January 2023 Newsletter

Celebrating 2022

Greetings Fremont Family,

Happy New Year!

With 2022 having come to a close, I thought I would take a moment and celebrate some of the wonderful things that happened this past year. In fact, in the spirit of one year ending and another one beginning, I thought I would offer my "Top 5 Best Things" at Fremont for 2022. This short list doesn't even begin to cover all the blessings, but it does give us a wonderful foundation for celebrating an incredible year of ministry together.

#5: Hiring Diane Rheos as our new Community Development Director - I am putting this one at the bottom of my Top 5 list only because Diane has just gotten started. She has been in the office for a few weeks and already I can see amazing things happening. Diane has a knack for organizational development (and lots of education and training too) and she has a vision for using our space as a community hub. I can't wait to see what we will do together this coming year!

#4: The Parsonage Renovation and outreach to the neighborhood - Okay, technically, these are two things. Did you see what I did there? Honestly, for me, they go hand in hand. Reclaiming our parsonage for the use of the pastor's family and our family's location in the neighborhood are part of our larger vision to build relationships with surrounding neighbors. Just in the few months we have been in the parsonage, we have met many people who live around us and all of them have shown appreciation for the improvements made to the church's beautiful home.

#3: Completing Phase 1 of Capital Campaign Renovations - Entryway and Main Floor of the Office Area - I am not going to lie to you, the demolition of the entryway and the improvements done to the main office area were a HUGE undertaking. For nearly 7 months (September 2021 to April 2022) the space was under massive construction, and there were days where I didn't know how much more I could take. But, the results are beautiful! And, more importantly, the change in the space has already changed how we offer hospitality to neighbors and new building users. The new studio space (former nursery) has become a favorite place to gather, and the reception area at the front offers immediate welcome for those coming through our doors. Well done, Fremont!

#2 The return of our "Come to the Waters" process for spiritual development - You may not know this, but the adult catechumenate (say what?) process formerly known as "Sacramental Living" was one of the main reasons I felt called to Fremont UMC in the first place. I am a big believer in creating pathways for seekers to become disciples. Few churches (honestly, I cannot think of another one in the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference) have a process for people to come into membership and/or baptism in ways that lead to robust discipleship. In January of 2022, we were able to restart this amazing ministry. At Easter, we welcomed 6 new members with 1 baptism, and this fall, we began a second class with even more people walking this way with us.

#1 (Drumroll please) The Centennial Celebration!!! - Without a doubt this momentous occasion was a highlight of 2022 for me. We planned for months to make sure we honored this significant threshold crossing, and the day did not disappoint. What an amazing gathering of former pastors, old friends, and contemporary siblings in ministry. 100 years is an extraordinary milestone to commemorate, and we did it right.

The memories of this wonderful day will stay with me for a very long time.

What about you? Do you have a Top 5? I would love to hear them, and I hope you take a moment to consider the incredible ministry we have done together this past year. God is with us, and I look forward to another wonderful year together in 2023.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Erin

On Sunday, December 18th we held the Rite of Welcome for those attending the 2022-2023 "Come to the Waters" class.

Candidates include Daniel and Thea Nealschneider, Sandra Lawson, and Margaret Weddell. Companions for this year's candidates include Eddie and RaeAnn Francis (who are also bringing Jacob forward for baptism at Easter), Joyanna Eisenberg and Michele Bernstein. We look forward to walking with this new group through the coming year.

Introductory Sessions

Thursday evenings from 6:45 to 8:15pm

Beginning January 5th in the Fellowship Hall.

You are welcome to register and attend a session before deciding if you wish to continue. Our suggested monthly contribution amount will be available at the sessions. Vaccinations are required. Masks are optional but recommended.

For more information, email [email protected]. No drop-ins please, register here by choosing the 'Introductory Session' by the Fremont location.

Welcome to the new year! In my new position as Director of Community Development Here are a few of my initial goals:



• Find ways to rent and use more of the available space in our building.
• Organize systems to facilitate our ease of use and vibrant life together.
• Focus on increasing communication and social media to improve connections between all of us and with our neighbors.

I am going to need some help! Each month I will share some opportunities for you to have a way to help our church function. Let me know if you would like to take on one of these tasks!

Work-from-home data entry: We receive record requests for baptisms. We have hand written ledgers from the early days. If we had these in a spreadsheet then we can search and find the requested information. Take the ledger home and enter the data on our spreadsheet.

Space Clean up and Organizing: Not a full re-org, just some things that could be better organized. Come spend an afternoon with me and take things to a more logical home.

Rental Space Staging: I am going to update our website with photos and information for each rental space available. Can you come set up tables and chairs for a photo session?

-Diane Rheos

Updates from a Season Of Giving

Christmas Trees at Fremont,

a season to remember!

It was a busy season for the Fremont Christmas tree sale this year. Now that every tree and wreath has been sold, the bark dust raked up, any sore muscles have healed, we have much to be grateful for. The sale was a success by every measure, fostering fellowship and community connections, and creating memories for the volunteers and customers alike.  

Over two busy weeks, we sold over 1000 trees and 80 wreaths. The tree sale is a vital component of the Fremont budget, and we appreciate the dedication that volunteers bring to each shift. Fremont has a long history of donating 10% of our profit to the NE Emergency Food Program, and this year we have sent a check for approximately $3,000. We have also made a donation to Scout Troop 100, continuing the long partnership in the tree sale. Many people worked ' behind the scenes' to help make the tree sales work smoothly and safely. Now we are already busy planning for our sale 2023. “Stay tuned”, and thank you!

Annual Socks, Hats, and Gloves Ministry

Written by Trudy as a thank you to those who went out to distribute the 68 packages of socks, hats and gloves on December 26^th.

Thank you so much for sharing your time this morning in this ministry of sharing and giving. I pray we made a little difference in the daily lives of our sisters and brothers that we met today. You have been so faithful with this ministry and for that I am very thankful to you. It was suggested that we try to extend our caring and sharing to more than just Christmas day. People are houseless all year long not just Christmas Day so I think we should explore that possibility. I was thankful for Jackie's (friend of Rebecca's) participation today and Rowan as well and I am proud of my oldest great grandson, LaMareontae because he has participated every year since we started from Woodlawn. 

God of Grace and Love, we give you thanks and praise for the spirit you keep alive in us to go out as your disciples to try and help make a difference in the lives of others. Help us find new ways to make a difference to meet the needs of our sisters and brothers struggling to survive. Amen! Blessings, Trudy

Do Good Donations - A Barrel of Generosity

If you didn't see the collection barrel for Do Good it was a big one! We managed to fill it 3/4 full with things that Do Good clients need. A wool blanket, socks, hats, underwear....

They were impressed when they picked it up and sent this sweet note in thanks.

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 more time? Just let Diane know to hold you a space. 
• 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.