Volume LXIII Number 6 June 2019

a publication of westminster congregational united church of christ

2019

JUNE 1 at 1:00 pm

The first Apple Blossom Tea was held by Mrs. Cowley (wife of the first pastor of Westminster). Itwas her custom to invite the women of the church to meet with her when the apple blossoms were inbloom. In conjunction with Westminster’s 140th celebration, the women of the Joanna Chapter willcarry on that tradition. So dress up in your finest, or come as you are, for afternoon of fun in high style.

We will have ten table hostesses who will provide teapots and china with table settings for four.There will be finger sandwiches and sweets to complete our menu. There will be a raffle for a GiftBasket ($1 per ticket). Suggested ticket price for the Tea is $10. Friends and family are welcome!

If you want to join in on the fun, please call Margaret Ennis at 509-202-0317 or Linda Stephens at509-893-1550.

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monthly newsletter is aWestminster Congregational

United Church of Christ publication.It is usually published around the

28th each month (schedule permitting).

To include something in next month’s edition,email your article to:

or drop it by the church office.

The newsletter deadline is the20th of each month.

Church Staff:

The Rev. Andrea CastroLang

All of God’s People

Verne Windham

Janet Hubbard

Nicolette (Nikki) Rode

Andréa Reese Hekimian

John Larson

WELL, THAT WAS A SUCCESS!

Did you enjoy the 140th celebration on Sunday,May 26? I actually found myself tearing up atthe sound of over 250 voices raised together insinging. I was profoundly moved by the wordsof the Spokane Tribal chairwoman, CarolEvans. Did it get you to wondering how wecould work together to build a relationshipanew with members of the Spokane Tribe ofIndians? I got to wondering.

Maybe you were thrilled with Janet’s newcomposition and the choir and instrumentalistswho brought it to glorious life? Maybe youwere thrilled with seeing Steve, our injuredModerator, standing up there to offer the

blessing with Roger and Cathy, our current co-moderators? I teared up then aswell!

How ever you were moved…how ever you responded to the afternoonevents…there is no doubt that it was a vibrant celebration in worship, and agrand party down in the Social Hall.

So, where do we go from here?Certainly, we continue to serve the church and the city. We continue to remainopen to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit calling us out beyond our doors, andinto new ways of living the Good News of Jesus Christ, and being a church in

the 21st century. We continue to remain open to the possibilities of change,evolution, creative transformation!

I know that we are not done. The party is over, but we shall continue towelcome and continue to work with others throughout the city for goodness toprosper, and for the wounds of this world to be healed.

Perhaps we will find ways to work with the Spokane Tribe in healing.Perhaps we will meet new folks who seek us out with hopes and dreams thatthey will share.

I just know, that we are not done.

Rest up. Enjoy the warmth and leisure, the camping, the kayaking, the grillingand the growing of gardens that are the pleasures of summer.

Just remember, we are not done. We are a vibrant and joyful and hopefulcommunity in the heart of Spokane, and as I said on May 26…we need oneanother. And we are not done.

Thank you all, for you are a wonderful, generous, helpful and creative people.Let us continue to bless one another with love and faith and hope and joy.And let us not fear to share with the city and the world.

In grateful service to the God who is Love, together with you,Pastor Andy ~

Involvement Survey Results

Thanks to everyone who filled in a green form in the last few weeksabout your sense of involvement/connectedness with our church.

We have collected input from 73 people! Seventy-five percent ofrespondents rated their involvement/connectedness at 7 or above, on ascale of one to 10. At the same time, almost 47% would like to be moreinvolved or connected! An interest was shown in bible study and smallgroups, but many who want to be more involved are not sure in whatway.

We will be working in the next few months to get everyone involved in away that works for them.

We may be calling you for more information!

Your Sustainability Team ~

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Spokane's Pride week is coming soon! As in the past,Westminster will partner with OutSpokane and participatein the Interfaith service, and also in the Pride March andFestival. We are looking for great participation from ourFriends and Family Members at Westminster. Below youwill find the dates to save. In the meantime, we arelooking for volunteers to march with us and to man theWestminster booth at the festival that weekend.

Also in the next few weeks, we will be working on creatingsome Pride Rocks to distribute at the festival. CathyGunderson has been collecting and painting the rocks andwe will enhance these rocks with positive words gearedtoward this year's theme: "To Thrive not just Survive".Look for the rocks during Sunday School and after church atcoffee hours.

The Thrive theme is very meaningful to the LGBTQcommunity who started the march for civil rights from theStonewall riots in NY City, 50 years ago. The theme is alsomeaningful for Westminster as we celebrate 140 years andlook to the future where our wonderful church will continuestrong and aim to Thrive!

Kelly Cox is looking for help to organize this year's Prideactivities and is seeking commitments for volunteers.Please contact him if you would like to volunteer . . .

Kelly Cox - kc10562@gmail.com | 917-887-6398

SAVE THE DATES:Pride Interfaith Service -Wednesday, June 5 at 6:30 pmthe McGinnity Room (116 W Pacific Ave)

Pride Parade and Festival -Saturday, June 8 at 12 pmSpokane Riverfront Park

Look for updates in Pastor Andy's Hot Sheet and onFacebook.

Kelly Cox ~

FAST FASHION

Have you heard about Fast Fashion? It is defined as: “

. Many of these items also fall into thecategory of “planned obsolescence”, meaning that not onlydo the garments go out of style quickly; many fall apart after4 washings. Each year, 150 billion new garments are made.That’s a lot of clothing. What does it have to do with ourchanging climate? A lot it turns out.

In 1990, consumers bought 40 new items of clothes a year;today they buy 66 items. One statistic states that mostclothes are worn on average only 7 times before they arediscarded. This means that 4 times more clothing ends up ina land fill than in 1980. Even H & M, which has a ConsciousCollection that recycles old clothes into new textile fibers,only recycles 0.1% of donated clothes into new fibers. In2012, 84% of unwanted clothes went into a landfill orincinerator. In addition, a lot of these clothes are made frompolyester fibers, which are essentially plastic. They take 200years to decompose. These are pretty astounding facts andstatistics! Clearly, this over consumption of fashion is havingan effect on our climate…a big effect.

What can we the consumers do? We can, of course, recyclealthough much of those clothes do not get resold or reused.We can shop the secondhand stores more. And, we can wearclothing at least 9 months. By wearing clothes for just 9months, we can reduce our carbon footprint by 30%. Justthink, just 9 months! Next time you go clothes shopping,please keep in mind what purchasing that item of clothingmeans for our environment. It’s a lot greater than you think.

Doris Holdaway ~

REMEMBER:

Various church committees and groupswill be breaking for summer. . .

Watch for restarts in September !

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June 17 "Wind in my Hair"by Masih Alinejad.Facilitated by Nosrat Wippleat the Park Bench in ManitoPark.

July 15 "The Cassandra" bySharma Shields.. Facilitatortba at the Park Bench

August 19 "The UndoingProject" by Michael Lewis.Facilitator tba, at the ParkBench.

WESTMINSTER CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

April2019

MonthlyBudget

MonthlyDifference

YTD2019

YTDBudget

YTDDifference

Total Income 18,478.77 14,450.00 4,028.77 78,053.94 57,800.00 20,253.94Less Total Expenses 20,982.18 20,697.67 284.51 94,016.90 85,740.68 8,276.22Net Income (Loss) (2,503.41) (6,247.67) 3,744.26 (15,962.96) (27,940.68) 11,977.72

2019 Pledge Information as of May 5, 2019:

2019Total

Pledges

2018Total

Pledges

2018PledgesReceived

2019PledgesReceived

2019Pledges

Outstanding

2019 AnnualPledgeBudget

YTD PledgeBudget

difference123,983.12 104,530.12 101,165.12 41,650.25 82,332.87 100,000.00 8,316.91

The Book and Salad Clubcontinues to meet the 3rdMonday of each month at noon,in the homes of participants.As always, all are welcome.You need not have read thebook to participate, however asalad is appreciated. Wantmore information? You can callMarilynne at 747-0659; or talkwith any member of the group.

Join the Spokane Riverkeeper, NumericaCredit Union, and River City Brewing for the

Spring River Cleanup at People's Park!

Where: Sandifur Bridge Parking Area (Peoples Park)When: Saturday, June 8th, 10:00 - 12:00 pmFollow up: 1:00 - 3:00 pm post-cleanup garage party at River CityBrewing for discount Riverkeeper IPA, raffles and fun!

We'll clean up the banks of the Spokane River and HangmanCreek, then head up to River City Brewing for some food, drinks,raffles, and mingling. At the brewery you can redeem your $1beer and T-shirt for participating. (T-shirts limited to the first 150

people) Around 2:00 pm, we will begin the raffle giveaways thatinclude all sorts of prizes, along with a top prize from ROWAdventures! Food from Skewers Food Truck will be availablethroughout the entire event (vegetarian options are available).

Special shout-outs to River City Brewing and to sponsorNumerica Credit Union for their support of this event!

See you all there!

Spokane Riverkeeper(A program of Center for Justice)35 W Main AvenueSuite 300, Spokane, WA 99201

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May Attendance

5-5 5-12 5-19 5-26

69 75 71 251

Oddjobs? Who ya gonna call?

A group of Gonzaga students have formed a group thatcan be contacted to perform: pet care, moving help,general labor, babysitting, application help, shoveling,raking, or cleaning, to name a few. You name the price.Find them at oddjobbers.org

6/1 Mimi Escandon

6/6 Nada Morse

6/12 Phyllis Wilkerson

6/13 Linda Stephens

6/14 Mark Stucker

6/21 John Koons III

6/22 Beth Thew

6/24 Pam Beckstead

6/27 Harriet Plucker

6/29 Gloria Hinshaw

6/30Alan Borgens

Joan Weekes

Ondrej DeZarn

David Plut

Summer ParkwaysJune 20 | 6 - 9 pm

Did ya know... We will have a booth at SummerParkways near 34th on Manito Blvd? We will have infoabout us as well as some uplifting message rocks togive away and the Musical pipe toy will be there for allto play with. It is VERY colorful, you can't miss it.

Sign-up to staff the booth and take a turn around thefour-mile loop with a few hundred other Spokanitesbiking, walking, roller skating, skateboarding, jogging,between Manito & Comstock parks on anything notmotorized. The streets are blocked off from traffic.

See you there 6 - 9 pm on Manito Blvd & 34th.

Cathy Gunderson ~

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I covenant with you, members and friends ofWestminster Congregational United Church ofChrist:

Westminster Congregational United Church ofChrist embraces a spirit of hospitality founded inthe gospels of Jesus Christ & a willingness to liveout that welcome in meaningful ways.

As an Open and Affirming Church, ourlongstanding culture of welcome extends to allpeople regardless of sexual orientation,race/ethnicity, gender, physical ability,socioeconomic status or faith background.

In this digital age, the church takes many pictures ofbaptisms, choir performances and concerts, worshipservices, mission trips, special presentations, SundaySchool, fellowship activities and community outreachprojects. We use these pictures to record, to promote, andto celebrate our church ministries. Pictures are used onbulletin boards, in slide shows and PowerPointpresentations, in publications, and on our church website.

However, some persons may choose not to have theirphotos, or photos of their children, used and we respecttheir wishes. Therefore, we are providing a Media Opt-Outform for individuals or families who prefer NOT to havephotographs of themselves used by the church. This formcan be obtained through the church office.

If you have no objection to church use of your photograph,you DO NOT need to sign or return one of these forms.

Liturgist: Karen Wilson-Bell

Deacons:Sara Weaver, Mary SeatonDoris Holdaway, Hazel Kotlan

Hospitality: Deacons

Liturgist: Kelly Cox

Deacons: Wes Johnson, Gary Allan

Hospitality: Book & Salad

Liturgist: Linda Stephens

Deacons: Mary Seaton, Hazel Kotlan

Hospitality: Joanna Chapter

Liturgist: N / A

Deacons: Doris Holdaway, Kyle Lehman

Hospitality: N / A

Liturgist: Mike Lambert

Deacons: Francie Light, Hazel Kotlan

Hospitality: N / A

1 Saturday 1:00 pm Apple Blossom Tea

2 Sunday 10:30 am Communion Sunday

3:00 pm AA group

5 Wednesday 5:15 pm Eleventh Step AA group

6 Thursday 6:30 pm AA Group

8 Saturday

9 Sunday 10:30 am STC UCC-wide offering

12:30 am Education & Spiritual Growth

3:00 pm AA group

12 Wednesday 4:30 pm Deacons

5:15 pm Eleventh Step AA group

13 Thursday 6:30 pm AA Group

16 Sunday Father’s Day

3:00 pm AA group

17 Monday 12:00 pm Book & Salad

18 Tuesday 2:00 pm Poetry

19 Wednesday 5:15 pm Eleventh Step AA group

6:30 pm Trustees

20 Thursday 6:00 pm Summer Parkways

6:30 pm AA group

23 Sunday 3:00 pm AA group

26 Wednesday 5:00 pm Council

5:15 pm Eleventh Step AA group

27 Thursday 5:00 pm Sustainability

6:30 pm AA Group

30 Sunday 3:00 pm AA group

UCC-wide offering JUNE 9