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Praising God Together - October 2017 Update

10/31/2017

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The Session met on Sunday October 15th and continued our work on preparing for the future of this congregation.   Here’s an update and summary of what we have been doing since this project began.
We have asked the question, “What are the unique gifts that Edmonds Presbyterian Church brings to our members and the wider Edmonds community?”   Thanks to your survey responses and a number of individual conversations, we have affirmed these gifts given to us by God: 
  • A gift of hospitality – of welcome and care for our church community and those beyond our walls.   The ministry of the Deacons extends this care to those who can no longer join us in the building.
  • A gift of music – of worship and praise that is life-giving and honoring to God.  We are blessed to be led in worship by our choir, musicians, and choir director!
  • A gift of mission – we are a mission-giving church.  We give of our time and resources to further the compassionate care of those locally and around the world, care that shows in a concrete way the love of God through Jesus Christ.
  • A gift of inclusion of all ages – we love to care for people, no matter their age.  Currently we are sad that are missing the youngest ages in our worship and church life, but are ready to extend a welcome when that opportunity arises. 
We have asked the question, “What does Edmonds Presbyterian Church provide for our community?”  In addition to the items listed above, our property allows us to provide meeting spaces, open spaces (park-like grounds), and a place for another church community (Cornerstone Korean) to worship.
In light of our current realities, which are not unique to our church, we need realize that numbers are declining in worship and giving is declining proportionally.  In light of those facts, the session is looking at decreasing expenses (moving Pastor Amy to ¾ time was part of that process) and finding new sources of revenue.   Fortunately, faithful giving over the years has blessed us with more than adequate reserves for this ‘rainy day,’ and we are in no danger of being forced to close due to finances. Therefore, we should be good stewards of the time God has given us to choose the best option for this congregation as it looks toward 2025.

So what is next?  One possibility is partnering with another organization to develop our property in such a way that both blesses our community and provides a place for us to continue to worship God and enjoy fellowship together.  We know that our property, held in trust by our denomination, is an asset that can be tapped as it once was to add the extension to our current building, when a row of housing lots was sold on the 98th street side of the property.   The session is exploring a variety of ideas, determining what ones may be the most viable, and will report to you our top selection(s) in the coming months.  We do value your input and insights, and will not make any final decisions until after we have shared our proposals with the congregation, and the congregation has had an opportunity to contribute to this discussion.
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Meanwhile, it is time for us to get on with the work of being the church as we trust in God’s good plan for our future.   That’s living our lives in hope.  We have hope in our God’s goodness, hope in God’s plans for our future, and hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the author of the book of Hebrews reminds us:  “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” (Hebrews 6:19).  
 
From the members of the Session,
Elders  Gay Hawkins, Don Hollingworth Sr., Don Ide, Linda Reynolds, Ruth Roberts, and Dick Sellevold.  Pastor Amy Delaney, Moderator

 


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Pastor Amy's Thoughts...

10/2/2017

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Note:  this post has both the September and October messages.  The October one is first:

Greetings!
One of my favorite daily prayer routines is to listen to “Pray as you go” – a short meditation available on the internet or as a mobile app that includes scripture, music, and questions for reflection. Recently they featured a Psalm of praise, Psalm 149, which begins with these words:
          Praise the Lord!
          Sing to the Lord a new song,
          his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
          Let Israel be glad in its Maker.
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“Pray as you go” suggested these questions:
· “What makes you grateful for the gift of life?
· How does your life reflect the generosity of God who has given you life?”
I encourage you to take a few minutes to answer these questions for yourself. How do you live a life of gratitude?

Then, I wonder if you would do what I did, and ask the same questions of our particular congregation:
· What makes you grateful for the gift of life (past, present, and future) as part of the community of faith at Edmonds Presbyterian Church?
· How does our congregation’s life reflect the generosity of God who has given us life?

In November we will be celebrating the history and ministry of this congregation with a special 10AM worship service, followed by a potluck lunch and presentations. I encourage you to put Sunday, November 12th on your calendar and plan on attending. More information will be mailed and emailed in the coming weeks. There will even be a reunion choir for all who are singing or have sung in the choir. I hope you can attend. And when you attend, consider bringing with you a phrase, a memory, or a scripture that symbolizes what you thank God for when you pray for this congregation. All this talk of gratefulness reminds me of these words from the beginning of Psalm 9:
          I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
          I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
          I will be glad and exult in you;
          I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Let us give thanks to God for the gift of life,
In Christ,
Pastor Amy 

and in September I wrote: 

       Do you remember leaving home for the first time? This past week we packed up Jacob and dropped him off for his first year of college. As we were driving south I suddenly had a clear memory of the drive with my parents as they drove me to my first home-away-from-home at college. I was sitting in the back seat, just like Jacob. I had mounds of boxes and clothes beside me, just like Jacob.  And I had no clue what I was doing – maybe that isn’t just like Jacob. He has a better idea of what he would like out of college than I did at that time!
       Leaving the familiar is hard. We learn that when we leave home as a young adult for college, the military, work, health or family changes. We do that to a lesser extent when we travel. A good friend on her first trip to England told me of her desperate search for ice for her soda. Sometimes it’s the small things that we miss the most, the things that make us feel “at home.”
      This summer we have heard several short stories from the life of the biblical Jacob, whom God later named Israel. This Jacob knew what it was like to move away from the familiar to a foreign land.  He knew what it was like to be tricked by those he trusted. He knew that he was not a perfect person (his nickname was ‘the trickster’) yet God used him and his family to build a great nation. One of my favorite stories of the life of Jacob is his homecoming, the day he returns to the place that will later be known as the land of Israel. This account is found in Genesis 33.  Jacob is nervous about his return, and rightly so. He had tricked his brother, Esau, out of their father’s inheritance. Jacob comes bearing gifts to his brother, and speaks with humility (a rarity for him.) Jacob says in verse 11, “ Please accept my gift that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have everything I want.” And then when Esau, his brother, urges him to move quickly, Jacob declines to do so for he knows that a fast pace will be too hard on the animals he has with him, and on his young children. Instead he says to Esau in verse 14, “ Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children.”  
      When we are in the midst of change and transition, we may be tempted to move quickly, but Jacob knew better. He knew that for his whole family to make this change successfully, they needed to move at the “pace of the children.”
      What are the changes you are experiencing in your life? What is the new thing God is calling you to consider and possibly to do? What transitions are you entering into, moving through, or recently completed? What are you learning? How was/is God there in the midst of the messiness for you? King David wrote songs to God, Psalms, when he was facing his enemies, when change was coming for him and he cried out to God for help.  In Psalm 143 we read his words, “Hear my prayer, O Lord;…8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”  Through all our transitions, may God teach us the way we should go.  And may the transitions we face bring us closer to God in whom we trust.
 
In Christ,
Pastor Amy 



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New Roof

10/2/2017

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A new roof will be installed over the east wing (offices and classrooms) of the church. Thank-you to Jim Nickle and Gay Hawkins for coordinating this effort. This will be paid for through existing funds in our maintenance reserve account. If you would like to contribute towards this and future repairs, please make a donation with “Maint reserve” in the memo line. Thank-you for your generosity.
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Deacons Fund

10/2/2017

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As we head into the fall, the needs in both our church community and the larger local area increase as the temperature falls. If you would like to assist the church in helping with immediate needs in our community, please consider a gift to the Deacons Fund. The Deacons have their own account. Please write your check to “Edmonds Presbyterian Deacons.” And again, thank-you for your generosity.

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October is “Sock-tober”

10/2/2017

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Operation NightWatch distributes new white socks to the homeless throughout the year. In October they ask for donations from us and other organizations to make this possible. Please bring new white socks – cheap socks are fine. They do not have the facility to wash and sterilize socks, so they simply offer new ones to their guests. There will be a box by the main doors.

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Worship In October

10/2/2017

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Our worship will be organized around the “five solas”, the five major affirmations of the reformation – that is by Grace alone (sola gratia), Faith alone (sola fide), Christ alone (Solus Christus), and Scripture alone (Sola scriptura) that we understand, believe, and affirm the Christian faith. And in all things to God alone be the glory (Soli Deo Gloria!). October has five Sundays, so we’ll be addressing one “sola” per Sunday.

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Education

10/2/2017

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Sundays after worship and Wednesdays at 6 PM we will study the history of the Reformation, “Reformation Roots.” Each lesson has a short video and questions for discussion. There are 12 lessons in the material, and we will spread them out over the fall and into 2018. Sid G. is coordinating the teachers and lessons. The first date of each will be determined very soon.

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Did you know?

10/2/2017

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Did you know that Pastor Amy and the Deacons will bring communion to you in your home, rehab center, or hospital? It is one of the joys of ministry to extend the communion table to those who are unable to attend worship with us on Sunday. Contact Pastor Amy or your Deacon to set up a visit.

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Mission Opportunity - An Easy Way to Help Others

10/2/2017

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Margaret S. put a box in the narthex to collect small toiletries such as shampoos, deodorants, or toothpaste to give to the Everett Gospel Mission and other organizations that need them. Unused motel shampoos, or small items from the travel supplies section in local stores can really help someone who cannot afford them.

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500th Anniversary Celebrations

10/2/2017

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This year marks the 500th anniversary of reformer Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church doors in Wittenberg, calling for a reformation of the church. This is widely considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. For church history buffs, this is a big deal! For the month of October we will be looking at the Protestant Reformation through worship and study.
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