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 ................... office@washingtonchurch.org

www.washingtonchurch.org

Worship Service — Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Connecting Together with God

Page 2

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

sarahfduvall@gmail.com

“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

office@washingtonchurch.org - 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!!!

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