New Pastor Begins Work November 1st Rev. Cynthia Meyer will begin her ministry with United Christian Church on the first of November, occupying the pulpit on November 4th. See page 2 for more information. The Congregation looks“forward” to being able to “move forward” in deciding its future plans and courses of action. Many decisions have been put on hold until the congregation has a settled pastor. Now it is time to get back to work, or as Interim Pastor Dick said in his last sermon: “I’ve primed the pump, now it is time for you to pump like crazy!” [Ready, Set, Let’s Go! ~Editor] Reminder: Nov. 1, Budget Requests are due to the Admin. Committee. Reminder : Congregation Meeting on October 21 to Elect 2019 Officers and Elders Moderator— Pat Auten Vice Moderator— Recording Sec.— Jean Gilbertson Corresponding Sec.— Sue Hunt Financial Sec.— Peter Dunn Treasurer— Linda Becker Nominations— Claudia & Ed Gillispie Elders: (Elected for a 2-yr term, 4 yrs max) Pat Archer (her first year) Randy Chapman (his last year) Jean Gilbertson (her second year) Mary Kimsey (her last year) Lannette Sargent (her first year) Property Task Force Update Report (Use of our vacant property) Page , Mid-October ~ Mid-November 2018 Weathervane; United Christian Church, 15509 116th Ave. SE, Renton WA 98058; 1 In covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ Phone: (425) 226-3080; Website: www.uccrenton.org; E-mail: [email protected]Mid-October- Mid-November 2018 The Weathervane The Newsletter of United Christian Church, Renton, WA Claudia Gillispie, Editor [email protected]Find Direction at United Christian Church, An Open and Affirming Congregation. No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. Members of our congregation who cooked and/or served were Joyce B., Jolynn K., Leona H., Carolyn H., Janet M., Dee W. and Caroline B. Joyce and Caroline are co-chairs and were cooks on the 30th. The next dinner will be the last Sunday in December, the 30th. Cooks and Servers will be needed again, as well as more money to buy the food. It will be a busy time of year. Begin planning for it now. Earlier this year the congregation chose to make giving this dinner, once a quarter, a priority for our church to do. Mark the date! A Fun and Successful Dinner Served September 30th The members of our congregation shown above cooked and served the community dinner on Sunday, Sept. 30th. They show their enjoyment in helping fill the tummies of over 80 persons who might otherwise have gone hungry. They served 100 meals, with some people taking extra for others and some coming back for seconds. The menu of fried and baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cornbread, with cookies and brownies for dessert was a popular choice, according to the children attending.
Transcript
New Pastor Begins Work November 1st Rev. Cynthia Meyer will begin her ministry with United Christian Church on the first of November, occupying the pulpit on November 4th. See page 2 for more information. The Congregation looks“forward” to being able to “move forward” in deciding its future plans and courses of action. Many decisions have been put on hold until the congregation has a settled pastor. Now it is time to get back to work, or as Interim Pastor Dick said in his last sermon: “I’ve primed the pump, now it is time for you to pump like crazy!” [Ready, Set, Let’s Go! ~Editor]
Reminder: Nov. 1, Budget Requests are due to the Admin. Committee.
Reminder: Congregation Meeting on October 21 to Elect 2019 Officers and Elders Moderator— Pat Auten Vice Moderator— Recording Sec.— Jean Gilbertson Corresponding Sec.— Sue Hunt Financial Sec.— Peter Dunn Treasurer— Linda Becker Nominations— Claudia & Ed Gillispie
Elders: (Elected for a 2-yr term, 4 yrs max) Pat Archer (her first year) Randy Chapman (his last year) Jean Gilbertson (her second year) Mary Kimsey (her last year) Lannette Sargent (her first year)
Property Task Force Update Report (Use of our vacant property)
Page � , Mid-October ~ Mid-November 2018 Weathervane; United Christian Church, 15509 116th Ave. SE, Renton WA 98058;1In covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
Find Direction at United Christian Church, An Open and Affirming
Congregation. No matter where you are on
life’s journey, you are welcome here.
Members of our congregation who cooked and/or served were Joyce B., Jolynn K., Leona H., Carolyn H., Janet M., Dee W. and Caroline B. Joyce and Caroline are co-chairs and were cooks on the 30th.
The next dinner will be the last Sunday in December, the 30th. Cooks and Servers will be needed again, as well as more money to buy the food. It will be a busy time of year. Begin planning for it now.
Earlier this year the congregation chose to make giving this dinner, once a quarter, a priority for our church to do. Mark the date!
A Fun and Successful Dinner Served September 30th
The members of our congregation shown above cooked and served the community dinner on Sunday, Sept. 30th. They show their enjoyment in helping fill the tummies of over 80 persons who might otherwise have gone hungry. They served 100 meals, with some people taking extra for others and some coming back for seconds. The menu of fried and baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cornbread, with cookies and brownies for dessert was a popular choice, according to the children attending.
Welcome, Rev. Cynthia! There will be cake and ice cream for the Fellowship time following the Sunday morning service on Nov. 4th to introduce our new pastor. Then mark your calendars to come
celebrate and welcome Reverend Cynthia Meyer, our new settled pastor (and her new wife), at a Potluck Dinner following worship on November 11. Pastor Cynthia told us when she visited in September that she and her fiancee, Mary, would be married this month (October) before they left Kansas for Washington. They will be driving cross country and have found a place to settle into upon their arrival. Pastor Cynthia’s covenant with the church is signed and the Administrative Task Force is working with her to insure we get pension and medical insurance coverage started immediately for both her and her wife. Let us fill the sanctuary on November 4th to welcome our new settled pastor. [Wear your names!] All are also invited to the adult Sunday Bible study that meets in the Office Conference Room at 9:15 am. It is currently being led by Nancy O. using study materials Pastor Dick left with us.
Hi from the Moderator,
Yes, I am still alive but did not get to go to Illinois for my 60th Class Reunion and see my sister and her family. Three days before I was to leave the lungs decided to act up. I have been confined to the house taking antibiotics, etc. Hoping that I can make an appearance at church next Sunday. Randy will be leading the Council meeting and a big thank you to him.
On Tuesday October 16 there will be a ribbon cutting at the new Clothes Bank facility, 444 Park Ave. N., Renton 98057, from 5:00-7:00 PM. The Kiwanis are proud of the new home for the Clothes Bank and Renton Technical College will be providing snacks. I think this is the nicest place we have ever been housed in. Thank you to the Renton School District. On October 18 at Renton Technical College, Communities In Schools of Renton will present “Partners in Equity” sponsored by Republic Services. Registration is free and there will be breakfast service. The doors open at 7:00 AM, breakfast service starts at 7:15 and the program begins promptly at 7:30. Will close at 8:30 PM. CISR is dear to my heart as I am one of the founders and served on the Board for 15 years. To register: renton.ciswa.org or [email protected]
It won’t be long and we will have a settled pastor. I am looking forward to having Rev. Cynthia Meyer in the pulpit and new changes being made to the service and all the other ideas she will have to offer. Please be present on November 4 to welcome her.
Page � , Mid-October~ Mid-November 2018 Weathervane; United Christian Church, 15509 116th Ave. SE, Renton WA 98058;2In covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
ROMEOS lunches 12:00 (Retired Old Men Eating Out Somewhere) See Carl Kever, Ed Gillispie or Terry Kimsey for where.
Other Groups Use Our Campus RegularlyMonday through Friday: Montessori School in Ed. Bldg., 7am-5pmMondays: Hula Group now meets once a month. See below.2nd & 4th Fridays: SCA group uses our buildings, 6:00-10:00 pm
They will not meet on Nov. 23, but will on Nov. 30Saturdays: AA meets in the Ed. Bldg. basement.- 10:30 amSundays: Sermon on the Mount Study Grp: 6 pm, AA room
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Oct. 15. Hula Group Practice, 10:00 am-1:00 pm in NarthexOct. 18, REACH Annual Fund Raiser@Renton Pavilion, 6 pmOct. 21, Cong. Mtg to vote on 2019 Officers & EldersOct. 22, Mon. Munchers, 12:20 @ Paolo’s in KentNov. 1, Budget Requests due to Admin. CommitteeNov. 4, Daylight Savings Time ends. (Set clocks back.)Nov. 4. First Sunday with Pastor Cynthia MeyerNov. 6, REACH Mtg @noon, location TBD (1st Tues. of Month) Nov. 11, Potluck Dinner: Welcome Rev. Cynthia, 12:30 Ed Bldg Nov. 12, Hula Group Practice, 10:00 am-1:00 pm in NarthexNov. 12, Mon. Munchers, 12:20@ Torero’s, Renton LandingNov. 7, Council Mtg. @Office Conference RmNov. 15, E-mail News sent out. Items to Editor before.Nov. 18, Pledge Sunday (Pledges to support 2019 Budget)Nov. 26, Mon. Munchers, 12:20@Alki Bakery, Kent
The photo below shows some of the Monday Munchers with Rev. Cynthia during her visit in September. From left: Leroy V., Mary J., Donna K., Carl K., and Pastor Cynthia.
Oct. 20, Brian & Kim Lacey, 1990 Oct. 25, Kunnan & Pichu Chen, 1965 Nov. 14, Jim & April Woods, 1998 Nov. 15, Terry & Mary Kimsey, 1974
Randy and Barb Chapman, Sep. 9.
Upcoming Activities
Congregational Meeting Sunday, Dec. 9: To approve the 2019 Budget and…
Following the meeting: Our catered Christmas Dinner For all our congregation. If cost is a concern please speak to the pastor. Each one of us is important to the whole of us. Family members and friends are especially invited.
Nov. 18, Pledge Sunday This is the day each person in the
congregation is asked to write down the amount of money (and talents & time) they prayerfully and sincerely pledge to give to our church during 2019. The actual total amounts expected over the year are needed for the church administration to plan programs, allot funds for building maintenance, and be able to pay our pastor and music directors. Only our Financial Secretary will see the individual amounts. [He won’t tell, either.]
There will be members speaking over the next few weeks about the importance of supporting our budget financially if we want to continue as a church.
Page � , Mid-October~ Mid-November 2018 Weathervane; United Christian Church, 15509 116th Ave. SE, Renton WA 98058;3In covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
After a tough six months things are looking great Thank You!
In March of 2018, we sent out a request to our wider REACH community regarding the critical financial state of the
organization. In response to this challenge, the REACH Board of Directors and our new Executive Director Rev. Bianca Davis-Lovelace did two things: 1) Increased our requests for donations and grants to our supporters and
2) carefully scrutinized our operations and staff activities to make sure we are optimizing our resources.
On the first point, we received an incredible response from the community, including the City of Renton. We can’t thank
everyone enough for your volunteer time, as well as your financial and emotional support during that time of
transition. Additionally, we identified several changes to improve
services for our clients while also reducing the administrative time away from client facing activities. Unfortunately, these
changes were not always easy for staff. In the past few months, we have lost three staff members, but we gained
two new staff members who are on fire to serve our clients. We have restructured our organization resulting in a positive impact on our finances and improved our results for housing
placement. In August, we formed a housing navigation team who placed five families in housing in only four weeks. In the month of September, we are on track for getting four more families housed which will make nine families housed
in only two months. We are literally seeing results in housing navigation like never before here at REACH. We have a
great team who go above and beyond for our clients on a daily basis.
The results are in, and the community support continues to grow. We now have two major healthcare organizations Kaiser Permanente and Providence who will sponsor our gala in October. We are very grateful that these local organizations believe in the mission of REACH and are
showing up to contribute financially to the success of our gala.
Renton Meal Coalition Needs We serve an average of 300 people weekly for breakfast every morning, Monday through Friday, and for dinner every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We are asking for food donations to help serve our clients and to make sure there is enough for them to take food to go. We are also asking for donations of travel size shampoo, conditioner and lotion to hand out for our meal coalition clients. If you are interested in donating such items for our RMC, please contact us via email at [email protected] or call us at 425-209-0594 Ext 0.
Note: Our church is a main contributor of breakfast cereals for the Monday through Friday breakfasts. We also have agreed to provide the Sunday Dinner once a quarter. Let us continue to be the ones who are doing more, even as we are praying. (See top left column on pg 2.)
Report from the Property Committee Cameron McL. Ch.
Neighbors of the church were concerned that church trees were
leaning over their property. An arborist was contacted and inspected the trees overhanging our southern property line. The arborist reported all the trees are healthy. None are dying or dead. Copies of the arborist’s certificate will be sent to the property line owners. The drinking fountain in the hallway of the sanctuary building has been turned off for some weeks because it was leaking. A fountain repair person came out and reported critical parts are old and very costly. A new fountain installation would cost over $5,000. However, a repair was made which allows the fountain to work for now. Instructions for use we are told is: push in the bar and wait. It will work. But just in case, the pan under the fountain will remain!
A lock had to be purchased for the music cabinet next to the piano, as music and other items were disappearing.
The sanctuary building uses two furnaces to keep itself warm. The company maintenance person came by in September to inspect, clean and replace the filters. [They’re good for winter now!]
A couple of the elders, Mary K. and Jean G., will clean the Pastor’s Study in the Office Building in October. It was cleaned and re-painted for our interim pastor a year ago, so will be put back into prime condition again. Thanks Jean and Mary.
Which Reminds Us. Cleaning our buildings are up to members of our congregation. We do not have a paid person to clean up after us. If you are able, we ask that you sign up to clean for a few weeks a year. Dee Woods will be happy to give all volunteers instructions.
With shorter days and colder weather here, we need to be sure lights are off, heat turned down and doors locked when leaving buildings. Some lights are on timers, as are heaters, but some are not. See the next page for two members who try not to waste resources!! 😇
Page � , Mid-October~ Mid-November 2018 Weathervane; United Christian Church, 15509 116th Ave. SE, Renton WA 98058;4In covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
Comment from Claudia We can’t let this opportunity (space & subject) go by without saying something. We are pleased to be picked for this honor, as we thoroughly believe in conserving the resources we have. The article is faithful to what we told our interviewer. (Too much so?) Taking care of things is how we have always lived. After we bought our own place 60 years ago, built on land scraped clear for WW II housing, we’ve tried to replenish the soil and plantings. But it is all part of being good stewards in all parts of our lives, as the Bible tells us. Our yard is registered as a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary and is why the leftover communion bread is given to us to feed the local wildlife. Usually the squirrels get to it first.
This silverware sculpture (2 dragon flies) is made of old forks and knives welded together and balanced on a spoon welded onto a steel post. We have set the post in the ground near a rhododendron plant.
Page � , Mid-October~ Mid-November 2018 Weathervane; United Christian Church, 15509 116th Ave. SE, Renton WA 98058;5In covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
