The Weekly Courier

June 1, 2023

"We seek to connect people to God, each other, and the wider community and to welcome and affirm all people"

Prepare Your Heart...

Before you hear Mark lead our Praise Team singing "Take Up Your Cross" by Jane Johannson Knoedler, Ray Boltz, and Steve Millikan, check out this groovy performance from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

Click on the picture --> 

Last week we celebrated Pentecost, a time when the church remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit upon our community. The Pentecost Scripture tells the story of diverse voices suddenly understanding each other through the Holy Spirit. Those who spoke different languages, were born in different places, had different upbringing and education, all started to understand one another.

Pentecost reminds us of the diversity within the church and the blessings we realize in embracing how we come together in the unity of God’s love while also remaining unique people with varying experiences and perspectives. We are better together! 

Pastor Alexa and I both value our call as Ordained Elders to preach the Word. We claim our responsibility and authority for this ministry as one of the gifts given to us through our ordination.  We also embrace the message of Pentecost that invites us to see that God speaks to us through a variety of voices.

As a means of embracing the diverse Spirit of Pentecost, we are inviting some guest preachers to the pulpit this summer. This week, June 4, we will introduce Jessie Gray as our preacher. Jessie is a Certified Lay Speaker from ELMA UMC. Jessie often worships with us, she volunteers at Kids Church Party, and leads our Rainbow Fellowship. She will bring us a Word from the gospel of Luke called Potluck for All.

The next week, Pastor Alexa and I will both be out of town and Indu Thomas will be preaching. Indu is well-known to most of us. She will bring her deep wisdom to her sermon and will offer us the opportunity to learn and grow through her preaching.

In August, Pastor Kellen will be preaching. Pastor Kellen is our quarter-time visitation pastor as well as pastor at Tumwater UMC. Pastor Kellen will be the first of the South Sound Cooperative pastors who will be preaching as the co-op begins a pulpit swap.  Each even month, on the second Sunday, the co-op pastors will swap pulpits. Pastor Kellen will be here in August, Pastor Kelly from Shelton in October, and Pastor Denise from Lacey in December.

We pray that all the voices bringing us God’s Word this summer and beyond will be a true blessing to this congregation and our community!

FUMCO Staffing for Summer 2023

They say the only constant is change and that seems to be true when it comes to staffing at FUMCO right now. We said good-bye to Susan, our Office Administrator, as she leaves us for sunnier skies in Texas. While we are sad to see Susan go, we are also blessed to have Patty Upton and Cathy Bennett job sharing the Office Administrator position!

To read more about all the new staff in and around the office this Summer, follow this link to read the full update on our church website.

Brunch with Missionary Katherine Parker

Our missionary friend in Nepal, Katherine Parker, will be joining us THIS Sunday, June 4^th to bring information on her mission work. During worship, she'll share just a little bit about her

mission, but will give a much more thorough presentation during the 11 o'clock hour. 

So you are invited to join us after service for a brunch and a chance to say thank you to Katherine. Reservations are required and need to be made by June 2^nd (so we know how much food to prepare) to attend the brunch. All are welcome.

Reservations can be made by contacting the church office, sending an email to Carol Gruen, or filling out this RSVP form right here: https://fumcoly.breezechms.com/form/eadef2

Pride Shirt Updates

If you ordered one of our brand new t-shirts to celebrate First Olympia's reconciling mission, they have arrived and are ready for pickup at the church. You can stop by on a Sunday morning or during normal office hours during the week.

We hope that you'll continue to wear your shirts throughout the Summer months on Communion Sundays. When gathered in the sanctuary, we'll form a rainbow in the pews. Together, we'll show that we are a safe and inclusive community for everyone.

If you didn't get a chance to order your First Olympia Pride shirt yet, we are planning on

ordering a SECOND BATCH. So if you're still interested in receiving a shirt, Lauren will be taking orders in the Narthex after church on Sunday. You can also order in the church office or with our online form: https://fumcoly.breezechms.com/form/ded860.

Green Bag Sunday is Here!

If you haven't yet, please pack your green bags to bring back to church this Sunday 6/4. The Food Bank is in need of Toddler food, Canned beans (not green beans), Tomato products, and Canned soup. Any nonperishable food can be donated and is always appreciated. We will collect your bags on Sunday.

A volunteer is needed on June 4 to help move the the filled bags from the narthex into storage. The donations will be moved to the Food Bank Warehouse on June 10 and a volunteer is needed that day who can help load cars and drive to the warehouse.

Please let Toni Miklich know if you can help.

Have You Checked Out Affinity Nights Yet?

Next week (6/7) is the LAST Affinity Night until next Fall. You are invited to a potluck at 6pm, and then to join an activity, group, or class of your choosing at 7pm. Some classes will be the same every week, and others will rotate. There should be something for everyone!

Affinity Night Offerings This Week: 

Yoga, the LGBTQ+ Bible Study, The Book Club Echo (proposing books for next year), Multigenerational Trivia, and more Dungeons & Dragons!

You can read the FULL Schedule for each week of Affinity Nights with this link:

Affinity Nights 2.0 Full Schedule

A Summer Volunteer Opportunity

One of our congregation members, Peggy McHugo's lawn mower broke down and she's in need of someone to come mow her small backyard. For more information or to arrange a plan to help, please reach out to her: peggyanddennis@hotmail.com.

We hope you'll consider!

May-June Upper Rooms

May and June issues of the Upper Room are ready for pick-up for $1.00! You may get yours on a Sunday morning, before or after worship. Or, swing by the church Monday-Thursday, 10am-2pm.

Morning Prayer Team

For prayer opportunities with your church friends, join the Morning Prayer team, Mondays and Thursdays at 9:00am. Access our Zoom Link right here or directly email the church office.

Watch Out for Scammers!

The Greater NW Area of the United Methodist Church has let us know that scammers have been creating spoof accounts for Bishop Bridgeforth and sending fraudulent messages asking for gift cards, wire-transfers etc...

If you receive a suspicious message from our Bishop (or any of your local pastors like Pastor Heather and Alexa) please report the account with this link: https://support.google.com/mail/contact/abuse.

Remember, if you receive a message from a non-branded Gmail account (instead of an @fumcoly.org address), you're probably NOT talking to a real pastor.

To read more about what to look out for, check out this official message from the Conference. Thank you for your patience and vigilance.

An UWIF Announcement

The National Organization of United Women in Faith has recently elected Sally Vonner as their new Chief Executive Officer.

Please help spread this exciting news! She begins her role today (Thursday, June 1).

Life of the Church

Last Sunday, we welcomed two new members into our church congregation on Pentecost.

Congratulations to Carter (who also completed his confirmation journey) and Clair. We're so glad to be in a community of faith with you both!

You can find more photos from this event (and many more) on our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/FUMCOLY

Want YOUR Article In The Courier?

If you're looking to remind members of our church community about an upcoming event, updates on existing ministries, or even brand new opportunities, this newsletter is a great place to start! Here's a few tips for how to ensure your news gets out in time:

• Write a short paragraph with all the essential information you need people to know (the when/where's/and what to brings of the event)
• Send your article to our multimedia coordinator, Lauren (multimedia@fumcoly.org). If you have a relevant photo you want included, feel free to send that along too.
• Send your article at least THREE WEEKS before your event! We run articles for two weeks and since The Courier goes out on Thursdays, we want to make sure everyone has plenty of time to read your announcement.

If you have news, we'd love to help you share it!

Our Welcoming Statement

First United Methodist Church of Olympia welcomes people of all ages, all abilities,

all sexual orientations and gender identities, all nationalities and ethnicities,

the poor and the rich, single people and the many forms of family.

See our Church Calendar.

Visit our webpage!

Watch our latest worship service

Read the latest Joys & Concerns

Like us on Facebook!

Follow us on Instagram!

Contact us ...

by phone: 360-943-2661 by email: fumco@fumcoly.org

OFFICE HOURS: Sunday 9am-noon | Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm

The Weekly Courier editor: Lauren Fontanilla