MESSENGER NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2018 A NOTE FROM PASTOR KACEY Real life happens every day; I am so thankful we are not alone. 1:30 a.m. The phone rings. I am not sure why I am awake or why I happen to have my phone in my hand when my sister calls. It is dad, he is unresponsive from a seizure. The paramedics have just whisked him away to a nearby hospital. My mom and sister are following close behind. I am not sure if we exchange many other words other than OK, I love you, I am on my way. That is how life is. One phone call, one diagnosis, one life altering situation will stop you in your tracks and turn your life completely inside out and upside down. When I am thrust into a crisis, I move into command mode. I start making decisions, researching, reaching out, organizing my life and my calendar to accommodate the interruption. Remarkably, I do not get weepy or paralyzed, I just get activated to respond in any way I can. We all have different ways of coping with crisis, mine is rather full throttle, rapid response. My son and I were in California, checking out colleges when we got the call. So, we were at the airport by 3 a.m. and on a flight back to Seattle by 5 a.m. I took the next flight out of Seattle to Eugene, Oregon, heading straight to the hospital. Doctors discovered before I arrived that my dad had a large brain tumor (the size of a tennis ball) in his right frontal lobe. Surgery was set for the next day. BEFORE SURGERY AND 12 HOURS AFTER SURGERY Looking back it is rather surreal, I am often on the other side of the crisis...praying for others and serving as a non-anxious supportive presence. But, here by the hospital bed, it was Pastor Laurie and a parishioner at Central Lutheran (my parent s church), who did the praying and the holding. I am so grateful. Real life happens every day; I am so thankful we are not alone. I will spare you all of the details of the surgery and the recovery, but I can tell you this: the surgery was very successful. The doctor said the slow growing tumor practically popped out of his head. The tumor was not cancerous and the doctor said he would be back to normal, or better than normal in 1
less than six weeks. Even after the first day, he was eating, drinking, joking, walking, and restless to get out of the hospital. Praise be to God! But, even more than the successful surgery, I am thankful for the countless ways friends and family, and members of St. Matthew s reached out and offered to support us in this unknown journey. I felt a very strong, unwavering sense of peace sitting by my father s bedside; trusting that no matter what the outcome may be, we as a family were not alone. I give thanks for the body of Christ and for the small and large ways we make God s love and peace tangible for those around us. Because as we all know REAL LIFE happens every day, and thanks be to God, WE ARE NOT ALONE! Love you all and thank you for your prayers, Pastor Kacey A NOTE FROM PASTOR KACEY CONTINUED UPDATE ON THE ROOF! Thank you for your gracious response to our St. Matthew's Roof Repair Appeal. In a matter of three weeks, we received over $21,000 to complete the project. We did not receive enough to pitch the roof, but we are so thankful that we will be set for over 20 years with our new roofs! The roof will be complete by October 15th. Thank you for the robust way you responded to the needs of St. Matthew's. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and serves as an inspiration to many! Thank you The St. Matthew's Council ARISE MEN ARE HERE! For The Month of October ARISE has been a long standing outreach ministry of St. Matthew s. During October we provide overnight housing, hot meals, bagged lunches, a grab-n-go breakfast, laundry facilities, and showers. There are approximately 25 adult men that we support through this program during their stay here. Included in serving dinner at 8pm is setting up the buffet table, starting the first batch of coffee, and greeting the men as they come in. The men serve themselves and enjoy sitting down and sharing a meal and conversation with us. After the site manager arrives by 8:30pm, the host(s) are welcome to leave as the men clean up after us. This month we re hoping to have new families, friends, and individuals partake in this community program to help us welcome these men home for October. We also welcome anyone to come and visit the program any night so you can see how simple it is to partake. There are numerous other ways you can support this program: bringing sandwiches for lunch, donating fruit, bars, or other sack lunch items. Donating socks, shoes, warm clothes, blankets, sleeping pads, and toiletries (large bottles please for shower items). If there are other ways that you d like to help, but we haven t listed it above, please let us know! You can sign up on line at www.smlc.cc and we will continue to have a sign-up sheet on the welcome counter as well. Also, "Don't LEAF Them Hungry", donation request cards will be available at the bulletin board area in the welcome space. You can purchase the items and bring them to the church kitchen. For questions and additional information: James Bruner, brunerjt@comcast.net/206-390-7439, Barb Connor, bjconnor@comcast.net/425-445- 9415, Amy Roberts, amyroberts@seanet.com/425-444-1057. 2
ADULT EDUCATION Sundays in October, 9:15am in the Conference Center October 14th - Play...Come and learn about the Spirituality of Play October 21st - Radical Generosity as a Path to a Meaningful Life October 28th - Courageous Conversation - Peace, Guns and Dealing with Violence ST. MATTHEW S MEMBER / RE-MEMBER CLASS Sunday, October 21, 11:30am-2pm (childcare and lunch provided) At St. Matthew's if you show up, you belong. Seriously, you do not have to be a member to be fully involved within the life of the community. However, if you would like to deepen your commitment to God s mission emerging within the community and partner in new ways, you are invited to attend this class. This will be an intentional time of walking through the core values of St. Matthew's and also connecting with the leadership of the community. New members will be received on Sunday, October 28 at either the 8am or 10am service. Interested? Please contact Pastor Kacey or Libby Lucier 425-226-2420 or stmatthewschurch@comcast.net. PRUNING AND RAKING WORK PARTIES Please bring your own tools and dress for fall weather and join the Yard Birds on one or more of the dates identified below. We will rake rain or shine. However, we will reschedule the pruning if it is raining. For safety reasons, pruning work parties will be for adults only. Please contact Walt Sippel (keepitsippel1@msn.com) for further information. + Raking: October 21, November 11, and December 9 (11:00 AM 1 PM) + Pruning: November 4 (11:00 AM 1 PM) + Additional work parties may be added at a later date. HARVEST PARTY! Sunday, November 18 after the 10am Service Come join us for food, conversation and fun, as well as to celebrate the fall season and the gifts we share through our ministries. We will provide details of the Harvest Party in future bulletins and newsletters. If you are interested in helping with the party, please contact Jill Larson at larsx4@comcast.net, (425) 503-3535, or other members of the Stewardship Team (Walt Sippel, Dana Rollison, Aide Gutierrez, Dave Holzboog, Marissa Singleton, or Pastor Kacey Hahn) at GivingEveryday.SMLC@gmail.com. As a reminder, the St. Matthew's Holiday Bazaar will not be happening this year or in the foreseeable future. Consequently, we are in a place of transition and congregational discovery. The Harvest Party offers a way for us to celebrate the success of past Holiday Bazaars and other ministries. It also provides a starting point for us to explore our next steps while we answer the following questions: (1) What is God up to within our community? (2) Where is the Spirit at work? and (3) What are we learning about our neighbors? 3
THE YOUTH YOUTH CORN MAZE & BONFIRE ADVENTURE October 11 at 4pm We ll meet at SMLC on Thursday, October 11 at 4pm and then head to Carpinito Brothers to tackle the corn maze, followed by food around the fire at Jesi Barnes house. All youth grades 6-12 welcome. TRUNK OR TREAT Sunday, October 28, 11:30am-1:30pm Come in costume and travel from trunk to trunk for free fun in the St. Matthew s parking lot with trick or treating, roast your own hot dogs, fall beverages, and more! Trunk hosts needed!!! Adults, families, ministry groups, friends, couples...everyone is invited to bring a vehicle, throw open the trunk, put up some festive decorations, and provide candy, a game, simple craft, or whatever you can give! It s your participation that will make this outreach a success. If you can help, join the Facebook event, sign up at the Welcome Counter or let Nicole know. RENTON MEAL COALITION Sunday, October 28 from 4-7pm Renton Meal Coalition provides food for Renton s most vulnerable people. Join us in providing food and service on Sunday, October 28 from 4-7pm. ALL youth are encouraged to participate and we need adult support too. Contact Jeff Wolcott or Nicole VanderMeulen to get involved. Online signups are available for food donations and volunteering. QUENCH A New Opportunity For High School Students A new opportunity for high school students to be refreshed by God and each other the third Thursday of each month from 7-8:00pm. Come and quench your thirst with scripture and prayer in Christian community. There will be a different surprise beverage to enjoy each time! Location will vary! 4
THE YOUTH AFFIRMATION OF BAPTISM Sunday, November 4, 10am Worship Please join us as we celebrate all the saints, especially our confirmation students: Eric Gunderson, Brenna Hudson, Spencer Jurado, Edan Roberts and Mila Sandi. FALL YOUTH RETREAT November 9-11 Grades 6-12 Cost $100 We ll spend the weekend immersed in the spiritual practices of prayer and play. Meet in the St. Matthew s parking lot at 4:30pm on Friday, November 9. We ll travel to the Seabeck Conference Center for worship, learning, connection, and fun. Return time will be around 3pm on Sunday, November 11. 5
RENTON SENIOR CENTER ACTIVITIES: Tuesday, October 2 BUNCO, 10am ADULT SENIOR GROUP October Fun! Thursday, October 4 BINGO,1pm No cost to play just come and WIN!! AMC THEATERS-FACTORIA: Tuesdays are Senior Day STONEHOUSE CAFE 9701 Rainier Ave S: Thursday, October 18 12pm lunch or breakfast (served all day) PAT LEE'S HOUSE: Thursday, October 25, 11:30am to 2:30pm Come mingle, play board games, cards or just chit-chat. Bring your own lunch or something to share. Contact Pat for more information. 703-856-8498 NEW 5th AVENUE THEATRE 2018/2019 SCHEDULE: Join us for a matinee on Senior Thursday's. November 1 Come From Away December 20 Annie February 21 Rock of Ages April 11 Little Dancer June 20 West Side Story LUTHER S TABLE FALL FUNDRAISER October 27, 6-8pm Please mark your calendars! We re planning a joy-filled Celebration at Luther s Table to raise funds to keep this wonderful and unique mission strong and to expand the impact Luther s Table makes in our community. Tickets are available at: brownpapertickets.com under Luther s Table 2018 Fall Fundraiser." Tickets are $25.00 per person. This will include: A Great Meal (designed especially for this event) Fun Entertainment Audience Participation Live & Silent Auctions and much MORE! This is the Saturday before Halloween, so costumes are encouraged, but not required. (There may even be prizes for the best costumes!) Watch for more details as the date gets closer. You definitely don t want to miss this event! We ll see you at The Table! 6
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St. Matthew s Lutheran Church 1700 Edmonds Ave NE Renton WA 98056 Website: www.smlc.cc Facebook Page: St. Matthew s Lutheran Church RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Renton, WA 98055 Permit No. 108 ST MATTHEW S GENERAL FUND FINANCIAL NUMBERS AUGUST Income = 46,570 AUGUST Expenses= 37,150 YTD Income = 331,459 YTD Expenses= 345,796 STAFF Lacey Brown Worship and Faith Curator, lacey.smlc@gmail.com, 425.226.2420 Kacey Hahn Pastor, kaceyhahn@gmail.com, 425.226.2420 x115 TJ Johnston Facilities Manager, 425.226.2420 Chelsea Greenwood Interim Choir Director, 425.226.2420 Libby Lucier Community and Communications Coordinator, stmatthewschurch@comcast.net, 425.226.2420 x110 Terrie Meyer Before and After School Director, 425.226.2420 Bookkeeper, 425.226.2420 x117 Nicole VanderMeulen Children, Youth & Family Director, nicole.vander@comcast.net, 425.226.2420 x103 8