Aldersgate United Methodist Church
A vibrant and inclusive Christian community 
growing in faith, love, health and service

www.Aldersgate-Church.org                                                                        July 13, 2017
Aldersgate UMC
14230 SE Newport Way
Bellevue, WA  98006
(425) 746-9800
Email Links
Lead Pastor

Associate Pastor
Church Office

Children, Youth, Family

Preschool Director

Core Leaders
Calendar
Calendar
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July 16
VBS Work Party
July 17-20
ACP Summer Camp #4
July 19
VBS Work Party
July 21
Church Office Closed
July 23
VBS Setup
July 24
August Calendar Deadline
July 24-27
Vacation Bible School
July 30
One Service 10am
Church Picnic
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August 15
Mariners Baseball Game
August 21
September Calendar Deadline
August 26
Jubilee School Service
Coffee
Church Leadership
Click these links to read the minutes of the Core Leadership Team and the monthly minutes of the Ministry Teams.
Core Leaders (May)
Finance (May)
Trustees (May)
Outreach  (April)
Preschool (April)
Common Table (March)
Staff Relations  (Dec)
Lay Leadership (Sept)
Worship  (April 2016)


Sermon
"An invitation into Ministry Together"

Scripture Lesson
Matthew 14:22-33



This Sunday
I've thoroughly enjoyed my first two weeks with the Aldersgate community! This week, I will share the message in worship for the first time. This summer is a time when I'm getting to know you and you are getting to know me. It is also a time when the Spirit is moving among us, inviting us into ministry in new ways. Sometimes the movement of the Spirit is scary, and almost all the time, change is hard. However I'm hoping that we take the time we need to build trust together so that we can enter into this new phase with confidence and joy, even if there's much about it that is unknown.
 
We will use an ancient formula from the early church to wonder together where the Spirit is calling us. We will consider who I will be as your clergy. We will examine some of the canon that is most significant to the invitation that we have heard from Spirit in this time. And we will identify some of the fundamentals of our faith, that may unite us and also may be an opportunity for debate, what some might call a creed.  The clergy, canon, and creed formula will inform our work together, will inspire new conversations and, if we are lucky, will provide the backdrop for the Spirit to surprise us with some new insight for what is coming our way. Based on Jesus' word to Peter in Matthew 14:22-33, "Come."
  
~Pastor Laura
MINISTRY NEWS
VBS Work Party (s)
Volunteers are need to help prepare for Vacation Bible School.  Several work parties have been scheduled to work on preparing scenery, decorations, class materials, etc.  A day is also planned to actually do the setup and decorating for VBS.  Please come and help at one or all of the work parties.  Your help is greatly appreciated.  Please sign up on Sunday's attendance form.  Contact is Jen Hoerber.
--Sunday, July 16, after both worship services between
      10:00am - 2:00pm, bring a lunch.
--Wednesday, July 19, from 10:00am - 2:00pm, bring a lunch,
      and also from 4:00 - 6:00pm.
--Sunday, July 23, after both worship services between
      10:00am - 4:00pm.   Lunch is provided.
Membership Rolls
It is time to update the church membership rolls.  Every year Betty Fredeen, our Membership Secretary, reviews the church membership and mails out letters to members who, according to our records, have not attended Aldersgate or contributed in the last two years.   The purpose of the letter is not to push people away but to let them know we are interested in them, to see if they want to remain members, and to keep our membership records accurate.  We need your help.  The members listed below did not respond to our letter or the letter was returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable.  They will be removed from church membership in the near future if we do not hear from them.  If you know them, please encourage them to reply to the letter or contact the church office.  If you have any information about them, (current contact information, did they moved away, are they attending another church, etc.), please notify Betty Fredeen (425-746-5113) or the church office. 
 
These people were mailed two letters over the last two years. They will be removed from membership at the November 2017 Charge Conference unless we hear from them.
 
Tom Greenwood              Kaitlin Lowe       Betsy Norton     Tony Page                      Linda Page         
   
These people were mailed one letter in 2017 and will be mailed another in 2018.  They will be removed from membership in 2018 unless we hear from them.
 
Gloria (McKinley) Bacus                 Marilee Gossard               Christopher Lilley                            Amy Pazan                           Courtney Pazan                             Jennifer Peterson            
Jennifer Phillips                              Adrienne Schultz              Steve Schultz  
Budget Approved
We are happy to report that the Core Leadership Team has approved a balanced budget for the next budget cycle, July 2017 - June 2018. Click here to view. A big thank you to the congregation for your faithful giving and pledge commitment. If you haven't turned in a pledge card, it's not too late!  Please click here for the pledge form and return it to the church office.

Thank you to our staff, lay leaders and Finance Team for creating this budget. Their leadership and guidance in our faith community is greatly appreciated. We thank God for the abundance he has given us and we pray that we use those resources wisely.  May we continue to live out our mission of "Faith, Love, Health and Service" in 2017/2018.

If you have any questions, please contact Melinda Lilley (425-641-6158),  the Finance Team Chairperson and member of the Core Leadership
Only One Worship Service
Sunday, July 30
Just a reminder, on Sunday, July 30 there will be only one worship service at 10:00am followed by the All Church Picnic at 11:30am.  Pass it on!
Where Is Connections Counseling?
With the arrival of Associate Pastor Laura Baumgartner coinciding with Laura Wall's move to La Conner, the counseling office at Aldersgate has closed.  Connections Counseling, however, is still alive and functioning the same as ever. Laura Wall and Katie Stickney still see clients at Redmond UMC, although Laura will be phasing that out as she reaches into new areas including Mount Vernon, La Conner and Anacortes. Mary Stanton-Nurse is setting up shop at Ronald UMC, Peter Jabin, Jenn Peterson and Gretchen Champoux are still in Seattle, and the subsidy fund is still serving low-income clients.   If you want to refer people to Connections Counseling, email  Therapy@connectionscounseingwa.org , or call Laura Wall at (425) 829-0177. (The number on the brochure is now out of date; we hope to update brochures by Fall.) If you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas to share, you can call Laura, or email her at  LmWaLL14@gmail.com .
Kitchen Range Hood
Are you renovating your kitchen? The church has a very nice stainless steel residential kitchen range hood for sale for a donation.  It is a 48-inch Broan Elite 61000 series, model #614804 and is practically brand-new. The church is upgrading to a commercial kitchen range hood to meet the requirements of the bigger ovens.  If you are interested, contact Rich Detering or Dave Carver.
Resource Library News
We are very grateful to the anonymous donor of books from the United Methodist Women's reading list!  These books are displayed on the library table and cover the categories of Social Action, Nurturing for Community, Education for Mission, and Spiritual Growth.
Altar Flowers Needed
Commemorate a special person or a special event with flowers.  PLEASE sign up to provide altar flowers especially in September and October.  Your dedication will appear in the bulletin.  The flower calendar is located across from the church office
FUN EVENTS
ALL Church and VBS Picnic
Sunday, July 30
Join us for Aldersgate's All Church & VBS Picnic on Sunday, July 30th at 11:30am ( There is only one worship service at 10:00am!)  Aldersgate will provide hot dogs, hamburgers with all the fix'ins, plus drinks, plates and utensils.  Please bring a salad, side dish, or dessert to share and a blanket or chair to sit on. There will be games and fun from Vacation Bible School and much more.  Come join the fun!  For an accurate headcount PLEASE sign up on Sunday's attendance form or contact the church office. Contact is  Colleen Olleman.   
Youth Group (6th-12th Grade)
Youth Group meets on Sunday evenings from 6:00-8:00pm.  All youth from 6th-12th grade are welcome.  If you have questions about the youth program, contact  Jen Hoerber.  Here are some upcoming events:
*July 16 - Youth Group, 6:00pm-8:00pm
*July 23 - Youth Group, 6:00pm-8:00pm
*July 24-27 - Please let Jen know if you are available to help with Vacation Bible School from
     8:30am-12:30pm.  The number of children attending has increased significantly from last
      year so we need your help.  It is going to be a great week! 
*July 27 - Lunch will be provided after VBS and then stay to help move sand from the parking
      lot to the playground.
Vacation Bible School Registration
VBS is filling up fast!  NOW is the time to register!  "Hero Central" VBS  runs the week of July 24-27 from 9:00am - noon for kids 4 years old through 5th grade.  Contact Jen Hoerber about our special 2-3 year old program. During the week we will discover our strength is in God while we explore Bible stories through crafts, games, music, science and more! Register online from the church website at http://aldersgate-church.org/vacation-bible-school/. If you would like additional information or a paper registration form, contact Jen Hoerber.
Mariners Baseball Game
Tuesday, August 15 @ 7:10pm
Let's go to the ballgame and root on our Seattle Mariners against the Baltimore Orioles.  We have View Section seats and the cost is $13.00 per person.  (This is half price!)  Please pay in full at the time of your request and include this linked order form plus a self-addressed stamped envelope so the tickets can be mailed to you or include instructions to put the tickets in your church mailbox.  Tickets will arrive around July 28th.  The last day for ordering tickets is July 26th.  We have 100 tickets reserved for the Aldersgate Community including the Aldersgate Christian Preschool and VBS families.  Give your check, the order form and the self-addressed STAMPED envelope to Wendi in the church office.  If you want to sit with another family/person please return your orders together. Questions? Contact is Colleen Olleman.
MISSION & OUTREACH
Letter from Nepal
Colleen Olleman wants to share this recent newsletter from Katherine Parker, Board of Global Missions Missionary to Nepal and supported by Aldersgate.  

Most of my work at the United Mission to Nepal falls under the broad category of program management. This spring I have been involved in the evaluation of several of our community-focused projects in health and transformational learning. While this has largely been a positive and exciting process of learning from our best practices, it is always the challenging stories that stay with me. In the rest of this newsletter, I will try to explain the context of some of the experiences that have affected me deeply over these last few months.

PRAYER REQUESTS
 
People Who Passed Away
*Dan Kinney's mother Ellie
*David James's cousin Cynthia

People with Health Concerns
*Dorothy Bennett's friend Judy
*Dale Heidal
*Bob Olson and Bob Olson's ministry friends
*Colleen Olleman's nephew Kris
*Geri Martinsen's friend Barbara
*Gwen Pazan's mother Marjorie

Additional Prayers
*Missionary Katherine Parker, Neverlyn Lingerfelt's friend Melissa

To submit a prayer request to the Prayer Chain, email Dorothy Bennet t, the Prayer Chain Coordinator.  You can also fill out a pew prayer card on Sunday and put it in the offering plate, or you can contact the church office with your prayer request.   All prayer requests will appear in the church newsletters unless you request otherwise.