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Orchards United Methodist Church Newsletter
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April 2019 -
1st Edition
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"On the third day he rose again..."
Dear church, please be reminded that we believe in resurrection. Resurrection is the observation that life is stubborn: it has a bad habit of overcoming death and hopelessness.
Throughout Lent we have been witnessing the many ways that death and rejection seem to be stalking Jesus. We have also observed that this story is not unique to Jesus. Even today, we can fall prey to the temptation to think that things only ever get worse. In fact, we live longer, produce more and fight less than we used to. "Lead us not into temptation..." is a prayer not just about the works of some devil, but is a prayer about the ways we can lose sight of the wondrous power of creation.
Things
will get worse before they get better: Jesus does actually succumb to the powers of evil haunting him. He will suffer and die, with only a smattering of women to grieve him. Likewise, around us there are evils: division, oppression, exploitation, violence, greed and cynicism. Part of the Christian vision of life is to see BOTH the evils present and the life springing up all around us. Our work is to move from evil to aliveness. Easter gives us the ultimate example.
The final chapter begins April 14 with our Palm Sunday observation. Procession begins at 10am. Maundy Thursday (April 18) worship will commemorate Jesus' last supper and begins at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary. Good Friday (April 19) worship will allow us to process through the various sufferings of Jesus on his last day, beginning at 6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall.
April 21st is the day of Resurrection. Sunrise service begins at 6:30am. Our full Easter celebration begins at 10am.
This is the ultimate season for Christians. The fullness of the purpose and example of Jesus are on display. Won't you join us?
--Pastor Christopher
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Lenten Studies
Lenten Study:
We Make the Road By Walking
Mondays, March 11th - April 8th
Soup Supper - 5:30 pm &
Study - 6:30 pm
Annex Basement
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There are other opportunities available for people who are looking for deeper
studies with Pastor Christopher. Study Book Examples:
Me and White Supremacy Workbook, God and the Gay Christian
, etc.
Please see
Pastor Christopher if you are interested in exploring this opportunity.
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Worship - 10 am - Easter Egg Hunt After Worship
Maundy Thursday, April 18th
Service
at 6:30 pm in Fellowship Hall
Good Friday, April 19th
Service
at 6:30 pm in Fellowship Hall
Easter, April 21st
Sunrise Service
at 6:30 am
Easter Worship at 10 am
Finger Food Brunch after 10 am Worship
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Hey All,
We're here in the middle of Lent with Easter fast
approaching, and there's still with to do to prepare. Check out what we've got going on this month.
Sunday, April 7: Youth Group 1-3
Sunday, April 14: Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Palm Sunday, following worship. It's also youth coffee hour, so bring yummy treats along with your pre-stuffed eggs. Youth Group will be 1-3.
Sunday, April 21: Come for Easter Worship. No youth group.
Sunday, April 28: All Church Retreat weekend, no youth group.
Blessings,
Tim
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Easter Lily Fundraiser for the
All Church Retreat
Have you ordered your
Easter Lily?
Please support this fundraiser by placing your orders now!
You can either sign up on the sheet in the Narthex
Easter Lilies
no later than April 14th.
Donations can be dropped in the offering plate marked
"Lily" anytime between now and Easter Sunday.
Suggested price for Lilies will be $10 with all proceeds going to All Church Retreat. Lilies will be available to take home after Easter Worship. (Names will be marked on Lilies)
Contact Sherry in the office with any questions.
360-892-5240
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April 17th
and
May 1st
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All Church Clean Up
will be on
Saturday, April 13th
after men's breakfast.
Everyone is invited to breakfast at 7:30 am.
Families are encouraged to pick
a flowerbed
to dress up for
Easter.
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Come join us for our annual Easter Egg Hunt
on Palm Sunday, April 14th following worship.
It's also youth coffee hour, so come enjoy some yummy treats provided
by youth and their families.
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Easter Finger Food Brunch:
Brunch will happen
after
both
the Sunrise Service
and
10am Worship. Please plan to bring small, one to two bite sized, breakfast dishes t
o share. Think along the lines of deviled eggs
, fruit, vegetables, small sausages,
meatballs, or breads.
Please plan
to bring small, one to two bite sized, breakfast
dishes to share.
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Mark your calendars!
The
All Church Retreat
will be
Friday, April 26-
Sunday, April
28th at
Ocean Park Camp and
Retreat Center. Registrations
forms will be located on the Retreat
display board. Please take one, fill it out, and give the form and payment to Betsy Clayton. We're also looking for volunteers to help with coordinate/plan/run various activities. A sign-up sheet with be available at church or by contacting Betsy Clayton. Contact Betsy C. for more details or with any questions.
betsyclayton7@gmail.com
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Tuesday Evening Centering Prayer Life Group
Our Tuesday Evening Life Group will start up again on Tuesday April 30th . We'll meet for seven weeks,
with the last meeting of the quarter being Tuesday June 11th . We meet from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the
Annex basement.
This quarter we will be discussing Part 1 of Richard Rohr's latest book,
The Universal Christ: How a
Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe, available at Amazon and
elsewhere.
We will also continue our focus on Centering Prayer. For more information on Centering Prayer, come
join us for an evening, or see Centering Prayer.
Please give us a try. You can easily join in the conversation without the book, even if you can only attend
once or occasionally.
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 The Adult Sunday school will start a new study on 5/5. We will be using the Animate-Bible series from Sparkhouse. This is a contemporary study with multiple contributors including Nadia Bolz-Weber, Eric Elnes, and Phyllis Tickle. The objective of the study is to spark conversation, which is something our group really enjoys. Come join our conversation! 9 am in the annex basement on Sunday.
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Next Evergreen
Faith-Based Coffee Meeting!
Wednesday, April 17th -
Cascade Park Baptist Church
Come and meet your elected officials and learn more about their priorities for the community. We will be joined by Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and County Councilor Temple Lentz.
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Compassion Vancouver Heights, which provides dental and medical screenings for those in need will hold a
Kick Off Celebration:
Kick Off to be held April 12th 6:30 - 8:00 PM hosted by Evergreen Bible Church 9600 Mill Plain Blvd. They are celebrating their 5th Annual Clinic. At the Kick Off you can find out how you can volunteer to help our community receive free medical and dental Services. Clinic scheduled for July 20th. You can also volunteer or find out more at the web site:
compassionvancouverheights.com
The clinic will provide Medical Exams, Dental Services, Eye Exams, Haircuts, Foot Care, Massages, and Lunch.
Volunteers are needed in the Child Care, Food Services, Hospitality, Interpretation, Prayer Support, Promotions, Medical, Dental, Parking, Transportation, and Sponsorship.
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 Partners in faith,
Thank you for being a part of our growing network of
145 Advocating Faith Communities,
partnering together for the common good. The Washington State legislative session is moving quickly.
The final day of session is only one month away on April 28th.
As we get closer to the finish line it is essential that we continue to speak up for our communities and our neighbors as these final decisions are being made. We have entered into budget territory:
this week both the House of Representatives and the Senate have released their state budget proposals.
This budget will fund essential programs and services for the next two years. The success of many of the things we have been fighting for all session is contingent on how the budget is formed. During this crucial time, we need all of you to continue to raise your voices as we embark on this final stretch.
Over the next four weeks, we ask you and your community to make a commitment to take one action for justice each week
. Just imagine the collective impact we could have if 145 faith communities and thousands of people across Washington took this pledge! That is truly a network of faith in action! If you are wondering how to get your faith community engaged, we have included many suggestions for you. We have several resources that you and your faith community can use to make advocacy simple.
1. Our new legislative hotline document is attached and includes sample messaging about the budget.
Share copies of this hotline number and encourage your legislators to fund essential social service programs in our state and invest in finding new sources of revenue to address the inequities within our tax code. Let them know that the budget is a moral document and people of faith are watching. By calling the hotline, you can leave a brief message for all three of your district legislators and the Governor on issues of concern. These messages are forwarded electronically to your elected officials. When leaving a message with the hotline, please be prepared to give your name and street address so the operators may find your district and send the messages to the legislators who represent you. The hotline offers interpreter services for many languages if English is not your first language.
2. We are making easy take-action PDFs that you can use each week with others in your faith community.
If you already get FAN's weekly E-News, simply locate the link for this document in the take action section. This usually includes two or three prominent issue items you can advocate for each week. You can check out this week's PDF here
. Please share this document in your bulletins, newsletters, or other regular communications. If you are not subscribed to our E-News, you can sign up on our website.
3. Take Five Minutes for Advocacy!
Host a Take-Five Table before or after your service. This is a great way to learn about various issues moving in the legislature. Focusing on one topic each week is an easy way to share an issue and the policies that will address it. Give folks the opportunity to take five minutes for advocacy! You can include education and information on your chosen topic or bill, as well as ways for folks to contact their legislators. Provide the hotline number (#1 on this list), supplies for writing and sending postcards or letters, or even have a laptop open and ready to send emails to elected officials. You can also host take-five tables throughout the year on federal issues, or other important topics to advocate for. Contact FAN for ideas, information, and technical support.
4. Join FAN staff in Olympia
! FAN organizer Amber Dickson
is in Olympia every other Tuesday in our State Capitol Building for you to join, and the FAN lobby team is available for you most Mondays-Thursdays as well. See the Capitol Campus, sit in on committees, drop by legislative offices, and discuss where bills are during the legislative process. Let the FAN staff know if you or a small group of folks from your faith community are interested and we will coordinate to find a date and time that works for you.
5. Check out
This toolkit has an array of ideas for effective advocacy. Learn about the legislative process, how to write a letter to the editor for local papers, host a letter writing party at your faith community, learn how to craft an effective message when advocating for an issue, and more. The possibilities are endless.
6. Help your community prepare for the 2020 Census.
Once every 10 years the Constitution requires that there be a full count of the population residing in this country. We are only one year away from the 2020 census, which will begin mid-March of next year. An accurate census count will bring important economic and political benefits to our communities and state. Check out the resource attached to learn more about the importance of an accurate count. Keep an eye on FAN's Facebook
and Twitter
pages, as well as the hashtag #CountMeIn on both platforms to follow along with and share social media actions.
Let us know what actions you are taking in the next few weeks as a faith community to strive for a more just, compassionate, and sustainable world. If you have any other suggestions for ways folks can take action, or if you have any questions, please reach out to the FAN staff. We would love to hear from you! You can respond to this email, or find FAN staff contact information here.
Thank you for all you do.
In solidarity,
Faith Action Network Staff
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 The WHO task force would like to invite all the volunteers from all our community supporters to an End of Year Celebration. May 2, 6:30-7:30 pm, join us for desserts and a wrap up of a successful session. We'll have calendars available for early registration for next season along with success stories and a chance to share your input about this past season.
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Birthdays &
Anniversaries
If we don't have your
birthday or anniversary date,
or if it is incorrect,
please call the office,
Birthdays
1 Lyn Finley
2 Hayley Hepworth
Kersey
5 Erin Coats
8 Steve Walker
Jean Donovan
10 Chase Clayton
16 Suzie Wuitschick
17 Phyllis Anderson
Isabelle Dehler
Ryan Hemphill
Steve Schmick
Chris Lawson
20 Lorrie Schnabler
Joshua Hanshew
21 Douglas Dehler
22 Anna Gudger-
Raines
27 Laura Bishop
30 Bill Roller
16 Chris & Wendy
Lawson
18 Sandy & Roger
Carscallen
25 Debbie & Mike
Anderson
28 Steve & Elaine
Walker
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Upcoming
Events
and
Meetings
To View all current Calendar items
use this link:
Monthly:
Covington Breakfasts
Wednesdays
April 17th and
May 1st
7:00 am
Men's Breakfast
Saturday, April 13th
7:30 am
Women's Group
Saturday, April 13
th
10 am
Annex Lobby
Heart & Soul Crafters
Saturday, April 6th
10 am - Annex
**NOTE - we will not be meeting on Thursday in April**
Sundays
Adult Sunday School
9 am
Worship
10 am
Life Group
11:15 am
Youth Group
1-3 pm
Life Group
3 pm
Tuesdays
Life Group
6:30 pm
Thursdays
Life Group
1 pm
Annex Lobby
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SFC Patrick Walker
Army
Kuwait
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
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Church Clean Up
Saturday,
April 9th
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2019
All Church Retreat
April 26-28
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Bulletin/
Announcements:
10:00 am each Wednesday
Sower Articles:
25th of
Each Month
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Contact Information
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Office Hours: Tues.-Thur., 9:30 am - 3:30 pm Phone: 360-892-5240
Pastor: Christopher Gudger-Raines
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