THIS WEEK at Mason - April 26th, 2023

THIS WEEK

Mason United Methodist Church

A theologically progressive,

open, and affirming faith community.

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.

April 26 - May 4, 2023

God is Love and...

Some pondering from Pastor Susan.

PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR....

CALENDAR of EVENTS

Wednesday, 4/26

12:30 - Bible Study with Robin Hess

Thursday, 4/27

Church office closed

Friday, 4/28

Church office closed

10:00 - Art Class with Mary

Sunday, 4/30

10:00 - Sunday Worship

11:00 - Fellowship Time

Monday, 5/1

Church office closed

Wednesday, 5/3

12:30 - Bible Study with Robin Hess

Thursday, 5/4

10:30 - Retirees’ Fellowship Time

STANDING

ADMINISTRATIVE MEETINGS

1st Sunday of the Month at

11:30 AD COUNCIL (all are invited!)

2nd Sunday of the month @ 11:30 TRUSTEES

3rd Sunday of the month at

6:00 - FINANCE

4th Sunday of the month at 11:30

SPRC

The church office will be closed this coming Thursday and Friday, April 27th and 28th. Please schedule your visits and requests accordingly. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

PROJECT MASON: Building Community

QUESTION for the WEEK:

Here is another opportunity for you to be in continual dialogue with the Project Mason team. Each week, we will post a question relevant to the vision of Mason's next chapter. It will be in the weekly newsletter, the bulletin, and on Facebook. You can answer the question by emailing Pastor Susan and/or responding to the Facebook post. Here is this week's question:

Where do you experience "sacred spaces"

and what makes them sacred?

WHERE WE ARE

Project Mason Update April 21, 2023

The Project Mason team met on Thursday evening, April 20, and here’s our brief report. On April 3, Pastor Susan and Pat Roundy met with DS Rev. Derek Nakano and with Rev. Pat Simpson and Mr. Jim Carroll from the Building and Location Committee. All three were very impressed by Susan’s PowerPoint presentation which many of you saw after church on April 2. Our DS and committee members enthusiastically encouraged our efforts and vision. Moreover, they were impressed by the level of congregational participation and support. We will meet with B & L again in a couple of months to update them receive feedback. In the meantime, we were encouraged to hone our vision, based on new learnings and with the help of a consultant. At the meeting we learned about Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit with over 40 years of experience in providing expertise regarding affordable housing development by faith-based communities. We will be viewing around 15 PowerPoints presentations which focus on making us “comfortably conversant” with developing church land. In addition, the Project Mason team will meet soon with Mr. Michael Mirra, an attorney and retired Executive Director of the Tacoma Housing Authority. He is a tremendous resource and will offer specific guidance as we hire a pre-developer. The Project Mason team will meet with you again on Sunday, May 7 after worship during the Administrative Council meeting. Please come. Please talk with any of us in the meantime. We can thrive as we live into our vision and grow into the future as God leads us.

Together in Christ,

Pat Roundy for the Project Mason Team

Does this file cabinet look familiar? If you’ve ever used these files as a drop-off or pickup place, please come check your file to see if you need to collect your mail! The church office will be open on Sunday morning for you to come and check.

If you are unable to come to the church but suspect you might have something in the filing cabinet, please email the church office at admin@masonchurch.org. We would be happy to scan and email your documents digitally.

HOW WE WORSHIP................

SIX EASTER STORIES - WHO ARE YOU?

4 more weeks of the Easter Season, and 4 more Easter stories to explore.. On May 28th we celebrate Pentecost—the day we remember the Spirit blowing through communities and establishing what we now call “church.” But up until then, scripture offers us plenty of stories of the resurrected Jesus as he visited old and new friends. Let's ponder which character we best resemble when the risen Christ is before us.

Worship and the Sermon from April 24 can be found on our Facebook page. Unfortunately, the service wasn't taped—but thankfully, it was posted

live on the church's Facebook page.

Thank you all for your patience as we adjust to Facebook’s latest updates. Please know that in the future, Sunday worship will be broadcast from this page:

https://www.facebook.com/masonchurchtacoma

If you are not already receiving updates from this page, click the link and press the "follow" button. Please do NOT "friend" our other page, Mason Umc (with the flame logo or black background), as it is not monitored or maintained. Stop by the office during office hours if you have any questions.

SERVICE IS LIVE ON FACEBOOK LIVE. JOIN US SUNDAYS AT 10:00

Be sure to make a comment so we can record your attendance. Here is a link to our Facebook page.

Your Generosity is Greatly Appreciated!

Make your giving easy.

Pay through Paypal or with your credit/debit card in the church's office.

Click below to go directly to Paypal on our website. Paypal on Mason's Website

Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can. - John Wesley

HOW WE LEARN................

A NEW STUDY LED BY REV. ROBIN HESS, BOB WARD, AND YOU!

Wednesdays from 12:30-2:00 - Angular Bible Study

Angular? Yes. Because we want to study the Bible from every angle possible—language, the text, general history, church history, archaeology, theology, science, and anything else that will help.

Use whatever Bible you have, but I feel the best translation of the Gospels is The Five Gospels by the Scholars of the Jesus Seminar. It also has commentary. If you want to order a copy, it is available from:

Westar Institute. 3300 N. Triumph Blvd. #100 Lehi, Utah, 84043

HOW WE SERVE................

BREAKING BREAD with

OASIS QUEER YOUTH GROUP PROGRAM

A huge THANK YOU to Syra Beth and all who volunteered to support and serve Tacoma’s queer youth. If you would like to participate in this ministry, you can contact Syra Beth via email at syr07@nventure.com, or call her at 253-651-7869.

BLESSING BAGS FOR UNHOUSED PEOPLE

This is an Outreach Ministry that we can all participate in.

This is an easy ministry that is greatly needed. Please let Gail Simpson know if this is something you would like to participate in. AND DON'T FORGET TO PICK UP SOME BAGS FOR YOUR CAR!

Help us organize and clean!

In preparation to host services for Annual Conference this July, we are cleaning and organizing the forgotten spaces of Mason UMC.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to David Wilson at davidw2000@yahoo.com or Dana Lede at dayla1983@gmail.com.

To make sure you have a chance to save your treasures, check the classrooms each week. Things ready for donation or trash will be in the classrooms for 3 weeks before they disappear from the building.

HOW WE HAVE FUN........

RETIREES FELLOWSHIP TIME

Monthly on the first Thursday at 10:30am

Next Meeting: May 4th

The Retirees Fellowship May meeting will be May 4 at 10:30 in the parlor.

Topic: Thinking and Continued Vitality. We will focus on sources of our personal stimulation and how to maintain the continued growth in our thought processes. Please come prepared to list movies, television shows, and articles or books that you believe to be points of stimulation and growth.

Mason UWF is Alive and Well in 2023!

Due to unscheduled events, we will not meet in April, so join us for our next meeting for UNITED WOMEN IN FAITH on Tuesday, May 9th, from 11:00 - 1:00 at the church. Gail Simpson will present the program. Come join us for coffee, goodies, and fellowship.

Carol Sprague is the 2023 UWF President for our group. She can be reached at 719-406-1126 or email her at ces0204@gmail.com.

Art Class With Mary!

Next art class:

Friday, April 28th at 10am

Join Mary Denend for art class on alternating Fridays at 10am. Meet at the church and remember to bring your own supplies. See you there!

Just another way to serve God—Hospitality.

Hospitality is a recurring theme in Scripture, and we are called to gather, break bread, and build relationships. If you are willing to assist in the planning and implementation of Sunday Fellowship, contact Sandy Roszman, as she is the coordinator of this ministry.

HOW WE LEAD................

LET'S MAKE IT EVEN EASIER FOR YOU TO GIVE

We are now capable of accepting your offering with your debit

or credit card. Just ask Brian Nelson or Pastor Susan, or contact the church office. We want to make life easy for you, and simplifying the process of contributing to our church family is one way to do so. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

HOW WE PRAY................

PRAYER IS IMPORTANT TO US

BECAUSE WE ARE A FAITH FAMILY.

Families share what's happening in our lives, and since we are a church family, we too can share our joys and concerns with one another.

Joys

We rejoice in the renewing spring showers and the glorious sunshine. Spring is here!

We lift up and celebrate Gail Parker, whose birthday was last week.

Concerns

Please pray for the people of Sudan, and all people who live in places of violent conflict.

Pray for the recovery and loved ones of Ralph Yarl, a Black 16-year-old who was shot in the head when he accidentally came to the wrong address to pick up his younger brothers. May the family find justice, and may our society continue to fight against hate and racism.

Prayers for Andrew Lester and others who seek to resolve their fears and insecurities with guns & violence.

Please pray for the congregation of Edmonds UMC after they were the target of hurtful hatred last Sunday. May we share the tolerance Jesus taught and may it spread.

OTHER STUFF................