Newsletter
Lake Burien Presbyterian Church
August 2012 |
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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." |
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From the Pastor's Desk |
A story is told about an incident that happened during the thirties in New York, on one of the coldest days of the year. The world was in the grip of the great Depression, and all over the city, the poor were close to starvation.
It happened that the judge was sitting on the bench that day, hearing a complaint against a woman who was charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She pleaded that her daughter was sick, and her grandchildren were starving, because their father had abandoned the family. But the shopkeeper, whose loaf of bread had been stolen, refused to drop the charge. He insisted that an example be made of the poor old woman, as a deterrent to others.
The judge sighed. He was most reluctant to pass judgment on the woman, yet he had no alternative. "I'm sorry," he turned to her. "But I cannot make any exceptions. The law is the law. I sentence you to a fine of ten dollars, and if you cannot pay I must send you to jail for ten days."
The woman was heartbroken, but even as he was passing sentence, the judge, moved by compassion, was reaching into his pocket for the money to pay off the ten-dollar fine. He took off his hat, tossed the ten-dollar bill into it, and then addressed the crowd: "I am also going to impose a 50-cent fine on every person here present in this courtroom, for living in a town where a person has to steal bread to save her grandchildren from starvation. Please collect the fines, Mr. Bailiff, in this hat, and pass them across to the defendant."
And so the accused went home that day from the courtroom with 47 dollars and 50 cents - 50 cents of which had been paid by the shame-faced grocery store keeper who had brought the charge against her. And as she left the courtroom, the gathering of petty criminals and New York policemen gave the judge a standing ovation.
I thought this to be a good reminder that we are in the business of being the compassionate hands and feet of Christ in the neighborhood. That is the role of the mission at this church. Enjoy summer and live into our compassionate presence here in Burien!
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Sermon Series |
Mark:
Reconstructing Jesus in a Deconstructed World
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
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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
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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!
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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.
New Church Photo Directory
Friends and members of LBPC:
Please save the dates of Sept. 25, 26 and 27 as days photos will be taken for our new church directory. We are inviting all members and friends who attend LBPC to participate in this great opportunity to have professional portraits taken during this event.
If you can't be there those days: For those of you who have family members who will be out of town, or students returning to college who won't be here those days, call the church office (206.242.6023) so you can have your family picture taken before they leave. There will be opportunities to do this at other churches in the process of putting together their directory or at studios in the area, but they need to be scheduled.
The sitting for the pictures and the directory will be at no cost to you or the church. You will receive one 8 x 10 free copy. You will have the opportunity to purchase other pictures and family portraits, including the possibility of portrait greeting cards, like for Christmas, at special cost. (See the website for more information.)
Transition: We are aware that for some, having a new picture taking could bring mixed feelings since in the last directory you had the picture with your spouse. One of the feelings may be: this time is "just me." Please know that "just you" is also very important. Although it may feel awkward, do come, and let us know how we can support you at this time of transition.
Not able to come for the pictures: for those of you who are unable to come, we will be able to have someone take your picture in your home. We want full participation and want you to be part of the picture directory. Just let us know so we can schedule a time.
This is our first announcement and we will have more information and details, between now and September, but we want to announce this with enough time to have as many pictures at possible so that everyone will be represented in this new directory.
Sunday Coffee Hour
We want to thank all who have helped with the continuous choices of healthy snacks for the coffee hour on Sunday after the worship services. We have seen choices like fruits and cheese and crackers, while also continuing with the cookies. We realize that healthy has many interpretations but, to make it easier for us, we will suggest that we use healthy to define choices like fruits, cheese and crackers, even if they may not always be low in calories. We still need for people to sign in for several Sundays. Please note that this is easy, fruits and or cheese and crackers, and all of us on the Committee are willing to help you with this.
Sundae-Sunday
On Sunday, July 15, we had our very successful Sundae-Sunday. It was fun and at the same time we had healthy juices with low calorie and low fat vanilla ice creams and many different fruit trimmings, along with the choice of just fruits. Again, the success of this event was due to all the help and support we got from many of you. To summarize for those who were not there: we had about 70 people joining us; tables were decorated with two pictures of old-fashioned soda fountains. We had colorful table clothes for the serving tables and colorful napkins at each table. Members from the Encourage Committee brought the ice cream and trimmings; Alex and the kids got the tables and chairs out on Friday afternoon. Melinda Mackey-O'Brien and Jeanie made soda jerk hats for the servers. Again the event was successful because so many of you participated.
Please send your comments and ideas for future events to Norma or Margarita or to anyone on the Encourage Committee.
From the Health Team
The Benefits of Napping
With age come changes in the structure and quality of our sleep. After about age 60, we have less deep (slow-wave) sleep and more rapid sleep cycles, we awaken more often, and we sleep an average of two hours less at night than we did as young adults. It was once thought that older people didn't need as much sleep as younger ones, but experts now agree that's not the case. Regardless of age, we typically need seven-and-a-half to eight hours of sleep to function at our best. So if you're not getting enough sleep at night, what about daytime naps? Or does napping disrupt the sleep cycle, ultimately yielding less sleep and more daytime drowsiness? These questions were addressed in a recent study by researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College in White Plains, N.Y., and published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (February 2011). The authors concluded that napping not only increases older individuals' total sleep time-without producing daytime drowsiness-but also provides measurable cognitive benefits.
The study. This small but well-designed study involved 22 healthy women and men ages 50 to 83 who agreed to be evaluated in a sleep laboratory. During a one- to two-week preliminary period, participants kept sleep logs at home and wore monitors to track their nighttime movements. They were then brought into the sleep laboratory for three nights and two days and given a thorough sleep evaluation (using polysomnography and other techniques) and a battery of cognitive tests. After this initial laboratory session, participants started a month-long daily napping routine at home: half took short (45-minute) naps, and half took longer (two-hour) naps. After the second and fourth weeks, all returned to the lab for repeat assessments.
The results. By study's end, total sleep time had increased by an average of 65 minutes in the participants assigned to two-hour naps, and by an average of 20 minutes in those assigned to 45-minute naps. Participants found it hard to adhere to the two-hour nap schedule, but neither long naps nor short naps disrupted nighttime sleep or led to daytime sleepiness. Napping increased the time spent in slow-wave and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, which are thought to play important roles in restoring the body and brain. Whether they took long naps or short naps, participants showed significant improvement on three of the four tests in the study's cognitive-assessment battery.
Limitations and implications. Only people in good physical and mental health were included in the study, so it's unclear whether a 45-minute or two-hour napping regimen would be as helpful to older adults with sleep disorders or medical conditions. The study tells us nothing about the effects of shorter naps (for example, so-called power naps) on waking function. Moreover, the study was brief: napping-related cognitive function was measured after only two weeks and four weeks. Whether the improvements observed during the study would continue during subsequent weeks of napping is not known. Nevertheless, the findings provide further evidence that, for older people, a daily nap can add to total sleep (as well as time in restorative sleep) and improve daytime function.
source: HEALTHbeat, May 8, 2012, Harvard Medical School
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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
July was a very exciting month in the Children's Department at LBPC! We had a great week of Vacation Bible School, July 16-20. An average of 15 kids attended from both LBPC and the UGM summer program. The picture below shows some of the girls after our field trip on July 20 to the Seattle Aquarium. Since the theme of VBS was Operation Overboard, we ended the week with a trip to the aquarium. It was a fun week of eating snacks, singing songs, playing games, making crafts and hearing God's word.
We have also had a great time on Sunday mornings, studying different kids in the Bible whom God used for His kingdom. It has been a fun challenge having all of the kids together in one group during the service, but I feel like we are all learning and growing together.
August marks the end of the summer program with UGM, so Alex and I are hoping to get a little rest before we gear up for the fall and finish up the classroom remodeling project that was launched in June. If you haven't been up to see our freshly painted classrooms or some of our new furniture, make sure you stop by!
Happy August!
Sarah
Volunteer Opportunities
Are you looking for an opportunity to volunteer close to home?
CASA--Court Appointed Special Advocates
This national program that started in Seattle 35 years ago advocates for children and families, for children suffering from abandonment, abuse and neglect. These families need your help! Your volunteer services save government funding. Your volunteer time and interest in children is valued by Superior Court judges. Excellent training is provided by professionals. Support services by professionals is always available for CASAs. For information and referral, call 206.667.9716 or 206.748.9700.
Helping Our Neighbor, Seahurst Elementary School
For 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 [email protected]
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
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PROPERTY FINANCE |
The New Door Locks are in Place!
All the exterior doors at LBPC have now been replaced with new locks. The need for the change in the key system is for everyone's safety and the building security. However, we are still working out the kinks in the assignment of keys.
With the change in locks, the council has established new guidelines for distributing keys. Rather than handing out a key to an individual, a key is assigned to a specific job function of the church (example - staff, Property Finance elder, etc). This way when changes are made in a position, the key will transfer over to the new person. Each member of the council is currently in the process of reviewing all job functions under their committees.
If you find yourself needing access to the building outside of office hours, contact Jeanie at the church and she can check out a key for your short term use (24 - 48 hours).
If you should have any questions, please contact me at [email protected] or by phone 206.914.4423.
Thank you,
Paul Larson, PFC Elder
Capital Fund Drive is Under Way!
We are only a few weeks into the Capital Fund drive for the furnace replacement and boiler repair and we've already brought in $5,075. We thank you for your generosity!
Over the next two months, we all need to step up to pull in a total of $25,000 before fall sets in. (Some may say fall is already here). Please prayerfully consider a gift over and above your regular offering for this essential need. If we are not able to gather the needed funds, council has voted to take a distribution from our endowment fund to cover the difference. We would like to avoid this measure.
All gifts can be placed in the offering plate or mailed to the church office. Please indicate on the payment for "furnaces/boiler".
If you should have any questions, please contact me at [email protected] or by phone 206.914.4423.
Thank you!
Paul Larson, PFC Elder
Pollinator's Paradise
We are creating a paradise for pollinator's - bees, butterflies and hummingbirds - in the garden outside the daylight basement. It will emerge over the coming months and delight for years to come! So far we have lavender from Penny and John Hickman, nasturtiums scattered by Lee Weber and heather plants from Sandi Spence. Lucille Wheeler has some hardscape (nice big rocks) to donate. Priscilla Stephenson has given us foxglove and will use monies from her mother's memorial to help add more plants. We hope for honeysuckle, rosemary and much more.
And speaking of paradise... have you noticed the gardens east and west of the sanctuary? From outside, yes, but I'm speaking about from the inside out... sitting in the pews looking out to the gardens... the color, the elegant, graceful branches of the dogwoods - bush and tree, red current, brilliant astilbe. We have created beauty and peace in our pesticide-free, wildlife sanctuary. Our plants around the campus are now a year to two years established. In the months ahead some will be carefully pruned a bit to allow for their continued natural and beautiful growth.
Our grounds...a place to encounter God, be encouraged by God, engage with God.
Melinda Mackey-O'Brien
2012 Budget as of June 30, 2012:
Budget $339,000
Income 138,238
Expenses 165,782
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:
[email protected]
Emails will be answered promptly. If you have any questions please let me know.
Anne Tiernan
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