The United Churches of Olympia
110 Eleventh Ave. SE
Olympia, WA 98501
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The United Churches Of Olympia
VOICE
Newsletter
VOLUME 81 ISSUE 6 • DEC 2016/JAN 2017
The Voice is a bi-monthly publication from
The United Churches of Olympia
Presbyterian Church (USA)
& United Church of Christ.
(360) 943-1210
[email protected]
http://theunitedchurches.org
Pastor’s Page: The Redemption of Scrooge for Advent
Office Hours: Mon. - Thurs. 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
The United Churches of Olympia
http://theunitedchurches.org
Office: (360) 943-1210
Hours: Mon. - Thurs. 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Main Office: [email protected]
Church Staff
Rev. Tammy Stampfli, Pastor
Lara Crutsinger-Perry, Minister to Youth & Families
Dee Morton, Director of Music
Rev. Jill Komura, Administrative Pastor
Matthew Beauregard, Facilities Manager
Rev. Paul McCann, Pastor Emeritus
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Get Your Word Out
If you would like to submit an article or announcement
to be published in the Voice or the weekly e-blast,
shared on our Facebook page, or added to the website,
please email it to:
[email protected]
The deadline for the February/March issue of The Voice
is Thursday, January 19, 2017
Every Christmas season, in one way or another, I listen, read or watch Charles Dickens’, “A
Christmas Carol.” It is a timeless story written in 1843. Dickens inspires for perhaps the first time, a humanitarian philosophy for the Christmas season with his novella. The tale begins on a "cold, bleak, biting" Christmas Eve in London, exactly seven years after the death of Scrooge's business partner, Jacob
Marley. Scrooge, an old miser, is established immediately as "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!" He hates Christmas, calling it "humbug"; he refuses his nephew
Fred's Christmas dinner invitation, and he sarcastically turns away two gentlemen who seek a donation
from him to provide a Christmas dinner for the poor and needy. His only "Christmas gift" is allowing
his overworked, underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit to have Christmas Day off with pay – which he does only
to keep with social custom, Scrooge considering it "a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every 25th
of December!"
In the story, the ghost of Marley provides Scrooge with the opportunities to see himself in his
past, his present and in the future. Marley shows Scrooge that if he continues with his current behaviors that the future looks bleak and horrible. As the well-worn tale reminds us, Scrooge is moved, he is
redeemed and he changes his ways. Dickens himself suffered from tremendous poverty as a child when
his father was sent to prison, just as Dickens was forced as a child to work in a blackening factory.
Many centuries later we still find ourselves in a vast divide between the rich and the poor. As my
office sits over the three-days-a-week homeless warming center, as well as the informal homeless camp
at our church doors, the problem of the poor is one that I cannot ignore. Walmart is the second largest
private employer in Thurston County with 1,000 employees (Providence Health Services is first with
2,340). The average rent of a one bedroom apartment here is $836.00. The minimum wage may rise to
$11.00 an hour in 2017, thanks to the voter initiative, and to the chagrin of some local small
businesses, but county residents living on that wage will still be forced to use half of their income to
pay rent for housing. You get the drift. The ghosts haunt us still.
So, will we listen, like Scrooge, and respond with a change of heart? The
states of Virginia and Connecticut, along with a number of municipalities, have
ended homelessness, after embracing the approach of, “Housing First.” (See,
http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/what-is-housing-first)
Cities as large as Salt Lake City and Phoenix have proven it’s possible to solve
homelessness by embracing this approach. Redemption is within our grasp. Will
we open our hearts for change?
You may not feel as though the struggle of the working poor is the
particular area of your life that needs redemption, but I invite you to join us for
worship in this Advent and Christmas season, anyway. Come to be inspired by
music and story, as we reflect on themes of redemption in scripture.
Blessings, Tammy
NEW CHURCH OFFICERS TO BE INSTALLED IN JANUARY
2
At the congregational meeting on November 20, 2016, the assembled members voted to approve
the following slate of new church officers for the coming year. They will be installed on January 8, 2017
(Those persons newly elected appear with their names in bold):
Nominating Committee:
Church Council
1) Chair – Mike Segawa (17-18)
2) Pastor – Rev. Dr. Tammy Stampfli
3) Jo Edwards (17)
4) Paul McCann (18)
5) Sandee Sennes (18)
2018
Moderator Dana Leavitt
2018
Vice-Moderator vacant until next year
2017 Amanda Scott (Clerk)
2017 Cynthia Cook (Treasurer)
2017 Deborah Reynolds (Volunteer Coordinator)
2017
Mindy Robertson
2017
Rev. Amanda Kersey
2017
Peggy Charlesworth
2017
Bob McMullen
2018 Rod Cate
2018 Nancy Welton
2018 Pat Fountain
2018 Marilyn Hemmann
2018 Rosalie Bowden
Pastor Tammy Stampfli
Alternate: Janet Huntley
Joint Board (Endowments and Scholarship):
1) John Bowden (17)
2) Joan Knapp (18)
3) Karen Eitreim (19)
4) Jim Watts (20)
5) Jim Harvison (21)
6) TUCO Treasurer, ex officio
Jo Edwards & Diane Charlesworth ushering (Left); Leslie Cushman washing
dishes after the Centennial luncheon (Above, right)
FALL COUNCIL UPDATE Dana Leavitt, Vice Moderator
I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and Advent is off to a good start. As the end of the year
draws near, I would like to share some of the highlights of Church Council's work over the past few
months and to look forward for a moment.
Through this fall, Council worked with the budget committee on approving the 2017 TUCO budget;
the budget was presented to the congregation and approved during the congregational meeting on
November 20th. In addition, during the late fall,
Paul
Job
McCann was recognized as Pastor Emeritus by the council.
descriptions for the Treasurer and Clerk were approved by council.
In
November, Council accepted the nominating committee's slate of church officers and council
members for 2017.
In December, during our holiday celebration, we will be recognizing our out-going council members and welcoming the newly elected members of council. Our faithful servants stepping down from
council include Mike Segawa (Moderator), Eunice Robb (Clerk), Joe Arnett, Dick Smith, Jill Komura,
and Bunny Hooper. Thank you all for the time you dedicated to the life of our church. (cont’d on page 3)
7
REPORT FROM THE JOINT BOARD
By Jim Watts
The Joint Board is responsible for four endowments, whose total value, as of September 30,
2016, was $253,800. The value of each endowment was:
On June 24, 2016 the Endowment Board withdrew $11,000 from the TUCO General Endowment to help fund the church’s current flooring project. Also, on October 24, 2016 the Board withdrew $350 from the Patsy Humphres Children’s Endowment to help youth and their immediate
families pay their cost to attend the All Church Family Retreat at Pilgrim Firs Camp in August 2016.
On August 1, 2016 the United Churches received from the Vern and Genevieve Hathaway
estate a $2,900 bequest to the TUCO General Endowment.
On October 17, 2016 the Endowment Board approved an additional $3,228 for future withdrawal from the TUCO General Endowment, bringing the total currently available to $13,573. The
Board also approved an additional $1,958 for future withdrawal from the Patsy Humphres Children’s Endowment, bringing the total currently available to $4,691.
The Endowment Board also oversees the investment of the McNall Scholarship Fund. Its
value as of September 30, 2016 was $31,700. On April 22, 2016 the Board withdrew $750 to pay
for one scholarship.
“SLOW CHURCH,” (cont’d from p. 3) who grow our food, prepare our food and share our food. Slow
Church is a call for intentionality, and awareness of our mutual interdependence with all of
the people and all creation and an attentiveness to the world around us and the work that God
is doing in our very own neighborhoods.
We will be presenting this on Sundays beginning January 1st. If you are interested in the book
it is Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus, by Christopher Smith and
John Pattison. — Pastor Tammy
WANT TO KNOW WHO’S SITTING
NEXT TO YOU IN THAT PEW?
Sign up for the new photo directory!
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Use the online link provided in our
weekly e-mails, or contact Pastor Jill in
the church office.
6
OUR CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION CONCLUDES
The United Churches of Olympia celebrated its final Federation Centennial service on
Sunday, December 4th with the special Advent
Cantata service. A catered luncheon in the Social
Hall followed the service, attended by nearly
two hundred people. The day’s program included an historical re-enactment of the occasion, and special greetings
brought by our sister church delegation from Costa Rica, who had traveled all the way to Olympia to join us for our special celebration day.
The hard work and thought of the entire Centennial Committee: Sue Breidenbach, Betsy Hagen, Paula Lowe, Eunice Robb and
Tammy Stampfli— were recognized during the beginning of the
worship service. They spoke at the
luncheon of their work across the
year. We also remembered the vision
and forethought of two members of
The United Churches who are no longer with us, but were instrumental in planting the seeds for our yearlong celebration
journey: Janet Anderson and Russell Rose. The names of the
Federation
Centennial Committee and a general description of
DOUGLAS CLEVELAND CONCERT
the year’s events
CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL
will be written into
the Church’s special red Book of Remembrance, which
resides in the Memorial Stand at the back of
the church sanctuary. Thank you again to all
who helped us to celebrate our church’s Federation Centennial year!
On October 23, Dr. Douglas Cleveland
returned home to the church of his youth, and
played an organ concert at The United Churches to help celebrate the Federation Centennial
year. A reception followed in the church narthex.
Dr. Cleveland, now a faculty fellow at the
University of Washington and the Director of
Music and organist at St. Thomas Episcopal
Church in Medina, played selections to a full
house by Joseph Jongen, J.S. Bach, Edvard
Grieg, David Briggs, Camille Saint Saens, and
Eugene Gigout.
(Council Update, cont’d.) We will be installing a new slate of church leaders on January 8,
2017. Please welcome Dana Leavitt (Moderator), Amanda Scott (Clerk), Rod Cate,
Nancy Welton, Pat Fountain, Rosalie Bowden, and Deborah Reynolds.
Thank you to Mindy Robertson, Bob McMullen, Rev. Amanda Kersey, Cynthia
Cook, Marilyn Hemmann and Peggy Charlesworth for your continuing leadership
to the life of our church.
The Pastor Looks Ahead to 2017: The Joy of Slow Church
In January, we will begin a new church-wide focus on developing community among ourselves.
I hope for, and dream of a community where we can find the care, support, and nurture that we need to
face our individual challenges, and continue as a community to work for justice, freedom, and peace.
Perhaps it is my age, but I am always fascinated when I find myself standing in a line (even at the
grocery store) to find that everyone is staring down at their mobile device. I am sometimes in rooms full
of people who are silently texting away. We seem well connected via Twitter and Facebook, but unable
to make small talk with the person in line in front of us.
In an era of increased nationalism, mobility and impatience, I am inviting us into Slow Church.
Like other “slow” movements we will be invited to reflect upon what we have given up to the cult of
speed. The slow food movement is about the richness of common life with the neighbors (cont’d, p. 7)
UNITED CHURCHES CHILDREN & YOUTH
Room 106 Makeover
This Fall we started a new middle school Faith Formation
class that has been meeting in the library. But come December,
the youth will be helping makeover room 106 and creating a new
space for themselves. As you know, room 106 is used by many
groups and our youth are helping transform it into a multi-use space, kind of like a "living
room" for the church. There will still be meeting space at one end. And thanks to a generous donation from a church member and a gift from the memorial fund, we will be adding
some new sofas and a flat screen TV. This will allow our youth a space to meet on Sundays
and starting in January, our combined youth group will be able to meet at United
Churches more often. We hope next time you have a meeting in room 106 you will enjoy
the updates too!
Club 345 Seeks Partners For FUN!
Pictured above: Kevin & Betsy Hagen, Eunice Robb, Tammy
Stampfli ,Susan Breidenbach, Doug Robb, Olinda Corin, and
Paula Lowe, cleaning up the Social Hall after the luncheon.
Club 345 is a special way our third, fourth, and fifth graders spend
time in community. Once a month after church we have lunch together
and engage in a service project or other fun activity we all like. And we
enjoy spending time with others in the church also. For example, in
December we will be baking Christmas cookies and spending time with
Susan Yarrow Morris and others at Panorama. If you have a hobby you
would like to share with our children, we would love to spend an afternoon with you.
ADVENT MUSICAL
CANTATA
ENJOYED BY ALL
4
The Festival Choir presented
their Advent Cantata at the December 4th
Federation Centennial Celebration Service
at 10:30 Worship. Selections were from
the Hal Hopson’s composition, A Festival
of Lessons and Carols, and included the titles, God Walked in Eden’s Garden Fair,
Comfort, Comfort, O My People, Lo, How a
Rose E'er Blooming, There is No Rose, and several traditional carols. Besides the forty-voice
Festival Choir, instruments accompanying included handbells, violin, flute. cello, hand
drums, piano and organ. Special instrumental soloists were Dan Lundberg, trumpet, and Ian
Edlund, cello.
5
OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND
YOUR IMAGES OF GOD
The Expansive Language Circle, a
new subcommittee of the Spiritual Transformation Ministry, invites you to join us
to plan ways to expand our images/
concepts of God in order to deepen the experience of the Divine in our lives. The
group meets every third Thursday with the
next meetings being held on Dec 8, 2016,
and on January 19, 2017, from 9:30 -11:00
a.m.
This group will provide learning opportunities including: new library resources, soap box messages, sermons, and
special discussion groups. In addition, this
group will support integrating more expansive language for God and inclusive language with people.
You are all invited to attend this
Circle’s first forum on Sunday, January 15,
called “Exploring Your Images of God.”
This open discussion will be facilitated by
Lara Crutsinger-Perry and Rev. Randy
Henderson. The forum will be held from
11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the Fireside room.
Please bring a brown bag lunch. Child care
will be provided.
Please join us! If you have questions,
please call 360-232-4582.
CHRISTMAS AND NEW
YEAR’S EVE SERVICE
SCHEDULE
Christmas Eve. Special Music for Advent and
Christmas includes trumpets and timpani accompanying several traditional carols, plus
handbells. The 8:00pm service on Christmas Eve
features a Christmas Eve Chancel choir, with
additional singers from the Festival Choir and
some visiting college singers home for the holidays. Warm-up for the Christmas Eve choir is at
7:15pm. Please come sing with us, and bring a
friend! We're singing Good Christian Friends,
Rejoice, and See, Amid the Winter's Snow.
Christmas Day. A special single service, at
10:30am on Christmas Day, is a Christmas carol
sing-a-long. The Bell Choir presents some special Christmas selections. Congregants are invited to wear their Christmas "Morning Pajamas"
to church that day, and share in some special
gift sharing and other holiday goody traditions.
Bring a special non-perishable edible gift
to put in the Food Bank wagon on both
Christmas and New Year's Day!
New Year's Day. Greg Vancil will be guest
organist at the single 10:30am service on New
Year's Day, and a soloist is providing special
music.
Epiphany. There are no Chancel Choir rehearsals on December 28 and January 4. Chancel
Choir sings From a Distant Home, a song of the
wise men, on Epiphany Day, January 8, and rehearsals resume on January 11, at 7:00pm.