May 2023 Newsletter

Fremont United Methodist Church



We seek to share the joy of God's love so that all might live with dignity and purpose.

"Resurrection Life"

Greetings Fremont Family,

This Easter season has been so different for me. With the sting of my mother's death still lingering from Palm/Passion Sunday, I felt a little disconnected on Easter Sunday from the proclamation of "Christ is Risen Indeed!" Yet, I have come to understand in the weeks that have followed that the mystery of resurrection is not bound to a particular day. Some years, the message is simply harder to hear and receive than in other years. And, that is okay. Now, as the fog of grief slowly lifts, I find myself leaning in toward life again.

I was sharing a little of this reflection with Diane Rheos in the office at Fremont. She, too, shared that she is feeling a sense of resurrection but not quite fully. Following the prolonged death that was the global pandemic, there is the sense that we are all coming back to life, but not yet fully resurrected. What does that look like for us at Fremont?

The accounts of the risen Jesus appearing to the disciples are helpful to us here. We learn from the stories that the resurrected Jesus was both unrecognizable and yet familiar to the Jesus the disciples had once known and loved. How can these two things coexist? I think we are in a similar place at Fremont. Our resumed life has the qualities of being both familiar and strange. Consistent yet different from who we have always been.

So, how do we continue to lean into the mystery of resurrection in our midst? I find myself ready to keep moving, keep exploring, keep discovering the ways that we are not just coming back to life, but we are also being transformed and raised to new fullness and joy!

Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Erin

Community Impact Series

Tuesday April 11th

We held our first Community Impact Series presentation in partnership with the Alameda Neighborhood Association on April 11th. Over 30 people attended this opportunity to learn more. Cole Merkel, who is co-director of the HereTogegther Coalition led a very informative hour followed by questions and a social time.

A few of the points presented.

• Financial support to keep people from being evicted is the least costly way to reduce houselesness.
• Transitional housing such as the purchase of motels to get people off of the street is showing to be effective.
• A shortage of affordable housing adds to the problem. Approximately 40 thousand units will be needed to meet the needs statewide.
• Better data about how people become homeless and tracking who is being served is needed. The coalition is advocating that a new program called Built for Zero is fast tracked to be fully implemented.

To see the 2023 Roadmap click here. To find out more about HereTogether click here.

Photo of Coburg Commons

Giving Counts!

News about Fremont Finances and Stewardship

Where did you first learn about giving and sharing what you have? Who were your teachers and role models about being a good steward of your resources? For most of us, learning and practicing generosity is a lifelong task, where we don’t seek to be perfect, only to increase our understanding about the habits and mindset of generosity. 

In a wonderful interview with our Greater Northwest Bishop, Rev. Dr. Cedrick Bridgeforth, he described how he first started on a path of generosity by following the direction of his grandmother, who taught him to show her his offering before he left for church. His grandmother was a person who always gave freely to people who asked her for food or money, and so young Cedrick grew up thinking that she was wealthy. He later came to understand that she in fact was wealthy, in the ways that matter most. You can read Rev. Bridgeforth’s interview with Cecie Delve Scheuerman on our Conference website here.

The Fremont Finance team, along with the Trustees and others, are continuing to recover and account for the losses experienced with the burglary in February. We can all have deep gratitude to our staff and volunteers who quickly worked to replace needed items, restore banking capabilities, assess needed security upgrades and generally recover the sense of safety and security that are so important in any environment. The list of those who helped and gave is long, and we offer prayers of thanks for their generosity and determination.  

After the first quarter of 2023, Fremont is ‘on track’ with our income and expenses. Building use income is increasing, and also expenses associated with more use, so the team is exploring this. Pledged and regular giving are holding steady, and it will be important to keep our giving up to date during the summer months. If you have questions about the budget, please contact Robert Greaves at [email protected], or about your giving record, Carol Hancock at [email protected]. 

Burrito Ministry

On April 15th the new Burrito Ministry team gathered for the first event. Here is a report from organizer, Trudy Pollard.

We gathered early am to assemble our burritos and then we hit the road with bottled water and 50 burritos. We were well received by our houseless brothers and sisters and many said God Bless You. I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me water. It was such a humbling experience for all of us.

Thanks to all who donated items, their time and their willingness to share in this meaningful ministry. We will do it again for sure." Special Thanks to Louise Darling for finding this great location which had a great need for food.

If you would like to join the next Burrito Ministry event please email Trudy at [email protected] to be notified once it's scheduled.

Installation of Bishop Bridgeforth

May 20, 2023 3:00pm

The Episcopacy Committees and other leaders of the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences invite you to the Service of Installation for Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth on Saturday, May 20th at 3 p.m. (PT). The service will be livestreamed at greaternw.org/installation and opens the Greater Northwest Area’s month of conferencing.

Fremont UMC representatives, Suzanne Wardenaar and Cynthia MacLeod, will be attending the in person and zoom meetings for the annual conference.

You will also find the livesteam-link for this event on the Fremontumc.org website calendar on May 20th.

Fremonter Details

Fremont Newsletter Articles and Production 

The Fremonter Newsletter has always been a critical part of how we communicate, worship, prayer and celebrate together. We would love to encourage everyone to contribute articles to the monthly news letter. Interested in sharing, here is how and when to do it. 

• Fremonter articles are always due the 4th Friday of each month; for example: articles for December 2022 are due Friday November 25th. 
• Need a couple more days? That's ok, just contact Diane and let her know you will be submitting a piece.

• Please submit your articles in a simple word or google document - if you have photos you would like included, attach them to the email. Do not put them in the article.