My very first mission trip was to Waitsburg, to sleep at the Presbyterian Church and build the floor and 2x4 walls of a Habitat for Humanity house over the course of a week. I was 13 years old. I don’t think they allow students that young to work on houses anymore, but in those days, we could put it together. In the years since, I have on occasion driven past that house and remembered how, when we arrived, it was just a concrete slab and by the time we left there were 4 outside walls and interior forms in place. What a powerful transformation and example of how God can use us to do his work, whether far or near to home. I have worked on Habitat houses in California, Washington, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. One of the things I really appreciate about this ministry is the desire to partner with families in providing safe, affordable housing. The partner families put in “sweat-equity” hours to help with the cost of building, to learn about their home, to have a sense of pride in helping to build their home, and to experience the fact that every home is a community effort.
This weekend KFPC is hosting a group of cyclists taking a cross-country bike adventure to raise awareness and money for the Fuller Center for Housing, the second organization (after Habitat for Humanity) founded by Millard Fuller. The trip began June 1 and they will reach Portland, Maine, August 11. They will have 5 build days throughout the trip and 10 segments to their journey.
Here is an excerpt from their letter to us:
Thank you for generously offering your hospitality to the participants of the 11
th annual Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure! Our purpose-driven journey in support of the Fuller Center for Housing allows us to live out our Christian faith in service to God and those in need of a simple, decent place to live. We’re biking 3,700 miles from Astoria, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, with the goal of raising $400,000 to help fund the Fuller Center’s mission to end poverty housing worldwide. Generous hosts like you play an invaluable role in our journey!
Why we ride:
Imagine if this was your life: living in Alabama in a run-down rented slum; living in Nicaragua on a dirt floor with plastic sheeting for walls; or living in Ohio and suddenly finding yourself in need of a wheelchair ramp. These are but a few examples of the global reality for a billion people that we seek to address. Through the money we raise, and by working on Fuller Center build projects along the way, we are helping to provide safe, affordable housing. In volunteering alongside homeowners as we go, riders get to witness partnership housing first-hand and directly impact the lives of people in need.
For more information, visit: FullerCenterBikeAdventure.org
What a powerful way to make an impact for good in your neighborhood! As we begin our Heart of Neighboring series, I am encouraged and challenged to see the needs around us and work to meet those needs in the name of Jesus Christ. I can’t ride a bicycle across the country, but I can provide a space for these young people on their journey, and I can provide a meal to fuel them as they go. Please join me this Sunday as we welcome the Bike Adventurers and take a moment to ask them why they ride? In worship this week we will commission our Orcas Island Team and Rev. Ashley Birk and Elder Sam Dechter who will represent us in St. Louis later this month at the PC(USA) General Assembly meeting.
Northwest Coast Presbytery Meeting June 7 from 3pm-8pm. We will host a Presbytery Viewing Event at KFPC this Thursday as an extension of the Presbytery in Central Washington. If you are interested, please join us for this important day in the life of the larger church. Please RSVP to the church office 509-582-9537 so we will have enough food provided for the dinner hour.
Children’s Ministry Director -
For the past 5 years, Heidi Fisk has served faithfully as our Children’s Ministry Director. Heidi is an incredibly creative and talented person who brings her heart for Jesus to our kids in powerful ways. It has been a blessing to serve alongside her, but her time in leadership at KFPC is coming to an end this August. We want to thank Heidi for all she has done! Heidi, Dan, and the entire Fisk family (Jacob, Jack and Amelia) will still be a vibrant part of our church. Please join us in thanking Heidi and supporting her by volunteering to help with VBS.
We have an updated job description for the Children’s Ministry Director and are actively searching for Heidi’s replacement. If you know of someone who might be qualified and interested in this position, please contact the church office or our Personnel Chairman, Mark Benecke, and have them apply. Please also pray with us that God brings the right person to lead this crucial ministry area in our church.
Lord, God, almighty, you welcomed the little children and would not send them away. We know that kids are precious to you and that their faith is an example to the rest of us. Thank you for the ministry leadership that Heidi Fisk has provided at KFPC. Bless her and her family in the next season of their lives. Help her to hear your voice saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” And please, Lord, guide us to the next person whom you are calling and preparing to lead our Children’s Ministry into the future. Amen.