NOVEMBER DEACON OF THE MONTH Renee Lacombe (360) 980
Transcription
NOVEMBER DEACON OF THE MONTH Renee Lacombe (360) 980
November 2014 Published Monthly NOVEMBER DEACON OF THE MONTH Renee Lacombe (360) 980-0317 FISH FOOD Soups, Stews, Chili As you enjoy reading this month’s Bell, try to find the hidden cross. Volume 37, No 11 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4 As we look back over 2014, we truly have much for which to be thankful. Now that we have completed our new sanctuary, we are learning how to live in our new space. While our previous sanctuary served us well for many years, it has been such a joy to experience worship in an open, expansive space, where Cascades’ musical gifts truly unfold. I continue to be amazed at the kind generosity of so many people who helped make this dream a reality. Thank you! Not only have we been enjoying our new space, but so have new people who have joined us along the way. Many in our Orchards neighborhood mention how the lighted cross provides them with the constant reassurance that God’s love through Jesus Christ is with them. In July we hosted the Journey Theater Arts Group Youth Summer Camp Route 66. In August we had a youth group lock in with nearly thirty youth attending. And in October we hosted the St. Andrew’s Choir Group from Moscow, Idaho. Each event drew new families to the church that had yet to experience the gifts that we have to offer. Feedback from all was “Wow, what a beautiful place!” More and more we hope to use our space for such events, providing our church with more and more exposure to the broader community. This is one aspect of stewardship that your Session continues to prayerfully consider. While this is all very much a great opportunity to meet new people, it is also a tremendous responsibility. We must ensure that we provide a safe place where people of all ages can worship, learn and grow in their discipleship of Jesus Christ. I hate to admit it but with increased exposure also is increased vulnerability. Even Jesus encouraged his disciples to be as “wise as serpents and as innocent as doves” with their growing communal presence. To make sure that Cascades does its due diligence, we are updating our Safe Church Policies formally known as Cascades’ Child Protection and Sexual Misconduct Policies. These policies and procedures will help us protect all people who make Cascades’ their spiritual home but most especially the children, youth, and vulnerable adults among us. This new policy will provide definitions for the kind of abuses that we need to vigilant of as well as policies for screening, training, supervising, mandatory reporting, and necessary accountability. Though this may not have been your typical stewardship letter as Thanksgiving approaches, it is entirely necessary. God calls us to be good stewards of all that God has graciously provided. Money, facilities, and relationships. Thank you for your generous support for our ministry over the year. May God bless you richly in return this season as you too prayerfully consider your own stewardship! In Christ, Rev. Chris Montovino, Pastor THE CHURCH BELL Page 2 Volume 37, No 11 PREPARING FOR ADVENT daily Devotion Join with the Worship Arts Committee after 11am service on November 16 as they prepare decorations for this Advent Season. YOU ARE INVITED! YOUTH GROUP PIZZA AND MOVIE NIGHT November 22, 2014 @ 6:00pm-10:00pm. Join Cascades’ Youth Group for Pizza and movie night on Saturday . We will be watching and discussing the movie God’s Not Dead, a story about a young college student who is challenged by his Philosophy professor to defend his faith and prove to the class that God’s Not Dead. And we may have a surprise following! HANGING OF THE GREENS Saturday, November 29th at 6:00pm It's that wonderful time of year. Time to celebrate family, faith and food and not necessarily in that order! Please plan on joining us for the Hanging of the Greens as we begin with fellowship during the soup 'n' bread potluck. Then at 7:00pm we decorate our sanctuary as we worship the Lord and the coming Advent season. It's one of our beautiful traditions here at Cascades. See you there! THANKSGIVING EVE WORSHIP SERVICE Wednesday November 26, 2014 @ 7pm. here at Cascades. Join with other Presbyterians in Clark County for a time of worship and communion as we give thanks to God for the many blessings we have received. Bring canned goods to help resupply the Clark County Food Bank. If possible bring some tasty treats to enjoy after the worship service and stay and visit with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Cookies can brought that evening or put in the freezer ahead of time. CIRCLE OF HOPE The fourth Sunday in Advent when the candle of peace is lit, Pastor Chris and Cascades' Stephen Ministers will conduct a special service, "Circle of Hope". This will be a time of worship, prayer, singing and meditation at 11am on December 21st. STEPHEN MINISTRY A Stephen Minister is a safe person with who you can share your burdens. Everything is confidential and will not be shared. To connect with a Stephen Minister, call the church office at 360.892.6613. Abundant Life Nov 1 Nov 2 Psalm 34:1-10 John 15:13-15 Experiencing God in National Parks Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov 3 4 5 6 7 8 Psalm 103:8-12 Isaiah 40:28-31 Romans 8:28-31 Psalm 46 Psalm 84 Exodus 3:1-5 Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Faithful Daily Service Philippians 3:13-4:1 Luke 14:12-24 Psalm 146 Luke 15:1-10 James 1:1-15 James1:16-27 Luke 16:10-17 The Holy Spirit Through the Arts Psalm 100 James 2:14-26 Exodus 28:1-5 Jeremiah 18:1-6 Hebrews 13:1-4 Mark 4:1-9 1 Timothy 4:6-16 A Week of Thanksgiving Deuteronomy 15:7-11 1 John 4:7-21 Psalm 16:5-11 Mark 12:28-38 Psalm 22:25-31 Isaiah 55:6-13 Psalm 136 Everyday Life in God’s Presence Nov 30 Isaiah 64: 1-9 Page 3 THE CHURCH BELL Volume 37, No 11 ADVENT DEVOTIONAL GUIDES ARE IN! First come, first serve. These devotional resources will be handed out at The Hanging of the Greens in time for our preparations for Christmas. Supplies are limited, so don’t miss out! Wait For the Lord was written by Henri Nouwen who was one of the most popular spiritual writers of the last century. As one who struggled with waiting yet sought his Savior over a lifetime, Henri Nouwen offers insights that add depth and self-discovery to our spiritual journey as we await the birth of Jesus Christ. What Child is This? A Seek and Find Book for Advent. This is a creative and fun guide for young families. Parents will enjoy the devotions while kids will enjoy looking for all the clues in the picture books as they count down to celebrating Christmas. CHRISTMAS COOKIE CARE PACKAGES FOR CHAPLAIN JON NEIL Please help us care for Lt. Jon Neil and his troops are they are on deployment in Asia for jungle warfare training in extreme cold weather conditions. Jon is the only chaplain for 1,000 Marines and serves as a pastor, friend, confidant, comforter, and counselor. Jon asks that we keep his troops in prayer. As we’ve done before, we will sending Christmas cookie care packages to Jon to share with his troops. Please bring beef jerky, pepperoni sticks, Christmas cookies, brownies, granola/energy bars, microwave popcorn, hot chocolate packets, chap stick, halls cough drops, pocket sized Kleenex, pocket size wet wipes, games, jigsaw puzzles, or playing cards to the church by Monday November 24, 2014 and we will package them to be shipped off. No perishable items please! MISSION AND PEACE Samaritan's Purse International Relief Mission: To glorify God and bring the lost to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Franklin Graham, President Operation Christmas Child Pack a shoebox and turn into our church by November 7th. When you pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, you may be surprised how much you can fit in. But that's nothing compared with what God can bring out of your box. This is the eternal impact--souls saved, churches planted, and the Gospel shining into some of the darkest corners of our world. There are still a few more boxes available at church to fill. Pray… For the people of Liberia and West Africa who face the awful threat of Ebola every day. Give… a gift to enable Samaritan's Purse to operate community care centers and continue public awareness campaigns. For $135 they can provide protective clothing and other essentials for home-based interventions. For just $8 per family, they can supply hygiene kits to help prevent infections. W.H.O. (Winter Housing Overflow) We still need volunteers to be a host for overnight winter housing coordinated by SHARE at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Vancouver. Cascade's nights to help are Novemer 6, 7 and 8th. Each night 2 or 3 volunteers from our church are the hosts from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the next morning. All volunteers will receive an information packet ahead of time along with orientation by a SHARE staff member when they arrive. A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in the Narthex. Any questions please call Janet Van Fleet at 360-606-8356 or talk to Chris. Stay tuned for more opportunities to make a difference in future Cascades Bells. Page 4 THE CHURCH BELL Volume 37, No 11 A SPECIAL THANK YOU To our dear Cascades familyThank you so much for your generous support as we embarked on our journey across the country to Princeton Theological Seminary. We have felt encouraged and propelled by your prayers and contributions to our studies. God has been reminding us of His presence every step of the way and helping us to grow both individually and as a family. We are starting to settle in here. All the leaves are turning, and I think we're in for a beautiful fall. Jon is getting into a rhythm with classes. He has found a part-time side job at a restaurant, has started a men's small group with some other new students and is both inspired and challenged by what he is learning. Valerie just launched her website for birth classes and is hoping to start teaching in November. Hudson is happy wherever he is, so long as he has people with whom he can interact. Graham is making some new friends, but he talks about you all and "his church" a lot. Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated! With love in Christ, The Brewers 501 Farber Rd. #305, Princeton, NJ 08540 SESSION HIGHLIGHTS Opening devotional was on Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine. Talked about how roles often reverse between host and guest and what we can do to pursue more contact with our neighbors where we live. Welcomed Joan Smith and Kitty Fredrickson as new members. Approved transfer of Charlene Steele to East Woods Presbyterian Church. Approved serving communion at the Thanksgiving Eve Service Wednesday November 26 and Stephen Ministers’ Circle of Hope Service at 11am December 21, 2014. Reviewed and discussed 2015 budgets and stewardship campaign. Plan to begin Spring 2015 Capital Campaign toward building debt retirement. New blinds for new sanctuary have been donated saving several thousands of dollars. Discussed costs and need of A/C for new sanctuary. Also looking into use of solar energy to offset increased electrical expense. All Church Retreat was a big success. Great opportunities for multi-generations to fellowship together. Plan to schedule for next year at same location, same time of year. How can we encourage more people to attend? Passed out current Sexual Misconduct Policy to read. Will update and review at next session meeting. LIBRARY CORNER BY MARY OSWALT Missional : Joining God in the Neighborhood, by Alex J. Roxburgh This book looks at the concept of missional churches/ministry in the context of the books of Luke and Acts, with a particular focus on Luke 10:1-12. The author likens Luke’s audience—first-century Gentile Christians—to present-day Christians like us. It is highly recommended that you read the passage from Luke 10 for yourself, but I will summarize it here. It is the story of Jesus' sending seventy of his followers to the cities and towns that he would be visiting soon. He instructs them to take nothing for the journey, to stay in one place in whatever town they are visiting, and to eat whatever is set before them. The lessons that Roxburgh draws from Luke 10 are as follows: We cannot see what God is doing in our communities until we shed our baggage, which consists of preconceived notions about the types of programs we as a church should offer; how we should worship; and what we already think our neighbors need. We should become planted in our neighborhoods and stay long enough to get truly involved. In addition, we should learn to listen in a way that encourages people to talk so we can learn to really know them. The one lesson from this book that really stuck with me is that we need to give up any ideas about how we think we should do ministry and open ourselves up to the way that God wants us to do ministry. For a more complete explanation of the above ideas, please ask Pastor Chris to loan you his copy of the book. THE CHURCH BELL Page 5 Volume 37, No 11 CALENDAR Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov 3 7 8 9 10 Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov 11 17 20 21 28 30 Jared Beeks Thelma Doyle Jill Clifford Rhyan Montovino Cassy Holcomb Melissa Honey-Sieveking Rosan Alvey Linda Beck Sofia Montovino Bill Gibson Nola Cook Chris Montovino Nov 2 Nov 4 Nov 5 Nov 8 Nov 9 Nov 11 Nov 12 Nov 16 Nov 18 Nov 19 Nov 25 Mr. & Mrs. Balkoski If your Birthday or Anniversary is not included in our monthly listing, please contact Michelle in the office. FINANCE & STEWARDSHIP September Income Expenses Total $15,784.34 $15,538.52 $ 245.82 Year to Date 2014 ($11,469.26) Nov 20 Nov 22 Nov 23 Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov 25 26 27 29 30 9:00am 10:15 am 11:00am 9:00am 6:30pm 7:00pm 5:30pm 9:00am 10:15am 11:00am 9:00am 6:30pm 9:00am 10:15am 11:00am 9:00am 6:30pm 7:00pm 9:30am 6:00pm 9:00am 10:15am 11:00am 9:00am 7:00pm 6:00pm 9:00am 10:15am 11:00am Worship Service (Contemporary) Pancake Breakfast Worship Service (Traditional) Quilt Ministry Youth Group Stephen Ministry Game Night Worship Service (Contemporary) Sunday School (all ages) Worship Service (Traditional) Quilt Ministry Youth Group Worship Service (Contemporary) Sunday School (all ages) Worship Service (Traditional) Quilting Youth Group Stephen Ministry Ruth’s Circle Youth Group Pizza & Movie Night Worship Service (Contemporary) Sunday School (all ages) Worship Service (Traditional) Quilting Thanksgiving Eve Service Thanksgiving Day—Office Closed Hanging of the Greens Worship Service (Contemporary) Sunday School (all ages) Worship Service (Traditional) PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE R ETURN S ERVICE R EQUESTED 9503 NE 86th St Vancouver, WA 98662 (360) 892-6613 [email protected] www.caspres.org SUNDAY WORSHIP SUMMER SCHEDULE 9:00am 10:15am 11:00am Contemporary Service Sunday School (All Ages) Traditional Service YOUTH GROUP PIZZA & MOVIE NIGHT November 22 6:00-10:00pm THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE November 26 7:00pm HANGING OF THE GREENS November 29 6:00pm Soup Potluck 7:00pm Service