OPC TOY STORE- Celebrating our 10th Year!

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1 Issue 387 November 2017 OPC TOY STORE- Celebrating our 10th Year! The Toy Store at OPC is coming for this Christmas season on Saturday, December 9 from 2-4pm. Toy Store partners with local elementary schools to invite low-income families from around Spokane Valley to shop for Christmas gifts for their children. We have received so many great responses from families over the years who feel a sense of ownership and pride in being able to purchase Christmas gifts for their children thanks to Toy Store. In recent years, the need has grown to serve an average of 250 kids. If you would like to help make a difference in the lives of local children and their families this Christmas, here are some ways you can help. -Donate new, unopened toys for children ages These toys will be sold in the Toy Store for 80 percent off their retail value. Gift wrapped donation boxes will be out at OPC. The best toys for most families are in the price range of $20-30 retail but all items are greatly appreciated. There is also a Christmas gift shop for the kids to pick out a free little gift to give their parents if you have any small parent gift items ($1-5) that you would like to contribute. -Monetary donations (checks made out to OPC and designated for Toy Store) will be collected and used to purchase more toys for specific age groups based on greatest need. Monetary donations can be put in the offering on Sunday mornings or sent to the church office. -While Toy Store is open to shoppers there will also be free child care, gift wrapping and refreshments available. Volunteers are needed for these things plus toy shopping, pricing, setup, cashiers and cleanup. Signup at church on Sunday or by to kevin@opportunitypresbyterian.org. If you have any questions please talk to Pastor Kevin. In Christ, Pastor Kevin Small Groups at OPC Here are several opportunities to grow together in Christ. Sundays, monthly, following Second Sunday Brunch at OPC, Gospel & Games, young adult fellowship, game-playing and discussion (all ages welcome) Wednesday evenings, monthly, 3rd week, at 6pm, fellowship dinner 6+2 at Nickoloffs Sunday evenings, twice per month, Whitworth Academy The Third Way at Linds Thursday evenings, every other week, starting November 2, book study at Whitefords Sundays, 9-10am, Adult Bible, parallel of the gospels Women s Bible, monthly, 2nd Thursdays 11am & 7pm Please contact the small group leader if you want more information or are interested in joining.

2 P AGE 2 OPC Events Second Sunday Brunch Be thankful with your church family. Celebrate the bounty of the season and the blessings of God by joining us for Second Sunday Brunch following worship on November 12th. Please bring a main dish, side dish or dessert to share. Women s Bible Women s Bible is on November 9th at 11am & 7pm. Call Marilyn Reuhl for more information Hanging of the Greens Come one, come all on Saturday, November 25th as we decorate our church for Advent! Time: 9:00am - Water, coffee and donuts provided. We will set up our decorations and then have a potluck fellowship afterwards. Linda Baggarley will be coming around after church on 11/5 & 11/12 to sign people up to decorate. We look forward to a great time! Hope to see everyone there. Pray for One Corner This fall you are invited to join the OPC family with a commitment to Pray for One. At OPC we have many mission partners and have chosen three key partners to grow in relationship with for the upcoming year. These three partners are World Relief, Family Promise and Churches Loving Schools and they represent our mission to the world, homeless and children. If you haven t done so yet, you can commit to Pray for One by taking a card from the board in the front of the sanctuary or indicating your commitment on your pledge card when we dedicate them on November 12. A couple upcoming dates to note: World Relief Volunteer Training- Tuesday, November 7 from 6-8pm at OPC School Mentors Training, Thursday, November 16 from 9-11am at Argonne Library Pallet Painting Class Nov. 11 Women of OPC is sponsoring a board/pallet afternoon where you will be able to create a decorative pallet for fall. Mark your calendar for Nov. 11 at 1 pm for this event led by Nancy Jones. All supplies are furnished, and the cost is $10. (Cash only please) Please call or Paula Brown for reservations. Paula is at pjbrownrd@comcast.net. Please RSVP by Nov. 2 Mingle and Munch Fellowship Due to Thanksgiving, there will be no Mingle & Munch for the month of November. See you in December! Sunday Morning Breakfast Club Middle school youth are invited to a new small group discipleship class on Sundays mornings from 9-10am led by our Whitworth interns Andrew and Tatum. Fun, fellowship, food and faith discussionswhat could be better!

3 Finance Report Stewardship Drive Update please turn in your pledge card by November 12th P AGE 3 If we truly want to be a congregation that demonstrates the LOVE of Christ in Spokane Valley. If we truly want to GROW in our Christian walk. If we truly want to SERVE as Christ s hands and hearts in a needy world we need to work together to financially support the ministry of OPC. Prayerfully consider your pledge for 2018 we need you!thank you to all of the members of our congregation for your faithful support. Roger & Sandy Anderson Dan & Linda Baggarley Julie Baggarley Taylor Baggarley Jeanne Bailey Deede Baugh Ben & Laurie Beach Linda Beach David & Jody Benker Carol Benner Art & Judy Bickler Merton Bollman Adam & Shannon Borgman Gerrie Bowles-Hobb Rae Bowman Sigrid Brannan Paula Brown Linda Brown Olivia Brownlee Joy Buchanan Danielle Calcaterra Harriet Carbon Rick & Carla Carnegie Donald Carnegie Donna Jean Carnegie Kyle Carnegie Meghan Carnegie Tom & Susan Carnegie Patricio Carpinteyro Burn Cersley Sandy Churchill Roberta Jean Clemons Duane & Judy Cocking Michele Cole Landy & Nancy Comstock Jessie Cox David & Debbie Crowder Dave Crowder Beverly Custer Bruce & Lisa Cutter Andrew & Connie Dahlman Peggy Deilke Cherry DeRuwe Lola Dolphin Thomas Dunagan Neil & Mary Ellen Dunagan Max Durall Jon & Heidi Ehrlich Bertrand Evans James & Patty Ewing Madeline Fichtenberg Joy Flint Sally Fox Melissa Furtney Andrew Gagnon Nancy Gaudette Beverley Gibson Bill & Pat Goetter Sharon Goff Heather Hall Nancy Harris Linda Harris Andrew Hass Richard & Linda Hicks Tom & Donna Holz Christopher & Michelle Honey Skip & JoAnn Houston Bob Houston Andrew & Tammy Hovren Alexa Hovren Rick & Leslie Huff Jane Hussey Connie Jensen Martin Jonard Nancy Jones Mark Jones Donald Jordin Lynn Keeling Lynette Kind Deborah Kirk Tom Kirk Harvey & Inge Klep Jong & Sun Lee Alisa Lind Bernadine MacLean Anne Martin Theron & Kathy McCollough Jacque McFarlen Joel McFarlen Inge McGillivrae Shirley McKenney Jeff & Monica McMurtrey Lorene McPherson Jared Mola Roger & Kathy Mola Rachel Mola Bob & Betty Montle Loretta Moore Sarah Needlands Esther Nelson Myles & Melanie Nelson Cameron Nemeth Michael Nemeth Judy Nettles Debbie Newland Nick & Mary Lee Nickoloff Debbie Norris Carol Numata Oris & Nancy Olson Ruth Parman Ron & Jackie Perkins Barry & Kathy Rettkowski Burch & Marji Roark Ruth Robbins Steve & Linda Roberts Ian Robison Mike Robison Nancy Robison Marilyn Reuhl Margaret Roe Johanna Roloff Karma Roth Virginia Rotondo Cheryl Sampson Terry Jo Sather Elizabeth Sexton Terry & Nancy Shatto Dean Shaver Mary Candace Skewis Cameron Sonderman Felicia Sonderman Gerald & Thelma Stefonowicz Ronald Stephenson Signe Stokes Jim & Charlotte Stone Dorothy Storey Don & Gladys Sullivan Mary Jane Thompson Nick & Shelley Van Tim Vaughan Sheryl Vickery Sue Webber Dennis & Michelle Weitman Jessicca Weitman Joy Weitman Rebekka Weitman Kathy Wellington Maybelle Wendler Thomas & Iris Wetherholt Ritchie Whipple Mac & Charlotte Whiteford Ivan & Arline Whitney Stephen & Vicki Wieber Doug & Judy Wiley Margot Wilson

4 P AGE 4 It all Points Back to Christ Walk into the children s area in November and you ll already start to see the signs that Christmas is coming. What can I say? I love the season and having it come a little early doesn t really bother me. Once Halloween ends I begin my mad rush to plan every weekend activity, special Kid s Club events and of course the Christmas play. In other words, it s full blown Christmas by the first of November. I love the season of Christmas, the lights, the tree, the decorations always fill me with a sense of peace and anticipation. What is even better is the fact that so much of what makes Christmas special is steeped in faith. Signs and symbols that draw us into the story of Christ are everywhere! The Christmas tree is an evergreen which symbolizes eternal life. Jingle bells represent the announcement that Jesus is born. Round Christmas tree ornaments symbolize that God has no beginning or ending and also symbolizes the earth (God created the earth and loves everyone on the earth). Lights remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World. Even the colors of Christmas, red and green, bring us back to the story. Red reminds us of the blood Jesus shed for us, while green reminds us that it was shed for our life. Symbols surround us and draw us into the story. They are amazing ways to connect us together and remember that in the end the season always comes back to Christ. This season we will be looking at the different ways symbols help us tell the story of Christ. Every Wednesday night (6:30-7:30pm) at Kids Club we will explore symbols that both teach us and engage us in service. This year we are excited to team up with The Meeting Place to bring you a very special Children s Christmas play. s will start on November 8th and run every Wednesday night alongside Kids Club. November 6th will be Bible Gifting Sunday. Each Bible costs around $17 a piece. If you would like to help sponsor a Bible or have sponsored a bible in the past and would like to reconnect to the child please contact Shannon. Kids and Parents: Don't miss on Parents Night Out! November 17th, 5:30-8:00 PM. Just drop off your kids for dinner, games, a movie and a special November activity. Please RSVP by November 13th. Youth Room collecting Couches! After a few months the construction repairs are just about finished on the kitchen and youth room downstairs. After the roof was replaced, a slow, small leak was discovered in the kitchen that had cause significant water damage behind all the kitchen appliances, the wall, floor, and immediately below in the youth room basement area. Through our building insurance and a great restoration contractor, the work is finally coming to a close. We are thankful that, once again, our insurance covers this great cost. In the process, we had to dispose of the couches downstairs. While the insurance will cover the cost of replacement, the couches were very old and not of much value. If you have a couch you would like to get rid of, we are collecting donations to fill the youth room once again. We will gladly arrange someone to come pick it up or you can deliver it to the church, just contact the church office at or home@opportunitypresbyterian.org. Any couch is good working order is gladly accepted. With all the activity around OPC, the basement is used almost every day by numerous groups and we are very glad to get things back in full working order.

5 P AGE 5 We are very grateful to introduce 3 ministry interns at OPC for the academic year. They are made possible by a generous anonymous donation and our Whitworth partnership. Kaija Olsen is a junior transfer student at Whitworth University. She is from Minnesota and plays violin in the Whitworth Symphony. Kaija is studying English and/or Communications with a Studio Art minor. She will be helping with children s ministry at OPC. Andrew Ziegler is a sophomore at Whitworth from Vancouver, Washington. He is majoring in international studies, perhaps with a double major in theology. He will be working with middle school student ministry and the HUB360 after school program. Tatum Olsen is a freshman at Whitworth University from Pendleton, Oregon. Tatum plays on the softball team and is planning to major in psychology. She will be helping with middle school student ministry and the Wyldlife Club on Monday nights. Session The Session met on Monday, October 23rd and the following items were discussed and/or action taken: Approved a third Whitworth intern whose responsibilities include afterschool middle school programs Discussed the probable likelihood that we will receive a summer intern through The Calling initiative Discussed OPC participation in the Third Way Academy, which is an extension of the Whitworth Academy of Christian Discipleship. This group will meet twice a month (Sunday evenings) to watch and discuss videos provided by Whitworth. The focus will be to explore ways that the denominational church reaches out and serves the community that surrounds it. See Pastor Kevin or Nick Nickoloff if you are interested in pursuing participation. Everyone is welcome! Bell Choir under the direction of our new organist will begin practicing on Wednesday evenings starting on November 1st. Come join this fun activity. The Christmas Story, a Civic Theater production, is this year s Family Promise fundraiser. Save the date November 18th tickets available in the office. The second phase of the LED project is nearly complete. Huge thanks to Martin Jonard and Rich Hicks who changed out more than 690 fluorescent bulbs. As a result of their donated labor, we will actually make money on this project from rebates provided by Bonneville Power. In addition, we will save on our utility bills.

6 P AGE 6 OPC Foundation wants to express a HUGE thanks to all who helped make our first annual Family Fun Night a success!! Your participation by providing desserts for the auction, the amazing cupcakes for the cupcake walk baked and delivered by Jessica and Rebecca Weitman, providing setup and cleanup help, by your very presence and especially your continued prayers for OPC Foundation helped make this event a success. ISSUE #386 Trunk or treat! What a great year! We had 844 kids & adults register for the night. Thank you to everyone who helped, provided candy, brought a Trunk, helped in the gym, set up and cleaned up. What a blessing. Thanks to your help, Feed My Starving Children was a huge success! There were almost 800 volunteers who packed 936 boxes! That equals 202, 176 meals. 553 children in the Philippines will be fed for an entire year!!! We will be collecting entries for a dessert cookbook to be dedicated to Neil Prescott through the spring. We would love to include your favorite dessert recipes and stories of their special meaning to you and your family. We would like to include stories of personal interactions with this special man, Neil Prescott. Contact Charlotte Whiteford if you have questions ~ cwhiteford@att.net ~ (509) The annual OPC Books & More Sale will be he first weekend of March and books can be left in the narthex coat rooms at any time. Thanks, The Library Committee Thank you to all who came and shopped at the OPC Craft and Quilt Sale! With your help we raised $3,165 for Toy Store! Willow Song Music Therapy Center, located at E Wellesley #102. Otis Orchards, WA offers a "Mindful Music & Movement" class for persons living with chronic pain or disease, Parkinson's, Early Dementia, or Stroke recovery at 11:30-12:30 each Wednesday morning. Nov. 1, 8, 22 are the open dates for November. All are welcomed on a donation basis.(suggested donation: $10) facilitated by Carla Carnegie, MT-BC, NMT fellow. For more info: Carla.carnegie@gmail.com, or visit A Christmas Story The Musical As the new year begins, we will again host Family Promise at OPC. Dec. 31 is the first night our families will move into our church. That is the night Spokane Valley Baptist Church will bring dinner and sleep in our church with the families. Presently, there are three families in the program. It is exciting to see them move from hopeless to hopeful. Our church will provide dinner and overnight hosts for Thursday, Jan. 4th and Saturday, Jan. 6. If you would like to help, contact Sue Webber We also provide food for breakfast and lunch so we need many contributions. Also, one of the major fundraisers of the year for Family Promise is a night out at the Civic on Saturday, November 18. The musical is A CHRISTMAS STORY. Tickets are available at the office or through Sue Webber. Please consider coming and supporting Family Promise. THANK YOU! The Baggarley family would like to thank everyone for all your thoughts and prayers concerning Linda s brother Rick, their son Steve who is recovering nicely and Linda. It is so wonderful to have a great praying congregation. Our love and blessings to you all. Thank you, The Baggarleys

7 THE LAMP POST P AGE 7 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 6:30pm OPC Kids Club 2 10am Quilting 3 4 6pm Zumba 5 Communion Sunday 9am Bible 6 6:33pm Wyldlife 7 7pm B&G Meeting 8 6:30pm OPC Kids Club 9 11am & 7pm Women s Bible 6pm Zumba pm WOPC Pallet Class 12 9am Bible 11:30am Second Sunday Brunch 13 6pm Deacons Meeting 6:33pm Wyldlife :30pm OPC Kids Club 16 10am Quilting 6pm Zumba 17 5:30pm Parents Night Out am Bible 20 6:33pm Wyldlife Thanksgiving am Hanging of the Greens 11am Congregational Meeting 26 9am Bible 27 6:33pm Wyldlife :30pm OPC Kids Club 30 6pm Zumba 7pm Session

8 Opportunity Presbyterian Church 202 N. Pines Rd. Spokane Valley, WA OPC STAFF Pastor: Rev. Kevin Lind Music Director: Jennifer Pearman Organist: Edward Hurd Pianist: Dr. Sigrid Brannan Children s Ministry Director: Shannon Borgman Nursery Coordinator: Chenoa Turner Secretary: Melanie Nelson Maintenance: Ben Beach Go Green! Subscribe to Our E-Newsletter. If you subscribe to our print newsletter and would prefer to receive our news by , please call the office at or us at home@opportunitypresbyterian.org Identification Statement The Lamp Post Published Monthly Opportunity Presbyterian Church 202 N. Pines Road Spokane Valley, WA Non-Profit Organization Issue #387