This Week’s Prayers
Shauna Balderson requests payers for safe travel for Shay, Megan, and Shauna…Cathy Gaylord requests for her friend Sandra Driscol, who needs and is searching for kidney transplant…Clare Romberg requests prayers for her teenage sons…Janet Crawley requests prayers for 5 mo. old Eli Schulz who is receiving chemo for his brain tumor…Pat Causey requests prayers for schooling to become a Medical Assistant…Jane Hines requests prayers for help with depression and finding more work; and prayers for Phylis who is in a care facility.
Prayers are requested for Bill Stover, who was in the hospital and now in the health Center at Bayview.
Please hold the Ingram-Schindler family (former associate pastor at First Church, Elizabeth) in prayer this week as they are spending time at Seattle Children’s with their littlest one, Carter.
Continuing prayers are requested for
Carolyn Swarts
Jerry West
Caridad Era
Neil Lieurance
Millie Kugler
Jane Slade
Dale and Doris Hollister
Margaret Stover
June Whitson
Marge Dickey
First Church is Hiring!
Do you know of anyone who is strong and energetic, and willing to wash dishes for First Sunday Luncheon and other church meals? We are offering $10/hour, and need three or four capable individuals. Please contact the church office for details: 206-622-7278.
All-Church Retreat
Congratulations
Rev. Sandy received the Citizen Activist of the Year Award from Washington Ceasefire on May 8.
Mid-Year First Church Finance Update
On Sunday, May 5th, Jim McClaine (chair of the First Church Finance Committee) and Greg Wallace (co-chair of the 2012 Seeds to Branches Capital Campaign) provided an update on First Church finances to a great turn-out at the First Sunday Luncheon. The presentation was the result of a desire by the Finance Committee to educate the congregation on the church’s financial situation following the intensive fund-raising efforts in 2012, first with the Seeds to Branches Capital Campaign in the spring and then the annual Stewardship Campaign in the fall. Highlights of their talk were:
- For the first time in well over a decade, First Church expects sufficient revenues in 2013 to cover its annual expenses without having to use any funds from its savings. This balanced budget is the result of intensive efforts to reduce costs as well as the generosity of the congregation in their giving to the church. This is a remarkable accomplishment – one deserving of celebration!
- Total giving to the church has remained stable even during the years of the Great Recession.
- The average pledge in 2013 is $3047. Since 2006, the average pledge has grown 30% – a remarkable story of commitment by the First Church congregation! Thank you!
- Budgeted Revenues for 2013 are $797,492 as shown in the chart below.
- Budgeted Expenses for 2013 are $752,920 as shown in the chart below.
- Of the $35.7 million that it cost to build our new church home (purchase of land and construction), $1.8 million came from a loan from the United Methodist Development Fund (UMDF). The terms of this loan are 6.49% interest for 20 years. The annual principal and interest payments at the beginning of the loan were $156,000.
- The Seeds to Branches Capital Campaign was held in 2012 to raise funds to pay down the mortgage. The campaign was tremendously successful, raising a total of $603,000. After deducting campaign expenses and the 10% contribution to Salud y Paz, the Christian mission project in Guatemala that First Church leadership chose as a companion project, the net campaign funds available to pay down the mortgage will be $515,000 of which $322,000 has already been received.
- Using funds from the capital campaign and First Church savings, the mortgage has already been reduced to $1.038,000, a reduction of 42% – Hurrah!!!
- Assuming that all remaining pledges to the capital campaign are received and the the First Church operating budget remains balanced for the next 3 years (meaning sufficient revenues are received each year to cover operating expenses without having to draw funds from savings), First Church will have sufficient funds to pay the annual mortgage expenses through the end of 2015.
- At the end of 2015, the mortgage balance will be $668,000 with annual principal and interest expenses of $55,000. In addition, the Finance Committee is exploring ways to refinance our loan with the UMDF in order to reduce our mortgage expenses.
- Starting in 2016, the mortgage payments will need to come from the annual operating budget (meaning that we will need to either increase our revenues from pledges and garage revenue) or to have another capital campaign.
- We also forecast that there will be $100,000 remaining in church savings which is necessary to meet our cash flow needs as our income is normally greater toward towards the end of the year.
The generosity of the First Church congregation, both in their annual giving as well as their pledges to the Seeds to Branches Capital Campaign, have made all these remarkable accomplishments possible. Thank you all for your gifts of time and treasure to First Church!
Softball Team
Aspects of Love Concert
Join us May 31 at 8 pm for “Aspects of Love,” the second recital of our Concert Series, featuring Elisabeth Ellis, pianist, and Nique Haggerty, soprano. They will present an evening of opera arias and musical theatre depicting the many emotions and phases of life and love. Free will donation of $10 suggested.
Ministry Opportunity
The First Church Counting Team is looking for new volunteers!
The church Counting Team meets to count church offerings. To join the Counting Team, you must have been a member and regular participant at First Church for at least two years and be willing to take a background check. The Counting Team currently meets on Monday mornings, but is open to changing the time of day to coordinate with the schedules of new counters. Please call the church office if you are interested in helping with this church ministry: 206-622-7278.
One Family Dinner
To First Church Families
Pentecost Sunday
First Church welcomes guest preacher Mari Kim next Sunday, May 19.
Cookies ‘n’ Crafts Party!
Cookies ‘n’ Crafts
You’re Invited to Join Pride & Faith and the Piecemakers for a Craft and Cookie Dough Party…Fun for the Whole Family!
Please join the Pride & Faith group and the Piecemakers craft group for a craft and cookie party on Sunday, May 19, after the 10:30 service in the church Fellowship Hall. Plan to bake some cookies in the kitchen with Jonathyn and work on craft projects like yarn pom poms, garland, and tissue paper flowers. Your colorful crafts will decorate our food tent on Pride Sunday.
Supplies & Ingredients you can bring: Sprinkles (bright colors), eggs, butter, milk, yarn (bright colors), tissue paper (bright colors), scissors, scrap fabric (bright colors), and pipe cleaner.
Drop your craft supplies and food items off at the church office ahead of time or bring them the day of the party!
Email Elizabeth Blanton (elizabethb@firstchurchseattle.org) or Jonathyn Kraig (jonathyn.kraig@gmail.com) with any questions!
Thank You
From Charlie Pitchfork
Thanks everyone for the food, cards, phone calls, and the beautiful prayer shawl sent to me during the time when my broken ankle was healing (it’s not quite healed yet).
May First Sunday Lunch
Are you a First Church Giver? If so, we want to say thank you this Sunday, May 5! Thank you to everyone who generously supports our ministry at First Church! Plan to join us for a special thank you luncheon and mid-year update from the Finance Committee after the 10:30 service this Sunday in the Fellowship Hall. It will be an opportunity to applaud our givers and hear about First Church finances: where we have been, where we are now and where we need to go. Our givers deserve a rousing standing ovation!
Kitchen Volunteer Training
Duuna will be offering a kitchen volunteer training on May 5 starting at 10 am. Join her for to learn more about what happens behind the scenes in the kitchen at First Church events, and how you can be a part!
This Week’s Prayers
Kim Tietzel requests prayers for successful job interview…Nancy and Darrel Dudgeon request prayers of healing for Cheyenne and Christine…Andrew Thomas and Dave Eastback offer prayers for Jackie Putt as she begins her Haiti journey…Janet and Don Crawley request prayers of joy and thanksgiving for the birth of their granddaughter Quillen Marjorie Corde, who arrived on April 15…PM Johnson requests prayers of peace for all man/womankind…Betty Gabor requests prayers for her sister Lea in California who is in the hospital with pneumonia…Don Crawley requests prayers for Maurice…Carol Murter requests supportive prayers for her mother who needs to be in an assisted living home but refuses to go…Connie McCutcheon requests prayers of thanksgiving for her brother in Albuquerque, who is just “hanging in there”…Prayers are requested for the family and friends of Ed Anderson, who passed away last week…Sonja Davis requests prayers for her friend Kelly’s recovery from surgery…Janet and Don Crawley request prayers of comfort and support for 5-yr-old Eli and family as Eli undergoes chemo for a brain tumor…Prayers are requested for Jeff Wakely as he has had back surgeries, and for his wife Colleen as she supports Jeff in his pain and discomfort…Ray Rickey requests prayers for his building manager, Kathryn McQuade, who endured surgery for leg fracture…Diane White Shaw requests prayers of support for Mary Wiener, who suffered a stroke on April 18, and has returned home. Continuing prayers are requested for Carolyn Swarts, Jane Slade, Dale and Doris Hollister, Caridad Era, Bill and Margaret Stover, Millie Kugler, June Whitson, Marge Dickey
Voices from the Past
First Church celebrates 160 years of service to the Seattle community this year. In celebration, Rev. Sandy will preach sermons preached and written by pastors from our 160 years. Join us this Sunday, May 5, for the first “Voices from the Past” sermon: “The Realization of a Mission, or Is Life Worth Living?” by Rev. Adna Wright Leonard, 1911.
Methodist Bishop Adna Wright Leonard was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 2, 1874. He studied at New York University, Drew Theological Seminary, the American School of Archaeology at Rome, and Ohio Northern University. Leonard was the pastor at First Church from 1910-1916. (Our Fifth & Marion building was dedicated in 1910.) In 1916, Leonard was elected as a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was one of the youngest bishops in the United States. He served as bishop in San Francisco and Buffalo, NY before moving to Pittsburgh in 1932, where he was the head of 375,000 Methodists in the Pittsburgh District. In 1940, Leonard was transferred to Washington, DC to become the second senior bishop of the northeastern jurisdiction of the Methodist Church.
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In 1943, Bishop Leonard was selected by President Roosevelt to join in a global tour of American service posts as the representative of 31 Protestant denominations, and was killed in a plane crash over Iceland while on this tour.
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Leonard was married to Mary Luella Day. Together they had a son, A. W. Leonard, Jr., a daughter, Phyllis Day Leonard Budd, and four grandchildren.
Adna and Mary Leonard
In the Service of Others – Who’s Serving Who?
“You dropped something.” I looked down, and not seeing anything, looked back at the person who made the comment. “You dropped your smile.” I immediately replied to his comment with the lost smile, the moment passed, and I moved on with what I was doing. –Read the rest of First Church member Lyda Hawes’ Shared Breakfast volunteer experience here.
Want to volunteer at Shared Breakfast? Get the details here?
For more information about Kirkland Choral Society, please visit our website.
What to Do if you Want a Stephen Minister
In recent Chimes articles we have described the training for our ten Stephen Ministers, and how they can help. Now, we’d like to give you a step by step description of the process itself.
CONFIDENTIALITY: One of the most important aspects of Stephen Ministry is strict adherence to confidentiality. Only two or three people will ever know that you have a Stephen Minister: the pastor, if he is the first person contacted; the Stephen Leader who will assign the Stephen Minister to you; and of course, your Stephen Minister. You, the Care Receiver, are not held to the confidentiality rule, and you may tell a family member or a friend that you have a Stephen Minister. But we ask that you not identify him or her. This deters concerned friends or family from asking your Stephen Minister questions he or she simply will not answer; indeed, your Stephen Minister will not acknowledge that the caring relationship exists.
HOW TO BEGIN: OK, now that you understand that we operate in confidence, let’s get started. You may talk with Pastor Sandy, or one of our two Stephen Leaders: Ed Hanson and Ann Scharf. If you speak with Pastor Sandy, he will refer you to Ed or Ann, who will in turn contact you immediately. One of us will meet with you, discuss your situation, and determine if a Stephen Minister relationship is appropriate. We will explain the program in more detail, and if we all agree, have you sign a letter agreeing to care.
NEXT: A Stephen Minister will be assigned. All assignments are based on gender: a woman will always be a Stephen Minister for another woman, a man for another man. Beyond that, we will do our best to match you with the person we feel the most suitable. Your Stephen Minister will contact you within a few days.
THE CARING RELATIONSHIP: Generally speaking, your Stephen Minister will establish a meeting schedule of an hour a week. This can vary based on the situation, but it’s important that you can both depend on a regular schedule. Your meetings-in person or by phone-will last as long as you need, but should conclude when you are able to successfully navigate past the crisis that brought you to Stephen Ministry.
WHAT IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A STEPHEN MINISTER? So it’s not you, but someone else that is in crisis-what do you do? The very first thing is to talk to that person, and ask them if he or she might be interested in finding out more. If the answer is yes, you may either give them a name and phone number to contact us, or you with his or her persmission may do so yourself. The guiding principle here is confidentiality!
THE SMALL PRINT: Stephen Ministers are NOT equipped to help those with addictions or with serious mental health problems. We will be happy to provide referrals to professionals who are trained to help.
We pray that none of you will ever need a Stephen Minister; but if you should, we would be honored to be of help.
CONTACTS: Call or email one of us:
Pastor Sandy Brown: 206-622-7278; sandy@firstchurchseattle.org
Ed Hanson: 206-935-0548; edanddottiehanson@juno.com
Ann Scharf: 206-624-2694; ascharf44@comcast.net
