The Good News. The Pastor s Pen JULY Dear Friends,

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1 The Good News JULY 2018 The Pastor s Pen Dear Friends, The summer brings on some of my favorite activities. I like cooking-out, hiking, camping out, kayaking and biking. Good exercise and a chance to revel in the beauty of Northeast Ohio in the summer. I like to do things with friends and family. And I am sure that you all like that too. It was a long winter but now we have this time of renewal and transformation that summer brings. It s that way in the church, too. We are in a long period of transformation. This is a time to reflect on our rich history as a church and to dream about our future and where we might be in the years ahead. On Saturday, June 16th we gathered together as a church for a mission study workshop. This exercise is a self-study on where we have been, where we are right now and where we hope to be in the future. From that data collection and with some input from a survey we are sending to everyone in the church that could not be here on that day, we will write a narrative which, once approved, will be used by the Pastor Nominating Committee to write the CIF (Church Information Form). As you can see, we are in the process and moving forward with the work needed to find our next Settled Pastor. This is an exciting time and a time of hope for our church and our congregation. As we move along we will keep everyone looped in on our progress. In mid July, the 23rd, it will be our privilege to host the Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Western Reserve. It s been quite a while since we were the host and we are happy that we can hold this meeting. Many of you have been asked to help with the overall hospitality and I thank you for volunteering. Because there has been a long time between our hosting of this event I d like to invite you to come to the meeting which begins at 6:00 p.m. and observe how the Presbytery works. The meeting will take place in our sanctuary with worship followed by the business meeting. I think this would be an interesting experi- ence for those who have never attended a Presbytery meeting before. On a personal note, I just returned from an eight day silent retreat centered on St. Ignatius spirituality. This time away was part of my study leave. Eight days without speaking was very interesting for someone who is employed as a speaker, a communicator, a talker. I thought the discipline of not speaking would be nearly impossible. I was surprised that the time went by quite quickly and that the discipline of not speaking, living in silence, was uplifting. I found myself communicating with God in new ways that for me were deeply gifting. God s abundant grace surrounded me and the others who were silently navigating these eight days with me. I m still processing, but my overall feeling is WOW! At some point in the near future I have decided, with Session s approval to tell my faith journey to the church on a given Sunday. I ve targeted September 9 th to do this with you. When you have a called minister, a settled pastor, over time he or she will tell you their life s journey, but as an interim minister that time frame doesn t exist so you as a church don t get to know us in a intimate spiritual way. Hopefully, this exercise will make me more transparent. See you in church, Pastor Wally

2 Grab your parkas and snow boots and come explore with us! Vacation Bible School July 16-20, :30 8:30 pm It s that time of summer again! We invite all children ages 4 years to 6 th grade to participate in a week of fun with worship, singing, games, and crafts. During this week we will guide your children on an expedition through the Bible! So grab some friends and we ll see you there! Book of Books: 2 Timothy 3: 1 6 Incredible Impact: Psalm 1 1 9: 1 05 Bedrock Base: Matthew 7: 24 Letters of Love: Romans 5: 8 Exciting to Explore: Psalm 1 1 9: 1 62 These five days of discovery not only give kids the knowledge of God s word, but also the opportunity to respond and grow with His word. Not all of the week will be learning, we will also have lots of fun! REGISTRATION Registration forms are available in the Narthex or on the church website: HELP NEEDED We have the teachers we need, but if you have extra time that week, we can always use help during the evening (especially for Friday s picnic) Check in with Deana to see what needs to be done. BOXED SOAP BARS NEEDED Bar soap sold in individual boxes are needed for a craft project that will become part of the mission project. Please bring and leave in the marked box in the narthex. Spread the word to neighbors, friends and relatives!

3 Presbytery Meeting at NPC - Helpers Needed On Monday, July 23rd, the Presbytery of the Western Reserve will be holding its bimonthly meeting at NPC at 6:00 p.m.. We are excited to open our church to them, but will need many hands to make the evening go smoothly. If you are able to help in any way listed below, please let the church office know. There will also be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex. Parking Assistants (keeping Day Care spots free for parents, indicating correct entrance to use, etc.) Hospitality - be available throughout the first floor to direct participants to sanctuary, rest rooms, break out rooms, etc. Refreshments - help set up and serve beverages and light snacks Bake - two dozen cookies or brownies and bring to church on 22nd or 23rd. Set up - time to be determined - early Monday afternoon probably. Choir folks are also needed for a short service at the beginning of the meeting. Let Jennifer know if you d like to join in for the evening. Practice will be around 5:00 pm that evening. More details will be forthcoming, so check bulletins and broadcast s for more specifics as they become available. All are also invited to just come to the meeting and experience this Regional gathering. **If anyone has outdoor canopies that we can borrow and put on the back porch for folks to eat and fellowship under, please let the office know. Thank You Girl Scout Troop 90383! On June 12th, the local Girl Scout Troop under the watchful eye of leader Nicole Wunderle, renewed our front Memorial Flower Bed as their Community Garden project. They weeded, planted new annuals and perennials then finished by mulching. They also did this to the Day Care entrance garden. They got their plants from the North Royalton Garden Club and picked them to be butterfly and bee friendly. The girls are from Rushwood and St. Barnabas schools. They will be taking turns through the summer checking on and weeding their plants. The two memorial plaques for the trees that are in the garden are being redone as they were heavily weathered. Thanks Keith Miller for preparing the bed. And Thank Y ou to Jack and Irene Peters who are trying valiantly to rid the front sign bed of a particularly difficult weed strain. We appreciate all our gardening friends! Garden Before Garden After Troop 90383

4 Anti-Trafficking Update This article is a continuation of the statistics published in the May GOOD NEWS. The following is a list of available statistics estimating the scope of the Human Trafficking around the world and within the United States. Actual statistics are often unavailable, and some may be contradictory due to the covert nature of the crime, the invisibility of victims and high levels of underreporting. Further obstacles include inconsistent definitions, reluctance to share data, and a lack of funding for research and standardization of data collection. Estimates on the number of American citizens trafficked within the U.S. are particularly scare. (Source: Polaris Project) 1.2 million Number of children trafficked globally in a year almost twenty years ago and the problem continues! 80% -- Percent of transnational victims who are women and girls. 50% -- Percent of transnational victims who are minors. 161 Countries identified as affected by human trafficking. 116 Countries that have enacted legislation to prohibit all forms of human trafficking. 104 Countries without laws, policies, or regulations to prevent victims deportations. 62 Countries who have yet to convict a trafficker under laws in compliance with the Palermo Protocol. $32 billion Total yearly profits, in U.S. dollars, generated by the human trafficking industry. Half of that amount is made in industrialized countries. One third of the total is made in Asia. $13,000 per year, on average, generated by each trafficked laborer. This comes to $1,100 per month. $21 billion A preliminary estimated of the total financial cost of being in a forced labor situation, rather than a free employment situation, to all worker in forced labor across the globe in U.S. dollars. Stewardship Report Zachary Harber Jessica Russo Jack Peters Cheryl Emch Alan Gruber Emily Brooks Joe Russo Nathan Geshke Austin Scott Mike Satola Claire Kremyar 2-Jul 3-Jul 4-Jul 5-Jul 7-Jul 8-Jul 8-Jul 17-Jul 25-Jul 25-Jul 26-Jul We appreciate your keeping up with your pledges during the summer months. June INCOME: $ 13,417 EXPENSES: $ 14,106 Year to date INCOME: $ 79,301 EXPENSES: $ 86,315

5 July 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Communion OFFICE AND DAY CARE CLOSED 8 11:30 Deacons :45 am Chapel Time :30 a.m. Men s Bible Study at Chick Fil A 14 VBS Set up 7pm Boy Scouts 7pm VBC Bible Study 15 11:30 Session :45 am Chapel Time :30 a.m. Men s Bible Study at Chick Fil A 21 and Picnic :45 am Chapel Time :30 a.m. Men s Bible Study at Chick Fil A 28 6pm Presbytery Meeting 7pm VBC Bible Study 5:30 pm Community Meal pm Boy Scouts

6 Northfield Presbyterian Church 7755 S. Boyden Rd. Northfield, OH