The Spire - Magnolia Presbyterian Church · 2019-12-01 · 2 September 2015 The Spire — Magnolia Presbyterian Church (cont’d from p.1) Our size can even work in our favor as we

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The

Spire

September 2015 Volume 8, Issue 6

A monthly newsletter published by Magnolia Presbyterian Church: A welcoming community of caring Christians in service to God… A well of faith and renewal.

In this ISSUE

Pastor’s Column: Small and Mighty!

It’s often been said that good things can come in small packages.

Certainly this is true of churches. I have heard from any number of you recently how much you enjoy being part of a smaller church where we have an opportunity to get to know one another well; where the passing of the peace takes forever because it is a reunion of good friends; where a church beach day feels like a family picnic. Our size can really be an asset as we build connections with one another.

The size of our congregation is also an asset as we nurture our MPC children and youth. Larger congregations with bigger budgets and programs often separate their members into age groups. Here, on the other hand, preschoolers and teenagers and seniors, and all of us in between, have ample opportunities to worship and to serve side by side. “Sticky Faith” research shows that kids who connect with adults in the church and who regularly participate in our worship life are far more likely to retain their faith into their college years and beyond than those who have always been in their own separate church programs.

(cont’d on page 2) Children’s Ministry 2

MPC Information & Outreach 3

Remembrances 4

New Members 5

Summer Events Photo Pages 6-7

Outdoor Worship & Church Picnic

September 20th in Magnolia Park 10:30 a.m.

(Rain Plan: Indoor picnic in Fellowship Hall)

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September 2015 The Spire — Magnolia Presbyterian Church

(cont’d from p.1)

Our size can even work in our favor as we turn outward and focus on our mission as a church, serving as Christ’s hands and feet in our community. One of the goals of our Board of Deacons this year is to facilitate a variety of regular volunteer opportunities – in addition to our monthly late night dinners for Operation NightWatch - so that everyone in the congregation has a chance to reach out to those in need. Whether by lending a hand with the food drive down at the Interbay QFC in September, or volunteering individually or as part of a small group at Ballard Food Bank, or another service opportunity entirely that is just right for you, we hope you will accept the challenge to find your particular place to minister – and then tell us about it! We are ideally positioned, in a congregation this size, to encourage one other to serve Christ with passion and with joy.

Blessed to be your partner in ministry, as we look forward to another exciting year together!

Grace and peace, Pastor Deb Sunoo

MPC Kids Classes Start September 13th BLAST classes will kick off the fall season with a Blessing of Backpacks during the Children's Message on Sunday, September 13th. Kids of all ages are encouraged to bring their backpacks! New this fall, all BLAST classes will be meeting downstairs. This includes a new downstairs classroom (old preschool classroom) for BLAST Jr kids. Children’s Director Lori Sawyer notes, “We feel that having all of our classes on the same floor will make for a much easier transition from worship time to class time. We’re looking forward to a great fall with all of our MPC kids!”

Youth Classes Begin

Youth Director Justin Beatty is excited to report that our Connect Middle School Group (grades 5-8) will meet for the first time on Sunday, September 27th, during the latter part of our worship hour.

On Sunday, October 4th, all Middle School and High School students are invited to remain in worship for our World Communion Sunday service.

And on Sunday, October 11th, our brand new High School class will meet for the first time, also during our worship hour.

Because Justin is teaching both the middle school and high school classes, they will normally meet on alternate Sundays throughout the school year, with students remaining in worship and often helping to lead our services on the weeks they do not have class with Justin.

The Old Testament book of Judges will be the focus for both youth classes this fall. Parents and students, watch for more details coming soon to an email inbox near you!

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Upcoming Fall Events... September 20th Outdoor Worship & Picnic

Please join us at 10:30 am on September 20th for Outdoor Worship at Magnolia Park. Following the service, we will enjoy our All Church Picnic. Jerry Leighton will grill burgers and hot dogs, and we will share a potluck picnic of favorite food. We hope you can join us!

Afternoon Women’s Bible Study

We will resume our monthly gatherings on Thursday, September 10th at 1:30 pm with a Bible study entitled “Come to the Waters,” which will invite us to explore a whole range of texts related to the theme of water. All are welcome! Please see Pastor Deb if you would like to pick up your copy of the study guide before our first meeting.

Adult Class to Study William Wilberforce

Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas will be the text for the Adult Sunday Class starting on September 13th. Why was William Wilberforce so important to Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. who discovered his legacy long after his death in 1833? Steve Bass will lead the four week series of discussions of Wilberforce and his influence on American history. The book is available from Amazon or local book stores. Come and join in this class to explore the life of Wilberforce at 9:30 am Sunday morning in the Mount Baker Room. As always, coffee will be served.

Will You Help the Hungry?

Mayor’s Day of Concern for the Hungry is Saturday, September 19th. Will you help? MPC will be at the Interbay QFC from 9-4 to collect food donations from shoppers. Volunteers are needed for 2 hour shifts. Let Greg Kelly or Alina Sunoo know when you can volunteer.

Tuesday the 29th -- New Night for Women’s Evening Bible Study

Save Tuesday, September 29th for the first fall meeting of the Women’s Evening Bible Study group. Join us for a new powerful study of the OT book of Job and to learn how connected our lives are to his story. In the study Job: Faith Remains When Understanding Fails, we can learn how to sustain our faith in Our Father when our understanding of our suffering fails. We’ll meet at 7 pm at Ruth Trail’s condo -- 3601 24th Place West. Study guides will be available from Barb Bily-Parr.

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Eleanor Keller Davison July 23, 1918 - July 14, 2015 Eleanor Keller Davison lived her life with grace and joy, bringing family and friends together. Her hallmark was her ability to emerge from difficult circumstances to live positively and contribute to the families of her husbands and friends. Eleanor died in peace and with faith in God on July 14, 2015. Ellie was a Seattle area native, born in Renton, WA on July 23, 1918 to Martin and Bertha Welsh. She graduated from Renton High School and attended the University of Washington. Prior to World War II she married Harry Palmer and moved to Baltimore and then to San Francisco where she gave birth to their son William W. Palmer who predeceased her. She returned to her family in the Northwest after her divorce. During the years of World War II she worked so commendably for the US Naval Bureau of Yards and Docks that she was given the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award. In 1947 she married Neal D. Keller and embraced his two sons and their families and became a true grandmother to the 7 Keller grandchildren. Ellie and Neal enjoyed their family time and shared their love of golf with friends at Rainier Golf Club. After Neal’s retirement in St. Paul, MN, they returned to Seattle and joined the Nile Country Club where they enjoyed golf and socializing with friends. At that time she began a 20 year career in human resources at Frederick & Nelsons’ Department Store. She reflected with pride and pleasure on the hundreds of young men and women she hired for the Christmas holidays. Neal Keller died in 1985. Ellie joined the Magnolia Presbyterian Church in 1986. During her years as a member, Ellie served as a Deacon and was married to Max Davison by the Rev. Dr. Ken Mitchell in 1990.

Ellie continued to be active at the Nile Country Club including serving as the Women’s Golf Captain. It was at Nile that she met Max Davison. They lived happily and traveled extensively until his death in 1995. She was always grateful to Max for his kind and generous ways. Later she shared marvelous companionship with special men in her life, Robert Due who died in 2002 and Jess Dawson who died in 2012. She cherished the families of both these men whom she held in great affection. The families express heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Richard Fogerty who provided over 35 years of care to Ellie with patience, humor, and skill. A memorial service for Eleanor Davison was held at 1 pm on Saturday, July 25th.

Remembering Eleanor Keller Davison

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Announcements September 2015 The Spire — Magnolia Presbyterian Church

Meet New Member Laurie Trettel

We are pleased to welcome Laurie Trettel to membership at MPC. She joined the church on August 9th by letter of transfer from the Presbyterian Church of the Way in Shoreview, Minnesota. Laurie has come to Seattle to be close to her daughters Emily and Alyssa.

John Obourn’s Upcoming Retirement

Our extremely talented and much beloved Music Director, John Obourn, has announced that he will be retiring at the end of one more choir year, i.e. June of 2016. When he steps down from this role, John will have been Music Director of MPC for 35 years - what an incredible legacy! And what a gift he has been to our music program and to our whole congregation.

We are tremendously grateful for the advance notice John has given us, prior to his actual retirement date. This will allow the Personnel Committee to gather congregational input this fall on what you would like to see in our music ministry moving forward. We will post the Music Director position early in 2016, hoping to bring a new director on board by next summer to prepare for the new choir season next September.

Meanwhile, John has expressed his desire to remain connected with this congregation he loves, and with whom he has worshipped for all of these years. In order to allow him to do so, but also allow the new Music Director time to step into the role and make it his or her own, John has agreed to take six months off from being with us at MPC on Sunday mornings, after which the Personnel Committee has made it clear he is welcome to return to worship, to the choir, and to church membership, if he wishes.

If you have any questions about this arrangement or about our plans for the search process for John's successor, feel free to direct them to Pastor Deb or to the Personnel Committee: Riki Clark, Linda Keylon, Don Bailey, or Jeff Tyler.

Thanks to Scott Mills for Service in the Nursery

A special thank you was given to Scott Mills on August 2nd as he completed his service to children in the nursery. Scott has cared for little ones during worship since August 2012. Scott is leaving for Mesa Arizona to study for his doctorate in Physical Therapy at AT Stills. His Mesa address is 5332 E. Baseline Rd., Apt 3087, Mesa, AZ 85206.

New Address for Coleman Family

Sean and Katie and Madeleine Coleman have settled into their new home on the east coast. Their address is: 315 7th St, Apt 401, Union City, NJ 07087. The phone numbers remain the same.

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Pictured: Wayne and Claire Johnson stand next to the

2015 Summer Events

July 25th Blessing of the Animals

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July 18th Beach Party Thank you, Bill & Sally Cummings!

Mariners Game

August 7th

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Wedding Congratulations!

Congratulations to Jeff and Jennifer Parsons on their July 21st Wedding in Hawaii. They are pictured here with their children Mia Davis and Kiera and Bob Parsons.

Nancy McPhaden Celebrates 100th Birthday

Monday, August 3rd Nancy McPhaden celebrated her 100th birthday. Pastor Deb took presents and a card with best wishes from the congregation. Nancy and her husband Dean joined MPC in 1953 and were active in church life including the Mariners group for many years. To send Nancy birthday wishes her address is Poplar Place #104, 19327 Kings Garden Drive North, Shoreline, WA 98133.

Welcome, Baby Julia!

Jane, Jarrad, and Jericho Matthews welcomed Julia Charlotte to their family on August 23, 2013. Julia arrived at 4:42 am: 19 inches, 6 lbs 2.8 oz of cuteness! We are delighted to welcome her to our church family, too!

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New Church Office Hours

The Office Administrator hours for September to December 2015 will change to:

Mondays: Closed Tuesdays: Closed Wednesdays: 8:00 am — 11:00 am Thursdays: 8:00 am — 11:00 am Fridays: 8:00 am — 5:00 pm

The office is always closed Saturday & Sunday. (Pastor Deb's hours will remain the same.)

September MPC Birthdays

September 1 Mary Anne Strong September 2 Earl Collins September 7 Barbara Bily-Parr September 8 Albert Kelly September 12 Liz Barany September 14 Chris Hasandras September 16 Marc Greenough Catherine McCollister September 18 Betty Costello Alina Sunoo

September 19 Pete Smith September 21 Nancy Wright September 22 Molly Langdale September 25 Chuck Wright September 26 Felix Barany


August Session Meeting Highlights

In addition to other news reported in this issue, the following items were discussed at last month's Session meeting:

- Laurie Trettel was welcomed by the Session; we are delighted to receive her into church membership. - Jim McDonald, recently retired Director of Finance at University Presbyterian Church, has been hired as our new accountant. - A team has been identified to conduct a complete audit of church accounts and financial procedures. - The Session has approved new general investment policies with copies available upon request. We will be working to fine tune our investment procedures. - A new American flag will be purchased for display in the narthex on Veterans' Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day. - A company has been hired to review the total scope of work needed to upgrade the plumbing system and restrooms in the church facility. - As part of our disaster preparedness efforts, flashlights and first aid kits have been purchased for each floor of the church.

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The Spire Is a monthly publication issued by Magnolia Presbyterian Church

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Deborah Hannay Sunoo News Editor: Nancy Wright

Copy Editor: Sharlene Bathum Layout/Design Editor: Jacquelynn Kuhn

3051 28th Avenue West Seattle, WA 98199 206-283-3322 [email protected] www.magpres.org Find us on Facebook!

Magnolia Presbyterian Church

We welcome you to join us any Sunday! 9:15 am Choir Practice 10:30 am Worship Service 11:30 am Coffee Hour

MPC Session Meeting: Tuesday, September 8th 7:00pm in the Mt. Rainier Room. Operation NightWatch: Wednesday, September 9th at 7:30pm. Women’s Afternoon Bible Study: Thursday, September 10th at 1:30pm. Deacons Meeting: Sunday, September 13th at 12:00pm. Outdoor Worship & All Church Picnic Sunday, September 20th at 10:30am at Magnolia Park. Women’s Evening Bible Study: Monday, September 29th at 7pm at the home of Ruth Trail.

Men’s Coffee Group: Tuesdays at 9:30 am in the Mt. Rainier Room. AA Meetings: Two AA groups are now meeting at MPC—Tuesdays at 8:00pm and Wednesdays at 6:45pm in the Mt. Rainier Room. All are welcome to attend. Prayers, cards, and calls to those who cannot be with us regularly in worship are always appreciated:

Marie Barnes Sue Ehart Charlotte Ferguson Dorothy Fergusson Evelyn Freeman Katherine Hoagland Molly Langdale Nancy McPhaden Ruth Weitkamp


Documents

The Spire - Magnolia Presbyterian Church · 2019-12-01 · 2 September 2015 The Spire — Magnolia Presbyterian Church (cont’d from p.1) Our size can even work in our favor as we