Battle Ground Community UMC
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
May 2020
  We are people of faith who gather to worship and love God,
care for one another, and share God’s compassion with the world.
Pastor's Pondering
This is just a weird way of doing ministry!  We’re still very busy but not having any face to face interaction is really hard.  And yet, I’m grateful for Zoom, the one way where I get to see most of your smiling faces and touch base with you about what’s going on in your lives.  I’m grateful for Nancy who continues to help out with administrative duties.  I’m grateful for committees like Finance, Stewardship and Ad Council that continue to do the work of the church via Zoom.  I’m grateful for all those who continue to donate to the Food Bank and Just One Thing.  I’m grateful for the Outreach work that Maili continues to lead.  I’m grateful for those prayers who pray at home and those who come online where we can pray together.  I’m grateful for all of those who join our check-in time (fellowship time) so we can keep up with one another.  I’m grateful for a robust Bible Study every week.  And so much more.   Church is far from being closed.  Church is in full operation even though we don’t gather face-to-face.  And in these times the world needs Christ’s Church now more than ever!

I don’t have a specific plan for our future yet but I’m confident that the Holy Spirit will continue to be at work, shifting and transforming what was to what will be. The trick is that we let go of things as they were, accept that the old is now old, and move into something new, even though that’s scary as heck!  Change is always hard but it’s inevitable, for EVERYTHING in the universe is always in constant change.  But this forced change feels dramatic and maybe traumatic?  And we’ve all got to figure out how to move forward into a “new normal.”

I’m confident that with your help and God’s guidance we will transcend this beloved community into something new.  Who knows, maybe we’ll learn something in these challenging times and be an even bigger force for good in the community beyond our building.  

I’m in a state of flux as much as you are.  Not having the stability of knowing what tomorrow will look like is putting me off balance.  Yet, I do believe there’s opportunity here.  Who knows what’s next but I have a huge hunch that if we open ourselves up, let our own desires go, we can emerge from this pandemic in a way that brings God’s desires and glory into our faith community and into the community of Battle Ground.

Peace and Grace, Pastor Susan
A Message from Bishop Elaine Stanovsky
How We Worship
I realize that this is a strange time to have a stewardship campaign, but this series is not about stewardship.  Yes, it’s about money, but not how we need to give to the church.  How we feel about money and how we use our money tells us a lot about how we live our lives. This series was inspired by a book called “Integrating Money and Meaning:  Practices for a Heart-Centered Life” by Maggie Kulyk. (Great book! I highly recommend you read it as we proceed through the series this month).

We purchased a worship series called “It’s a Wonder-full Life” and it’s a spin-off of the classic movie always shown at Christmas,  It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. The goal is that we look at our issues about money squarely in the face and shine a light on our money practices with compassion.  This exercise can very likely bring us greater spiritual peace.  Bottom line is that it’s all about our  relationship to money.

To really get the most out of this series, I encourage you to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” again. (It’s not like you don’t have time!). I’ve also attached a document that lists the characters of the movie and the characteristics each person has regarding money.  It’s fun to see which character you would be.  Take a look and figure out your "money energy."


The sermon series will look like the following:

·       May 3: Money and Meaning: Looking Back
·       May 10: Money and Meaning: Looking In
·       May 17: Money and Meaning: Looking Out
·       May 24:  Money and Meaning: Looking with Gratitude
·       May 31 – PENTECOST! 
How We Learn
These times of social distancing, mask-wearing and being shut-in are a monumental shift in how “normal” life is defined. Until there’s a vaccine for Covid 19, which will probably be a year or more from now, life is going to look different.  Weird.  Uncomfortable. And a significant part of our lives is church.  What is the new “normal” for church?  We won’t be meeting face to face for AT LEAST another month and worshipping together may take many months longer.  

So, as we struggle to re-define how we do church, I’m offering a study to help us see this time as an opportunity to “do a new thing.”  Together, we will all need to get creative and figure out the new normal for Battle Ground Community UMC and how God is calling us to do ministry. I’m hoping this video series called,  A Community Called for the Future , will pose questions for us and have us thinking outside the box about how we’re going to DO church in the different, weird and uncomfortable future.

This study will be held using Zoom on Thursday’s at noon.  Hope you can all join in on this important conversation regarding the future of BGCUMC.
How We Can Help
“We make a living by what we get,
but we make a life by what we give.” 
Winston Churchill
 
A year ago you were asked to make an Investment in Love and you responded by sharing your time, talents and treasures. We ask you to now consider…. Why Do I Give?  Why do you choose share all these gifts in your life? With these many days at home, we have the opportunity to take some time and reflect on our lives and the choices we make. Because of your Investments in Love  for the past year, Battle Ground Community United Methodist Church has been able to transform lives in our church and in our community.   
 
Throughout the next month you will be hearing and reading about why members give and are making    Investments in Love  to the BGCUMC.  The ministry and mission of this church show great dividends because of the spiritual and financial gifts our members choose to offer. These are the resources that fuel our investments.
 
We are launching the    Invest in Love 2.0    campaign on May 1st   and will wrap it up on May 31 st , Pentecost Sunday – the birth of the church! If you have a question, we want to hear from you. Please reach out to one of the committee members. We encourage you to prayerfully consider how you intend to    Invest in Love  at the BGUMC for our next fiscal year, July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021. 
 
Thank you for making BGCUMC your place to worship, fellowship and share God’s Love.
 
Your  Invest in Love 2.0  Committee,
Joyce Belcher, Jill Duncan, John Epler, Kathy Mar
 
**All postage for stewardship campaign was donated.
Calling all Family Promise Volunteers!

Our host week is coming up May 17-24. Since our families are sheltering in place at Extended Stay America, our responsibility is for providing meals. Each host congregation has the flexibility to deliver meals, provide gift cards, or a combination of those. After consulting with Bethel Lutheran, our support church, and some of our regular volunteers, we have decided to provide money for the families to shop for their own groceries and prepare meals in their kitchen. At last count, we have 2 families for a total of 6 people. The affiliate is actively seeking more families to serve. As during our normal rotation, we won't know exactly how many guests until the week before we host.

How can you help? If you are interested in volunteering, please send a contribution earmarked "Family Promise" to the church, and the appropriate amount will be forwarded to Family Promise to cover the meals for which we are responsible. The rest will be placed in the Outreach account for Family Promise. Thanks in advance to all of our faithful volunteers. We realize that many of our members are on diminished income during this time. Of course, we absolutely understand if you can't contribute. On the other hand, if you are able to donate, the needs of the most vulnerable members of our community are now even greater than ever.

Click below to read a letter from Family Promise acknowledging support:

Joyful Generosity Mortgage Campaign

Our three-year Joyful Generosity Campaign ends on June 30 th . This year we will have an annual pledge drive for funds to pay our mortgage. You will find the opportunity to pledge funds for the mortgage on the pledge card as well as the pledge for our general funds.

Your Joyful Generosity team has set a goal of $40,000 for this coming year from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. We have experienced great generosity and a giving heart when it comes to paying down the mortgage and I believe we can exceed this goal. The more we give to the mortgage, the sooner we can pay it off. You may give by paying a lump sum or by giving month-by-month.

Let me bring you up-to-date on where our mortgage balance stands and what we anticipate in the near future. Over this past year you gave $28,100 in what we called Double-down money. This money was over and above your Joyful Generosity pledge. It was applied toward the principle. That brought our balance down to $296,945.79. We are still expecting $100,000 from Habitat for Humanity which will come when they are able to open their offices again.

We are getting there folks, and your Joyful Generosity is why!
Margaret Bloomquist
EMERGENCY HELP?

Pastor Susan and a team will make emergency prescription deliveries ANY TIME.

Regarding groceries, try to be creative. Use whatever is in your pantry and make up new and wonderful crazy recipes (maybe at the end of this we'll put together a Corona Virus Cookbook). However, if you are out of food and need anything, I will be happy to shop for your essentials.
WHAT CAN I DO?

  • Reach out to people in the congregation.
  • Bake cookies for the police department and fire department.
  • Send cards to doctors and nurses.
  • Call non-profits around you and ask how you can help.
  • There are plenty of ways to support those on the front lines. Just call and ask.
Nutrition: Home Delivered Meals

MEALS ON WHEELS PEOPLE Clark County: 503-736-6325 or Toll Free 866-788-6325 or www.mowp.org. Free and affordable home delivered meals. For Homebound Seniors 60+.

SCHWAN’S HOME DELIVERED FROZEN FOODS Contact: 1-888-724-9267 or www.schwans.com.

MOM’S MEALS Contact: 1-877-508-6667 or www.momsmeals.com.
How We Pray
Would you like to be part of the Prayer Chain? Contact Pastor Susan at  pastor.boegli@gmail.com  if you want to be added to those who regularly pray for those in the congregation and beyond.

We will begin a Zoom gathering for weekly prayer this coming  TUESDAY at 11:00 am . If you would like to Zoom in, contact Pastor Susan and she will send you an invite.
Money Information
Just because we're not gathering, 
doesn't mean we don't need your offering to pay our bills. 

The Facts
As a new month begins, you should be aware that the average offering per month is $16,363. If we continue to receive that monthly offering, our finances won't be affected and we won't have to make any cuts at this time. Please keep this reality in mind as you fulfill your pledge or make an unpledged offering.

You can easily help by tithing on-line: 
Simply click on the church website, click "MORE" and then select "On-line tithing" then, follow the steps from there. It's safe and easy!


OR
Mail in your offering to: 10300 NE 199th Street, Battle Ground WA 98604

OR
You can set up with your bank an Auto Check service where your bank would regularly send the church your offering.
There is no extra charge to do this.

PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM

With the blessing of the Finance Team, Jill Duncan (Treasurer) applied for the PPP for our church. The wonderful news is that we've been approved to help with payroll during these tough times. However, this gift from the federal government is a band-aid, and the continuance of staff will depend mostly on our pledge drive this month. So we offer a prayer of gratitude for this unexpected gift, and we pray for a spirit of generosity during the pledge drive.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
BIRTHDAY
CELEBRATIONS!

May 2 - Richard Gamble
May 5 - Sarah Goss
May 7 - Shirley Kessinger
May 14 - Ashlee Law
May 16 - Jake Swalling
May 17 - Darryl Mar
May 18 - Colton Von Kaenel
May 19 - Sally May
May 22 - Stan Leslie
May 22 - Doug Shaul
May 26 - Kyle Wistrand
May 29 - Joyce Epler
May 29 - Nancy Volgamore


ANNIVERSARY:

May 4 - Steve & Lauren Danver
May 7 - Stan & Laurie Leslie


Don't see your birthday here?
Make sure to let us know when it is so we can celebrate YOU!
More Information About Us
Pastor Susan has a blog.

You can read it at - recovingpastor.blogspot.com 
Click Here for Facebook
Check out our website. We have lots and lots of opportunities for serving
in many different ways.
Pass on the news to your friends.
STILL WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Contact Pastor Susan to share a cup of coffee/tea/whatever and learn more about our amazing faith family.

pastor.boegli@gmail.com

  To all, including those who have known the pain of exclusion or discrimination from church or in society, we offer a place of welcome, respect, and love. It is in this spirit that we invite ALL* people to join us
on a journey of faith.

*As a reconciling congregation, ALL people are welcome including people of any race, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith history,
socioeconomic status, physical and mental ability.