The Weekly Courier

April 18, 2024

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

Prepare Your Heart...

During this worship series, we are singing the Zimbabwe Hallelujah for our Doxology each week. Here's a short clip of this chorus if you'd like to become more familiar with it!

Click on the picture --> 

This Week's Calls to Action!

• Learn more about your church council
• Consider signing up to bring food to Spring Affinity Nights
• RSVP for the UWIF celebration with Carol Gruen on Sunday morning
• Learn more about the General and Annual Conferences

For more information about all of these events and opportunities, read on below...

Hello, friends!

I have the honor of serving as chair of Your Church Council. This leadership body also includes a vice-chair, secretary, treasurer, committee chairs, lay leaders, annual conference members, ministry leaders, a youth representative, and our pastors.

We meet every other month to create and supervise our strategic plan for an effective congregation. Our

work is to envision, plan, implement, and evaluate our congregation’s ministry and mission. Every time we gather, hearts and minds are shaped, values and beliefs are formed, and the culture of our congregation is enacted. YOUR voice is an important part of this work, and we encourage YOU to join us!

Over the next several weeks, Council members will introduce themselves in this column and during worship announcements. Our goal is to inform you about our leadership roles and invite you to be a part of our ministry. Collaborate with us in the Gathering Place during upcoming sessions from 6:30 - 8:30 PM on May 28, July 23, and September 24.

If you would like to explore a leadership role on the council or one of our committees, connect with Pastor Heather or Pastor Alexa to explore the possibilities.

—Elizabeth Castro, Church Council Chair

Earth Day Celebration

On Sunday, April 21, Interfaith Works is helping to host an event with Marshall Middle School. Students will be recognizing Earth Day by speaking for Endangered Species. We'll also celebrate with poetry, song, and verbal thanksgiving for all the unique and precious creatures of this Earth currently under threat.

This is a free and family-friendly event on 4/21 from 1:00-2:15pm at Decatur Woods Park in West Olympia (1015 Decatur St SW, Olympia, WA, 98502).

Spring Affinity Nights

Affinity Nights have started back up at First Olympia as of April 17th! Join us on Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm for a free potluck dinner and chance to explore the many opportunities for fun and fellowship in our community. This round of Affinity nights will run until 6/5.

This week, join Bible Study with Pastor Heather or Parenting According to Bluey with Brittney. Our youth will be helping with Food Bank Distribution at Tumwater UMC at 4:30 pm, dinner at 6 at FUMCO, then SLAM Mission Trip prep at 7. Kids can take part in the Wednesday Night Bible Experience. There is something for everyone!

Affinity Nights requires helping hands to run! Please consider signing up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4EA8A82EAA8-48893279-affinity to help

set-up/clean-up, bring a main dish, or provide a side dish.

Any help is appreciated!

United Women in Faith Celebration

Join with United Women in Faith on May 8^th at 11;30 a.m. for fellowship and a luncheon for the success we had with our 2023 Bazaar and our 2024 Rummage Sale. 

Come and see who were able to support with our Mission Giving Funds from these events. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. There will be a sign up in the narthex starting on April 14^th or you can email Carol Gruen at gruencl1941@gmail.com and sign up that way. 

If you would like to find out how you can help with these fund-raising events that benefit those who need extra help, please join us on May 8^th. There were over 60 individuals who gave of their talent, time and support to help United Women in Faith be successful. 

General Conference Update

The General Conference of The United Methodist Church will gather April 29-May 3rd.

In addition to offering our prayers for all the delegates, especially those representing us in the Western Jurisdiction, we will be sharing a series of 3 articles written by Seattle-area United Methodist Pastor Rev. Jeremy Smith on his blog 'Hacking Christianity,' over the next three weeks. The series is entitled: The State of The United Methodist Church in 2024. Today's topic: General Conference 2024.

Click here to read the article.

Annual Conference Update

From Annual Conference Lay Members Marcy and Jim:

As Methodists we’re not just part of our individual church, but in the greater United Methodist Church. Every year, Marcy LaViollette and Jim Odiorne attend our Pacific NW’s annual conference (PNWAC), which is our legislative and budgetary body for all of Washington state and Northern Idaho. Our General Conference lay delegate is Skylar Marston-Bihl (Ruth's wife). The next meeting is June 13-16. Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth is currently appointed to supervise and preside over this body which is split evenly between clergy and lay people (non-clergy). Fun fact: Members of AC are not delegates representing local churches, but rather are instructed to rely on the Spirit for discernment on how to vote on matters before the PNWAC. Marcy and Jim, as our lay members of Annual Conference, also sit on the Church Council to help communicate information between the two groups. Typically after the conference you’ll see an article in the Courier as well as a post-church presentation from us to help you know what took place.

Our Conference also elects lay and clergy folks to attend the Western Jurisdiction (all the western states, who elect our Bishops) and a delegation to the General Conference (worldwide, typically every four years). This is a General Conference year and our delegation who were elected wayyy back in 2018, before the pandemic, will be in North Carolina from April 23-May 3. Please keep them in your prayers as they discern how to update our Book of Discipline after 25% of U.S. United Methodist churches disaffiliated from our Church over disagreements on the topic of “human sexuality." It’s an exciting time in the United Methodist Church!

If you ever have questions about legislation before our Conference, or how to propose legislation yourself, please reach out to us!

Marcy LaViollette and Jim Odiorne

Want a Health Check?

The Health Team will do blood pressure checks every first Sunday after worship. Stop by for this important wellness check!

Housewarming for Shawnna!

FUMCO's One Parish One Prisoner (OPOP) team has been blessed in their support of Shawnna for over nine months now! Since Shawnna's release on October 20, she has regularly been attending Sunday morning worship and was baptized during our Easter service last Sunday morning! She has much to be proud of, including moving into her own apartment earlier this year. 

Let's help her make this new house a home! Take a look at her Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2AXJUDXS0BUOF?ref_=wl_share.

Please give as the Spirit moves you. Thank you for your love and prayers as we continue this journey of relationship building and reentry support together.

We Remember...

Mark Bunda, our beloved friend and song leader, who passed away Monday morning. The Memorial Service is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, at 2 pm. Kristi asks that you wear Hawaiian shirts and/or leis to honor Mark's heritage and spirit. The service will be live-streamed; link to follow.

The Memorial Service for AJ Nelson will be held on April 20 at 11:00am. It will be livestreamed on the First Olympia YouTube Channel here: https://youtube.com/live/G6QQqoURawo?feature=share.

The Memorial Service for John Parr will be held on April 21 at 2:00pm. It will also be livestreamed on the First Olympia YouTube Channel here: https://youtube.com/live/AAVozRrUofY?feature=share.

A reception will follow each of these services in the Gathering Place.

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

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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