A Word from Pastor Don . . .
Dear Friends,
Many of us own homes with
sidewalks in front of them. In
most cases, between the sidewalk and the street,
there’s about a six-foot wide swath of grass that
belongs to the city. A lot of our utility connections
run under that right-of-way. The city is responsible
for planting trees in that small six-foot area. The
street I live on has mostly maples, some hybrid
variety of Norway maple. Every day I pass by my
neighbor’s maple that was hit by lightning about 15
years ago. One-third of the trunk is devoid of bark
where the lightning did its damage. On either side of
the dead portion there is a significant ribbon of scar tissue running the entire length of the tree. Three or
four times a week as I walk by that tree I stop and
put my hand out and touch it. It’s a testimony to the
healing power that God has put in every living thing.
A number of limbs died and were cut off, but the
tree itself is healthy and strong.
If we live long enough, you and I will be like that
maple tree on my street. We probably won’t get hit
by lightning but we will be hit by something equally
powerful and devastating. Part of us will die; we will
lose things that are precious to us. In many cases the
disaster will have been brought on by ourselves, or
not. But what we usually fail to recognize is the slow
healing work of God, active and available to all of us.
It usually takes a long time for us to see that His
hand has been at work in our lives.
Over the decades I have trained my eye to recognize,
with His help, the presence of His healing hand. I
remind myself of that every couple of days as I walk
by my neighbor’s tree.
If God takes such great care of trees, how can we
not know that His hand of healing always rests upon
us?
May this spring be a time when we sense God’s
loving hand is with us.
Love – your friend,
Pastor Don
.
An Inside Look at the Community Life of Washington Church April 2015
THE CONNECTOR
Our Council of Elders
Ann Bernius
Barry Burnham
Keith Crist
Don Fothergill
Linda Gottfried
Deane Horne
Judy Horne
Carol Kimball
Todd Taylor
The Church Staff
Head of the Church ............................. Jesus Christ
Ministers ................................... All of God’s People
Pastor ................................................. Don Fothergill
Associate Pastor .............................. Jimmy Crowell
Church Administrator .......................... Judy Horne
Worship Director ............................. Bridgett Drake
Secretary .............................................. Jenny Shepler
Chief Custodian .................................. Josh Cowden
The Church Office
Office Hours
7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday — Friday
Phone .............................................. 419-536-3789
Email ................... [email protected]
www.washingtonchurch.org
Worship Service — Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Connecting Together with God
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Ann Bernius Washington Church has been my church home since accepting Jesus as my Savior. At Washington, I have found a home,
acceptance, friendships and encouragement. Small Groups have shown me how to walk with Jesus, and challenged me to
grow in my faith. I have adult children, and four grandchildren, who are a great joy to me. I have recently started a whole
new chapter of life as a retired person after a career as a registered nurse. I enjoy spending time with the family,
especially the grandkids. Currently, I am learning how God can use me in this new chapter of life, and look forward to
what this season of life has to offer.
Barry Burnham Barry Burnham has been attending Washington Church since 1986, along with his wife, Leslie, and son, Peng. If asked
what brought him to Washington and keeps him here, he would tell you it is the authentic people who want to grow deeper
in their day-to-day walk with the Lord, the practical teaching and the sense of family in the congregation. Over the years,
Barry has served as a Small Group facilitator, HR team member and is an Elder. Barry enjoys hosting fellowship events
with Leslie in their home.
Keith Crist Keith started attending Washington Church shortly after arriving in Toledo in 1985. As most new visitors experience, he
and his wife Janice found a very warm, open and authentic group of believers. Their three daughters are now all grown
and moving on with their lives. Keith has been a Couples Small Group leader, is a member of the Missions Ministry
Team, and has served as an Elder for most of the last 10 years.
Linda Gottfried I first walked through the doors of Washington Church in 1984. I was new to Toledo and looking for a church home with
biblical teaching. The kindness and warmth I was shown were genuine and intentional. It was the flavor of real people
with the real hope of the gospel. I think that characterizes Washington today as well. Serving as a Small Group Facilitator,
Nursery Volunteer and on the Prayer Team and Council of Elders have been wonderful opportunities to see God at work. I
am married to Rick and work as a pediatric speech-language pathologist at Flower Hospital.
Deane Horne Deane has been a member of Washington Church for nearly 30 years. He has served on the former Music Team, Finance
Team, Mission Team, and has been the Building and Grounds coordinator. He is a co-leader of a Small Group, is an Elder,
and loves the time he spends volunteering in the Nursery. He and Judy have two grown daughters and two
grandsons. Deane is an avid tennis player, fly fisherman and loves to cook. Deane also enjoys growing roses to keep his
wife stocked with rose flowers for the house plus a daily miniature for her lapel. He also looks forward to traveling every
summer with Judy to visit their daughters and to fly fish in the Pacific Northwest.
Judy Horne Judy has been a member of Washington Church since 1978. She has seen our church change from a fading main-line
church to one that is alive, people orientated and God-filled. She has served on many committees and held many
responsibilities over the years and is currently a serving Elder. Hobbies are “camping” in their vacation trailer, reading,
needlework, and gardening. Judy is also currently the Church Administrator.
Carol Kimball I know I’ve shared that Washington Church has become a school of prayer for me. The more I learn about prayer, the
more I am convinced that I will spend the rest of my life just beginning this adventure with my Creator and Redeemer.
Thank you for your constant prayer and encouragement.
Continued . . .
News from the Elders: We are pleased to present the following slate of Elders to
be voted on at the Annual Meeting on May 17, 2015
Eric Polz Eric has been attending Washington Church for many years and has been a member for 2 years. He is currently serving
on the facilities team, Men's ministry team, and is a Small Group Facilitator. He previously served in the youth
ministry Sunday school program. Eric has been married to Shannon Polz for seven years and has two daughters: Grace
(3-1/2 years old) and Tessa (1-1/2 years old). Eric is a pediatric occupational therapist and he enjoys spending time
with his family and friends, wood working, and a variety of outdoor activities.
Todd Taylor Todd has been a member of Washington Church for seven years. He is currently serving on the Facilities Team and in
the nursery. He previously has served as a Youth Group leader, Sunday school teacher, a co-leader of a Small Group
and part of the Welcome Center Team. He has been married to his wife Melissa for eight years and they have two
sons: Henry (almost 3 years old) and Oliver (2 months old). Todd enjoys spending time with his family, gardening, and
working on cars.
Ben Tousley Ben has been a member of Washington Church for over ten years. He is currently serving as the Church Treasurer, as
well as co-leader of the Men's Ministry team. He previously has served as an usher and a co-leader of a Small
Group. He has been married to his wife Natalie for eight years and they have one son, Joshua, who is 2 1/2 years old,
and another baby due in September. Ben enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and watching sports,
especially the Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes!
The Elders would like to keep you
updated on our finances for the year to date.
Income $100,339
Expenses - $108,480
Short - $ 8,141
College Students
Mark your calendars!
On Sunday, April 26th, during our
Worship Service, we will be recognizing all
college students who are graduating this
May or during the summer. If you will be
graduating please let us know by marking it on your
Connection Card or contacting the church office.
Please plan to be here.
Join us for a College Brunch at Peggy
Arnos’ house (3655 Woodley Road in
Toledo) on Sunday, April 26th,
following the Worship Service. Please
bring a friend along.
Pray for comfort for Bob Sharp. His mother, Helen,
passed away on February 25, 2015.
Pray for comfort for Carol Kimball. Her mother,
Donna Reardon, passed away on March 23, 2015.
Congratulations to Mike and Lauren Catoe on the
birth of their son, Michael, born on March 7, 2015.
Washington Family Corner
Ongoing Opportunities for Service at
Washington Church
* Trim ornamental grasses (electric hedger provided)
* Pick up sticks and branches around the yard
Call Susan Gruwell, 419 536-4870, if you can help.
All-Church Yard and Grounds Cleanup
Plan to attend the All-Church Yard and
Grounds Cleanup Saturday, April
18th from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon.
Come for an hour or the whole time, but come! Bring
rakes, tarps, shovels, etc. Refreshments provided.
Page 3
Page 4
Join me for an hour of yoga in the chapel at
Washington Church. This event is for women
only. I encourage you to invite friends to join us!
Upcoming dates are:
Saturday, April 4th at 9:00 a.m.
Saturday, April 18th at 9:00 a.m.
Experience the unique connection between body
and soul through Reflective Yoga. Yoga is a
moving, breathing practice that prepares the
body to be open to the word of the
Lord. Through the movements you discover a
place of silence, of solitude. It is in this place
where an awareness of the presence of God in
your life becomes apparent and you enter a state
of worship. Wear comfortable clothes and bring
a yoga mat if you have one. Please let me know
if you have any other questions!
Sarah Duvall
(619) 985-6776
“Fifth Sunday” Nursery Helpers Needed
“Fifth Sunday” helpers are needed in the Nursery.
This would mean you would only need to help out
when there is a “Fifth Sunday” in a month, which happens about 4 times per year. Our next
“Fifth Sunday” will be in May. So, if this sounds
like somewhere you would like to serve and have
fun with our little ones at the same time, please call
the church office (419-536-3789) or email us at
[email protected] - Thank you!
Join us for our
Good Friday Service
on April 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
in the Chapel
“Earth's crammed with
heaven, and every common
bush afire with God:
But only he who sees takes
off his shoes.” ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I ran into someone at the video store this week who
was returning the movie “Unbroken” (a story about
Louis Zamperini, who was taken captive during
WWII and in a Japanese internment camp while he
came to know God in a personal and intimate way).
I asked him what he thought of the movie and he
said, “It did not have enough God in it.” Having
seen the movie and knowing about the story, I new
exactly what he meant, that the movie did not
articulate his conversion process and faith in the
way this person would have liked. But because a
view of God or one’s faith is not spelled out in
black and white terms does not make it any less a
story of faith, or more or less a “Christian” film.
Zamperini’s incredibly beautiful and messy life
story is filled with God moments. If one has eyes to
see they would be overwhelmed with the divine that
is revealed during the movie as well. Granted, while
the book does a more thorough job articulating his
faith experience, it was clearly available to see in
the movie if one had the eyes to see it.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning has this wonderful
quote that speaks of the presence of God being
everywhere in this world, but not everyone has eyes
to see Him, “But only he who sees takes off his
shoes.” My desire is that we would live life learning
to see God in all things, even the things we may not
think are of God. And may we be people that are
continually removing our shoes on a regular basis.
Pastor Jimmy
Page 5
Red Room (3-5 years old)
The overall theme for the Red Room in
April is Jesus is the Resurrection and Life.
The memory verse is John 3:16 “For God
so loved the world that He gave His one
and only Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
The children will learn about the following
Bible stories in the Red Room for April.
The Empty Tomb pages 482-487 (Luke
24:1-12, Matt 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8)
Road to Emmaus pages 488- 491
(Luke 24:13– 35) Doubting Thomas pages 492-495
(John 20:19-31) The Great Commission/ The Ascension
pages 496-499 (Matthew 28:16-20,
Luke 24:36-53, Acts 1:6-14) The above titles come from the Spark
Story Bible in the Red room. Ask your
children’s teacher if you want to know
more.
WATER BUFFALO
K-5th Grade
K-5th grade children will be learning about
the resurrection of Jesus through a video
series about forgiveness in the month of
April. Miss Kara, Mr. Chris, and Miss Beth will
lead this month’s learning.
In the K-5th room, we want to teach the
children it is important to give money to
God first before ourselves. We collect an
offering every Sunday so children can begin
tithing and learn how to obey God with
their money. The children have voted to
use offering money collected on a water
buffalo. We will
purchase a
water buffalo
through Heifer
International, so
it can be used
for farming and
food in an
impoverished
area. Thanks for
your support!
Growing Towards God
April 2015– Children’s Ministry Tri-Directors: Daniel Kageorge, Brittany Pesich, and Jessica Runk
Thank You!
K-5th Volunteers,
Peter Lopez and Jen Craig,
for your service!!!
A
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