The Columbia Weekly

January 16, 2026

Dear CPC Family,

I am looking forward to this Sunday. I hope you are too. It could just be that the sun is out! Last week we had a baptism, student confirmation, and the women’s ministry team during worship. It was a good Sunday.

This Sunday is also an exciting Sunday. Pastor John Yu will be joining us in worship officially for the first time and commissioning our Senegal Go Team! John has been in the office a few times this week, but Sunday will really be the launching point. To most of us it will feel like a normal Sunday. We will worship, pray, sing, and gather around God’s word together. But, whenever someone new becomes a part of our community or we send out congregants into the mission field, that is an exciting thing.

I hope you will come and join us for worship. We will be talking about how sometimes what we say we want isn’t actually what we really want. In our story the disciples reveal that what they say they want does not really align with their hearts. They also reveal that they don’t fully understand how, who, and what Jesus is calling them to love. So, there is much to be excited about.

However, we also have an important announcement that came up more quickly than we expected. You will need to read below in our youth ministry section of the newsletter to learn about that. Lydia Fitzpatrick is going to be transitioning to full-time education from her current role. I will let you read her letter below. For some time she has been discerning a call to a different kind of ministry and, while we thought that would happen several months from now, she needed to get started earlier than expected. I know the timing of this is hard in some ways. But, the reality is that things just don’t always line up the way that we want in life in terms of timing. Our God is good. Our God will provide. Read more below. I think you will be excited about what you hear from Lydia even though it means we will have some work to do in the coming weeks. Part of that work will be celebrating Lydia.

Pastor Matt

To prepare for worship: Read Matthew 20:17-28

Watch previous worship services on Church Center or listen to previous sermons on Spotify.

A Note from Lydia

Dear CPC Family,

I'm writing you to share that I will be starting a program to pursue my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. It is very bittersweet that I write that February 1 will be my last Sunday as Youth Director. Over the past three years, I have been discerning what a future career might look like for me, and through much prayer, reflection, and conversation, I have felt led to pursue my education full time. 

I cannot put into words how thankful I am for the past five and a half years at CPC. What started as a summer internship grew into a family that I will forever cherish. Walking alongside you and your students, seeing them discover God’s love and joy, and learning from each of you has been an incredible blessing and honor. Witnessing God at work has been nothing short of a blessing. I am incredibly grateful for the trust, support, and love you have shown me during my time here. 

During this time, the Personnel Ministry Team and Pastor Matt have been working on a plan for next steps once the time was right. They are beginning to implement that now and will be in communication with the Youth Team, parents, and the congregation. 

This season of ministry at CPC truly has profoundly shaped my path to a vocational call and next step into ministry. Liam and I will remain in Vancouver, and he will continue as the Director of Utmost Athletics.



Thank you for being such a gracious and faithful community. 

With all my love,

Lydia Fitzpatrick, Youth Director

Announcements

Events with the Church Center icon require registration.

Need assistance? Call the church office (360) 694-7549.

Men's Friday Morning Bible Study

Fridays, beginning January 16, 9:00-10:30am

Chapel and Zoom

This is an in-depth study of the New Testament where we aim to grow in our life with Christ by studying His Word. We meet both in person and via Zoom, so we ask everyone to bring a laptop, iPad or phone to connect to the participants who are on Zoom. For more information contact Dave Cram, (360) 356-4108.

Men's Breakfast

Saturday, January 17, 8:00–9:30am

Fellowship Hall

Come enjoy good food and meaningful fellowship as we hear from Scott Longacre, who will share about his faith journey and his ministry through his work as the Congregational Care and Missional Caseworker. Invite a friend to join you! To help offset costs, a $5 donation is suggested. Register here.

Middle School Night of Unending Games

Friday, January 23, 6:00-9:00pm

The Middle School Night of Unending Games is a game-filled fun event for all 6-8th graders. We will play a variety of games throughout the church building and have lots of snacks. This is a free event and you are welcome to bring a friend! Register here.

Lenten Devotional 

All ages are invited to contribute to the CPC 2026 Lenten Prayer Devotional. Contributions should be prayerfully inspired and centered on the chosen scripture. You might write a prayer, a poem, or include a personal, relevant experience. You could also submit a digital file of a drawing, photo, painting or other piece of artwork. There is no word limit or minimum. Last year we had contributions by children, youth and adults! Sign up here, through Church Center, by calling the church office, or by signing up in the Gathering Area on Sunday, to choose your scripture passage. Submissions are due to Viva Dennis by Friday, February 6.

Women’s Gathering: Restored & Re-Storied

Saturday, January 31, 9:00am–12:00pm

Fellowship Hall

Come experience a time of faith and connection with other women as we explore the lives of women in the Bible whose stories were restored and re-storied through encounters with Jesus. We will gather for worship, breakfast, a craft, and small group discussion. Please bring your Bible and a breakfast dish to share. Childcare is available with advance registration. To register for the event and request childcare, click here.

Mental Health First Aid for Adults

Saturday, February 7, 8:30am-5:00pm

Main Conference Room

Invest a Saturday to learn how to promote and support mental well being in our community and earn a certificate of completion for Mental Health First Aid. You will be taught how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults and how to help people get the help they need. You will also learn how to interact with persons facing these types of challenges. Lunch will be provided. Cost is $20. Register here.

High School Ski Retreat

February 13-16

Bend, OR

We're heading to Mt. Bachelor again this winter. Whether you want to ski, snowboard, or just hang out, you're welcome to join. We'll spend time on the slopes, play games in the evenings, and enjoy the mountain together. Cost depends on what activities you sign up for. Registration closes Monday, January 19. Register here.

Columbia Faith & Life Conference: Faithful Living in Secular Times

February 27-March 1

Registration is open

We live in an age that goes at the speed of the internet, with social media, deep fakes, and AI an everyday part of life. In this fast-paced world, for many people God and church seem like ancient remnants of another time. How do Christians make sense of things and live faithfully in this secular age? Andy Root will help us to see how deeply the church has been impacted and exhausted by trying to keep up with the speed of these secular times. He will help us to find new spiritual footing that will help us avoid the traps of the secular age and live a richer, more abundant life that is grounded in Jesus Christ.

We are often unknowingly shaped by the culture that we live in. Ours is a secular culture that tells us that our identity and value is in what we can produce and how popular we are. We get caught up in the rat race and become exhausted or come crashing down when we fail to live up to the expectations of secular society. Andy unmasks the forces of secularism and will help us to see how we can resist secular forces and embrace the deeper ways of Christ. Register here.

Men's Retreat

Friday, March 27, 6:30-9:00pm, Fellowship Hall

Saturday, March 28, 8:30am-6:30pm, George Fox University, Newberg Campus

Mark your calendars now and look for registration to open on February 27.

Work Camp Auction Donations

Your donations are the first step to a successful Work Camp Auction - which is our primary way of funding our summer high school Work Camp. This year the students will be assisting in Hurricane Helene relief in Tennessee and North Carolina. For the Auction, we need physical items, experiences, services, monetary and gift card donations. Donation information sheets are available in the office, at the Welcome Center, and on Church Center. Please plan to return those with your items by the end of February. The second step to a successful Work Camp Auction is your attendance, so please mark Sunday, March 15 on your calendars. Do you have questions about donations or the auction? Contact the Auction Coordinator, Amanda Stimmel.

A New Step Toward Improved Church Communication

We are blessed to be a vibrant and busy church with many moving parts. As we seek to share what’s happening in our church clearly and faithfully, our staff has begun using a Communications Request Form to gather information about upcoming ministry events and activities. If you help lead one of our many ministries, we invite you to use this new Communications Request Form when you have information to share. The form helps ensure that all our support staff have access to your ministry’s details, so information can be communicated accurately and consistently through our bulletin, Columbia Weekly, event registrations, and other church channels. You can access the form by clicking here, on the link in this email's footer, or in Church Center under CPC Resources. Thank you for your flexibility and for partnering with us in this shared work.

Missions

Pray for the 2026 Senegal Go Team

The 2026 Senegal Go Team (Connie Warner, Kerby Boschee, Bob Swenson and Chris Keinath) will travel to Senegal February 3–13. They will meet with our Christian partners there and visit the communities and villages that make up the World Vision project of Lour-Ribot. They will also get to visit with their sponsored children! Each person on this year’s team feels called to continue to share the love of God with unreached people groups in Senegal, and to further uplift the ongoing relationships with our mission partners there.

Wish the team well as they travel 7,000 miles to be of service to our Christian partners at their Commissioning this Sunday during both services. The team would also like to invite you to travel along and pray with them using their prayer itinerary. Click here to view the prayer itinerary which will also be available this Sunday (along with cookies!) in the Gathering Area. The team is grateful for your support, prayers, and encouragement. Jërëjëf! (Wolof for thank you!)

Columbia Cares

In Sympathy:

• Pat Jacobson and family on the death of her husband, Jim, on January 12.
• A memorial service for Garnet Hayes' mother, Rachel Alegado, will be held in the Sanctuary on Saturday, January 17 at 2:00pm.
• A memorial service for Bob Randolph, husband of Susan and father of Brian, will be held in the Sanctuary on Saturday, January 24 at 1:00pm.

In Concern:

• Bob Williams - lung infection
• Duane Hamlin - recovering from bladder cancer procedure
• David Hammock - health concerns
• Russ Parker - health concerns
• Kay DeRoos - recovering from shoulder surgery
• Rich Franklin - recovering from shoulder surgery
• Jake Roest - health concerns
• Joan Bahrenburg - recovering from surgery
• Susan Randolph - dementia and broken leg from a fall
• Judy Falk - recovering from broken arm following surgery
• Carla Groce - treatment for breast cancer
• Shae Sobottke - recovering from brain surgery
• Bob Weller - treatment for cancer
• Nancy Frederick - recovering from a compression fracture in her back
• Todd Carroll - on hospice
• Jeanene Polete - return of lung cancer
• Hank Polete - vertigo
• Jim Hudson - health concerns and recuperation
• Kay Thorpe - ongoing health concerns

In Person:

Checks or Cash

in the Offering Box

located in the Sanctuary

Electronically:

Credit or Debit Card

and ACH Transfers

Give Now via Church Center

By Mail or Bill Pay:

Columbia Presbyterian Church

8715 St. Helens Ave

Vancouver, WA 98664

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