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Lake Burien Presbyterian Church
May 2011
In This Issue
The Pastor's Desk
Your Session
Clerk's Corner
Encounter
Encourage Committee
Engage
PFC Committee
Nominating Committee
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Mission Statement and Slogan  

Imagine living God's kingdom now as disciples of Jesus' radical way, just imagine....
 
"A place to Encounter God in worship, Encourage one another in life and faith, and Engage the world for Christ."

From the Pastor's Desk

 
Tobin - color

 

Three words to consider: Gratitude. Hospitality. Reading.

 

Gratitude. I was recently asked, "Why are we hosting the Presbytery here on May 17? What a GREAT question. First, we were asked and I volunteered. Then the Session said, "YES!" Why did I so readily raise my hand to offer us? Simple. I am proud of what God is doing here in our midst. I am overflowing with gratitude in EVERY SINGLE way. I am standing on a mountaintop proclaiming a resounding, "Thank you to every man, woman and child here at LBPC." We are rolling out the red carpet to the Seattle Presbytery to host and serve them later in May. If you are called upon to help, it is my hope that you would agree. For this I am immensely grateful.

 

Hospitality. This word is an unspoken, active response that reflects how deeply we are grateful for the grace work of God in our lives. It is gratitude that is full and overflowing, resulting in a desire to see everyone we connect with flourish. So we are people of hospitality. It refreshes, heals, transforms, and serves.

 

Reading. I believe that leaders are readers. Sorry for the "cheesy one-liner." Yet, fundamentally, I believe it to be true. In fact, I believe that what, why and how we read are missional acts, political acts, and prayerful acts. When we read Scripture well, we "tip off" our God-directed allegiance to the remainder of the world and are thus, missional. This missional methodology is a political act. It says we align with God's kingdom in Christ and through Christ's word, and in doing this we worship. Seventeenth-century French mystic Madame Guyon said, "Praying scripture is not judged by how much you read but by the way in which you read. If you read quickly, it will benefit you little. You will be like a bee that merely skims the surface of a flower. Instead, in this new way of reading with prayer, you must become as the bee that penetrates into the depth of the flower. You plunge deeply within to remove its deepest nectar."

 

When we ingest the deep mysteries of this kind of lectio divina (sacred reading) it is not an "arbitrary self-willing" in our reading as if we can improve on the Apostles. We do not read as a self-chooser who wills to stand against authenticated, settled truth of the ancients (this is the arrogance of modernism), opting for independent, arbitrary self-willing but under the influence of the great communion of saints who have gone before. This is our cosmic "unity in community." So read on all you postmodern leaders; under the influence of the divine Holy Spirit going deeper into what is already revealed.

 

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

 

Tobin 

 

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Your Session

 

Moderator of Session

Tobin Wilson

 

Clerk of Session 

Melinda Glass

 

Encounter God in Worship

Jenna Fox

Brandon Stoy

 

Encourage One Another in Community

Norma Kastien  

Margarita Suarez

 

Engage in the World As Transformers of Culture

Steve Glass

Carolyn Carpenter

 

Property

Steve Turner

Gordon Shaw

 

Finance

Paul Larson, elder with

Anne Tiernan, Treasurer

 

Capital Improvements

Paul Larson

 

Personnel

Tim O'Brien 

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Clerk's Corner
 

Happy Easter! The "new" session continues their work with excitement, commitment and willingness to let God lead in new and wonderful ways.

Items that were approved by session at our last meeting include:

 

1.      The concept plans of the next phase of the master plan - commons area

 

2.      Newsletter submissions will need to go through the elder(s) in charge of that area. This will assure communication efforts are consistent with all components of each ministry team. If you want to submit an article and are unsure who to send it to here is a list of the elders and their areas;

Encounter: Brandon Stoy and Jenna Fox

Encourage: Margarita Suarez and Norma Kastien

Engage: Carolyn Carpenter and Steve Glass

Personnel: Tim O'Brien

Property, Finance and Capital Improvements: Gordon Shaw, Steve Turner and Paul Larson

 

3.      We continue to organize and gear up to host the Seattle Presbytery meeting on May 17 here at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church. This event will host over 250 ministers, elders and guests who will come to our church for an afternoon and evening of business meetings, worship, prayer and dinner at our church. It is the final voting session on the items going forward to the General Assembly of PCUSA.

 

If you are interested in reading more about the items being discussed, go to http://www.seattlepresbytery.org and look for meetings. Look for the documents listed as: Confession of Belhar, Amendments, new Form of Government (nFOG). Elders Steve Glass, Melinda Mackey-O'Brien and Don Weber are representing LBPC for these three Seattle Presbytery meetings November - May, so that we have consistency in the representation of our church.

 

4.      We continue to work closely with the deacons and their teams as we navigate to a new structure of LBPC.

 

Melinda Glass, LBPC clerk

 

 

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ENCOUNTER

 
Mark Wagner 

Music Department

Well, spring seems to be right around the corner and there is no better way to celebrate the sunshine than with a good old fashioned potluck lunch! Our first potluck went off with a bang, and it was a great way to celebrate our new multipurpose space! Thanks so much to everyone who was a part of that special event at Lake Burien, and hopefully there will be plenty more potluck lunches to come in the future!

 

Things in the music department are heating up as well! After a great Palm Sunday and Easter celebration, we are gearing up for a bright spring. Special thanks to Jan for all of her hard work in preparing the wonderful music arrangements to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! We have worked hard as a music department and as a church staff to continue to engage more and more folks in the Encounter piece of worship and we want to continue to encourage folks to come join us as we prepare for our music and worship time on Sunday mornings! As always, there is an open invitation for the choir and music department for anyone who is interested in volunteering!

 

We are looking forward to a great spring at LBPC!

 

Mark Wesley Wagner

Interim Music Director

 

 

Thanks!

Our heartfelt thank you to the Rev. Dr. Tobin Wilson, to elders, Brandon Stoy and Jenna Fox, to choir director, Jan Klerekoper, the choir, guest artists, Karl Reyes, Karen Early-Evans, Kathryn Vinson, Geoffrey Klerekoper, violinist, Diane Lange Jones and David Hall (substitute director for the Palm Sunday cantata) for the dramatic readings, sermons and powerful music during Holy Week. More thank yous to Brandon for creating a sacred, mystical meditation and prayer vigil space in the chapel and to Tobin, Brandon, Penny and John Hickman and Dean Shull for the shadows and dark created by the black shroud, the tall white candles on the communion table and the lighting for the Tenebrae service and concert. And again, to the same five people for our beautiful Easter worship of celebration, the simplicity of a few lilies and the white shroud was so beautifully placed on the cross.... Thank you doesn't seem enough.

 

Tim O'Brien and Melinda Mackey-O'Brien

 

ENCOURAGE

  

Encourage One Another in Community

Charge: to foster authentic community and encourage the congregational life at LBPC

Goal: an umbrella for present and future ministries, and promote communication.

 

"A potluck is a gathering of people where each person or group of people contributes a dish of food to be shared among the group", and wow, did we do that!

 

We want to thank all the many people who made our All-Church Potluck Lunch on Sunday, April 17, such a successful event. The success, we believe, was that this lunch was part of the whole life at LBPC. The lunch followed the Palm Sunday worship and was also the celebration of the remodel of the Multipurpose Room and the last week of Lent, going toward Easter Sunday.

 

About 140 people came to the lunch and they went smoothly through the lines, getting their food, sitting and visiting with others. This lunch was a team event from start to finish with the Deacons, Presbyterian Women, and the Encourage Committee. We worked on the plans, set more tables in the room to make it ready and set up the decorations. The abundant fingerfood brought by so many people was placed on the tables, and afterward we cleaned up the place. At the end, people were able to take food home in special take-out food boxes.

 

If you had come in as the lunch was going on, you would have experienced our LBPC community. Conversations were lively, people were eating and helping each other, our diversity in the membership was quite visible. And we had lots of children. Not only were they sitting with their parents, some were at the tables on the stage.

 

There are other events and ministries that are part of our charge and goal. One that we are working on is to promote communication. We took the first step by asking for comments and ideas at the lunch. There were many verbal compliments and ten written notes telling us we did a good job and celebrating the newness of the multipurpose room. There was a suggestion that next time "those talking should stand on the stage so everyone can see them." There were some comments for other committees and we will pass those on to them.

 

We're proud of our success and pleased with the response from the "rest of the committee"-the congregation!

 

Members of Encourage Committee:

Elders: Norma Kastien and Margarita Suarez

Deacon Moderator: Beth Williams

Representative of Presbyterian Women: Barbara Carlsen

Three key leaders of congregation: Jan Cox, Natalie Sarantos, Priscilla Stephenson

 

 

New Directory

The office will be putting together a new directory to include all our new members. Stan Lane, as in years past, has graciously agreed to be our photographer. If you're a new member or if you have already had your picture taken and would like to have it updated, please call the office (206.242.6023) so we can schedule that.

 

Please check the old directory to assure that the information therein is correct and complete. If you are a new member, please be sure we have names, address, children's names, phone numbers and a primary email address (unfortunately, our program will list only one email address). 

 

Thank you for your help; we want to get this new directory in your hands as soon as possible!

 

 

 

Presbyterian Women Synod Gathering

The Presbyterian Women's Annual Synod Gathering is taking place at Camp Berachah in Auburn, Washington from May 5-7. Gail Lane, Gerry Flaten, Carol Thome and Margarita Suarez will be in attendance. They will be glad to share their experiences following the Gathering.

  

 

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ENGAGE

 

Engage Team

Lake Burien Presbyterian Church has had a long history in the "mission" field. Over the last several decades we have contributed our time, talents and treasures to a wide variety of worthy organizations. Some of these recent mission fields included Presbyterian World Mission, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Church Council of Greater Seattle, Samaritan Center of Puget Sound, the Abdallah Family, New Horizons, Church of Mary Magdalene, Bridge Ministries, Seahurst Elementary School, Boy Scout Troop 360, 12-Step groups, Union Gospel Mission, Pacto de Poder, Earth Ministries, and Multifaith Works AIDS Care Team. These are just a few of the many organizations that in the past we have made significant contributions to in an endeavor to further the good work that they do.

 

As with any organization, change happens. The session has struggled hard with budgetary issues and where our efforts would best be utilized to promote mission. Session has decided at this time to focus our attention on our "in-house" mission partners. These include all 12-Step groups, Union Gospel Mission, Orphan Relief and Rescue, Hospitality House, Young Life, Samaritan Center, New Horizons, Uganda Springs, PC(USA), Boy Scouts, and Stepping Stone Preschool. Presbyterian Women will continue to support mission of the church worldwide, including PW Thank Offering, PW Birthday Offering, Alice Winters and other mission fields as designated by their organization.

 

As session members, we encourage everyone to participate in mission work that feeds the soul and honors God. We encourage each member to step outside the bounds of LBPC to participate in meaningful and spiritual endeavors. Realistically, as a smaller church with fewer personnel resources, session will concentrate our efforts toward our in-house partners. We encourage you to continue to follow your heart and volunteer your time, talents and gifts to those missions you have a passion for as we, the session, focus our energies on our in-house partners. I wish to thank our congregation for their many contributions to the mission field. If you wish to help us with any of the in-house programs mentioned, please feel free to contact me at home at 206.242.1765 or e-mail me at [email protected].

Steve Glass

 

 

Children's Department

Happy May LBPC!

 

Sarah PhamApril was an exciting month in the children's department seeing 12 of our 3rd-6th graders attend Black Lake camp during spring break, 12 of our 29 enrolled students in the after-school program attend the all-church potluck on April 17, and a few new faces are attending church on Sunday mornings!! For all of these things, I am incredibly grateful for the work that God is doing here at LBPC. More kids to serve=more families to reach=more volunteers needed. J I would encourage you to think about getting involved with the new Engage committee. Our next meeting will be at 7 p.m. on May 10. You can learn about ways to get involved with our youth and community on Sunday mornings or during the week. Lastly, I want you to keep your eyes and ears open for a Vacation Bible School announcement coming soon! We will need A LOT of volunteers to make VBS a success, so please begin praying about how you might get involved this year!!

 

In Christ's Love,

 

 

Sarah

 

 

Adult Ed

There is a way between voice and presence

Where information flows. 

In disciplined silence it opens.

With wandering talk it closes.

 --Rumi, mystical artist, poet 1207-1273

 

I'm trying to learn the "way between voice and presence where information flows." It's actually a place of freedom if I let it be. I don't always have to talk. Sometimes I wonder why I am talking! Where we must speak out to right injustice there are so many more times when we should be present and still in "disciplined silence." I am in awe of those people who quietly, gently and humbly go about their daily lives doing the right thing.

 

After the blessing spend some time listening... in class. It's spiritual, it's a discipline: there is time for silence and time to talk. Come.

 

May 1 - our last "Double Click" digging deeper into the sermon - the spiritual discipline of the Sacred Meal with Rev. Tobin Wilson. 

May 8 - Gail Lane shares an introduction of Barbara Rossing's Bible study, Journeys through Revelation: Apocalyptic Hope for Today. We'll learn and discuss questions like; why is this book often misunderstood? What are the real definitions of the words apocalyptic, apocalypse, revelation and Armageddon?

May 15 - Journeys through Revelation Part II with Gail Lane with more questions to answer and discuss. Why is the word hope used in describing this book? Is this book prophetic to the world's future? What is the Rapture? How is the story of Exodus related to the book of Revelation? And there's more!

May 22 - Alice Winter Auction - come support and purchase at this fundraiser for someone who lives her life gently, humbly doing the right thing.

May 29 - tba

Melinda Mackey-O'Brien

 

 

 

Presbyterian Women Birthday Offering

Begun in 1922, the Birthday Offering celebrates the history of Presbyterian Women mission giving. For 2011 three projects were selected. Each grant will enable more of an impact in their communities. Grant amounts will be determined by the total received this spring. The goal for this year's nationally collected offering is $900,000. The three projects are:

 

ACROSS - Bring Peace Now Jonglei, South Sudan - Working to end intertribal violence, with PW's help, will provide: teacher training workshops, English-language courses, production of 2,500 books with traditional stories and songs celebrating women leaders, and build a dormitory (www.across-sudan.org).

 

Menaul School - Albuquerque, New Mexico, equips students for leadership in the church and larger society. With a racially diverse student body that lacks other opportunities for quality education, this grant will help reestablish Menaul's boarding program for grades 9-12 by refurbishing a dormitory and purchasing a van for enrichment activities (www.menaulschool.com).

 

Anderson Interfaith Ministries - Women and Children Succeeding Program, Anderson, South Carolina, provides assistance to people in need and guidance to function independently. This grant will support parents as they return to school by helping to renovate current facilities and expand staff (www.aimcharity.org).

 

Watch our church bulletin for an announcement on when this offering will be collected. Thank you for your support.

 

 

Alice Winters' Auction on May 22

Our Presbyterian Women's Annual Alice Winters' Silent Auction that was originally scheduled for March 6 will now take place on Sunday, May 22. The Reverend Alice Winters teaches Old Testament classes at the Colombia Reformed University in Barranquilla, Colombia. She also keeps busy as a supporter and encourager of students and the Colombian people in many outlying villages.

 

Here is a brief excerpt from her November 2010 letter. She had written earlier about a student, Giovanny, who had a rough journey in life. But now, there is good news.

 

"Giovanny's mother and several members of the Valledupar congregation have come to Barranquilla for his graduation. Some of our graduates have trouble finding jobs even though they have their degrees, but not Giovanny. Valledupar has called him as pastor! Please pray for Giovanny, now formally recognized by the government of Colombia as a theologian and soon to be ordained to the gospel ministry by the presbytery. And pray for Giovanny's classmate Ang�lica, who graduated last year and was ordained just a month ago as pastor of the church in Cartagena. (I wish I had space to tell you her story.)
 Please know that your prayers and your gifts to the university scholarship fund have opened doors for these young people to serve the Lord and strengthen His church in Colombia. Others like them are now studying in the Reformed University or will begin in February. They too will need prayer and scholarship aid when they return for the 2011 school year. Thank you for all you do for the university and for me personally as we prepare gifted men and women like Giovanny and Ang�lica for the gospel ministry.
     Wishing you the happiest New Year ever. Alice Winters"
 
 Alice has visited our church several times. We are always fascinated with her stories and endless amount of energy. We look forward to once again raising funds for her support to continue her valuable ministry in Colombia, South America. We hope you can bring a donation for our Silent Auction of baked goods, handicrafts or volunteer service hours to the church Multipurpose Room before worship on Sunday, May 22. If you need to bring your donation earlier, please contact Gail Lane or Lucille Wheeler. All proceeds from the auction are for Alice's support and ministry. We are grateful for your donations and we look forward to May 22.

Gail Lane

 

 

Mission Partner News: Samaritan Center
 
This year the Samaritan Center of Puget Sound (formerly Presbyterian Counseling Service) is celebrating its 50th Anniversary! The Golden Anniversary Celebration is set for Sunday, May 15, 2011, beginning with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by dinner, program and auction from 6 to 9 p.m. onboard the vintage ferry MV Skansonia moored at "A" Dock on Lake Union in Seattle, 205 NE Northlake Way (one block west of Ivar's, across the street from Dunn Lumber). On-street parking is available. Reservations are requested by May 2, $80 per person.

LBPC has been in relationship with the Samaritan Center from its inception with several of our members having served on its board and for a number of years we have been one of the off-site offices. Current staff is David F. Walls, M.Div., MS, LMFT. For more information, call 206.527.2266, ext. 109, or Sally Mackey 206.243.3338. Please consider supporting this fundraising event!
Sally Mackey

 

 

Thanks to Troop 360

Our special thanks to the Boy Scouts and their leader who played a key role in the success of the recent work party on the landscaping around the campus. Their support of our church programs is greatly appreciated. Thank You, Scouts!

Carolyn Carpenter

 

 

Digging into Theology

The Theological Perspectives Discussion Group, formerly Pulpit and Pew, meets the second Thursday of each month, 6:30-9 p.m. and is led by lay leadership. We meet in members' homes and begin with a finger-food potluck. Our purpose is to study different Biblical interpretations from contemporary and earlier scholars, whether we agree with them or not. In May, the group will begin a study of J. Philip Newell's notions of Celtic Christianity. Newell recently wrote Christ of the Celts, The Healing of Creation. We will view a four-part DVD series followed by a discussion. If you are interested in joining us, call Lee and Don Weber, 242.6548, for more details.

Lee and Don Weber

 

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PROPERTY AND FINANCE

   

Property and Finance

What a wonderful celebration on Sunday, April 17, in our newly remodeled multipurpose room as we joined together for a potluck lunch. The Campus Task Force - Jim Jennings, Mark Rekate, Sonja Vasilieff, Tobin Wilson, Paul Larson, Steve Turner and Steve Hammer, appreciate your support to bring this project to completion. With Steve Turner as the project manager, the new facelift took a little over three months to complete. Both the flooring and the wall panels are environmentally friendly, while the lighting usage in the room went from over 4,000 watts to under 700, including the lighting on the stage.

 

What's up next? On Tuesday, April 27, the Campus Task Force will present to session the schematic design for the new commons area. This is the last significant project in Phase 1 of our Master Plan. This will connect the sanctuary and multipurpose room together and be the hub of our campus buildings. Look for news soon!

 

Paul Larson, PFC

 

 

2011 Budget as of March 31, 2011 

 

Budget            $337,950

  Income          $  74,240

  Expenses       $  71,670 

 

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Nominating Committee 

 

The nominating Committee is proud to announce the new slate of deacons who were ordained at the April 17 Sunday service. Serving as new deacons are Lisa and Paul Larson, Andrew Carpenter, Lolly Randall Parker, Penny Hickman and Jennette Robertson. Jennette and Penny have previously served on the deacons' board. Please take time to congratulate them on their new ministry.

 

Steve Glass

Peggy Meyers

Kathy Reed

 

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