The Weekly Courier

March 30, 2023

Prepare Your Heart...

Before you hear Kim lead our praise team in a communion week full of music, check out this moving video for the song "I Speak Jesus" by Here Be Lions and Ft. Darlene Zschech.

Click on the picture --> 

Next week is Holy Week!

One of my (Pastor Alexa's) favorite church memories is when my friends and I decided to go to every church event during holy week, seeing Jesus and the disciples through the events of Jesus' last days. It was meaningful because we did it together, and because getting the whole story helped us see things we hadn't noticed before, and enter into the story more deeply. If you miss the second act of a play, you may not get what the fourth act is all about! So, you are invited to enter the story with us! 

Palm Sunday: Sunday, April 2 10AM Worship

- including a palm processional, shouts of loud hosannas, and a preview of the rest of the holy week story. 

Wednesday Midweek Potluck & Worship 

- Potluck at 6pm

-Worship at 7pm: Questions in the Face of Scandal. 

- The Wednesday of Holy Week is called 'Spy Wednesday,' and we focus on Judas' betrayal of Jesus. We will look at this scripture focusing on the questions in the story, and asking our own questions! 

Maundy Thursday at Tumwater UMC - 6pm w/ meal

- Join us over in Tumwater to observe a contemplative Maundy Thursday with other churches in the South Sound co-op at Tumwater United Methodist Church. We'll begin worship at 6pm.

Good Friday at Lacey UMC - noon

Good Friday at First Olympia - 7pm

- This service will be what is called 'tenebrae,' a reverse advent. In advent, we light the candles each week, celebrating the coming of light. In this service, we will extinguish candles through the service, anticipating the light going out of the world in the crucifixion of Jesus. We will tell the story of Jesus' suffering and death, and sing simple songs together. Additionally, we will hear an anthem from the Common Ground choir, and a featured song by Mark Bunda. 

Holy Saturday - Easter Vigil 

-On Holy Saturday, we remember the time between Jesus' death and resurrection; the time in which Jesus was dead and buried. After we remember Judas' betrayal of Jesus on Wednesday during Midweek Worship, and the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday, we invite you sign up to hold vigil for one hour for 'Holy Saturday,' in recognition and honor of the very real grief and loss of the first disciples. You are invited to sign up to hold vigil for one hour on the Portico (front entrance) at the church, around a propane fire between 10am on Saturday, April 8th and 10am on Sunday, April 9th. Two people can sign up for each hour (though there can be more than that, if you want to bring a friend or family member with you). People from other cooperative churches will be holding vigil at their church sites as well, and together, in body and in spirit, we will hold vigil until we enter into Easter worship, shouting Alleluia! Christ is Risen! 



- Sign up here: https://forms.gle/iXWNqiF4fz5Ns7X17

Easter Sunday - 10am worship at First Olympia

- celebrate Christ's resurrection with Hallelujahs!

How to Order Easter Flowers

Our recent tradition here at First Olympia includes decorating the chancel on Easter morning with many beautiful blooming plants!

We invite you to join in sponsoring the Easter floral display. If you would like to help sponsor the flowers this year, please complete the form below (or fill out a hard copy in the church office) along with your gift of $20 or more. The names of those honored and remembered will be named in worship on Easter Sunday.

After worship, you are welcome to take a plant home with you. Thank you for your generosity! You can order flowers with the link below. Your deadline to order is April 6th.

https://fumcoly.breezechms.com/form/easterflowers2023

Greenbag Sunday is Here Again!

Bring your green bags back to church THIS Sunday, April 2. A volunteer is needed after worship on April 2 to help move the donations into storage. The donations will be transported to the Food Bank on Saturday April 8. Another volunteer is needed that day who can load and drive their vehicle to the warehouse.

If you need to deliver your donation to the church, you can do that between 9:30-10:00 AM on April 8. Contact Toni Miklich with questions or if you can help.

Affinity Nights Are Coming Back!

As you may well know, our focus for this year has been connection. The pandemic, in particular, has disconnected us in so many ways that it made us worry about whether we would ever feel connected to others, to God, and to the wider community in the same way again. We are seeking to combat that worry, and facilitate connection through Affinity Nights this Spring! You may remember our winter iteration of Affinity Nights, and it was so successful, we are going to start them up again for 8 weeks this spring. 

We will continue to have a potluck dinner all together at 6pm, and will send folks off to their desired class, affinity group, activity, or other gathering at 7pm. Spring Affinity Nights will begin Wednesday, April 19th!

More information is forthcoming, but the ask right now is this: 

Could your team, group, or class start meeting on Wednesday nights? We'd love to have full tables, crossover between affinity groups in the church, and a building full of resources and opportunities for those already and not yet connected to our church, easily accessible and consistently available. If this is something you are interested in knowing more about, and/or would like for your group to plan to meet Wednesday nights (does not have to be every Wednesday night) please talk with Pastor Alexa (pastoralexa@fumcoly.org). 

Affinity Nights - LGBTQ Inclusion Class

FUMCO is a Reconciling congregation, meaning we affirm and include LGBTQ people into the whole life of our church. This fact continues to draw in many people, as a non-negotiable feature of the faith community they seek. Our church went through this process not in spite of what the Bible says, but because of it. 

If you love God and the Bible, love LGBTQ people as well, and want to know about how we interpret the Bible with that spirit of love, we invite you to join Pastor Alexa for "The Biblical Case for LGBTQ Inclusion: Sexual Orientation."

This Spring, on Wednesday (Affinity!) Nights, we will be guided by Matthew Vines, the Executive Director of The Reformation Project through a series of videos, and Pastor Alexa will facilitate conversation and further study. 

You can watch a trailer for this study here: https://youtu.be/bAVj6gFovm0 

(LGBTQ inclusion is not limited to sexual orientation, of course, so, in the fall, we will continue this study looking at Gender. We'll keep you posted!) 

When: Wednesdays 4/19 - 6/7

Sign Up Here: https://fumcoly.breezechms.com/form/lgbtqinclusion

March-April Upper Rooms

March and April 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, Monday-Saturday at 9:00am. Access our Zoom Link right here or directly email the church office.

Friendship Hiker Upcoming Dates

Hi Friendship hikers, here's information about our next hike this Saturday, April 8th. We'll head out of town a bit to Frye Cove Park, located in the Steamboat Island area. 

We've mapped a modest 2 mile walk through the peaceful forest and along the edge of Eld Inlet and Frye Cove. If it's clear we could get lucky and see a view of Mt Rainier beyond the water. The path is mostly wide and even, with some ups and downs, and one small section where the path narrows. We'll either walk in the late morning or early afternoon, depending on how the weather is looking. Pets are allowed if leashed.

Please let me know if you'd like to join in, and if you are willing to help drive as part of carpooling. Looking ahead, here's dates to save: May 20, June 17 and July 8 (always Saturdays).  Locations TBD but by then we'll head more into the mountains, going longer and higher :) Let us know if you're planning to join us on April 8th.

Thanks all!

Mae  Wharton (maewharton@gmail.com)

Anti-Racist Film Club Update

Because the first Thursday in April is in Holy Week, our co-op pastors have decided that the Anti-Racist Film Club will take a break for the month and join together again on May 4th. BUT! If you can't wait that long for some meaningful discussion, there's still a new podcast episode just for you!

In a special guest-led episode of the podcast, we discuss the film Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) which just won the Academy Award for Best Picture of the year! It's a jampacked conversation with tons of insight and a bit of laughter. Definitely a must-listen for anyone excited about the work of our club. You can find a link to the new episode right here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/zJ32Qh9Kdyb

A Refugee Ministry Opportunity

Janet Manguna, one of our refugee moms is learning English and looking for someone someone to read the Bible with her. One of her goals in life is to be able to read the Bible in English eventually. She has come a long way in her English classes at SPSCC over the last 4 years. She is now able to work at McDonalds and she is still going to school. 

The best times for her are Sunday afternoons or Monday mornings. If you (or someone you know) are interested in reading with Janet, please reach out to Becca Brandt (beccabrandt@msn.com). We hope to hear from you soon!

College Care Packages

Do you have a child, grandchild, or friend in college and/or graduate school who would benefit from a care package? Our care packages include snacks, drink mixes, something sweet and something spiritual, along with an encouragement card.

Care packages go out the week of April 10. Please contact Angelina (angelina@fumcoly.org) by Sunday April 2. Please include the following information: the name of the person receiving the care package, their college, grade, mailing address and any dietary restrictions so we can customize their care package accordingly. 

Life of the Church

On Sunday, we celebrated our Common Ground Choir director Cathy Bennett for her 30 YEARS of faithful service to our music ministry here at First Olympia.

Thank you Cathy and we hope to hear your beautiful contributions for many more years to come!

And on Saturday (3/25), about a dozen folks did 3 hours of spring cleaning at the church. That's 36 person-hours of

organizing, clearing closets, deep cleaning and some outside spiffing up! And a priceless amount of joy for a job well done together!  

You can find more photos from these events (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!

A Message From Pastor Heather

Friends,

This week saw another school shooting in the United States. As a parent of school age children, an aunt, a citizen of the United States, and a follower of Jesus, these shootings break my heart. Each and every one of them. I believe that our children have the right to go to school and feel safe on a daily basis. 

Even though each school shooting is a tragedy, some strike closer to home than others. The one this week, in Nashville, brought the reality of gun violence in America nearer to my family because my nephew attends school near the place where the shooting took place. As a mom, who sends her child to school every day, I have to put some distance between my family and the possibility of a school shooting in order to let my daughter step on to the school campus.

The events of this past week remind me that school shootings can happen anywhere, anytime. I am not content to live with this reality. I don’t think you are either. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers and this means we are called to speak out against violence and take actions to make this world a safer place for ALL people.

Last year, FUMCO, in partnership with the PNW Annual Conference, started an initiative to end gun violence. We have a website with resources to equip us to learn more about this issue, write to our lawmakers, and advocate for gun laws that protect the most vulnerable among us.

I encourage you to visit this website. Watch the video featuring Pastor Alexa and Church Council Chair Doug Lacey-Roberts. It has helpful information about upcoming legislation in Washington State. There is a button, right on the website, that you can click to write to your lawmaker. Click the link below to go to the website and please share this valuable resource with others: https://fumcoly.org/end-gun-violence.

In addition to advocacy for safer gun laws, I also encourage you to pray. Please pray for the victims of this latest mass shooting. Pray for their families and the community left to grapple with the grief left in the wake of senseless violence. Pray for all kids and parents who go to school everyday with the threat of gun violence as a present reality. Pray for our lawmakers, pray for our nation.  

In our Wesley tradition, prayer paired with action, has been a powerful tool of social change. From the beginning, Methodists have been putting their faith in action to impact the world for good. Let us continue that tradition and advocate for an end to gun violence. With God and each other, we can make a change.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Heather

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.

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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