first presbyterian church of puyallup · first presbyterian church of puyallup september 2015...

First Presbyterian Church of Puyallup

SEPTEMBER 2015

VOLUME 63, ISSUE 7

412 West Pioneer Puyallup, WA 98371 253-848-7243 www.fpcpuyallup.org

Rev. Sue Watkins, Pastor

Fall Schedule Begins September 13 The start of Fall is a beautiful time of year, with the

changing leaves, crisp air, and new activities. A new season can mean a fresh start for you too! Join us at First Presby-terian Church of Puyallup where you'll find traditional and contemporary music, inspiring messages, and a community of people waiting to welcome you. We're a place where you can grow spiritually while getting connected to others, serv-ing the community, and having fun. It's going to be a great Fall!

9:00-10:00 am Sunday School & Adult Education Classes

10:30 am Blended Worship 12:45 pm Reach & Refresh Worship

6:00 pm Mid-week program: CORE for Kids Grade 1-6! Starting Wednesday, September 24

In this issue: From Our Pastor ......................................................................... 2

First Families ................................................................................... 3

Better Than Before .................................................................... 4

Supper Club............................................................................................... 5

Presbyterian Women .............................................................. 6

Join Us for Brunch on September 13 On Sunday, September 13

th, we begin our Fall Schedule.

Join us for a celebration brunch between the two worship ser-vices. The Alleluia Ringers will be serving a delicious a brunch of fruit, egg casserole and rolls from 11:30am-12:15pm.

This is not only a way to enjoy fellowship with each other, but The Alleluia Ringers will be accepting donations to help defray the cost of music, attending a read and ring conference and oth-er incidentals throughout the year for our hand bell choir. Come enjoy fellowship and brunch on September 13.

Sign Dedication at New Hope Resource

Center A new sign will be installed at

the New Hope Resource Center on September 1st.

It was purchased using donations in memory of Rev. Eric Renz. The community is invited to a dedication of the

new sign on Wednesday, September 2 at 6:30pm at

New Hope Resource

Center. (414 Spring Street)

| www.fpcpuyallup.org | September 2015

ummer has been a busy season for me! I have told you about the wonderful time I had with family at my parents’ 60

th anniversary celebration. What a blessing it was to spend

time with them! What I have not told all of you about was the week I spent at Whitworth In-stitute of Ministry or WIM. The theme for the week was Pursuing the Common Good: Engaging Culture with the Gospel.

This was the third time I have attended WIM and it has been exceptionally good each time. This year was the best of the three. Going in, I was very familiar with our Bible study teacher for the week. Walter Bruggemann is a world renowned Old Testament scholar. He spent his time each morning revisiting the Exodus with us from a perspective I hadn’t previously considered. Egypt served as a metaphor for any cul-ture which oppresses and dominates. I am still processing his thoughts.

I had no idea who Anne Zaki was when I arrived in Spokane for the conference. It turns out that she is an Egyptian Christian who has met all the requirements for ordination in the Presbytery of Cairo, except one. She is a woman and is therefore ineligible for ordination. She is in the process of appealing this, but they have put a new requirement that one must be under the age of 40 to be ordained. Anne is 38. I pray that the way is made clear for her to serve God in the way that she is called. Anne was our preacher each evening at worship.

She told us about what it was like to be a Christian in Egypt these days, and the way that Christians stood guard and protected the peaceful Muslims during their prayers while thousands of people were out in the streets protesting against President Mubarik before he was overthrown. After he stepped down, the Muslims approached the Christians and suggested that they hold a worship service in the open air, with the promise that this time the Muslims would protect the Christians. The Christians held their service with a ring of Muslims safeguarding them as the Gospel was preached in the city square of Cairo!

Few of us are likely to travel to Cairo to work beside Anne and the other Christian leaders there, but she did ask something of us. She reminded us that there are thousands of Christians in the Middle East, but more and more are leaving due to persecution. Unfortunately, when many arrive in the west they are too often regarded with suspicion rather than embraced with grace. Anne asked us to show compassion on the Middle Easterners among us. Can you imagine having to leave your native land because of mistreatment and then finding the same thing in your place of refuge?

Next month I’ll tell you about what I learned from our keynote speaker, Andy Crouch, the editor of Chris-tianity Today. He opened up my understanding about what it means to be made in the image of God. Thank you all for supporting me in my continuing education!

September 6, 2016 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Holy Communion Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Psalm 125

James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17 Matthew 18:15-20

September 13, 2015 24thSunday in Ordinary Time

Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19

Lessons for the Coming Weeks James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38

September 20, 2015 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Proverbs 31:10-31 Psalm 1 James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a Mark 9:30-37

September 27, 2015 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Esther 7:1-6, 9:20-22 Psalm 124

You are welcome to read the lessons in preparation for Sunday Worship. You are invited to a Bible Study with Pastor Sue each Wednesday at 9:30 am in the Parlor.

September 2015 | www.fpcpuyallup.org |

First Families at First Presbyterian Church What: A social group for families with children elementary school age and younger

When: We gather once a month at varying times/locations for fun and fellowship Who: Anyone looking to make friends with other families and have fun! (you do not have to attend First Presbyterian Church to attend these events)

Contact: Morgen Asher at [email protected] Sunday, September 13 1:45pm: Parents - Come celebrate back to school! Kids can stay at church

for lunch and hang out with some awesome volunteers. This will be a fun time to relax, have good food, and catch up after a busy summer. Hamburgers and chicken burgers will be provided. Please bring a side, drink or dessert to share if you can. If you know what you are bringing - go ahead and post it so eve-ryone can see.

First Families is looking for volunteers for its Parents Back to School BBQ. We need a few volunteers to play games and watch a movie with the kids at the church so parents can enjoy some fellowship and catch up after the long summer. Volunteer help is needed on Sunday, Sep 13th 1:30 - 4:30 PM. If you can help please contact Morgen Asher 253-592-9099. If you are a parent who wants to join the fun RSVP on Facebook.

Spirited Gathering of Presbyterian Women in Minneapolis Over 1700 Presbyterian Women (PW) from around the world met in Minneapolis June 18-21 at the

triennial Churchwide Gathering, incorporating the theme of “One Body, One Spirit” (from 1 Corinthians 12). Laurie Peil, Karri Wicka, and Jane Carden attended the Churchwide Gathering. There was an abundance of spirit-filled worship, fellowship, opportunities to learn about mission efforts around the world and in local areas, and to meet women from Reform churches in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, South America and the Caribbean.

The Gathering reflected the elements of the stated PW purpose, to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study, to support the mission of the church worldwide, and to work for justice and peace. These purposes were addressed by lively plenary (attended by all) worship services that included presentations about mission efforts, educational opportunities on 40 different topics, several local mis-sion tours, a large exhibit hall with over 40 exhibitors and a bookstore. When addressing one of the five plenary sessions, General Assembly Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons referred to PWs as “Persistent Women” and observed that PW recognizes that our society needs a “new normal – a Godly normal.” The Gathering truly made one feel inspired and called to be a Presbyterian Woman.

This year Presbyterian Women of Puyallup will follow this theme with the intent of sharing the vast diversity in our denomination.

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body,though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the

one Spirit we are all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12: 12-13 The next Churchwide Gathering will be in the summer of 2018. In the

meantime, there will be monthly gatherings of Presbyterian Women in our Congregation. Our first PW gathering will be Monday, September 14, at noon with our traditional salad lunch. The theme will be One Body, One Spirit: Oneness in the Global Community. The program will be Anita Alexander’s mission experience at Grace Ashram Children’s Home in Jaigon, India. Please join us!

Lift Your Voice to The Lord! Peggy Burrough is extending an open invitation to join the Chancel Choir! There is something for

everyone. We love to sing! We work as a team, as friends, as a family. Music prepares us for wor-ship. Music heals, inspires and uplifts us spiritually, helping us feel closer to God and to each other. The FPC Chancel Choir is a ministry: to enhance worship and to offer up our voices to “sing praises to our Lord”.

Choir rehearsals are Thursdays at 6:00 pm beginning September 10. We practice in the Sanctu-ary and will sing on Sunday mornings beginning September 13. You may join the choir at any time during the year.

Please contact Peggy Burrough at [email protected] or call her at 253-922-1642 if you have any questions. She looks forward to HEARING from YOU!

New Better Than Before Groups Starting Soon We are starting to form new Better Than Before groups for

the fall (September and October). This is a study of habits and how we can make our habits work for us – to be, Better Than Be-fore, every day. We are using Gretchen Rubin ’s best seller as a reference.

If you are interested in this 6 week small group study, call or email:

ErrolLynne Marsh (253-848-8236 [email protected]

Tree & Plumbing Project Update: Just last December we were dealing with some rather expensive plumbing repairs due to a back-up

into our restrooms adjacent to the sun room. It turns out that the culprit was the roots of the tree in the playground. It seems clear that we had to do something that we never wanted to do. We had to take out the tree. Thanks to your generous donations, we surpassed our goal and raised $10,117 for the Tree Removal/Plumbing Repairs!

In July, CTK Construction removed the tree and replaced the plumbing running under the tree. Now, our playground project is almost complete. We will be building a larger sandbox and then putting all of the rubber mulch back into place. Congratulations to Mary Ellen Sparks who correctly guessed the age of the tree! It was 69 years old! She will receive a ‘biscuit’ from the tree! Thank you to Wes Price and CTK Construction for their hard work on this project.


Preschool Snack Bags Help Feed Hungry Children

The Snack Bag Program returns for anoth-er year of feeding children. This is a ministry from our Mission Commission. Our building is a blessing and we have been able to have the Bates Puyallup Early Learning Program here at our church.

These children come from lower-income families and we want to supplement their food. Each small bag of food contains rice, beans, tuna, oatmeal, Top Ramen, crackers, pretzels and other snacks. Our first work par-ty will be Thursday, September 10 at 9:30 am in the Library.

Welcome New Members On June 28, we welcomed 4 new

members! Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of Puyallup:

Marc Forchione & Vickie Walraven have been married for 5 years and both work at Boeing. Marc is a Business Ana-lyst and Vickie is a Supply Chain Analyst. Marc & Vickie enjoy cooking, gardening and biking and recently became foster par-ents to Noah & Gavin.

Diane Gibbons is a familiar face around First Presbyterian Church. She has been our custodian since February of 2011. She enjoys spending time with her kids and cheering them for at their sporting events. Her daughter, Lacey, is 12 and will start 7th grade at Edgemont this fall. Her son, Drew Lehman, also joined the church! He is 19 and is a student in the Gateway Program in the Puyallup School District. He enjoys volunteering at Vacation Bible School and participates in Puyallup High School Special Olympics Bowling, Basket-ball, Cycling & Golf.


Supper Club Returns September 19!

After a 3 month Summer hiatus, the 2015-2016 Supper Club year will kick-off on Sat-urday, September 19

th at 6PM. Yes, it is

during The Fair and there will be traffic and parking challenges, but please don’t let that discourage you. “Church parking only” signs will be in place in an attempt to save parking for you. It is time to reconnect and learn about everyone’s summer fun.

From our May survey, one of the pro-gram suggestions was to learn about the Puyallup Activity Center. So, Trudy will join us to explain all that is available at the Cen-ter. She will explain how you can be in-formed and take advantage of the offerings. This will be an informative time as well as an encouraging time. Hope you are ready to get involved.

Save The Dates: 222nd General

Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Portland Convention

Center June 18-25,

2016 ww.gaportland.com

Start Collecting Items for Operation

Christmas Child! Christmas is less than

4 months away but it's not too early to begin collecting items for Op-eration Christmas Child Shoeboxes. Many great items are available in the dollar/bargain bins, at the local dollar store or during Back to School sales. Shoebox turn in day is November 15!

We have a goal of sending 175 boxes from First Presbyterian! Start packing a few boxes to-day!


Presbyterian Women News All women are invited to join a Circle

and enjoy this year’s Presbyterian Wom-en’s Bible Study, titled “Come to the Wa-ter”. The Circles/Bible Study groups meet monthly.

Eve Circle meets the second Thurs-day of the month beginning September 10

th

at 7PM in the parlor. If you are a working woman and this group fits your schedule, contact Karri Wicka for more information. A second opportunity is the Chase-MacInnes Circle. It meets the 3

rd Thursday each

month at noon. September 17 begins their time together. Markie Garrity is the person to contact if this is your choice. The Hoff-Nicholson Circle is another choice for you. They meet at noon on the 3

rd

Wednesday. However, for the first meeting they will gather on September 23. If you have interest in studying with this Circle, please contact Nancy Davison.

The 2015 – 2016 Horizons Bible Study, Come to the Water, is rich in imagery of water which helps us understand and artic-ulate our faith. Just as water nourishes our bodies, so the scriptures on water nourish our souls. Water plays a central role in the stories of scripture, from the chaotic waters of creation, to the River of Life in Revela-tion, where chaos is no more. Sometimes there is too much water; sometimes there is too little water. In this study, we will ex-plore some of the Bible’s more than 800 references to water. Water and the Word go hand in hand as we strive to live as faithful followers. The study enables us to learn more about God, the power of water and its effects on our lives and culture. Wa-ter and Word work together to quench the thirsts of our bodies and our souls.

Please consider participating in PW this year. Join a circle, learn more about water, and enjoy the fellowship of great women!

Join a FPC Commission Our Session is the governing body of our

church. The session has six commissions (committees) that it directly oversees planning and executing the various ministries and mis-sion of First Presbyterian. Each commission consists of two elders, and several members of the church. There are several opportunities for you to serve. If you would like to serve on a commission or be involved with a project, please speak to an Elder or contact the church office. All of these commissions meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm.

Christian Education: Sunday School, Adult Education, Youth Ministries, Adult Small

Groups, Confirmation Classes, Children’s Activity Time, Church Library,

Vacation Bible School, and Nursery.

Facilities: Custodian, Lawn and Flowerbed

maintenance, Facility Maintenance, Major repairs and improvements.

Mission: Coordinating hands-on mission opportunities, Freezing Nights, Administration of the use of Mission funds arising from the general

and endowment accounts, Special Offerings.

Congregational Life: Food &

Fellowship: Coordinate Fellow-ship Hours and church meals. Events & Activities: plan & ex-

ecute social events, church campout, church picnic, plays,

ball games, concerts, etc.

Personnel/Stewardship/Finance: Personnel: seeks,

interviews, and selects persons to be recommended for paid staff and conducts perfor-

mance reviews annually. Stewardship/Finance: Budget planning

and monitoring and stewardship campaigns.

Worship/Witness: Worship: All staffing/volunteers and coordinating of both Sunday worship services & special worship services,

candlelighters, music department, ushers, lay lead-ers, communion servers, sanctuary flowers, sound/video systems. Witness: membership

committee, public relations, church reader board, welcoming of visitors &

Farmer’s Market/Seed Ministry.

1st-Renee Becton 6th-Mary Zeiger 10th-Alice Dowie

10th-Gwen Fletcher 14th-Guy Kenyon

14th-Clayton Sparks 15th-Nancy Davison

16th-Pat Walton 17th-Ken L. Cockle 17th-Sue Watkins 18th-Harry Grist

20th-ErrolLynne Marsh 21st-Bonney Atwood 21st-Ken E. Cockle

25th-Sam Peach 25th-Stephanie Johnson

26th-Todd Giltner 26th-Michele Van Schelt

Birthdays

2nd ~ Bob & Shirley Bruce, celebrating 65 years!

9th ~ Mario & Bronwyn Lyons, celebrating 26 years!

12th ~ Bob & Kathy Spence, celebrating 51 years!

14th ~ John & Nancy Zak, celebrating 47 years!

18th ~ Joe & Bonney Atwood, celebrating 39 years!

24th ~ Wayne & Pam Chan, 32 years!

Anniversaries


Save the Date! Pierce County Hunger Walk

Sunday, October 4, 2pm Fort Steilacoom Park Join in the fund-

raising. Join in the walk with our FPC Team.

Sign up today on the Mission Commis-sion Bulle-tin Board!

Freezing Nights to Begin in November While this summer has been a warm one, we cannot forget that our wet,

cold northwest winter will soon be here. Once again, we will open our doors to the homeless, 2 to 3 evenings per month, November through March. We will provide them with a warm, safe place to sleep, plus a light dinner, a hearty breakfast and a sack lunch.

We need your help in these three ways: Pray – for our guests and our volunteers, for peaceful nights and hopeful mornings. Donate – wool blend socks, underwear (for both men and women), gloves, knit caps and scarves, blan-

kets and pillows, snacks, travel-sized toiletries, jackets and outerwear. Volunteer – cooks and kitchen helpers, evening set-up crew, morning clean-up crew, overnight hosts,

van drivers, warm and friendly listeners. To volunteer, participate or to learn more about this ministry, please join contact: Pat Walton 253-875-

3262 or [email protected] or Phyllis Smith 253-848-5734 or [email protected]

September Office Hours

The church office will have adjusted hours

during the Washington State Fair, September

11-25. The office will be open Mondays,

Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays; 8:30am-3:00 pm

and 8:30 am-Noon on Wednesdays.

Membership Directory New Church Directories are now

available in the church office. Please contact Christy Galan, Office Manager for your copy.

[email protected]

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

412 West Pioneer Puyallup, WA 98371-8625

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