November 2018 NOVEMBER. DEACON OF THE MONTH Sue Holcomb (360) FISH FOOD Soups, Stews, Chili. Published Monthly

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1 November 2018 Published Monthly NOVEMBER DEACON OF THE MONTH Sue Holcomb (360) FISH FOOD Soups, Stews, Chili November 2:00am The other day I was sitting on a bench outside Silver Star Elementary School waiting for my third grade lunch buddy to walk by where we eat lunch, play games, and share life. It s part of my weekly rhythm that I have come to cherish. It was a strikingly beautiful Pacific Northwest fall day. Crisp clear blue skies. Warm sunshine hanging a little lower in the sky. I sat in this quiet peacefulness for a few minutes while noticing the bright red leaves from a Japanese maple falling from its branches as the wind gently blew. One leaf after another disconnecting from the life line and falling to the ground. Earlier that morning I had received the call that our sweet Nola Cook had passed away. She was a beautiful soul. Brightly colored. So gentle, yet strongly determined. She was a woman before her time who paved the way for so many other women in the broadcasting and advertising fields. I thought of the other leaves that had fallen from our branches in the past year. Jack and Jean Doty, Margie Progler, and Gayle Allen to name a few. Each beautiful souls that we have had the privilege of sharing life and ministry together over the past season at Cascades Presbyterian Church. It s amazing how God has woven this sense of birth, death, and rebirth into the fabric of creation. Through the seasons, we experience them all and are reminded that nothing lasts forever. Truly all good things physically come to an end. But in Christ, we have the hope that all good things experience new life as well. That is something we give thanks for in this season when we reflect on all the good things that have come from God s hands. Good things that we are to be stewards of in this life time knowing that all good things return to God some day as well. Over the past couple of months, we ve been learning about what it means to live generously. We ve been taught that living generously extends far beyond our pockets and into every fabric of our lives. In other words, we are to be generous with our time, our encouragement, our creativity, our service, our pursuit of justice, our hospitality, our talents, our neighborliness, our relationships, and our resources. Each are equally important gifts that we turn over in return to God, asking that they get multiplied and used for God s great purposes in our world. 500 friends and no one s available to chat? No new posts today? How odd As you enjoy reading this month s Bell, try to find the hidden cross. In this season of Thanksgiving let us truly offer to God thanks for the many gifts we ve been given. We have been blessed beyond measure. But let us not forget to give thanks for the most important gift of loved ones with whom we ve had the pleasure to share our lives because all too soon, they fall from our branches and are gone. Thank you for the privilege and pleasure of sharing your tree with me! I am truly grateful! In Christ, Rev. Dr. Chris Montovino, Pastor

2 Page 2 BUILDING A CULTURE OF GENEROSITY WORKSHOP On Saturday November 17, 2018 from 8:30am to 12:30pm the Rev. Dr. Rob Hagan from the Presbyterian Foundation will be leading a workshop on how we can build a culture of generosity at Cascades. This workshop is for all session elders, deacons, Benevolence Board members, and invited guests. We will talk more about Cascades gifts and how we can be better stewards of those gifts in an effort to Live Generously. Please let Pastor Chris know that you will be attending. LEGACY GIVING SEMINAR & LUNCHEON On Sunday November 18, 2018 following worship from 11:30am to 1:00pm the Rev. Dr. Rob Hagan from the Presbyterian Foundation will be hosting a luncheon seminary on wills, estates, and the many planned giving vehicles offered through the Presbyterian Foundation. This will be held in the Small fellowship hall for anyone interested in learning more (maximum twenty people). Please sign up on the bulletin board in advance. My church family, And you are my family. Thank you so much for making my birthday so wonderful. I am honored! The wishes, the songs, and my lovely, thoughtful gifts made my day so special. I love this church and am so blessed to be a part of it. Sharon Morrison THANKSGIVING SERVICE Join our Presbyterian Sister Churches for worship on Tuesday November 20, 2018 at 7:00pm at 1st Presbyterian Church of Vancouver. This is a chance for us to gather, hear what God is doing in our area through our collective ministries, to know that we are part of something greater than ourselves, and to give thanks to God for all his goodness. If you d like to sing in the joint choir, please contact Nancy Bisbee for more information. A NOTE OF THANKS daily Devotions On the Way Nov 1 Mark 12:28-34 Nov 2 Ruth 1:16-17 Nov 3 Mark 12:28-34 Rest for Weary Souls Nov 4 Psalm 91:1 Nov 5 Jeremiah 6:16b Nov 6 Matthew 11:28 Nov 7 Mark 6:31 Nov 8 Hebrews 4:10 Nov 9 Matthew 6:25 Nov 10 Psalm 116:7 Holy Disruptions Nov 11 Mark 13:1-8 Nov 12 Luke 14:12-14 Nov 13 Luke 14:25-33 Nov 14 Psalm 4 Nov 15 Luke 15:11-24 Nov 16 James 1:17-25 Nov 17 Joel 2:12-17 Are You the Body of Christ? Nov 18 Isaiah 43:1-7 Nov 19 Mark 1:35-39 Nov 20 Psalm 23 Nov 21 Mark 10:35-45 Nov 22 John 13:31-35 Nov 23 Mark 12:41-44 Nov 24 Luke 14:7-14 Minor Characters Nov 25 1 Kings 3:16-28 Nov 26 Exodus 4:14-18 Nov 27 Matthew 8:14-15 Nov 28 Acts 19:11-16 Nov 29 Luke 10:25-38 Nov 30 Luke 15:11-32

3 Page 3 OCTOBER BENEVOLENCE BOARD ACTIONS Cascades Benevolence Board was pleased to provide two $5,000 grants for the annual fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Carpenter and the Teen Reach Adventure Camp (TRAC) of Clark County. While we know Friends of the Carpenter well, TRAC is a ministry sponsored by Harvest Community Church in Camas that operates a 100% volunteer run foster teen camp to help youth build self esteem and trust following abuse. We also approved $1,000 for the purchase of upgraded Parenting with Love and Logic Curriculum to be used by the Orchards, Young Lives Teen Moms Ministry, and families within the Silver Star Elementary School Community. OCTOBER SESSION NOTES Devotions started with a video study on our Book of Confessions and prayer. Heard plans for a new crocheting ministry being started by Sharon Morrison. Approved narrative budget for this year s stewardship campaign. Plans to reduce the amount of plastic wastes generated by the church. Bill Gibson to order new mugs for Mug A Visitor Program. Discussed reflections from John Bishop Articles in the Columbian and challenges of pastoral ministry. Approved facility use of Cedars 49 Homeowners Association Meeting November 3. Overall amazed at the gifts within our church and feel very called by God to share our gifts with those around us. THE TALENTS CHALLENGE Over the past several months, we have been learning about what it means to live generously and we have heard about Jesus Parable of the Talents. Servants of a certain master are given different amounts of money according to their abilities. It s a story that describes this master s joy when his servants put those talents to work furthering his kingdom. Your session is excited about bringing this story to life soon at Cascades. While we can t share any of the details right now, just know that a surprise will be coming. The question is Will you accept the challenge? YOUTH GROUP NEWS Youth Group has started back up again for another great and exciting season of ministry with our high school and junior high students. We gather on Wednesday evenings for fun, food, and fellowship. We ve been learning more about how we can know God better and how to live into God s greatest commandment. On Sunday mornings we ve been learning more about the life and ministry of Jesus, knowing that better we know Jesus, the more we know God. We have also had three missional services projects this month providing yard work for one of our seniors, selling tickets for the Winter Housing Overflow Pancake Breakfast ($611 raised!!!), and hosting the annual Cascades Harvest Party and Potluck. Thank you especially to a great team of volunteers who love our kids well Cordell and Greg Beck, Sarah Foster, Jeremiah Burton, and Alasdair Waterhouse. We still could use one more female leader on our team! Could it be you?

4 Page 4 FAMILY CAMP RECAP What a great time we had at our Fall Retreat at the end of September! We went an incredible hike around Trillium Lake at Mt. Hood. We even saw a bald eagle fly right over our heads and perch in a tree nearby. We had snacks and crafts for the kids and adults to enjoy during the free time. We enjoyed a pumpkin carving contest with prizes. We had a potluck dinner with so much food we could not have even come close to eating it all. We got to sit and talk and just spend time together. We played Mexican Train dominos. We sat in the hot tub or played in the pool. Some of us stopped at Calamity Jane s Burger Restaurant in Sandy for lunch on Saturday. We ate Joe s doughnuts on Sunday morning and had church together. Over the weekend, we modeled the full life that Jesus intends for his disciples and the way the early church lived in community with one another. We lived into Psalm 133 How good and pleasant it is when God s people live together in unity.

5 Page 5 CALENDAR Rosan Alvey Linda Beck Allegra Bisbee Jill Clifford Bill Gibson Ewan Hickok Cassy Holcomb Michelle Honey Rhyan Montovino Sofia Montovino Chris Montovino Don t see your name? Contact the church office to add your birthday or anniversary! FINANCE September 2018 Income $17, Expenses $19, Total ($ 1,937.90) Year to Date 2018 $ (13,004.61) Nov 1 7:00pm Choir Practice Nov 4 2:00am Turn Back Clocks One Hour! Nov 4 9:00am Pancake Breakfast/Communion Nov 6 1:00pm Quilting Nov 7 6:00pm Worship Team Practice 6:30pm Youth Group Nov 8 7:00pm Choir Practice Nov 10 5:30pm Family Game Night Nov 11 9:00am Sunday School All Ages 11:30am Top of the Hill Potluck Nov 13 1:00pm Quilting 7:00pm Deacons Meeting Nov 14 6:00pm Worship Team Practice 6:30pm Youth Group Nov 15 7:00pm Choir Practice Nov 17 8:30am Culture of Generosity Giving Nov 18 9:00am Sunday School All Ages 11:30am Legacy Giving Seminar Nov 20 1:00pm Quilting 7:00pm Thanksgiving 1st Pres. Nov 21 6:00pm Worship Team Practice Nov 22 Office Closed Happy Thanksgiving! Nov 25 9:00am Sunday School All Ages Nov 27 1:00pm Quilting Nov 28 6:00pm Worship Team Practice 6:30pm Youth Group Nov 29 7:00pm Choir Practice Sanctuary Loan Balance as of September 30, 2018 Muzzy $ 0.00 Synod $578, Total $578,326.24

6 PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE 9503 NE 86th St Vancouver, WA R ETUR N SER VICE R EQU ESTED (360) office@caspres.org GAME NIGHT Nov 5:30pm CULTURE OF GENEROSITY WORKSHOP Nov 8:30am TOP OF THE HILL Nov 11 following worship. LEGACY GIVING SEMINAR & LUNCHEON Nov 11:30am WEEKLY WORSHIP SCHEDULE 9:00-9:55am Sunday School All Ages 9:55-10:15am Fellowship 10:15-11:30am Worship Service PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES IN PARTNERSHIP THANKSGIVING SERVICE Nov 7:00pm First Presbyterian Church