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‎Taryn Oestreich‎ to James Clarke

April 1 at 8:59am ·

Wish you could hear the speaker, from Cocoon House, presenting at a conference I'm attending in Denver crediting Aaron

Clarke for the work he does to empower, educate and facilitate social support for homeless youth...your buttons would be

busting.

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Jacob Kula - April 28 Laurel Clayton - May 2 James Swanson - May 5 Natalie Hinze - May 9 Desirae Bertino - May 12 Amy Johnson - May 12 Linda Roe - May 12 David Hansard - May 13

Mona Moore - May 14 Nathan Lehman - May 20 Josie Boober - May 27 Les Kirkendorfer - May 27 Teresa Hobson - May 28 Madison Hunziker- May 29 Nancy Lang - May 30 Andrew Rowe - May 31

Birthdays

Cedar Cross Birthdays and Anniversaries

Anniversaries

George and Christi Davisson - May 27

As of today, Wednesday April 26, a new phone system was installed at Cedar Cross United Methodist Church and Preschool. There have been multiple service issues with the church telephone system for quite some time. Users were unable to retrieve voice messages and often when on a telephone call, the connection would be dropped. The kitchen phone didn’t work at all. We have never had a phone in the Preschool Office so that is exciting. Cedar Cross Preschool will have its own telephone number. Cedar Cross United Methodist Church telephone number (425-338-7845) remains the same. I will update you when we receive Cedar Cross Cooperative Preschool’s phone number.

News and Events

Cedar Cross sponsored Girl Scout Troop #44073 under the leadership of Alicia Meredith planted flowers in the garden space left of the front door. The troop hopes Cedar Cross Community enjoys the flowers. The girls are also excited that they will be able to see them each time they come into our Church. This was for their community planting project for their Flower Garden Journey Patch (see patch below). The members of these Girl Scouts are Daisy Scouts. Daisy Scouts are kindergarten to first grade girls. Some of the flowers that are planted are blooming now and some are summer flowers the girls started from seedlings. Along with the flowers, popsicle stick, pipe-cleaner and googly-eyed bumble bees frolic amid the blooms. The space they planted in is the garden space that Mona Moore and Ann Filibeck take care of under the Cedar Cross Ground Beautification Team. Both ladies were tickled pink to have the girls do this. A thank you note from Cedar Cross has been sent to Girl Scout Troop #44073.

“Love is the Last Thing Standing,” Print copies of Pastor Jim’s sermon for Easter Sunday are available on the Narthex table, or it may be read at the Cedar Cross website: www.cedarcross.net. Pastor Jim says that in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are given a gift and a path to move from the House of Fear to the House of Love. He tells us there is no easy formula to it. Just believe, for example. It involves a turning – letting go of fear – trusting that things will be all right in spite of what we feel. Because Jesus lives, we also shall live. And it takes a spiritual leap of faith – not from unbelief to belief, but from fear to love. Trusting that, Pastor Jim says, love is the last thing standing.

Upper Room Devotional Guide available at Cedar Cross. The Upper Room is a pocket-size, 80-page bi-monthly devotional guide that contains daily meditations about people living faithfully in their own real-life situations. The writers of these meditations are both laity and clergy and come from around the world. The theme for each day reflects the belief that God wills only good for each of us and that God calls us to lives of love, forgiveness, and service to others, according to the example of Christ. Each daily page includes scripture, a thought for the day, a short meditation and a prayer.

The Upper Room is a global ministry of the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church that is dedicated to supporting the spiritual formation of Christians seeking to know and experience God more fully. Each devotional guide contains meditations for two months. Single copies of the current issue are available for just $1.00. You’ll find them and a payment envelope on the table in the Narthex near the office door.

News and Events

Support the Ministry of Christ among Native People on Native American Ministries Sunday, April 30. Gifts to Native American Ministries Sunday fund scholarships for Native American seminarians and strengthen, develop, and equip Native American rural, urban and reservation congregations, ministries and communities and annual conference Native American ministries. This is one of six United Methodist Church Special Sundays throughout the year for recognizing and supporting particular ministries. Place your cash or check contribution in the special envelope and place it in the offering plate. Write “Native Ministries” on the memo line of your check.

Next newsletter will be Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Articles for this edition are due by Tuesday, May 9 before two!

May 27-29 - CONVO Retreat @ University of Puget Sound - Note this is Memorial Day Weekend, so mark your calendars now. CHAPERONES NEEDED May 28 - NO YOUTH GROUP

Youth

The Consecration Service for Cedar Cross United Methodist Church, with Bishop Melvin Talbert presiding, was held 35

years ago on Easter Sunday, April 11, 1982 at the old Holiday Inn on 132nd Street SE, near the freeway. Our church was born

when a small group of people began to worship together in 1980 in the basement of the home of the founding pastor,

Reverend Thomas Eberle. Bishop Talbert broke ground for the first unit of our church in 1984 with a design integrated into

the wooded land. Our future new sanctuary will be built adjacent to the existing building. Contributions to begin planning for

this new building are welcomed.

Pastor’s Page

Pastor James Clarke

I didn’t become a Boy Scout because I was enamored with Native Americans when I was young. At that time I shared that interest with a friend named Bob and together we joined Y Indian Guides instead of Boy Scouts. The rest is history. The interest in Native Americans didn’t fade. Many of the books I read in junior high and even into high school (until I discovered Russian literature) were about Native American culture. I read about the Plains Indians, about Cochise and Geronimo, about Chief Joseph, the Modoc War, the Sand Creek Massacre and Bury My Heart at Wounded Know by Vine Deloria. The story of the relationship between Europeans and Native Americans is brutal, as everyone knows. I would say that equal to slavery the greatest injustice in American history. And like slavery, I don’t think we’ve repented enough, nor have we gotten over it. And the story continues today. With my background imagine how I have felt about the confrontation over the Dakota Access Pipeline in Standing Rock, North Dakota.

In general, I believe that history isn’t over yet. Our country is getting closer to becoming 250 years old. It’s an historical hiccup. When I was in college I heard a lecture by Colin Turnbull, noted anthropologist who wrote The Mountain People and The Forest People. He caught my attention when he said that civilization has not been proven yet to be a successful and sustainable way to live in the world. That’s a deeper historical perspective. The affects of what happened 1,000 years ago are still with us, much less what happened 250 years ago. Somehow someone got the idea that we have advanced to the point where we are over racism and slavery – hardly! The affects of the experience of slaves live still in African- American people; the affects of the large scale termination of Native American people and culture still live in Native Americans; the affects of being the overlords and the exterminator’s lives on in European Americans. As I said, I don’t think we are over either slavery or Manifest Destiny yet. For me, the approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline is another affect of Manifest Destiny, equivalent to another broken treaty in a history of broken treaties.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, President Trump said something that I thought was very revealing. He said that being a CEO of a company is different than being president because as a CEO you don’t have to consider other people. He said that you have to have heart as president, but you don’t have to heart as a businessperson; all you have to think about is the bottom line. I am pleased to hear him say this because it may be a sign of his maturation and transformation. To me it reveals that business is not the best model for governance or for being the church. The bottom line is not going care a whit about history or how history continues to form people. The decision to approve the Dakota Access Pipeline was a business, bottom line decision, disregarding the Sioux people and their history; and more significantly our history as the ones who eradicated and enslaved Native American peoples.

This Sunday is Native American Ministries Sunday – used to be Native American Awareness Sunday, which I still prefer. We gather an offering to support ministries to Native Americans which is a good thing. But I also believe it is a time to remember our history with Native Americans, their lives related to that history, and how we can continue to repent and seek reconciliation with them. Standing by them at Standing Rock is one way to do that. Our Bishop has encouraged us to support this position as well. P.Jim

Last Week in Confirmation

The topic last week I confirmation class was The Church and its Mission. The first thing we looked at was church history. As with the Bible, how do we consider the breadth of the history of Christianity in a single morning? This is my frustration. More than anything, rather than hoping that they will remember details, I want them to understand that we come from somewhere, and that throughout history there have been a great diversity of expressions of Christian faith. I also want them to be curious and ask questions about the different churches in our community. What is Gold Creek Church about? Why is it easier for us to relate to the people at Advent Lutheran? Who are our closest relatives historically? (Episcopalians) Much of the time people attend churches and know next to nothing about their history and beliefs. And in a crunch this matters.

We also talked about mission both hands on mission and justice advocacy. We looked at the Social Principles. (We have purchased 50 copies of the Social Principles and if anyone would like a copy please let me know.) The Social Principles is a collection of statements approved by the General Conference about issues and conditions of our lives. There are statements about the rights of women, children, the disabled, etc. There are stands on issues such as abortion, collective bargaining and gambling – war, genetic engineering and climate change. We could spend a lot of time just reading the Social Principles.

This coming Saturday we study United Methodism. P.Jim

Pastor’s Pages

May the Fourth Be with Us

Our new Social Justice Committee is sponsoring a meeting to have conversation. We have determined that one of the most important responses to our new political reality is for us to make connections, discuss, share and support each other. We are particularly concerned about people who might feel threaten as a result of some positions taken by President Trump – immigration, for example. Therefore, we have invited people from certain communities that are in our area to have conversation. Bailey African Methodist Episcopal Church in Everett, Palabra Viviente Iglesia Metodista Unida in Everett,, and the Islamic Center in Bothell. Thursday May 4 (yes, it’s Star Wars Day “May the Fourth Be With You”) at 7:00 pm in the Centrum. We hope to first hear some of each other’s stories, make connections and develop relationships. We venture to offer support to each other and possibly talk about ways to take action together. And we do hope the Force will be with us.

Worship Schedule

April 30, 2017 Third Sunday of Easter Native American Ministries Sunday

Luke 24:13-35 “Walking With Jesus”

May 7, 2017 Fourth Sunday of Easter Socialism Sunday

Acts 2:42-47, 5:1-11

“Is Jesus a Socialist?”

May 14, 2017 Fifth Sunday of Easter Mother’s Day

John 14:1-14 “Mother God”

May 21, 2017 Sixth Sunday of Easter Heritage Sunday

Acts 17:22-31 “Athens vs. Jerusalem”

May 28, 2017 Seventh Sunday of Easter Memorial Day Weekend

Guest Preacher

CONVO

June 4, 2017 Day of Pentecost Confirmands join

June 11. 2017 Guest Preacher Paul Benz from Faith Action Network

Finance

Puget Sound District of the United Methodist Church

Bishop Elaine Stanovsky Crosses Thresholds at Edmonds United Methodist Church On Sunday, March 5, 2017, the Edmonds United Methodist Church Sanctuary was filled with the music of an organ prelude by Edmonds UMC organist Hyun-Ja Choi while nearly 200 people eager to listen to Bishop Elaine Stanovsky took their seats.

Reverend Dr. Sandy Brown, Lead Pastor at Edmonds UMC greeted everyone and the congregation lifted their voices with “Let Us Build a House” by Marty Haugen. After the opening prayer and scripture reading were complete, Lay Leader Nancy Davis introduced the new Bishop with kind words and laughter. Bishop Stanovsky spoke eloquently about the state of the Methodist Church today and how it can be present and relevant in the future. The Edmonds UMC Chancel Choir followed the Bishop's remarks with voices of angels. Bishop Stanovsky then attended to many keen questions from the congregation with succinct, heartfelt responses. Reverend Daniel Foster, Puget Sound District Superintendent and Reverend Rich Lang, Seattle District Superintendent led the pastors, lay leaders, and congregants in a covenant litany to welcome Bishop Stanovsky into our community. The threshold event ended with a benediction from Reverend Foster and an organ postlude...

Annual Conference 2017

Registration for Annual Conference is now open. For more information visit: http://greaternw.org/ac2017/home/basic-information/

Registration of Summer Camps Is Now Open

For more information visit: http://pnwcamps.org/ Don't have a camper in mind? You can still help a child go to camp with a scholarship donation! For information on donating visit: http://pnwcamps.org/donate/

Cedar Cross United Methodist Church 1210 132nd Street SE, Mill Creek, Washington 98012

Phone: 425-338-7845 • E-mail: cedarcrossumc@frontier.com

Office Hours: Monday—Wednesday 10:00am - 3:00pm PASTOR: REVEREND JAMES CLARKE • pastorjimc@frontier.com

To unsubscribe to emails from Cedar Cross United Methodist Church, please email cedarcrossumc@frontier.com and ask that your name be removed from the email list.

Other Meetings and Events

We the people of Cedar Cross United Methodist Church regard the love of God to be the foundation of our life and ministry.

We believe in the ever present love of God as witnessed through Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We believe that each person is loved by God and is of sacred worth. Therefore, by God’s grace:

We welcome all persons to our Church without regard to race, ethnic or cultural background, social status, gender, sexual orientation, age, theological perspective, political affiliation,

or other means people use to categorize and discriminate against others.

We express God’s hospitality by creating a safe, healing and transforming place for all to enter.

We celebrate the gifts of all who come seeking God, Christian community and justice in our world, and we welcome all into the life and ministry of our church.

We declare that we grow in grace and in the knowledge of God when we embrace diversity.

We uphold the motto of our denomination: OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS.

The Cedar Cross Statement of Inclusion

Scan this QR Code on your smart phone to make a contribution to Cedar

Cross.

Sunday 8:45am: Worship Service [C] 10:00am: Sunday School for all [VR] 11:00am: Worship Service [C] 6:00pm: Youth Group [C]

Monday 10:00am: Caring Committee [13] 7:00pm: BellCanto! Rehearsal [13]

Tuesday 7:00pm: Boy Scout Troop #221 [C] Wednesday 9:30am: Wednesday Class [13] 7:00pm: S Anon [12] 7:30pm: Chancel Choir Rehearsal [C]

Friday 5:30pm: Serenity - Alanon [13]

Saturday 8:00am: S Anon [13] 8:30am: Boy Scout Robotic Team [13]

Recurring Weekly Meetings and Events

Wednesday, April 26 Cedar Crossings

Saturday, April 29 9:00am: Confirmation Class [13]

Sunday, April 30 Third Sunday of Easter Native American Ministries Sunday

Monday, May 1 6:00pm:Voices of the Northwest Rehearsal [C]

Tuesday, May 2 11:30am: Friends In Transition [OS]

Wednesday, May 3 9:00am Mission Quilters [12] 5:30pm: Girl Scout Troop #44248 [13]

Thursday, May 4 7:00pm: Community Conversation [C]

Friday, May 5 5:30pm: Support Group for Parents of Adopted Special Needs Kids [C,N]

Saturday, May 6 9:00am Confirmation Class [13]

Sunday, May 7 Fourth Sunday of Easter Vacation Bible School Wish List Items Posted

Monday, May 8 5:00pm: Teen Feed [OS]

Tuesday, May 9 Cedar Crossings Articles Due by Two 9:00am: United Methodist Women Group [12] 7:00pm: Board of Trustees [13]

Wednesday, May 10 Cedar Crossings