here@first
July2010 First Presbyterian Church Ya k i m a
cityFest
Yakima Valley
July 17-18
VBS
recap
soldier
celebration
“Worshiping God together, Growing in Christ-like maturity, Reaching those unconnected to Jesus Christ and Impacting our community and the world.�
Volume 16
First Presbyterian Church of Yakima
9 South 8th Ave Yakima, WA 98902 509-248-7940
PAGE
in this issue 3 4 5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18-19 20-21 22 23 24
July Events Sunday Morning Information / Weekly Events / Sermon Series Sunday Morning Class Information Pastor Jack’s Welcome Pastor Mark’s Welcome Fellowship Ministry : Group Life Fellowship Ministry : Senior Adults Discipleship Ministry : Students Discipleship Ministry Team : Preschool Discipleship Ministry Team : Children’s Discipleship Ministry Team : Women’s Discipleship Ministry Team : Men’s Missions CityFest : Event and Event Schedule Upcoming Events: Mt. Adams A note from our Missionaries in Cambodia Mission Statement
july
events calendar
Thursday, July 1 Happy Travelers Meeting 1:00p Adult Ed Rm Prayer Ministry Leader Meeting 6:00p Library Sunday, July 4 Cookies: (Last Names) A - D Fellowship Hour Monday, July 5 Church Closed (Observance of Independence Day) Tuesday, July 6 Discipleship Min. Team Meeting 1:00p Adult Ed Rm Worship Ministry Team Meeting 5:15p Rhino Room Adult Ed Meeting 7:00p Adult Ed Rm Wednesday, July 7 FM Board Meeting / Lunch 12:00p Parlor Women of Wonder Meeting 4:00p Rhino Room Holy Spirit Boot Camp 6:30p David Ferry Thursday, July 8 Fellowship Ministry Team Meeting 5:15p Adult Ed Rm CityFest Counselor Training 7:00p Ward Chapel July 8, 9, 10 Mt Adams Climb Sunday, July 11 Cookies: (Last Names) E - I CityFest Counselor Training 3:00p Sanctuary Tuesday, July 13 CityFest Counselor Training 6:00p Sanctuary & Chapel Wednesday, July 14 Holy Spirit Boot Camp 6:30p Ward Chapel Saturday, July 17 Luis Palau CityFest begins 9:00a Fairgrounds begins 1:00p Fairgrounds Sunday, July 18 Luis Palau CityFest Cookies: (Last Names ) J - K Tuesday, July 20 Service Ministry Team meeting 7:00a Adult Ed Rm Session Leadership Team 7:00p Wednesday, July 21 Foundation Board 4:00p Library Ghormley (Board) Commission Meeting 6:30p Rhino Room Holy Spirit Boot Camp 6:30p David Ferry Thursday, July 22 Small Group Core Team Meeting 12:00p Parlor Sunday, July 25 Cookies: (Last Names) L - M Tuesday, July 27 Session (No Dinner) 6:30p David Ferry Kaffee Klatsch 9:30a Garden Room Wednesday, July 28 Holy Spirit Boot Camp 6:30p David Ferry
COOKIES AND CANS
Please bring cookies and canned food on your last name’s designated Sunday. July 4 July 11 July 18 July 25
A-D E-I J-K L - M 3
Sunday Morning info
Sunday Morning Services Communion - Every Sunday Ward Chapel Contemporary Services Sanctuary The Best of Classic Worship Sanctuary RM 102 Childcare Ages birth – 21/2 years Kidzone Sunday School 103 3’s to Pre-K Kinder - 5th Grade 217 *Special Needs classroom available RM 220 Student Ministries Middle School Small Groups (6-8th grades) Powerhouse Adult Education Classes Golden Circle 40 Days of Purpose
10:30-12:30p 9:30-10:30a 9:30-10:30a
Monday, Wednesday, Friday Monday Wednesday Thursday
8:30a 10:00a 12:00p 5:30p 12:00p 12:00p 6:00p 7:00p
Weekly Events at FPC
Senior Adult Exercise TOPS OEA Al-Anon Men’s Bible Study Women of Action (Prayer) Worship Rehearsal Temple Choir Rehearsal
7:45a 8 & 9:30a 11:00a During Services 9:30 -10:45a 9:30 -10:45a
Sermon Series July Matters of Maturity: Philippians For those who hunger to experience God’s pleasure, the path to maturity is the Matters of way of obedience. In this series, we will be looking at principles revealed in Paul’s letter to the Philippians which lead us into a deeper walk with Jesus. God invites us to trust and follow Him and though this invitation, we more fully understand what it means to commit to Him, be secure, live in freedom, have purpose, and contentment. Failure to mature in our faith is to run counter to God’s will for us. Over this six week study, we will explore His will and come to a greater understanding of how “it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13)
MATURITY
July 4 July 11 July 18 July 25 4
MATTERS OF MATURITY: PHILIPPIANS - EXPERIENCING GOD’S PLEASURE Jack Peebles / Philippians 2:12-18 MATTERS OF MATURITY: PHILIPPIANS - POINT ME TOWARD MATURITY Mark Tumney / Philippians 1:3-11 MATTERS OF MATURITY: PHILIPPIANS - LIMITLESS HORIZONS Jack Peebles / Philippians 1:19-26 MATTERS OF MATURITY - MATTERS OF INTEREST: THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH Jack Peebles / Philippians 2:1-11
sunday morning
classes and services KIDZONE
(AGE 2 ½ THROUGH 5TH GRADE) 9:30-10:45 / 2ND FLOOR KidZone Meeting this summer: July 11, 25 and August 1, 8 We will be exploring our Bibles as we see how God wants us to respect our friends, ourselves and God’s amazing creations. Kids going into... • K-5: meet upstairs in room 217 • 3’s-Pre-K: meet on the main floor in room 103
STUDENT WORSHIP & GROUPS (6TH-12TH GRADE)
Middle School Small Groups / 6th-8th Graders 10:30am-12:30pm / Meet in the PowerHouse
ADULT EDUCATION CLASS
9:30-10:30 / ADULT ED Led by Kathy Mathison EXCERPTS FROM DEUTERONOMY Ends JULY 18 Remember, Teach Your Children, Love God and Obey Him. These are some of the teachings we find in the book of Deuteronomy. The Israelites are ready to go into the Promised Land. Moses is about to die. What words does he choose to share with the people; a generation he has watched grow from infant to adult? Join us as we study these last words of Moses – his words of encouragement, challenge and warning – and see how they still apply to our lives today.
40 DAYS OF PURPOSE
9:30-10:30 / MID HIGH ROOM ON THE MEZZANINE STEVE HILDEBRAND / MARSHALL GROVE / FRED MALONEY The 40 Days class continues to study the principles found in Rick Warren's “Purpose Driven Life” book. This class discusses and examines, in a non-threatening manner, the Bible passages used through the book. After several years of study, this group is halfway through the book. You are invited to jump in and join this interesting study.
GOLDEN CIRCLE -
PRESENT WORD
9:30-10:30 DAVID FERRY LOUNGE / TOM OLIVA & JIM ERIXSON Originally formed in the 1940's, this class continues to study Christian life together. The Golden Circle class is a caring and supportive class that includes prayer, music and study.
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Dear church family, Change is never easy. Most people would like things to go just as they have, for that allows them to remain with what is comfortable. I wanted to shout out “Amen!” when in a recent sermon Garth Gustafson recently challenged us to move beyond our comfort zones. For many years (and generations) the church in North America has become complacent. It more resembles a country club than a community bound together by the calling to be God’s mission and message to the world. To borrow a phrase, too many people ask, “What can the church do for me?” and not “What can I do for the church of Jesus Christ?” Reggie McNeal, in his engaging book “The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church,” challenges us to reexamine how we “do” church. For too long, he argues, the predominant question asked by most Christians has been, “How do we grow this church?” In other words, “How do we get them to come to us?” I know I am repeating myself from the last article, but the old adage “If you build it…” doesn’t apply anymore. The percentage of Christians in this country has not increased one point as this has been our predominant question. For those of us who consider ourselves to be “evangelical” that’s a startling statistic! McNeal goes on to say that instead of thinking about growing the church, a more appropriate question for us to ponder is “How do we participate with God in expanding His kingdom?” God’s kingdom (or the kingdom of heaven) is a reality in the here and now. It’s not simply something we get to when our time on earth is done. Even in the Lord ’s Prayer, we ask God for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Our calling as followers of Jesus, is not simply so we can pray (I am not under estimating the value of prayer), but also so we can participate in His kingdom becoming a reality here in the Yakima Valley. In other words, how can we go where the people are (hit the streets, so to speak) and be the hands and feet of Jesus?” Do you see the difference in getting the people to come to us vs. getting our people to go to them? Isn’t that how Jesus and His disciples did ministry? Why should the way we do ministry be any different? The fact of the matter is that our North American context more closely resembles that of the New Testament today that at any other point in our nation’s history. Fact: We live in a mission field.
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The implication is clear. The church of Jesus Christ must change. We must change. The officers (elders and deacons) and staff of the church will be working our way through Reggie McNeal’s book over the summer months as we continue to be more missional. You need to know that there will be continued tweaks to what we are doing in worship this fall as we have a renewed commitment to reach families in this community. I want to include more children and youth participation, particularly at the 9:30 service. I think it important that the family of faith worships together. Pastor Mark will continue to help lead the first two worship services and our Worship Ministry Team will help with 11:00 until we find a new Worship Director. That search will begin shortly. In the meantime, I want you to know that we will communicate these changes to you in the newsletter and through the announcements on Sunday morning as much as possible. Following God is not easy. We are entering into a time of renewal and a new reformation. Again, change can be uncomfortable, but we must be open to change if we are to follow His will. I want to share with you this statement on the Will of God that comes from an unknown source:
“The will of God will never take you, Where the grace of God cannot keep you, Where the arms of God cannot support you, Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs, Where the power of God cannot endow you.
The will of God will never take you, Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you, Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you, Where the army of God cannot protect you, Where the hands of God cannot mold you.
The will of God will never take you, Where the love of God cannot enfold you, Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you, Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears, Where the authority of God cannot overrule you.
The will of God will never take you, Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears, Where the Word of God cannot feed you, Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you, Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.”
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. On Earth as it is in Heaven. That is something for which we can both pray and participate!
- Pastor Jack
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WordAssociation Have you ever taken a word association test? You know, where you respond to a prompt with the first word that pops into your mind? These sorts of tests are designed to help us understand what lies at the heart of what we truly think. Not what we say through the filter that we have learned, but rather what actually resides at the core of our thinking. Let me offer you one such word prompt. What’s the first thing that pops into your head when I offer you the word “missions?” If you’re like most of us, you’ll think about mission work overseas--our partnerships in Cambodia or Ethiopia, for example. Of course, you’d be right. However, do you know where the largest English-speaking mission field in the world is? It’s right in our backyards! There are now more English speaking people who don’t know Jesus in the United States than anywhere else in the world. This is why our church is talking more and more about being “missional.” No longer do we necessarily need to go overseas to engage in “mission” work. Your neighborhood is a mission field. Here’s another one. What pops into your mind when I offer the word “evangelism?” Perhaps an angry street preacher? Or, maybe it’s passing out a tract or sharing the “4 Spiritual Laws.” Regardless, for most everyone “evangelism” evokes feelings of awkwardness or pushiness. But this, too, is an inaccurate word association. Let me offer us a few biblical correctives to our understanding of “missions” and “evangelism.”
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Once we begin to recognize “mission” and “evangelism” as ongoing, relational practices that bless our neighbors, gone is any sense of awkwardness or pushiness. Instead, evangelism becomes an organic expression of love for our neighbors. Moreover, recognizing your neighborhood as a mission field is the first step toward permitting God to equip you as a local missionary. May the Lord bless you in your outreach (both individually and with your small group) as you seek intentionally to bless those in your neighborhood mission field.
- Pastor Mark
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FELLOWSHIP MINISTRY
group life senior adult
Shan Trick
Group Life Ministries 248-7940, ext. 125 shan.trick@fpcyakima.com
“Building relationships that change lives by connecting the community to Christ”
Every Christian needs a spiritual family. The phrase “one another” is found over fifty times in the Bible. Scripture challenges us to love one another, pray for one another, support one another, forgive one another, and encourage one another to love and do good deeds. Small groups provide an environment where people can share with “one another” the real stuff of life and find support, encouragement, honesty, openness, grace, and biblical truth. First Presbyterian Church is a church of small groups. We have over 50 small groups meeting on a continual basis with new groups being formed to meet the needs of men, women and children in our community.
Give me life through Your Word.
If you would like to experience true community, please contact Shan Trick at 248-7940, ext. 125 or shan.trick@ fpcyakima.com.
Psalm 119:37
community
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FELLOWSHIP MINISTRY group life hospitality senior adult
connect
golf scramble The First Presbyterian Church golf scramble scored a big hit with everyone involved as 16 golfers vied for honors, and prizes. The team that came in 1st place was Bev Dolquist, her nephew Andre Arcand, Glen Williams and Bill Starr. Followed closely in 2nd place was the team of Judy and Ken Turner, Larry Federspiel and Steve Barker. The final 2 teams tied for 3rd place. Carl King, Travis Clark, his dad Bob Clark and Curtis Rosenkranz make up one team and the other team consisted of Mike Sorenson, his daughter Effie Martinson, Scott Clark and Jack Peebles. After a day of golf, everyone met at Abby’s Pizza to enjoy the honors and prizes of the day’s event as well as plenty of laughter and great fellowship. “I wasn’t planning on golfing at the Golf Scramble, but woke up and saw the sun shining and so I thought I’d go over to see if there was a need for an extra to fill a four-some. Sure enough, Jerry Smith needed to be free to circulate around the course, so I took his place. So I signed up, paid up and teed up and, what do you know - our four-some ended up winning! It was Andre Arcand with his long and straight drives, and his grandma Bev Dolquist’s spectacular 9th green putt that put us on top.” (I was just along for the ride - but it was a fun one!) - Bill Starr
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FELLOWSHIP MINISTRY group life hospitality senior adult
Jim Erixson
Pastor Congregational Care 248-7940, ext. 130 jim.erixson@fpcyakima.com
happy travelers Hurry! Sign up at the Connection Center and join us! July 4 - We will see a Bear’s Baseball game. Fireworks after the game. September 16 Whistling Jack’s for lunch and relaxation.
Happy Travelers trip to the McKitrick cactus farm. 12
Throughout this issue of Here@First you’ll see the theme of including all people into the family of God. Because the American culture tends to especially focus on those below fifty and because extended family members can often live quite a distance from their children and grandchildren, those of grandparent age can sometimes feel isolated. Here are a couple of anecdotes that highlight special interactions between senior members and young people that truly narrowed that chasm. Recently, a ninety-one year old church member celebrated his birthday with his immediate family during a brunch hour, but the highlight of his day was when the family next door unexpectedly showed up later that evening with a tres-leches birthday cake. The three children sang happy birthday to him in Spanish and presented him with handmade cards. Mama quickly produced paper plates, plastic forks and napkins for an impromptu party while papa changed a difficult-to-reach light bulb. He still has the cards taped to his refrigerator door. The second story is slightly different. A young boy rode his bike up to a drive-in window. He pulled a dollar bill from his pocket and ordered a soda. Sadly, the dollar didn’t cover the full cost of the drink. A grandma who was standing there waiting for her order saw what happened. Knowing that a dollar doesn’t go nearly as far as it used to, she smiled and stepped forward and asked him what he wanted. He told her. “This young man wants a medium root beer,” she said to the clerk. Turning to the boy she continued, “Give her your dollar and I’ll cover the extra bit.” She was rewarded with the warmest smile she’d ever seen. While we want to be fishers of men and reel in our catch for the Lord-having them sit in the pews beside us-- sometimes we can also effectively serve Him by performing small acts of kindness outside of the church setting. When these are done inter-generationally there is an even greater feeling of inclusion. We all have neighbors who we rarely see. Reaching out with a kind word, a bunch of home-grown radishes or a single rose from the garden can do wonders to break barriers. (A word of caution here…be careful about bearing armloads of rhubarb to those you don’t know well. One doesn’t want to inadvertently cause hostile feelings. We’ve learned through personal experience that some neighbors are less than enthusiastic about this particular gift.) God’s children are all around us. We’re all ages and all ethnicities. He wants us to reach out and be a witness for Him. If you’re of grandma or grandpa age, what can you do to share His love with a child? If you’ve yet to get your first gray hair, what can you do to share His love with someone who already has a fine crop of it, or possibly none at all? One world. One home. One family. One flock. One Shepherd. Praise be to God! - Carolyn Mason
DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY students Outreach camp preschool children’s women’s careforce men’s adults childcare
2010 / Ghormley Meadow Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this camp possible once again. We are very grateful that we were able to take 117 excited 5th and 6th graders to Ghormley over the weekend of June 11. This would not have happened without the financial, organizational, and prayer support of this church. But even more, this was an incredible weekend because of the people who volunteered to be counselors. We had 24 adults and 12 high school students give up their entire weekend in order to extend the love of Jesus to these kids. God is healing this world through the expansion of His Kingdom, and we can all be grateful that we have been invited to be a part of this redeeming work. Outreach Camp was a beautiful taste of how powerful the love of Jesus can be in this hurting world.
Madison House
Tyler Van Horn
Director of Student Ministries 248-7940, ext. 106 tyler.vanhorn@fpcyakima.com
Outreach Camp isn’t over. Thanks to the help of Kevin Deyette at the Union Gospel Mission Youth Center (Madison House) we are hoping to keep building relationships with these kids. Each Tuesday night from 6:30pm to 8:30pm we are going to help run a program called KFC (Kids for Christ) with the hope of having as many of our campers involved as possible. Each camper will be receiving a personal invitation to this weekly event, and we are even going to provide rides for those kids who need it. Even if you were unable to help with Outreach Camp, we could still use your help on Tuesday nights. Each week we will be rounding up all of the high school students at the PowerHouse to eat together before we go to the Madison House. Any adults who want to join us are very welcome and very appreciated. Talk to Tyler or Karin if you want more details.
Karin Skone
Assist. Dir. of Student Ministries 248-7940, ext. 116 karin.skone@fpcyakima.com
Summer Schedule: Middle School Small Groups / 6th-8th Graders 10:30am-12:30pm / Meet in the PowerHouse
D- groups / High School and College Students Sunday Nights / 5:30-7:00pm / Meet in the Garden Room 13
DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY
students
preschool children’s women’s careforce men’s adults childcare
Rhonda Cardona
Preschool Director 248-7940, ext. 119 rhonda.cardona@fpcyakima.com
Soldier Visits Preschool A big part of our preschool program is teaching children to share God’s love with others. One way of doing this in the preschool is to sponsor a deployed soldier by sending him care packages, letters and pictures. We have been doing this for the past four years. In May, one of the soldiers we have sponsored returned from Afghanistan and came to visit our preschoolers! Brandon Mattson, grandson of Geraldine Mattson (a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church), visited our school on Tuesday, May 27th. We came together in the chapel to thank him, present him with a gift and to pray for him. We even had two local television stations here to record and broadcast the event on the news that evening. Brandon shared that the packages meant a great deal to him and the pictures the children made and sent. He loved the homemade goodies made by our Pre-Kindergarten class! He was then able to visit each of the classrooms where he was able to visit with the children and answer their many questions. He has re-enlisted for another six years and at this time is unsure where this will take him. The preschool continues to sponsor soldiers and regularly sends packages each month. If you would like to donate items and send God’s love to a soldier away from home, bring them into the church office. The blessings we receive back from this mission project are too numerous to count!
reach
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DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY
students
preschool children’s women’s careforce men’s adults childcare
Kathy Eaton
Director of Children’s Ministries 248-7940, ext. 110 kathy.eaton@fpcyakima.com
Susie Woodin
Assist. Dir. of Children’s Ministries 248-7940, ext. 135 susie.woodin@fpcyakima.com
Summer Kidzone Join us for
9:30-10:45
as we go on a wilderness adventure!
Sunday Mornings July 11, 25 and August 1, 8
We will be exploring our Bibles as we see how God wants us to respect our friends, ourselves and God’s amazing creations. Kids going into... • K-5: meet upstairs in room 217 • 3’s-Pre-K: meet on the main floor in room 103
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DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY
preschool children’s women’s careforce men’s adults childcare
Shan Trick
Women’s Ministry 248-7940, ext. 125 shan.trick@fpcyakima.com
Beyond Boot Camp
Equipping the saints for the days ahead
Wanting to seek more of Jesus this summer? A wonderful opportunity awaits women this July. Come and join us Wednesday nights at 6:30 in the David Ferry Lounge to get spiritually fit as we exercise our spiritual muscle through engaging in exciting activities. So come, “Taste and See.” This is a place to learn what the Scriptures say about life in the kingdom of God, to practice “DOING” the stuff of the kingdom, and to ask those questions that sometimes muddle around in our minds about the Holy Spirit. Come experience how to hear the voice of God through listening prayer; take an exciting journey on a treasure hunt as we receive clues from God and search for the people God wants us to encounter with a special blessing; we will watch a movie called Transformation about how God can transform an entire community; participate in an evening of service and enjoy a potluck and fellowship to wrap up the summer activities.
Taste and See
students
Childcare will not be provided. Please contact Shan Trick at 248-7940 if you need more information. Get ready for a fantastic summer!
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DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY
students
preschool children’s women’s careforce men’s adults childcare
Men's Ministry Back to Work at the Madison School This year the men of FPC are taking leadership in our church's involvement in this summer's "Yakima City Fest" by returning to the Madison School as our part of the "Season of Service." We have set aside July 10th to do our part. We are looking for another great turn out of men who are willing to roll up their sleeves, grab their tools and get dirty for the Lord, and His ministry to the needy kids of our city. Individual men and men's small groups are encouraged to get involved so we can make a difference, and continue to provide leadership for our church and our community. We also need donations of money and materials to make this project possible. Please contact Jake Kupp (965-9902) if you are interested in more information on how you can help.
serve
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Small Groups doing something Big for the Community 200 trees were planted by 50 people from different churches on a Memorial Hospital Hospice lot couple of Saturdays ago. Hospital Board members were amazed at the synergy and joy displayed by all who were there. Barge Lincoln school has been painted. All windows washed, and the ground is being readied for a September New Play Ground installation. God has sent people from other churches in town to help us complete the Habitat House we are building for the Carter family.
The Madison House is looking radiant by the day with a new paved parking lot and fenced tennis courts. A couple of churches have organized a party to serve the community (Farm Workers dental and medical mobile units), with huge inflatable toys, live music and food. “Live love, let love invade you. It will never fail to teach you what you must do.�
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MISSIONS
MADISONHOUSE
Summer Schedule
Madison House
Mondays 6-8:00p - Quick start program and lesson time / Intramural Play Summer Tennis Wednesdays 10:30- Noon -Supervised play / Intramural Play Schedule Weekly Fridays 3-5:00p - Supervised play / Intramural Play play dates starting in July. IF you are interested in helping out at any of these times please call Dave at 945-3719 19
Location / State Fair Park / Yakima, WA Dates / July 17-18, 2010 Tickets / No ticket needed Cost / Admission to the festival is FREE! Third Day / Kutless / Hawk Nelson / Britt Nicole / Crystal Lewis / Funky / Radikal
concerts
speakers Luis Palau Andrew Palau
service July 14 Men’s Luncheon Clarion Hotel 11:30a
July 16 Women’s Luncheon Convention Center 11:30a
Come hear Luis Palau present a message relevant to today! 20
Contact Sue Sanders : 966-4936 or Gustavo Carvajal : 248-7940
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Upcoming
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing
upcoming news and events
b m i l C
. t M
s m Ada
if we don’t give up.
Come climb Mount Adams with Pastor Jack Peebles and Brent Alderman!
Galatians 6:9
Mark your calendars for July 8-10. Last year, 18 left the trailhead and 18 made it to the top! Come and be a part of the fellowship and fun!
You may still sign up at the Connection Center on Sundays or contact Jana Alderman at
jana.alderman@ fpcyakima.com
$50 22
Cambodia
Garth and Caroline Gustafson are missionaries serving in Cambodia.
Missionary Update
Consumerism Christianity Jesus clearly tells us that when become Christians we become part of a spiritual family (Mark 3:33-35) and that now consists of over two Billion people from most of the nations of the earth. The Book of Acts then shows us as followers of Jesus what it looks like to be a family. In Acts 2:40-47 we see how our family lived out their faith as a model of how we are to live out our faith today.
Peter says “save yourself from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40) and as we look at our world today, 2000 years later, some things just don’t change. We see that our family was “devoted” to four things: the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking bread and prayers. In other words, our family gave their time to learn, gave their love relationally, gave out of their homes in taking communion and eating meals together and they gave of their spiritual effort in prayer. There is common phrase here, “THEY GAVE.” The world we live in today functions directly in contrast to the way our family is called to live. We live in a society that is centered around consumerism. In fact, we as a nation consume more then any other nation on this planet. Our culture has trained us to be consumer-oriented and so we often carry this perspective into how we view the family (church). This is why we so often say things like, “I didn’t get anything from the sermon, I didn’t enjoy worship or I don’t like the feel of that church.” Most of us have become products of a consumer society instead of products of our family.
Follow Garth and Caroline’s blog at:
www.thegustafsons.missionsplace.com
This is in inconsistent to what we see modeled by Jesus in scripture when He says, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to GIVE His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:8).” Father God gave His only Son, Big Brother Jesus gave His life on the cross and now as a Family we are called to be givers. I heard an analogy recently that made this so clear. There is a difference between a family meal and a restaurant meal. At a restaurant you sit down, ask for water, call for food, can complain about the way the food tastes and then fill out a comment card on the way out. If you go to your mother’s house and try that, I hope that your father takes you out back. Why? Because that’s not how family works. When you are a part of the family you help get the food, set the table and do the dishes… you take a chore. Family is sometimes frustrating, awkward and difficult, that’s the definition of a family. In a family you don’t always get your way. In a family things change as the family changes. I believe that God is calling us as a family into a change of perspective. That we would see our involvement at 1st Pres as a family meal and not as going to a restaurant. That as a family we would see that we are ALL called to be a part to take a chore and to GIVE. That our family would come on Sundays to give to the family and that Monday through Saturday we would go to our community and give the love of Jesus. That as 1st Pres we would be “the church without walls,” not just so people can come in, but more importantly so we can GO out. May we not be a family that just “attends” church, but one that “lives out” what it means to be followers of Jesus, as a family influencing our community. 23
first presbyterian church
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 9 SOUTH 8TH AVE YAKIMA, WA 98902
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reach
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impact