Monday Evening Coffee Shop Conversations, 7-8:30pm, at the Starbucks at Hwy 900 and Gilman Road. Join us on June 7, as we discuss Chapter 10 of Wisdom Distilled from the Daily by Joan Chittister.
Sermon topics
It’s almost summer … which means it’s time to give Dave topics you’d like to hear sermons about for the next couple of months. No question is naïve or silly or not worth asking! Email Dave with the question or topic you’d like to hear a sermon about.
Pastor’s Report: June 2010
The Monday night Coffee Shop Conversations group that began last fall is reading a book by the Benedictine nun, Joan Chittister. She tells a story in it that is meant for any of us who looks longingly toward the day when we have just the right number of members, or just the right worship space, or just the right balance between tradition and newness: “What do you do in the monastery?” someone asked an old monk in the fourth century. The old monastic said, “Oh, we fall down and we get up and we fall down and we get up … and we fall. And we get up again.”
I love this story, because it lets us be human. It frees us from any illusion of perfectionism or any need to find someone to blame if something doesn’t turn out like we’d hoped. We fall down and we get up again … thanks be to God.
I write this just after Kevin Thruelsen blessed us with stories of his time with the army in Iraq. And a week after Pentecost, when we celebrated the 20th birthday of our community of faith. Our celebration on May 23 brought together people from every part of our past and our present. I felt a renewed sense that Christ’s needs a body like ours in Issaquah/Sammamish. How fitting that we brought in our first P-Patch harvest right after this service. Sown seeds bearing fruit through God’s faithful and trustworthy care and through our desire to help build God’s kingdom.
This year we have begun to do the hard work of trying to live into our vision. This meeting includes reports from the teams shepherding our ministries of Lifelong Growth and Transformation, Mission, and Church Growth and Sustainability. Thanks to Moderator Anne Potter for her leadership, and for those who led and participated in the vision teams. The first year after adopting a vision is always the hardest! You’ve gotten us moving.
Our spring retreat embodied the spirit of our vision. A huge percentage of the congregation came. We worked and played and ate. We hosted the world premier of a video of our vision created by Suzi Mohn, and staged the world’s most stunning talent show. And we sang. Our minister of music, Linda Srb, blessed our retreat the way she blesses our Sunday morning worship. Her music, faith, and spirit comfort and gladden us, and move us to pray, “Break our hearts, O God, with what breaks your heart, O God.” Katie McLaughlin cared for our youngest with creativity and compassion as she has done this past year. Elizabeth Maupin was able to join us, and we are deeply grateful for the ways she has taught the “older” young people. And, miracle of miracles, we made room for Christ’s Spirit to move in us and through us … and we all heard a call to carry out a focused, hands-on mission to walk beside families in crisis.
The irrepressible quartet of Engstrom, Wentzien, Bolam, and Averill formed us into a softball team last summer. We bid a sad good-bye this spring to co-music minister Mack Grout, whose energy and improvisational abilities brought life and joy to our worship. We welcomed new members Dan Boughner, Nan Lopis, Julie Mahan and Sandy Schmeltzle.
We fall down, we get up … and we are always in the midst of change. As we also seek to be true to Jesus’ call to walk beside him … and show the world another way of doing life. Thank you for another year of allowing me to be with you on the Way.
Planter 1 is planted!
The first planter box of our pea patch is planted! We have potatoes, radishes, peas, lettuce and onions. Thanks to all the work crew, what a great day for it!
Breaking ground on the Pea Patch
A team today started preparing the Spirit of Peace pea patch, which will benefit the Issaquah food bank.
Pea Patch
We are starting our Pea Patch project, where we will grow food to benefit the Issaquah Food Bank. We have two 4’X16’ plots in Issaquah at 690 Juniper Street, immediately east of Gillman Village. The first work party is this Saturday April 10th for those interested in being involved in the project. The work party starts at 2:00. Kids and adults welcome! We will probably start planting as soon as the weather improves. Thanks to Wally, our resident Master Gardener, for leading this! The success in this project will include an obligation to assist in the pea patch work parties to maintain and improve the garden. Obviously all children are welcome!
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