Newsletter *

“From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded….”       

-Exodus 17:1

Dear Friends:

            On Easter Sunday we stood at the edge of the empty tomb and celebrated the Risen Christ in our midst.  Our lives and community was blessed by God breaking into our midst.  In a place of death, the Risen Christ appeared to the Disciples.  As I reflect on the last year of the life of our congregation I see the Risen Christ being manifest in our midst more and more.  The interesting thing is that these in-breakings are often subtle, quiet, and even unexpected-just like that morning in the garden when Mary bumped into Jesus.  In the midst of the realities of our lives-death, unemployment, crisis of health, raising a family, aging, birth of children, depression, and war we are challenged to keep alert and focused on God. 

            As we move into the days ahead as a church community, I’m deeply aware that change and transformation happens in stages.  In the book of Exodus, we see this reflected through the lives of the Israelites over and over again.  In the midst of wilderness time and feeling “lost” God was actually shaping them into the people they would need to become for the future ahead.  Their wilderness time held great purpose and positive outcome, even when they weren’t able to “see” that which God was doing.  This story resonates deeply with me as I engage in ministry and leadership with you as a church.  Over the last year there have been times where we have felt restless, frustrated, lost, like we are spinning our wheels, yet the reality is that we are being transformed day by day as we work together.  I celebrate the successes and progress that is coming to life in our midst each day!  In what we all identify as a tough and difficult time of life in our church and world, new life is breaking forth.  As a church, God is doing some amazing things through our work:

·         We’ve celebrated new faith commitments and baptisms frequently and with great joy!

·         We’ve successfully begun taking on the challenge of learning how to worship and express the Christian faith in new ways.

·         Our per capita giving has increased, and we are working diligently towards stable finances. 

·         We are intentionally paying 5% more in 2012 apportionments than we did in 2011 (as of this writing, we are half-way to our set goal-and I anticipate we might even exceed our goal by year end!)

·         Our church leaders are mindfully becoming more and more purpose driven and aligning our ministry efforts and resources with our vision of “Become. Grow. Serve” each day. 

·         New ideas and ways of living the faith are being shared with us through those who are new to the Christian faith and church community. 

·         Our church leaders are faith-filled, increasingly dedicated, and steadfast as we vision and step into the future God has for us. 

·         Our church is significantly more open to new ideas and ways of being God’s people in our Tumwater community-and are giving generously of their time and talents for others. 

This is but a small list of all we have to celebrate!  We are journeying forward in stages, and God is shaping and transforming us as individuals and as a church community each day.  This is no small accomplishment!  I’m deeply honored to journey with you and be your Pastor.  My life is touched by your stories of faith and shared ministry experiences we share, and for that I’m truly grateful.  Thank you for your continued support of our church and it’s ministries-it is your prayers, presence, gifts, and service that are transforming our church and world each day. 

May we journey forward into the future knowing that God is in our midst and has a future for us that exceeds all expectation!

Peace and Blessings,                                                                                                               

Pastor Denise

Mark your calendars!  May 6^th is the 32^nd annual Thurston County CROP walk, and TUMC will have a team this year.  The 10-kilometer walk is not only great exercise, but it is also a way for us to journey together, raising awareness and money to alleviate hunger here at home and worldwide.  

One-quarter of the funds raised at the CROP Walk stay here in Thurston County, and are put to work at various organizations including; Thurston County Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, and feeding ministries at several local churches.

Access to clean water is one of the many ways CROP funds are used across the globe, from digging wells to building sand dams, so our theme this year will be “We walk for water.”  We hope to have a team at least 30 strong, but if you can’t walk and want to do more than just sponsor, stay tuned for other opportunities to volunteer.

Contact Rebecca Lewis, Pam Parsons, or Therese Sprunger to sign up.

Bring yourselves and any membership/baptism related questions you would like answered.

Calling all Softball Players

• NO experience necessary.  We are out to have fun and fellowship
• We usually plan in one of the lower Co-ed divisions
• Youth players must be 13 years old by August 10th (end of the season).  This means you can play at 12 yrs. of age provided you turn 13 by August 10th.
• All games will be at the Regional Athletic Complex (RAC) in Lacey (across from Nisqually Middle School)
• Game nights are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and some Saturdays, depending on the division we play in.
• Game times are, 6:00pm, 7:10pm, and 8:20pm for Co-ed divisions. No 9:30pm games for Co-ed.
• Player fee will be $20-$25 per player this year depending on the number of players we have.
• We will start practicing next Sunday, April 29th (weather permitting).

Please contact Ron Westman if  you are interested

 in playing this summer.

Feed the Hungry program

As you may know, our church has participated in this program for a long time, back to when the cooking for homeless and others needing a hot meal was done on Cherry Street in downtown Olympia at Bread & Roses.  Many in our church have cooked over the years, but you may not know that monies to buy groceries for this ministry are not in the budget.  This gives an opportunity for our folks to do “designated giving” knowing that their donation to the church will be specifically for this purpose.  The several members in our congregation doing the cooking usually bring some of the groceries each month, but the account for buying the rest is getting pretty low.  So, if you would like to help with this local hunger ministry, please donate and mark the check “Feed the Hungry.”   Monthly, groceries are running about $160 lately, and it feeds dinner to about 150 people at the Salvation Army, fourth Thursday every month (except Thanksgiving). 

 Thank you.  Jim Parker

Local Foreign Exchange Student Program Needs 23 Host Families For Two or Three Week Summer Exchange.
This year I became a course leader for the non-profit Education First International Homestay Programs (EF) because it touched my family to host an exchange student last year. I also brought the program to the Olympia, Lacey area because I didn’t want our community to miss out on educational and cultural opportunities that flourish in bigger cities.

However, I can only keep this program here if I can find host families in the area. Because of the economic recession, it’s been even tougher to convince families to commit to hosting. It does not take a lot to be a host family though. If you are able to provide a bed (they can share rooms if you have a student within 3 years of age and the same gender), three meals a day, transportation to and from the local drop-off point-Faith Lutheran School off of Pacific Ave.-during the week, and a stable caring environment – then you have what it takes to share your life with an eager student from abroad. We are still in need of 23 more host families for this summer’s trip.

We have a group of 68 middle school students (10-14yrs.) and 4 chaperones coming from China from July 17th to Aug. 5th or July 24 to Aug. 6. That’s only two to three weeks. I know our volunteer host families lives are busy, especially during the summer. That’s why hosting with EF is the perfect balance, as our program is less than three weeks. Think about taking that leap into unknown territory this summer! By hosting a student, you introduce your family to an exciting new global experience and gain exposure to another culture, without having to make a long-term commitment.

You are just a summer away from cultivating long-lasting friendships and promoting cross-cultural connections in our community. Now is your chance to open up your home and heart to students from China. What are you waiting for?

For more details about hosting please go to: www.olympiaexchangestudents.com . If you would like more info please contact Windy Hoepfner 360-789-2668

 

            

 

          Sonny & Diana Lindvall   5/9