to view the July 2015

THE
COURIER
Volume 64| Issue 7
July | 2015
The Work of the People
Pastors Ruth and Peter Reappointed to First Olympia
as Pastor Carolyn Retires
United Methodists know well that our
pastors are part of a connectional system and are appointed to serve a
church one year at a time. Appointments are determined not only with
regard to the needs of our own local
church, but with regard for the needs
of ALL the local churches in the region.
As we approach annual conference
this year and the annual "fixing of the
appointments," we are fairly confident
that Pastor Peter and Pastor Ruth are
being reappointed for another year
here at First Olympia.
(continued on p. 3)
IN THIS
Issue
2 Peter’s Ponderings / Strategic Planning
3 First Church Folks / Thank You!
4 Worship + / Youth
5 Ministry
6 Ministry / Vital Statistics
7 Ministry
8 Mission / We’re Connected!
Join us in July and August as we look at eight recent movies that help
illustrate Biblical themes and characteristics of the life of faith. Brief clips
from the movies will be shown in the services and you don’t need to have
seen the film to enjoy the message, though watching some of these movies this summer might be a lot of fun.
Pastor Peter will start us off on July 12 with a message entitled “Finding
Nemo: A Father’s Love” based on Luke 15:1-10. Other messages in the
series will highlight the following films:
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: Anything’s Possible with Faith
How to Train Your Dragon: Loving Your Enemy
The Avengers: Body of Christ
Big Hero 6: The Nurturing Community
Still Alice: Remembering the Promise
Interstellar: Love Calls Us
Avatar: That They May Be One
The church library has a copy of each title available to borrow. Please
keep each movie for no more than a week so that others may use it. Titles
are also available on Netflix, Amazon, and at your local public library.
9 Small Groups of the Month / Nepal
10 What’s Happening at First Church?
11 Church Calendar
12 Vacation Bible Camp
1224 Legion Way S.E. , Olympia, WA 98501-1655
360-943-2661 * [email protected] * www.fumcoly.org
www.facebook.com/FirstUnitedMethodistChurchofOlympia
Peter’s Ponderings
2
July! In the world of United Methodist pastors, July is almost always an anniversary
month. It was one year ago that I came to Olympia to be your pastor. What a joy the
year has been as we've gotten to know one another. We've balanced a budget together and completed a strategic plan. We've raised awareness of justice issues and
explored the Bible together. We've said good-bye and hello to church staff members.
We've celebrated the lives of long time members who have gone on to glory. We've welcomed newcomers
into our shared life of faith. We've baptized a few babies and celebrated a few marriages. We've sung hymns
and prayed prayers, hiked trails and shared meals, visited in the hospital and the home, and seen each other
at the grocery store and at the performing arts center. Olympia has become my home in the past year, and
you have become my family. So happy anniversary to us, and thank you God for this wondrous relationship
that blesses me every day. Church, it is a joy to be your pastor. I look forward to many more such anniversaries.
See you in church!
From Strategic Planning to Strategic Implementation
For the past several years, First Olympia has been moving slowly through a process of self-understanding and
visioning known as “The 360 Plan.” At the church council meeting on June 16, a final revision of the document was unanimously approved to guide us into the next decade of our life together as a church family. It is
the culmination of a process that involved several committees giving direction and input, small group
meetings, surveys, listening sessions, the vision and experience of several pastoral and lay leaders, and a significant amount of prayerful thought. The strategic plan expands our existing mission and vision statement
with measurable goals for every area of our life together. A complete copy of the five page document is available in the church office. It is a large document that imagines a vast expansion of our ministries. We encourage all church members to pick up a copy and become acquainted with it.
The mission of the church is
to make disciples of Jesus Christ
for the transformation of the world.
We make disciples and transform the world by gratefully worshiping God, joyfully
learning discipleship, gracefully loving one another, and faithfully serving the world,
all under the guidance and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Strategic Plan outlines developments for our ministries of worship, discipleship, learning, service, and
organization. It envisions a church that is growing, that is especially focused on younger members and families while still providing strong pastoral care to persons of all ages. It imagines a church where doing Christian
ministry is as important as receiving Christian ministry, where participants are empowered to talk the talk
and walk the walk of discipleship. The plan encourages development and expansion of small groups and relationship circles. The plan contains many benchmark goals and timelines for implementation of new ministries.
We adopt this plan knowing that no strategic plan can ever anticipate future developments, and this plan
guides us but does not bind us. God’s Spirit continually moves within us and around us as visions evolve,
ideas grow, and needs change. The adoption of this strategic plan charts a way forward and challenges us to
be continually focused on the church God calls us to be and the new things God calls us to do. Thank you to
all who had a part in making this plan happen, and thanks to all of you who are called by virtue of your
church membership and your baptismal vows to faithfully implement these plans with God’s help.
First Church Folks
3
Welcome to the Carlsons
On May 31st, we welcomed a new family to our
church membership. Matt and Crystal have been
attending First Olympia for over a year and are
active members of Tavern Theology. Matt and
Crystal moved to Olympia from Silver Spring,
MD, but they both grew up in Washington State.
Matt is interested in computer security and Crystal is interested in cooking and hospitality. They
have a son named Aidan and a retired seeing eye
dog named Sherlock. Say hello and welcome when you get a chance.
We also welcome Bonnie Chandler Warren and Larry Warren to
First Church as recently retired clergy who have chosen to associate with our
charge conference. We rejoice in Bonnie and Larry and their willingness to
share their gifts and graces with the church in retirement.
Summer Intern:
Carey Armes
This summer we’re starting a
pilot program of internships.
We’re kicking this program off
with a Social Media Summer
Internship with Carey Armes.
Her responsibilities will include
launching us onto Instagram, writing a weekly blog for
our website, and helping create an archive of our digital
photos and videos for our communications team.
Carey is a rising junior at Western Washington University. She is a Communications major and is excited to explore social media communications in a church
setting. Carey is the daughter of Sharon Hurst-Armes
and was previously employed at our church as one of
our childcare workers.
Instagram is:
* A social media
platform that uses
photographs as its
main form of
communication
* The social media
platform most
likely to have daily
engagement by
people from the
ages of 18-30
* Easily connected
to our Facebook
and Church Website
Pastors Reappointed, continued from p. 1
This will be Ruth's fourth year in her appointment and Peter's second.
Pastor Carolyn's recent retirement concluded sixteen years of appointment to this church.
"It is hard to believe that this year has passed by so quickly," said Peter. "One of the highlights of the year has been working together with
Pastor Ruth and Pastor Carolyn to form a ministry team, together with
all of the staff. We will miss Carolyn's presence on the staff, but look
forward to having Angelina Duell as part of the team. And Ruth and I
are agreed that we hope the Bishop will keep our team together for a
long time."
Thank you to all who helped
celebrate the ministry of
Carolyn Peterson, especially
the Children's council, including Lamia Murphy, Elizabeth
Fontanilla, Lauren Fontanilla,
Sherri Russell, and Wendy
Vance. Thank you also to Brian
Russell, Kevin Russell, Mckenzi
Vance, Katelin Vance, Danielle
Escene, Rob Lowe, Joan
Letourneau, Elma Lu Casebolt,
Carol Gruen, Mike and Kathy
Leonard, Lisa Robischon,
Cheryl Jorban, and the children's choir, Carol Johnson,
Jean Dragon, Colby Dragon,
Aynsleigh Dragon, Recycle
Rangers, SPRC, and Marilyn
Dawson .
Thank you to those helping
with Angelina's Welcome:
Davis Hylkema, Dolores
Prouty, Tom Prouty, and
Denise Alborn.
First UMC, Olympia
Office Hours:
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday--Friday
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Sunday
Lead Pastor: Rev. Peter Perry
Associate Pastor: Rev. Ruth Marston
Discipleship Pastor: Rev. Carolyn Peterson
PLEASE NOTE:
Articles for the next Courier must be delivered to the office or emailed to
[email protected] by the 20th of
the month.
Courier Editor: Sue Sugarbaker
4
Worship +
Christian Education - Sunday
Classes, 10:00 a.m.
Let’s be disciples together!
Check out all the fantastic summer offerings:
Adults
Faith Link, Rm. 109, connecting faith to news events
and to issues in culture and in the church; each week
stands alone; all are welcome to join as they are able.
Led by Mark Bergeson
Children & Families
Our Sunday Evening Program has finished and
will resume in September.
Toddlers and Twos, in Rm. 107 with their loving childcare workers
Summer Faith Fun & Crafts – All are welcome!
Summer Faith Fun & Crafts is for families and people
of all ages. Come pray together, hear a story connected with the day’s worship and make an awesome
craft to take home. Room 119, led by Angelina Duell.

July 12 – Come learn how to make bubble
print cards and marshmallow sheep. We
will make a card or two to take home and
then we will use the rest for our care cards.

July 19 – Come fill out our care cards and
learn how to make a centurion’s servant
prayer tube.

July 26 – Come make a fun dragon prayer
craft to bring back.
Harry Potter Movie Nights begin on July 8 at
6:00 p.m. and will continue each Wednesday as
we watch the Harry Potter movies in order. Bring
your favorite snack and meet us in the youth
room, ready for viewing and lively discussion!
A BIG THANK YOU to
our amazing volunteers! On
June 14 we thanked all of the
wonderful people who utilized their gifts of time, energy, creativity, and kindness
to
encourage our toddlers, children, youth, and adults on
their journey of discipleship.
Our children planted and
grew wildflowers in pots
with origami butterflies and bees which we gave as a
sign of appreciation to our over 30 volunteers!
If you are interested in leading an adult small
group, teaching a children’s class, or working
with our fantastic youth ministry,
please contact Angelina Duell at
[email protected]
Ministry - Within Our Walls
5
Got Worms? Like Flowers?
Your Green Ministry Team continues their efforts to live a sustainable lifestyle to protect
our beautiful earth. Here are two examples of our working in concert with Mother Nature.
In April Green Team Leaders Debra Bigelow and Mae Owada took a Live Worm Show to
one of our Youth Sunday School Classes. They took worms from a working bin and each
student was given the chance to measure a worm to determine if it was an adult or still a
"minor.” You might ask, “Why have a Worm Bin?” While it's important to not waste food, there are always
scraps from preparing fresh produce or produce that has "gone bad," and they make the worms very happy.
Students learned that worms eat food scraps and then turn them into fertilizer for soil. This doesn't need to
be done on a mass scale; just a simple bin or area in your yard can produce nutritious soil from your kitchen
waste! For tips on how to waste less food, visit www.WasteLessFood.com.
To celebrate Earth Day in April, Green Ministry Team members handed out Sunflower seeds planted in compostable pots after both Sunday Services to folks who would take them home and plant them. Sunflowers
are good for the earth since they will feed the birds and help clean the earth's atmosphere through photosynthesis. Plus, they add color and texture to your garden.
You probably know that coffee grounds are good for your garden. Each week Recycle Rangers empty coffee
grounds from the Hospitality Hour into recyclable bags and dispose of them in the yard waste dumpsters. If
anyone wants those coffee grounds, please let a Green Ministry team member know and they are yours for
the taking.
We welcome new members to the Green Ministry Team, or if you would like to help out as a Recycle Ranger, we'll show you what you need to know. Recycle Rangers attend to the Green Bins at church functions to
assist people in disposing of waste. Anyone can help out by emptying a Green Bin . There are detailed instructions posted near each Green Bin.
Protect Yourself
from Bug Bites
Mosquitoes:
West Nile is a virus that can cause
fever, headache, and joint pain.
To avoid bites, limit outdoors
time especially from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes
are most active, and skip strong scents, including perfume and aftershave. Rid your yard of water-filled
containers (where mosquitoes breed) and wear lightcolored, loose-fitting clothing.
If you are bitten, ease itching with an ice pack, hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, or a dab of vinegar.
See a doctor for fever, headache, body aches, nausea,
swollen glands, or rash. Take pain relievers and fever
reducers to ease symptoms.
Ticks:
About 300,000 people get Lyme disease each year in
the U.S.
To avoid bites, in woodsy or grassy areas, wear lightcolored clothes to help spot the ticks, plus long pants,
long sleeved shirts, socks, and closed-toe shoes. Tuck
pants into socks and hair into a hat. Back home, throw
clothes in the dryer on high heat for an hour. Take a
shower using a washcloth and check for the poppyseed-sized insects. If you find one in your skin, pull
out the body with a tweezer.
If you are bitten, see a doctor if you develop a bull’seye rash, or chills, fever, fatigue, headaches, and muscle or joint pain. Antibiotics stop the infection and
prevent complications, such as Lyme Disease causing
joint pain and facial paralysis, Ehrlichiosis causing
difficulty breathing or bleeding disorders, and Rocky
Mountain Spotted Fever causing heart, joint, or kidney damage.
Need a repellent? Try one of these
Sawyer Fisherman’s Formula Picaridin
Repel Lemon Eucalyptus
Repel Scented Family (15 percent deet)
6
Ministry - Within Our Walls
When We Come to the Table…
Wafers or wonder bread? Cubed bread or torn loaf? Grape juice
or wine? Common cup at the altar or little cups in the pews?
Think back to the way you celebrated communion when you
were a child. Odds are good that there are differences from the
way we celebrate communion now and the way you first went to
the Lord’s Table. The traditions surrounding communion change
over time, vary according to geographical location,
denominational tradition, and factors like the size of the congregation and the frequency of the celebration.
Beginning in July, we are going to be making a few minor changes
to the way we celebrate the sacrament. The two front serving
stations will move from the center of the church to the side
corners, and the movement of persons will reverse so that we
come forward on the side aisles and return via the center aisle.
Pita bread will be replaced with a more traditional loaf of bread.
Because of concerns about cross-contamination for persons who
have gluten sensitivity concerns, a single station of gluten free
elements will always be available at the communion table. In
good Methodist fashion, we will continue to serve unfermented
grape juice in the cup. Communion will continue to be observed
on the first Sunday of
each month in both
principal worship services.
We will be evaluating
the changes over the
summer and fall
months.
United Methodists regard Holy
Communion as a sacrament. That
is, it’s an act of worship ordained by
Christ and is a means of grace. This
does not mean that we become any
more worthy of God’s grace by taking
part in Communion. Rather, we open
ourselves to the divine love that’s
already there; we become more ready
to receive that love and to respond to
it.
We use common, physical gifts of the
earth, bread and wine — though in
United Methodist churches we prefer
unfermented grape juice. All Christians
are welcome at our table, whatever
their denomination. Holy Communion
is a family meal, and all Christians are
members of Christ’s family. Therefore,
in each congregation, when we receive
the bread and cup, we join with
millions of brothers and sisters across
the ages and around the world.
To read more about the understanding
of communion in the United Methodist
Church, please visit http://
www.umc.org/what-we-believe/
communion-questions-and-answers
Vital Statistics
Finance Report through May 2015
As of May 31:
Income received: $321,025
Expenses: $305,695
Bottom line: $15,330 in the black
It promises to be a great summer with many exciting ministry opportunities in our church. Thank you for
your continued support, giving us your time and talent as well as funding, for FUMCO's programs and expenses.
Through June 14, our average weekly worship attendance (excluding Easter Sunday) is 330 persons, a 10%
increase over the 2014 attendance average, and that is something to celebrate indeed! Thank you for your
faithful attendance in worship. Celebrating the resurrection each Sunday is more joyful when more of us are
present. Please plan on worshiping throughout the summer months whenever you are in Olympia.
Ministry - Within Our Walls
7
Growth of Stephen Ministry in Olympia
Jesus gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples
with these words, “Peace be with you. As the Father
has sent me, so I send you.” With this in mind, First
Church pastors cheerfully blessed and commissioned
a group of new Stephen Ministers and another Stephen Leader to apply their skills in our community.
Nine new Stephen Ministers completed the 50 hours
of training at our church on May 20. Also this spring,
Stephen Minister Barbara Fandrich took 50
additional hours of training in St. Louis and is now on
board to help current Stephen Leaders Ted and
Cheryl Dale and Ginger Waite.
We have been a Stephen Ministry church since 1990.
The world is a stressful place and it needs Christ caring for people through people—caring that changes
lives. For interesting videos and stories about Stephen Ministry, check out www.stephenministries.org.
The students and teachers in the
picture below:
Burt & Ginger Sarver
Patrick Wm. Davis
Rachel Chavez
Sharon Hurst-Armes
Nick Mollott
Fred Schumacher-Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Barbara Henry
Ginger Waite-Leader
Jolene Jackson-Leader, Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Barbara Schacht-Leader, Westminster Presbyterian
Church
Andrew, Westminster Presbyterian Church
Cheryl Dale-Leader
Dinali Dhammapala
Ted Dale-Leader, taking the picture
We Goofed!
Last month’s list of high school graduates mistakenly omitted Jessica Groven, who
graduated from Olympia High School. We also spelled Katherine McKay’s name with
a C instead of K. Our sincere apologies to both Jessica and Katherine.
8
Mission - Outside Our Walls
Gleaning the Gardens
The Mission and Social Concerns Committee sponsors the opportunity to
help provide fresh vegetables for the Food Bank through field gleaning
of community and commercial gardens. We all know there is an evergrowing community need for the Food Bank operation, and our
First Olympia field gleaning is considered to be an important part of
Food Bank’s summer food collection. Sue Lundy of the Food Bank
will be leading a group from First Olympia on July 9 to either
Helsing Junction Farms near Rochester or to one of the Olympia
Kiwanis Gardens in the Olympia area. We’ll meet at 8:15 a.m. at
the church and then carpool to the Food Bank.
If you prefer to go directly to the Food Bank, you will
need to be there by 8:30 a.m. We’ll be back from the
Fiel
gleaning about 1:00 p.m. For your calendars, we will have field
gleaning on every second Thursday of the month
through the month of October. Let Rob Harper know
by e-mail at [email protected] or at 360-866-1106
if you would like to be part of the
July gleaning date.
We’re a Connected Church!
Editor’s note: This space is usually dedicated to our United Methodist connections with our annual and general conferences, but
we are also connected as people of faith to others in our community. It is important to remember that a connected church has a
responsibility beyond its own building walls and denominational ties.
Ongoing Clergy Response to Olympia Shooting
Last month there was an incident in West Olympia after a theft of beer from a Safeway. A white police
officer shot two young African-American men who were carrying skateboards. This incident strongly parallels
other incidents throughout the country involving police shootings of young African-American men. A great
deal of national attention has fallen on Olympia while our community is in a time of reflection. This incident
has brought about many conversations about racism, police training, and community hopes and dreams.
Pastor Peter and I have been working with other Olympia area clergy connected to Interfaith Works to hold
space for our community members to come together and reflect. We have taken part in community forums,
peace vigils, and youth led panels. We will continue to be present in the community around this topic, especially as more information about the shooting comes to light, and as we in Olympia take part in the national
discussion about racism.
- Pastor Ruth
Small Groups of the Month
9
Tavern Theology Group Update
The Tavern Theology group is going strong! We have regularly had more than ten people meeting on the
first and third Mondays of each month at restaurants around Olympia. We discuss current events and theological elements of United Methodist life. We are especially grateful to our childcare workers, who make this
program possible by watching our children during our discussion. If you’re interested in joining us, email
Angelina Duell at [email protected] to join our Google Group with updates about locations and topics.
Would You Like to Start a Small Group?
Small groups are an important part of our community at First Olympia.
They are a way to help deepen our understanding of the Bible or
Christian theology and ethics, they are a way to meet people in the
congregation who have common interests, or are a way to come together
to help people. If you have a small group idea please contact Pastor Ruth
([email protected]) to help you connect into a small group or help
you form a new one.
Nepal Earthquake Update from Katherine Parker:
Moving Towards Long-Term Recovery
We have been a supporting covenant church for Katherine Parker for a number
of years and recently received this update. See http://tinyurl.com/
KatherineParker for the graphic mentioned and for additional information.
Dear Friends,
It has been a challenging first half of the year in Nepal with the 7.8 magnitude
earthquake on April 25, numerous aftershocks and now a heat wave that has
caused so many deaths in India. Throughout these difficulties I have experienced the sustaining power of the prayers that you and others have lifted up.
As the aftershocks have decreased to about one per day and we anticipate the onset of monsoon rains, the
UMN response to the earthquake is shifting gears towards long term recovery.
Throughout the coming monsoon season our Emergency Community Health Facilitators will continue to
screen for malnutrition and refer children to therapeutic feeding centers. We are busy now planning
the recovery work that we anticipate doing over the next two years. For my part with the Health Team, we
will continue work in WASH, nutrition, and psycho-social support (mental health) as you can see in the
graphic below.
Non-earthquake related work is also resuming. As I write this I am preparing to travel to Rukum and Rupandehi for the baseline survey of our community health program focusing on maternal and child health.
Thank you for the outpouring of concern for the people of Nepal, ongoing support and your continued
prayers in this challenging time.
Your sister in service for Christ,
Katherine
10
What’s Happening at First Church?
Meet and Greet: The Sequel
“I Love to Tell the Story”
Building on last summer’s very positive experience with home meetings to introduce the church and Pastor
Peter, the SPRC is planning to continue the experience with a series of small group meetings in August and
September of this year. Pastor Peter, Pastor Ruth, and our new Director of Religious Education, Angelina
Duell will be meeting in homes (and maybe a few other locations) to get to know the
church family better, to share the church’s recently finalized strategic plan, and to
listen to your hopes and dreams for our life together. We will be publishing a list of
locations and times in coming weeks and invite folks to sign up to come and join in
the conversation and fellowship.
Can you host a Meet and Greet event? We are looking for persons willing to host a dessert meeting for 10-15 persons in August and September. Please
contact Jean Dragon (360-352-5326) to volunteer.
¿Quieren español?
A Spanish Language for Beginners class is going to be offered for six weeks this
summer here at First Olympia. Church member Adrianna Caviedes teaches ESL and
is a native of Ecuador. She will be teaching her class on Tuesday and Wednesday
evenings, beginning July 21 in room 208. Class size is limited to 15 persons. Childcare will be provided. Dios es bueno!
Update:
The concert held on June
14 brought in donations of
$6309, which will be
matched by a generous donor. Many thanks to all
who made this event such a success!
Monthly New Membership
Ritual of Belonging
For the rest of 2015, we will have our new membership Ritual of Belongings happen every
4th Sunday of the month. Our next membership
Sunday will be July 27. If you are interested in
joining the church, please let Pastor Ruth
([email protected]) know. We are working on establishing regular classes of Getting to
Know First Olympia and Disciple’s Path, a
United Methodist Primer.
Like the smooth transition of our government, change
happens seamlessly here at First Church. Newly retired
Carolyn Peterson was on board to help our new DRE,
Angelina Duell as she began work on June 1. If you haven’t met Angelina yet, be sure to introduce yourself. Help
make her start here warm, welcome, and wonderful.
11
The Back Page
Church Calendar:
http://www.fumcoly.org/?page_id=182
Be an Angel!
Our church calendar is new and improved! Click
on the link above and you will find the calendar
that is now a part of this new web site.
It is up-to-the-minute, vital, and full of additional
details. Check back often, because new things are
happening all the time!
Our Sunday coffee hour is
delighted to receive cookies to
help with our hospitality.
Gluten-free and/or nut-free are
always appreciated.
In God We Live, Move and Exist
Vacation Bible Camp is just around the corner and we
couldn’t be more excited. Our volunteers have been
lovingly preparing the classrooms and the supplies to welcome all of the children who will be with us
July 20 - 24. Another BIG THANK YOU to all of our amazing VBC volunteers!
We are still seeking volunteers for a few key spots. If you would like to assist by leading a group of children
please contact Angelina. There will be training for adult volunteers on Wed. July 15 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 224.
Our theme this year is “G-Force” or the idea that God is moving with us and within us. Our hope is that by the
end of the week the children will have made new friends and built deeper relationships. We hope they will be
more readily able to recognize the Spirit moving within each of them and how to respond through acts of loving kindness. There will be crafts, arts, themed snacks, science projects, fun, and enjoyment. We will also have
our special guest, Checkers, the VBC puppet, voiced by one of our very own FUMCO youth. We currently have
over 50 children registered. Space is still available – the more the merrier! We would love to have you with us.
You can sign up at fumcoly.org or fill out a registration form in the library and return it to the main office.
Please pray for us, our volunteers and our participants, for a wonderful, fun, safe, and enjoyable VBC!