Circuit Rider. Kathy s Corner

Transcription

1 F I R S T P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H Circuit Rider Serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination and love. Volume 62, Number 10 October 2018 Kathy s Corner So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. We ended September praying our goodbyes for secretary/treasurer Alice Hepburn and deciding as a congregation whether to affirm Session s recommendation to purchase 165 undeveloped acres adjoining Westminster Woods. We begin October with the PW Potluck to Start the Program Year on Oct. 2. Both Choir and Bell Choir are rehearsing on Wednesday evenings. Presbyterian Women begin monthly bible studies on the 2 nd Wednesday at 9:30am and the 3 rd Thursday at noon. We are making homemade noodles on Oct. 13 at 9am for the Soup Supper, which will be November 2 nd at 5pm. The Fair Trade Market is going to be up for half of the month World Communion Sunday is October 7 and many church members are baking breads from different countries for us to share as we remember the global reach of God s family. We will receive the Peace and Global Witness Offering, with 25% of it designated for the local Domestic Violence shelter. The Presbyterian Preschool is celebrating its 55 th anniversary with a reunion of former students and staff on Sunday, Oct 28 from 2-4pm with a program at 3pm. During worship that morning, we will rededicate this ministry! The preschool is taking orders for ButterBraids this month (for frozen delivery at noon on Nov. 1). This is the main fundraiser for our preschool, which currently has 65 children enrolled (there are still a few openings for 4-year-olds). Church-in-the-Woods is October 21 at Westminster Woods Chapel. It is followed by a lunch (bring sides and desserts to go with chili) and the Fall Festival. We host Eastern Oregon Presbytery for their October meeting. Friday afternoon at 5:15pm, Evan Hansen is slated to be advanced to Candidacy on the path of preparation for ordained ministry. Mike Hachquet is winding up his service as Stated Clerk, as he and Connie have moved to the Portland area to be near grandkids. Friday evening, there will be a communion service at 7pm. Saturday at 9am Healthy Boundaries and Harassment Prevention will be led by Jane Odell from the Synod of the Pacific. On the Mission front, we serve Salvation Army lunch on October 17, host the Scouts and the Home 4 Hope board as they prepare for Project Community Connect/Veteran s Stand Down for low-income and homeless people in our region, Oct 20 at the Helen McCune Rec Center (volunteers needed). The month concludes with Reformation Sunday, October 28, when we may (it is hoped) be led from the sanctuary by bagpipers. Do stop in and meet our new Office Manager, Alison Moses. (Think: Alice + N). I found her to be easy to talk with and a good listener, and hope that you will, too. I clearly remember the hectic, busy-ness of last October. Please remind me (and know I will be reminding you) to breathe and to celebrate the good gifts of God every day! Pastor 1 Kathy

2 PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN KICK-OFF POTLUCK SUPPER - All women of the church are encouraged to come together for a potluck supper Tuesday, October 2nd at 6:00 pm in the Rogers Room. We will have a brief overview of the Bible study materials, God s Promise: I am with You, by Amy Poling Sutherland. We will take orders for books, if needed. The short program will include remarks from our participants to the 2018 Churchwide Women s Gathering in Louisville. There will be a report on the progress being made on the Annual Soup Supper. Please bring your favorite dish, salad or dessert to share and spend an evening with your PW friends. All women of the church are welcome. NOODLE MAKING PARTY Come to the church kitchen on Saturday, October 13 at 9:00 a.m. to help make noodles for the Soup Supper. We make noodles for the chicken soup plus some to sell to the public. It s fun! 35th Annual Soup Supper Friday, November 2, 2018 Rogers Fellowship Room First Presbyterian Church 5:00 7:00 PM $8.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under 10 The menu features four delicious varieties of soup: clam chowder, chicken noodle, G/F vegan tomato and vegetable beef. The soups will be served with bread, relishes, beverages, and homemade desserts. Additional homemade noodles, also used in the soup, will be packaged and available for purchase. You can purchase tins of yummy homemade cookies. Before and after dinner, peruse the large variety of fairly traded crafts from developing countries. Included in the items are: toys, musical instruments, crèches, and jewelry. These unique and innovative products celebrate the diverse gifts of artisans around the world. When you buy these products, you help to provide food, medicine, housing, and education for the artisans families while providing steady employment, skills training, and an opportunity for a better future. There will also be a nice selection of coffee and chocolate for sale. On Saturday, November 3rd, the craft items will be available for sale in the church fellowship room from 9:00 AM 2:00 PM. All proceeds from the event support mission and church work locally, nationwide, and around the world. 2

3 Fellowship Hosts 2018 Coffee September Stewardship October Caring Connection November Worship Commission December Open Sign Ups* January Personnel February Choir/Bells March House & Grounds April CE Children/Youth May Mission Commission June Westminster Woods July Presbyterian Women August Deacons * talk to a member of the Caring Connection to sign up for a Sunday. CALLING ALL COOKIE BAKERS Please plan to make a batch of COOKIES for the 35th annual Soup Supper. This is a fund raiser for Presbyterian Women, and we can sell all the COOKIES that we can make. The COOKIES could be any kind: Chocolate chip COOKIES, peanut butter COOKIES, oatmeal COOKIES, any kind of COOKIES. Please bring the COOKIES to the church Friday, Nov. 2nd in the morning. We will display the COOKIES at the Soup Supper, and people can buy a tin of COOKIES. Thank you Thank you to Rev. Kate Bottorff for officiating the Celebration of Life for Riley Price at Westminster Woods. After Riley disappeared on a wilderness hike, the family waited a year to hold this celebration of the photographer. He is survived by his wife Cheryl (Boise) and sons Nathaniel (Salem) and Brian (Boise). ELDER COMMISSION ASSIGNMENTS for Gary Zimmerman - Stewardship/Endowment Sandy Gall - Caring Connection Dale Wilkins - Westminster Woods Chuck Woods - House & Grounds Mary Davis - Mission Diana Zimmerman - Christian Education Mike Muller - Personnel Marty Platt - At-Large Marie Hall - Worship Clerk of Session: Gary Zimmerman Deacons: Meagan Sims Kathi McElroy Norma Rickman Suzan Wood Barbara Clark Viki Lange Sharon Simons Luann Soderstrom Donne Collins Diana Hack Tina Kennedy Linda Muller 3

4 PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE CONTINUES THEIR WORK The Pastor Nominating Committee meets regularly to move forward in our Pastor search. We are currently finalizing our MIF, or Minister Information Form. This computer generated form comes from the PCUSA site, and standardizes information given out to potential minister matches. We have utilized the Self Study Team report to formulate our responses on the form, and it has proven a valuable tool. The next step is to complete the form and submit it to the Eastern Oregon Presbytery for approval. After that, we will post the form and wait for interested applicants. You can follow a broad outline of the process at calling-pastor/. The PNC is always available for questions or comments. Please contact Darcey Ridgway, Michele Madril, Steve Muller, Theresa Ulrich or Lori Powell, Chair. NATIVE AMERICAN SUNDAY Michael Minthorn, elder from Tutuilla Presbyterian Church, was liturgist at First Presbyterian Church of Pendleton for Native American Sunday, September 23. In exchange, Sandy Gall, an elder from First Presbyterian was liturgist for the Tutuilla service. The two churches are less than nine miles apart, but one is in the town of Pendleton and the other on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, surrounded by wheat fields. The Tutuilla Church was founded by a missionary in 1882, and the first building was built by Jimmy Cornelison, known as Shoyapo Shoyapo Little White Man. The photo shows the current church building, the parsonage (no longer standing) and teepees, where families stayed when journeying from a distance for services. The Tutuilla Presbyterian Church is served part -time by Rev. Lloyd Commander, who also is the tribes Youth Services & Recreation Program Manager. 4

5 PEACE & GLOBAL WITNESS OFFERING: BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS The Peace & Global Witness Offering is received during the Season of Peace, which ends on World Communion Sunday, October 7 th. The Peace & Global Witness Offering draws Presbyterians together and provides education and exposure to those who show us how to do this work well. It allows us to create resources for dealing with conflict and nurturing reconciliation, and stand in support of our global sisters and brothers, because the peace of Christ belongs to people everywhere. It has helped support our church partners in Madagascar recover from years of destructive development. Barbara Clark helped to bring these issues to light in her presentations about Madagascar after her visit in The Peace and Global Witness Offering has brought attention to the need to work for an end to all forms of human trafficking, including, the abduction of children to be used as soldiers throughout the world. Mary Davis shared her experience with a young boy who was abducted at 8 years old from his family in Uganda and his fight for survival over the next five years. It is estimated that 40% of the armed forces in the world recruit children. This is one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. The Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church advocates at the United Nations for the Red Hand Campaign, the universal ratification of a treaty banning child soldiers under 18 years of age. To date over two thirds of the countries of the world have ratified it. Sixty-one countries have yet to ratify it. As we work to share Christ s peace with one another, let s share that peace with those beyond our doors. Twenty-five percent of this Offering will go to our Presbytery joining with other congregations in our area to support peacemaking work in our region. The second twenty-five percent of this offering stays with our congregation so that we can commit ourselves to active peacemaking, Locally we are donating to Domestic Violence Services. This offering supports the active work for peace being done by Presbyterians everywhere. When the peace treaty was signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979, President Jimmy Carter quoted the journalist Walker Knight, saying peace is active, not passive; peace is doing, not waiting peace, like war, is waged. 5

6 Church in the Woods & the Fall Festival - Sunday, October 15th Westminster Woods Worship 10:30 am: worship in the Woods chapel Potluck - If your last name starts with A-M please bring a side dish N-Z please bring dessert We will make the chili and cornbread. If you would like to assist with this event please contact : Sandy Gall at After lunch we will start our Fall Festival activities that include, pumpkin carving (you can bring your own pumpkin, or we hope to have some to share), apple cider pressing, donut bobbing, and a junk food walk. If anyone needs a ride please call the Church, , and we will arrange to pick you up and bring you home. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS PUMPKIN CARVING DONUT BOB- BING APPLE CIDER PRESSING FUN Come on up to Westminster Woods October 21 st for Church in the Woods. Bring your whole family for some Harvest Fun. Bring your favorite salad or dessert to share with the Chili and Corn bread provided by Caring Commission. Please plan on staying for the pumpkin carving (tools and some pumpkins are provided or you can bring your own), Donut Bobbing, Junk food walk and Apple pressing. There is nothing better than fresh apple juice! We hope to see you there. Save the Date! Church in the Woods and Fall Festival Sunday, October 21 10:30 am Westminster Woods 6

7 PRESBYTERIAN PRESCHOOL NEWS ButterBraids are coming! Orders will be taken from Oct. 2-23, with delivery on Nov. 1st. This is the Preschool's main fundraiser of the year! October 14 you will get an opportunity to taste some of the delicious flavors. October is Fire Safety Month and the Preschool will be having a fire drill and a visit by the Fire Department. The Preschool's 55th year Reunion on Sunday, Oct. 28. There will be a rededication during 10 am worship with a celebration from 2-4 in the afternoon. All former directors, teachers and students are invited to tour the preschool, share experiences and memories and have some cake and punch. Halloween parties will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 30 (Early Learners) and Wednesday, Oct. 31 (Pre-Kindergarten). The Circuit Rider This newsletter is a monthly publication of First Presbyterian Church. Submissions may be edited for content and length. First Presbyterian Staff Rev. Kathy Keener Interim Pastor kathyk@pendletonpresbyterian.com Alison Moses Secretary/Treasurer fpcp@pendletonpresbyterian.com Steve Muller Chancel Choir Director zekemuller@gmail.com Sue Nelson Organist/ music staff musicdoc3@mac.com Alice Hepburn Circuit Rider Editor ahepburn97801@gmail.com First Presbyterian Church 201 SW Dorion Ave. Pendleton, OR Phone: Fax: Pre-Kindergarteners participate in their annual Presbyterian Preschool Rodeo. The Round Up Court came to share this special event. Office Hours: M-TH, 9:00am- 5:00pm F, 9:00am to noon. Childcare is provided during worship. Enjoy refreshments at Fellowship following the service. 7

8 PERSONNEL COMMISSION REPORT Along with the seasonal changes following Round-Up, the church office will also be going through a transition. After 19 years, Alice Hepburn has retired at the end of September. We thank her for the dedication and involvement she pursued over her tenure as the face and voice of First Presbyterian. At your church office visits in October you will be greeted by a new face. After receiving 35 responses and applications, Personnel Commission is happy to report that Alison Moses agreed to be our next Office Manager! Alison comes to us with both Library Science & Theology degrees and an enthusiasm to work during this time of change. Her official start date is the October 8th but you may see her, during the next several weeks, working with Alice to provide a smooth transition. Thank you Alice! and welcome Alison! Finally, with Marie Hall s installment as an Elder serving Worship Commission, the Personnel Commission (Mike Muller & Dale Wilkins) are still looking for a few folks who might be interested in serving as Commission Members. We typically meet once a month on the second Tuesday for an hour. Give us a call or contact the Church office if you have an interest in serving with us. Thank you to all of our Cycle Oregon Volunteers Norm Baton Bob Blanc Bob Ehmann Ron Fonger Sandy Gall Alice Hepburn Martha Landers Larry Lehman Connie Macomber Michele Madril George Nelson Rod Nixon Darcey Ridgway Sharon Simons Harry Strudwick Connie Talboy Dale Wilkins Judy Wilkins Judy Witte Chuck Wood Barbara Wright Daylight Savings Time Sunday, Nov. 4th. 8

9 WORSHIP COMMISSION REPORT The church Worship webpages are being updated with a history of the organs, prepared by Sue Nelson and information about the choir, when practices and worship participation are scheduled along with an invitation to join the group, written by Director, Steve Muller. When you have a few minutes in the next few weeks, please visit the pages at and share any suggestions with the Worship Commission. Thanks to Reverend Kathy Keener for gifting the church with two Pendleton wool paraments she made. They connect the sanctuary during this ordinary time of the church calendar with Round-Up traditions. Substitute musicians are most appreciated! When Sue Nelson is away, Madison Feller, Beth Read, Susan Wood, Denise Owen, and Myrna VanCleve often graciously fill-in. Marcia Brown organizes and leads worship music when needed as well, recently at Church in the Woods. Upcoming Special Worship Events: October 9: World Communion, a time to share communion with Christians globally. Our service will include breads as made by various cultures. October 21: Church in Woods 10:30 am with lunch and Fall Festival to follow. Join with others to celebrate fall in Westminster Woods Chapel and enjoy time in the woods before winter arrives. October 28: Reformation Sunday commemorates the beginning of the reformed Christian tradition when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses in Glenda s Verse Pastor Kathy Keener and our newest Deacons: Tina Kennedy, Linda Muller, Donna Collins, and Diana Hack at their installation service. 1 Samuel 16:6 7 King James Version (KJV) 6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him. 7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 9

10 Round-Up 2018 was a blast! Pete and ElRae Wells, Mena and John Gilson, and Marj Hoagland enjoy the Westward Ho parade. Alan Feves, Emily Muller-Cary, Steve Muller, and Andy Cary provide the music for Round Up Sunday. Bells of Joy start their new season - If you are interested in ringing with us, please contact Judy Witte. We d really like more members so we can play more of the bells that we have, especially the larger, deeper tone bells. Some musical knowledge is necessary. Our practices are Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:45p.m. Judy Witte, bell director

11 What about the proposed purchase of land adjacent to Westminster Woods? When this article was written, we had not yet held the September 30th congregational meeting to consider the purchase of 165 acres adjacent to our camp and conference center. I am attempting to answer questions that have been raised and to explain the process. Rev. Kathy Keener The roots of this property acquisition go back to 1993 when a national camp and conference consultant told the Westminster Woods (WW) commission that in order to serve families and adults, you need to expand your vision. The camp needed to move farther from the freeway and acquire additional property. In 1994, Ernie Cristler and Rev. Acker approached Betty Brunette, asking to purchase 196-acres west of WW. Instead, she gifted the church 31 acres and gave the church right-of-first-refusal if she ever chose to sell her remaining 165-acres. In 1995, the WW Master Plan was completed, with long-term plans for developing a camp and conference center, adding the bunkhouse, chapel/multi-purpose space, a lodge with family and adult housing and additional recreational facilities. After 23 years, on June 24, your WW commission and Session received a ninety-day notice offering the church the right-of-first-refusal to purchase the Brunette property adjacent to Westminster Woods. Today, the 165-acre Brunette property is the entire West boundary of Westminster Woods. On other boundaries of camp, WW is fenced in by Emigrant State Park (NE), State of Oregon property including Westminster Lane and Park Maintenance Facilities (SE) and property held as investment by a major insurance company (S). I watched your WW commission spring into action, learn about the land, its merchantable timber, fencing, zoning, water rights, roads, grazing possibilities, utility access, taxes, neighbors, current use, natural gas pipeline easement and more. WW hired a forestry consultant to evaluate timber conditions. The Session retained realtor Kevin Hale, with Coldwell Banker, to represent our interests during negotiations. He investigated and found another interested buyer, who wants the land for hunting and maybe a hunting lodge. They considered fire danger and the advantage of managing that forest to make our camp safer from fire and stray gunshots. They considered the burden on the Westminster Woods commission to manage additional property (and plan to hire-out needed assistance for logging, road improvements, fence/signage, trails). They investigated funding options, taking care to retain the $1 million minimum balance in the Terney WW Endowment Fund, and explored Synod of the Pacific s discounted loan program, which had a tight application deadline. (The purchase offer and the loan application have been approved pending your vote at the congregational meeting). From the annual income of the Terney WW endowment, we can afford to pay the annual loan payment and pay for WW operations. I watched some WW commission members who initially had no interest in acquiring the 165-acres, see potential for future ministries if WW holds the land. At the recommendation of the WW commission, the Session authorized offers for Betty s land. The final negotiated price was $20,000 less than her asking price and agreed to one day before the expiration of the right-of-first-refusal. Because of delicate negotiations, this purchase was not previously discussed. Holding the land gives you an opportunity to plan for future uses with your next pastor. You create a safety berm protecting existing property, structures and people. You control WW s future options. Later, you may choose to sell or trade part or all of the property, but this is the time WW has access to land away from the highway. You will choose to borrow the funds to make it possible. Pastor Kathy 11

12 First Presbyterian Church 201 Southwest Dorion Ave. Pendleton, OR Church Family and Friends with Birthdays in October. (Did we miss yours? Call or the church office and let them know.) 4 Levi Hogge 5 Diana Zimmerman 5 Jason Hogge 6 Cathy Muller 11 Connor Emert 12 Adam Hawkins 14 Tina Kennedy 15 Addie Byrnes 18 Logan VanLeuven 25 Mena Gilson 25 Donna Collins 27 Paisley Ball 28 Lisa Patterson 12