|
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Welcome to the Dog Days! Hopefully, just pleasantly warm days this summer. I am so happy to see your engagement in worship and study. The relaxation and fun of summer can be a great time to reflect on what is really important in life. Our series on Revelation continues through July. Instead of being a book of fear, it reveals so much about us and our lives. Like a summer blockbuster movie, it is often fun and fascinating. Bible Study will continue to meet after worship for a sermon discussion. The fun will continue in July with Games Night on July 8 and Amy’s baby shower on July 9 after worship. Mostly we get to just enjoy each other during this beautiful time of the year. Please tell your friends and family about our Online Streaming Worship. Please go to the www.epc-pcusa.org website for the latest links. This is what I am planning for worship in June. Sunday, July 2nd. These are “Beasty Days.” The book of Revelation gets heavy. I have been talking mostly about the reasons why Revelation was included in the Bible and who the original readers were. This week I will dive into the 4 interpretations of the Beasts, Dragons, and 666. This will equip you for all those wild interpretations that people push on Revelation. Sunday, July 9th. In “Bowls of Wrath – The Lord of Dance” I will explore the role of anger in scripture. We are often given an image of a wrathful father in God. Understanding this projection can help us understand why we feel this way and how Jesus invites us to dance along with him. Sunday, July 16th. I’m a patriotic person and believe in the self-correcting greatness of America. I believe this comes through seeing ourselves as we really are for the good and the bad. In “Bablyon’s Legacy of Exploitation” I will explore how Revelation shows that Babylon lives in us today. Sunday, July 23rd. Phew! We are going to take a few weeks break from Revelation and about the Bible is a living document. In “Living Bibles” you will see how God’s revelation is constantly changing and how the Bible interpretation changes every generation. We are living in the most exciting era of Bible studies. Sunday, July 30th. We round out the month with the comforting message of “Nothing Can Separate Us.” We are created for attachment and love. Song of Solomon shows us images of romantic love. Ruth shows us familial love. Romans 8 shows us how God’s love will never leave us. Please consider joining us for sermon discussion after worship this summer! It is a joy to serve God with you! I am thrilled to see what’s next for us. Grace and Peace, Pastor Rob NEWS FROM THE HOLM FAMILY IN MALAWI
I am sharing the highlights of the Summer News Letter from The Holm family who are missionaries in Malawi. A lot of this letter was written by Tyler’s mother, Marian, who is visiting Tyler and his family in Malawi. “This is my fourth visit to Malawi. Tyler’s position at the University of Livingstonia continues, as in all my previous trips. I am pleased with the philosophy behind Presbyterian mission work. Teaching seminary students so they can go back to their communities, knowing the local customs and languages and looking like the people they are teaching seems much more productive than older styles of mission work. Each time I have visited Malawi I am struck by what a beautiful country it is. Mzuzu, where Tyler, Rochelle and Mphatso live, is surrounded by beautiful mountains. The area is very green due to rains on this visit. Since this is the southern hemisphere, fall is starting, the opposite of seasons in the United States. The corn that has been planted in various small plots will soon be harvested. The corn will feed families for a year since corn is a staple in Malawi. There are so many things that we in the U.S. take for granted. Besides good roads and finding what is on your grocery list, we usually have electric power. Here power outages are common. On this trip we have been fortunate to have power on the week-ends, but one trip it was out for nearly three days. Last week it was out for twenty hours one day. Tyler and Rochelle are well-prepared, and always have re-charged lanterns on hand. When the power is out, we have to get creative. Sometimes that is playing a game of cards by lantern light with my granddaughter, Mphatso. At the English-speaking worship service on Sunday morning at 6 a.m. which we attended, almost all worshippers were wearing conservative style western dress, jackets for men and dresses for women. The University is near the church Tyler, Rochelle and Mphatso attend, so the church attracts a lot of young people. The church welcomed 30 visiting students who were attending for the first time! Not everyone was on time, but the auditorium was full by the time the sermon started. And how blessed we would be if we had 30 university students who were attending for the first time! Men sit on one side of the sanctuary, and women sit on the other side. The church service lasted over two hours. When it was over there was a crowd waiting to attend the next service. The second service will have over 1,000 in attendance with standing room only. A third service will follow that one. There is a hunger for the Lord that is seldom seen in the U.S. While writing this article, I am looking out at the green hillside with a reddish-brown dirt road going up the hill. I see people walking up and down the road. Maybe I will see some of these same neighbors in church next Sunday. Maybe someday some of these children will grow up to be students at the University of Livingstonia. I am reminded of the verse, “Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2. This reminds me of how grateful I am for the people who have been the Lord’s “hand and feet,” and have prayed and have given financial help so Tyler’s and Rochelle’s work in Malawi has been able to continue for more than ten years.” We, Tyler and Rochelle, are always thankful when visitors are able to come and witness our work and lives. We are encouraged by their interest, and by all of your prayers and support of our work. Thank you, and please continue. Tyler. Nine women met in the Friendship Hall on the second Wednesday of June.
After an opening prayer by moderator Margaret S, Mission Chairman Ruth R read the minutes of our last meeting then gave an updated explanation of the goals and accomplishments of each of our mission recipients. After some discussion we decided to continue giving each recipient $75 again this year as all are very deserving of our support. Treasurer Kathy M reported that the bank we have been using has been bought out by US Bank. We voted to channel all income we receive through the church account so the church can keep an accurate account of each person’s contribution. Mission contributions amounting to $570 were collected from those attending the meeting. Anyone wanting to add to our mission fund may do so by writing a check to Edmonds Presbyterian Church and noting on the bottom of the check that the funds are for the Women’s Association. Those present requested that the same officers continue their jobs for another year, and also that they would like to have a speaker come to each meeting at the church if it can be arranged. We send our condolences to David and Kathy C on the death of Kathy’s mother Esther, who is also sister to Ruth R. Everyone agreed we would like to have a baby shower for Amy C who is expecting a baby girl in early August. Amy agreed to having a shower in the Friendship Hall on July 9 after church. Our plan is to invite the entire congregation and anyone who would like to attend to have a light lunch with us following church then stay for the baby shower if they like. Ruth will ask the session for permission to use the Friendship Hall for this occasion. After a salad luncheon with many delicious salads and a key lime pie for dessert, our prayer partners were revealed. New prayer partners will be selected at our next meeting which will be at the church on September 13. Margaret S, Moderator of Women’s Association Dear Fellow Travelers,
Summer is finally here! Warm weather, garden parties, vacations. We have several fun things planned for this summer at Edmonds. I am so encouraged by the life we have seen in recent months. We just added a new member on Pentecost. We also had a very successful Games Night in May. Join us for our next Games Night on Saturday, June 3rd, 7-9PM. Our partnership with the Edmonds Toy Shop is growing with a bicycle distribution event on the afternoon of Saturday, June 3rd. Come by and see what they have been working in our back sheds for the last 6 months. They will distribute bikes and offer games and snacks for the kids. We will send out a reminder flyer with details. Bible Study will be on hiatus for the Summer as usual. Instead, we will meet after worship for a sermon discussion. I am doing an 8-part series on the Book of Revelation. As an Apocalypse story, it means “revealing” in Greek. See how it is more revealing about who we are now than prophecy of the future. Please tell your friends and family about our Online Streaming Worship. Please go to the www.epc-pcusa.org website for the latest links. This is what I am planning for worship in June. Sunday, June 4th. In “Irresistible Love” I will show how the Trinity is linked to the Creation story. God said, “Let US create humankind in OUR image.” When you see how the Trinity is about mutual love in mind, body, and spirit, you can see that Creation seems irresistible. Sunday, June 11th. I begin an 8-part series on Revelation with “Seven Letters – Seeing Ourselves in Revelation.” The book starts gently by telling us how seven historic churches in Western Turkey are doing. Kind of like a report card. There is more there than it seems because we can see ourselves in the letters. Sunday, June 18th. Things get crazy really quickly in “Seven Seals – A Big Change.” I will go through the context of the book and how to interpret the wild and fantastical images with hope instead of fear. When you know the circumstances that these Christians were in, you can see how Revelation contains such important messages for them and for us. Sunday, June 25th. In “Seven Trumpets – The Great Unfolding” you will see how some of the craziest imagery is interpreted. In keeping with the style of apocalyptic literature of the day, these images helped the people understand the sweeping changes of history that they were living through. When we look at our world, we can see how these things influence us and our future. Please consider joining us for sermon discussion after worship this summer! It is a joy to serve God with you! I am thrilled to see what’s next for us. Grace and Peace, Pastor Rob MATTHEW HOUSE
Matthew House is a ministry to families of prisoners incarcerated in the Monroe Prison. Some families travel a long distance to visit their loved ones. Mathew House provides a place where families can rest and get something to eat. There is a playground for children to give them a chance to have fun before the trip home. There are some overnight rooms for families whose travel distance is too long to come and go in one day. People who want prayer, counseling or spiritual help can have their needs met at Matthew House. Food and clothing are provided for families in need, since many families have a hard time meeting their needs when a bread-winner is in prison. Children may choose a new toy to take home. Children suffer a lot when a parent is in prison. Besides missing the parent there is the stigma that goes with having a family member in prison. This is very hard on school children. They may be teased and isolated from others because they are part of a “bad” family though the children have done nothing wrong themselves. Matthew House wants to help these children feel loved and accepted. Family visits are important for prisoners. Prisoners with active family support are much more likely to stay out of prison upon release than those without any support. Really hard time of prison life falls on the families who suffer loneliness, poverty through income loss, shame, and loss of normal family stability as well as other difficulties. Matthew House asks for prayer for their ministry to continue to offer love and support to families of prisoners, for guidance for staff, and for financial needs to carry on their ministry. Matthew is one of the agencies supported with our mission funds. The May meeting of the Women’s Association was attended by five women at the Edmonds Pancake Haus and turned out to be an enjoyable social gathering. Our June meeting will be a salad luncheon at the church where we will give our annual mission offering. Our offering helps a variety of causes, obeying Jesus’ instructions to provide food, clothing, shelter, and a chance to hear the gospel message. Mission chairman, Ruth R wrote a brief summary of each one supported by our members.
Mary’s Place: Operates family shelters primarily for women, but also where both fathers and mothers can stay with children. They have a day room for women and activities for children. New Horizons: Provides live-in shelter, job training, day room, Bible Study, and discussion group for interested youth. Pregnancy Resource Clinic: Provides pregnancy tests and ultrasounds. Gives baby and maternity clothing, baby supplies and expectant classes and new mothers groups. Cocoon House: Provides shelter for youth from high school to age 2 Matthew House: Provides services to families who have loved ones in Monroe prison. Vision House: Provides apartments for people who are getting ready to transition to private housing. Provides child care while parents attend school or work. Concern for Neighbors Food Bank: Supplies food and basic cleaning supplies to low income families. Habitat for Humanity: Provides housing and repair services for low income families Each family spends 500 hours of work on the new home. Operation Nightwatch: Has some apartments for senior housing, provides dinner and bedding to people sleeping outdoors, refers as many as possible to shelters with beds available. Provides ministry with permission. Support Seven International Chaplains Ministry: Provides support for people experiencing tragedy caused by accidents, fire, or other difficult situations. Offers spiritual help to families ho have lost loved ones through tragic means. Everett Gospel Mission: Provides shelter, meals, clothing, job training, and substance abuse counseling. Has four family units where whole families can stay together. Four more are being planned. Jan Griffith: Jan grew up in our church. She has been working for a church in Sweden that operates a Christian school. Many of the students are immigrants. She is active in ecumenical ministries. She has recently had to slow down due to health problems but is gradually building back her strength and resuming more activities. World Concern: Supports people in difficult situations in various countries. Wells and water filters have been supplied where sanitation is a problem. They work to prevent malnutrition and sex trafficking. Please give or send contributions to our mission fund to Treasurer Kathy M. Checks should be made out to “Women’s Association—EPC” The June meeting will be the last meeting until September. We are wishing everyone to have a happy summer vacation. Margaret S, Elder representing Women’s Association Last month I printed my sister Mary’s recipe for sourdough pancakes. This month I am adding her recipe for English muffins and cinnamon rolls.
Sourdough English Muffins Starter: Add to saved starter the night before use: 2 cups flour 2 cups milk or water Stir together with starter in a glass or pottery bowl with a wooden spoon and leave out on counter overnight. Dough should be bubbly to show sourdough yeast is working. Next morning: save 1 cup of batter in a jar in refrigerator as a new starter. To rest of batter in bowl add: 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon soda ¼ cup sugar salt to taste (¼ to ½ teaspoon) milk or water enough to make a soft dough (about 2 cups) (optional) cooked cereal left over from breakfast, usually about ½ cup cooked oatmeal or cream of wheat. Knead gently together until mixed, then turn onto lightly floured breadboard and roll out until about 3/8 inches thick and cut into circular rounds about the size of a tuna can. Sprinkle rounds with cornmeal if desired, then let rise for about 1 hour. To cook: Heat griddle as for pancakes and bake each round 3 to 4 minutes each side until lightly browned on each side. These freeze well and can be kept in freezer and thawed as needed. Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls Start dough as for English Muffins, then after mixing roll dough into an oblong about 9 inches by 15 inches. Spread onto dough: 1/3 cup very soft butter or margarine ½ cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon sprinkled over top Add raisins and/or chopped walnuts as desired Roll up tightly, beginning on wide side, pinch ends together. Cut into 1 inch slices. Place into 13x9 pan coated with softened butter. In bottom of pan add: 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 to 2 Tablespoons corn syrup ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans Cover and let rise about 1 hour. To cook: Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 25 or 30 minutes. Immediately turn pan upside down onto large cookie sheet. Let pan sit over rolls a minute so sugar mixture rolls down over rolls. Margaret S, Outreach Elder |
Archives
November 2024
The CallerA monthly newsletter of upcoming events, celebrations, and news of the church community. Categories
All
|
RSS Feed