Pastor Berg's Blog

A Hug Is a Circle

The Celtic mystic John O'Donohue wrote this about the circle:

The human eye adores gazing; it feasts on the wild beauty of new landscapes ... Deep in the human mind, there is a fascination with the circle because it satisfies some longing within us ... The Celtic world was always fascinated with circles; they are prevalent in so much of its artwork. The Celts even transfigured the cross by surrounding it with a circle. The Celtic cross is a beautiful symbol. The circle around the beams of the cross rescues the loneliness where the two lines of pain intersect and seem to calm and console their forsaken linearity. (Anam Cara, pg. 162-163)

Council Corner

A group of 19 members (Pastor Berg, Council, staff, and the Personnel Committee) had their first joint meeting with Pastor Vance on December 9th, 2023. It was a good opportunity to share viewpoints on questions such as the mission of FLC. Follow-up meetings are planned for early in the new year.

At the December 19th council meeting, the Council voted to appoint Rachel Jackman to the Personnel Committee. Dan Borman’s term is coming to an end in January, 2024 and he will be leaving the committee. We are grateful for Dan’s time and work serving on this committee.  

Mark your calendars! Our annual meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 28th, beginning at 11:00 a.m. In addition to elections to the Church Council and to the Nominating Committee, this year the congregation will also be electing lay voting members to the NW Washington Synod Assembly. This year’s assembly is a one-day event to be held on Saturday, May 18th, at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines. Five seats are allocated to FLC, as follows: 2 Females; 1 Male; 1 Youth; and 1 Young Adult.  

Yours in Christ because He lives,

Ho Brown

Council President

[email protected]

Widows Support Group

January 8, 10 am

(formerly known as Friends Supporting Friends)

We are not a therapy group, but we are a place for widows to find friendship, support, and fun.

We meet the 2nd Monday of the month at 10:00 am in the library. Please join us!

Call Paula Glandon for more info. 425-483-1783

Men’s Breakfast and Bible Study! (Also available on Zoom)

Saturday, January 20, 9 – 10:15 am. 

Join other congregation and community members for breakfast and conversation! There will be “food for the body, food for the soul and food for thought!” A group of 17 men typically attend. Please join us for discussion and enrichment. Questions to Roger Steinke

Bach and Beyond: Music for flutes, piano, and guitar from the 17th to 21st Centuries.

January 21st at 3 PM, FLC Bothell Sanctuary

All are Welcome! Admission is free (free will offering to benefit FLC Bothell)

Jan Bleakney, flute; Elizabeth CD Brown, guitar; Zachary McCauley, flute and piano; John Meredith, flute; Patty Weston, flutes

Sunday, January 28th: Youth Pizza Lunch at Sparta’s Pizza Restaurant (12:00 – 2:15 PM) 

Youth in Grades 7 – 12 are invited for lunch at Sparta’s in Bothell! We will leave the Church after the Church Congregational Meeting and head to Sparta’s for lunch. Part of our conversation will include “our plans for the New Year” and talk about how to help at the February 4th Youth Auction. Please bring $5 to help cover the cost of your lunch. We will return to the Church sometime between 2 – 2:15 PM. Please Sign-Up on the Youth Board.  

Youth - Looking Ahead!

2024 Youth Auction - February 4, 12 pm - 2 pm. Donations are being received!

New Orleans Youth Gathering & Disneyworld - July 14 -July 24 Grades 9 - 12.

Vacation Bible School - July 29 - August 1

Winter 2024 Journey Classes

Sunday, January 7th: Leona and Richard Keltner will take you along as they reflect on the highlights (and challenges) of their five-hundred mile walk on the historic Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage in France and Spain. Using photos, videos and music you will learn about this two-thousand-year-old spiritual and cultural journey and the foundation of modern Christian pilgrimage. Learn about their experiences “hefting eighteen-pound backpacks and walking… a lot!” The presentation begins at 4 PM. Dinner will be served at 5:30 PM. Please join us!  

Sunday, January 14th:  Jon Buuck, a Senior Advisor with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services in Baltimore, Maryland, will be our presenter. He will share stories about the pilgrimage experiences of the poor and displaced, as they journey to safe and stable places for themselves and their families. Many of the stories are harrowing and humbling. Some are heart breaking. The presentation begins at 4 PM, with dinner at 5:30 PM. Please join us! 

First Lutheran Church Book Club on Zoom      

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland

by Jim DiFede 

Tuesday, January 23, 7 PM

Discussion Leader: Linda Siebert

 When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The citizens of Gander met the stranded passengers with an overwhelming display of friendship and goodwill. As the passengers stepped from the airplanes, exhausted, hungry and distraught after being held on board for nearly 24 hours while security checked all of the baggage, they were greeted with a feast prepared by the townspeople. Local bus drivers who had been on strike came off the picket lines to transport the passengers to the various shelters set up in local schools and churches. Linens and toiletries were bought and donated. A middle school provided showers, as well as access to computers, email, and televisions, allowing the passengers to stay in touch with family and follow the news.

Over the course of those four days, many of the passenger’s developed friendships with Gander residents that they expect to last a lifetime. As a show of thanks, scholarship funds for the children of Gander have been formed and donations have been made to provide new computers for the schools. This book recounts the inspiring story of the residents of Gander, Canada, whose acts of kindness have touched the lives of thousands of people and been an example of humanity and goodwill. 

Please contact Clint Bastin or Roger Steinke for additional information about the Book Club. A copy of this featured book of the month is available in the First Lutheran Church Library. Please join us! 

The Library committee reminds you to select and save your summer/fall adventures and events for your photo entry to our “ Share your Favorite Photo” contest/display.  We are creating a new youth category for next year. START CLICKING. Watch for the date and details for submitting your photo in upcoming newsletter(s).  

Visit our church library. “CHECK IT OUT”  

Zoom Movie Review

Monday, January 29, 7 pm

Rustin    

This is the powerful true story of Bayard Rustin the openly gay Black Civil Rights leader who dedicated his life to a quest for racial equality, is finally getting the spotlight. Colman Domingo plays the driving force behind the 1963 March on Washington in a new film from DGA Award and three-time Tony Award-winning director George C. Wolfe. The architect of 1963’s momentous March on Washington, Bayard Rustin was one of the greatest activists and organizers the world has ever known. He challenged authority, never apologized for who he was, what he believed, or who he desired. And he did not back down. He made history, and in turn, he was forgotten. Rustin shines a long overdue spotlight on the extraordinary man who, alongside giants like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and Ella Baker, dared to imagine a different world and inspired a movement in a march toward freedom.

Rustin is a 2023 American biographical drama film directed by George C. Wolfe, from a screenplay by Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black, and a story by Breece about the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company Higher Ground, the film stars Colman Domingo in the title role, alongside Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Jeffrey Wright, and Audra McDonald. It is based on the true story of Rustin, who helped Martin Luther King Jr. and others organize the 1963 March on Washington.

MOVIE REVIEW: Please watch the movie prior to our ZOOM Movie Review. “Rustin” is available to watch on Netflix. Our discussion begins with a review of the main parts of the movie. We will also explore some of the spiritual themes of the movie and share corresponding Bible verses during our discussion. Join us! Questions? Contact Roger. 

Monthly Outreach

CHANGE FOR CHANGE All money received in the Change for Change jar will be used to support HOPELINK food bank.

HOPELINK helps homeless and low-income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities gain stability, while providing others with the tools and skills they need to exit poverty for good. HopeLink's Lending a Hoping Hand drive will continue through January. To date, FLC's giving page received more than $1400! Donate thru FLC's Giving Page. Every contribution makes a difference, and 100% of your gift directly benefits Hopelink services!

NORTHSHORE NOURISHING NETWORK Working with the Northshore Nourishing Network, First Lutheran Church Bothell’s Social Ministries Committee helped 25 different families at Hopelink Shelters in Bothell and Kenmore with their Christmas Holiday Meals.  Each family received a bag of assorted non-perishable food items and a $25 Gift Card to help purchase perishable food items. 

Monthly Financial Outreach

January Outreach: TBA

February Outreach:

March Outreach:

April Outreach:

May Outreach:

June Outreach:

July Outreach:

August Outreach:

September Outreach:

October Outreach:

November Outreach:

December Outreach:

CREATION CARE

National Bird Day 

National Bird Day is recognized annually on January 5th. This day was designated in 2002 by Born Free USA and the Avian Welfare Coalition to promote avian awareness and issues that affect birds in America, such as disease and a fast-dwindling habitat. What can we do to help? Give birds a safe place to live with a birdhouse in your yard and feed them food appropriate for birds. How much do you know about birds? Try to answer these fun facts (answers are at the bottom of the article):

    1. What is the length of the smallest bird on earth?

    2. Do ducks keep their eyes open when they sleep?

    3. What’s an ostrich’s maximum running speed?

    4. How many words can most parrots learn?

    5. What’s the estimated number of species of birds?

Earth’s Rotation Day

On Monday, January 8th, we celebrate the 1851 discovery by French physicist Léon Foucault that the Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours. Scientists have reported that, beginning in 2020, the Earth has started to spin faster. There are various theories as to why, including the complex motion of oceans and atmosphere and possibly climate change. Climate change is causing the ice at the Earth’s poles to melt, which changes the shape of the Earth, thus changing the center of gravity and allowing the Earth to spin faster. If this increased speed prevails, it could eventually impact timekeeping and many other aspects of daily life. 

National Cut Your Energy Costs Day

National Cut Your Energy Costs Day is recognized annually on January 10th as a day of awareness for everyone to find ways to reduce energy usage. While this day is for all consumers, residences and businesses alike, homes account for 22% of energy usage in the U.S. So, weatherproofing our homes, turning down the thermostat, replacing incandescent bulbs with CFL bulbs, turning off lights that aren’t in use, and shutting down and unplugging computers and other electronics when not in use can all help contribute to saving energy, saving costs, and reducing our impact on our environment.

Answers to National Bird Day Questions: #1: 2 ¼ inches; #2: Ducks keep 1 eye open when they sleep; # 3: 45 mph; #4: 50; #5: 10,000 species

First Lutheran Church has purchased the Northwest Washington Synod's LiVE bundle for 2023-24, so any LiVE events are free to our congregation! See the complete LIVE Project Catalog and register using FLC's Confirmation Code to register for free!

Upcoming events:

• FREE - "Abide" Weekly Synod-Wide Bible Study (join anytime!)
• Rest and Renewal - February 3 - 9am - 4pm.
• Lent with Baldwin & Bonhoeffer Course - Thursdays during Lent starting February 15, 6:30-8:30pm

Crossways Bible Study

Ever had reading the entire Bible on your bucket list? Let Crossways and Pastor Mike Anderson be your guide. This two-year program, hosted by Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, begins October 1 with Genesis, and will include pre-recorded lectures sent on Sundays to your email address to be watched at your leisure. Optional Thursday evening Zoom discussions will follow each lecture’s release. The course is academic in nature and works well for those with or without Bible background. Click on the following link to register and to read endorsements from: Kathryn Buffum, Red Burchfield, Rena Connell, and Rebecca Langholz.  Crossways Registration and Information.

February 4 - 2024 Youth Auction

February 14 - Ash Wednesday

February 21 - Soup Suppers and Lenten Vespers Begin