The  SOWER
oumc exterior 2    
Newsletter of Orchards United Methodist Church         

May 2018-1st Edition 

 
I've never heard God's voice. I've learned to not assume it is baritone or even a male voice. I've learned to not assume God's accent, either. So often, our God winds up sounding a lot like us. That's a problem.

God communicates with me through my thoughts, experiences and interactions with others. I read scripture and I find resonance with my own life. I've hated my brother like Cain. I've sought his forgiveness like Jacob. I've shouted lamentations like David. I've clung to Jesus like Mary Magdalene. I've often said that the 'word of God' is when the scripture and my life strike each other. When something so old and foreign sounds so familiar...that feels like a lesson I need to heed.

How does God communicate to you? Are you a visualist: discerning grace or power or complexity through the beauty of nature? Are you a challenger: feeling God while scaling difficult terrain? Are you a bleeding heart: allowing the defeats and triumphs of others to prick your own heart? Are you a percolator: allowing ideas to brew for a while until the purest trust can bubble to the top.

Faith development can be a lot like language learning: the more languages you can speak, the more people can tell you how they really are. In reality, I've been a visualist and a challenger and a bleeding heart and a percolator. There are other faith languages I've never even heard.

This summer, we will explore the ways that God "calls" us. That sounds very churchy, and perhaps it is. But perhaps God's work is undone and you're needed to continue building the house of God. We'll meet poets, farmers, priests and prophets along the way. They will all be ancient stories from a foreign land. But what if they sound familiar? Is it possible that God is still working, creating and recreating the beautiful world? Let's find out together.

   
This Mother's Day we are going to combine our Youth hosted coffee hour with our Mother's Day flower fundraiser to do Muffins for Moms. Youth will be bringing muffins and other goodies for coffee hour for moms (and others) to enjoy along with having flowers for moms to take home with them after the service. We will not be charging for the flowers this year, but dads and kids, feel free to make a donation to the youth mission trip at that time. Thanks for your support, and more importantly, thank you moms for all you have given to
be there for the rest of us. We love you.











  
Hi Friends,

May has a lot coming up. For starters, we'll be doing a movie event on May 6th starting at 2:30 to watch The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey. This is a film about free will, in which a man's entire life is captured on film and manipulated as part of a decades long television show. After the movie, we will talk about free will and the implications it has in our own lives. Come on down for a good film (it is definitely not the slapstick comedy that Jim Carrey is known for) as well as fresh popcorn and other refreshments, and stay for a good discussion about what it means to make our own choices in a world in which we often feel we have little control.

On Mother's Day, there will not be youth group, but we will be hosting a Muffins for Moms coffee hour along with roses. This will be one of our final mission trip fundraisers, and more importantly, a way to recognize the women in our lives who have given so much to care for us. Please bring some muffins (or other treats) to share at coffee hour and be ready to help with set up, clean up, and selling roses.

Another big event coming in May is Convo! Convo is a 3-day retreat over Memorial Weekend open to youth grades Sixth through Twelfth. The theme is Instruments of Peace and the event will once again be held at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma (and is a great chance to see what it's like to live on campus). The speaker this year is Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner. The dates are May 26-28th. Talk to me to register (if you register by May 1st you get a free t-shirt).

Have a great May!

Tim

Calendar

May 6         - The Truman Show and discussion 2:30-5:00
May 13       - Mother's Day- Muffins for Moms coffee hour- 
                         No  Youth Group
May 20       - Youth group 3-5
May 26-28 - Convo at University of Puget Sound 
                          (no youth group May 29th)




                
 
YOU CAN REPRESENT
ORCHARDS UNITED METHODIST &
SUPPORT PROJECT TRANSFORMATION
BY PURCHASING A T-SHIRT!

Only $15 EACH

ORDER  BY MAY 27th ----  PICK UP  JUNE 17th
ORDER FORM IN NARTHEX OR 
CONTACT SHERRY HIBBS

Additional sizes are available that aren't listed on the order form. Please contact Sherry for that info.
May 20th - Potluck

Please join us as we welcome guest Jennifer Beeks, Family and Community Resource Coordinator at Orchards Elementary School. Bring a dish to share as we join in fellowship and hear from Jennifer.


The Thursday Life Group will be meeting, June 7 to July 19 from 10 am to noon.  The Books we will be reading are Lord Change Me by Evelyn Christenson, copyright 1977 and The Bible.  We will be reading the bible as much as the book.

James 1:5 New International Version (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

This book is a spiritual adventure in learning how God changes people through prayer.  The author's exciting story with biblical references takes us on this spiritual adventure not only with the author's life but the world of the bible too.

Our contact information is below if you have questions or want us to order you a book.  Books can be found on line used and new.

Leaders:

Jan Brewer 360-984-1194, janbrewer.1@hotmail.com

Sharon McConnell 360-944-0093,
SUNDAY SERMON VIDEOS

Our Communications Team has been working hard to provide video of Sunday Sermons.  At this time, it will only be the sermon and not the entire worship service.  This will enable you to view from home if you can't make it or if you just want to see it again.  They will be posted to our Website, Facebook and YouTube a few days after service.  Once we have all of the kinks out, we'll send out an announcement email to let you know they are available. 
From Leilani Greene

To All my friends at my church - it was wonderful of all of you to send greetings to me!!!  Made me miss you all the more and sorry I moved away - But I am very, very happy to be here with my family!!!  I thank God for all of you!!!  You're Wonderful!!!  I Love you!!! Leilani Greene
This week is the GiveBIG on line season of giving. It is during this event that we, as a congregation send a donation to the Faith Action Network (FAN). This year we have a lot going on with Project Transformation, so we know people are focused on the children who will be here this summer, and how to help them. Please keep in mind that it is through the efforts of FAN that policy changes, such as Breakfast After the Bell, are made, which ultimately impact the lives of these children and their families, and if you are so inclined, include an additional donation marked for FAN in this mornings offering plate. Thank you for your consideration of this concern.

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The Faith Partners for Affordable Housing are expanding their focus, and I thought I should touch base and let folks know what's going on. Their primary focus of providing information and education on homelessness, and how it is impacting our community remains a priority.

We are also exploring ways to advocate for better access to affordable housing. As you know Proposition 1, was an effort by the City of Vancouver to begin to address this issue. To highlight some of the results so far, the city is in the process of evaluating 10 grants, with final decision to be made in July. The proposed number of new units is 199, plus maintenance for 31 existing low income housing units. It may seem like a small number considering the need, but this is actually a fairly quick response to the need.

Our next effort will be to determine how the County and State may better address the issue. Areas we may focus on include zoning changes, addressing discrimination based on source of income, extension of notice for rent changes to 60 days, preserving and increasing supply through Property Tax Reductions.

We have also met with builders, who are able to build at scale apartments at relative low cost. They currently have been building in the Portland area, and are expanding their reach to other communities in the area. Vancouver may be an area they will reach out to.

Another new area of focus in on Shared Housing. We recently met with Representatives from Metro HomeShare Sponsored by Ecumenical Ministries in Portland. They have a history of successfully pairing low income renters with home owners. The contracts usually include various levels of rent with sweat equity in a monthly arrangement. No determination has been made as to how we will move forward on these new ideas, but the group is actively exploring ways to meet the need in our community.

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The reauthorization of the Farm Bill is currently being negotiated in Congress, and a vote could come as soon as May 7, right after the recess. As proposed, the House version of the bill will especially erode funding for the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a key program for people struggling to get enough to eat.  Those eligible include those
  • Working for low wages or working part-time;
  • Unemployed;
  • Receiving welfare or other public assistance payments;
  • Elderly or disabled and are low-income; or
  • Homeless.
Learn more about the bill on our Issue Fact Sheet webpage at:  fanwa.org/advocacy/legislative-agenda-fact-sheets
Now is a critical time to be in contact with your members of Congress, especially the agriculture staff of your House Representative about your concerns about hunger and poverty. Today, interfaith leaders are meeting with the offices of Reps. Kilmer and Newhouse. Join your voice with theirs - here's a suggested message: 

"As a person of faith and participant with Faith Action Network, I write/call to express my concerns regarding the deep cuts and changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the Farm Bill reauthorization process is occurring in Congress. I believe that the current House version from Agriculture Committee Chair Conaway will only deepen hunger and poverty in our state. In Washington, 1 in 5 children live in food insecure households, and 1 in 8 rely on SNAP to put food on their tables. Please let me know your position and how we can help you reduce poverty in our state and nation. Thank you."

Click here  to find your Congressional District, and use the links and phone numbers below to contact the agriculture staff person for your member of Congress:




Birthdays &
Anniversaries
  
Birthdays
 
   1 Mel Brownlee
   2 Jim Tooley
   3 Janice Tooley
   4 Sandy  Brenteson
       Heaven Chavez
   7  Katie Dehler
   8  Ron Kahler
 11 Emma White
       Hipolito Solo
 13 Michelle        
      Anderson
 14 Ellie Clayton
  18 Jean Jordan
 27 Jeff Towle
 29 Erik Hanson
 31 Kathy Lisignoli

***********

Anniversaries

 16 Cameron & 
      Kaitlin  Prichard
 31 Pomroy &
      Charlotte Schill

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If we don't have your
birthday or anniversary date, or if it is incorrect,
please call the office,
892-5240 or email
 
Pray for Our Military
 
 
Patrick Walker
Army
Fort Carson, CO

SPC Gus Jeffries
National Guard

1st LT Tom Roller
Air Force
has been deployed

Corpsman
James Major
Navy
Biomedical School
San Antonio,Texas

SGT Ben Major
Marines
Camp Pendleton
San Diego, CA


Upcoming  
Events

 

 

Men's Breakfast

Saturday, May 12th

7:30 am


Women's Group

Saturday, May 12th

10:00 am
 

 Covington

Student Breakfast
Tuesday, May 8th

and May 22nd


Heart & Soul

Crafters

Thursday, May 17th 

6:00 pm 

Fellowship Hall 

 

Saturday, May 26th

10:00 am  

Annex Basement

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!


POTLUCK
MAY 20th

*****

ALL CHURCH 
RETREAT
2019
APRIL 26-28

 


Contact Information

                Website:   www.orchardsumc.org                       email: office@orchardsumc.org    
Office Hours: Tues.-Thur., 8 am - 2 pm         Phone: 360-892-5240        
Pastor:  Christopher Gudger-Raines
 
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