a “charrette.” What is a charrette? It is, according to the dictionary, “a meeting in which all stakeholders in a project attempt to resolve conflicts and map solutions.” And that’s what we did! The architect brought with him the start of a design that reflected what each stakeholder was required to do in their particular form of ministry, and how these needs might all fit together into a remodeled building. Many of our needs overlap, and a large common multi-use space was one of the clear features of the plan. Our architect began his presentation with the words, “I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a project.” And his excitement was clearly reflected in each of the four stakeholders.
After the architect presented his initial design, we picked it apart. Where is the childcare room? What about storage? Would the parking be adequate? Is that the janitor’s closet? How many people could the meeting room seat? What about the seating in the sanctuary? How would access to the outdoor spaces work? The architect took notes of the concerns raised, and the suggestions for improvement. And at the end of the meeting we left the building even more excited by this redevelopment than we had been before.
The other side of this exciting change includes the need for patience, flexibility, faith, and perseverance. While the design will allow for us to continue to worship in this space while new spaces are being built, it will still be disruptive. We will need to be adaptable, to learn to share our spaces with even more people, and to be willing to try new ways of being with each other.
What is next? In conjunction with the other stakeholders we will be developing a plan for ministry on this site, explaining the hopes and dreams for each area of ministry and how the redeveloped building fits those desires. Funding sources will need to be explored and confirmed, and a time-line developed so that we know what is next and when we need to be prepared for the changes.
I left the meeting feeling hopeful. While a cathedral takes 500 years to build, and the Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert, we may see the “promised land” in a much shorter time frame. Several wise folks in the group said, from their own experience, take the time estimates and double them. In which case we are looking not at 3 years but at 6, and that gives us plenty of time to get ready to live fully into this new thing that God has in mind for us.
Please hold this continuing process in your prayers, as we prepare for the God’s new thing among us – do you perceive it?
In Christ,
Pastor Amy

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Missions

6/4/2019

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This month the focus will be on prayer for two of our mission partners. Our Malawi mission partner, Tyler Holm, would like prayer for the students graduating with a degree in theology from the University of Livingstonia. His latest mission letter highlighted three students from Zambia; one lady and two men. The young lady, Mary, was sent by her family to work as a domestic servant during her secondary school years. This was a difficult time for her as she was mistreated and did not have much time to study. She wanted to work on her education even when she could not attend school. She said the difficult times taught her to have courage and to praise God in everything. Gideon attended church with his family while growing up in Zambia, but did not feel that God was a real part of his life. Despite his lack of interest, his father and several people told him they thought he had gifts for teaching and preaching. When he was in secondary school, he had a dream in which a man came and told him to “go and preach the gospel.” He shared the dream with his family and pastor. They felt this was a true calling from God. Gideon became active in his church and affirmed his commitment to serve.
Edwin worked hard in school while he was growing up, but had to walk one hour both to and from school each day. He often prayed during these long walks. After graduating from secondary school the only job he found was at a brewery. He felt this work did not help his Christian life, so he quit and went to study at the University of Zambia. He did not feel that was the right place for him either. He talked with his pastor about becoming a pastor, but at 22 he was too young for the seminary in Zambia. He was accepted at the University of Livingstonia’s School of Theology. Let’s pray for God’s guidance for these young people as they seek ordination in the Synod of Zambia. Pastors are in short supply in most of Africa, and their services are greatly needed.

​Cancer Pathways needs prayer as they continue to support cancer patients and their families. The staff and volunteers give individual attention to people at a low time in their lives, such as a man who needed a haircut but could not leave home because of treatments. Someone gladly went to his home and cut his hair.
Children who have cancer can enjoy a free week of camping at Camp Sparkle where they can enjoy many different activities. Several weeks ago I heard on the TV news that Cancer Pathways was having graffiti problems. They spent $2,000 on clean-up only to have the graffiti reappear. They faced fines from the city of Seattle, Please pray for the graffiti problems to stop so that all their funds can be used to help cancer patients and their families.
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Mission Fundraising Parking-Lot Sale

6/4/2019

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On Saturday, June 29th (note the change of date!) we will have another parking lot sale! 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 Mountlake Terrace food bank and Vision House (Shoreline). 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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Women’s Association

6/4/2019

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The Women’s Association will meet at the church on June 12th at 11:30AM. The board will provide a picnic style lunch. We will reveal our prayer partners for the year after lunch.
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Adults Who Love to Color

6/4/2019

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The next gathering for the coloring group will be Friday, June 28th at 7PM at the church. Put it on your calendar, and bring a friend to color with us! Coloring pages and pencils will be available, or bring your own.
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The Deacons’ Fund Helps Our Community in Times of Need

6/4/2019

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Thank you to all who donate to our Deacons’ fund. The Deacons’ fund is available to help those coming to church and our neighbors in Edmonds with one-time emergent needs. We have paid for a night in a hotel, an electric bill, a bus ticket, food, gas, diapers, a car bill, and so much more. Thank you for helping make this ministry possible. It is good to know that if someone calls the church looking for assistance, we may be able to help them.
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Graduations Abound!

6/4/2019

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Congratulations to the following students on their achievements:
  • Michael Hagen, graduating from Meadowdale High School, will attend Seattle Pacific in the fall to study accounting.
  • Lisa Totten, graduating from Edmonds Community College with with an ATA in Baking and Pastry. 
  • Kim Reynolds, graduating with a BS in public affairs from SUNY Empire State College.
  • Karen Reynolds, MS in professional counseling from Grand Canyon University.
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Hooray For Our Choir!

6/4/2019

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Join us on Sunday, June 16th as we say a special thank you to the choir for another fantastic year of music. Many thanks to Kathy and Gina for continuing to share their gifts with us. We are blessed by all that you and the choir do to lead us in worship of God. For this Sunday they will be joined by extra musicians, including Gospel Soloist, Nichol Eskridge. It will be a day of joyous praise to God.

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Being Presbyterian Class

6/4/2019

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We have one more video study left in our 5-part series. Thanks to all the other events of May, that class will be Sunday, June 2nd, following worship. Come and join us for a lively bible study and time of discussion.
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Flowers

6/4/2019

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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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