Charge: To provide for spiritual nurture and growth for all ages to an engaging faith that articulates the Gospel with words and demonstrates the Gospel in love, justice and action
Carolyn Carpenter and Steve Glass, Chairs; Committee members: Gail Lane, Sharon Larson, Sally Mackey, Melinda Mackey-O'Brien, Sarah Pham (staff) Linda Shaw, Nola Sparks, Judy Todd (PW Women), Sonya Vasilieff, Don Weber, Dawn Wilson, Dee Wix.
Children's Department
Our summer program was officially launched on June 28 and we are excited to have three interns on board for the summer. If you see them around, please welcome them to the LBPC/UGM team. They are:
Tai Weinman. Tai is a senior at the University of Washington, double-majoring in English and Psychology.
This is her third summer working with Union Gospel Mission at the Lake Burien site. She loves LBPC and all the wonderful community service she sees being done through the church outside of UGM's program. Tai looks forward to coming back every year and she is definitely excited for this summer!
Anders Dallum. Anders graduated from the University of Washington this past spring. He spent the past few years volunteering with kids at the Union Gospel Mission's Hope Place Shelter and he's looking forward to working in Burien with the elementary kids this summer.
Jessica Stocks. Jessica is 21 years old. She is a proud member of the
Dawg Pack at the University of Washington. She's pursuing political science and will be joining the Marine Corp after she graduates next year. This is her third summer working with Seattle's Union Gospel Mission as a summer youth intern and she plans to return every year possible!
In other news...Vacation Bible School is quickly approaching, and I am in need of some more people who are willing to help me serve the youth of the community Aug. 29-Sept. 1. Here are the positions that need to be filled and ones that have already been filled:
Preschool/Kindergarten Leader: ____________________
Chef Basil (Assembly Leader): ___________________
Scraps the Raccoon (Puppeteer): _____________________
Bible Storyteller: Clyde Sparks
Music Leader: _________________________
Discovery Time Leader: Carolyn Carpenter
Recreation Leader: _______________________
Craft Leader: ___________________________
Snack Leaders: Dawn and Maddie Wilson
Mission Leader: __________________________
Lead Decorator: Penny Hickman
As you can see, there are several positions that need to be filled and people who are needed to help out on different teams (decorating, actors with the Bible Storyteller, etc). If one of these jobs isn't speaking to you, we also need people who would be willing to follow the children around to the various stations since this is a rotational model VBS. Please pray about getting involved in this year's VBS and look out for us in this year's 4th of July parade in Burien!
In Christ,
Sarah Pham
Hospitality House
The house is in serious need of bus passes (ticket booklets can be purchased at Bartells, etc.) as well as paper goods (toilet paper, paper towels and the items listed on the June donations list), pajamas in large sizes, vinyl shower curtain liners (heavy duty), bath mats, washcloths and net balls for showering rather than sponges. Items can be dropped at the HH office.
Peggy Meyer
Thank You from Presbyterian Women
On May 22, our annual Alice Winters' Silent Auction was held following worship. We thank everyone who contributed donations and who made bids at the auction. Also, some made separate contributions as well. We are pleased to announce that thanks to your support, we raised over $850 for the support of the Rev. Alice Winters in Colombia. Alice has ministered to the Colombian people for over 35 years. She inspires all of us as she keeps on with her devotion and dedication to the Colombians who have faced volcanoes, floods and earthquakes just during the years that she has served there. This country has also faced the temptations of giving in to the drug lords who want them to grow the plants that provide cocaine. We are grateful that you also care about the Colombians. Thank you.
School Supplies for Seahurst School
This is the seventh year LBPC has collected school supplies for Seahurst School. Eighty percent of the students at Seahurst are part of the free or reduced lunch program. Knowing this helps us be aware that many children will not have the school supplies they need. You can help by purchasing some things or, if you would rather, you can make a monetary donation to LBPC, marking that it is for "Seahurst School Supplies." The Super Shopper will do your shopping! Bring your donations to LBPC on any of the first three Sundays of August.
What should you buy?
Needed items are pens, pencils, crayons, rulers, notebook paper, erasers, notebooks, spiral notebooks, backpacks.
Thanks to all of you for your on-going support for our neighbor school.
Nola Sparks, 206.824.3186, nolasparks@msn.com
From the Health Care Team
Drowning in Clutter? Here's How to Tell If You Have a Problem
Disorganized, messy surroundings can lead to stress, depression and anxiety. But help is available.
A potentially problematic tendency to pack too many possessions into available space affects up to five percent of American adults, many of whom are senior citizens who have spent a lifetime accumulated belongings. Their compulsive cluttering can range from a mild problem with messiness to hoarding so severe that experts have proposed classifying their behavior as a mental disorder.
"Everyone has some drawer or shelf that is overfilled with belongings, but some people have collected so many objects that they have difficulty functioning normally in their living spaces," explains Jessica Rasmussen, MA, a Clinical Psychology Fellow in the MGH Department of Psychiatry. "People with more serious hoarding problems tend to have difficulties with organization, making decisions and impulse control. The longer the problem persists, the more distressing it becomes, and the more difficult to deal with."
The good news is that there is help for over-accumulators of all stripes. Self-help strategies can restore order to the lives of people who are merely chronically disorganized. For people with severe problems, treatment with medications and/or talk therapy can often reduce or eliminate hoarding symptoms. A recent study suggests Internet treatment may also be effective.
Researchers enrolled 106 adults with hoarding symptoms in a private, online self-help group and placed another group of 155 similar adults on a waiting list. The online group was required to post information monthly on steps they had taken to reduce hoarding and the progress they were making toward their goal. They were provided access to a chat group, Internet resources on hoarding, and information aimed at changing attitudes toward hoarding. Results showed that, compared to participants on the waiting list, participants in the online group experienced greater improvement and showed greater reductions in clutter and hoarding symptoms at the end of the 15-month study, according to a report in the Jan. 1, 2010, issue of the journal Behavior Research and Therapy.
Warning signs
Experts say these signs indicate that messiness and disorganization may be developing into a more serious problem:
· Impulsively purchasing or saving items that are not needed, have little value, and for which there is no room.
· Often having trouble finding things, and at times repurchasing items.
· Losing important papers, such as bills, causing missed deadlines and financial problems.
· Having difficulty accessing workspaces such as counters and desktops without moving objects to make room.
· Living with doorways or pathways that are blocked by possessions.
· Having difficulties with family members over messiness and clutter.
· Feeling reluctant to invite people home because of the clutter.
· Facing safety hazards because of accumulated possessions.
· Having difficulty deciding what to do with unneeded possessions.
· Feeling depressed or anxious about the accumulation of clutter and/or about parting with possessions.
Getting help
In some people, excessive cluttering may be related to mental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
For others, possessions may have strong emotional significance, or be believed to be essential for the future. Hoarding also may be a sign that an older person is overwhelmed, or showing early symptoms of dementia.
For people with mild clutter problems, basic self-help strategies (e.g., breaking up large tasks into small chunks, such as tackling one room at a time, focusing on dealing with just 10 items each day, or setting up an organized system for new possessions) can be very helpful.
"People with more serious hoarding problems-those whose daily functioning is impaired by the disorder, or who are having financial difficulties, health problems, or other issues because of their hoarding-should seek professional assessment," advises Susan Sprich, PhD, Clinical Director of the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"Family and friends can provide support by learning about hoarding and encouraging their loved ones to get help. Antidepressants and/or talk therapy can help address control issues, anxiety, depression and other feelings that may underlie hoarding tendencies, and make it easier for people with hoarding problems to confront their disorder."
What you can do
People who are concerned that they or a loved one might have a hoarding problem can find valuable information online at:
· www.ocfoundation.org. This site has a special section on hoarding with information on resources, treatments, self-help groups, and more.
· www.hoardingcleanup.com. This site has a database of qualified resources including cleaning companies, therapists and psychiatrists across the United States that are all familiar with the hoarding disorder.
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital, Mind, Mood and Memory, May, 2011
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