Faith Lutheran Church
Bellingham, Washington
A "Reconciling in Christ" Congregation of the ELCA.
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BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS 2012
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Are the Creeds Credible?
With Dr. Dan Peterson
Sat, Oct 6, 2012
9:00am - 3:00pm
Registration: $25 per adult.
Childcare $5 per child. Lunch provided with registration.
Every Sunday many Christians profess their faith in the words of the Nicene or Apostles' Creed. But what do the words of these creeds mean? Why were they written, who wrote them, and what was their original function? Designed especially for those who wonder about the relevance of the creeds for faith today, this series brings to the surface what the creeds actually say-and do not say-about the "essentials" of Christian faith. The study concludes by considering what the creeds might mean for us in a context radically different than the one(s) in which they first appeared.
www.soundtheology.net
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If you are interested in learning more about Faith, about how to be involved in the work here, or have questions about church membership, consider joining us for introductions and conversation one of these two Thursday nights!
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Join with others at Faith to view this documentary.
Does hell exist? If so, who ends up there, and why? Featuring an eclectic group of authors, theologians, pastors, social commentators and musicians, "Hellbound?" is a provocative, feature-length documentary that will ensure you never look at hell the same way again!
Pickford Cinema, one-night only!
Thurs, Oct 18, 2012, 6:30pm.
Q & A following the show with Director Kevin Miller.
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MEN OF FAITH
Calling Men of Faith of all ages: The Faith Lutheran Church Men's group "Men of Faith" meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, 6:00-8:00pm, in the Gathering Room at Faith. Each gathering is a potluck, as well as being a time for some guided discussion and fellowship. Childcare is provided if dads want to give moms a break for a couple hours (please RSVP for childcare for planning purposes).
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CHURCH WORK PARTY
SAT, Oct 20, 2012
9:00AM-1:30PM
A sincere thank you to the four female "seasoned citizens" and two other hardworking ladies, three young men, and the doughnut man who turned out for the work party on Sep 8.
If you weren't able to attend, please consider coming on Sat, Oct 8! Bring your gloves, a garden tool (rakes!), and some energy! If you can't attend, send someone in your place! We will focus on removal of overcrowded plantings, on raking fallen leaves, and on spiffing up the childrens' play area (also on getting that area ready for planting of some buffer plantings between the edge of our property and the street). One last push before winter comes!
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INTERFAITH WINTER COAT DRIVE
Join with us to help the Interfaith Coalition gather and distribute warm coats to those in need throughout the county. Please bring clean, good quality winter coats, hats, gloves and mittens to church--children's sizes and men's large coats are especially needed.
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HARVEST SUNDAY
Sun, Oct 14, 2012
Community gardeners and people of Faith Lutheran are invited to celebrate Harvest Sunday! Do you have extra veggies in your garden? Bring them to share with others! Extra herbs and pumpkins from the community garden available too!
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QUILTERS RESUME STITCHING!
The Faith Quilters have resumed meeting every Monday at 9:00am at Faith in the Gathering Room! This group makes and donates quilts to a variety of organizations--for those who are ill or in need of warmth. If you would like to be involved, please contact Dorothy Dahl (733-5042) or Karen Clark (647-9334).
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FAITH FALL FAIR
Sat, Nov 10, 2012
Mark your calendars and get busy! It's time for full-tilt preparation for the Faith Fall Fair--making preserves, planning lefse-making, and creating your unique, hand-made, quality, crafted items. For questions, please contact the office and/or planning committee!
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Upcoming Dates to Note:
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Weekly Sunday Worship
10:00am
Wednesday Supper & Prayer
Every Wednesday
6:00-7:15pm
Adult Choir Rehearsal
Every Wednesday
7:15pm
Dr. Dan Peterson Workshop
Mon, Oct 9
6:30pm
Faith Women's Breakfast
Wed, Oct 10
8:30am
Youth Serve CAST
Wed, Oct 10
6-7:30pm
Thurs, Oct 11
Thurs, Oct 25
Harvest Sunday
Sun, Oct 14
Blood Pressure Clinic
Sun, Oct 14
After worship in the Pastor's office.
Let Justice Roll
Youth Leadership Weekend
Oct 12-14
Holden Village
Blessing of the Healthcare Workers & Food Drive Sunday
Interfaith Coat Drive Ends
Sun, Oct 21
Youth Halloween Event
Fri, Oct 26
Reformation Sunday
Confirmation
Sun, Oct 28
All Saints Sunday
Sun, Nov 4
Faith Fall Fair
Sat, Nov 10
10:00-4:00
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NEXT FOOD DRIVE SUNDAY:
Sun, Oct 21, 2012
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!
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NEW EDITION FAITH COOKBOOK!
The Feast Goes On...
Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it...Ezekiel 4:9
This is your second official notice of the new edition Faith cookbook that will be published this month! "The Feast Goes On" will focus primarily on meals that can be shared in community, meals that highlight our local harvest, insights on canning, preserving, beer making, and any other culinary skill you would like to share.
Here's how to contribute:
1. Submit your recipe via email to: cookbook@faithbellingham.org.
2. Submit hard copy of a recipe to the "Feast Goes On" box located in the church office
Don't forget to write your name on the recipe/story!
Please contact the office or Rebekah Swanson with questions.
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FAITH COMMUNITY GARDEN
HARVEST WEEKEND!!
Do you have more vegetables than you need from your garden (can anyone say "zucchini")? A table will be set up in the community garden Sat - Sun, Oct 13-14! Share what you can't use; take what you need! Pumpkins and herbs from the community garden to share too!
For information about gardening next year or with any other inquiries, email the garden team at:
community.garden@faithbellingham.org
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MAPLE ALLEY INN
Contributed by Robert Loftin, Maple Alley Inn Volunteer
The first thing I do when I walk into the kitchen at 6:30 is turn on the ovens. We have about four hours to make a nutritious meal for over a hundred people and the clock is ticking. The second priority is hot coffee. It's a simple job, which is good because this early in the morning my brain is foggy and slow moving. The kitchen crew start arriving at seven a.m. and begin washing and chopping the cases of donated vegetables and fruit. The shipping container behind the church is our pantry, dry storage, and freezer space. As the veggies and fruit are processed other volunteers are busy breaking down meat and fish and mixing cake batter. In a short time the sleepy, quiet kitchen fills up with busy people laughing and friends saying good morning.
Maple Alley Inn has been serving hot meals for over twenty years and some of the volunteers have been with the program from the beginning while others, like myself, have only recently begun volunteering. I've cooked in many restaurants over the years and know the demanding amount of labor it takes to make a meal for a hundred people. Unlike a restaurant, all our ingredients are donated or gleaned, which sometimes means picking through cases of half mushy produce. Cooking for a hundred hungry people is very different from making lunch for a few friends. A commercial kitchen can be very stressful. Yet the amazing crew of volunteers manages all this hard work with smiles and continuous laughter. They stand shoulder to shoulder at the counter with their favorite knife or peeler and talk about their families, recent trips, or how their pets and gardens are doing. I've learned from them that a charitable heart is the most important ingredient in the kitchen.
At 11:30 the steam tables are uncovered and the line stretches across the room. Many of the people who come for a meal have a hard time chewing due to a lack of teeth. So we chop and shred the salads and make sure everything is cooked well enough to be soft for sensitive mouths. Yesterday we served smoked chicken and potato gratin, beets, cucumber salad, mixed green salad and bread with coffee, juice, and a piece of cake. The number of people coming to Faith Lutheran for a free hot meal is increasing each month. Nationwide the number of families now living with food insecurity is above 15%. In 2006 the number was 10%. Hunger in our community is a growing problem but there are also caring, generous people willing to donate their time and effort to meet the need.
By 1:30 the line is gone and the dishes are scrubbed and the plates stacked. The coffee pots are dried and ovens turned off until the next morning when the work of feeding the hungry people in our community begins again. From the Maple Alley Inn volunteers I would like to pass along what we hear from the people who receive the benefit of your generosity - thank you and God bless you.
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HEALTH NEWS
From Your Parish Nurse
By Jodi Greene
Fall has officially arrived! Kids are back at school and the Sunday school programs are in full swing. It is exciting to be back together--it also means germs are being spread at a much faster rate and kids are already coming home from school with illnesses. If your child or grandchild has a fever, cold, diarrhea or headaches, please keep them at home! They should be free of symptoms for 24 hours before returning to church. Please remember that a sick child is not only unhappy at church, but exposes other children and parish members to infection as well. Help us all stay healthy! Protect yourself and your loved ones by practicing good hand hygiene, covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing and get your flu vaccine. The best time to get a flu vaccine is October-November at your local pharmacy or doctor's office. Remember, the single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated each year. It takes about two weeks after getting the vaccination for your body to build the antibodies to fight off the flu!
Whooping cough (Pertussis) epidemic is still in full swing in our state with more than 4,000 reported cases. It's the highest number of reported cases in more than six decades! Many people who are infected by pertussis go undiagnosed because the disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and results in coughing fits that continue for weeks. Pertussis can occur at any age, but young infants and immune-compromised individuals are at highest risk for complications and death. The best way to prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated!! If you have any questions about the pertussis epidemic, influenza or the vaccinations, please visit the Whatcom County Health Department Website at: www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health
Blood pressure clinics will continue in the office on the second Sunday of every month and when needed...just ask the nurse! Please check the health ministry bulletin board for upcoming events and sponsored community events such as caregiver support groups, prostate screenings and many different cancer support groups. Take advantage of these free events. We all need each other for support, education and a lending ear. Have a safe month. May God bless us all with good health!
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LIFE AT FAITH 
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MUSICALLY SPEAKING
The schedule for fall includes:
Adult Choir Rehearsal Wednesdays, 7:15-8:45PM
Adult Choir Warm-Up Sundays, 9:20-9:40AM
Chime Choir Rehearsal Sundays, 8:45-9:15AM
For more info on music at Faith, contact Renee King, Music Director:
Ph: (360) 733-3970 or (360) 927-6331
E: renee.king@faithbellingham.org
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2012 FALL PROGRAM & EDUCATION SCHEDULE
SUNDAYS
Weekly Children's Religious Education
8:45-9:45am GODLY PLAY (Godly Play Classroom)
A Montessori-based children's religious education curriculum, richly rooted in the stories of the tradition, designed to allow sacred and creative space for children to develop their own ideas about God and the universe. All children are welcome.
Music
8:45am-9:15am CHIME CHOIR REHEARSAL (Chapel)
9:20-9:45am ADULT CHOIR WARM-UP (Sanctuary)
Worship
Childcare available.
10:00-11:00am SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION
Followed by community coffee hour in social hall.
Fall Seminar Series (Through Oct 21!)
8:45am-9:45am
ADULT FORUM: "Animate" Series (Gathering Room)
11:15-12:15am Childcare Available.
CONFIRMATION CLASS W/ PASTOR (Sanctuary/Annex)
HIGH SCHOOL FORUM: "Animate" Series (Annex)
LOVE & LOGIC PARENTING CLASS (Gathering Room)
ADULT BIBLE STUDY: Genesis (Committee Room)
CONFIRMATION In preparation for individual declarations of faith and community, confirmands are prepared to examine and process their own relationship to the church community and tradition. Confirmation is program for middle-school aged youth.
"ANIMATE" SERIES Animate is a new 7-week series by Augsburg Publishing, featuring "seven substantive, passionate, and insightful sessions on central topics of the Christian faith from seven leading and diverse Christian voices." The series is designed to propel vibrant dialogue and stimulate fresh thinking around faith and community. The series will utilize DVD sessions and group discussion.
LOVE & LOGIC PARENTING John and Kersten Fairbairn, both certified instructors of the Love & Logic curriculum will lead this guided yet vibrant discussion. "The Love and Logic Institute and its sister company, School Consultant Services, are dedicated to making parenting and teaching fun and rewarding, instead of stressful and chaotic. We provide practical tools and techniques that help adults achieve respectful, healthy relationships with their children."
ADULT STUDY: GENESIS This study will use a DVD series and follow with group discussion--a Bible study about new beginnings--insights into the book of Genesis.
WEDNESDAYS
6:00pm FAMILY SUPPER (Social Hall)
6:45pm EVENING PRAYER (Sanctuary) Childcare Available.
7:15pm ADULT CHOIR (Sanctuary) Childcare Available.
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FAITH YOUTH 
FALL PROGRAM
"Animate" Video and Discussion Series
Sundays (Through Oct 21) 11:15am-12:15pm
(Meet in the Annex.)
Join us for the 6-week series of conversations from seven of the most contemporary leaders within the church--people who may surprise you about the way they think outside the religious box! As teens and future leaders, what do you think about spirituality, the role of church, and how to bring it into the next generation? We encourage all youth families to commit to this 6-week series!
Youth Serve CAST Downtown
Second Wednesdays monthly 6:30-7:30pm
(Followed by regular program at the church--upcoming dates: 9/12, 10/10)
Halloween Youth Event
Fri, Oct 26
All of the cryptic details...TBA! Wahahahahaha!
Contact Jessie Twigg-Harris for more info:
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NOTE FROM THE PASTOR
By Pastor Sharon Swanson
The introduction to the required reading for the Northwest WA Synod's fall stewardship event reads: Like shifting tectonic plates deep beneath the earth's surface, the foundations for mission funding in the church are changing. Some of what is familiar is slipping beneath the surface. Simultaneously, new and unforeseen landscapes and perspectives are emerging. The challenge for the ELCA early in the 21st Century is to find its footing, so that the church in mission can participate in God's ongoing work of transforming the world.
We always find ourselves talking about stewardship in the fall, probably because it is coming up on the time when we traditionally collect all the information in order to put together a working budget for the congregation that will see us through the coming year.
Each of us knows, however, that stewardship isn't just a seasonal discipline. It is our way of being in the world as people of faith.
Giving in the ELCA (and probably most other "mainline" denominations ) has been declining for some time. With that in mind, a group of leaders with expertise in stewardship (and whose related work happens in many different arenas of the church) were asked to develop a list of Competencies for Well-formed stewardship Leaders.
I want to share these with you. The six "competencies" are as follows:
* Trust God's abundance
* Ground oneself in biblical and theological principles
* Hold a holistic perspective
* Perceive connectedness
* Engage and critique culture
* Embrace financial health as an expression of faith.
We will be speaking about these things in the days and weeks to come. Chris Behee and Cindy Early will report on the Synod Stewardship event. We will be talking over the possibilities for the coming year during the coffee hours and at the community meals. Keep an eye on the parish bulletin boards!!!
I invite you to spend some time in personal reflection on God's goodness to you , and what your commitment to this congregation and to God's mission in the world is going to be in response.
Life in this community is diverse and lively. Faith is a place where people of all ages and backgrounds gather around Word and Sacrament, and fashion their lives in service to others - journeying together through worship, work, prayer, music, and the arts - in a climate of trust, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Think about more than Sunday morning participation in that life.
God's peace to you all,
Sharon
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