new banner
TopNewsletter
Lake Burien Presbyterian Church
July 2012
In This Issue
The Pastor's Desk
Sermon Series
Your Council
Clerk's Corner
Encounter
Encourage
Engage
Finance
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
Our Three Es
 
2011 logo
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

 

 

Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz said, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."  These words and driving sentiments probably resonate with many of us today.  We just don't live in the same world that we grew up in. The global economic tsunami, the political landscape and church sensibilities have been transitioning for the last decade; we are certainly in a period of liminality.   

 

 

At the denominational level standards for ordination have changed, there is more than talk about eliminating synods and granting more power to local councils at the congregational level. You might be thinking and feeling, "This is not my church anymore." If you think and feel these thoughts and emotions, then I invite you to a summer book club in the Fireside Room at 11:15 a.m.  It will begin on Sunday, July 8, and run until Aug. 26.  We will read together a book that the council and deacons have been reading for the previous two and a half years. It is a roadmap and template for congregational renewal, redevelopment and intentional neighborhood re-engagement. Not only have we used this book as a reference point, in the words of your Clerk of Session, Melinda Glass, "We have lived this book." I will walk us through Seattle church consultant Anthony Robinson's book entitled Changing the Conversation: A Third Way for Congregations. 

 

I invite you to explore 10 crucial conversations over an eight-Sunday period that will help us navigate these huge sociological and ecclesiastical changes that are ever before us. We will learn how to respond with a greater vitality, effectiveness, and faithfulness to our postmodern culture and its challenges. Grab a cup of coffee, say hello to a few friends, bring them along to the book club and come and learn how to change the conversation!  In other words-COME TO WORSHIP AND STAY TO LEARN! 

 

Pastor Tobin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon Series

Mark:
 

Reconstructing Jesus in a
Deconstructed World
 

 

 

July 8

The Best and Worst

Mark 6:7-29 

 

July 15

When Life Is Crazy Outta Control

Mark 6:45-52 

 

July 22

Centered but Open

Mark 7:1-23

  

July 29

Let's Get Caught with
Our Compassion Down

Mark 7:24-37

 

August 6

If You Go Away Hungry,
It's Your Own Fault

Mark 79:1-10

  

August 12

The Healing Touch

Mark 8:11-26

 

August 19

A Solid Q and A

Mark 8:27-30

 

August 26

The Good Difficult

Mark 8:31 - 9:1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Your Council

 

Moderator of Council

Tobin Wilson

 

Clerk of Council

Melinda Glass

 

Encounter God in Worship

Dave Hall 

Kathy Reed 

 

Encourage One Another in Community

Norma Kastien  

Margarita Suarez 

 

Engage in the World As Transformers of Culture  

Steve Turner    

Carolyn Carpenter   

 

Property  

Gordon Shaw  

 

Finance 

Paul Larson 

Anne Tiernan   

 

Capital Improvements 

Paul Larson

 

Personnel

Tim O'Brien 

 

 

(back to top)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clerk's Corner

 

Summer is upon us and the council is on summer break. They met on June 26 and will not meet again until Aug. 28. Council members will continue to work in their ministries teams, although no council meeting will occur in July.

 

The council approved:


* Receipt of the May 2012 financial report. The revenue is down a bit going into the summer, but we continue to carefully watch expenses and revenue month to month. Please make sure your pledges are up to date throughout the summer. See the treasurer's report for details.

 
* A motion to fund the upstairs CE classrooms and daylight basement floor project with monies from the special funds (non-operation funds) in the Templeton, Cowan and Anderson investments. There will be more information coming to you about these projects and the use of special funds from the Property/Finance and Capital Improvements team.
 

* To kick off a capital fund drive for the financing of four new furnaces and boiler maintenance. The campaign will run until Aug. 31, 2012 and the balance not covered by member contributions as of Aug. 31 will be made up through a distribution from the endowment fund. There will be more information about this as the campaign rolls out to the congregation.


* Two new job descriptions for worship leaders. Immediately after the job descriptions were approved, the contracts with the worship leaders, Jan Klerekoper and James Vaughn, were also approved. The worship leaders will begin July 1.  There will be more information coming to you about this from the Encounter team and in the sanctuary each Sunday morning. 
 

* Adding a second communion offering on the third Sunday of the month starting in July.  


* Jeanie Burns, the office manager, will be vacating the manse and the lock-up position this summer. She has had this position for many years and we thank her for that service. In light of a gap in the lock-up duties, the council approved a to allow Alex and Becky Collier to assume the lock-up responsibilities and move into the manse as part of the compensation for those job tasks. The transition will be completed by Sept. 1, 2012.


* Council minutes for the March, April and May 2012 meetings. By the time you read this the council, deacons, committee members; Presbyterian Women, etc. participated in a leadership retreat on June 30. It was facilitated by Rev. Lina Thompson, and Pastor Tobin.


The objectives for the leadership retreat were:

  1. To review the restructuring process 
  2. To receive input on how to fine tune the structure at LBPC
  3. To connect to the core mission at LBPC
  4. To deepen your understanding of your role as a leader and person of influence at LBPC

Participants were asked several questions including:

  • What are the plusses and minuses of the structural re-organization?
  • What has been interesting with the re-organization?
  • What is our mission?
  • Where do we want to be in 12 months and 3 years?

There was excellent dialogue, prioritization, and exchange of thoughts, ideas, perceptions, successes and opportunities.  The final activity was to evaluate the session and this was overall a positive experience from participants.


The information will be shared with the participants and the council.  The information will be used by the council to determine next steps and a prioritization of activities.  Thank you all for participating in the leadership retreat. 
 

Have a blessed summer!

 

Respectfully,
 

Melinda Glass, LBPC clerk
mjbglass@comcast.net
 

 

(back to top)


 
 
  

ENCOUNTER


 
 

New Encounter Elders

We have two new elders on council who will be working within the Encounter framework. You can look forward to reading future articles from Dave Hall and/or Kathy Reed. Welcome aboard, Dave and Kathy!

 

  

 

ENCOURAGE

 

Charge: To foster authentic community and encourage congregational life at LBPC

Goal: To serve as an umbrella for present and future ministries and promote communication among all ministries as well as with the congregation

 

Norma Kastien and Margarita Suarez, elders;

Deacons' moderator;

Barbara Carlsen, representing the Presbyterian Women;

Jan Cox, who also works with the Health Care Team, and Penny Hickman, Priscilla Stephenson, Natalie Sarantos and Beth Williams.

 

We at Encourage Committee thank all of you who have helped with the Sunday coffee hour. We want to remind you of the Sundae-Sunday coming up July 15; this will be after the Sunday service; so join us for fun and connections. The committee is  also  working on some changes and clarification of our work, so stay tuned....

 

 

From the Healthcare Team
Making Progress against PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder-a severe form of anxiety-affects millions in the US, but therapies are emerging.

 

The current focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military personnel who served in Afghanistan and Iraq obscures the fact that PTSD is a common problem among all segments of the US population. According to the US National Comorbidity Survey, the estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD among all American men is 3.6 percent, and 9.7 percent among women.

 

PTSD develops following exposure to a traumatic event, which may be directly experienced or witnessed or affect others with whom the individual has contact. The event triggers deep fears of death or injury and feelings of intense helplessness. While it is normal to suffer distress following a trauma, usually the distress subsides over a few days or weeks. In the person with PTSD, symptoms may continue and/or worsen.

 

PTSD is characterized by chronic symptoms such as severe anxiety, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbing, anger, social impairment and difficulty concentrating. Far from being confined to the violence of war, the precipitating cause can take the form of childhood abuse, a natural disaster, a terrible accident, the sudden death of a loved one, a violent crime, or an unexpected injury, among many possible triggers.

 

"PTSD is determined by the level of emotional upset a person feels," explains psychiatrist Roger Pitman, MD, Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Laboratory. "Without treatment, it can have serious consequences for the brain-such as atrophy, impairments in learning and memory, and abnormal emotional responses-for mental health, and ultimately for day-to-day functioning. With appropriate therapy, a person with PTSD can improve substantially and be able to function well. And exciting new research is identifying treatments that can counteract the effects of trauma in the hours immediately after a distressing event, reducing the risk of developing PTSD in the first place."

 

New Treatment
The research to which Dr. Pitman refers was published in the October 2011 edition of the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology. It suggests that an injection of cortisol administered within hours of a traumatic event may dramatically reduce the risk of PTSD. Scientists based their work on the observation that cortisol-a hormone produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress-is naturally increased after a traumatic event, but that this release may be deficient in people who go on to develop PTSD. They theorized that an injection of cortisol might help trauma victims weather their experiences. Working with randomly assigned patients in a hospital emergency room, the scientists gave some subjects a single shot of cortisol within a six-hour window of their trauma exposure, while others received standard treatment. The researchers followed up on the participants, comparing their progress. Results showed that participants who received cortisol injections were 60 percent less likely to develop PTSD later on than participants who received standard care.

 

Other scientists are looking into the use of chemicals to counteract the effects of the stress-related hormone adrenalin, and examining the benefits of depriving people of sleep as a post-traumatic treatment. The sleep deprivation research is based on evidence that delaying sleep over the hours immediately following a trauma can interfere with the process of laying down long-term memories that form the basis of harrowing recollections of the distressing event.

 

Getting Treatment 

"For people who have PTSD symptoms for more than a month-such as re-experiencing a traumatic event and avoiding activities or feelings that remind them of it, difficulty becoming emotionally involved with others, inability to relax, and excessive watchfulness-it's a good idea to seek professional assessment and referral for treatment," advises Dr. Pitman.

 

Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can reduce PTSD symptoms, as well as anxiety and depression; cognitive therapy helps change dysfunctional thoughts that promote feelings such as anger and numbness; and exposure therapy, in which people with PTSD are repeatedly presented in therapy with reminders of the traumatic experience, can help desensitize them to these reminders. Another effective treatment is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, in which the person with PTSD is encouraged to think about the traumatic event while watching rhythmic left-right stimulation, such as the motion of the therapist's finger as it moves back and forth. The technique is thought to help create a new memor4y that inhibits the older, stressful one-a sort of memory updating process.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO 

Not all therapists are trained in treating PTSD. To find an experienced trauma therapist and learn about issues affecting a choice of therapist, try contacting: 
  • The Sidran Institute: Telephone 410.825.8888 or contact help@sidran.org to communicate with a resource specialist.
  • The Home Base Program, sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Sox Foundation, provides clinical care for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and families in New England affected by PTSD. Contact www.homebaseprogram.org.

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital newsletter Mind, Mood & Memory, Jan. 2012

 

back to top

 

 

ENGAGE  

  

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 Turner, 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.

  

From the Children's Department 

Sarah PhamUGM's summer program is in full-swing and I wanted to take an opportunity to introduce the staff members who have dedicated their summer to serving Burien youth.  Here they are in no particular order:

 

Glendal
Glendal Correa

 Glendal Correa was born and raised in Hawaii and moved to Seattle in 2005.  Glendal is one of the summer outreach assistants working for Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.  This is his first year working for UGM. He will be working with the elementary students here at Lake Burien.


Tai

 

Tai Weinman

 Tai Nicole Weinman is a recent graduate of the University of Washington with a double degree in English and Psychology.  She hopes to have a career in public relations or sales and marketing.  This is her fourth year working at UGM and her fourth year working at Lake Burien.  She loves the LBPC community and the work the church does for the families in the area.


Kari CinderichKari

Kari is the assistant site coordinator at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church this summer with Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.  She will be working with the middle school students here at LBPC.  This is Kari's sixth summer with UGM and her third summer at the LBPC site.  Kari grew up and lives in White Center and is a member at Mt. View Presbyterian Church.
 
 
 


JessicaJessica Stocks
This is Jessica's fourth summer working with the youth of UGM.  She graduated with a Political Science major and History minor from the University of Washington in June of 2012.  She also worked as an intern with Youth for Christ this past year, tutoring in the after school program here at Lake Burien.  She plans to continue programs through Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated (her sorority) and Youth for Christ to establish emerging young leaders for the growth and development of elementary and middle school children this next year.


Frank Johnson Frank

 Frank Julius Maelavanga-Sorn Johnson was born in Seattle on August 7, 1992.  He is one of the summer outreach assistants for Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.  This will be his third year working for UGM, but his history of growing and being a part of UGM goes back to 1999. Frank is a sophomore at Highline Community College and is majoring in youth counseling and youth development.


I hope that if you see any of these faces around LBPC's campus, you'll introduce yourself, since these five individuals are a vital part of the work we do here in the summer.  On another note, during the months of July and August, all of the children will be combined on Sunday mornings during the Children in Worship time.  We are going to be studying different young people in the Bible whom God used for big things, even though they were young.  This summer is going to be jammed-packed with good stuff!


In Christ,
Sarah


 

Helping Our Neighbor, Seahurst Elementary School

or the eighth year LBPC is gathering school supplies for our neighbor school Seahurst Elementary. Bring your donations of school supplies on Sundays August 5, 12 and 19. If it is more convenient, make a monetary donation to Nola Sparks or by check to LBPC noting that it is for school supplies. The "Super Shopper" will do your shopping.

 

Students receiving the school supplies are those the school staff identifies as needing help to have the things needed to start the school year.

Thank you for your ongoing support of this project.
Nola Sparks, Project coordinator
206-824-3186 nolasparks@msn.com

 

         School Supply Shopping List
     pens              spiral notebooks, wide and narrow rule

     rulers             notebook paper, wide and narrow rule
     scissors        colored pencils
     glue sticks    colored markers
     crayons         three-ring binders
     pencils          backpacks
     erasers

 

 

Gift Cards for Migrant Workers

You are invited to buy a $20 gift card from any of the following stores: Target, Kmart, Walmart, Lowe's, Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, or Costco and bring it to the church office or give to Gail Lane by July 15. Gail will be representing our Lake Burien Presbyterian Women and is serving as a voting delegate for Presbyterian Women in Seattle Presbytery. She will take the cards to the Presbyterian Women Churchwide Gathering in Orlando, Florida, from July 18-22. These gift cards will be collected and dedicated during the Gathering and given to the Beth-El Farmworker Ministry in Florida. This ministry helps migrant workers in three Florida communities-Wimauma, Immokalee and Arcadia. These farmworkers are among the poorest of the working poor, and they often face barriers of language and/or prejudice while trying to earn a living for their families. Thank you for your consideration.
 
 

USA Mission Experience 2013
A group of Presbyterian Women will travel to western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee in 2013 for the third USA Mission Experience. They will tour local organizations that serve women and children. To learn more about this experience visit www.presbyterianwomen.org/missionmatters. Gail Lane has application forms. Forms are due by Aug. 1 and are sent to our Alaska-Northwest PW Synod Moderator, Dottie Villesvik.

 


 

Mission Partner: Samaritan Center of Puget Sound

From a recent email:
Thank You for Caring. How can we thank you enough?
The month of May was a remarkable time! You added more than $30,000 to the funds that make it possible for us to serve the many low-income individuals and families who will turn to us in their time of crisis in the coming months.

The Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG campaign on May 2 brought a grant of more than $4,000. The May 10 Opportunities for Caring annual fundraising event added the rest. "Words do not seem adequate as we think about how many lives will be changed for the better as a result of your concern. On behalf of our board and staff, thank you for the prayerful and financial support you give this mission."
 

Beverley Schrumm, President.

submitted by Sally Mackey, Engage Team


 

Mission Partner: Earth Ministry

Faith-Based Environmental Stewardship
Earth Ministry would welcome your tax-deductible contribution, individual or family membership ($35 or $60). You can reach them at 6512 23rd Ave NW, Suite 317 Seattle, WA 98117, 206.632.2426, emoffice@earthministry.org or www.earthministry.org.
Sally Mackey, Engage Team

 

  (back to top) 

FINANCE 
 
2012 Budget as of May 31, 2012:
   Budget              $339,000
      Income             114,370
      Expenses        131,572
 
 
New Email Address

The LBPC Finance Office now has its own email address. If you have any questions regarding contributions, bills, payments, income or expenses or anything to do with church finances, please send an email to the following address:

 

finance@lbpc.org

 

Emails will be answered promptly. If you have any questions please let me know.

Anne Tiernan

new banner