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Dear Fellow Travelers,
There are lots of amazing changes at Edmonds Presbyterian Church. We have welcomed new visitors, a new baby, and cleaned out and repurposed rooms. The Edmonds Coop Preschool will soon grace our halls with little voices. We are so excited. Our Bible Study on Acts has begun. Join us after worship in person or Tuesday at 10 AM on Zoom. We are using Scot McKnight’s “Acts.” There are free copies on the back table at church. It is also available on Kindle. Garden worship at Nancy Becker’s house on September 10th was a big success. We are putting together a new music program and excited about the changes this will bring. If you know someone would like to participate or become our new music director, please contact me. Men’s Group is happening all summer at 9 AM on Saturday Mornings. We share in music, bible study, and discussion. Women’s Association meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month with lunch. Get involved in their mission and outreach activities. Please tell your friends and family about our Online Streaming Worship. We have a new camera with much improved video quality. Please go to the www.epc-pcusa.org website for the latest links. This is what I am planning for worship in October. Sunday, October 1st. Laurel Underwood will preach and celebrate communion for World Communion Sunday. This is a special Sunday filled with music and the Holy Spirit. Join us in person and online! Sunday, October 7th. In “Amazing in Our Eyes” I will give you some old-time religion about the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ Parable of the Wicked Tenants. The Ten Commandments were the foundation of the Jewish legal system which greatly influences our lives today. Sunday, October 14th. Idolatry is everywhere. Humans are built to make meaning and that often leads to idolatry. In “Golden Calves” I show that this meaning making is not inherently wrong, but just misdirected. Instead we should listen to the voice of reason in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Sunday, October 22nd. Antisemitism is a major problem in church history. It takes nuance to understand that when we read about Jesus’s and disciples’ opposition to the Jews is not against all Jewish people or the Jewish religion. In “Not in Word Only” I show how Jesus asks us to look beyond institutional power to see God at work. Sunday, October 29th. In “The Lion King” the torch of kingship is passed from the king Mufasa to the cub Simba. It is a good image of what Moses did to pass the torch of a new generation on Mt. Nebo. He couldn’t go into the promised land, but his legacy was passed to the young. We need to pass our power on to a new generation in our churches. It is a joy to serve God with you! I look forward to worshiping with you in October! Grace and Peace, Pastor Rob World Concern is one of the agencies our mission donations support. World Concern helps people in many ways. One way is helping victims of sex trafficking. Victims can be snatched off the street as young girls. One 11 year old girl, Sabina, was sent to the market by her father when someone grabbed her from behind and covered her face. She was put in a train box car with nine other terrified girls. They were taken to Kolkata, India, to be sold as sex slaves. For three years Sabina was held captive, suffering frequent abuse. Finally, after 3 years she was able escape. She made it home to her family, happy to be re-united with them. But people in the village shunned her and she could not marry because of her past. Sabina was sent to live with a 45 year old married man. She had four daughters with him before being abandoned. She had no job and no home with four daughters to support. She slept on a neighbor’s balcony and collected fire wood to sell at the market. But she could not earn enough to support her family. Things became better when World Concern began working in her village. She received help to improve her living circumstances and now works to help prevent other young girls from being victims. She shares her experiences with others and has become a powerful voice for protection in her community.
Jan Griffith, our home-grown missionary, has worked in Sweden for many years. Jan is interested in ecumenical missions and helps to improve relations between Christian groups. The church where she works operates a Christian School which has children from quite a few immigrant families. She works to have closer relationships with her Muslim neighbors and to find opportunities to talk about faith with them. This month we are giving our mission donation of $130 to help support Jan’s ministry with her church and school. Women’s Association met on September 13 in the Friendship Hall at Edmonds Presbyterian Church with 7 members present. Secretary Ruth R reported that $710 was contributed to the mission fund, enabling us to send $75 to each of our 13 designated mission recipients. Prayer partners were revealed in June and we kept praying for the same prayer partners through the summer. We currently have over $1,000 in our checking account at US Bank to be used when needed.
Ruth also gave the mission report with fall plans listed: October is when we collect new white socks for Operation Nightwatch. These are given out as needed during the year to their clients they meet during their street ministry and their shelter occupants. We voted to again sponsor a Christmas Family whose name we receive though the YWCA and Pregnancy Resource. Ruth will contact them and acquire the needed information so we can provide a small family with what they need at that time of year. We usually collect money to provide gift cards so the mother can purchase what is needed for a Christmas dinner and gifts for the family. Our program was readings of thank-you notes from our mission recipients as well as a letter from Rochelle Holm telling of their activities and prayer requests for their mission in Malawi. Jean G presented a story from the book Simple Acts of Faith by Margaret Feinberg and Ruth R read a short story from a book of devotions. After a luncheon provided by Ruth R and Margaret S, Prayer partners were selected by drawing signed bookmarks from our basket. Today’s contributions totaled $40 which will be added to our savings account. Our October meeting will be at the Pancake Haus in Edmonds at 12 noon on October 11 and all women are invited to attend . Respectfully submitted by Margaret Smith, Women’s Association Moderator. Our offerig to the Neighbors-in-Need Food Bank was delivered on Monday morning. They were very glad to receive the canned goods, boxes of cereal and other nonperishable items. There is always a long line of cars every Tuesday morning waiting for the food bank to open and provide needy families with food items needed for the week.
Contributions of nonperishable food are always welcome and our church, even with its limited number of members tries to supply what it can to help the hungry people in our community. Some of our members send money instead of cans of food. The money contributions are also very much appreciated as they can purchase fresh food items that are not easily stored. Last Easter when Linda R and I handed out the Easter Baskets that our congregation prepared we found that a surprisingly great variety of nutritious foods were included in the supplies provided. Please remember that the hungry are always with us and that God loves a cheerful giver, so keep the contributions coming to keep our community healthy. Respectfully submitted by Margaret S, Outreach Elder Did you realize that August 31 was International Overdose Day? The theme is “Recognizing those people who go unseen” acknowledging those people in our community who are affected by an overdose but may go unseen in the crisis. This movement was started by Sally Finn at the Salvation Army in Melbourne in memory of those who are lost and to protect those who can still be saved.
According to the Snohomish County Health Department the most common age for those suffering an overdose is from 35 to 41, however there are rapidly increasing numbers of overdoses among those over 55. Since 1999 more than 1 million deaths have occurred in the United States due to drug overdoses. At that time most overdoses were due to alcohol, opioids, or methamphetamines, however in the past year there are rapidly increasing numbers of overdoses related to fentanyl. So far this year there have been 166 deaths due to opioids, 159 deaths from fentanyl, and 105 deaths from meth in Snohomish County alone. King County has had close to 1000 deaths from overdose so far this year. What can we Do? An overdose demands immediate medical attention. Activate the 911 emergency system immediately if you find anyone unresponsive and not breathing then give CPR until help arrives. Be sure to state the emergency clearly and give the street address or exact directions to where the help is needed. Local fire departments or the Red Cross are glad to teach how to give either Regular CPR or the newer “Hands only” resuscitation methods. Emergency responders carry NARCAN, an antidote for overdose which usually gives immediate relief of overdose symptoms. Margaret S, Education Elder Dear Fellow Travelers,
Fall is coming. The shadows are getting longer and the nights are getting cooler. And the leaves will change soon. Things are changing at Edmonds too. Our music program will be changing as Gina has retired. The Edmonds Coop Preschool will soon grace our halls with little voices. And there is new life in our midst. After a summer in Revelation, we are beginning our Acts bible study. Join us after worship in person or Tuesday at 10 AM on Zoom. We are using Scot McKnight’s “Acts.” There are free copies on the back table at church. It is also available on Kindle. We will worship outdoors at Nancy Becker’s house on September 10th. She will provide a light lunch after worship. Men’s Group is happening at 9 AM on Saturday Mornings. We share in music, bible study, and discussion. Women’s Association meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month with lunch. Get involved in their mission and outreach activities. Please tell your friends and family about our Online Streaming Worship. We have a new camera with much improved video quality. Please go to the www.epc-pcusa.org website for the latest links. This is what I am planning for worship in September. Sunday, September 3rd. The Bible is filled with stories of tribal strife and warfare. God’s Law was given to provide people order and unity instead of division. In “A Safe Place” I will show that God’s place is carve out safe places for justice and mercy. Our church is an intentionally safe place for all who come here. We are taking actions to make that a reality. Sunday, September 10th. We are meeting at Nancy’s house for outdoor worship. Maps and directions will be posted at church. “Written on Their Hearts” is about the beautiful freedom giving verses in Romans 2. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it in equality and equanimity. Instead of a systematic theology of control, Romans is about freeing all people with the grace of Jesus. Sunday, September 17th. In “Think Bigger” I will talk about the amazing 14th chapter of Romans. The message of fairness and common decency comes through so strongly. Jesus tells the parable of the corrupt slave to show that the law of decency and good order is already known to us. While there are many voices trying to separate us and confuse us, being decent and non-judgmental toward our neighbor is doing God’s work. Sunday, September 24th. “Speak Up for Yourself” explores the value of complaining to God. We tend to look at the Israelites as ungrateful, but really they are just being like children. Would we act any different in the same circumstances? Paul, writing to the Philippians from prison, is an example of joyful endurance. We should speak up and ask for help, but also find solace in endurance. It is a joy to serve God with you! I look forward to worshiping with you in September! Grace and Peace, Pastor Rob The July Parking Sale earned $200 for missions. The Edmonds Food Bank located in the Methodist Church received $66. The Toy Store, a bicycle repair ministry that repairs bicycles for children who need them is operated by the Methodist Church but uses our church property for their operations. The Concern for Neighbors Food Bank in Mountlake Terrace received $66, and $68 was given to Vision House to help with their ministry of helping people transition from homelessness to living on their own.
Opening Blind Prison Ministry received $109.20 from mission distribution money to help with the ministry to inmates at the Monroe Prison. Currently Rev. “Rip” Van Winkle is working with inmates at the Special Offenders Unit which is made up of prisoners with more than one mental illness. A quote from one of Rev. Rip’s newsletters says, “Jesus came to befriend sinners and to ultimately save them. Angels announced his birth to shepherds whom the Pharisees considered unclean since they took care of sheep on the Sabbath. Jesus always loves us and God never tires of giving us second chances. Thank you for your support that allows me to offer God’s second chances to inmates.” Summer was way too short, but now it is time to begin our fall program. Our September 13 meeting will be held at EPC in the friendship hall at 11:30 AM. All our meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Wednesdays of the month until next summer. We have requested a speaker from Support 7 to provide our program.
Our treasurer, Kathy M, has collected our mission offerings and dispersed $75 to each of the 13 mission projects we support. In this time of unemployment and inflation they surely need all we can send them. We received many letters from the recipients of these funds thanking us for our continued support. We plan to share these letters with you at our September meeting. Don’t forget that October is Sock-It-To-Me month when we collect new white socks for distribution to those in need for Operation Nightwatch our longtime friend, Rick Reynolds has retired, but his co-worker Frank DiGirolamo is continuing as executive director and continuing their street ministry and providing overnight shelter for the homeless. Frank tells us they now have a shelter bus which has been needing repairs so they really appreciate our contributions. Our October meeting will be an informal lunch at the Pancake Haus in downtown Edmonds. All women including women from other churches are welcome to attend our meetings and feel free to invite a visitor. Looking forward to seeing you all this fall. Margaret S, Moderator  Our Bible Study will use Scot McKnight's "Acts: Participating Together in God's Mission." Dr. McKnight is a well-known New Testament scholar from Northern Seminary. His book on Revelation provided much of the background reading for our Revelation sermon series this summer. His approach is very well-balanced between scholarship and accessibility. You will be pleased to see that there are about 5 questions at the end of each chapter to help guide our discussion. The questions and the book are easier to use than the NT Wright book we used on Romans in 2021, and his discussions are as illuminating as our Amy Jill Levine book on the Sermon on the Mount earlier this year. The book contains 39 lessons which will easily last until next summer. I am so excited to get started! Free copies are available on the back table at church. You can also get it on Kindle. We will start after worship on Sunday, September 3rd and Tuesday, September 5th, at 10 AM on zoom. Contact the office or Pastor Rob if you have any questions.
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