Charge: To provide for the maintenance of divine worship at all levels at LBPC as God is encountered in worship and the sacraments.

*Elders Dave Hall and Kathy Reed, Deacons Jennette Robertson and Andrew Carpenter, at large member Melinda Mackey-O'Brien and Dr. Tobin Wilson 

The day was already going to be magic. It was March 17 after all. And Tim's siblings, their spouses, nieces, nephews, his mom were coming over to our house in the afternoon as were my mine. Our Jordan and her fiancé, Joseph, and his parents were coming too, all to celebrate some birthdays and our beautiful relationships. But it was worship that became my favorite part of the day. Jordan and I resonated with the sermon, "Leaning into Extravagance," preached by The Rev. Lina Thompson. It spoke to both of us; we discussed it on the walk home: Mary, in John 12:1-8, and her extravagant worship of Jesus. Extravagant worship ... and church as a safe place for all to worship God extravagantly, as the spirit moves us, right? The Rev. Dr. Tobin Wilson followed it up at the communion table by asking us to write down all that we were grateful for in the next week and to bring that person. Bring that person. Bring THAT person to church, March 24, Palm Sunday. Simple, powerful, wow.

(Side note, I did spend the week writing down all that I was grateful for. And even when I was without pen and paper I was illuminated by all the moments, the bits and pieces of the day that I lit me with gratitude.)

Melinda Mackey-O'Brien

The Three E's - Service Sunday

A Sunday Service OR a Service Sunday? BOTH!

The E-Teams are going a little OVERBOARD on Service! And it's a GREAT thing!  

On the fifth Sunday in June, (30th) we are going to do something very different and what we believe will be a wonderful worship "service" for Lake Burien.

We will begin with a time of praise and worship, and then put our hands and hearts to work....

In partnership with World Vision, we will be participating in a food kit build that will support families who are a part of our summer and afterschool programming. Each food kit provides a family of five with a day's worth of nutritious meals like oatmeal, pasta, lentil soup, and a bean and rice casserole. Additional spices, vegetables and protein can be added to meet each family's individual tastes. Each kit will also provide cooking and preparation instructions. The best part is that we will be able to write notes of encouragement from LBPC to each of the families that will be receiving these kits.

We are aiming to build 300 kits that day! I have been assured that we can do it! Hopefully, we will be able to provide at least two kits to each of the families we serve. Any other kits will be placed at the World Vision Teacher Resource Center located at Salmon Creek Elementary school and available for any teacher to pick up for families who are in need. All of the kits we build that day will stay right here in our community!

Thank you, E-teams, for what will be a great day!

A day of Encouraging one another and our community, Engaging in mission with and on behalf of the children and families we serve, and Encountering God through worship and service!

Rev. Lina Thompson

Associate Pastor Community Connections

Thank You!

This Lenten season at LBPC was very meaningful to me: From Ash Wednesday in the chapel (full, intimate, sacred) to Easter Sunday in the sanctuary (full, glorious, sacred) and all the days in between. Our James Vaughn filled in beautifully for all seven Sundays (as Jan Klerekoper healed from surgery). I listened to and felt the music gifted to us by the vocalists and musicians (drum, piano, organ, cello, violin, bell). I heard poetry and chant, kids in worship, and sermons from Tobin and Lina that were provocative, compelling and challenging in the sermon series, "Leaning into Lent." I watched Sonya Vasilieff paint "Jesus upside-down" and reveal him at the end of the Easter service. I was moved to tears, I spent time in the word, I laughed, I learned as place and space was created to encounter God.

In gratitude,

Melinda Mackey-O'Brien

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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

Elders: Norma Kastien and Margarita Suarez;

Deacons: Penny Hickman and Lee Weber

Others: Barbara Carlsen; Jan Cox, who also works with the Heath Care Team; Priscilla Stephenson, Natalie Sarantos and Beth Williams

We also want to thank everyone who participated in the Sunday Pot Luck Salad Lunch. This was another successful LBPC community event. From our point of view the success was due to how many of us participated in this event; there are too many people to name so we will just give you a general summary:

• Preparations and decorations with flowers and with banners encouraging us in our daily life: Blossom and Bloom, Kindness, Togetherness, and Build Bridges. 
• There were about 80 who attended, including families and their children. Those who come to us in the van were giving the opportunity to attend, while two drivers made it possible for those who wanted to stay. 
• The many people who brought salad, deviled eggs, cookies, fruits and finger food, you all made it possible for all to have choices, and even have seconds.
• Participation from the after-school program as they were getting ready to go to a Bible camp;
• Those who helped with the putting the food on the serving tables and hosting the event;
• And last, but not least all who helped with the cleaning.

It was so good to see people eating, connecting and sharing a meal. Look for future announcements for more fun events to come.  

From the Health Care Team

What is it about coffee?

Remember when people (and their doctors) used to worry that coffee would harm their hearts, give them ulcers, and make them overly nervous?

In excess, coffee, and more particularly, caffeine, can cause problems. But the fretting about two or three cups a day, or even more, is fading as study results suggestive of health benefits from coffee keep on coming in. Coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of depression among women, a lower risk of lethal prostate cancer among men, and a lower risk of stroke among men and women. Earlier research also shows possible (it's not a done deal) protective effects against everything from Parkinson's disease to diabetes to some types of cancer.

Coffee contains literally a thousand different substances, and some of the lesser lights are thought to be responsible for healthful effects in other parts of the body. Some studies show caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee as having the same effect, which suggests that something else in coffee is involved.

It gets complicated, though. Caffeine and some of these other substances in coffee seem to have their good and bad sides, and coffee's overall effect may depend on how much they cancel each other out.

Caffeine: Good for the brain, bad for other parts?

The caffeine content of coffee varies greatly, depending on the beans, how they're roasted, and other factors, but the average for an 8-ounce cup is about 100 milligrams (mg). Tea has about half as much caffeine as coffee. Decaffeinated coffee has some caffeine, but the 2 to 4 mg in an 8-ounce cup is a smidgen compared with the caffeinated version. The lethal dose of caffeine is about 10 grams, which is equivalent to the amount of caffeine in 100 cups of coffee.

Coffee gets absorbed in the stomach and small intestine and then distributed throughout the body, including the brain. The amount circulating in the blood peaks 30 to 45 minutes after it's ingested and only small amount are still around eight to 10 hours later. In between, the amount circulating declines as caffeine gets metabolized in the liver.

Caffeine probably has multiple targets in the brain, but the main one seems to be adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a brain chemical that dampens brain activity. By hogging adenosine's receptors, caffeine sets off a chain of events that affects the activity of dopamine, another important brain chemical, and the areas of the brain involved in arousal, pleasure, and thinking. A part of the brain affected by Parkinson's disease, called the striatum, as many adenosine receptors; by docking on them, caffeine seems to have some protective effects.

Chlorogenic acid and other antioxidants

Explanations for the association between coffee consumption and lower rates of heart disease and diabetes often point to chlorogenic acid and other obscure antioxidant substances as the responsible parties. Antioxidants are substances that sop up reactive molecules before they have a chance to harm sensitive tissue like the lining of blood vessels. Some experiments have shown that chlorogenic acid may also inhibit absorption of glucose in the digestive system and even out insulin levels.

Chlorogenic acid might be another coffee ingredient with a split personality. Along with caffeine, it seems to push up levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been associated with artery-clogging atherosclerosis.

Vitamins and minerals

Coffee isn't a great source of vitamins and minerals but, as a plant-based drink, it contains some, and a few that we should be getting more of.

Let's start with magnesium. A cup of coffee contains about 7 mg, which is a drop in the daily-requirement bucket (420 for men, 320 for women). But because we don't eat enough fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, the average American's intake falls about 100 mg sort of the daily goal. A cup of coffee or two can help close that gap a little bit.

Potassium can offset some of the negative consequences of sodium. At about 116 mg per cup, coffee's contribution toward the 4,700 mg of potassium that we're supposed to get daily is a widow's mite, but it's something. A cup of coffee also has small amounts of niacin (0.5 mg) and choline (6.2 mg).

A health drink? Not quite.

It is one thing to say that coffee may be good for you; it's another to say it's so good for you that drinking it should be recommended. And we're not there yet.

All the favorable studies and all of the seemingly healthful ingredients in coffee are good news for coffee drinkers. They can relax and enjoy their habit. And people who don't drink coffee can find plenty of other things to do to help keep themselves healthy.

source: HEALTHbeat, Harvard Medical School newsletter, February 2012

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Per Capita assessment for 2013 is $40 for each member. Please help offset this expense by submitting the assessment to LBPC. Thank you!